Penny Saves Paldea | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Arrival at the Ruchbah Base

Penny was almost dozing off to the rhythmic flapping of a surprisingly airworthy mob of Squawkabilly when her phone buzzed with a new message. She adjusted her glasses from where she'd been slouching to read it clearly:

Not sure if you got the alert or not, but I did defeat the Segin Squad, so whenever you're able to send the LP for that, I'd appreciate it. -Juliana

"Seriously?" Penny hissed, then covered her mouth. Not that the taxi driver was paying her any attention. The winds were so loud up here, it was hard to understand each other even when they shouted. Penny slipped on the helmet she'd brought. It not only cut down on the wind, it sent a clear message of, "I do not want to speak to you." She liked it.

What she did not like was Juliana asking to be paid for actively undermining the mission. And she detested the fact that she'd told Juliana to do this in the first place. Couldn't people just figure out what they needed to do without the inconvenience of communication? It would make life so much simpler.

I did get the alert, but I'm traveling right now, and reception is spotty, she typed back to Juliana. The reception was fine, but with the number of lies she'd piled up so far, what was one more? Besides, she needed more time to work up the nerve for the message she'd send once the payment went out. It had to be one action, then the other, so she didn't have the chance to cower out this time.

Payment sent, she typed into the box, without hitting send yet. But I must tell you this is the last one you'll get. I'm cancelling Operation Starfall. Thank you for your help. Penny read it over several times with deep breaths. Simple and straightforward. It would go out with the final payment when she reached her destination. Juliana would have to figure out how to deal with the consequences.

~~~

The moment the taxi landed, Penny did it. She even took her helmet off to show herself she could face this with her head high. With one app open, she sent the text, and then within a matter of seconds, she flipped to the banking app and sent Juliana's payment. Relief flooded her, even as the taxi took to the sky behind her, meaning she'd have to face Team Star for the first time in person. The lies were ending here and today. If she got through breaking the news to Juliana, she could get through the rest. And then she could save everybody. It all started with that first ste-

"What? Nooo!" Juliana's wail echoed across the green oasis of a field that surrounded the Ruchbah Squad's base.

Penny looked up to see Juliana cresting a grassy hill, which stood in sharp contrast to the icy mountains around it. A young man, most likely Arven, laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Juliana collapsed into the grass, sobbing. "I just got fired from my job! I owe almost 20k for peanut butter jars!"

Where and why did she buy 20k worth of... Penny shoved her helmet back on before Juliana or Arven could see her. Facing everybody was a noble goal, but she needed it to be a feasible one, too. Right now, that wasn't happening. A sinking feeling in her stomach-not unlike eating several dozen jars of peanut butter-said not to get her hopes up for the future, either.

Ugh. I knew this day started too well.

~~~

If there was one thing Clavell prided himself on, it was his sense of subtlety. Unlike the ruffians of Team Star, he knew when a situation required a quieter approach. Take the present moment, for example. He could be marching into the Ruchbah Squad's base, demanding the full story behind why a wealthy business heir like Ortega would join a group like Team Star to begin with. But instead he'd chosen to follow Juliana from a distance and see what Team Star did when they thought she had one less ally. She'd proven herself quite capable against the Segin Squad. But it would be irresponsible to expect her to handle Ortega the same way. His formidable crew had already managed to demoralize her without so much as cracking open the gate. Clavell knew this because of the way she'd cried out in great alarm only a few moments ago. He could not tell what she'd said from this distance, but she'd been looking at her phone at the time. Had they perhaps sent her some photographic evidence of their sinister plot to destroy Paldea piece by piece? If so, Clavell needed to get hold of that phone as soon as possible. He bent low in the grass, the tall blades encompassing him up to his shoulders and poking him in the neck. He'd been bumped by several Capsakids on the way here and had a Gyarados ready to chase off any more that showed up. Of course, using Gyarados would no doubt give away his position, so he sincerely hoped it didn't come to that.