The flashing of the cameras reminded me of blinking stars. The photographer pulled the camera away from his face, checking the picture on the holographic screen, one of the older models. Most people criticized his refusal to keep up with more modern trends in camera technology, but his pictures were still some of the best in the business. He motioned for me to move to the next pose. A fan blew my hair across my face, momentarily ruining the shot. An assistant rushed over, fixed my hair and scurried away again before they were scolded. This same routine continued, bursts of light accompanied with praise as I went through the motions. Finally, the photo shoot ended and I was able to relax, walking off the set in six inch stilettos.
"You were wonderful as usual, honey," the photographer complimented me.
"Thank you, Lucas. I look forward to our next collaboration," I purred, leaning down to kiss both his cheeks before walking back to the dressing room.
A flock of colorful stylists crowded around me, chattering nonstop.
"Your hair flows and shimmers like an angel!" One squealed.
"Eyes like rubies, a girl would kill for those!"
I waved them away, walking over to my bag and picking up the drink sitting beside it. I sipped on the straw, the taste of mango bubble tea flooding my mouth. Walking to a changing room, I switched from my modeling ensemble into a plain band tee from a couple decades ago and a pair of designer skinny jeans, pulling the laces on my hi-tops tight. I looked into the mirror, smiling, carefully avoiding my lengthened fangs. My five long tails twitched around my legs, silver tipped in blue. Screwing my eyes shut, I forced my tails to retreat, along with the silver ears poking through my black hair. My fangs shrank back to normal size and I flashed a devilish smile at my mirror doppleganger. After doing a final check, I opened the door to get my bag, coat, and hat. Finishing my drink, I strode outside with my bag, heading towards my favorite cafe. Almost instantly there were several new flashes; paparazzi, on the hunt for a good photo of the beautiful Ariana Shiranui.
Dodging through the throng of bloodthirsty reporter drones, I pulled my bag up over my shoulder and disappeared into the afternoon foot traffic. Without all the makeup and fancy clothes, no one recognized me, even as I passed an advertisement with my face on it. I walked a few blocks down the sidewalk, gazing at the white walled buildings. Trees dotted the sidewalks and rooftops and vines climbed up the face of the walls artfully, forming pictures and living paintings. A variety of Grass type Pokemon and their partners tended the plants with the patience and love of a parent. I smiled at each one of them, seeing them smile back and watching my as my points within the Business Tier went up, pulling me closer to the next rank.
I continued on my way until I reached a cafe with a sign poking out of the wall, the holographic picture showing the brewing of coffee and the various muffins and cookies on sale. I ducked inside, inhaling the rich scent of coffee beans and spices. One thing that I'm glad has carried on throughout these past few hundred years is coffee; I don't know where I'd be without caffeine. I walked up to the counter and smiled at the barista.
"The usual please, Samantha. You know how I like it."
"Of course, Ms. Shiranui. One dark chocolate double espresso iced coffee coming right up!"
I watched as she pressed the desired buttons on the machine behind her and returned to the register.
"That'll be 300 PokeDollars, Ms. Shiranui."
"Samantha, you know you can just call me Ari. You've been making my coffee for six months. I thought we'd be on a first name basis by now," I teased as I ran my arm under the red scanner, the light illuminating the unique symbol on my inner wrist. The light turned green and Sam smiled at me.
"Regardless, it's company policy that no matter what relationship you have with a customer, they are always to be addressed with their proper title. Get me out from behind this counter, then I'll call you by your first name," she smiled, then turned to the machine behind her as it beeped twice. She slid down a door and behind it stood my coffee; the whipped cream on top beckoned to me. She took the cup from the machine and handed me a straw and napkin to go with it.
"Enjoy your coffee, Ms. Shiranui."
I smiled and took the cup, practically skipping to the lounge area by the window. I settled into a comfortable round chair that turned on and began to gently vibrate against my back. I sighed in happiness, sipping on the bittersweet, coffee as I looked out the window and contemplated what I would do next. The other customers within the coffee shop all enjoyed the calm atmosphere, their Pokemon relaxing with them. One older lady had a Delcatty that was curled up in the chair beside her, sleeping peacefully as her partner stroked its fur. A younger couple sat at a two person table, talking quietly while looking into the other's eyes, their Pokemon under the table playing with each other, a Ribombee fluttering around a bored looking Luxio. I turned to look out the window, watching the passersby.
The people of this time period all looked different. The latest fashion trend seemed to be taking on the characteristics of their partner Pokemon. One such example passed outside the cafe; a young girl with mint green hair, pinned back by two red bows, and a white ballerina outfit waltzed by with her Kirlia, both laughing loudly. The sight brought a smile to my face and I hoped that she continued to be as innocent as she was then. More people passed, some who had no modifications at all, just plain colored hair and the normal outfits of the time, white and gray jumpsuits with knee high boots or sneakers. Others had brightly colored hair, blues and greens and pinks, and skin modifications. Just sitting in the cafe, I had seen five people with scale grafts in varying colors, two with the appearance of a dragon, and one with a long blue tail that fanned out like a fish and a blue frill around her neck that matched that of the Vaporeon walking beside her.
