Verity: "So... Tera's absent? Completely? Not just from the Lighthouse, but Felar as a whole?"

Deva: (looking at her computer) "It looks like things in Paldea just completely went South like Sherman all of a sudden. All the Pokeballs are locked and unresponsive, there's big and/or destructive monsters all over the place... Tera's probably fine -- I'm sure he knows a lot of places to lay low and wait for the storm to pass... But... Either he's waiting out the chaos in Paldea like everyone else, or it all began before he got there and he hasn't even started scouting yet."

Verity: "Hmm... Interesting... You thinking what I'm thinking?"

---

Deva: "Now that you know the secret, you can-"

Grumpig: *crams Clawdia into his mouth*

Deva: "Umm... Yeah, that." *pause* "Have you been waiting to do this for a while?"

Grumpig: (telepathically) ("Since she saw Tera doing it. Wannabe cats like confined spaces too.")

Deva: "Heh. I have enough cats of my own to know how true that is." *pets them both* "So, Tera's my proverbial Swiss army knife when it comes to all things Pokemon, but I'm going to trust you as our unofficial representative to the Felar region. Or at least to Maisa, Lemai, and Naway. Your task, should you choose to accept, will be to screen its residents -- people and Pokemon -- and make sure you only divulge any secrets with those deemed trustworthy.

"You don't actually have to hypnotize anyone how to do the endo trick for themselves, but-"

Grumpig: ("But I could?")

Deva: "Except for dark types."

Grumpig: ("Ah, of course. Then I suppose I should arrange for you to meet with Miss Z.")

Victoria: "You knew about that?"

Grumpig: ("She was completely closed off to me. What other explanation could there be?")

---

Pokemon is © Nintendo.

Deva Xenelis is © myself.

Original artwork by  Cotton Candy Bumble Bee. Please favorite the original here.