It was a late night for Professor Krane of the Orre region. He had been working on trying to finish up the Purification Chamber, and had hit a minor break through. He had been unable to stop working on the machine, even when Lily declared it was midnight and went to catch some sleep. That had been several hours ago.
Professor Krane got up from the desk that would eventually host the control panel for the Purification Chamber and paced for several minutes before taking a seat in the old swivel chair he had previously occupied. His breakthrough had ceased, and he was now frustrated, though at what he couldn't tell. Him or the machine, who knew which. He put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on the desk.
"Late night, Krane?" called a voice. Professor Krane was startled, he could have sworn he was alone! It was bad enough he was frustrated, and even worse that he recognized the voice, a man who certainly wasn't here to catch up with an old friend. Not that they were friends, anyway. Professor Krane spun around in the swivel chair to face the door way and the owner of the voice.
"Ah, Wes! To what do I owe the pleasure of such a late night visit?" he asked, smiling.
Indeed, it was Wes who stood leaning in the door way to the room in the lab where the Professor had been working. He looked almost exactly the same as he had looked five years ago. The same black pants and large black shoes. A black turtle neck sweater he seemed to wear all year long, even in the summer. His trademark dark blue trench coat was still covering his form. Black gloves adorned his hands. His shaggy, sandy colored hair looked longer if anything. His unusual gold eyes were narrowed at the Professor in anger. The only thing missing was the snag machine he had worn on his left arm.
"I'm surprised you remember me, especially when you seem to have forgotten our agreement." Wes said angrily, still leaning on the edge of the door frame.
Professor Krane sighed. He had been wondering when Wes would pay him a visit. He had been expecting it, though nowhere near as soon. Of course, that didn't mean he was going to admit he knew what Wes was talking about. "What agreement, Wes. I don't recall anything of the sort."
Quicker than the speed of light, Wes was there, in front of him. Wes grabbed his shirt collar and yanked him to his feat. Though more then a decade younger then the scientist, Wes was a good five inches taller than the scientist. Wes tightened his grip on the older man's collar and shook him lightly.
"The one we made five years ago, just before the end of Cipher. You fix the part on the snag machine, you get all the data I'd collected on shadow pokemon. You also forget that Rui and I were ever there, and you don't try to improve upon the snag machine, as is your nature. Ring a bell, Krane?" Wes said, highly agitated.
Professor Krane smiled again, showing no fear of what Wes could and maybe would do to him. He kept his calm. "Why, I think it does. I seem to recall something of the sort." Professor Krane said cooly.
Wes slammed the scientist on the nearby wall, nearly knocking his glasses off his face. "Don't screw with me, Krane. You went back on our agreement and I want to know why." Wes growled, his face a couple inches away from the older man's face.
"What proof do you have that I did, Wes? Can you back up what you're claiming?" Professor Krane questioned, seemingly unshaken by Wes' rough treatment.
"How about the boy currently in Agate Village? That Teddiursa he's trying to purify was taken from one of the Cipher grunts. Funny, he could only snag that pokemon if he had a snag machine." Wes replied, still angry.
Professor Krane smiled at Wes, despite the situation. "And how do you know I gave young Michael the snag machine. Anyone could have given it to him." A complete lie, of course.
Wes looked down angrily at the man shoved against a wall. "I have the only one in the entire world. Or I did, at least. You're the only one besides myself and Rui to come in contact with it. Now answer me, Krane."
"You know, it's funny that you know exactly where Michael is and what he's doing. Keeping an eye on the little upstart trying to steal your title as the savior of Orre?" Professor Krane questioned, sidestepping Wes' questions once again, this time by changing the topic.
Wes slammed the older man against the wall for a second time, this time knocking the glasses off his face. They fell to the floor, cracking one of the lenses. "What did I say, Krane? Don't screw with me. I don't care about any of that, and even if I did, I'm not here to discuss that with the likes of you. We're gonna talk about you, Krane. Did you think I wouldn't find out what you had done because I was in the Fiorre region? That I didn't have contacts left in Orre? That by the time I did find out, this whole mess would be over and done with? Is that what you thought?"
With each question Wes asked, Professor Krane was slammed into the wall. And it was not done gently. Professor Krane took each blow in silence, knowing deep inside he probably deserved it for going back on his word. "Tell you what, Krane. I'll give you a second chance. I'll make you a deal, since you're not evil and what you did turned out to be a good thing. You stop making snag machines, and I'll let you go with all your blood inside your body where it belongs. If I ever find that you went back on your word a second time, this white floor will be stained red."
Professor Krane nodded, knowing it was the correct response for the situation, not to mention the morally right one. Wes threw the older man to the floor before turning around to leave threw the door way. But before he could walk through the door way, Professor Krane spoke, stopping him from leaving. "Let me guess, Wes, you were never here?"
"And if I ever hear you saying I was..." Wes trailed off expectantly, waiting for the scientist to fill in the blank himself.
"Red floors, gotcha."
And with that, Wes departed the lab. Professor Krane exited the room and watched through the glass doors as Wes stepped outside and climbed onto his strange bike before riding off. Hopefully, it was the last time they would ever see each other.
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Just a thought I had one day. If Wes destroyed the other snag machines, how was Professor Krane able to give Michael one? Trust me to make a story out of it.
If anyone reading this has read my Detective Conan story SHEnichi!, I have good news. I've started writing for it again! But, I will post a new chapter only when I have the rest of the story written. So please wait a bit longer!
Thanks for reading! Please review!
