POKÉMON: CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS
#1: A Charming Rogue
It was still broad daylight, and the robber felt nervous about making this job. Sure, it was a Sunday, so the Pokémon Trainer's School was closed and made it easy pickings, but still, there was a reason crime was down quite a bit lately in Viridian City. He just hoped the inside guys would come out with the goods soon, because he felt like that very reason would be showing up any minute.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, the door to the back of the building opened, and the two inside guys filed out, carrying two overfilled trash bags of what looked like small spherical objects. The door man knew what was in those bags: PokéBalls. To be precise, PokéBalls containing the Pokémon used by the teachers to train the students, as well as the many Starter Pokémon bred and kept for Professor Oak to distribute to new Trainers. The two inside guys heaved the bags off their backs and onto the ground, apparently exhausted with their work.
"And just where have you guys been?!" Door Guy barked as loudly as he could without giving them all away, "Do you know how stupid I feel just hanging out in the back of a school? Anyone out here could've been suspicious!"
"Oh, calm down, rookie!" the first guy said as he grabbed both bags and slung them over his shoulders, "We got the goods we came here for, and no one suspected a thing. The only problem now is whether or not the wheel guy gets here! He should've been here a half hour ago!"
"Both of you idiots shut it!" growled the other guy, who Door Guy thought must be the boss of the heist, "As long as we keep quiet and make like we're taking out garbage, like we planned, we'll have no problems. Then, it's a four-way split with all these awesome Pokes!"
Door Guy still wasn't so sure, but nodded to make sure the other two saw he agreed. After a few minutes, a van pulled up behind the building and parked right next to the dumpster, idling in neutral and waiting for the trio to board. Door Guy sighed in relief; they might just pull off this job after all! Slowly, Sack Guy made his way toward the dumpster, ready to load the bags into the nearby van, while Door Guy and Boss walked in opposite directions. The plan was that after Sack Guy loaded the bags onto the van discreetly, Wheel Guy would pick up Sack Guy there, then swing around for Door Guy, and finally circle around to pick up Boss later. So far, everything was going to plan.
Until Door Guy saw a shadow.
"What? What was that?" he panicked, turning every which way and trying to track down the small shadow he had just seen. Whatever it belonged to, it was small, and it looked like it had wings.
He glanced out toward Boss, but he merely gestured for Door Guy to keep his eyes in front. He jumped and obeyed, but released a yelp when he saw the shadow again. Now very scared, he spun around wildly, yelling, "Who's there?!" No answer.
"Stay focused!" he heard Sack Guy growl from across the parking lot. Door Guy took two deep breaths, and kept walking, trying to stay calm. You're imagining things, he told himself, it's all in your head. You're gonna be fine.
That's when Door Guy heard the screech. Whether it was human or Pokémon, he couldn't tell, and didn't want to stick around and find out. "Forget the cut," he shouted manically, "I'm gettin' out of here NOW!"
SWOOP!
Door Guy was on the ground in an instant after seeing that shadow again. This time, though, after landing hard on his back in the middle of the concrete parking lot, he finally saw what was stalking him. It was a small, bat-like creature, with blue skin, purple wing membranes, and no eyes. It opened its sharp-fanged mouth and emitted another screech that might've sounded like a victory cry.
Off in the distance, Door Guy heard the sound of a motor roaring, and was only able to hear the other two guys getting into the van and speeding away as the motor sound came closer.
With a rev of the motorcycle's engine, the Rogue swept down to the spot where the first robber went down. He moaned in pain, but seemed otherwise unharmed. The Rogue then dug around in the sidecar, pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and bound the fallen robber with them quickly.
"Great job, Zubat!" the Rogue called out as he returned to his cycle, "but those other two managed to book. You go on ahead, and I'll call this creep into Officer Jenny."
Zubat shrieked in agreement and flew ahead, leaving a burst of wind in its wake. The Rogue then brought out another device from the sidecar: a small cell phone of his own design called the PokéCell.
"RZ-20 to Jenny, come in," he mumbled into the rotated frontal mouthpiece.
After a second or two of static, a feminine voice answered, "Jenny here, go ahead, Rogue."
"I'm currently in pursuit of the thieves along West Forest Road. Left one in the parking lot for your collar, requesting assistance."
More static, then, ""Acknowledged, leave it to us."
The Rogue then folded the PokéCell and pocketed it. "Good ol' Jenny," he muttered, smiling, then revved the engine again, "Hang on, Zubat, I'm on my way."
The Rogue caught up to Zubat quickly, who was now flying at top speed, just beside the robbers' van. The van was swerving to the side, in an attempt to swat Zubat away, but the Bat Pokémon was quicker, and flapped out of the way just as the van swerved in its direction.
