The Forge Station is cordoned off with police tape and all trains to the area have been canceled. An outline of Cronos' body has been made on the ground, the body being transported to the nearest hospital. Pokemon clad in police uniforms are around the area, examining the crime scene and scouring for evidence. A crowd is beginning to gather behind the tape, next to them are a few reporters and their crew going live from the spot.
"I'm gonna need you all to stay behind the tape!" barks the Ursaring officer. In the corner of his eye he spots a few people moving around to a less monitored spot to try and get a better look. "HEY, YOU THERE! GET BEHIND THE TAPE NOW!"
To the side of the Ursaring officer and the crowd, a shiny Gardevoir and a Magnezone are talking to each other.
"Frisco sure has a way with controlling the crowds," remarks the Gardevoir.
"Well, who would you have had do that job, Valerie? We don't need him screwing up another investigation," replies the Magnezone.
"True, true," Valerie looks over at the body outline. "So, do we know who the guy was?"
"Cronos Knight, head of marketing at Aggron Corp. Probably on the board of directors. Apparently died of a fire based cut to the throat."
"Seriously? Damn. Do we have any leads on a suspect?"
"Well, there is the Brotherhood of Flame symbol carved into the ground. So it's a safe bet that they're behind this."
Valerie furrows her brow. "Seems kinda odd that the Brotherhood would suddenly start murdering Pokemon. Usually it's just vandalism or protests."
"Exactly. Either it's a setup or something's changed with the Brotherhood."
A Feraligatr comes over to the two Pokemon, his expression troubling.
"Valerie, Ratchet, we have a problem," says the Feraligatr. "You know that Braixen that went missing a few days ago?"
"Yeah, Amber Rabbitdart. What about her?" Valerie replies.
"She's been found dead outside of Shaymin Gardens. The Brotherhood of Flame symbol was found burned into the ground next to her."
"Another murder from them? If this isn't by them, this is one hell of a setup," remarks Ratchet.
"We should finish up here and then get back to the station. The guys there should be able to piece together whatever's going on here." Replies Valerie.
They go to help collect whatever evidence they can as the crowd begins to disperse, partly due to Frisco scaring them off. Ratchet watches him run around the area, hoping inside that he stays away from the news cameras."
"That guy is going to get us a suit one of these days…"
The Feraligatr uses his camera to take photos of the etched Brotherhood of Fire emblem in the sidewalk, taking care to make his shots as detailed as he can get them. He also takes photos of the area as a whole. Ratchet is inside the police van talking to the other team at Shaymin Gardens.
The police van is shaped similar to a big metal egg. Powered by electric motors, it has room to fit 4 average sized Pokemon comfortably, or 2 and one large Pokemon. The front is outfitted with a ram-like fixture used to help in pursuits, and to protect the vehicle from crashes. The dashboard has the standard workings of cars of old, along with a police radio and scanner.
A few yards from the scene, Valerie is talking with a Zangoose who works at the station to obtain security footage of the crime.
"I can get you the footage, yeah. Doubt it'll be of much help, the cameras started acting up last night," says the Zangoose as he scans through the videos to find the section relevant to the case.
"You never know what might help," Valerie replies.
The Zangoose manages to find the right time in the footage. It shows Cronos walking out of the train with the rest of the passengers, but as both him and the other Pokemon begin to go their separate ways from the station, the footage cuts out. When it resumes, an hour has passed, and nobody is around the station.
"As I thought, it doesn't show what you're looking for. Still want it?"
Valerie nods.
The Zangoose shrugs. "Alright, here you go." He downloads it onto a drive and hands it to Valerie, who places it in her bag. She then returns to the crime scene, where the rest of the team has finished. The Feraligatr takes notice of her return and waves.
"Good, looks like we can go. Got the footage, Val?"
"Well, I got footage. It cuts out at some point, and when it resumes, the station's empty. I figure it might be helpful to at least identify potential suspects. You get the pics of the scene, Mako?"
Mako nods. "They're as good as I could get them."
Ratchet pushes a button on the dashboard, and the van powers up. "Let's get going then."
The van speeds off from the scene, now appearing mostly like it was before there was a murder. The only trace of it left is the emblem etched into the sidewalk, which people are quick to stare at.
