Belle's hand slammed down on the table so fast it gave Daichi whiplash. On impulse, he shuffled his now organized playing cards into their box and jammed them into his pocket.

"You're lagging behind." Belle looked down at him, imposing as ever. "You should be filling out your reports, not messing around with playing cards."

"I know, I know... I just, struggle to focus, okay?" Daichi pushes his glasses up his nose. "So many words...and words are so boring..."

"Well it's what the boss pays you to do—"

"I know, I know, I've heard it all a thousand times! I'm trying!" Daichi sounded almost frustrated. "Just... sitting here makes me all antsy."

The boy's face only contorted further as he looked at the massive amount of paperwork he had spread across the meeting room table. His foot, which was already tapping at a steady pace, went into hyper-speed as Belle sat down next to him.

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to sit here and keep you focused."

Daichi looked up at her with a raised brow. "You sure you want to take the time to do that?"

"Why not?" Belle lightly shrugged. "It solves the problem. And I've finished my work for the day. It could only benefit OZone and Cosmos."

"...Okay. Um, thanks."

The room became silent, until:

"You're... actually a super kind person, aren't you, Belle?"

Belle's head shot up as she swallowed a lump in her throat. "Huh?"

"Well, Uh—" Daichi realized what he had just said, panic flooding his expression. "I guess that... you always say blunt things and stuff that come off as mean but, well, you don't really say it to be mean. And you were always one of the first people to help Mitsuki out, too. It's like... I dunno..."

Daichi rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to make eye contact. Every second of silence that passed seemed deadlier and deadlier, and Daichi could even feel the sweat building on his forehead and neck. He wondered if he just signed his death warrant.

But then Belle just scoffed. "You're overthinking it."

"...Yeah, maybe."

The room became silent again, and by some miracle, the paperwork was finished by nightfall.

* * *

Kind? When was the last time someone called her that?

It was a brand new day at the Cosmos Corporation, but Belle's mind lingered on the previous afternoon. She didn't think there was anything that Daichi, of all people, could say that would throw her for a loop. But alas, here she was. She was hyper-focused on a statement from a boy who rarely thought through his words.

God, she really had to pull herself back together. This was unbecoming; she needed to focus.

With her perfect, straight posture and crossed arms, she paced through the corporation's halls. She tried to keep herself from sinking deep into her own mind, but the silence made her thoughts wander beyond her control. She was almost grateful when she heard a voice call her name.

Even though she didn't particularly like the person it belonged to.

"Good morning, Belle."

"Arc."

The man approached from behind, a clipboard tucked under his arm and a persistent scowl on his face. Belle stopped in her tracks.

"Something you need?" She asked.

"Actually, yes. Communications are down, but OZone wants to hold a meeting. He says it's urgent, so he tasked me with alerting everyone. It begins in a half-hour."

"I see." Belle nodded. "How many have you told thus far."

"Just you and Buzz, so far. I'm not looking forward to searching for those brats." Arc grumbled, putting a hand to his temple. He looked back at Belle, his eyes narrowing in intrigue. "About the meeting, I'm certain you can guess the topic at hand."

"Another Ultra Beast?"

"The last Ultra Beast. Your Ultra Beast."

Those words hung in the air. Belle didn't know what to say, and she didn't know why. She's been expecting this, anticipating this. It's a simple process of elimination, an inevitability. Why was she tongue-tied at the thought of it?

"I'm impressed you've managed to keep your patience all this time," Arc continued. "If I were in your shoes, frankly, I'd be pissed. To be put behind the likes of children..."

"This is not a matter of ego for me, Arc. The cards fell as they fell; there is no reason for me to be bitter. All that's left is for me to take on my new task with everything I have."

Belle scoffed, turning away with a dismissive wave of her hand. "If that's all you have to tell me, then I'll be on my—"

The sound of a crash cut her sentence short. It came from a room at the end of the hallway, being, although dramatic, fairly distant. Wordlessly, both Belle and Arc decided to investigate, racing towards the source of the noise. They found themselves standing in front of one of the building's many storage rooms, where Belle promptly pushed the door open.

Mitsuki was on the ground, stunned, after having crashed into a stack of empty crates. Rōzu stood beside her, extending his hand and helping her back up onto her feet.

"Good Arceus, that was a serious fall you took. Are you okay?"

"... Yes, Rōzu. I—"

"What the hell is going on in here?!"