The Rogue saw the loom of trees in the distance as both vehicles continued the chase. "No! They're headed for the forest!" he called, "Zubat, Bite the driver's side door off!"
Zubat screeched its compliance, then dove onto the side of the van, sinking its fangs into the door handle and ripping it off, the tearing metal making a tremendously high-pitched crunch. Zubat repeated the process on the hinges of the door, and the entire hunk of steel flew off of the vehicle. The Rogue had to swerve to the side to avoid being hit.
The thieves could be heard from inside the van now, "NO! Hold onto the bag! I'll handle him!" The head of the group then poked his arm out from the hole where the door once was, holding a shrunken PokéBall. He pressed the button of a small object in his hand, expanding it to full size, and with another press of a button, it sprang open with a metallic PANG! A flash of white light followed, and on the roof of the van appeared a large, blue jellyfish-like creature, with large, red jewels adorning its top, and a mass of waving tentacles underneath. It released a bubbling growl and swung its tentacles at Zubat angrily.
The boss made commands to his Tentacruel from inside the van, "Hit that cop with Acid!" The Jellyfish Pokémon obeyed, and aimed its tentacles at the Rogue's motorcycle, squirting a sizzling liquid through the air. The Rogue made an attempt to turn away, but Zubat suddenly swooped in and took the attack, the corrosive liquid brushing off of it as if it were water.
"Thanks, Zubat!" the Rogue shouted, "Now, fight back with Confuse Ray, and follow up with Wing Attack!" Zubat nodded, and set off a loud screech as a blinding light shone from its mouth, hitting Tentacruel head on. The larger Pokémon tried to fight back, but could do nothing but strike itself in the head with its own tentacles before Zubat dive-bombed Tentacruel with its outstretched wings. The Water creature lost its balance and toppled off the roof of the van, grunting in pain and defeated.
After Tentacruel landed, the van came to a screeching halt, and the two robbers exited, facing the Rogue as he rolled up to them and stopped. The Rogue disembarked, stood for a second and waited for his Zubat to fly back and land gently on his shoulder, then walked toward the two robbers with a confident grin on his face, "So, do you intend to surrender, or humiliate yourselves further?"
The boss was angry, but his partner seemed unwilling to move. The boss raced forward, determined to go down swinging.
The Rogue sighed expectantly, "Yeah, I thought so. Zubat, Supersonic!" Zubat took off, and the Rogue knelt to one knee, turned around, and covered his ears as his Pokémon partner emitted a deafening scream that brought both robbers to their knees.
Walking into the police station at Viridian City was like walking into Times Square during New Year's Eve. The police department had been after that trio of Pokémon thieves for weeks, and could not get anywhere in their investigations. However, once the Rogue was given the case, it only took two days for the detective to track the thieves, predict their next location for a heist, foil the crime, and put them behind bars. Even though the Rogue mainly took private clients, and only occasionally aided the police, many of the citizens of Viridian, and indeed most of the police force, considered the Rogue's keen intellect and deduction skills to be a blessing to the Kanto region.
"Hey, Rogue! Nice collar!" called out one officer, to which the detective nodded.
"Way to go, guys!" another officer called out. The Rogue nodded again, and Zubat purred happily on the Rogue's shoulder.
"Another set for the lock-up!"
"Your approval rating goes up yet again!"
"Keep up the good work, detective!"
The Rogue couldn't help but smile from behind the high collar of his long dark-blue duster. Some people could be so overzealous. He even had to duck when a cork came flying at him out of nowhere; one officer was impetuous enough to bring a bottle of champagne. The Rogue could do nothing but sigh and shake his head at this.
After receiving the paperwork for the case, the Rogue sat down and began his report. He was not an official member of the police force in Viridian, but it was still necessary to follow proper procedure. When it came to his job, he left no stone unturned. He kept his attention even as a tapping noise approached from ahead. It was the heels of Officer Jenny; she was more than likely coming to award more praise for the detective's fine work.
Her voice confirmed the person, but not the words, "Well, we've found a decent place for the Pokémon those robbers used. There will be some nice Trainers out there who will take good care of them."
The Rogue looked up slightly, rolled his eyes, and continued his paperwork with a lazy sigh.
"What's the matter, Rogue?" Jenny asked, "You always have an attitude problem whenever someone talks about Pokémon Trainers. Why is that?"
The Rogue, out of politeness, broke his silence, "Unsavory people, that's all."
Jenny chuckled at this response, "What? You've brought in thieves, kidnappers, con artists and Pokémon abusers! A ten-year-old with a Bulbasaur is hardly the worst person in the world!"
