Running down on the street, the man held back a sob. He wasn't prone to crying, but today was an exception. A rustle of wind, and he turned to see nothing but his father's lifeless body, sprawled on the ground, blood staining his neatly ironed business clothing. He then felt a sudden stab on his back, and surrendered to the pain. The rough gravel surface was the last thing he felt, and the blank night sky was the last thing he saw.
He woke with a start, and instinctively turned to the clock on the bedside table. 1:15 am. He slid out of his small bed, and walked over to his wardrobe, putting away his favorite business suit, a black one with violet sleeves and steel cuffs at their ends, which hung on the door. His eyes fell on the mirror stuck to it. He gave his reflection a cold, brooding stare, as he watched his gray eyes nearly glow beneath short and unkempt locks of unnaturally silver hair, shadowing his light complexion. He pointedly stared at it as he transformed from a gentleman to a vigilante, yet crafty criminal, wearing tight black clothing, black gloves & a long, cape like hood over his head in such a way that no one could see who he was. He finished up with a cruel smile etched on his face, and walked out of the small cabin in the forest area of Rustboro City in the Hoenn Region.
He weaved his way towards an observatory at the heart of the city, melting underneath the shadows of the moonlit path heading to it. Rustboro was a bustling city all right, but only during the day. At night, especially midnight, the city felt like a ghost town. As he walked past the lifeless streets for what seemed like the last time, he couldn't help but think about yesterday.
"You do have an idea of what I'll get if I hand you over to the police, don't you, Ultimate Steel?" A woman's voice.
She was no older than twenty, and she wore denim black jeans & a casual top, all hidden under a long overcoat. She had wavy brown hair, pristine blue eyes, light complexion with a pink tint across her face.
They stood in front of a moonlit lake, facing each other.
"I only want to assist you. I'm not surrendering yet." He said coldly.
She froze momentarily at the word 'yet'.
"So, you're gonna try & make things easier? How? By finally putting yourself in the place where you deserve to be?" She asked testily.
"I can do some good. You want him for murder, I want him for revenge. Everyone can win."
"How interesting. What's the guarantee that you will not pull off another major bank heist?"
"I won't."
"You must be planning to take up Devon Corporation as part of your next robbery."
"No, I'm not interested in Devon Corp., although I know that place like the back of my hand."
Her eyes widened.
"Assume that I was merely stalking Steven Stone to learn about his gentlemanly ways."
She paused. The man facing her, meanwhile, was turning impatient.
"Just tell me what I can do for you. I'm not here for a casual chat." He said, his voice turning icy.
"Get the documents & Devon Stone's murder weapon. Make sure you take his fingerprints. He's the murderer, and the dagger's the evidence. He's cleaned his slate carefully, but I know it's him. I have everything. I just need his fingerprints on the knife to prove it. There should be absolutely no place for denial. He'll not skirt around the case this time."
"How do you know it's him?"
"I've been tracking him and the case for over a year."
He remained silent.
"Anyway, that's not important. He's planning to go after Steven Stone soon, so we've got to hurry!"
Here, the mention of 'Steven Stone' sent a chill down his spine, reminding him of his nightmares. But he still maintained a calm and cold exterior.
"I don't know when, but he's going after him. Steven probably doesn't know, but he must've been watched for sure. Remo's so unpredictable, anything can happen."
"That's what makes true criminals fearsome."
"Well, just get those things, and we can have sufficient evidence to arrest him someday. I need them by day after, tomorrow's a public holiday, so there's your chance."
"Okay." He turned to leave, but she stopped him.
"Do this one thing for me, and I'll bail you out. I can even let you lead an 'honorable' life. I'm Detective May, by the way."
"I need neither the bail, nor the life."
With that, he melted into the dark shadow cast by the thick cover of trees, heading towards the forest beyond.
He finally got to his destination. He looked at his watch. 2:20 am, he thought. He went up to the ticket booth and said, "I seek Remo."
