It was years ago— almost nine years had since passed. For OZone, that day felt like any other.

It was a graceful period of downtime, something that has become a rare occurrence for the man. He's finally managed the impossible— he's the head of his own organization. Sure, his company is still in its infancy, and his funds are ridiculously low, and his true goal in Cyrus is still so far from his reach... but at least he's making progress.

He clung to that positive line of thinking as he wandered through the absurdly empty streets of Malie City. The city's silence was strange and a bit eerie, but the man wasn't bothered by that. It was peaceful, and as the sun began to set, he welcomed the incoming sereneness of the night.

There was a large fountain in the center of the city. It was wide and round in shape, with water spraying up into the air in its center. It was said to be lucky, and if you threw a coin into its water with a wish, your wish would come true. OZone wasn't particularly interested in superstitions, but as silly as it felt, he still occasionally found himself stopping by that fountain and tossing a coin in. He always made the same wish without fail; he wished to see Cyrus again. He figured he could use all the luck he could get on the long path ahead, so seeking a bit of extra luck from a fountain was relatively harmless.

However, OZone did not get to make his wish that day. As he approached the fountain, he heard the atypical sound of water splashing and rustling coins. To his surprise, he saw two short silhouettes standing inside the fountain, just short of being knees deep in its water. Their whispers were muffled under the fountain's rushing water, but they were still clearly the whispers of children. As OZone got closer, he was able to decipher their words.

"Jackpot! I told you this was a good idea! This will be more than enough!"

"Yeah... but Roz, should we really be doing this?"

OZone knew right then and there that they were up to no good. He continued to approach, slowly getting a better view of the two silhouettes in spite of the fading sunlight. They were two young boys, one with an Eevee sitting on his shoulder. They were both grabbing as many coins as possible in their little fists before tossing them into a large sack. They tried to work quickly, and they showed no sign of stopping until the boy with the Eevee looked up and noticed the man approaching.

"Crap!" he shouted. "We've gotta go!"

"Huh—?"

His partner in crime looked up at him in confusion, but the boy wasted no time leaping into action. He grabbed his partner's wrist in one hand and the sack of coins in the other, attempting to climb over the fountain's rim to make a run for it. However, by the time both of the boys stepped out from the fountain, OZone was already standing behind them. The man grabbed them both by the back of their collars, lifting them up so that their feet dangling in the air.

"H-hey!"

"Eep!"

The boy with the Eevee on his shoulder, who possessed dark brown hair and apparently, a temper, kicked his legs vigorously. The Eevee stared at OZone in mild interest, seemingly unbothered by the boy's struggling. The other boy, having a fluffy head of red hair, was still as he looked up at OZone with big, doughy eyes that could make one's heart bleed.

OZone's heart wasn't bleeding.

"What's the big idea?!" The brunet dropped the sack, waved his fists, and continued kicking.

"I should be asking you that," OZone said. "What do you two think you're doing?"

"Put me down! Put me down!" The brunet shouted.

"I asked you a question, young man," OZone said.

"Um..." The redhead spoke up softly. "We were taking the coins outta that fountain."

"That's what I thought." OZone shook his head. "What makes you think it's okay to steal?"

"This isn't stealing," the redhead said, before pointing to the brunet. "He said so."

"Well, he's wrong." OZone said.

The brunet stopped his fruitless floundering, crossing his arms and pouting at the man. "No, I'm not. People throw their money into that thing and then it just sits there all day. It's stupid!"

"That doesn't make it yours," OZone snapped. "People throw coins into that fountain to make a wish. When you take those coins, you're stealing people's wishes."

"What?" The redhead's doughy eyes somehow grew doughier. "Stealing people's wishes? W-we didn't mean to do that!"

The brunet huffed. "He's totally making that up."

"I'm not. And even if I was, it wouldn't change the fact what you two are doing is wrong. That money is not yours, and you're going to put it back," OZone ordered. "Right now."

"No!" The brunet shouted.

OZone felt his patience wear thin. "No?"