Arc's shout cut through the air as he pushed past Belle, causing Mitsuki to recoil and take several steps back. Rōzu stood in front of her, prepared to take Arc's wrath head-on.

"There's no need to scream, you know. We're right here."

"Save it," Arc growled. "Leave it to any of you three brats to cause a ruckus!"

Mitsuki attempted to speak up. "Actually, I—"

"You don't have any shame, do you!?" Arc persisted, his voice only raising higher. "Go on! Answer me!"

Mitsuki timidly raised her hand in an attempt to grab everyone's attention, but before she could speak, the boy sneered with a quick retort.

"No thanks. I'm too busy trying to figure out who asked for your input."

"...Listen here, you little shit—!"

"Enough! Enough! Both of you, shush!"

Belle cut Arc off and stepped in the middle of the brewing feud, putting a finger to her lips as she silenced the room. Arc bit his lip, appearing to be caught between arguing with the woman or keeping quiet.

He chose the former. "There's no reason to stop me, Belle. I was only going to say what needed to be said."

"No, you weren't." Belle crossed her arms, standing firm.

"Yes, I was. Someone needs to set that brat straight. If anyone were to understand that, I would think it'd be you. You're a smart woman, are you not?"

Belle lowered her head, but kept her glare locked on the man. "I don't know what it is you are trying to imply... but what I do understand is that you were about to lash out in rage rather than say anything even remotely productive."

"Look—" Arc began.

"Please, no fighting." Mitsuki cried out in her soft voice. "It's my fault. This is my fault so please...no more."

"Mitsuki..." Rōzu tried to cut in. "Please don't say that it's your fault—"

The sudden and odd admission of guilt was enough to make Arc hesitate. Belle quickly took advantage of that. Soon enough, Arc found himself being shooed off by her, dismissing him with a wave of her hand.

"I've got this under control. I'll let them know about the meeting, too. So, run off now. You have a lot of groundwork to cover."

Belle's expression remained flat and stoic. Arc opened his mouth to make a rebuttal, but no words came out. Instead, he was left to swallow his pride. He turned away and spoke in a low grumble as he went to walk out the door.

"Fine. Just don't hold any punches."

"You should know by now that I never do," Belle said.

With that, the man left, leaving the three alone in the storage room. Belle kept her arms crossed and her face in a scowl, her presence imposing as ever. That didn't stop Rōzu nor Mitsuki from letting out a deep sigh of relief.

"You're probably the only person in the whole damn building who could get away with talking down to Arc like that. Well, aside from OZone himself, I guess." Rōzu seemed amused, having a smile plastered across his face. "You really came to our rescue. Thanks, Belle."

"Please. I'm not so kind," Belle huffed. "Besides, you still got me to answer to. Care to explain what you've done this time, Rōzu?"

Rōzu's smile fell away in an instant. He stared at the ground.

"Figures you'd single me out," he mumbled.

"It really isn't his fault," Mitsuki said. "It's mine."

"Hey..." Rōzu lifted his head. "C'mon, just let me take the fall here. You don't need to take the blame for me, Mitsuki."

"For once, I have to agree with him. Mitsuki, don't take unnecessary blame for someone else's sake," Belle agreed.

"B-but it really was my fault." Mitsuki shook her head adamantly. "...I'm the one who asked Rōzu to teach me how to dance."

"You— I'm sorry, what?"

Belle froze, taking a double-take. Her eyes darted to Rōzu, who looked away with reddened cheeks. She looked back at Mitsuki, who remained still and silent as if there was nothing left to explain.

"Let me get this straight." Belle's wide eyes blinked once, twice. "You both... are in this storage room together... instead of doing work... because you, Mitsuki, asked for dance lessons?"

Mitsuki nodded vigorously. "Mhm."

"...Why?"

"Rōzu is a very good dancer. And he taught his UB super well. So I wanted to learn too so I can become graceful."

"And... in the middle of these lessons, you fell into all of those crates?"

"Mhm." Mitsuki nodded again, although her face flushed a bright pink. "I'm bad at balance."

"And you..." Belle shifted her focus back to Rōzu. "You agreed to this?"

"What was I going to do?" Rōzu asked. "Say no? Say no to Mitsuki?"

"...Alright, fair point. I just... you two... I... Arceus." Belle groaned as she stammered over her words. "Could you two just promise not to let this happen again? Lest Arc starts a screaming match over this that the whole building will hear?"

"Mhm."

"Can do."

