File 087 – Diggers Killer

- An unidentified man who has killed six children all across the Kalos region, in only towns with gyms. The killings are all connected by Diggersby footprints found around the crime scene, and occasionally a hole in the backyard of the victims' houses.

- Each victim was found with multiple stab wounds and had a large bruise in the back or the stomach. The houses were all easily broken into, via the window into the child's room; for each victim the parents of the child were not woken up in the middle of the night. Only one child, the Santalune child, seemed to have put up a fight, and had been bleeding more heavily than the other five.

- Five of the children killed knew each other and were regularly seen together with their Pokemon as they traveled around the region. The Lumiose child seems to be unrelated to the other five, and was also the first child to be killed.

- The Lumiose child was 3 years older than the other five, who were all of seven and eight years. The Lumiose child also did not have any Pokemon and was not a trainer; we don't know how this child is related, or why the Diggers Killer would go for her first.

- We believe he is going to kill two more children, for the remaining towns of Anistar and Snowbelle; we do not know of the Killer's intentions or his reasons behind causing so much death in the region.

His breaths came out in cold puffs as he walked along the chilly streets of Anistar, his fluffy companion's fur all puffed up to battle against the cold. "It's cold out here today, huh Spring?" William turned to the Diggersby that shuffled alongside him.

"Buuiii…" Spring didn't look very amused; it puffed up its cheeks with its little hands and wrinkled its pink nose. William chuckled at it, beginning to rummage through his pack.

"Here," he pulled out a blue-striped scarf and wrapped it around Spring's face. The rabbit felt it with its paws a moment before suddenly bouncing up happily and running around; then it flopped over in the middle of the road. "Aww," William cooed, bending down and scratching his bunny's head. "Hey, do you think we should challenge the gym?" Spring shook its head vigorously. "Aw c'mon, it's right over there and I'm bored, the ah, Psychic type gym I think." The rabbit still said no. "Hm.. It's better than what we usually do but… Okay, we'll challenge the next one."

"Buiii." Spring picked himself off the ground as William began to walk off, then it followed after his trainer.

"Looks like we're off to do what we usually do," the purple man turned to his companion, smiling. "Huh Spring?"

Victim File 001 – Marianne T.

- The first victim of the Diggers Killer, a 10 year old girl from Lumiose City. She did not own any known Pokemon, and was described by her parents as being "quiet and reclusive". She did not seem to go out enough to make any enemies, or have caused any reason for the Killer to go after her. This year she turned 11.

- Status: Deceased

Victim File 002 – Frederick F.

- The second victim of the Diggers Killer, an 8 year old boy from Laverre Town. He was usually seen roaming around with his Teddiursa and his four friends, all of which were other victims. His parents described him as "fun and outgoing," and "a natural leader"; apparently he usually decided where the gang would travel to that day. We think that the Killer kept tabs on him to know where the group was going on which day, or to know if one of those friends would be home alone or some such. Again, too normal to have the Killer go after him.

- Status: Deceased

It was dark, his hands were slippery and slick, the wind was whipping his hair; none of this was helping him climb down the valley side. He really didn't have anywhere else to go though, for Route 17 was too snowy and there wasn't any water, so William was forced to climb down the sheer cliff of Vallée Étroite to the river below. A rock shuffled and bonked on his head on its way down to the rushing water; William looked up, frowning at Spring who was trying its hardest to hold up his fat and fluffy body.

Despite the inconvenience of Route 18, there was this warm and fuzzy feeling inside of him; the leftover buzz from the acts he'd committed. The adrenaline he had before was gone but he was still so awfully proud. Sure that kid had tried (and failed) to put up a fight, but as long as he was dead; gosh, it sickened William that such a kid could possibly be so weak. His foot finally touched the edge along the water and he dropped down to rest. Now he just felt tired, sweating even though it was cold out.

"We have to move further down the river," William grumbled, dipping his hands into the water and washing them thoroughly. He watched silently as the blood momentarily stained the water red, seeming indifferent; Spring heaved down next to him, huffing and holding itself upright with its large arms. "Ya tired, Spring?"

"Diiiig," the rabbit huffed as a response, to which William sighed. He stared up at the swinging bridge above them, thinking.

"Well, come on then, nothin' we can do about bein' tired until we're outta the way of getting caught." The purple man held on to the wall and shuffled down the river, eventually stopping to rinse out all his clothes and to let Spring catch a break.

Victim File 003 – Beth P.

