Chapter 1: Beginnings

Julian Lucas opened the case file. Multiple windows flashed up on his screen and he spread them apart. The biggest window was the subject's box, courtesy of the local Poke'mon center. The trainer on the screen, Brett Middleton, had reached the imposed limit of 37 Poke'mon owned and, by the records, seemed to be balancing the use of all of them rather well. He expanded a second window, to see if the trainer had bought any Poke'balls. There were a lot of potions and supplements and only five Ultraballs in two months: nothing unusual.

Julian sat back in his chair and pursed his lips. He swiveled side to side and rolled a Poke'ball back and forth between his fingers. It was getting rarer for the force to see trainers with a full 37. Most trainers had taken to having a circle of 12 companions: so much easier to stay withing the confines of the new law that way. This trainer was either, brilliantly organized and dedicated, or doing something dodgy to keep enforcement off their backs, the devil would be in the details. It was sunny outside and almost lunch time. Julian looked at the small clock on the monitor and decided the problem could wait till after his sandwich. Powering down the computer, he grabbed his jacket and clocked out.

The streets were busy. Trainers from across the country were flocking to the city for the first Deerling festival of the year. From carnivals and street markets, through to the themed Poke'mon battles in the city arena, the Deerlings always attracted a spectacular crowd.

Julian waited for two trainers on Doduo to pass by before he crossed the road to the café. Clocking out a little early meant that there was no queue for food yet, the best sandwiches were still in stock, and there were still tables himself a Panini and an apple from the rack, he claimed a seat near the window. A previous customer had left their newspaper on the adjoining table and he took the opportunity to nab it before settling down.

The front pages were filled up with the glitz and glamor of the Deerling festival. There were photos and coverage of the best and worst dressed at the inter-regional gym leaders' charity ball, betting odds for the upcoming spring battle tournament and a look at a new Poke'ball specifically designed to help kids catch their first Poke'mon. Julian flipped straight past these pages to the real news.

A Frillish believed to be behind a string of swimmer disappearances off the coast had to be put down by police after trainers were unable to safely capture it.

A school in a rural township was badly damaged and pupils left with severe burns after one student was illegally traded a volatile Magmar. The specifics of the trade were yet to be disclosed but the pupil in question had no gym badges to his name and should never have been able to trade at all without parental consent.

Finally, Julian found the news that he needed: Last Vestiges of Box Crime Die a Silent Death. The summary pertained to the cleaning of the last of the graffiti protesting the new box law. Slogans such as "Gonna keep em all" had, for a month or two, been common place: plastered over shop windows, billboards and Poke'mon centers. It seemed though, in the end, that the issue just wasn't that important. Many who had been involved in such protests and vandalism had been called 'reactionary' and it was to be remembered that most change, even positive, was naturally feared until it became the norm.

Box law: It had all started with the Team Plasma fiasco in Unova. A quasi terrorist ring: team Plasma called for all trainers everywhere to free their poke'mon and cut all ties with them. While the whole ethos was revealed as nothing more than one man's plan for world domination, its key message had struck a cord with genuinely caring trainers and, before long, Box Crime was a word. The principle was very simple. Caught Poke'mon should not be forced to languish in digitally constructed "box" worlds simply because their trainers had no use for them. Unable to grow or evolve, such creatures, it seemed, were living a half existence, likened to a kind of purgatory. Box crime was the solution. No trainer could own more than 37 Poke'mon and had to provide regular evidence of using each one.

Julian fished out a Pokeball. "Hey, can I let my friends out in here?"

The man at the counter nodded briskly, "Yeah sure, but only one please sir, the lunch rush is about to start so I can't have your entire squad eating up my space. The manager thought for a moment. Maximum, human size also; no bringing out a Snorlax."

"Relax," Julian said, unclipping a ball from his belt, feeling it expand to its full size. "It's just a Marowak." Julian thumbed the release and a cascade of light emerged from the ball bringing his friend back into the physical world. "I got you an apple Marlo, you hungry?"

The Poke'mon stretched out its arms and looked around at its surroundings. Its bone club was hung across its back from a leather baldric and Marlo took a moment to adjust it before jumping into a seat next to its master. It grabbed the apple off the table and took a large bite, spitting a pip into a nearby bin.

"It looks like our unit will be cut back soon," Julian said glumly.

Marlo grunted as he chewed the chunk of apple in its mouth. Julian could tell by the look in his companion's eye that he didn't really care.

"I know this isn't the gig you wanted but it still pays the bills. If the division makes cut backs we could find ourselves jobless…again." Julian stared morosely into his Panini. "Most of the team are already applying for other jobs on the force but Commissioner Jenny sent a memo explaining that there just aren't enough field jobs going. We could try our luck in the army, but you know how I feel about following my old man down that path."

Marlo grunted again and looked at the gathering crowd trying to buy their lunch.

Julian grabbed the remainder of his lunch and stood up. "Come on, if we're quick we can get around the park before heading back."