Growing bored of it, I looked down at my left arm and pressed lightly on the symbol on my wrist. A screen appeared over my arm, depicting my rank and current location. Scrolling through my notifications, I found that I had a direct message that was encrypted. Several alarm bells went off in my head as I frowned at the offending message. Tucking it away in a private archive, I noticed that there was a message from the photographer of the photo shoot today. Opening it, I found many photos of me in various poses against the preferred background. In each shot I looked like the sultry vixen of Venux Magazine. I smiled; another job well done.
Looking down at my coffee, I noticed that some of the drink had dribbled down the side. Grabbing the napkin, I opened it up and saw a symbol on the napkin and a note underneath that said to give Samantha a ring after work. I looked up and saw her watching me. She waved and smiled at me, mouthing that she got off at five. I nodded back and pressed the symbol on the inside of my wrist, pulling up the symbol scanner. Each symbol was unique to each person alive and it was our identification. One only had to scan another's symbol and you would have access to messaging and video calling with that person. After finishing that task, I got up and left the cafe, waving to Samantha on the way out, and headed home.
The walk home was uneventful. No one recognized me from the billboards, no one stopped to ask me questions, it was just quiet. As I got closer and closer to home, I could feel my tails want to appear and my teeth began to ache as I forced them to stay hidden. Being in this form was the hardest. Finally I made it to my apartments, striding through the door and smiling at the doorman and his partner, Linoone.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Shiranui," the doorman said, tipping his hat and smiling.
"Hello, Mr. Barrian. It's good to see you!" I smiled back and went to the platform that would lead to my apartment.
As I stepped on the platform, the light inside turned green and a glass wall closed behind me before lifting into the air and going up a few storeys. After arriving at the correct floor, the platform moved from the lift shaft and into a series of hallways that would take me directly to my door.
"Apartment 32B. Please enjoy the rest of your evening, Ms. Shiranui," an automated voice announced as the door in front of me opened.
The inside of my apartment was a welcome sight. The couch seemed to beckon to me and I gladly walked over to it after hanging up my bag. I fell face down onto the cushions and groaned loudly. Without my willpower to keep them in check, my tails grew out of my lower back, my ears moved up to the crown of my head, and my fangs lengthened. The whole process made my body hurt where things were changing. But the process only lasted for a few seconds. I sighed in relief afterwards and relaxed, wishing I could just melt into the cushions. After laying there for a couple of seconds, I sat up and rubbed my temples to get rid of any of the lasting pain. Noticing how hungry I had become, I walked into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich, turning to survey my apartment while I ate.
Furniture in comforting browns and blacks, wooden walls covered in watercolor paintings, and red and orange accent pillows dotted the room. Looking towards the fireplace - of course not a real one - I spied the large Pokemon bed and debated relinquishing control for a moment. The thought was tempting but I pushed it aside as I remembered the encrypted message from earlier. After finishing my meal, I reached inside the fridge to get a cold drink, then walked back into the living room, plopping down on the couch to take off my shoes before stretching out across the cushions. Pulling up the message, I looked at it for a moment.
"Computer, switch to private mode. Admin Shiranui."
The display glitched for a second then settled in an almost identical state, the only difference being the lock icon towards the top corner. I took a deep breath and opened the encrypted message. I scanned the mixture of symbols and numbers that were scattered across the screen, immediately recognizing the code and decrypting it in my head. It read:
"Ariana Shiranui. The Military Tier Commander in Chief is your target, and any who take their place. If you fail to deliver, we will reveal your best-kept secrets to the public, forever ruining your life. If you succeed however, you will have more riches than you can ever imagine and you will never want for anything again. Further information will be sent after the first assassination, and we will know should you fail.
You have one month."
My eyes widened as I read the contract. In all the four hundred years I'd been taking contracts, I'd never seen one like this . It certainly wasn't one that could be ignored either. I sighed and leaned my head back against the arm of the couch, closing the message and running my hands through my hair. Memories of past contracts and assassinations sprang to the forefront of my mind. The threats within the message bothered me and the target in particular would be a problem. Alii stirred to life in my mind, pleasantly surprised by the target but eager for the challenge. I was worried though. It would be difficult to kill the Commander in Chief. Unheard of even. But the threats within the contract couldn't be taken lightly, even if it was just a bluff.
Groaning loudly, I got up and walked to my room, going to the mirror to see the cold assassin staring back at me, breathing fire in excitement. Alii effortlessly slid into control, the Ninetales side of me shivering as she regained feeling. She began going over the contents of the message herself, pulling up the contract and growling softly at the threat of being exposed. Everything about Alii was cold, methodical, meticulous. Walking to a chest at the end of my bed, she pushed it aside, revealing smooth floor underneath. At the touch of her hand, the floor clicked open and inside lay a black jumpsuit covered in scales and a silver knife. Alii lovingly slid the deadly weapon between her fingers, the symbols carved into the metal glowing a soft blue as the darker part of me pushed fire into the blade.
There was no going back now.
Finally found the motivation to write again! A big thanks to Wolfsthrope for helping me write this story and establishing a new universe within the Pokemon franchise. Read and review!
~Bree