The three of them finished lunch, and Vance, following the information that had come down, made his way to the appointed position outside Celadon City, at the foot of a mountain to the east of it.
The place was out of the way and thick with grass and trees, a good spot to stay hidden, with a few broken-down wooden huts some distance off.
"This is it. We wait here."
Vance and his two found a suitable place to rest and settled down to wait.
"All this mystery, and a four-star mission on top of it — it feels a bit dangerous. Boss, remember to keep an eye on the two of us later, will you? You know how it is. We're a pair of scrubs."
Ambrose worked a smile onto his face as he said it.
"Don't be so tense. Be careful and it should be fine. We're not the only squad here either, and whatever help I can give, I'll give." Vance settled him down. While they were talking another squad arrived; its Squad Leader saw it was Vance, nodded slightly, and made camp further off.
"So, Boss, have you got any inside word at all?" Ambrose leaned in and said it quietly.
"None. I'm in the same position as you. All I know about this mission is that the other three Division Commanders are in it too."
"That's enough, Fatty. Can't you produce the sort of presence you had at that party? Where's that going-in-swinging spirit of yours? How have you turned into such a mouse out here?"
Emery needled him from the side. Having got himself going at it, he was becoming rather tense himself.
Strictly speaking this could be called his first mission, and with a show of force like this one, tension was not to be avoided.
"This is the bowl we eat from. We have to get used to it."
Emery let out a long breath as he said it.
"All right, all right. First time, of course there's some nerves. That's understandable, ha." At that, Ambrose gave an awkward laugh; then, seeing the perfect calm on Vance's face, his own mood settled along with it.
His Boss had got clear of a situation that dangerous last time. Even if this one was just as dangerous, running for it would work again, surely?
The thought left Ambrose feeling a great deal safer. He felt for the Poké Balls on his belt again, and that put some heart in him too.
While the three of them talked, squad after squad arrived and each found somewhere to rest.
"Vreee—"
A green shape came flying across the sky. Vance looked up and saw a Flygon, and from the aura coming off it, a Gym-class Pokémon.
Level 51, probably not long past its breakthrough.
On the Flygon's back stood Sylas and one of the Division Commanders; the other two stood on the back of another flying Pokémon, a Swellow, which was Gym-class as well.
Vance and the rest got quickly to their feet and formed up by squads.
Sylas counted heads, found that everyone had come, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good. Everyone is here. I will now announce the mission."
"The mission is to intercept a consignment of starter Pokémon being sent by League headquarters to Celadon City. I have firm intelligence and my preparations are made; the window is within the next few days. Do you understand!"
"Understood."
"Good. The force will now be divided into four groups, led by the four of us. Squad Leaders, all of you, come forward. I'll go through it with you."
At that, Vance and the other Squad Leaders came forward.
Sylas produced a map and a pen, marked it up, and laid out the plan.
"Is that clear? If anything isn't clear, say so."
"It's clear."
Vance and the rest answered.
"Right. Move out."
The company then split into four parts and went into action.
In a valley on the road to Celadon City, Vance and his two hid under a boulder and took turns with a pair of binoculars, watching the ground around them.
The valley there was bare rock and rank weeds, and looked thoroughly desolate; hardly any Pokémon lived in the area. But this was a road the other side had to take.
At least, that was what the Division Commander had said.
"Clearly the other side are men of great wisdom, like myself. They knew this place was desolate and seldom travelled, so the odds of an ambush are low, and it's different from the way League people have moved before — a nice reversal." Ambrose propped up his chin and analysed it.
"Or the other side picked the route at random. And another possibility is that you're an idiot with no wisdom of any kind."
Emery said it quietly.
"What? You actually question my wisdom? Unforgivable."
"Does it need questioning?"
Emery said it airily.
"How dare you. Talking to your old friend Ambrose like that. We'll settle accounts when we get back, you little virgin."
"Tch. Still better than you."
Vance watched the two of them bicker with some amusement. They had been fine before, but ever since that party they had argued over the question of young girls versus young wives, each sticking to his own position, neither able to convince the other, until little by little it had turned into open sniping.
"All right, that's enough. Stop arguing. If you really want the question settled, the two of you go and find one each. Practice is the only test of truth."
Vance called a halt and said it to them laughing.
"We can come back to that from the top. Your friend Ambrose has a long life ahead of him, and he isn't giving up a whole forest for the sake of one tree. Not worth it. For the moment it's the body and not the heart."
Ambrose was unimpressed.
Just as they were talking, the communicator on Vance's shoulder came to life.
"Zzzt, zzzt— this is Frey. All squads take note: the target has entered the designated area. Stand ready. Stand ready. Over."
"That fast." It was faster than expected, and Vance was a little surprised; he had thought it would not be today.
Still, the intelligence had said it would come within the next few days, and today was one of those days, so there was nothing strange about it arriving now.
"Get ready. This is going to be a hard fight."
Vance said it gravely, to the two of them and to the two Pokémon in their balls as well.
Neither of them had any interest in talking any more. They held their Poké Balls in their hands and waited quietly for the order.
"Kreee—"
A Pidgeot appeared in the sky, glanced once at the ground below and flew on. A few minutes later the Pidgeot came back and flew off the way it had come.
Everyone knew this was a scout, and that the real column was still behind.
Sure enough, after about ten minutes there was movement up ahead, and some twenty flying Pokémon came on together.
At the head of them were two Pidgeot.
"Target has entered the area. Begin the encirclement. Go!"
The words had hardly finished before brilliant lights of move after move came in from every side, all of them striking up at the flying Pokémon overhead.
Sylas and the other Division Commanders went in first, riding their Pokémon at the front of the charge.
"Boom, boom, boom—"
Figures came falling out of the sky, and several others opened up in return, and in a moment the scene was chaos.
Down below, Vance and the rest closed in as well, their targets the people who had fallen.
The strong ones were still up in the air for the time being; those knocked down were the weaker ones, which suited the Squad Leaders exactly.
Not far in front of Vance and his two was a young man, filthy-faced, wearing the uniform of a League transport unit.
He lifted his head and found himself looking straight into the eyes of Vance and the others.
What met his gaze, as they looked at one another, were the three "kindly" smiles of Vance and his two.