"Good." Belle turned towards the door. "There is an urgent meeting in a half-hour. OZone will be expecting us all in the meeting room. Don't be late. I'm referring to you, Rōzu."

She left the room without another word. Mitsuki tilted her head, putting a hand to her cheek as a worrying thought crossed her mind. Rōzu, on the other hand, began to grumble.

"There she goes singling me out again..."

"...Belle seemed upset."

As Mitsuki sunk deeper into thought, Rōzu gave her a confused glance.

"Huh? Isn't being upset, like, Belle's default mood?"

"No," Mitsuki answered. "Something else was bothering her."

"Whaddya think that would be? My existence? Arc's existence?"

"No." Mitsuki shook her head. "Nothing like that. Something else."

"Something else? I couldn't even guess what could get under her skin... whatever it is, I hope she's alright."

* * *

The meeting was straight to the point. Once everyone took their seats, OZone switched on a projector that showed yet another picture taken by the ID3I. This time the subject was an alien world decorated by snowy white stones with embedded blue crystals. Underneath the aqua blue sky, in the far distance, was a tall and lean figure. Its silhouette was undoubtedly alien, a veil draped behind its back that obscured its shape in the photo. Likely its most noticeable features were the two long antennas that poked out of its head and draped down to its feet.

Upon seeing the image, Buzz was absolutely ecstatic. He leaped up from his seat, slapping his palms onto the table as his excitement became too much to contain.

"That has to be a bug-type! There's no mistaking it! The shape, the antenna, the everything! I can't wait to see it in person! It'll be an absolute scientific spectacle!"

"Not another one..." Daichi shuddered at the thought of a second bug-type Ultra Beast. Rōzu patted his back in an attempt to comfort him. Molly quickly joined him, patting Daichi's arm.

"It's okay, Chichi. If anything, you could just blow up the thing with UB-Burst."

"Let's not resort to that, please! You'll end up burning the Cosmos building down with it!" Serenity spoke frantically. "Um, rather... just be grateful this bug doesn't have as much... muscle mass."

"I mean, we're not even certain this thing is a bug-type, right?" Cypher leaned back into his chair, only to grimace when Ducklett quacked right in his ear.

"Maybe not, but I just have a feeling that this beast is, in fact, a bug!" Buzz had yet to sit back down as he spoke with whimsy in his voice.

"A feeling? In your jellies?" Molly asked.

"In my jellies!" Buzz shouted. "Belle! When you capture it, you've just got to let me take a look at it! You've just got to!"

All eyes looked to Belle, who sat with her head down and her arms crossed. OZone approached her from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't flinch.

"At ease, Buzz. First thing's first." OZone looked down at Belle. "It's no secret who's going on this mission. Belle. Are you ready?"

Belle looked up at the man, her expression stoic, daring, and unchanging. "Of course, sir."

"Excellent. We embark in an hour, then. Please take the time to prepare."

It was over as soon as it started. OZone stepped away from Belle, folded his hands behind his back, and left the meeting room without a word. The ten admins, for a moment, sat still and quiet, unsure of what they were supposed to do next.

"Well..." Serenity broke the silence. "That was probably our shortest meeting yet."

"There's no need for pomp and circumstance at this point." Belle stood up. "I'll be going now. I have matters to take care of before the mission."

"Now wait one moment. After this whole mission of yours..."

Tony was on the prowl in a millisecond. He raced to Belle's side and swept back his hair in an immensely exaggerated fashion. He worked those glittering eyes and sparkling teeth as he extended his hand out towards the woman.

"Why don't I take you out for a celebration? A beauty, a belle like yourself should be treated as such—"

"No."

Belle turned her back towards the man, exiting the room and shutting the door behind her. Tony wasn't phased.

"Oh, she's definitely into it."

"Um, what?" Daichi looked to Tony. "Are you feeling too hot? She's clearly not into you."

"Oh, how naive. To be young."

Tony suddenly threw one arm around Daichi and the other around Rōzu, the latter flinching upon touch.

"Why am I getting dragged into this—" Rōzu muttered.

"You see, boys, there is this 'language' women speak—" Tony began

"English," Rōzu said.

"No, no. See, it's much more complex than that," Tony continued

"It really isn't," Rōzu said.

"Now, now. You two just don't quite understand it yet," Tony continued. "Women don't always say what they mean or mean what they say. Make sense?"

"No," Rōzu said.

