The wind moved differently up on the rooftop.
Elias sat with his legs dangling over the edge, his back to the access door, his right hand resting on his thigh.
The city stretched out before him. Traffic moved in long strings, people were heading home, and the arena where he had stood in confetti rain was just another silhouette against the darkening sky.
The access door behind him opened with a soft click.
Footsteps crossed the roof. Heels, but not sharp enough to be Anne's.
Sarah stopped a few feet behind him. She stood with her arms crossed, watching his back.
"You've been up here for three hours."
"Has it been that long?"
"Yes."
Sarah uncrossed her arms. She reached into her coat and pulled out a folder, holding it out to him.
Elias looked at it over his shoulder. Then he turned and took it.
"What's in here?"
"Operatives I handpicked." Sarah kept her voice even. "They're options for your squad. I went through the roster and pulled the ones I thought were worth your time. Although, the full roster is still open to you."
Elias turned the folder over once in his hand, then set it flat across his knee.
Sarah let the silence hold for a moment. Then she looked out at the skyline beside him.
"If you're uncertain about this, you're free to decline." She paused. "But the boss hoped that you'll accept, because you're the most capable one."
"What's the mission?" He asked.
"Shan Mercall." Sarah turned to look at him. "He's been hitting our field teams for months now. Every operative we send, he beats. Martin is running out of patience."
Elias did not respond right away. He looked down at the folder on his knee, and the city below continued to move without them.
"And a whole squad for one trainer."
"He's not just a problem anymore. He's a pattern." Sarah's voice didn't change. "The Boss tried to get rid of him, but unexpectedly, he came back. And now, he's disrupting our operations."
Elias looked up.
"The Medal of Grace?"
"Yes. The search is taking too long. The Boss has decided to accelerate it. All four commanders will be leading separate squads across the region."
Elias set the folder on the ledge beside him.
"And my squad is for Shan."
"Among other things." Sarah paused. "But yes. You know him better than anyone in this organization. You fought him. You lost to him."
The wind moved again, slow and steady over the rooftop.
Elias looked up at the sky.
The city's light had swallowed most of the stars. What remained was dim, scattered, like dust left behind after something larger had passed through.
"Are we doing the right thing?" He asked.
Sarah stood still.
The question was not one she had come up here with an answer for. She had come with a folder, a mission, and a reason. Those, she could deliver. But this question, she had no file for it.
She had spent years inside this organization. She had handpicked operatives, run logistics, managed Martin's orders, and made it all look clean. She had never asked herself that question. Not once.
She did not answer him.
Elias nodded once as if that silence told him something more useful than words could.
He picked up the folder from the ledge, opened it, and looked at the first name.
"I'll review this tonight."
Sarah nodded. She turned and walked back towards the access door. The door opened, clicked behind her, and then she was gone.
Elias stayed, turning the next page.
***
The briefing room was quiet in the way that only underground rooms could be. No windows. No outside sound. Just the low hum of the ventilation system and the soft buzz of the overhead lights.
Elias sat at one end of the long metal table. Anne was beside him, one leg tucked under the other. Sarah stood near the door, arms crossed, watching. Martin sat at the head of the table, his hands folded in front of him.
"You've had time." Martin said.
Elias nodded. He reached for the folder. He slid it across the table towards Sarah, who took it without comment.
"I have my picks."
Martin leaned forward slightly, his fingers tapping once against the table.
"Who?"
Elias pulled a single sheet from his pocket. He laid it flat on the table and smoothed it with his palm.
"Makarell Mikova."
Sarah's eyebrows rose a fraction. Even Anne, who had been sitting quietly, straightened in her chair.
Martin didn't react.
"Makarell." He repeated. "Any particular reason why?"
"He helped in saving me, and protected Anne along with it. I can't choose a better man than him."
Martin nodded, and gestured with two fingers.
"Continue."
Elias tapped the second name.
"Rosenvelt Cross."
Sarah's expression didn't change, but the slight shift of her weight said enough.
"She's a headache, but productive. She's probably the best technician in our ranks right now. Good choice."
Martin nodded once. No further comment.
Elias moved to the next name.
"Robert."
Anne's expression shifted. She looked at him, then at the paper, then back at him.
"Robert?" She asked.
Sarah unfolded her arms.
"He's a new recruit." She said with a slight change in her posture. "From Kanto Region."
The room was quiet for a moment. Martin's fingers stayed folded in front of him.
"And the fourth?"
Elias looked at Anne.
She met his eyes.
"Anne Maria." He said.
Anne went completely still beside him.
Martin looked at Anne, then back at Elias.
"I figured that much." He said. "Is that all?"
"Yes." Elias said.
Martin stood up from his chair and glanced at Sarah.
"Pull those operatives from whatever they are doing and bring them here."
Sarah nodded and moved towards the door without a word. It opened, and she stepped out.
The room went quiet again.
Elias sat still for a moment. Then he pushed back his chair and stood.
"Why did you give me a team?" He asked.
Martin turned, and looked at Elias across the length of the table.
"You read the letter."
"I did. You're giving me a squad. But I'm not a commander."
Martin was quiet for a moment.
"No. You're not."
