Steven Stone adjusted the focus on his Devon brand binoculars, the ancient ruins of Route 111 coming into sharp relief through the reinforced lenses. Said to be the location of Regirock according to Lazarus. The desert heat shimmered off the weathered stones, but his position atop a rocky outcropping nearly three hundred meters away provided both concealment and a clear sightline to the clearing.

  Beside him, Metagross hovered silently, their red eyes glowing as they maintained a overview of all the mental activity coming from the ruins. To his left, the League Alakazam that had performed Lazarus's initial mind scan sat cross-legged in meditation pose mid-air, spoons held ready and teleportation coordinates locked onto the young man's position. This wasn't the best nor the safest test of Lazarus' connection to Dark-type Pokémon but it was the only one he had available. At least, that he could observe with confidence he could prevent anything bad from happening.

  "Visual contact established," Steven murmured into the throat mic connected to the recorder in his pocket. "Agent is approaching the ruins from the southeast path."

  Through the binoculars, he could see Lazarus walking steadily across the sand alone, his pack secure on his shoulders as he navigated the uneven terrain. No Pokémon were visible - he'd kept them in their balls for the desert crossing, a sensible precaution given the possibility of harsh conditions and the unknown nature of what he might encounter.

  Steven had been tracking his progress across the desert for the better part of an hour, noting the young man's careful but confident approach to the ruins. Lazarus moved like someone who understood he was walking into a potentially dangerous situation, but wasn't letting fear dictate his actions.

  "Movement in the ruins," Steven reported, adjusting his focus. The Tyranitar who had terrorized three research expeditions was emerging from behind a cluster of fallen pillars, her massive form throwing long shadows across the sand.

  Through the lenses, Steven could see the moment the wild Tyranitar spotted the lone human approaching. Her massive head lifted, armor plates shifting as she evaluated this new intrusion into her territory. Steven's grip tightened on the binoculars, ready to signal for immediate extraction if she showed signs of attack.

  But something was different about her posture for the normal actions. The aggressive dominance display he'd expected never materialized. Instead, she seemed... curious? Wary, but not immediately hostile? It was different than normal.

  'The target is not responding with expected aggression,' Metagross observed through their mental link. 'Her psychic signature indicates confusion rather than territorial fury.'

  "Can you determine why?" Steven subvocalized, not taking his eyes off the scene. He had confidence Metagross could give him the answer.

  'Analyzing... His approach pattern differs from the research teams. No equipment, no sudden movements, no fear-scent. She does not recognize him as a threat currently.'

  Through the binoculars, Steven watched Lazarus stop at a respectful distance from the massive Pokémon. He couldn't hear what was being said, but he could see the body language clearly. Calm, non-threatening gestures. Hands visible and empty. No sudden movements that might trigger the Tyranitar to act defensively ore otherwise.

  Then Lazarus did something Steven hadn't expected, he sat down in the sand. It basically made him a sitting ducklett and he had half a mind to extract him. But he was interested in seeing how the Tyranitar would react.

  The Tyranitar's response was immediate. Her aggressive posture shifted to cautious interest as she studied this human who showed no fear but also no challenge to her. She moved a bit closer, her massive frame surprisingly graceful as she settled a few meters away from Lazarus.

  'Emotional resonance detected,' Metagross informed. 'The Tyranitar's mental patterns are consistent with prolonged isolation.'

  "She's lonely?" Steven questioned to himself, the pieces weren't falling into place yet. It didn't add up, not yet anyway. "The territorial behavior though suggests otherwise. It would make sense if she had a Larvitar somewhere... But if she did, he wouldn't have been able to get so close."

  Through the binoculars, he could see Lazarus pulling items from his pack. Food containers, from the look of it. Steven watched her body language shift from wary to genuinely interested. He checked the bag of food and noted the brand. Wyndon? Wasn't that the expensive Galarian brand new in the Pokémart?

  The Tyranitar approached the offered food cautiously, every movement suggesting she expected some kind of trick or trap. But when she finally began eating, her guard dropped. Steven could see the change in her posture, the way she gradually relaxed as she realized Lazarus posed no threat. The fact he was actively feeding her probably helped.

  The interaction continued for nearly an hour, with Steven maintaining careful observation through his binoculars. He watched Lazarus make gestures toward various points around the ruins, his expression and from comments from Metagross on his emotional state he was getting a better picture. Lazarus was aquiring more understanding with each of the Tyranitar's responses. She was actively communicating back by pointing and miming actions.

  Steven couldn't interpret the specific meaning. Thankfully he had Metagross to give him some semblance of it. They were having an actual dialogue, and from Lazarus's increasingly sympathetic posture, and Metagross filling him in he got the picture. Tyranitar was suffering Empty-nest syndrome. It was rare for apex Pokémon species to have children. Let alone for them to become actively attatched to their children. He's seen Drake's Salamence give less of a damn about the Bagon she had. It could be a species thing. He'll have to get in contact with Prof. Elm in Johto. Maybe he'd have more in depth information on Tyranitar he could read into.

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  At some point during Steven's musings, Lazarus released his own Pokémon. Two dark shapes emerged from flashes of light, Mightyena and Umbreon. Steven tensed, ready to order immediate extraction if Tyranitar responded aggressively to the sudden appearance of other Pokémon so close to her nest.

  Instead, her behavior became even more fascinating. She lowered her massive head until she was at eye level with the smaller Pokémon, moving with the careful deliberation of one who'd spent years learning not to accidentally harm fragile things.

  'Maternal instincts activated,' Metagross reported. 'Her emotional signature has shifted extensivly. She reads as protective and nurturing rather than territorial or aggressive.'

