"What's wrong with a married woman? A few years older, she knows how to look after a man, and she's got something about her. A little virgin like you wouldn't understand the flavour of it, so there's no use telling you."
Ambrose said it with disdain.
"Trust you to have such a special taste. She might even have children."
"Ah, that... isn't that better still? Buy one, get one free. A killing."
"You... At the very least she's got a husband. Doesn't that feel wrong to you? A rotten thing to do?"
Emery had found his argument at last.
"Oh, come on. Young is young, all right. If the woman keeps to herself I wouldn't go near her. And if she doesn't keep to herself, why worry about it? It's only a straight-laced boy like you who frets over this and that. What's the use of thinking so much?"
"And if I really did meet one I liked, I'd like it better if she did have a husband." Ambrose was getting worked up as he said it.
Vance and Emery watched him and found it a curiosity.
"Because then there's only one competitor. Beat that one, heh heh, and you carry the beauty home."
"Respect. Fatty, that line of reasoning of yours really is something else. Genuine respect."
Vance said it laughing when he had heard it out, and made the hand sign to go with it.
"Heh heh. Tell me, then — is there sense in what I'm saying or isn't there?"
"There's a tiny bit of sense in it."
"You see, Emery? Even the Boss says what I say makes sense." Ambrose looked at Emery in triumph.
"I wish you every happiness." Emery let the words out of his mouth.
"Ha ha ha." Seeing he had won the argument, and that Emery did not know what to say back, Ambrose laughed.
Then the laugh went away and he said to them both, "As for how you tell what kind of woman she is, that takes experience. It's like any trade — do it long enough and you've got the experience. What a woman's like, I can tell at a glance."
"How do you tell? Go into that in detail." Emery perked up at this.
"Heh heh. Nothing to it — only practice. All you have to do is come out to bars and parties regularly with your old pal Ambrose and you'll see it too. Heh heh."
"Forget it, then."
"Why forget it, Emery? Don't you want to have a gift like mine?"
While the two of them were talking nonsense, Vance's phone rang. It was Division Commander Sylas.
"Hello."
"Hello. Come and see me. There's a mission."
"Right." Vance answered crisply and hung up.
"What is it, Boss?" Ambrose asked.
"There may be a mission. I'm going over to the Division Commander now to see what it's about." Vance stood up and went out.
Ambrose and Emery saw him to the door and watched him go.
"It shouldn't be anything big. I've been skiving so long I've gone lazy."
Ambrose stretched and yawned as he said it.
"Get yourself ready. It might be a big one. That Pokémon the Boss gave you — you've caught it, haven't you?"
"Mm, caught it."
"That's all right, then."
...............
Vance came to the Game Corner in the city centre. There were as many players inside as ever. He worked his way through the crowd with the ease of practice, went in through an entrance in a corner, and after a bit of business arrived at the underground base.
"Ding-dong—"
The bell sounded and Vance stepped out of the lift.
The moment he was out he saw several familiar people: Squad Leaders under Sylas. They nodded to one another and went on together towards Sylas's office.
*Calling in this many Squad Leaders, a mobilization on this scale — it may be a big mission.*
Vance thought it privately, and went with the others into the office.
The office was already packed. Besides Division Commander Sylas there were three other Division Commanders.
Sylas sat in the principal seat and nodded to Vance and the rest.
*Quite a show of force. The other three Division Commanders have all come out for it.*
Vance sat quietly in a chair and waited for the Division Commanders to speak.
Behind him more people came in one after another until there were twenty-one in the room. Take away the four Division Commanders and there were seventeen, and all seventeen were Squad Leaders. Some of them had met; those who had not had at least seen photographs.
Making them known to one another was necessary, so that they would not be strangers and cause an accident on the mission later — it was perfectly possible for them to end up fighting each other while carrying out orders.
"Right, that's very nearly everyone. I'll begin." Sylas looked around, saw that most of them had arrived, and spoke up loudly.
Everyone in the room turned their eyes on him, wanting to hear what he would say after a display on this scale.
"I have received a piece of information, and that is our mission this time. It stays secret for now; I'll tell you when we are in position. What I can say is that this mission is rated at four stars."
Sylas did not give the mission itself, only its difficulty.
"So from this moment you are on mission footing. Any outstanding or ongoing missions are suspended. Be at the point I send you later by one o'clock this afternoon. I have filed this mission with the Chief and the authorisation has been granted. Do you understand?"
Sylas's face was severe as he looked round the room.
"Understood."
The dozen and more Squad Leaders, Vance among them, answered as one.
"Very good. Very good. There are two hours to go before the afternoon assembly. Go and gather your members."
"Sir."
Vance and the others answered, rose, and walked out of the training room.
"Commander Sylas, is this intelligence reliable? How great is the risk? If anything goes wrong on this one, our Celadon branch will be badly weakened."
Once everyone had gone, one of the Division Commanders spoke.
"Reliable, certainly. I have made my arrangements. Set your minds at rest, Commander Doss."
"Very well. We'll give you our full cooperation."
The three Division Commanders said it after exchanging a glance.
The three of them had a good deal of faith in Sylas's abilities. Past missions had proved that the Branch Chief's high opinion of him was not luck but ability.
For the sake of secrecy, the details of this operation were known only to the four commanders; everyone else would learn them on arrival at the appointed place, again for secrecy's sake.
"This mission has to be done perfectly, to avenge Percival." Sylas said it with hatred in his voice, then went over the arrangements once more, found nothing wrong with them, and was easy again.
Elsewhere, Ambrose and Emery had come to the base on Vance's word and joined him there.
"What's happening, Boss? What's this important mission?"
Ambrose asked it. This was the first time either of them had received an order for a mission handed down from the branch.
"I don't know yet, but this one is rated four stars, so it won't be easy. Prepare yourselves for it."
Vance's face was grave as well. That last mission they had coasted through had only been rated three stars, and even that had brought out Elite-Four-class power. There was no telling what this one would mean.
"Whoa. As big as that?"
"Mm. Let's go and eat quickly. We set out this afternoon."
"Right."