- The third victim of the Diggers Killer, Beth P. was a dark-skinned girl from Santalune. She was always accompanied by her Bunnelby and according to her parents, whenever the rabbit Pokemon picked up something, Beth would sell the item to bring in some profit for the family. She had two brothers and two sisters, being the middle child of the five. At the crime scene, she was bleeding out more than the others, had more bruises than the other victims; this leads us to believe she put up a bit of a fight. Her parents described her as "strong-willed", "brave", and "a talented musician". She was the only child of a different race, so there is no racism trend in the Killer's victims.

- Status : Deceased

Victim File 004 – Carrie Y. C.

- The fourth of the Diggers Killer's victims, Carrie was a young and kind-hearted girl that resided in Shalour City. She carried around a Torchic gifted to her from her rich father, who was never usually around. While described as timid by her mother, Carrie felt much braver with her friends around. She was an only child, and spoiled in food terms, having a cupcake in her lunchbox at all times. Carrie didn't have as many wounds as the others; perhaps pity? Or was she just weaker than the others?

- Status : Deceased

A day or two after his last job, William finally arrived in his home in Coumarine. Even if it was bright and sunny outside, the purple man would rather have been inside thank you very much. Spring shuffled after him as he entered the front door to his quaint cottage, large ears dragging behind as it panted heavily; it was so hot outside… The fat Diggersby didn't hesitate to flop on the couch tiredly, earning itself a chuckle from his master, who then turned on the TV for him.

"-this one just like the other six, police have found Diggersby footprints around the home of the late Jeremy Fitzgerald, randomly placed so no one would find out which way they went. Police have started accumulating in Snowbelle, which is believed to be the next city the killer will target…"

William made himself a sandwich, listening to the news with a small, unsympathetic grin. "What a tragedy," he mocked, "Huh, Spring?" The rabbit Pokemon merely grunted slightly. "Hey, do you think we should just not get anyone in Snowbelle? It would drive them nuts, that's for sure-"

Ding-dong~!

With a furrowed brow, William finished his sandwich and trotted cautiously to the door. He opened the door to find one of his neighbors, Henry, whose son had tragically died a few weeks before. "Hello hello, William," the man greeted flatly.

"Uh, hello? What's up, Hens?" William drawled casually, noting how Henry had not called him by his usual nickname of 'Willie'.

"I've been watching you for a while, and," the blonde paused for effect, beginning again slowly. "Every time there is a new murder, you are mysteriously gone for a few days."

The purple man's brow furrowed even further as he gave Henry a blank stare; he chose his next words carefully. "Are you… Accusing me of being this Diggers Killer?"

Henry nodded curtly. "The facts check out, you always leave a few days before, always come back a few days after. It's been consistent, and you have that Diggersby of yours that always comes with."

William sighed. "Okay, Henry, I know your son got killed by this guy, but you can't just go accusing your own neighbors-" A stray thought stopped him dead in his tracks. The little golden boy was the sixth he'd killed… "Wait, how long have you been watching me?"

"Ever since the first child hit the news; you'd told me you had a trip to Lumiose soon and then look what happened? A girl gets murdered. I've been on to you for months." Oh SHIT-! A silent alarm rang in William's head; a rookie mistake, a goddamn rookie mistake. Fidgety Henry-boy with his sharp eyes, sharp ears; the purple man tried to keep his face cool.

"Henry…" A slight tremor shook the word, defying the disappointed tone it was trying to have. He grabbed the other man's shoulders, trying his hardest to look him in the eyes, as to not seem like he was lying. "I didn't kill you son, okay? That's… Preposterous. So this Killer and I have similar schedules, doesn't mean it was me, does it?" And, they're already dead. What are you gonna do Henry? Save them? You can't. William suppressed a smile, hoping that no twitches got through his mask.

The man seemed mildly unconvinced. "Okay. But you might want to see a doctor for those twitches of yours." William could only pray that the spike of panic he just felt didn't show in his eyes.

"And you need to get some r-rest, Henry. Good day." The purple man promptly stepped back in his home and slam the door shut.

Victim File 005 – Fabian P.

- The fifth victim of the Diggers Killer, Fabian lived in Cyllage; he enjoyed riding his bicycle as his gifted Fennekin chased after him (his mother is "good friends" with Professor Sycamore). He was described by his father as "a loner" and "secluded" but his mother said he was "outgoing" and "had a soft spot for funny accents". Apparently he liked pretending he was a pirate while playing on the shoreline; and traveling with his friends of course. He seemed to have some sort of eye injury prior to the murder. Still no notes on why he was targeted.