The central park was a great place to visit on a spring day and with the festival coming up, skeletons of tents and stalls and carnival rides were being erected around the green and many people were taking the time to admire the work.

Marlo, always business, didn't pay any heed to the colorful set up and set a brisk pace as he marched down the cobbled pavement. He had changed considerably since Julian's promotion. He had evolved from a Cubone the same day his master received his police badge. The Old Man had said he must have seen the significance of the post and, in later months, would suggest that Marlo was more committed to the job and the force than Julian.

Julian gazed at a particularly pretty flower girl, admiring the luster of her hair, when Marlo pulled on his shoulder. Coming back into the world, he followed his friend's line of sight to a truck parked illegally across the pavement. He took one last look at the girl, thinking that she might have noticed him too.

"Really Marlo? The owner's probably just nipped into a shop to grab a bite, I'm not going to give him a ticket for that! Besides, we're not traffic control." His Marowak was eying him with disdain. "You're evolution really put a stick up your backside didn't it. Fine, if it'll get you to shut up about it, I'll give it a look."

The van was part of a grocery fleet that delivered to the local shops. Its right two wheels were parked up on the curb and, annoyingly, in a no park zone to boot. As Julian inspected the vehicle, he felt stupidly overbearing. A traffic cop was probably on patrol in this area and it'd be rude to him to be doing his job for him. Marlo however was not to be trifled with.

Taking out a jotter-pad from his pocket he took down the license plate. Marlo nodded approvingly and scoped out the crowd, probably looking for anything else he could come down on: a jaywalker maybe?

"Do you smell that?" Julian asked, his nose wrinkling at the sudden odor that assailed his nostrils. Marlo's eyes narrowed and he pointed to the back of the truck. Following his partner around the back, Julian inspected the door and rankled when he put his nose to it. The stench made him dizzy and for a moment he really thought he might throw up.

Julian was grateful for his partner, who helped steady him, as he reeled back from the vehicle. As he gasped for air he looked up and saw a man in a green uniform staring at him with wide eyes. He raised his arm, assuming the stranger wanted to help but the second he acknowledged him the man turned on his heels and began to run.

Marlo baulked and drew his bone club from its sheath. With the deadly accuracy only a Poke'mon could muster, he launched it at the fleeing man. It whirred madly in the air for just a moment before finding its mark and dropping its target to the floor unconscious.

Julian had just about recovered his sense and gazed in horror at the unconscious man on the floor. "What in the name of Xerseas did you do that for? Unless there's a stash of drugs in this truck now, we are going to be kicked off the force in a heartbeat." Julian straightened up as he noticed a number of pedestrians were looking on, confused at what was happening. Right or wrong, he needed to take charge and do his job. "Marlo, cuff him now and guard him. I'm going to bust his van open and see what's inside."

Marlo nodded and ran through the onlookers with Julian's cuffs. They weren't standard issue but Marlo made him take full officers equipment everywhere, even if he was a lowly computer jockey. The Marowak shooed away the pedestrians surrounding the culprit apparent and was relieved to find him out cold. He clasped one limp wrist of the man to a nearby lamp post. Being so short, he couldn't see how his master was faring. The people were crowding round him again and he needed his next order. Picking up his bone club he made gestures with his arms for the people to back away but too many of them were filming the whole thing on their cameras and talking excitedly.

Peering through the few gaps that were available, Marlo gasped and let out a yell of horror as a yellow light grew outward from the place where the truck had been. The light was followed by a loud noise and finally the blast wave.

People ran. Fires raged. A wail of sirens mingled with the screams and shouts of the injured. Through all the madness, Marlo was just trying to find one person.

Before he opened his eyes there was pain. There was also a ringing in his ears. His jaw hurt…in fact his everything hurt in some shape or form. His memory was fuzzy. There was a pretty flower girl, a smell of dead flesh, an open door and then angry eyes blowing apart in front of him. The rest of the memory was static and thinking about it made his head hurt.

An unearthly, disinterested voice filled in the blanks.

"…Rocked the city today as resentment to the government's new Box Laws were thrust back into public light. Police officer, Julian Lucas, pictured here accepting his badge from Commissioner Jenny, appears to have uncovered plans by a yet unnamed group to bomb the Deerling festivals grand opening. In a sensational arrest, Officer Lucas took down one Brett Middleton, once a noted Poke'mon collector, who felt the pinch of the new box laws more than most. The Commissioner of Police had the following to say about the arrest.

A different voice, which Julian had heard only a few times in person took over the commentary. "Through examining Officer Lucas' computer we have confirmed that he had been investigating Mr. Middleton shortly before stepping out for lunch. From eyewitness statements, it is believed he spotted the trainer and his truck and, from his investigations, knew something to be amiss. While he had no warrant to make an arrest, Officer Lucas acted with the highest professionalism and is a credit to the uniform."

