The expression on Mr. Looker’s face told Anabel to be patient; he was working, though of course in his own way—a method unique to him, she was sure. No other work partner assigned to her had ever worn that look on their face, and not one of them had the capacity for processing information that she suspected Mr. Looker did. She considered herself fairly observant, but he had a knack for remembering details so small they slipped right by her.
It was no trouble at all to wait patiently with her hands clasped in her lap, and after the expected amount of time, the questions came as, it seemed, they always did. Perhaps it was silly to be relieved that she knew sometimes what to expect when it came to her subordinate.
“Yes, absolutely.” The last thing she wanted to do was overwhelm him with information; he did not regularly battle and while he had a knack for remembering case details, movesets and battle strategies were, well—not the opposite so much as…not something he bothered to focus on. Considering his lack of a personal battle team, it made sense. And she usually more than made up for it. But she could not adequately direct two or more pokémon spaced widely apart—and she knew now from experience that doing so while running for her life was… Well, it was not an acceptable option, not if she had any other choice.
“You remembered correctly: Entei is a fire-type and is, ah…hot-headed.” The play on words was weak at best, but it was silly enough that it was hard to forget once considered. “I’m afraid I have no fun way to remember the others, but Raikou is an electric type, and Latios of dual typing: dragon and psychic.”
She was already failing at doing a good job explaining things to Mr. Looker. Perhaps she should have asked him from the start if he knew anything about her pokémon, but…she could not really remember having battled much in front of him, and she tended to use pokémon in her police work that were either very heavily defensive or versatile. Had he ever seen her use the three she’d given him in a battle? Any battle?
She frowned slightly, trying to think. Perhaps not. This would be more difficult than she’d anticipated, but she could not put Mr. Looker on defense when she herself was the most likely target. She would have to do her best and hope it would be enough to see them through.
She forced her frown into a smile, more for his benefit than her own; even though she was already feeling uneasy, it would’t do for him to think she was nervous, too.
“All right… Latios first. He’s very intelligent, understands human speech, and, ah, is also telepathic, to an extent. If the field is covered in smoke, for example, he will be able to sense the location of you, myself, any other pokémon present, and his opponent. I have no idea, of course, if that information will be useful, but…it is possible. As far as preferred moves go, it seems he has always had the strongest affinity for Luster Purge, so I have always focused on it. Dragon Pulse is another good option if you find you need to utilize his dragon typing… And, well, he has two useful healing moves, one which he can use on himself, and another which he can only use on others. Since I will be fighting, too, if something happens to one of my three pokémon, Latios can lend a hand…provided he has the energy. As I said earlier, he is rather old… Oh…! If something happens to either of us, he might be able to offer some assistance. Nothing major, of course, but as they say, beggars cannot be choosers.” And if Latios’s Heal Pulse so much as slowed blood loss, it would be a worthwhile choice to make to have him use it.
She went on to explain as much about her latios as she could—not every move in his arsenal, but the more important ones like Thunderbolt and Protect, and also his strengths and weaknesses. He was a capable opponent from afar, but being older he was physically a little frail, and unless absolutely necessary it was best to keep him out of the fray. Attacking from a distance would be to their advantage.
Raikou was next on the list: a strong offensive battler—again, from a distance—but much faster than Latios could manage, which made him ideal for dodging or getting somewhere quickly. He could even fly if he had the time to summon thunderclouds, and he knew the basic electric moves: Thunderbolt, Thunder, Thunder Wave… And he knew Extrasensory, which, if it hit, could sometimes hurt badly enough to force an opponent back a step to get their bearings again.
Entei was the odd one out, at his strongest when fighting physically. He knew Flamethrower, of course, and it would do in a pinch, but most of his training had been spent honing his skills using moves like Fire Fang and Flame Charge. He also had some talent with Stone Edge and could, if necessary, use Solar Beam, but both required an opponent to be relatively stationary for a period of time, and the latter could be dangerous as it required time to charge, which mean that for a time, Entei would be helpless.
She could have talked for much longer about her team, but the helicopter ride wasn’t to be an especially long one, and even Mr. Looker could not remember every bit of detail if she made it excessive. The basics ought to be fine; at any rate, they would be much better than if she had to deal with it entirely on her own. If he remembered just one or two moves each pokémon was especially good at using, she would probably be able to handle playing defense without too much worry.