"See, see," Tony went. "They often put up an act— say, for example, Belle here is using the classic 'hard to get' act."

"It's not an act," Rōzu said.

"But really," Tony continued. "It's all a part of the game. And if you play it right, capture their heart, then—"

"Oh, I see now." Daichi shook his head and spoke with a completely straight, blank face. "You're just arrogant."

Tony's eyes widened, not even knowing how to respond, as Rōzu immediately went hysterical with laughter.

Meanwhile, Arc massaged his temples with his fingers. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

* * *

Stepping through portals was becoming rather unceremonious for OZone. Regardless, he still enjoyed watching a rare awe dawn Belle's face. She held back a small gasp as she collected her bearings, quickly returning to her calm, poker-faced demeanor.

The world that surrounded them was identical to the one shown in the photograph. Giant structures made of pure white stone surrounded them, towered over them. From the smooth, stone surface emerged translucent blue crystals, similar in color to the deep blue sky above. Though the landscape seemed vast and expansive, there wasn't any sign of life.

"Looks like we've got some searching to do." Belle glanced up at her boss with steely eyes. "Shall we?"

"Yes. We shall."

As the pair adventured further into the alien world, there was a persistent silence. There was a lot to take in— but at the same time, there wasn't. The world was wholly unique but lacked diversity. It was nothing but the rocky structures and the grounded gems, and looking into the horizon, there didn't seem to be any incoming variation.

Belle eventually lowered her head, arms crossed but her fingers tapping against her elbows. It was enough to warrant OZone's attention, raising a single eyebrow as he looked down at her.

"Are you alright?"

"Hm? Yeah. Why?"

"You seem bothered."

"...Is it that obvious?" Belle shook her head. "Nothing to concern yourself over, sir."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're my employee, Belle. My admin. If something is concerning you, I outta be concerned myself. You're free to talk about your troubles with me."

"...What is this?" A smirk graced Belle's lips as she chuckled. "Are you trying to make this little field trip a bonding experience, sir?"

"Why not? There's no reason to walk in silence, is there?" OZone asked. "So go ahead. What's on your mind?"

"If you insist... then."

Belle stopped abruptly in her tracks. OZone stopped behind her, but she kept her back facing him as she spoke.

"What's the real reason you hired me?"

OZone froze. He wasn't expecting that. He tried to process the question the best he could and slowly formulate a proper answer. Even after a full minute of silence and thinking, OZone found himself stammering as he went to answer her.

"Well, you had potential. I knew I wanted someone like you—"

"OZone, I tried to mug you. Why in the hell would you want to hire someone like me?"

OZone didn't answer.

"I didn't understand then, and I still don't now. What on earth possessed you to seek me out after I literally tried to rob you. With a job offer, of all things!" Belle dramatically waved her hands, still having her back to her boss. "I mean, if that weren't enough to deter you, literally any sort of background check would have offered you a thousand reasons to forget you ever met me."

"Belle—"

"I couldn't get a job at a Mcdonald's with my track record. I've been in and out of cells since I was a kid! I've made a name for myself in the worst way possible! And you come out of nowhere to offer me a job. And then, when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, you offer me a top position out of the blue. What sense does that make?"

Belle finally turned to face OZone. Her expression was scrunched up in— OZone couldn't tell what she was feeling. Skepticism? Frustration? Confusion?

"I did have one working theory behind your actions," she said. "I don't think you'll like it, though."

"...Tell me."

"I paid attention to those you chose to hire as admins. I noticed a trend rather quickly. Many of them were... lost, per se. Cypher was broke and jobless in a new place. Serenity had lost her family and, apparently, owes you her life. Tony had a trashed career. Mitsuki was aimless. Then there was me, a juvenile delinquent turned career criminal."

OZone's eyes went wide as he listened to Belle ramble. "You... know a lot more about everyone than you let on, don't you?"

"It's like I said. I pay attention." Belle let out a long, deep exhale. "It all came ahead when those three kids came along. Molly, a kid desperate to help her struggling brother. Daichi, a kid who had just lost his grandparent, his guardian, and was left with nowhere to turn. Rōzu, a kid who has clearly been neglected his entire life. Each one of them... vulnerable in their own way. A merry addition to your band of misfits."

"What are you getting at?"

"I began to think that you sought out those with such vulnerabilities, if not only for the reason that they're easier to manipulate. It would explain the pattern. Besides, with such a grand goal like yours, it would be better to surround yourself with people you could easily manipulate. Especially if things got dire."