"No!" With puffed out cheeks, the brunet shook his head. He pointed to the redhead. "He needs it! Now put us down!"

OZone glared back at the brunet, his voice beginning to teem with anger. "Listen—"

"Don't get mad at him! It's my fault!" The redhead cried. "It's all my fault, mister! It's all my fault! Not his!"

The brunet's expression eased from anger to concern. "Hey, hey. It was my idea. Don't take the blame for—"

"He was just trying to help me! I... I was the one who wanted money!" The redhead swiped at the building tears in his eyes. "I just wanted to...wanted to help..."

OZone raised his brow. "Help? What are you talking about?"

The redhead didn't answer him, quietly sobbing and sniffling. He peered over at the brunet, who then looked up at OZone with a snarl.

"Now you made him cry." The brunet's jaw clenched. "You jerk! Say sorry! He just wanted a gift for his Nana!"

"S-she keeps stressing out about money and work and stuff and...and!" The redhead tried to speak through hitching breaths. "I thought if... I thought if I could f-find some money and buy her something nice then... then she'll be so happy that she'll forget about being all worried!"

As the redhead continued to cry and the brunet tried to offer his friend reassurances, OZone processed what he had just heard. All of a sudden, he found it difficult to remain angry at the two little boys. A little kid wanting to make their grandmother happy and his friend scheming up a plan to assist him... as misguided as their actions might have been, neither of the boys seemed to have bad intentions. The whole ordeal overflowed with an innocence he found endearing— if that made OZone a sucker, he could live with that.

With a heavy sigh, the man lowered the boys back onto their feet. He kneeled to meet the pair's eye level, looking to the boys with a calm, composed countenance. He gripped their shoulders as they stared back at him.

"Look at me," OZone said. "No need for tears, okay? I understand now. You weren't trying to do a bad thing. But I need you both to understand that it still doesn't make it right to take that money."

"Why not? You keep saying it's wrong but you aren't saying why." The brunet persisted. "I don't get it. It's just people's abandoned coins."

OZone let out an exasperated sigh. "If all the coins that were ever thrown into that fountain were just left there, the fountain would inevitably clog up. The city collects those coins routinely and uses them for charity and public service. Understand? You're taking from those funds."

The brunet went to make a rebuttal but fell silent. Instead, he turned his head away with a defeated grunt. The redhead wiped away the last of his tears and nodded. Soon after, the brunet took the sack of coins and poured all the change back into the fountain.

OZone stood up. "Is that all of it?"

The question was left hanging in the air as OZone felt a small hand pull at his shirt's rim. He looked down to see the redhead gesturing for him to lower himself back to his level. OZone obliged, bending down as the redhead began to grin.

"Truth is, he missed a coin." The redhead raised his empty palms as he whispered. "But I think I know where it is."

The redhead reached for OZone's ear. In a classic trick, the boy pulled out a quarter from "behind the man's ear," giggling as he showed off the coin in all of its glory.

"Ta-dah! It was behind your ear, all along!"

The child's giggles proved contagious, as OZone found himself chuckling. "Aren't you quite the little magician?"

"Yes! Yes! I wanna be the best magician ever!" The redhead nodded vigorously.

"I see. Go for it, kid."

OZone gave the boy a sweet smile, and the redhead smiled back. The boy tilted his head in curiosity.

"What's your name, mister?"

"OZone. What's yours?"

"OZone? That sounds super cool! I'm Daichi!"

The redhead, Daichi, swayed side to side with an infectious bubbly, joyous energy as if he wasn't crying a handful of minutes ago. OZone was amused, until he looked over the boy's shoulder and noticed the brunet watching him, clutching his Eevee close to his chest.

There was a transparent longing in the brunet's eyes, a somberness written across his expression. As soon as OZone met his gaze, he flinched and immediately turned away with a scrunched up face. OZone felt a twinge of pity...

He ignored it, standing back up and dusting himself off. "It's nice to meet you, but it's high time you both go back home. It's getting late. I'll walk you two home."

