"Then SHIELD is perfect for you," Tony said dryly. "The biggest organized group of snoopers on the face of the earth."

"Pretty much," Maeve agreed, grinning. She looked at him. "Not that, you know, you haven't been into the databases as well."

"Of course I have," Tony said with a grin that said he didn't regret it. "I need to know about the people Coulson expects me to work with."

"Doesn't surprise me in the slightest," Maeve said, nodding. She grinned. "Do you do the whole 'aww how cute' thing when you hit their defenses?"

"I did the first few times. Now I just point and laugh." Tony grinned hugely.

"I bet," Maeve said, grinning. "And should I ask if you let Porygon out to play in the database?"

"Not in SHIELD's," Tony said, shaking his head a bit. "But I have let him play in others. He has his own section of SI databases to play in and record where else he likes to play."

"I've never had a lot of pokemon," Maeve admitted after a moment. "It must be nice to have as many as you do. You have, what, five? And they're all so interesting."

Tony shrugged. "It's nice, yes, but I know people who have more. I'm content with my group as it is." He grinned briefly. "It helps that all my pokemon are rather unique in their personalities too."

"For a long time, it was just me and Ralts," Maeve said. "Since I was maybe a freshman in high school. Small-town and all that, when one girl gets it in her head to hurt someone, the rest follow, so sometimes it's nice to have someone to turn to. Litwick was something of a surprise 'you made it into college' thing from my grandparents." She shrugged a bit. "And it's just been them."

"Not for much longer, I bet," Tony said, smiling secretively. Because his plans were already in motion.

Maeve raised an eyebrow.

"I have no plans to catch any other pokemon," she said. "No active plans, at least."

Tony just hummed noncommittally, grinning again briefly. Because he'd noticed how excited she'd been by Metagross, and he'd heard her wishes for a female Eevee. Both of those he could work with.

Maeve glanced at him sideways, squinting a bit in the low Chandelure-produced light.

"What are you scheming?"

"Nothing horrible, just my normal plots," Tony said with a shrug. "You'll find out soon enough."

"I'm not entirely certain I like the sound of that," Maeve said, watching him warily. "When you plot like that, things like sentient toasters happen."

"Oh please, I haven't built one of those in at least a year. Or any other sentient kitchen appliance." Tony snorted.

Maeve just grinned.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," she said.

Tony just grinned at her, settling against a rock a few feet back from the shoreline.

Maeve stretched and sighed a bit.

"I like watching the Staryu and Starmie," she commented after a moment. "It's pretty." She grinned. "Although Chandelure kind of helps, with the blue glow."

Tony snorted. "Yeah. There's lots of Tentacool and Tentacruel farther out, and they're not nearly so nice to watch, even at night."

"Easier for me to handle on my own, though," Maeve mused. "Gardevoir has no problems with them at all. Chandelure would, but Gardevoir doesn't."

Tony chuckled. "Lucario beats up any that get too close to shore for her comfort."

Maeve grinned.

"You know," she said, "Gardevoir could probably give Lucario a run for her money. Psychic against fighting, after all."

"Probably," Tony agreed with a little grin. "It would certainly be an interesting match."