The man in the booth looked up. "Ah! Look who's here!"
"Yes. It is I." He said indifferently.
The man stood up. He sported a business attire, with a white undershirt, red tie, black suit and trousers. He had a square-like face, giving him the look of a gangster. He also had a black beard, and his eyes were a dark shade of brown. His hair was neatly gelled back, making him look like a real businessman.
"Follow me, friend." He gestured towards the entrance of the observatory.
Ultimate Steel followed as Remo led the way. Together, they took a lift, and Remo inserted a blue VVIP pass card. "Well, this gives us explicit permission to enter the needle. Cool, eh?" he said, as he felt Ultimate Steel's cold stare pierce him from behind. He couldn't see that Ultimate Steel had his eyes on the card though.
They reached the top of the Needle. Ultimate Steel was led to a room with glass windows and a high ceiling, with an ornate chandelier hanging from its apex. A large wooden table, almost similar to the one he had seen in Devon Corp., the one where Steven Stone sat on, was placed in the center of the room. It was empty, except for a pocket file, a metal box, and a dagger. His eyes widened as he saw the dagger, the one which claimed Devon Stone's life. A part of him wondered why he had killed Devon Stone. Maybe because he wanted to grab the reins of Devon Corp. from him, but Steven stood in his way. That explains what he's going to do next, he heard a small voice from the back of his mind. He finally pushed those thoughts away, as Remo cleared his throat, grabbing his attention. Remo had asked him to sit down. He responded, sitting opposite to him, and said nothing.
"I'll get straight to the point. I don't want to delay any other affairs…or anything you might have scheduled for today." Ultimate Steel just pursed his lips, giving Remo the cue to continue talking.
"So tomorrow, we'll be evacuating to a hideout on Veilstone Tower, a few streets away from here. It'll work for a few days, until we find another one. I don't think I need to tell you this, but most of my grunts have been stationed in Devon Corp., I've got them keeping tabs on Steven Stone."
Ultimate Steel had anticipated for someone to keep a close eye on Steven. But he didn't anticipate Remo to have most of his workers to keep tabs on him.
"I know I can trust you with these objects, I'll hand them over, as you've asked."
"Yes." Finally, Ultimate Steel spoke up.
"Well then, here are the documents which concern Devon Stone's murder & his murder weapon."He indicated the dagger & the file. "I managed to sneak it from the Precinct. The easiest robbery ever. It's filled up with a bunch of fools if you ask me. No wonder you & I could just slip through their fingers like water."
"I would prefer to receive the dagger from your hands, Remo. As a sign of honor." Remo obliged, took the dagger by the handle, and offered it to him.
Ultimate Steel's heart was ramming in his chest, but he showed no signs of eagerness. He stretched out a hand, careful enough to not wipe the fingerprints. Remo prompted him. "Go on, just take it. Keep it. Why else would I give it to you?"
Of course, May knew what she was doing. She knew about how much Remo trusted Ultimate Steel like his right-hand man, not knowing what interests his trusted ally had in mind.
"One more thing," Remo said, and Ultimate Steel looked up. Remo opened the metal case, and revealed something more. A black ring, as wide as Ultimate Steel's wrists, stood in the center, along with a rainbow colored stone carved into it. He held up the ring gingerly, as his fingers attempted to decipher the patterns on the ring.
"It's the much coveted Keystone, placed in a Mega Ring. How do you like it?" Remo asked, but he received no reply. "Just wear it if you want." He said simply, noticing how he caressed it. He watched as the ring was slipped on his wrist. The stone shone radiantly, showing off its beautiful colors under the bright light of the ornate chandelier.
"I shall take my leave. Thank you for your gracious hospitality." Ultimate Steel stood up, his voice still as cold as ever. He shook hands with Remo, as he clutched his presents in his hands, with the exception of the Mega Ring, which adorned his wrist. He turned and walked away, retracing his steps, which lay beyond the doorway.