Across the city, Pokemon are tuning into the evening news, broadcast out of Pokemon News and Radio Station, PNRS, on the north side. PNRS is known for delivering up to date information on the city's latest events, though as of late crime has become more common as a news topic.
"Good evening, Origin City. This is PNRS, broadcasting live from our station in North Origin City. I'm Echo Soundback," says the Exploud anchor.
"And I'm Lily Spikeplant," adds the Cacturne co-anchor, "Our top story tonight: Violent crimes sweep the city, including the murder of a member of Aggron Corp.'s board of directors."
"Police told PNRS that currently there have been 4 confirmed cases of murder in today alone. One victim was Cronos Knight, Director of Marketing at Aggron Corp., found dead in front of the Forge metro station. Another was Amber Rabbitdart, a Braixen girl who had been reported missing," Echo explains, "Each murder has been accompanied by the emblem of notorious Fire Pokemon gang, the Brotherhood of Flame."
"Police have not made any arrests, but are investigating to find a potential suspect, and if the Brotherhood of Flame are behind the attacks," adds Lily. "And now to the Museum of History, where a discovery has been made about ancient human…"
A Zoroark shuts off his television as the news report continues. He gets up off of the couch in his apartment, an apathetic look on his face, grabs his coat, and heads for the door.
Around the apartment are the usual furnishings, a kitchen, couch, table, etc. On one of the walls is a framed news article, titled "DETECTIVE VALE UNCOVERS BOMB PLOT AT CITY HALL," picturing the Zoroark, Officer Valerie, and a Leavanny standing in front of city hall, Vale shaking hands as best as he can with Mayor Flicker, a Volcarona. There are a few other framed articles, all featuring Vail and the Leavanny doing some. Along with the articles, there are also pictures of Vale and the Leavanny visiting various places around the city, such as the Museum of History, Aggron Corp., getting escorted out of Aggron Corp., among many others. There's also a photo of Vale, the Leavanny, and another Zoroark on a couch, the other Zoroark having an Espeon resting her head on his lap while the Leavanny holds a young Eevee kit, who is desperately trying to jump out of his arms and onto the Espeon. The photo is labeled "Vale, Thistle, Aurora, Cotton, and Bill," referring to Vale, the other Zoroark, the Espeon, the Eevee, and the Leavanny respectively.
Below this wall of memories is a small table, a newspaper lying among several empty bottles of Elixir. The newspaper reads "10 DEAD IN HUMANOID SQUARE BOMBING" with a photo of Thistle, Aurora, Cotton, and Bill among those who died. The article shows a Magmar and two Electrode that were arrested for the attack, which was used as a way to protest Aggron Corp. The Magmar was a former worker at the factory and had recently been fired. He hired two Electrode to assist him in destroying a statue of Xavier Broadside, founder of Aggron Corp. in Humanoid Square. The plan was to just destroy the statue, but the explosion caused by both Electrode ended up being greater than expected, resulting in damage to nearby buildings and vehicles. As fate would have it, Thistle, Aurora, and Cotton were taking a photo in front of the statue when it explosion occurred, causing chunks of it to crush them. Bill was taking the picture, and was critically injured in the attack. By the time he received aid, he was already gone.
Vale takes a look back at the wall before leaving, sighs, and shuts the door.
The sun has set on the streets of Origin City, but the lights of the buildings in its downtown portion are just beginning to switch on. From bar signs to "herbal remedy" shops, their neon lights stand out against the black canvas of night. One place has a big glowing "ELIXIR" sign stretching into the air next to it, though the sign is broken and only reads "E X R." Vale passes by all of these, turning at a corner and into a nearby alley. He passes by a Vanillish beggar, a "help the unwanted and unloved" sign next to him, and tosses him a few Poke coins. The Vanillish looks to thank Vale, but he's already gone past. Vale enters a door on the side of the alley with a dim "Slowbro's" sign above the door. The sign has another part to it that appears as if it should say "bar" but is unfinished
Vale enters Slowbro's and is greeted by a Slowbro, who is currently mixing a drink at the bar.
"Ay! It's my favorite washed up detective. C'mon in!"
Vale takes a seat at the bar, and the Slowbro comes over, sliding the drink he was mixing to a Machoke before going to greet Vale.
"Hey Shelldon. How's business going?"
Shelldon smiles. "It's better than ever! I'm gettin' more customers than ever before."