"Thanks, but you don't have to do that. We can get home by ourselves. C'mon, Daichi."

The Brunet dismissed OZone as he waved for his friend to follow him. OZone attempted to call out to the boy, but the brunet paid him no mind and kept walking forward. The man was left with one option.

OZone caught up to the brunet and picked him up by the back of his collar.

"Again?!" The brunet screamed and kicked. "Put me down! Put me down!"

As he held the struggling and aggravated brunet, OZone looked down at Daichi. "Would you lead the way?"

"U...um, sure." Daichi pressed his thumbs together. "B-but... um... do you plan to carry Roz like that the whole way?"

"I'll put your friend down when he calms down. Let's go."

* * *

OZone doesn't remember the last time he visited that fountain. He didn't have time for futile wishes in the midst of all these developments and progress. Four of his admins have Ultra Beasts in their hands, and yet another Beast has been located by the Interdimensional Data Detector Interface. There was so much left to do, so much left to accomplish, but the man smiled to himself realizing how close he was to his ultimate goal.

He was in the main meeting room, toying with the spare change in his pocket as he waited for each admin to arrive for the mandatory conference. One after another, each admin arrived until all ten empty seats were filled.

Without wasting a second, OZone stood up. "Good to see you all. Buzz, how is your research on UB-Absorption treating you?"

"Oh, boss, studying Absorption has been a dream come true!" Buzz's eyes ignited with explosive excitement. "The statistics are astounding! It is the heaviest of all bug-types, has the highest base HP of all bug-types, and has these abnormally swollen muscles that it shows off every chance it gets, whether it's threatened or not! Oh, oh! And its strength is absolutely extraordinary! I've developed a hypothesis that Absorption would be able to pulverize a dump truck in a single strike!"

Buzz rattled on about his recently captured giant insect, and if he wasn't stopped, it was probable that his rambling would last hours. OZone opened his mouth, but Arc's booming voice cut him off.

"Thank you, Buzz, but that is enough. Save it for your paper."

Buzz became quiet, but he swallowed his disappointment and nodded. OZone shot Arc a look of gratitude as if nothing had ever happened between them.

"Now, let's get straight to today's business," OZone began. "The latest Ultra Beast that the ID3I uncovered. Or rather, the next Ultra Beast we will be sure to capture."

OZone took out a small remote and switched on the projector, which displayed two photos taken by the ID3I. They were slightly blurry, but much clearer when compared to the photos taken of Absorption. The creature in the photos was long and lean, having a black body and a white, faceless, spikey head. It stood upright and possessed a tail. At the end of its arms were copper-colored structures that vaguely resemble hands.

"Just when I thought these things couldn't look any weirder..." Cypher muttered.

"That thing totally looks like a tree!" Molly shouted. Poipole, who sat in her lap, blinked as it stared at the photos.

"Poiii! Pi!" The little beast flailed its arms and cried as if trying to add to the conversation.

"Um..." Belle looked away from the energetic Poipole. "I don't know about a tree. It looks more like a heap of wires to me."

Rōzu observed the photos with his thumb to his chin, his lips curling into a grin. "I think it looks pretty cool, honestly."

Daichi looked over to his friend. "Hm? You think so?"

"Hell yeah! I can only imagine how it moves..." Rōzu shut his eyes and imagined the creature flopping around. "Hmm...it must be an epic sight. I can't wait to see it in person."

"I bet its legs are all wobbly." Daichi held in his laughter. "Say, Roz, if you're really interested in that beast, then maybe you should ask the boss if you could—"

"Absolutely not."

Before Daichi could even finish his suggestion, Arc dismissed the very idea. The man's interruption was rewarded by a pair of annoyed glares from the two boys.

"Oh, ouch, rejected," Tony said. "Didn't even get the chance to ask."

"No kidding." Rōzu rolled his eyes. "But yippee. It's just so great to see you back to normal, Arc. You really have a way of spreading such joy whenever you open your trap."

