[center][h3]Four Years Ago[/h3][/center] The maglev ran smoothly on its way to Saffron City, maintaining its precise schedule. Ezra and Levin sat opposite each other in the cabin, playing cards on a tray table. Ezra reached into his jacket and set a sizable stack of golden coins on the table. “No fucking way,” Levin scoffed. Ezra kept a stern gaze and pushed the stack further towards the center with the others, not saying a word. “You really wanna lose your payday all in one go, huh?” Levin reached for his own coins to ante but watched his friend cautiously for a tell. “I fold,” Levin conceded, deciding not to test his luck. Ezra smiled, scooping up the pot and flipping over his cards to reveal a terrible hand. “Fuck!” Levin shouted, earning himself incredulous stares by other passengers. “Fuck…” he muttered again, shrinking down in his seat. “You were close,” Ezra laughed. “But you need to learn not to crack under pressure. Remember the job in Pewter?” “Asshole.” “No such thing in this life as a sure thing except death and taxes. At the very least guys like us can dodge the latter. Sometimes you just gotta go for broke. Another round?” “Fuck off.” A woman walked down the aisle and took her seat across from the two, grabbing a book from her bag to occupy herself. Ezra gave her a sidelong glance and a smile, shuffling the cards together. “We thought you missed the train,” he said. “Would’ve been a shame if you couldn’t join us for the afterparty.” “Had to take a detour. Too many eyes.” “And the goods?” “A hunter always catches her prey.” “You had it easy,” Levin chimed in. “All you had to do was watch the cargo on a boat.” “For two weeks.” “Yeah, and?” “That’s two weeks Minerva went without pizza,” Ezra said, standing up. He moved over to sit next to her, placing his arm around her shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll grab some in Saffron on me. I know a place you’re gonna love. When we’re there, we can talk about our next move.” “Boss already has another job lined up, huh?” “Don’t worry about it, it’s an easy gig. Nothing the three of us can’t handle…” [center][h3]Current Day[/h3][/center] The best waves always came in the morning. Minerva glided on the water, surfboard at her side as Agares swam past her. The competitive Croconaw, eager to show off, raced full speed looking back at his trainer and not at the jutting rock he promptly slammed into. Agares crashed through the other side of the stone and rushed to catch up. The waters further beyond the shore foamed as Minerva approached, ready for the crest to form. She propelled herself on her board and balanced herself firm, riding up and down the smaller waves. The Croconaw swam on his back alongside Minerva, electing to pace himself this time. Minerva crouched and gave Agares a rub on the belly, while he playfully splashed at her in return. She let off a soft chuckle before turning to the horizon where something caught her eye. A hunter always catches her prey. The grandest wave of them all took form, creeping up to swallow all in its path. Minerva chased after, and in perfect form trailed through the barreling tide, droplets of water glistening past her. No longer was there a sense of time, and memories of Cinnabar Island didn’t seem so far away. Then it was over. The waters calmed with Minerva left standing on her surfboard, staring back at the shore. Picking up on her cue, Agares swam behind the surfboard and pushed Minerva all the way to the beach. “Smooth moves out there,” a man in an Alolan print shirt called to Minerva. “You too, little dude.” Agares placed his hands on his hips and turned his snout upward in a proud pose. “Thanks for watching my stuff,” Minerva said. “And Shax. I usually hate having to ask.” “No worries. Little man’s just vibin’.” Minerva’s Natu nested himself in the center of a sandcastle, basking comfortably in the sun and in no rush to leave. There was no use in moving him now—he liked it there. “Shax, let’s go,” Minerva said, to no avail. Agares puffed up his chest and threatened to kick over the sandcastle but was met with Shax’s unnerving stare. “Guess we’ll get food without you.” In an instant, Minerva felt a small weight upon her head—Shax had teleported to her as a sign of compliance. “That’s what I thought.” “I didn’t catch your name, by the way,” the man said. Minerva paused for a moment before giving him a lie. “Athena.” “Well it was nice to meet you, Athena. I’m Shaun. With a ‘U.’ Maybe next time I’ll join you out there on the waves, yeah?” “Maybe. We’ll see. See you later, ‘Shaun-with-a-U.’” Agares spotted the fried fish stand and pointed excitedly at it, holding up three claws at Minerva. “You’ll get [i]one[/i],” she rejected, gathering her things. “We’ll get more later.” Agares got his fish, Shax was given berries, and Minerva bought a small cup of shaved ice for herself. Minerva spent the rest of her time enjoying the festivities of the beach—morning became afternoon, and afternoon into the evening. The sun rested against the skyline, signifying time for Minerva to return home. She grabbed her phone and tapped “Helix Pizza” at the top of her list, right above a contact labeled “Hardass.” The first tone didn’t even finish before someone picked up as if expecting her. “The usual?” the recipient asked. “The usual. I might not be home right away, just so you know.” “If you aren’t there, we’ll leave it on your front desk. Don’t blame us if it gets stolen.” “Fine.” Minerva looked forward to the end of her night, and the pizza waiting for her back home. Every meticulous detail of it burned in her mind: aged white cheddar and mozzarella, caramelized onions complimenting the assortment of mushrooms, and topped with shaved Parmesan and the signature helix swirl of garlic aioli. Nothing was going to go wrong today.