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Rain was walking with her favorite pokemon - her partner, Absol. The two had been through so much together within the last few months, but now it seemed like all of her hard work had gone unnoticed. Sure, she was one of the more important members of the Nightwalkers, but she wasn't really a leader. She loved her job though. She really did.

Abby was the first to notice him. She whimpered softly and looked up at Rain, her eyes sympathetic and concerned. The girl's heart dropped. He looked so...resigned, like he was tired of the way things were, but he'd accepted it and was moving on.

What is he up to?

"Raiu..." she said quietly as she approached her enemy. A gentle hand held his and she tried to smile but couldn't find the strength to. "What are you doing?" Her eyes glanced at the note and she felt her heart sink lower. "Unova? That's dangerous, you can't go on your own. What if something happens...?"

The dark side inside of Rain came out for a moment and she slapped him. Then it retreated and she hugged him, pulling the frightened boy close to her as she rubbed his back soothingly. "I understand why you would feel this bad, but you are no burden. I promise. True, your parents are very important to PWF and you aren't as strong as them, but that doesn't make you useless. At least...not to me."

She pulls away a bit and looks at him. His face is both determined and saddened by his decision. He wants her to join him, and she honestly would love to go. Unova would be an adventure...but what would Lord Verin say if she were to leave?

"I don't want you to be alone, but..." She sighed heavily and thought for a moment. Then she looked at him and smiled ever-so-softly as she nodded. "I think an adventure is just what I need. We can go and come back much stronger than we were when we left. We could be the force that ends this trivial war."

Rain laughed happily and gave the boy a noogie. "No promises there, but I won't do it very hard anymore." She lets him go and looks off. Now to tell her Lord that she was going away....with one of the PWF. This should end well.

"I'll see you later. I have to talk to Snap and tell him I'm leaving. Wait for me here tomorrow morning, alright? No matter how long it takes for me to get here, I'll come. That I can promise you."

Rain shifted her weight from one foot to the other and rubbed the back of her neck nervously. She would love backup, but if they saw Raiu there, the poor boy wouldn't stand a chance. "No, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl." She winked at him before turning to go. She paused and looked back at him. "I think you're the best too, you know. I hope you know that." With that, she turned away and disappeared into the forest.

Next stop: Nightwalkers Headquarters. Oh joy.

Rain knew that the boy she had left behind would worry about her, so she used the time that she had while walking to the HQ to plan out how she would get in there, pack, and get out without causing too much tension. She had so much to do and so little time to do it.

First things first, getting in and to her room undetected. Abby went first, making sure the way was clear. The two rushed into her room and closed the door quickly behind them. "Alright Abby, we have to do this as quickly as possible." The Absol nodded and hurriedly got the things she needed while she put them into her bag. Four years of being a Team Rocket Executive and being on her own taught her how to pack for a long trip with everything she'd need. Clothes, poke balls, first aid material...plus all the pokemon food and care things that she could fit in there.

Once packed, she took one last look around the room and her eyes fell on a photo of her with Riri, Snaps, and Lord Verin. Her heart ached slightly and she picked the photo up, taking in their seemingly blissful smiles. She vaguely remembered a time when they were all a family. That time had long since passed, however. Riri had betrayed the Nightwalkers, and therefore been tortured and treated as a traitor. Verin had hardly been present due to circumstances outside of his control, and in his absence Snaps had become a power-hungry tyrant. Things were falling apart. Their dream of ending the sun was feeble now.

"I didn't sign up for this s**t, Abby..." she said sadly to her pokemon before packing the picture away in her bag and opening the door to her room. Noticing that no one was there, she closed it again and wrote a quick note.

I'm sorry you have to find out this way, but I couldn't bear to say goodbye.
I'm going to be gone for a while...not sure how long exactly, but I have to do this for me.

Please take care of things while I'm away.
I don't want to come back and find you all in the middle of a civil war or something.
Remember, we're supposed to be family.

Goodbye, guys.... I love you.

~Rain

With tears in her eyes, she looked around one last time before going out and putting the note on the table. She wiped her eyes and sighed. "Bye guys..." She turned and ran out of there before anyone could come out and discover her.

This had better be worth it.

Her pokemon nuzzled her gently as the sun rose above the horizon. Rain lifted her head and rubbed her sleep-deprived eyes as she looked around the forest. It was morning. She hadn't slept a wink all night. With a heavy sigh, she laid her head down on Absol's back again and pulled the blanket closer to her shoulders.

She knew she had to get up, but she didn't want to. As soon as he saw that she hadn't slept, Raiu was sure to start worrying like crazy. Rain didn't want that. Unfortunately she knew it'd happen anyway, because with a sudden jolt she realized that she had to meet him near the bulletin board. She didn't have much time.

"s**t..." She sat up and started putting her things back into her bag. Breakfast didn't even cross her mind as she stood and surveyed the area, making sure she wasn't forgetting anything.

Abby stood beside her and nuzzled her hand, looking up at her partner as if to say "it'll be okay" with her eyes. Rain smiled appreciatively and kissed the Absol's head as the two started walking. She wasn't far from where he'd be waiting for her.

Then they'd be off...

Unova...

Rain smiled at him and shook her head. "I'm fine, Raiu. Just had a hard time sleeping last night, that's all. No need to worry." She looked in the direction of the Nightwalkers' HQ and felt her heart swell.

When I come back, I'll be stronger. I'll end this war...with Raiu. Until then, please don't tear each other apart.

She looked back at the boy in front of her and her smile returned. "We should set out while it's still early. Do you have everything packed?"