[h2][u][b][center]Rangers Headquarters - Rustboro City[/center][/b][/u][/h2][quote][center]https://open.spotify.com/track/64ydtFBcPSNvUAJSievTsB?si=02025bdfdc184754[/center]

	Forrest stopped breathing. It never crossed his mind that the man he'd worked directly with for years now could be involved in anything these Zodiac people were doing. But Tristan pointed out the obvious evidence in front of them that such was a very real possibility. The rest of Tristan's conspiratorial hypotheses never registered with Forrest as he thought about how betrayed he felt - how betrayed he would feel if this were true. 
	No. There was no proof other than omission. That couldn't be valid - right? But Tristan was right. Why would every single other key institution and company and person be listed, but nothing and no one related to the Rangers? Even Mrs. James was a target. An elderly lady but not the head of the country's military? It didn't sit well with Forrest. He felt nauseous.
	Forrest nodded at Tristan's offer to interrogate Dick together with Ether. They had to. If there was any possibility that this could be true, they had to know. There was some relief that Tristan agreed with his initial opinion, though. And he added a good point - they needed to underestimate themselves while overestimating their enemy. He'd already thought of this himself, but it hit differently being spoken aloud by someone else.
	Forrest had to keep his composure. He felt he was losing his temper, his patience, his sanity. But he couldn't release any of this - not yet. When they revealed Dick's role in all of this, then he'd be able to unleash all the rage those emotions built up inside him. He wanted to hold out hope for Tristan to be wrong - but it made too much sense.

[center]----------[/center]
	They were escorted into the Master General's office. He wasn't in a secret meeting anymore, which was convenient. But the Master General was visibly stressed - frazzled. Papers and files blanketed his desk and voices sounded out of the intercom on his desk that he seemed to ignore.
	"Grand Conserve has returned to the Zephyr Base."
	"Sentinel Law's team has gathered the information you requested."
	"Special Agent Hawly has arrived."
	"The Guard Force has set their perimeter around the Wharf."
	"Grand Watcher has returned to Lavaridge."
	The reports felt like background noise considering everything else that was going on. Ether quickly felt how stressed - panicked - the Master General was feeling. His breathing was quickened and he heart was beating hard in his chest. He didn't acknowledge when the two of them entered his office.
	Forrest decided he'd start off with the questioning so Tristan and Ether could focus on reading his mind.
	"Master General, Dick, we need to talk."
	"Yes, we do," he said plainly. "[i]This is not good - this is not good...[/i]"
	"Tristan has a list of suspects related to the Mauville Attack for you to look into," Forrest said and gestured for Tristan to hand over that file first.
	"Great," he said dismissively and didn't look up to take the file or see who even handed him the file, so it was just set on his desk. "[i]She didn't find a fucking thing - useless bitch,[/i]" he thought with the image of the Grand Conserve, Regina Kline, handing him a file labled "Project Shadow."
	"But you need to tell us what you know about these Zodiac people," Forrest said with an almost frightening level of authority in his voice. The vibrations from his chest could faintly be felt throughout the room.
	"[i]Fuck,[/i]" he thought and froze where he was. He took a few deep breaths and pulled himself back into a neutral tone. "[i]Of course they found out, damn.[/i]" He looked directly into Forrest's and Tristan's eyes. He then glanced down at Ether and pursed his lips and nodded once. "You're right, I was hiding it from you. I'm sorry that I put you both in that position." His eyes started to turn red and began to well with tears. "Kline has been researching all she could about about them. 'Team Zodiac.' Their leader is 'Pisces.' They're just as if not more powerful than you experienced with 'Taurus.'"
	The only images that showed in his mind were the files from which he recalled this information. "That's really all she's been able to find out since he - Pisces - revealed himself to Kline five years ago. She's found nothing fucking else out," he spat. 
	"Arceus fucking damn it," he growled loudly. "Of course they were fucking involved. So fucking stupid," he continued to reprimand himself. "I'm sorry," he said as he composed himself and looked back up at the pair. "We don't even know what they want or why they formed their 'Team.'"
	He shook his head. The memories flashed through his mind about all the times Grand Conserve Kline tried to bring up the topic, which he always waved off. The memories of the times she requested resources to further investigate Team Zodiac, which he always denied due to the always-limited resources they had. The memory of his concern that the Mauville Attack could have actually been the work of Team Zodiac, but was ignored since he'd heard nothing about them for the past two years since Grand Conserve Kline ceased requesting help and resources from him. Another one of his failures as Master General of Hoenn.
	"She currently has the file on Team Zodiac," he finally said and pressed the button on the intercom. "Mr. Johnson and Investigator Aeros will be meeting with Grand Conserve Kline at the PI's convenience," he said matter-of-factly and leaned back to the two of them.
	The look on Forrest's face struck him. He couldn't understand why Forrest still looked suspicious. "Look, I'm sorry, but that's all I can give you," he said with a shrug. The feeling of defeat exuded strongly from the Master General.
	"You don't know anything else. Anything at all? You've never seen any of them before?" Forrest said in a deep and harsh growl.
	Dick's brow's curled and his eyes widened as if he was confused and afraid of this response from Forrest. Ether felt this confusion and verified that there were no seals hiding anything within the Master General's mind and that he was actively allowing to see everything he could recall to Ether. There was no hint of deceit or fabrication or even omission. But his face shifted out of fear and fully into confusion.
	"What did you find?"
	"We know who and what their targets are. You're saying you have no idea," Forrest growled again. It sounded more like an accusation than a question. It took Tristan to rein Forrest in to shift his expectations.
	"You do? That's great, but I don't -" he started. "[i]know,[/i]" he finished the sentence in his mind as it raced to think of possibilities as to what it could have been.
	"You're not one of them. None of the Rangers are. None of the bases or this HQ are on any of the lists of targets they have." His voice still growled, but it wasn't nearly as intense as before.
	"Really?" Dick said incredulously.
	It made no sense to him. How would the Rangers - the military of the entire country - not be on any kind of list or plans they had for whatever it was they were trying to accomplish? Surely he, himself, would be at the top of the list. Grand Conserve Kline should be on the list since their self-proclaimed leader exposed himself to her. Surely what they had was an incomplete list.
	"I'm sure they must have plans to deal with the Rangers in another file that you didn't get," he said, still visibly confused. "[i]A file on how to deal with the Rangers would be huge. They couldn't have gotten it with the few files they had. But it's probably destroyed by now so we can't know what they plan to do about us. They could only get a few files. Of course their plans on dealing with the Rangers weren't among them. Or it's with Kline and she's in league with them and they recruited her to dismantle the Rangers from the inside.[/i]"
	These were theoretical thoughts. Again, there was no deception or concealing of thoughts. There were no barriers or blocks. Unless there was an impossibly more sophisticated manner in hiding truths that Ether had never experienced before, the Master General was being honest. He seemed to have no connection to this Team Zodiac. He was just as bewildered that the Rangers wouldn't be in some sort of plan or another.
	Dick's eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Oh," he said low and slowly. "This makes me - us - look like we're accomplices. Of course it does," he said to himself and shook his head. "But," he started again and gestured to Ether, "I know less than either of you. I've never seen any of them. I don't know if it's just the twelve of them or if they have hundreds within their ranks." 
	The shrug he offered was one of defeat. Sure he could tell them the truth that he knew, but even he understood that his truth could be false - implanted, possibly. If he was a sleeper agent, he wouldn't even know. He understood well enough that he - the entire Rangers Organization - were suspects. He breathed deeply and kept quiet as he had no excuses or pleas to offer them.
	"Again, I'm sorry," he said softly and shook his head. "I don't have anything else for you." His eyes were sad - almost pathetic. "But I've sent Special Agent Hawley to your office, Aeros, if you'd like to speak with him. If not, just let me know and I'll cancel the meeting."
	Forrest stood there with his arms crossed and his chest puffed out. He had never shifted from his aggressive and authoritative stance directly in front of Dick's desk. He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart and his head held straight and his eyes down at the old man. A few more moments passed and he turned to look toward Tristan and Ether with a raised brow so they could verify what he was saying and the thoughts they could find.[/quote]