"Enough already!" the Rogue barked, "I don't have to explain it! I just don't like Pokémon Trainers! It is the worst possible profession, and those who do it are wasting their lives when they could be doing much more important things!"
Jenny seemed taken aback, "But, what about your Zubat? You train it, you battle with it. Doesn't that make you a Trainer, too?"
The Rogue sighed again, "I'll only say this once, okay? I am not a Trainer. Zubat is not a pet, or a soldier, or a sidekick, or even my Pokémon. He's my partner. We're equals, and we work as equals. That's why I never keep him in one of those ball contraptions. Isn't that right, old friend?"
Zubat, now hanging upside-down from a hand-built perch beside the Rogue's desk, nodded with a slight shriek.
Jenny sighed, then replied, "Okay, I get it. Sorry I brought it up."
The Rogue closed his eyes, realizing he had gotten carried away, and answered, "Forget about it. The job just gets me high-strung, that's all. Did we get the redistribution forms for those Pokémon?"
Jenny nodded, "All finished. The one for the boss guy's Tentacruel just went out. Professor Oak asked me to give you his thanks for cracking the case, by the way."
The Rogue nodded, "Tell him I said I'm always on call."
Another voice made the Rogue look up from his paperwork: a voice that was uncommon in the Viridian Police Department, Nurse Joy. "Excuse me?" she said in a high, soft voice, "Mr. Rogue, sir?"
The Rogue stood up from his desk to greet the nurse, "Hello, Joy. What can I do for you?"
Nurse Joy seemed despondent somehow, "I'm afraid I have some terrible news. I was just greeted by my cousin in Saffron City, and she gave me some news about your mother."
The Rogue's heart raced suddenly, and Zubat seemed to feel it. The Bat Pokémon flew from its perch and landed on the detective's shoulder. "What's wrong, Joy? What happened? Is she all right?"
Nurse Joy was hesitant, "Well, she said that your mother took a turn for the worse, and . . . well, I'm afraid . . . I'm afraid they couldn't save her. I'm dreadfully sorry." She inclined her head forward in a small bow.
The detective said nothing. His mother had been sick for years, and he knew this day would come. He didn't think, though, that it would seem so soon. She was the only family he had left, and he never even took the time to say good-bye; in recent years, his visits were few and far between. Sadness, guilt, and grief crept at him, but he did not show it. He remained stoic, and his face remained blank.
Finally, he took a breath and responded, "I see. No need to apologize, it was inevitable. I just hope she passed away peacefully."
Nurse Joy nodded, but continued, "Also, I was hoping you could accompany me to the Pokémon Center. There's something important you must see in regards to her will."
"Will?" the Rogue did a double-take, eyeing the nurse with confusion, "Mom never told me she had a will made."
"Well, I'm not sure it's a will, per se," Nurse Joy corrected herself, "but she did have certain conditions that she wanted met in the event of her death. If you'll please come with me, we can sort them all out."
The Rogue glanced at Zubat, and his partner looked back with an eyeless glare, seeming to not know what to expect. After a few moments of silence, the Rogue turned back to the worried nurse, "Lead the way, Joy."
The Rogue walked through the doors of the Viridian City Pokémon Center with Zubat at his side, following Nurse Joy to this mysterious will she had told him about. The Rogue had been suddenly worried by this development. Why would his mother write a will? Her sickness wasn't guaranteed to be fatal, and she was never a pessimistic person. Did she somehow know her time was short? And if so, how? And what could she possibly want to put in a will for her son? For once in the Rogue's colorful detecting career, he had many questions, and not a single answer.
The detective and the nurse both approached the front desk in little time, despite the hustle and bustle of Trainers, treated Pokémon, and Chansey nurses working from task to task. Nurse Joy reached behind the desk, took a large, important-looking folder and opened it, revealing the document that the Rogue figured would answer his questions.
At least, he hoped it would.
"This was given to the Pokémon Center by your mother a few days before her death," Nurse Joy declared as the Rogue observed, listening carefully. Nurse Joy appeared to be looking over it quickly, and after a few seconds, she began to read tentatively aloud:
"My name is Kaiya, and this is my last will and testament, written in sound mind. My sickness has taken a terrible turn, and I'm aware of my remaining hours in this world. I must write this in order to settle my affairs before I go, and they will be settled as follows:
"To my husband: I'm sorry I wasn't able to find you before my passing, but if you should ever return home to Viridian City, I leave you the ownership and management of my Pokémon breeding establishment, Kaiya's Heart and Soul Pokémon Care. I know you will guide it through the same good times they once had before my absence. I love you, and I wish you the best of luck.