"Oh shut it," Arc growled. "Someone as irresponsible as you should never be trusted with anything even remotely as valuable as an Ultra Beast. Molly possessing one is bad enough."

"Why do you have to throw me under the bus?!" Molly shouted. "I didn't even do anything wrong!... Well, not today at least."

"Wait, wait, hold on..." Serenity grew worried as tensions built. "Let's all just talk this through. I thought OZone's plan was to... have each one of us capture and care for a UB."

"As much as I am inclined to agree with Arc on this, Serenity has a strong point. Wouldn't it be meaningless to deny him an inevitability? Arc, don't let resentment cloud your common sense," Belle said.

The room erupted into a noisy mess as numerous voices attempted to speak over one another. Mitsuki was the only admin completely silent during the entire ordeal, looking to OZone with an expression that begged him to return the peace. OZone's face fell into his hand as he groaned. The meeting was slipping into chaos.

But it was nothing his shout couldn't stop.

"Enough!"

The man's voice roared and rang in the admins' ears. As the room stiffened into an uncomfortable silence, OZone spoke loud and firm.

"We're going to make this very simple. Anyone interested in catching this Ultra Beast, please raise your hand."

No one moved at first. Eventually, everyone turned their attention to Rōzu, who slowly raised his hand.

"Okay," OZone said. "It's settled then. Rōzu, I need you to listen to me very carefully."

Rōzu, with every fiber of his being, resisted the urge to grumble at the incoming lecture. Daichi and Molly both shot him sympathetic looks.

"This is a huge undertaking," OZone began. "This is not something to take lightly, to treat as a game, a joke, or anything of that nature. The Ultra Beast is not a toy. Under no conditions should it be treated as such. I have entrusted you with your title, I expect—"

Rōzu, at this point, stopped listening. He nodded half-heartedly as OZone continued his speech, waiting for the inevitable:

"Do you understand?"

Rōzu nodded once more. "Mhmm. I understand, bossman."

"For the last time, you address me with a respectful term. Not 'bossman.'" OZone's eyes narrowed at the boy. "Got it?"

"Sure thing, bossman."

OZone, with every fiber of his being, resisted the urge to facepalm. "...Just... be ready in an hour. We'll embark then. In the meantime, you all may be dismissed."

OZone walked out of the room without another word. The majority of the admins stood up themselves, following their boss straight out the door. Rōzu and Daichi remained seated at the table, watching the others leave. Arc stopped short of making his exit, turning to the two boys.

The man scowled, staring directly at Rōzu. "Consider yourself lucky for this opportunity. You outta be grateful for the boss, and you better show it. If it were me in charge, you would've been left out to rot in the streets forever ago."

With that, Arc turned his back to the pair and left the room. The boys sat in silence until Daichi suddenly asked:

"Should I put a thumbtack on Arc's seat next meeting?"

Rōzu smirked at the thought. "Hell yes."

* * *

OZone was beginning to get a little too used to strolling through portals.

Rōzu, on the other hand, was rather hesitant to step through the ID3I's portal. Regardless, with his Jolteon right by his side, the boy was able to suppress his nerves and follow an unfazed OZone straight into another world.

Once they stepped through the portal, they felt the air around them grow heavy. A landscape of grey greeted them, seemingly made of nothing but stone. They were on a high, flat platform that was completely empty. The only exception to the emptiness was small rocks scattered throughout the terrain. The world underneath the deep, brooding blue sky looked utterly barren, lifeless.

"Hard to believe that anything would be able to survive here. It looks like we'll have to scout the area. I need you to say close to me, Rōzu. Don't go running off, okay?"

OZone waited for a response that didn't come. When he looked to his side, the place where Rōzu was standing two seconds ago, he came to find that the boy was no longer there.

"... Good Arceus, Rōzu." OZone couldn't even say he was surprised.

"Bossman! Hey, bossman! Over here! You've gotta see this!"