The first unearthly voice took over again. "Though Officer Lucas failed to prevent the detonation of the thirty Voltorbs rigged up to high explosive chemicals and gasses, his calls for the public to move away during the arrest ensured that he was the only human victim of the crime. Had the van gone unnoticed and made it to its ultimate destination, experts believe that the casualties could have climbed into the hundreds. Thirty Voltorb died at the scene."

The voices stopped and there were more real sounds, less divorced from the material world. There was the sound of birds outside, the rustling of the curtains. "Hello?" Julian said to the room. There were footsteps and a soft voice replied.

"Hey, it's Julian right?" It was a woman's voice, attractive and delicately inlaid with concern.

"Y…yeah," he replied in a croaky voice. "I'm parched, sorry."

"Just a moment," the voice replied. Julian could hear the sound of liquid sloshing into a container, possibly a glass. "I'm going to lean your head up a moment, let me know if it hurts."

There was a lot of pain but Julian didn't dare complain, he needed the drink. The feel of it washing down his throat was heaven. He opened his eyes and noticed immediately something was wrong. He tried moving his hand up to his face. A smooth but firm hand grabbed him by the arm and held it down. "You shouldn't try to move," the voice said soothingly.

Julian was able to work out what was going on even if he couldn't see his face. He could feel the tightness of the bandages over the right side of his head. He opened his eyes. One looked out to see a beautiful woman with lustrous red hair looking at him with the kind of concern one might give the dying; the other eye…

The other eye was dead.

"I lost my eye? In…in the explosion they were talking about?"

The woman bit her lip and nodded.

Julian felt his heart rate climbing, he was starting to sweat. "What else? What else has happened to me?"

The woman held his arm tighter. "I'll…I'll tell you but you have to calm down first.

Julian could hear the air rushing in and out of his nostrils and tried his best to keep his breathing steady. He focused on the woman with the red hair. She was truly stunning. His breathing relaxed as he let himself indulge in her looks. "Okay, please tell me now."

The woman's eyes started to water. "A piece of metal hit your face just over your right eye…" she paused, choking on the words. Her grief made her look somehow even lovelier and Julian began to wish he had not forced her into speech. "You'll have a scar over your face and you won't be able to see out of your right eye anymore. Your right hand too had to be amputated and the doctors say there'll be a lot of scarring across your right hand side."

Julian found himself more surprised by his calm than by the news itself. Perhaps it helped that it came from a beautiful woman, or maybe he was in shock. The injuries just rolled off of him as though the woman were doing something as ordinary as reading a grocery list.

He could feel her fingers caressing his arm, stroking it like he were some wounded pet. "I…I just want you to know…" she continued in broken speech. "I thought that was really brave what you did out there. I was there you know. You told us all to back off and if you hadn't waved us clear when you did…" She broke off into soft tears.

"You… you were the flower girl with the beautiful hair." Julian said.

The girl's tears turned momentarily into sad laughter, "Yes, that was me. I saw you with Marlo."

"Marlo! Is he…?"

The girl had to press down on his chest again to stop him from trying to get up. "Marlo's fine. Your other Poke'mon too: their balls were undamaged." The girl looked down at the officer and did her best to smile. "I'm Catherine by the way."

"Julian…pleasure's all mine,"

The girl looked to the door and her smile faded. "There's a nurse coming. I'm really sorry but they wouldn't let me travel with you to the hospital unless I knew you." She looked back down with another guilty smile. "I told them you were my boyfriend."

Julian looked up at her with his one good eye. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I just felt you needed someone to be with you when you woke up. I didn't want you to wake up alone after you saved my life."

The nurse came into the room and surveyed the scene. "Mr Lucas, you're awake." She looked to Catherine eying her suspiciously. "Um, your girlfriends been with you for the past few days, but don't worry, we've been keeping a close eye on her." Already Julian understood that the nurses knew, or had learned Catherine had been lying. "Do you want some alone time Mr. Lucas or…"

Julian looked at the flower girl by his bed side. "Do you need time to sleep?" he asked hesitantly. "I don't want you worrying about me if you've been awake for…days."

Catherine smiled and shook her head. "I'd rather stay here with you if that's okay."

Julian chewed his lip for a moment as he thought it over. "She's okay, as long as she's not too exhausted."

"Very well," I'll send the doctor down to see you shortly and the Commissioner of Police will likely want to see you too…you've become quite the celebrity while you've been asleep."

Author's Notes.

Hi. I've only recently started writing fan fictions and posting them on here and this is only my second story I've attempted. I'm currently writing a Legend of Zelda fan fic called 'The Hero's Mask' but as I've gotten to enjoy writing fan fiction more and more I have decided to try juggling two stories at once.

I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter for Julian Lucas. Please send me your thoughts about this piece.

I have labelled this piece as T but I may change it later on. If anyone believes at any point that it should be marked up please let me know and I will change it.

Thanks for reading.