"Then why."
Martin rested his forearms on the table and looked at Elias directly.
"Because Shan Mercall is a problem none of my commanders have solved. And you're the only one who's actually faced him."
"I lost to him."
"Then use this chance to win." Martin stood up, turning towards the door. "You said you remember everything, right?"
Elias nodded.
"Then you remember that you're a Monarch. You simply don't give up on things. I know that from experience."
Martin finally approached the door, but he stopped halfway through to take one last sharp look at Elias.
"Follow what you know is best."
The door closed behind with a hiss, leaving Elias and Anne alone in the briefing room.
The hum of the ventilation filled the silence.
Anne stayed in her chair. She looked at Elias, her giving him a worried look.
He glanced at her once, then looked towards the end of the table where Martin had been sitting.
***
The streets of Felspar City were never quiet. Delivery trucks rumbled through the industrial district. Miners fresh off their shifts filled the bars near the eastern gate. Trainers passed through on their way to the gym, eyes forward, minds already on their next badge.
Rein walked with his hands in his pockets, boots scuffing the pavement. His brown hair had grown out, falling across his forehead without care. The jacket he wore was plain grey, the cuffs worn thin. No insignia. No green X.
"Hey! Wait for me!" A voice came from behind him, bright and impossibly persistent.
Rein didn't stop walking.
"I told you to back off!" He hissed.
"What?!" Ellen caught up easily, falling into step beside him. Her Pikachu rode on her shoulder, its cheeks sparking gently. "You're the one who interrupted my talk with the professor! Don't give me that attitude."
"You were taking too long."
"I was getting information!"
Rein continued walking ahead, picking his ear. Ellen walked faster to keep pace, then pulled out a paper from her bag.
"Look. Professor Gabriel says this is what the artifact looked like."
Rein glanced at it without slowing down.
The paper showed a hand drawn of what looked like a grail.
"A cup." He said.
"A grail!" Ellen corrected. "There's a difference."
"There isn't."
"There is! A grail is—" She stopped herself, pressing her lips together. Her Pikachu looked between them. "Fine. Whatever. The point is, the professor said it was last seen somewhere in this district."
Rein finally slowed. Not because of what she said. But because they had reached a gate.
The sign above them read: Kol Mining Company.
The building behind the iron gates was large and grey, its walls darkened with years of grime. A security light buzzed above the entrance, casting a dull yellow circle on the concrete below.
The chain on the gate hung loose. Padlock open.
Rein pushed it with his shoulder. It swung inward with a low groan.
Ellen stayed at the threshold, looking up at the building. The upper windows were dark. One of them was boarded.
"This is... not what I expected." Ellen said, a disappointed look on her face.
"Never expect anything," Rein said, already walking.
He crossed the lot and stopped in front of the main door. He pushed it open with one hand and stepped through.
Ellen stopped at the doorway.
The cobweb swayed in the air above the entrance. She stared at it, and walked in fast, brushing her arms immediately after.
Inside, the air was warm. Dust sat on every surface. Old equipment lined the walls, covered in tarps. The ceiling was high and the upper half of it was lost in shadow. The only light came through the windows along the far wall, falling in pale strips across the wooden floor.
"Welcome."
The voice came from the far side of the room. Tired and flat.
They both looked.
A man sat in a wooden chair against the far wall, half-swallowed by shadow. A bottle rested on the table beside him. He held a cup loosely in one hand, elbow on his knee, head tilted back just enough to see them.
"Do you need anything?"
Ellen nudged Rein with her elbow.
He stepped forward, hands still in his pockets.
"We're looking for a man named Ace."
The man was quiet for a moment. Then a short, dry laugh came out of him.
"Ace." He repeated, and took a slow drink from his cup. "You should be looking in the graveyard, kid."
Ellen went still.
Rein didn't move either. His eyes stayed on the man, reading his face in the poor light.
Neither of them said anything.
The man looked at them both for a moment. Then he laughed again, fuller this time, a rough sound that broke off into a cough.
"I'm kidding." He set the cup down on the table. "What do you want with him?"
Ellen let out a slow breath.
Veins popped on Rein's temple.
"We need something from him!" He shouted. "Where is he?!"
Ellen's hand shot out and grabbed his arm.
Rein stopped, jaw tight, his weight already forward.
The man didn't flinch. He looked at Rein, then laughed, reaching for his cup again.
"Hotheaded kid." He took a drink. "You're shouting at him."
Rein looked at the man. Then at Ellen.
Ellen let go of his arm slowly, her eyes still on the man in the chair.
"You're Ace?" She said.
"Bingo, little girl." The man set his cup down and leaned back. "So... what do you want with me?"
Ellen pulled the paper from her bag and held it out.
"This is drawn by Professor Gabriel. He said it's an artifact."
Ace looked at it from his chair.
Then he stood.
He crossed the room with that slight drag in his left leg and took the paper from her hand. He crumpled it and threw it on the floor.
"The hell is Gabriel doing?" Ace had already turned away. "Did you tell anyone you were coming here?"
"Uh... No?" Ellen said.
Ace was quiet for a moment. He turned his head just enough to look at her over his shoulder.
"Follow me."