OZone turned to see Rōzu standing at the edge of the platform, his eyes sparkling with pure, even childlike enthusiasm. He eagerly gestured for the man to join him as if he'd just discovered a long-lost treasure.

OZone approached the edge with his arms folded. "Did you hear what I was saying? Young man, I was trying to tell you that—"

His scolding was cut short by a sight that took his breath away. From the peak, they were able to see miles of the flat stone terrain, as well as hundreds upon hundreds of beasts. They were all identical to the beast in the photos, each having the same white, spikey heads and the same lean, black bodies resembling a mass of cables. They had white bands wrapped around their body resembling zip-ties, and their height ranged from that of a human to that of a building. The majority of them had their arms, legs, and tail plugged into the ground, breaking through the stone. Electricity leaked from underneath the cracked ground. The beasts absorbed it through their limbs as a faint, white glow surrounded their bodies.

"Incredible... truly incredible."

OZone was in awe, gawking at the beasts that shone like stars. He realized quickly, however, that gawking was not his purpose for being in the foreign world. Patting his cheeks with his palms, he pulled himself out of his amazement and refocused.

"Seems like we have our fair share of options," he said. "I suppose that it would technically be best to go for the largest one we could find."

Rōzu looked up at the man slack-jawed. "The largest? Don't you see how huge some of those things are?"

"Do not forget what we are up against, Rōzu. We need all the firepower we can get. Still, attempting to capture the most massive one might be a bit too ambitious. And there is no guarantee that size affects the power of the beasts at all."

OZone shut his eyes, sinking deep into thought. When his eyes popped back open and he looked to his side, he once again came to find that Rōzu wasn't there. He turned around to see that the boy was about to head down the hill that led from the platform to the ground below.

"Rōzu!"

The boy stopped in his tracks and innocently looked back at the man. "What? We're not gonna catch anything if we just stand there."

"Rōzu..." OZone's voice was low, dangerously low. "You aren't listening to what I'm saying. Are you trying to test my patience? We're in the middle of a literally alien world and you can't take a simple order to not run off? Damn it, Rōzu!"

A vulnerableness immediately came across Rōzu's face as he shook his head. "...That's not it—"

"What is it, then? For goodness sake, we just got here and we're already having problems." OZone held a hand to his temple. "Why won't you just listen?"

"I..."

Rōzu's voice trailed off. Before he could find the right words to say, Jolteon's ears shot up. It turned its head and growled, bringing both OZone's and Rōzu's attention to a quickly approaching beast.

It was identical to the rest in appearance and stood roughly twelve feet tall. It made unnatural clicking sounds and waved if arms as if trying to communicate. Rōzu leaped back in panic as OZone reached into his jacket, gripping Incineroar's Pokéball as he prepared for an attack.

The beast, however, did not attack. Rather, it bent over, lowering itself to a point where its head was at Jolteon's eye level. The Pokémon continued to growl, though the beast wasn't intimidated in the least. It began to poke at the Pokémon with its copper hands, almost like a scientist picking at its specimen. Jolteon eventually stopped growling, tilting its head at the creature in confusion.

"... Awe. It seems friendly," Rōzu said.

"We can't underestimate it," OZone warned. "The moment it gets aggressive, it'll become a danger."

The beast made another clicking noise, standing back up and looking towards Rōzu. It approached the boy with a skip in its step, nearly causing OZone to retaliate. The man pulled out his Pokéball and was about to initiate a battle.

"Bossman! Don't!"

"What?" OZone stopped at the sound of Rōzu's plea. "Are you crazy? That beast could be—!"

"If you try to attack it, you'll only make it panic and counterattack! Can't you see it's not hostile?"

As the two shared a brief disagreement, the beast stood in front of Rōzu. It didn't attack, and although the beast loomed over him with its height, Rōzu did not feel threatened. As the beast didn't move to attack, OZone did not send his Pokémon out onto the field. The boy calmly turned away from OZone and looked up at the beast, placing his hands on his hips.

The beast imitated him, taking a similar stance with its hands placed where its hips would be.

