The Forest City Security Bureau, the closest branch to the Black Rock Desert, mobilised nearly its entire force after receiving the report. The scale of the response looked less like a raid on a criminal officer and more like they were going after someone far higher up the chain — the Great Manager himself.
Led by Deputy Captain Jenny, the Security Officers made straight for the long-abandoned Sand Village. In short order, they had the informant, Mr. Leon, safely secured — officially described as protective custody.
They established a full cordon around the village and sent experienced officers out to sweep the edge of the Black Rock Desert. If everything went to plan, the main unit would push deep into the desert that same night.
Nova was riding Corviknight back toward Sand Village, relieved that backup had finally arrived — and then a barrage of Pin Missiles came screaming up at them from below.
The moment Corviknight spotted the incoming attack, its deep-red eyes lit up.
It did not dodge. It did not weave. It gave absolutely no thought to the Trainer sitting on its back — or to the barely-conscious half of Taylor strapped alongside him.
Corviknight spread its wings and activated Iron Defense. The Steel-type energy surging through its body pushed its already formidable Defence even higher. The Pin Missiles rattled off its armour like hailstones on sheet metal. It did not so much as flinch.
Its Steel Heart ability did the rest — every hit it absorbed only made it harder.
Nova, perched on top, was not made of iron.
Because the Pin Missiles curved.
He watched one streak past his ear and punch a clean hole through his windproof cap. He reached forward and knocked his fist against Corviknight's head.
"You're made of steel — I'm not! One more stunt like that and I end up a kebab!"
His knuckles ached. He had not left a single mark on Corviknight's armour.
Corviknight glanced back. Was that a tap? Felt like a speed bump.
But it was fond of Nova and had no real desire to see him skewered. Reluctantly setting aside the urge to take another volley, it banked toward the source of the attack and retaliated.
Air Slash — two sharp, sweeping blades of compressed air cut downward through the sky. The shots from below stopped immediately. Taking the opening, Corviknight descended and set Nova back on solid ground.
Nova gave its leg an irritable kick. His hand still hurt. Now his toes did too.
"No dinner tonight," he muttered.
Had he accidentally flown into a fortified position? How did a routine return flight draw that kind of fire?
His first thought was Original Team — had they learned Taylor had been captured and set up an ambush? But that made no sense. If their intelligence network moved that quickly, Taylor would never have been caught off-guard by a rookie trainer in the first place.
Something else was going on.
Nova recalled Nidoking. Out in the open desert, anything could appear without warning. Staying alert came before anything else.
From wherever Corviknight's Air Slash had landed, someone was now shouting for backup.
Nova paused.
That was Security Officer terminology.
The responding unit arrived quickly — Deputy Captain Jenny at the front, officers fanning out on both sides. When Nova explained the situation, the officer who had fired the Pin Missiles got a thorough dressing-down.
"I told you to scout," Jenny said, her voice sharp and even. "Not to open fire on anyone who flies overhead. Did you think the badge made you untouchable?"
The officer looked at the ground and attempted to explain. "I had binoculars on the passenger. No legs — only a torso. That kind of injury — I assumed the Trainer had to be Taylor. Only Original Team operates like that."
Not an entirely unreasonable conclusion, to be fair.
Jenny turned back to Nova, her tone measured but firm. "Mr. Nova. Would you like to explain why Taylor is in that condition?"
"A wild Flygon bit off his legs during the collapse underground," Nova said. "To stop the bleeding and keep him alive, I had Nidoking use Flamethrower to cauterise the wounds. There wasn't another option — I don't have a Pokémon that knows any healing moves, and I'm not a doctor."
Jenny gave a short nod. "The amputation and cauterisation I can follow. But the puncture wounds across the rest of his body — those are harder to account for. That starts to look like excessive force."
Nova kept his expression steady. He thought of every unpleasant memory he could pull up on short notice, doing his best not to let anything show on his face while Jenny watched him.
He said nothing. He simply looked past her, at the officer still wearing a guilty expression — and at the Qwilfish floating sheepishly behind him.
Jenny followed his gaze. She looked at her subordinate. She looked at the Qwilfish. Something in the officer's expression told her everything she needed to know about the source of those puncture wounds.
She covered her face briefly with one hand.
"Get Taylor into the ambulance," she said to the others, and they moved quickly to comply.
Whether the medical team's Chansey could do much with what was left of him remained to be seen.
Jenny turned back to Nova. "Given the circumstances, we'll need your cooperation for a while. You'll be with me while we take statements and gather evidence. We may also need your help with the investigation itself."
Nova accepted without complaint.
Deputy Captain Jenny was around twenty-five or twenty-six. Tall, with the lean build of someone who had trained hard for years. By any measure, she was exactly what you would picture when you imagined a capable, sharp police officer.
Having her personally handle his statement was, Nova thought, not the worst outcome to a very long day.
The only building still standing in Sand Village was Mr. Leon's house. It was quickly set up as a temporary interview room.
Nova gave Jenny a clear and concise account of his time in the Black Rock Desert. She sorted the pages into folders as he finished, and he found himself watching her with mild curiosity.
"One question, Officer."
"Go ahead, Mr. Nova."
"Is your name really Jenny?"
She looked up. "Yes. Why?"
It was not the name itself. It was that name.
Jenny.
A sharp-eyed, capable police officer named Jenny.
Something deep in Nova's memory stirred with great enthusiasm.
Some things, it seemed, were the same no matter where you ended up.