[hider][h2][u][b][center]Elite Four Headquarters - Ever Grande City[/center][/b][/u][/h2][quote][center]https://open.spotify.com/track/6PvgkOzFNv56kAg3Wuu0mk?si=9c975f5c95a34ba0[/center]

	A silent lunch was always preferred. With Lois and Fred gone, it was peaceful. The large wooden dining table looked larger - more spacious - without them here. He could spread out his paperwork and crossword puzzles as much as he liked. He ate the same sandwich every day. They made him appreciate the meals his late wife would always make for him. She was the perfect woman - the perfect person. He so wished he didn't have to live without her.
	Bingham touched his gauntlet after he finished writing in a word in the crossword he was working on. He didn't look at the image of who he'd called and, instead, focused on his puzzle as if it was more interesting to him than reaching out to this person.
	"You're going to need his help. I told you. You're not equipped to handle any of this," he said with a scoff.
	"Mr. Keetra, what a pleasure," the feminine voice said low and with a layer of contempt. "I appreciate the offer but we're fine."
	"No, you're not. You're way out of your league, little girl. You have no idea what they're capable of."
	"Oh, and you are?"
	Bingham looked up across the table and raised a brow. The young woman looked back with her arms and legs crossed casually as she sat expectantly. Her large red curly mane complimented her freckles and pale skin. She wore rather expensive-looking jewelry and fine clothes accentuated every part of her body that she was clearly proud of.
	"Please, just do it," he said and ended the call. His voice lost any kind of authority and fell into a kind of concern, a fear that was wholly uncharacteristic of Bingham.
	He sat and stared at the woman across from him for a long while.
	"There, happy?" he said with a raised brow and quickly shook his head. "Now you can leave."
	"No, I don't think so," she said with a smooth mezzo tone. Her head flopped to a side a wry smirk curled into her thick lips. "I think I'll enjoy my time here, instead."
	She looked around and nodded slowly to herself, clearly satisfied with herself. "You just keep doing what I tell you to do and you'll get what you want."[/quote][/hider]

[h2][u][b][center]Rangers Headquarters - Rustboro City[/center][/b][/u][/h2][quote][center]https://open.spotify.com/track/64ydtFBcPSNvUAJSievTsB?si=02025bdfdc184754[/center]

	Toward the end of interview with the special agent, the door was unlocked and a woman walked through - a familiar woman. Her long straight black hair and pinched eyes and pale skin were unmistakable. She wore the same style blouse and pants and shoes but in different colors.
	"Mr. Aeros, hi," she said with a warm smile without any hint of appearing as if she'd interrupted anything. "It looks like Ms. Shade wants me to work with you more closely. So, what have you found out?" she said and gestured for Forrest to get out of his chair so that she could bring it up to Tristan's desk and sit in it. Of course he complied if only because he was too confused to not surrender his seat to the young woman.
	"Uh, who are you?" Forrest asked gruffly as he realized what was happening.
	"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson. I'm Asuna, pleasure," she said and offered her hand to shake his gently, which he did as he looked incredulously at Tristan.[/quote]