Rōzu's eyes widened as he smiled ear to ear. "How cute! You like posing, my friend?"

Rōzu shifted his position, sticking a pointed figure in the air as if he were on a disco album cover. The beast quickly imitated the stance, causing Rōzu to laugh.

Pose after pose, the beast imitated the boy. Soon enough, Rōzu was whipping out dance moves. The beast kept mimicking him to the best of its ability, pulling off moves like "the twist" and "the moonwalk" like no Ultra Beast has done before. Jolteon hopped up and down, barking in its excitement as the two danced.

OZone could not believe what he was seeing. Entering into an alien world, he knew to expect the unexpected, but this... it defied the expected and the unexpected.

Well, at least this capture would be easy.

OZone tapped Rōzu's shoulder, who stopped dancing and looked to his boss. The man placed a Beast Ball into the boy's hand.

"...This one?" Rōzu's eyes once again sparked with childlike excitement. "You're letting me catch this one? I thought you wanted to catch the largest one we could find."

"Well, cooperation is also an important aspect regarding the beasts and their effectiveness. It seems you already get along well with this beast... thus, it'll probably be much more cooperative with you during both training and combat. I'd imagine you'd make a fine team. So, go on. Catch it."

OZone lightly pushed Rōzu forward. The boy stood in front of the towering beast and held up the beast ball like an offering. The beast curiously bent forward, inspecting the ball as it continued to make a strange clicking noise. It butted its head against the ball, causing the capsule to suck the beast inside and snap closed. The ball shook in Rōzu's hands three times before it clicked, confirming that the beast has been successfully caught.

As the boy smiled down at the beast ball, OZone remained in disbelief. He still could not believe it was that quick and simple. Nevertheless, it was over and his mission was complete.

"Well... I suppose that is a job well done." OZone turned to the swirling portal. "Let's go home."

The man walked towards the portal, but Rōzu stood in place. He gripped the ball tightly in his hands as he looked down at his feet.

"Hey... bossman... wait for a second..."

OZone stopped, looking back at the boy who bit his lip.

"What is it, Rōzu?"

Rōzu opened and closed his mouth, the words he wanted to say escaping him. Air and time seemed to come at a standstill until he managed to say:

"I... I know I'm kind of a fuck up."

OZone, entering into an alien world, knew to expect the unexpected, but this... he had certainly never expected to hear Rōzu say that. Still, he did not interrupt.

"I know I'm pretty bad at just shutting up and following orders... and I know I fall short of just about every expectation. Like, I know I suck, okay? It's just... I never... I never..."

Rōzu put his gloved hand to his mouth, looking anywhere but OZone's face. As he fell utterly silently, OZone was forced to press him to continue.

"You never what?"

"I never had anyone actually have any sort of expectations for me! I was never expected to live up to anything!" Rōzu spat out. "I... I just never had anyone who..."

Once again, the boy fell silent.

"...You never had anyone to look up to, did you?" OZone asked.

Rōzu slowly shook his head. "I guess not. I was always just... left on my own. I would've been completely alone if I hadn't met Daichi... or Jolteon..."

At his feet, Jolteon let out a little whimper. Rōzu's grip on the beast ball tightened.

"I probably sound like I'm just making dumb excuses. I'm just... I'm just trying to say I'm sorry. I appreciate everything you've done for me... and I appreciate the fact that you actually think something of me. It means a lot to me... more than you'll ever know. So... I'll try harder. I'll try to be a better employee, a better admin. And if it's possible... I would like to make you proud of me, sir..."

Rōzu still wouldn't meet OZone's eyes, a shakiness in his voice as his cheeks reddened. OZone took a long, long moment to digest what he just heard. He looked at Rōzu as what he truly was— a sixteen-year-old kid who has never had any direction in his life. A kid who now had an actual path to traverse, a kid who needed guidance down that path, and a kid who was willing to try.

OZone walked up to the boy. Before Rōzu could look up at the man, OZone caught him off guard by ruffling his hand through his hair.