Once he was well out of Remo's earshot, he ran over to Devon Corporation's Headquarters, the tallest building in Rustboro City, dashing all the way through the road leading from the observatory. He zoomed inside the lobby, only to find May waiting by the door, her eyes wide.
"Impressive speed." She remarked, taking the objects from him.
"You sure knew what you were doing." His icy voice shook a little, but regained its composure in a matter of seconds.
"You wait and see. That guy's not running away this time!" She smiled.
"Search the Veilstone tower tomorrow morning, if you want him."
"Well, I can't thank you enough. Your criminal experience is put to better use in this way, eh?"
"Probably."
An awkward silence followed.
"Lock him up in the cell soon. That's where he belongs. Save your thanks for later."
"But what happened…WAIT!" She yelped, but too late.
He was already gone, almost as though he disappeared at the speed of light.
The next morning, in a small cabin on the outskirts of Rustboro City, Steven Stone woke up to bright sunlight blinding his eyes, as he received a call from May. "Mind coming over to the Precinct?" she asked. "We've caught the guy!" She exclaimed cheerfully, as Steven hung up the phone with an excited version of "I'll see you there!"
He walked over to the mirror and straightened himself, staring back at his reflection as he wore a gray undershirt, black trousers & a black business suit with violet sleeves and steel cuffs, carefully tucking a black bangle-like ring inside them. He combed his unnaturally silver hair into that unkempt style he always loved. He looked into the mirror for one last time before leaving admiring his light complexion, noticing how his gray eyes seemed to sparkle with joy. He flashed a cheery smile, as he walked out of the cabin, excited as ever.
At the Rustboro Precinct, Remo Alexander was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison for the murder of Devon Stone. He was shocked to find Ultimate Steel's documents and his dagger back in the hands of the police. But how? He thought. Not until Ultimate Steel…
As he was led to his cell, he expected to see Ultimate Steel. But, there was no sign of him. He even tried to inquire about him. It seems he was never found. Even this incident could not make him believe that Ultimate Steel never protected his alliances. All those who worked with him were somehow betrayed to the police.
Steven followed Remo as he was led to his cell, with May by his side, filling his ears about the case.
"Well, I couldn't have done all this on my own, I had some help."
"Help, huh?"
"Yeah." She motioned him to lean closer. "I got it from Ultimate Steel!" She whispered excitedly.
He raised his eyebrows. "Really? Him?" He kept his voice low.
"I know. He was so good." She wanted to tell him about Ultimate Steel's desire for revenge, but somehow, she had a small feeling that she didn't need to tell him about it. It wasn't something he need not know, she felt as though he already knew. But how can that be? She couldn't answer that question.
Remo was pushed into the cell and locked up, and he gave Steven Stone a venomous glare. In response, Steven did nothing, just inched closer. He stretched one of his hands, the steel cuff retracting, to reveal a small rainbow colored stone etched onto a black ring, sitting on his wrist. He gave Remo a cold, brooding stare, the one that always let his gray eyes glow from beneath the shadows of his silver hair. "How do you like that, Remo?" He asked, his voice turning cold, his piercing eye contact making Remo shiver. At that precise moment, it struck both him and May, who simply watched absent-mindedly, thinking about her encounters with Ultimate Steel.
Realization dawned upon May like blinding sunlight, while dread washed over Remo, drenching him with fear of what he was about to know.
They said that a man cannot live by two names. But, Steven Stone stood as an exception. For he was not only one of the most respectable businessmen of Hoenn, but also the most sought after criminal, Ultimate Steel.
So this is my first ever fanfic. I don't know why I wrote this. It just occurred to me as an idea for an assignment I got, based on Story Writing. I didn't write this story for the assignment though, as you can see, it's really long.
I know that there are a lot of plotholes, but then, as I told you before, it was just an idea. A sudden lightbulb!
Hope you like it!
Please rate & review, it would be appreciated.
I'm working on another fanfic as well, but it'll take me some time to post.
Until then, this is alainornothing, signing off! See you soon!