[X] My Assistant

[Kamaitachi]

Clutching his duster closer to himself, Taggarty Lee walked with long, purposeful strides through the fairly calm desert terrain. In fact, the aforementioned clutching of his duster was not really necessary, as the desert wasn't really that harsh today, but Tag really didn't enjoy the sand blowing every which way, all over him.

He, luckily, had chosen a fairly short path towards the town of Aridana, through the Aridana Desert, but even still, he wasn't enjoying the trip. The trainer kept a weary eye out for any wild pokemon, mostly for those who would attempt to attack him in their territory, but so far he'd seen only a few Sandshrew and Sandslash disappearing into the ground, and the occasional Graveler in the distance. Those appeared to want to be left alone, so Taggarty Lee obliged them. He wasn't in the mood to go upsetting pokemon in their natural habitat today, not unless he absolutely had to.

He knew there were pokemon from the Gible and Trapinch lines in the desert, but he had absolutely no interest in seeking them out. After his last stint as a Dragon Trainer, he simply didn't have the heart to take up the mantle of Dragon Taming again. Life as a regular pokemon trainer suited him better now, and with his newfound humility, he'd taken less vainglorious risks, and held less stubborn pride. Sure, elements of his old life still remained with him, but they were a lot calmer now. One main proponent of this was his battle style: Taggarty Lee used to favour overwhelming power, utilizing his Dragon pokemon for all out offensives. Now, his team relied almost more on trickery and proper strategy than brute force. He'd grown since his days as a Dragon Trainer, and adding a Dragon Pokemon back to his team could potentially revert him back to his old ways.

While lost in thought, he subconciously clasped the piece of metal around his neck. The small shard of metal was all that remained of the Dragon Talisman that Tag once proudly wore. It was a painful reminder of his actions, of his foolishness, and of his sins. Capturing a Dragon Pokemon would not revert him back to his old ways, he decided, but rather the guilt at raising new dragon pokemon to replace his old would crush him with guilt and grief. He couldn't find it in him to betray his old friends, even if they didn't know it.

Before long, he arrived at the oasis town of Aridana, sans incident. His dark little reverie had somewhat hastened the trip, as he'd been in an almost zen-like trance the entire way. At least he'd avoided any confrontation, and he could look around for any clues that Raven Amaranth had been here. Even if she were traveling incognito, or trying not to be found, surely there'd be stories about a girl with a very intimidating Croconaw, or a beautiful black and white, but blind, Vulpix. A small smile crossed his face as he thought about Requiem and A Capella. Requiem was probably pleased that Tag had vanished from Raven's life. Aria, Forte and A Capella might've missed him, maybe.

Arriving at the Pokemon Center, Tag approached the computer, thinking that in an environment filled with ground pokemon, Tonbo might've been a better choice. He brought up the screen to switch out his Poochyena, Zuki, with his Slowpoke, Tonbo.

"Hey Tag!"

A face appeared on the screen, as if by magic. Bright, intelligent blue eyes behind wire framed glasses, a full, shaggy beard, complete with a shaggy hair-do; these traits indicated that an old friend of Tag's was talking to him via computer.

"...Edwin?"

"Long time no see! I see you've taken up Pokemon training again."

"Yeah." Tag blinked awkwardly. "How'd you know?"

"Well, your Slowpoke got sent over here to Blackthorn, since this is where you were originally registered to be a trainer." Edwin smiled "And I'm the one who works the storage lab here. I'm the head tech! But all the dragon tamers call me 'Operator', since I basically switch out their pokemon for there. All my studies to be a Pokemon Researcher, and this is the only job I could land. It's okay, though."

Tag didn't remember ever having a little storage lab over at Blackthorn, but then again, he never used it. Times had also changed in his few years absence, and the proud trainers of Blackthorn probably thought it better to keep their Dragon pokemon close to home. It ultimately didn't surprise him in the least.

"Imagine my surprise when a Slowpoke belonging to Taggarty Lee appeared at the reception station. Not only was there a non-dragon Pokemon, but it belonged to an exile!"

"It's..." Tag paused, not quite sure what to say "It's good to see you again, Ed. Sounds like you're doing well."

"Sounds like you're doing better. Two badges over in Furoh? 7 pokemon?" Edwin appeared to be pulling up a file on the trainer on his end of the screen. "So when you logged in to swap out, I managed to catch you in time to place this call. Technology is pretty nifty, huh? Says you're over in Aridana."

"Yeah, it's a desert, so I thought I'd need a water type-"

"Nah, you're fine, Tag." Edwin smiled brightly "You've got a Bellossom who can easily handle them. And a Snorunt, according to your file. But hey, do me favour. I've seen Slowpokes before, same with most of your team. I've never seen a Snorunt or a Poochyena in person before, so would you mind sending them over for a little while? I'll send your Slowpoke back over."

"Oh. Okay." Tag blinked. "Sure. Anything for an old friend."

Within moments, the transfer was complete. Tag had sent over Orin and Zuki, and received Tonbo in return.

Suzu
Bachi
Kyoko
Tobi
Tonbo

"Thanks Tag. Let me do a little research on them. Give me until...say, this evening. That should be plenty of time."

"Pleasure, Ed." Tag allowed himself a soft smile. Something about seeing an old face from years past...he couldn't tell whether or not to feel happy or sad. Ed hadn't mentioned the tattoos on his face, but he was sure that the young man had seen them. They were pretty hard to miss, and there probably wasn't a person in Blackthorn who didn't know the story. Tag figured that he'd been turned into some sort of Bogeyman Legend. He was probably some cautionary tale to warn children against having too much pride and arrogance. "I'll be seeing you."

"Take care, Tag! Best of Luck over in Furoh!"

"Hey Ed...you haven't told anyone that I'm here, right?"

"Uh..." Ed looked a bit uncomfortable, and he fidgeted with his glasses nervously. "I told your parents, and I'm sure they've told a person or two."

That meant the entire town knew.

"They miss you, Tag. You should give them a call some time."

"I'll be sure to do that." He sighed. He was surprised to hear that one. His parents had been right at the forefront of his punishment. The Family's sterling reputation in Blackthorn had been ruined, and Tag wasn't sure if they'd ever really wanted to see him again, let alone hold a chat. "Good Morning, Edwin. I'll see you later."

"Good Morning, Tag." Edwin nodded, the screen blinking out.

Tag sighed as he stepped back out of the Pokemon Center, ready to begin the search for Raven. His heart felt a bit heavy, mixing some level of relief with an equal, if not greater, amount of painful nostalgia. He didn't like looking back into his past, but there it was, having a nice chat with him. He would've preferred if he never had to deal with it ever again, but, like all things in one's past, this, too, had to be confronted sooner or later.

Priorities, though, dictated that he regain a piece of his present, and thereby, hopefully, securing a piece of his future. The hunt for Raven Amaranth was back on.