- Status : Deceased

Victim File 006 – Frankie "Goldie" B.

- Number six of the Diggers victims, Frankie was a small boy from Coumarine. He had a twin sister named Charlotte, and both children were coddled thoroughly by their widow father. His father described Frankie as "well-mannered" and "quiet", and his neighbor Mr. Afton (who was also questioned for having such close proximity to the crime scene) described the child as "weak" and "rather insecure". The boy traveled with a rare Shiny Teddiursa, and had the best relations with Frederick F., one of the other victims. Frankie once had a biting accident with the family Beartic, and didn't get through unscathed. With the help of his friends he'd healed somewhat from his brain damage, but the healing was cut short by his untimely demise.

- Status : Deceased

"Oh god, he's onto me Spring," William groaned, pacing around his living room and rubbing his temples. The blinds were all closed, front door locked tight, TV turned off; Spring nibbled on the purple man's forgotten sandwich. "What do I do?"

"Dig dig, bui…" The Diggersby mumbled halfheartedly, knowing his master wouldn't take it too well.

"Not kill anyone anymore?!" William stopped dead in his tracks, staring wide-eyed at Spring, alarm and confusion laced with his insanity. "No," he whispered airily. "No, Spring, I can't, you know I can't…" He snapped his gaze away. "No. I have to get the last one, if it's the last thing I do…"

Spring watched in horror as his master's dark violet eyes narrowed, a thin smile creeping onto his features, resolve seeping into every crevice.

"If it's the last thing I do…"

Victim File 007 – Jeremy Fitzgerald

- The seventh child murdered by the Diggers Killer, a six year old boy from Anistar that seemed to have no relation to the rest of the victims. Jeremy was described as him parents as "shy" and because of an incident regarding the family Zoroark, "a bit mentally challenged". He could not leave the house much, as his parent's feared that anyone would hurt him; they said that they could not have even imagined their sweet child being a victim of that "wicked man". Authorities say he was friends with the eight victim as well.

- Status : Deceased

Victim File 008 – Mike Schmidt

- The final victim of the Diggers Killer, who at this point has now been identified because of him. Mike Schmidt is a strong-willed child from Snowbelle, and a "stubborn" friend of the Pokemon in the forest nearby. He aspired to be a trainer, as he told us himself, and hopes he still can after getting out of the hospital. He had three Pokemon: a Noctowl, a Trevenant, and a Sudowodo, all caught in Route 20. The three Pokemon were present during the crime and assisted in fighting back against the killer. Mike had told us he was very glad he saved any others from getting hurt, and was sorry for the seven children that have lost their lives, especially his good friend Jeremy.

- Status : Stable condition, currently in hospital

A week later…

"We've been following the trial for a bit now, and William Afton has been judged guilty as charged. The so called Diggers Killer has been finally brought to justice, and he also gave a reason for his insanity-induced killings. Thirteen years ago, William Afton was a member of the Elite Four here in Kalos, a trainer of Ghost-types and he battled quite well. At least one of the children's parents had battled against him and won, beat down so hard to the point he couldn't take it anymore and he quit. He was later replaced by Drasna, the Dragon-type trainer. It seems he kept his grudge all these years, and perhaps all that contact with Ghost-types got to his head. William ended up releasing each of his Pokemon except for his beloved Diggersby, and then he started his murder spree. What a morbid story huh?

"William Afton has been sentenced to jail for life, guaranteeing you won't hear from this man again."

"He's a little creepy, isn't he? Just sits there, all day, not even eating."

"Yeah, how odd, it's only been two weeks. Maybe all that solitude is getting to his head?"

"Or maybe he's got ghosts haunting him huh?"

"Haha, yeah, maybe he does. Did you hear that he got taken down by a Trevenant? How fitting, am I right?"

"Wow, I didn't hear that, that's pretty amazing… Oh, hey! Is that his Diggersby?"

"Yeah, the rabbit's set to be released, but he gets one last moment with his trainer, it's the law."

"Alright, well bring him in then." Upon hearing the familiar thumps of his beloved companion, William glanced up slightly, smiling when he saw it was in fact his Diggersby.

"Spring…" He breathed out as the bunny got closer, becoming so close that they could feel each others' breaths. "Have you come here to save me, Spring?"

"Dig…" It nodded morbidly, hesitantly. William smiled and closed his eyes as Spring put his large ear-hand over the man's mouth and nose, silencing him once and for all.

THE END

Isn't it funny how they interviewed him and still couldn't figure out he was the murderer? Officer Jenny doesn't do her job very well, let me tell ya.