"H-huh?!" Rōzu tried to smooth his hair back down as OZone held back a chuckle.

"You're a good kid, Rōzu," he said. "I would say I hope you'll stay true to your word, but I know you will. I will not excuse all of your missteps, but I appreciate your willingness to grow. And I'll help you grow."

The man placed his hands on Rōzu's shoulders, grinning as the boy looked at him with a flustered expression.

"I am proud of you."

OZone spoke wholeheartedly and honestly, and to his surprise, his words caused Rōzu to tear up.

"Rōzu, are you—?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Rōzu turned away, wiping his face strenuously. "That just... means so much coming from you."

As the boy continued to wipe his face, OZone turned back towards the portal with a satisfied smile. He gestured for Rōzu to follow, looking back at him with kind eyes.

"Also, hearing you call me 'sir' doesn't sound right," he said. "I think I've gotten a little too used to 'bossman.' So you should stick with that."

As OZone walked to the portal, he felt the weight of the loose change in his pocket. Perhaps he should return to that fountain soon, for the sake of the luck it brings.

* * *

Having spent only an hour with UB-Lightening, Rōzu was starting to wonder if they made leashes for extraterrestrials.

The beast was all over the place the moment they returned from Ultra Space, running around the Cosmos Corporation to investigate every corner of the building. In the process, it broke three vases and a computer, wore a collection of electric cords as a scarf, and wore a potted plant as a hat. Rōzu was endlessly amused, but eventually, he returned Lightening to its Beast Ball. To put it bluntly, he ran out of energy to keep chasing it as it ran in circles. Afterward, he found himself collapsed on top of his desk as Daichi poked at his shoulder.

"Are you ded?" Daichi asked.

"Not yet," Rōzu sighed. "What a day."

"Something on your mind?"

"Not really."

"Liar."

Rōzu looked up to see Daichi staring at him, practically on him like a heat-seeking missile. Rōzu huffed and looked away.

"Okay, so I may have embarrassed myself in front of our boss. What of it?"

"Oh, I get it. You totally freaked out in the middle of ultra space, and you were all like 'ah! The aliens! The aliens! They're going to suck my brains out through a straw! The aliens!'"

Daichi laughed as Rōzu rolled his eyes.

"No, that's not what happened."

"I figured as much. What is it that's actually bothering you, Roz?"

Rōzu laid his head on the desk, burying his face in his arms.

"OZone said he was proud of me and I started to cry," he mumbled.

"...." Daichi paused, before continuing to poke his friend's shoulder. "You think that's embarrassing? That sounds freaking wholesome!"

"No, embarrassing." Rōzu kept his face buried away.

"C'mon, lift your head up!" Daichi poked and poked. "You should be happy! OZone hardly ever says that kinda stuff. If he said that to me, I might start bawling like a baby."

"You're just trying to make me feel better."

"I'm being honest! I'd like to act all cool and say I wouldn't go bawling with happiness, but I might. Like, I would be over the moon! I mean... wouldn't you say OZone is kind of like a dad?"

Rōzu finally raised his head. "Like a dad...?"

"Yeah... I mean I can't be the only one who thinks so, right?" Daichi stopped poking and scratched his fluffy head. "Dang, now I'm the one getting all embarrassed."

"I mean... you're not wrong." Rōzu took a deep breath as his cheeks reddened. "I mean... if I were to imagine what it was like having a dad... I would probably start thinking of OZone—"

"Awe!"

A sudden third voice joined the conversation, causing both Rōzu and Daichi to flinch. Molly poked her head out from behind the desk, giggling uncontrollably.

"Where the hell did you come from?!" Rōzu shouted.

"I was eavesdropping! I wasn't expecting to hear something so sweet and adorable! Come here! That was so cute, I've got some rosy Rōzu cheeks to pinch!"

"What?! Don't—"

Molly climbed over the desk and attempted to pinch Rōzu's cheeks. Although Rōzu resisted, Molly was persistent. Watching the two, Daichi began to laugh and couldn't stop.