  Steven was quiet for a few moments before his eyes widened with understanding. "He offered her a family." He let the statement settle for a moment. "Tyranitar was lonely and lamenting over her children having left her. So, Lazarus offered to give her a permanent one. One that won't leave. One that she can protect and care for as long as she wants."

  When Lazarus finally produced an empty Pokéball nearly two hours after first making contact, Steven held his breath it was unconscious at this point. Taking out empty Pokéballs in front of Pokémon like Tyranitar didn't usually end well.

  "Alakazam, be ready," he murmured. "If this goes sideways, extract him immediately." It was a precaution, even if he didn't really believe it was necessary at this point. It was better safe than sorry.

  'Coordinates locked. Ready for emergency teleportation,' came the psychic response.

  But the Tyranitar's reaction wasn't what Steven had prepared for. She studied the Pokéball for a long moment, looked at Lazarus's Pokémon who had clearly accepted her presence, then back at the young man himself.

  The red light faded, and Steven lowered his binoculars with a mixture of relief and amazement.

  "Successful capture confirmed," he reported into his throat mic. "Stand down alert status." He gestured to the Alakazam which nodded and teleported away.

  As Lazarus began setting up camp among the ruins with his expanded team, Steven found himself facing a new problem. The test had been successful - more successful than he'd dared hope - but it also left him with no clear next step.

  He'd essentially run out of 'safe' test cases for Lazarus's abilities. The Tyranitar situation had been his only acceptable option for evaluating the young man's gift with problematic Pokémon that fell under his perimeters.

  The flight back to Ever Grande City on Skarmory gave him time to consider his extremely limited remaining options. There was one other case involving a dangerous Dark-type, but it came with complications that made Steven's stomach churn just thinking about it.

  Sidney's Absol.

  'You are considering the Absol case,' Metagross observed, reading his mental patterns even from his Pokéball. 'That assignment would represent a significant escalation in risk. Odds of death are high.'

  Steven had hoped to avoid this possibility, but watching Lazarus successfully capturing the Tyranitar had forced him to reconsider options he'd previously dismissed as too dangerous.

  Sidney, a criminal serving a twenty-year sentence for Pokémon abuse and illegal battle operations. His methods had been horrifically effective: forcing his Pokémon to fight each other to near-death, creating twisted strength through systematic trauma and sharpening of survival instincts. The Absol had survived the experience and reached Elite Four level power, but the psychological damage was catastrophic.

  Steven had visited the Pokémon once during the initial evaluation period. The creature was magnificent and terrifying - honed to incredible strength through Sidney's brutal conditioning, but completely unstable. It lashed out at any human approach with the desperate violence of something that had learned to expect only cruelty from human contact.

  Traditional rehabilitation had failed completely. The Pokémon Center's best specialists most of them being from the Joy Clan, had declared it untreatable. Recommending permanent containment or merciful release. Steven had authorized containment pending further evaluation, but privately he'd begun to accept that some damage couldn't be undone.

  But after watching Lazarus work, Steven found himself wondering if his assessment had been premature.

  Back in his office, he pulled up Sidney's case files while Metagross released itself and settled into their usual position. The details were as disturbing as he remembered - systematic psychological torture disguised as training, designed to create maximum battle effectiveness regardless of the cost to the Pokémon's wellbeing or the well being of the opponent.

  'The profile indicates extreme distrust of humans,' Metagross noted, reviewing the data. 'This Pokémon has been conditioned to expect cruelty from any human contact.'

  Steven leaned back in his chair, weighing risks. The Absol was arguably dangerous than the Tyranitar. If Lazarus could rehabilitate a Pokémon that had been systematically broken by human cruelty, it would demonstrate abilities that went far beyond natural empathy.

  But it would also put him at genuine risk of serious injury or death. Elite Four level Pokémon were dangerous under the best circumstances. One that had been psychologically shattered and trained to view humans as enemies could kill Lazarus before any protective measures could intervene.

  His secure terminal chimed with an encrypted message from the League's high-security containment facility: "Absol behavioral incident. Three staff members hospitalized during routine maintenance. Recommend immediate review of containment protocols or consideration of permanent measures."

  The euphemism made Steven rub his temples. "Permanent measures" meant euthanasia. They were running out of options for containing Sidney's Absol, and the Pokémon was becoming more and more agitated and dangerous to anyone who comes near it.

  Steven's decision crystallized, either Lazarus could help the Absol, or they would be forced to make a choice no one wanted to make.

  At least now Lazarus had a Tyranitar on his side. Steven had seen Sidney's Absol in action during the arrest - Elite Four level strength, honed to a razor's edge through years of brutal conditioning.

  But a Tyranitar? An older, experienced Tyranitar like the one Lazarus had just captured? That changed the equation. The armored Polémon could stand toe-to-toe with Sidney's Absol if it came to violence.

  'You believe the Tyranitar's presence will improve success probability?' Metagross inquired.

  "I believe it might keep Lazarus alive long enough to work," Steven replied grimly. "Sidney trained that Absol to severly injure, if not kill, and old habits die hard. At least now if things go wrong, Lazarus won't be defenseless."

  He began drafting a priority assignment brief, classification level Alpha. The moral weight of what he was considering still settled heavily on his shoulders, but watching the young man successfully connect with the Tyranitar had given him something he'd lacked before: hope that even the most damaged souls could be reached. He'd wait for a week. Let Lazarus connect further with Tyranitar, Umbreon, and Mightyena. Hopefully by then he's capable of handling it.

  Some tests were necessary, regardless of their risks. And sometimes, the most important battles were fought not against evil, but against the damage evil left behind.