The Mask Maker

The Test: Part 2

Oh, you've got to be kidding me, Morai thought.

The trainer dragged herself out of the cushioned train seat. 

"Is this where we have that conversation that was so conveniently interrupted earlier?" she asked. 

"I'm due a sparring session first, Half and Half," Proton replied. 

"As am I, Morai," Archer said as he emerged on the other side of the car. 

Morai turned her head back and forth, surveying them both for a moment. "I see you won't look me in the eye," she finally said. "You're the smartest opponents I've encountered thus far. But..." she continued, "I think it's a little petty that you've waited until I'm tired, drenched, and cold to try and trap me."

"Oh! Speaking of which, you're going to want these in the tundra. We can't have you biting the dust...or snow, because of frost bite," Proton said as he blindly threw a backpack full of clothes towards Morai. 

"Are you suggesting that I'll make it off of this train?" Morai asked.

"He never said what condition you'd be in upon your arrival," Archer chimed in.

 Morai was beginning to realize that, in the condition she was in, she was at the mercy of the two executives. Each one was blocking an exit, armed with more than one Pokémon and whatever else they had in their arsenal. Neither of them had just swam as if their life depended on it, either. 

"Well, at least allow me a few minutes of peace and rest, will you? It's a long journey," Morai said, as if she had acquiesced to her fate. She needed time to think, but she wanted to sit and rest just as much. 

"Alright then. Take a seat over there and we'll join you for an entirely uneventful few minutes of rest," Archer instructed, pointing to a seat. In Galar trains, the seats were much like restaurant booths. The tables on the train each had a pair of blue gingham seats on either side that could sit 4 people. Morai sat on one side, and the two executives slid in across from her, sly grins on their face.

"Would you be so kind as to get me a bottle of water?" Morai questioned with a slightly exaggerated tone. 

"Why, of course, Morai. We'd just hate for your journey to be even the slightest bit unrestful," Archer mockingly replied as he slid out of the booth and left the car. 

Think, Morai, think! If you can just get Proton to look at you, you can hypnotize him and keep Archer busy. 

Proton sat with a grin on his face, his eyes looking at the mouth of Morai's mask. 

"You know, eye contact is perhaps the basis of connection between Pokémons and humans. Without it, many interactions turn cold," Morai said. She hoped that she could get him to glance up at her instinctually, even if just for a split second. 

"Even if I were to look up, I wouldn't truly be looking you in the eye. I'd be looking at some half Mightyena half Ninetales creature type thing, and even if you didn't have a mask, you could still hypnotize me. Congratulations on learning how to do that, by the way," Proton responded. 

The Mask Maker frowned and said, "Do you know how that feels? No one has looked at me the same way in two years. Even without using my powers, my eyes still evoke some sort of response in people now. It's not enough to make people suspicious of me, but I can tell it's there."

Proton's gaze fell even further down in thought. 

"I'm sorry, Half and Half. If it helps, when I saw your eyes for the first time...I thought they were, ahem...I thought they were very nice," he said, still looking down at the table. He fidgeted uncomfortably.