"Wow." OZone visibly winced. "You were right. I don't like that conclusion at all."

"Neither do I, really. The more time I spend with you... the more I see how you genuinely care for every one of us... I can no longer go down that line of thinking. You're too kind, too genuine of a man. I can't believe such a crooked conclusion any longer. So I ask you, OZone. Why? Why hire me?"

"...Well." OZone took in a deep breath. "You were known on the streets for your motor vehicle skills, right?"

"I didn't become the leader of a motorcycle gang for no reason."

"Right. Well... as ridiculous as it sounds, as a motorcycle owner myself, I figured that us motorcycle enthusiasts should stick together."

"Oh, don't patronize me."

"I'm going somewhere with this I swear!" An awkward and slightly panicked smile stretched across OZone's face. "That thought came across my head, and I came to realize that you're a person at the end of the day, regardless of records and whatnot. And you were clearly skilled— elusive and clever, those records made sure to stress those traits. So... I thought it would be worth approaching you. I had nothing to lose."

"...Hm. It's that simple?"

"It's that simple."

Belle nodded, keeping her head lowered as she shut her eyes. She reached up to her hair, which was wrapped up in a tight bun, and slowly began to unravel it. She let her long, white hair fall, the ends resting on her hips.

"That's good to hear. But... I guess the why doesn't matter so much now. I hated myself for a long, long time. I felt like the scum of the earth."

As Belle opened her eyes, her lips curled into a gentle smile.

"I tried to act like something better. I tried to be the perfect admin, the perfect working woman, but that feeling never went away. Maybe I'm doomed to carry resentment for myself, along with endless guilt and shame, for the rest of my life."

Somehow, Belle's somber words sounded almost hopeful in tone.

"But even then, because of you, OZone, I'm able to be something more than my past self. For once in my life, I'm not looked upon with disgust or disappointment or dismissal. Now... I'm just looked at as Belle. For whatever reason you decided to give me this second chance at life... just know that it means everything to me. So thank you."

OZone's heart swelled. He couldn't recall once where he'd ever seen Belle smile so sweetly. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, a shrill voice echoed through the air. A flash of white was darting their way; the blur leaped up into the air before barreling back towards the ground. Before the two could react, the white creature landed on the ground in between them, cracking the stone underneath it.

The beast that stood before them was extremely insect-like. Its torso was covered in frills. Its legs were long, lean, yet powerful. Its head was oval-shaped, and its violet eyes focused on Belle. The woman, although startled, quickly took action. She reached into her bag and...

"Go, my little sweetheart! Take it down!"

Belle threw a Pyukumuku onto the ground. OZone wondered if he was seeing things.

The Ultra Beast shifted its focus onto the little sea cucumber. For an instant, it didn't move. It just kept staring at Pyukumuku, as if it were in complete disbelief that this was its opponent. It eventually ripped itself out of its shock, leaping back into the air and raising its leg in preparation for a kick.

The resulting attack was devastating for Pyukumuku, essentially being a one-hit KO. However, before fainting, Pyukumuku spat its internal organs back out at the Beast. It acted almost like a punch, which managed to hit the beast just as hard as the beast hit Pyukumuku. The beast collapsed. Without missing a beat, Belle threw a beast ball. The beast was sucked in, and after three shakes, the beast ball clicked closed. It was a successful catch!

OZone struggled not to faint in disbelief as he watched Belle retrieve her Pyukumuku. She sprayed a potion onto its skin, healing it right back up as she praised it. Despite all the attention and love it was getting, OZone didn't see much of a reaction in Pyukumuku's beady little eyes.

Belle slipped Pyukumuku back into her bag with a smile. Afterward, she approached OZone with a bit of a smug expression on her face.

"Innards out. I've won so many bets with that ability, you have no idea."

"...You're amazing Belle. Absolutely amazing. I... appreciate having you as my admin."

"I know." Belle laughed a bit, before suddenly grabbing OZone in a hug. "...I know."

* * *

The capture of UB-Beauty was a success... but it didn't take long for problems to arise for OZone.

Realistically, OZone should be in a panic after what his scientists told him.

"That power surge has... proven to be difficult to recreate using traditional methods. There is one theoretical method of reproducing it that we keep coming back to... but the materials necessary..."

He didn't need to panic. It was all going to be okay.

Whatever he needs, he'll get them.

No matter the cost.