To my son, the Viridian City private detective known only as 'the Rogue': I'm sorry we never got the chance to talk, and I'm sure you must feel guilty about not seeing me often. Please don't be. Your career helps many people, and you are a beloved figure in your hometown. With that, I know I can leave this world knowing that I raised you to be a wonderful son, the greatest a mother could ever ask for."
The Rogue gestured to Nurse Joy to stop for a moment; he could feel his emotions finally breaking through, and had to dry a tear trickling down from his eye. Another gesture to proceed, and Nurse Joy continued,
"To you, my son, I leave my home in Viridian City and the rest of my worldly possessions, which can be located in the aforementioned property. I also leave you a special companion that has helped me through these last, difficult months. It is located inside the PokéBall which must be presented to you at the reading of this document. This PokéBall is presented to you, my son, with a simple request: that you resume your training and begin your long-awaited journey as a Pokémon Trainer."
"What?!" the Rogue suddenly yelled, dumbstruck at this condition. Nurse Joy jumped at the sudden volume of his voice, and had a look of withdrawn upset on her face. The Rogue noticed this, and soothed her nerves, "My apologies. Please proceed." Nurse Joy took a calming breath, and continued:
"My darling son, I wish I could be with you longer, but I know now that that cannot be done. Please remember, though, that no matter what happens, I will always love you more than anything in this world. Whether you choose to resume your strive to become a Trainer or not is your choice, but whatever you decide, I will respect your decision. Goodbye, my son. I love you, and I will always be with you."
Nurse Joy finally finished reading, and the Rogue's mind was blank. He could barely comprehend all that had just been said; his mother's breeding business left to his traveling father, his mother leaving him everything else. It all seemed like her death just wasn't enough to shake the foundation of the Rogue's life. But the worst thing of all: she wanted him to become a Pokémon Trainer, the profession he despised more than anything. The detective was now aware that he hadn't spend nearly enough time with his mother; she must not been aware of his feelings about Pokémon training.
"That's strange," Nurse Joy said as she perused the document once again, "She asked you to 'resume' your training for your 'long-awaited' journey. You wanted to be a Trainer, Mr. Rogue?"
"She said something about a 'companion'?" the Rogue said quickly, changing the subject as swiftly as he could, "What was that? She said it was in a PokéBall?"
"Oh!" Nurse Joy suddenly chirped, blushing slightly, "I completely forgot! One moment, please." She set the folder on the desk, reached behind it again, and took out a small object tied with a blue ribbon. It was a PokéBall. After removing the ribbon, with the press of a button, the ball swelled to full-size. Another press of a button, and the ball opened with a loud PANG! A flash of light flew from the ball, landed on the ground at their feet, and materialized into a Pokémon. It was small, no more than two feet high, and reptilian in appearance. It was bipedal, colored with orange skin and a cream-yellow belly, and had a long tail that was topped with a small, torch-like flame. It looked up at the Rogue with a set of large, shiny eyes and squealed, "Char!"
The Rogue could hardly believe his eyes, "A Charmander?! My mother left me a Charmander?! Are you sure she was of sound mind when she wrote that?"
"But, Mr. Rogue," Nurse Joy replied meekly, "This Charmander kept your mother company for months before she died. If you don't take it, it has nowhere to go. Besides, I'm sure it would really help you on your Pokémon journey—"
"No way!" the Rogue barked, "I won't do it! There is no way I'm becoming one of those contemptible Poké-wanderers! I have a job here that needs to be done, and I refuse to leave these people when they need me!"
"But, sir," Nurse Joy replied, the meekness growing in her voice, "What about this Charmander? I can't take it, my hands are tied."
Charmander glanced at Nurse Joy, then looked back at the Rogue with a sweet, high-pitched coo, "Mander! Charmander!"
"Find some foolish kid to take it!" the Rogue's frustration was peaked, "I am not a Pokémon Trainer, and that's final!" With that, the detective turned sharply, a violent flare in his dark-blue duster, and stormed toward the door, dislodging Zubat from his shoulder and forcing it to fly after him.
That was when the door opened.
Professor Oak, a middle-aged gentleman in a white lab coat, walked quickly through the door, stopping right in front of the Rogue as he walked toward the exit. "Oh! Detective, I'm glad I found you!"
The Rogue was surprised by the professor's sudden appearance, but caught his composure as quickly as possible, "Hello, Professor. Is there something wrong?"
"Yes! Terribly wrong!" Professor Oak raved, "Something awful is going to happen, and you're the only person I can turn to! The Indigo Plateau is in grave danger!"