Author's note: Oh boy, it lives. Book 2 is still in progress, so please enjoy this - I've had it in my head for WEEKS and have been EXTREMELY excited to reveal this plot.

Heavy rain beat down upon the roof of Po Town's police station once again. A minefield of Meowth lined the building's floors, doing as Meowth did most of their lives and sleeping their nights away. The same, however, couldn't be said for the single human residing in the building. Nanu's deep red eyes remained locked on the ceiling, and his mind remained as empty as ever. After Skull had left the town (for the most part; stragglers would still occasionally drop by the station, if only because Nanu was the only person left that any of them could confide in), the place had become...Devoid of life. The sudden regularity had felt jarring, even. One day, Skull was there, and the next, that kid had come in and swept Skull out herself.

She had that look in her eyes, she really did. The look on her face had reminded Nanu of his younger days, back when he'd been Interpol's ace in the hole, the one person who could watch over such subordinates like the Faller, 100ker, and…

That damn medic.

Nobody else could have handled the medic. Young, spry, even mischievous, Nanu had been told he was bad news from the start, but at the same time, Nanu was capable. Nanu, thirty-four and with a face that hadn't yet been aged by stress and smoking, had seen it all by the time the medic came in. As one of Interpol's best, Nanu had taken whatever was thrown at him.

He could have handled the medic, right up until the medic ran off.

Nanu could never blame him. Couldn't blame him, couldn't blame Looker, couldn't even blame himself. Only ever the monster, and only ever Interpol.

It had been slow, watching his team run itself into the ground. First the medic, then the faller, then him, and then Looker was left alone with Interpol, years of solo work before Interpol finally let Anabel work as his superior.

And damn them, she still knew nothing about what they were doing with her.

Nanu sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and hoping there wouldn't be another disturbance that night. The days before...He'd kept an eye out on one thing, one particular story making its way across the world. Shockwaves of the news had emanated from Hoenn, and whispers of Steven Stone the murderer had finally reached Alola. A few decent nights' worth of sleep was all he needed before anything started coming to the region.

Nanu closed his eyes, trying to sleep the storm away. Arceus be damned, he hated storms.

It was then, however, that Nanu noticed something tapping at the door. Sighing, he stood once again, figuring it was simply a Meowth that got out and wanted in through that specific door. Upon opening the door, however, Nanu was greeted with something far different: A Wingull, carrying a vinyl envelope in its beak that, despite a somewhat large size, only contained a single folded piece of paper.

Well. It wasn't like he had much choice in the matter if he wanted the Wingull to leave alive. Even if Persian was asleep, one of the cats could easily wake in order to hunt this bird.

Kneeling down, Nanu took the envelope from the Wingull's beak before shooing it away.

"Go on," he sighed, "Don't give me those eyes. You know what'll happen if you stick around."

He didn't bother to see if the Wingull flew off when he shut the door. All Nanu did was return to the sofa he'd been laying on and opening the envelope, placing it on the floor beside him before unfolding the neatly creased paper that'd been in it.

All he needed to see was the writing. That was the only thing that Nanu needed to see before realizing how long a night it was going to be.

Nanu,

Nanu sighed upon seeing the letter's handwriting. All things considered, he supposed his reaction should have been more...Visceral, but visceral had never been a word to describe him. It was all too obvious. The care taken to keep the thing dry. The carrier Wingull. He couldn't tell when this letter had been sent, but he could only assume it hadn't been sent too long ago. At most, a few hours ago from Melemele.

This was urgent, and he knew why it was urgent.

Allow me to apologize. I know this is something that must be discussed in person. However, now that I've reached Melemele, I thought it wouldn't be right to not contact the kahuna I intend to speak with.

I know that neither of us are working with a rigid schedule at present. I suppose this is just a notice saying that I'll be there very soon. In a sense, it's like my rookie days coming back to me. We've walked different paths in our lives, and while I'm sure you don't consider your work glamorous, I can only imagine work as a kahuna, chosen by the Tapu itself, is far more glamorous than my current line of work, or, at the very least, pays better.

I must say, I missed you, and to an extent, I even miss 100ker. When I arrive, I must know how he's been.

More than anything, however, even several years later, I still miss Lorelle like no one else.

Nanu found himself stopping as he reached the name of his old colleague. More than a colleague. His old friend. She had been exceedingly young compared to the rest of the group, a few years below even Anabel. That was what had always left such a sour taste in Nanu's mouth. There that kid was at the end of the line, eighteen and desperate to keep her comrades out of the Beast's clutches...And in the end, that was what did her in. She had been selfless. Courageous. Hardly a fool for giving her life for the team.

There's no changing the past, I know, the letter continued, But perhaps I can right what I've done wrong. The winds of change have reached me, Nanu, and my gut instinct has been telling me that this is about the Beasts.