* * *

That day all those years ago, although OZone didn't know it at the time, would bring him two of his closest allies.

After the incident at the fountain, OZone followed Daichi into what was considered Ula' Ula's underbelly. OZone, at first, was surprised to be brought into the poor neighborhood. He refused to let it show on his face as the two boys continued forward.

Once Daichi pointed to the house he called home, a sudden and strong urge came across OZone. It was almost like a calling of the past, begging him to mirror it. Begging him to repeat it. So, he knelt down and handed Daichi his freshly printed business card. As the little boy looked at him in confusion, OZone told him:

"One day, when you're all grown-up, and you think you don't have anywhere to go, contact me. I own a corporation, you see. I can give you a position if you need one."

Little Daichi, in response, hugged the man. He promised to hold onto the card and thanked him before rushing into his house, leaving OZone alone with the distant brunet.

The brunet stood several feet away, arms folded and eyes to the ground. He didn't ask about the card the man had given his friend, although he most certainly heard what OZone had said. He kicked at the dirt, waiting for OZone to speak.

"Alright, I'm assuming you live nearby. That was the impression your friend gave me, at least," he said. "Lead me there."

"I don't want to go home," the brunet said.

"I'm taking you home. Don't you think your family is worried about you?"

"Mom probably hasn't even noticed I'm gone, much less care."

Shit. OZone didn't know how to respond to that.

"...Even so, it's dangerous for little kids to be out alone at night. I'm taking you home, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

OZone glowered at the brunet, making it certain that he knew one thing. He meant

business. The brunet sighed, turning away from the man as he stomped his foot.

"Fine," he murmured in defeat. "Follow me, then."

The brunet led the man down the street, his Eevee seemingly content as it rode his shoulder. Soon enough, they were standing in front of a house that looked rather unkempt. The lawn wasn't tended to, the paint was chipped, and the front door was left swung open.

"This the place?" OZone asked.

The brunet nodded his head before saying the last thing OZone expected to hear from him.

"Thank you."

OZone nearly froze in shock. "You're thanking me?"

"For whatever you did for Daichi, I mean. That card thing, that's supposed to help him out in the future, right?" The brunet stared at his feet, once again kicking the rocks at the ground. "Thanks."

"...You're thanking me for helping your friend?"

"Yeah. I care 'bout him a lot, so I wanted to thank you."

"... I would think you'd be upset me with because of that. I offered him something I didn't offer you."

The brunet shook his head. "You don't like me. I wouldn't expect you to give me anything."

"...Who said I didn't like you?"

"Common sense."

The boy turned away, ready to end the conversation then and there. OZone stopped him in his tracks, bending down and grabbing the child's hand.

"You got an answer for everything, don't you?" OZone asked.

"Exactly why grown-ups never like me."

"Well, you could certainly go to lose the attitude, but I think you're a good person."

"Huh?" The brunet turned back to face OZone, raising an eyebrow.

"You truly care about your friend. Trying to help him with his problems, thanking me for helping him, I think that's admirable," OZone said. "I can't dislike someone like that."

"...Really?" The brunet narrowed his eyes in doubt.

OZone nodded. "You seem to be a rather selfless person."

The brunet stayed silent.

"...Say, you never did tell me your name," OZone said. "Can you please tell me?"

The brunet bit his lip, gripping the ends of his shirt as he struggled to decide whether to answer the man or not.

"...It's Rōzu."

"Rōzu? Quite the unique name."

"Sure, because I've met so many OZones in my life."

"...Touche."

OZone couldn't help but laugh before reaching into his pocket and gripping a second business card. He extended it out to the boy with a warm smile on his face.

"Here, Rōzu. I think you should have one of these as well."

The boy stood motionless for a second. He then slowly reached out for the card, as if afraid OZone would suddenly pull his hand away for some sick joke. Once his hand gripped the card, acting upon a sudden impulse, the boy lunged forward and grabbed OZone in a hug.