"Well that's good."
"So, what can I get ya? The usual?"
Vale nods.
Shelldon smirks. "Figured as much." He turns and calls over the other bartender, a Sylveon with a short black apron on. "Melody, come over here and take care of this for me!" Shelldon goes further back and into the storeroom to replenish some ingredients.
The Sylveon walks over across the small wooden beam extending from the prep space, and waves one of her ribbons at Vale.
"Hello Melody. How are you tonight?"
Melody begins filling a mixer with Elixir, then adds a few squirts of Kasib juice to it. "Busy as usual. This place has more mons than I'm used to. But I'm managing."
"Just make the drinks right, and I think you'll do just fine."
"Well, if I wasn't doing that, I wouldn't be up here making yours, now would I?" she remarks, shaking the mixer up after adding some Payapa juice and ice into it.
"Point." Vale remarks, taking a look around him. Around the bar, various Pokemon are seated in booths or at tables, some clearly drunk. One Armaldo even falls out of his booth, needing his friends to pick him up and sit him back up again as he insists that he's fine. At another booth, a young Grovyle attempts to seduce a Blaziken, who is clearly not interested.
"So you hear about the murders?" Melody inquires, "Pretty bold for them to just go and kill mons like that. I didn't think it was in their character."
"'Them?'" Vale asks, "What do you mean by that?"
"The Brotherhood of Flame, of course. It's obviously their doing." She pours Vale's drink into a glass and passes it to him.
"That's not certain, but yes, I've heard about them," he replies, taking a sip of his drink.
"You're not going to help the police investigate? This seems right up your alley."
Vale shakes his head. "I'm done with that. I don't need more mons getting killed because of me. Besides, what are they supposed to do with a Zoroark who's lost his ability to Illusion?"
"You don't know that for sure. Sure, you haven't been able to do it since the accident, but I'm sure it's still possible for you. And even if you can't, they could probably use the help. Don't you want to go help out your old friend Valerie?" Melody winks.
"She doesn't need my help, she's good enough at what she does to not need me there. And whatever Valerie and I had is over. I made that clear when I left."
Melody shrugs. "Alright, alright. But the city's changing, Vale. I can feel it. Sooner or later it won't just be cops and robbers. There's been talk of the gangs coming back, and with the Brotherhood of Flame starting this shit, we're gonna get drawn into it one way or another." A Trevenant calls to her from across the bar. "I gotta go." She walks over to the Trevenant and begins filling his order.
Vale sits there with his drink, dwelling on old memories his conversation with Melody had brought up.
Some time ago...
Vale is packing up his things from his desk at the police station. Valerie stands next to the desk, clearly not happy with that's going on.
"I'm done with this business. Losing my ability was bad enough, but losing Bill and Thistle's family is where I draw the line. I'm leaving, Valerie. End of story." Vale opens his desk drawer and takes out a few old notepads, placing them into his bag.
Valerie crosses her arms. "So that's it then? You're just gonna walk out like that? What about the rest of the team? What about us?"
"They can handle themselves just fine. You can get a replacement easy. And we're done, Valerie. I'm sorry, but I don't think it's going to work out anymore. Having a constant reminder of my mistakes around me isn't good for my well-being." He avoids eye contact with Valerie, focusing on the papers he has laid out in front of him.
"So that's all I am? A reminder of your mistakes? I thought I was worth something to you, I guess I was wrong." She turns away from him, insulted by Vale's words. "If that's how you're going to treat me, the team, and everything we've been through, then go ahead and leave."
Vale frowns, and turns around to face her. "Val, that's not what I meant, and you know it. I can't stay here and do this job while knowing that I couldn't even save my family or my partner. I've made my decision. Now, unless you're going to help me with getting what I need from my desk, I'd like to be left alone."
Valerie sighs, giving up on persuading Vale to stay. She walks away, leaving Vale to finish. He just picks up the rest of his things, and heads for the door.
"They're probably doing fine. And Valerie's probably moved on by now. For her sake, I'd hope so." Vale thinks to himself. "And Melody doesn't know what she's talking about. She hasn't seen what the criminal world looks like. They aren't capable of what she's talking about. She's just been watching too many dramas on TV." Vale finishes his drink, leaves Melody her tip, and walks out of the bar.