"It's not just the Meowth's fault you know,"
Nanu gave a defeated sigh. Acerola had arrived a few hours ago to help clean up the absolute tip that was his house. old dog-eared documents and dusty little trinkets flew everywhere as the girl made a 'Keep' and 'Chuck' pile. This whole process had gone on for quite sometime until Acerola spotted a photo album. Intrigued, the young Royal gently lifted its covers.
"Who is this?" the 11 year old asked. Nanu's face wrinkled with disgust as he snatched the the album from the girl and saw the photograph, which depicted a younger, blonder Nanu standing beside a tall, good-looking man with a serious expression.
" Nobody. Nobody at all" Nanu grunted angrily.
"Then why do you have a picture of him?" The room fell silent. Broken red eyes met inquisitive purple.
"Fine then, I'll tell you kid but...just... oh whatever. A long time ago, when I was a member of the International Police, myself, a second agent and...him were sent on a dangerous mission. The second agent's name was Marianne, and the man in the photo was called Looker"
"Marianne," Acerola said quietly, noticing the old man's heart-broken and lost expression, "Was she beautiful?" Nanu allowed himself a brief flicker of a smile.
"Yes. Very," Nanu sighed. " Anyway, we three were sent to do a perilous task; to destroy a powerful 'Pokémon' called an 'Ultra Beast'. You see...Marianne...she was what the International Police called a 'Faller'. A Faller is someone who is coated in a mysterious energy, which attracts these 'Ultra Beasts'. The perfect plan to lure it in. But, just as we were going to deal the final blow, Looker, he looked into the creature's eyes, and it looked into his. And because of that stupid fool's weak, weak heart, Marianne, Marianne was...Marianne died"
Acerola noticed a solitary tear meander down the old man's face as she reached to place her hand on his shoulder.
"And that's when I decided, if my heart couldn't belong to Marianne, then it would belong to no-one,"