If you don't want me fighting by your side, then I'm sorry. I intend to fight the Beasts no matter what happens, just as I did years ago.

Nanu found himself drifting back to the past.

To the start, specifically. Right when that new guy had come along.

It was a searingly hot day near Po Town when it happened. The sun seemed to burn a hole in the sky, and that'd forced Nanu to head into the local police station to save his skin from frying beneath it. It was good, at least, that the station had been left empty for his talk with the recruit, and better yet that clouds were already rolling back in. Interpol had said he'd recognize the new guy right away. Said he was different, always looked a little lost. Laying back on one of the station's couches, Nanu had let his Persian take charge for a while.

She lay beside him, and he only waited for her ears to perk up. The station was clean, a bit too clean for his tastes. There wasn't any sort of clutter, not even a speck of dust against the floor. It was unnerving. The station was normally a good deal more lively when he came around, if only because he'd happen to arrive when a lonely officer needed someone to talk to. At that moment, it was silent, eerily so.

It didn't take long for something to become audible outside, if Persian taking notice of something was any indication. A resident from the nearby town, one of Alola's idle rich coming out to complain about some minor inconvenience? Or perhaps the rookie had finally found his way there? Regardless of who it was, Persian ran over to the door and began to scratch at it, letting out the occasional meow to try and draw her trainer forward.

Nanu slowly rose from where he lay (Arceus, the job did shit to him) and lumbered towards the station's entrance, pulling the heavy door open and taking a look outside.

A figure leaned over the tall grass, even as a light drizzle signalled that the route's seemingly eternal rain was coming. He was dressed in a long trenchcoat, charcoal gray in color. (Nanu assumed, anyway, considering that everything looked gray to him.) Nanu immediately guessed that the coat's pockets held...Secrets, or at the very least supplies. It was hard to gauge whether or not this man was just the practical sort. He'd find out the second the man had to empty his pockets, at least.

Before Nanu could say a word, Persian let out a sharp yowl.

The stranger seemed to nearly leap back before taking a defensive stance, taking a Poké Ball in hand before suddenly realizing who was speaking to him.

Then, everything fell into place.

"...The Eevee…" he murmured, "Are awfully restless today."
The code. Nanu could tell right away this one was new to his duties, but he clearly planned to carry said duties out well as he turned around to face his superior.

"Yeah. They damn well are," Nanu replied, gesturing for the stranger to follow him back to the station, "Come here."

Suddenly, the walk back to the station felt endless. There was someone new behind him, someone new to the team. An asset, Interpol would call him. Supposedly a medic, even.

Something the team needed more than ever.

When the two arrived at the station, Nanu waited for the rookie to close the doors behind him before gesturing for Persian to stand guard. Directing the new recruit to one of the couches in the station, Nanu stood in front of...He supposed this younger man was his comrade. Nanu could finally get a good look at him - A deep tan complexion and shaggy black hair tied into a short ponytail, thick glasses around his eyes, and earthy brown eyes that almost looked…Overly nonthreatening.

The rookie had focused his gaze on his new boss completely.

"...Agent 000," the recruit murmured, "I'm still in shock. I didn't even know of your existence until recently."

"Well, suppose I should start with...Welcome to the team," Nanu began, "You've been entrusted with the task of protecting Alola from literal aliens. That's the gist of it."

"Aliens…?" The rookie cocked his head, "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"The briefing'll take longer than we have here." Nanu gave a deep sigh. "...Ultra Beasts. These things're real, and we're here to off 'em before they do too much damage."

"...Ah." When that hit the rookie's ears, he simply closed his eyes and smiled. "Well. I can see why Interpol is so hush-hush about you. I take it that it isn't much longer until I'm introduced to 100ker and 10rel?"

Nanu motioned for the new recruit to stand. The man was quick to obey his every order; he seemed to be a far cry from what Interpol had said about him. He seemed mild-mannered. Polite, even. He'd been warned from the start that this man was something of a loose cannon, and that alone was enough to force Nanu to keep his guard up from the start, but there was a nagging feeling that Interpol had been exaggerating something.

Maybe it was another one of those cases where he'd just stumbled upon something he shouldn't have and been reassigned before he could let those secrets slip.

"We're gonna walk through Po Town, you and I," Nanu explained as he walked towards the door and held it open, Persian walking out first, "100ker's there now. We'll meet him there...Then head off somewhere more private for this talk."

Nodding, the new recruit followed Nanu out to Route 17, which then stood beneath a deep gray sky and a light drizzle. Before either could step further towards Po Town's gates, however, Nanu stopped. There was one question he had to ask, one that had proven important throughout every last meeting with a new recruit.

"...What's your name?"

"00-14, sir."

"...I meant your real name. I know your codename."

"O-Oh. You may call me Hayashi. Komugi Hayashi. You are?"

"Nanu Kahue. That's our sign of trust there, Hayashi. Don't let that slip."