Nova wasn't sure whether running into an acquaintance at this time and place was a good thing or a bad thing. Still, the three of them were conducting a grid-style sweep of the area. If he stayed hidden, it was only a matter of time before they found him. It was better to step out and face them directly.
What Nova had slightly underestimated, however, was the professionalism of the Security Officers. The moment he shifted his weight to step out and reveal himself, he made the faintest sound. In an instant, all three officers moved like a pack of Arcanine on a scent, cutting across the uneven terrain and surrounding his hiding spot in a tight triangular formation.
It was a textbook "Triple Encirclement Maneuver" and they had executed it perfectly.
Three stun guns were leveled straight at Nova's head. Without a proper weapon in hand, he did the only thing he could think of: he pointed both index fingers like pistols at the two male officers and then turned to give the female officer who had just landed in front of him after a clean backflip the most awkward smile he had ever produced in his life.
Nova had never thought of himself as someone who smiled awkwardly. But standing there with three guns aimed at him, he finally understood what his old teacher had meant: some expressions just come out on their own.
Jenny had expected to catch someone dangerous. But the moment she saw Nova standing there with his finger-guns and his Corviknight spreading its wings behind him, ready to use Protect at a moment's notice, she couldn't help herself. A small laugh escaped before she could stop it.
"Hold on why is it you?"
"That's exactly what I was going to ask," Nova replied. "I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard your voice. Aren't you the deputy captain from Forest City's Security Bureau? What are you doing all the way out in Lune Town?"
Jenny was on duty and couldn't say much, so she kept her answer brief a special mission, nothing more. But she didn't lower her stun gun. Her tone stayed level and professional as she pressed him.
"So what's your reason for being in Lune Town? Are you here revisiting old ground, or are you here breaking the law?"
"If it's the first one, I'll need you to tell me exactly which 'entertainment projects' you were involved in here. If it's the second, your best move is to come clean right now. I'll make sure it counts as turning yourself in."
Nova didn't blame her for being cautious.
This was Lune Town, after all. Anyone found lurking around here had a lot to answer for.
Jenny had thought well of Nova ever since the incident involving her grandmother's Growlithe. She still owed him for that. But personal debts didn't have a place when she was on duty. And when she thought about it honestly, the only real time she had spent with Nova was during the few days it took to bring Taylor in.
You could see a person's face but never fully know their heart. Jenny had a dim view of most people connected to Lune Town. Whether Nova had come here for illegal entertainment or some kind of back-alley business, just being here was enough to chip away at the goodwill she had built up for him.
The air between them grew tight. Meowscarada let out a low, sharp hiss toward Jenny, and Corviknight stretched its iron wings wide, ready to shield Nova or strike back if needed. The two male officers were sweating through their uniforms, and their Pokemon had already fanned out into a wider circle around Corviknight.
Even so, both Nova and Jenny held themselves back.
Jenny was willing to hear him out. Nova saw no reason to start a battle with Security Officers not over this.
"When we brought Taylor in," Nova said, "I told you I had taken down the Original Team branch base here in Lune Town. You remember that?"
Jenny gave a short nod. That was exactly why their team had come here to investigate.
"There was one thing I left out. It didn't affect you at the time, but it mattered a great deal to me personally."
"When I was clearing out the base, I found Taylor's safe. I had no way to open it on the spot, and I couldn't afford to lose Taylor's trail, so I left it. Before I went after him, I set up a large number of traps in the ruins to keep the place secure until I could come back."
Jenny exhaled slowly. It all made sense now. The intelligence reports had flagged the traps in the ruins and flagged the possibility that valuable supplies were still inside. Now she understood both things at once.
It had just been a misunderstanding.
Nova unzipped the large "Mega-Capacity" hiking backpack sitting at his feet and tilted it open. Inside were the items he had retrieved from the safe items he had earned.
"The way I see it, I got these by tracking down Taylor. Technically, a criminal's belongings are supposed to be handed over to the League, but you know as well as I do that those rules don't hold up the same way out in the Uninhabited Zone. I've been planning this retrieval for half a month. I'm not going to hand any of this over."
Jenny asked, "So what exactly are you saying, Nova?"
"I'm saying you have every right to act on your judgment," he replied. "But think carefully about what that will cost you."
Jenny understood him perfectly. Nova had no intention of giving up what was in that bag. If the Security Officers pushed the matter and tried to confiscate it for the League, he was prepared to fight seriously, right here.
And honestly? That was a fight that served no one. They were in the middle of a quiet operation in Lune Town. Creating an incident over something like this made no sense.
Nova was right about one thing: Taylor was gone. Nobody was coming to claim his belongings. Nova had done the work it was only fair that he kept what he'd found.
Jenny lowered her stun gun and turned to her officers with a clear, steady voice.
"Holster your weapons."
"But Captain..." one of the male officers hesitated, his gaze drifting toward the glittering gems packed inside Nova's bag.
Jenny's expression darkened like the sky before a thunderstorm.
"I said holster your weapons. Are you not hearing me?"
The reputation of Forest City's "Female T Rex" carried real weight. One sharp look from Jenny was enough to snap the officer out of his daze. The gleam faded from his eyes.
She added, without raising her voice, "Even if we came out on top in a fight do you honestly think I'd let you keep a single coin from that bag?"
"Yes, ma'am." Both male officers straightened up at once. Wealth was tempting, but it would go straight to the League regardless. There was no point risking their lives over it.
They holstered their weapons. Nova, with a small grin, pretended to "holster" his finger-guns in return.
Jenny looked at him for a moment. "As far as I'm concerned, we never crossed paths today. You've got what you came for, so get out of here before something else goes wrong. Count yourself lucky it was me you ran into. Officers from other cities might not be as reasonable."
Nova answered with something light, half-joking the kind of remark that kept things easy between two people who weren't quite friends but weren't strangers either. But even as he spoke, his mind was already working through something else entirely.
Lune Town was closest to Harmony City. Before it was abandoned, it had fallen under Harmony City's jurisdiction. Even for a targeted operation, local officers from Harmony City should have been the ones sent out here.
And yet, standing in front of him was the deputy captain from Forest City, leading her own team. And based on what Jenny had just said without meaning to officers from other cities were involved in this operation too.
That explained it.