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Jude, however, was caught completely off his guard, leaped around and reached for his pocket weapons. But when he saw it was only the Ninetales gal who had been splayed on the couch, he calmed. Again. He tried to form a question at her, shook his head and glanced at Blizz. "That's a lie," he said. "How could she not have sneaked up on you? She coulda eviscerated you and I don't think I'd have noticed."

"Well, at least I managed to sneak up on someone. And I wasn't even trying," Night laughed lightly glancing at Jude before turning back towards Blizz, "Yeah, I'll be leaving in a few days. Just needed to prepare a few things before I left. Speaking of, either of you mind keeping an eye on Eris while I'm gone? Her illusions still aren't quite as perfected as I'd like for a trip like this and I'd rather not dump her in the PC."

At the sound of her name, the small Zorua poked her head from the confines of Night's tails with a small tilt of her head.

"Yeeeah, might be better for him to do that job. Not that I don't want to, in fact, I love to hold on to the little guy. Unfortunately I got a Gardevoir that I try to keep away from all cute things, otherwise, you might come back to find a Zorua crushed in a Gardevoir's cuteness-obsessed grip. Or I could see if Tails or Tristen wants to watch them. Tails has been on a whole responsibility tangent, and Tristen learning about Pokemon care." I said to Night.

"Ah, shenanigans," said Jude, and he laughed with her. "I'll write it down. It's not like I have anywhere else to be, unless for some reason Dear Dark Leader needs someone like me out on the front."

It was not so long as last time that Articuno returned to the Snagem hideout bearing tidings to Blizzard, Freth and the boys from Hyda. This time, however, Articuno had been fitted with a loose crocheted harness whose diamond patterned webbing across the front was unintrusive and meant to distribute the weight of the pack on its back very evenly.

The pack was important because in that pack there were several batches of cookies. In another compartment was the letter canister. As always, what Blizzard would find within it was a neatly rolled scroll whose message was writ with a quill pen.

Dear Blizzard,

I'm glad to hear that things have been going well for you. So too have they been for me, since things have...settled down. In a way. My mother has been going around, consorting with anything on two legs and I suspect some with four. She's certainly taken with her position as an elemental force, but it creates a lot of paperwork for me. She goes by her old given name of June these days. To my knowledge, I don't yet have any new siblings.

As for your rematches, I'm sure it won't be as bad as you fear. Special cases like that Xatu hybrid you encountered exist everywhere -- not just within the Team, Hyda, Unova or anywhere else. The rules of Chi exist whether or not you make a conscious effort to follow them. Even now, I've heard legends of an old Mount Ember guardian, or elder, or however you might want to address it. I wonder, even if that might not be the reason Night plans on traveling there. Let her know that I'm very interested in whatever experiences she may have there, alright?

But let's get back to Hyda, shall we? I've sent word to Remy that you're interested in a rematch with one or more of us. I understand he's very much looking forward to it, as is Luke. Don't discredit yourself too terribly, either. It's been a few years. You've seen and done things a younger Blizzard might have had trouble coping with. While you were more than an even match for me that time, it was a matter of sacrifice I had hidden. June merely reversed all that. If, say, we were to spar under Lutela's domain, we should be on even ground. That is, if the Team's affairs have been as storied and heroic as I like to imagine. If 'Mashed Potatoes' is any indication, I won't be disappointed.

One of your worries may be right on the money, I'm afraid. I sometimes worry about your boys. Their backgrounds both were very difficult, and it's not out of the question that Tails might begin to remember things from his days in the lab which could frighten him at best. He's coming to be that age, Blizzard, and Pokemon have been noted to remember things from as young as three months old. Between his background and the trust Tristen has in him, he might even experience a traumatic break. You will first need to accept that you won't win every battle, and it isn't as damning as it sounds. It's up to you and Freth to keep level heads and tend to both of them. Be as impartial as you can. Let them know you're always available. They will need that. And please keep in mind that this is only the worst case scenario. To be safe, keep an eye on them, especially in their participation in team outings.

I trust everything will end well. Mikey's looking forward to seeing everyone again and so does Nadine. They have more to say than can be expressed in a letter. And don't worry about the harness you see Articuno wearing -- it was one of Nadine's projects and it's in a sack which was knitted to fit the contours of Articuno's back that you'll find our yearly shipment of cookies. We've included a larger portion of burnt cookies because last time Tails seemed to especially enjoy those.

I suppose it's under duress that I must also include that June is looking forward to seeing her two favorite nephews. If it's any weight off your mind, she calls every kid she knows her favorite niece or nephew. Still, it's best that Tails and Tristen meet June under close parental supervision.

It was signed by all three of Maels, Nadine and Michael Rowan and, as always, Miles' signature was the thin, loopy cursive one would find at the bottom of historical letters and decrees.

"Who let such a flamer into the building? Reminds me of the late Sol, may he rest in peace. Any who, mysterious man of singed flesh, you are a liability and a hazard to this building, therefor I regrettably must put you out." GRAY said from over the loud speakers, activating the ceiling sprinklers in the room in order to put out the fire, if he were not afraid of being haunted by the deceased individual's spirit he would have left him to burn, oh well.

To say the least, when Articuno came back from its trip, I was overjoyed to see the bird back in one piece, and furthermore, hearing from Miles once again. I don't know why I had stopped sending letters off to the fox in Hyda. I took the letter off to my room and started to read it, all the while taking a bite of a cookie that Nadine graciously packed in.

As I read on, another wave of nostalgia started to come over me. It was almost as if I was seeing the fox in person again. I could just about hear the letter speak to me in Miles's voice. Though, it got pretty somber a little when I managed to get to the advice he had when concerning Tails and Tristen. I was left to wonder...I hadn't once thought about Tails recalling his unpleasant time with Ein since he got put out of the picture for good. In fact, I could have just about sworn that it would be something that Tails would care to leave forgotten. Then again, the whole suddenness of him trying to play a more responsible role in more ways than one started to dawn on me. I wonder if something happen and he's needing a outlet? But how does one bring this up to someone such as Tails? I can't find any right way for it.

As I finished the letter, I gave a content sigh and stared at the ceiling. I'm left to think once more. I probably should talk to Tails; if just to see if there's anything going on about him. I probably also need to keep an eye on Sub whenever he decides that we need to move out. I missed this recent trip, only because I was out training some more, and didn't know anything of it. Everything seems to run on a sort-of last minute basis. I might need to keep a better eye on things.