She chewed on her bottom lip while she tried to think of more to say, but came up with nothing, and offered him an awkward smile around the motion.
“I think that about does it, and please…don’t worry too much about having it all memorized. I don’t expect you to remember everything. During battle, recalling just a few of them will be a great help to me, I’m sure. And if you like, we can go over it again when we land.” Which they would be doing any moment now, according to the pilot, who pointed down at Blush Mountain toward a clearing.
Anabel looked away from both men and swallowed hard, fingers curling into fists in her lap. It was stupid to let her nerves get the better of her; she was hardly deserving of her rank if she let herself be so easily rattled, after all.
She tried to focus on a plan, instead: the first thing to do would be to have Mr. Looker release his new team so that they could be introduced and the situation explained. Her team rarely needed heavy instruction from her, and she hoped they would do as well for Mr. Looker. She had chosen them for him for that reason above all others, after all.
She turned back to him again with a smile on her face, and hoped it did not look too forced.
“Perhaps by this time tomorrow, Mr. Looker, we will have returned to our roles as carefree sightseers.” It certainly was a pleasant thought—and if they were very lucky, maybe it would come to pass.
“No, no, I am understanding it...!” Looker replied, his eyes still cast down onto the worn down pokeballs in his hand, as if to visualize the explanations she was feeding him. “Fire is hot, and Entei is hot-headed... Dragon-types are, erm... usually old and wise? Aha, there! An old and wise Latios, and... Raikou is, ah... ah! Quick! Quick like lightning!” The little puns were childish, he had to admit, but he’d certainly remember them. The agent could remember fine, acute details, mannerisms and the like as if it were no one’s business, but when it came to textbook facts and knowledge he wasn’t so keen on--such as battling--he’d take whatever help he could get. He finally glanced up and met her eyes with a firm nod, “I do believe I will certain remember most of that, or, at least, I can attempt to! Thank you Chief.”
They were greeted with a beat of silence, the muted roar of the aircraft’s motor raging as they flew across the sky made its way into the small cabin. Another gentle reminder that every second that passed was a second closer to facing down the Ultra Beast. Not many things terrified the elder officer, but to say that he could easily face this with a level head was... well, untrue. Nightmares from the first mission all those years ago wouldn’t dare leave his head and they plagued him like an illness he couldn’t shake off. He couldn’t falter, not this time...
Looker stole a quick glance at Anabel beside him. She kept herself tense, as if to brace for some kind of impact--not physically but mentally. The feeling felt all too familiar, and it pained him dearly. With a sigh, he felt his hand twitch rather absentmindedly. Part of him wanted to reach out, to grip her shoulder and tell her they’d make it out alive and well. But what was the point? Looker couldn’t even bring himself to believe that, so no doubt she’d see right through him. The agent’s primary duty was to lie in certain situations and circumstances, but this, this bout of life and death, was not one of them.
His hand twitched once more, right as she turned to face him. He nearly frowned, something about her smile was just too off for his liking and he had a mere guess as to what ever could be causing it. Uncertainty.
“...I... I do truly hope so, Chief... I hope so.”
The landing was rather smooth, almost to the point that Looker blinked in astonishment--”W-We are here so soon?”. He moved to unstrap himself from his seat and take hold their luggage, one of the young pilots moving to unlatch the door for their landing. The harsh sound of the chopping blades above filled the mute silence, causing Looker to flinch, if only for a second. The pilot moved the headset mic from his mouth and spoke, “We’re here...! I’ve been told you two already have arrangements?”
Looker cocked an eyebrow and shrugged, casting a glance over at Anabel who, most likely, didn’t catch a word the young man yelled before he threw in his own, “Erm... I suppose so... Yes!”
In return, the pilot offered a mere salute of luck as they stepped off into the twirling torrent of dust and dirt. A salute of good faith, Looker thought, lugging the last bag off the open latch, more likely it is the salute of the fallen--STOP. This will be a successful mission! Stop that. Stop that. Stop that!
Taking in a deep breath of dry dust, Looker gasped for air, watching with heavy breaths as the helicopter rose back into the darkening sky and flew off out of the sight.
