The empty heart
I haven't written for way too long and I'm terribly sorry. I already mentioned I lost the document for this when my laptop broke, and even after I got myself a new one, having to start writing the same thing for a second time stole a lot of my motivation. But it's finished now, finally, and I can move on.
Did I say only three chapters? Well, the longer something takes the more ideas I get on how to expand it. So let's see about that.
I'd always love to know what you like or dislike about my story, be it the content, my writing style or anything else you want to say. ^^
I don't own the characters, places or Pokemon itself, and I have no intentions to earn money with this story in any way!
Chapter Three: Hurt
Looker waited in a fancy black car parked a few steps away from the Pokemon Center, reading the August's edition of the monthly newspaper. The three boys didn't talk on the way there, but Hugh couldn't resist commenting on the agents' way of traveling. „Tell me, how much do Interpol members earn for a job like this?", he asked half-jokingly.
„You think my work is about money?", Lack-Two wanted to know in return, keeping his voice as serious as he always did.
Hugh faked a chuckle. „You're not putting much effort into making it look like it isn't."
The superintendent didn't respond to this, so silence followed once again, only disrupted by him ordering his subordinate to drive them to the hospital. Looker didn't understand why they had to go there, but he had stopped calling the boy's decisions into question long before.
After about half of the way, the oldest of the three children found another question to ask. „Tell me, how do you justify making a girl attempt taking her own life in front of the public?"
„I don't have to." Lack-Two's answer was cold and calculated. „Nobody can tell anyone what happened last night without risking putting Whi-Two in danger as well. We would, of course, get into trouble, but that's nothing compared to the reactions she would have to face. Would you dare that?" He had told his boss otherwise before but had always known this was right. Nobody would accept the girl's exclusion from society just to give him some extra work.
And Hugh found this statement to be correct, too. „Where do you learn such things?"
There was just one answer the agent could give. „You really don't want to know."
When the woman who had shown him everything he needed to know in the Interpol Headquarters leaded him into the dimly lit cellar room intended for combat training, Lack-One was already there, fighting a big muscular man in his late thirties. The battle seemed pretty balanced at first.
„Miss, am I supposed to train here?", Kyohei asked his accompanist while following the duel interested.
„I'm afraid so", she returned shortly. One could hear by the sound of her voice she was very unpleasant with the idea of him fighting.
He nodded, shortly before he heard the dull sound of an impact as his mentor hit the ground. The boy thought this would end the battle and turned towards the woman again, noticing only now that she desperately tried to find something on her data pad that could distract her from what went on in front of them: Lack-One's opponent pressed him on the ground with one hand and kept punching him with the other while he could do nothing about it.
Upon witnessing that, Kyohei ran towards the combatants and tried to pull the attacker away from his victim. „That's enough, you already won!", the new agent cried, not understanding what was going on.
However, it only leaded to him being pushed away before the man went on. „Kid, if you want to work here you have to learn one thing first: Every opponent you don't take care of will stab you from behind", he exclaimed and then knocked Lack-One out with a final hit.
These words burned into Kyohei's memory. He would be taught many things like this, but that exact moment made him what he was meant to become.
And after the young man had been declared as defeated by the woman with an indisposed voice, his opponent stood up and turned towards the mentee. „So, it's your turn, boy. Come here."
„But aren't Interpol agents supposed to be the good guys?", Leo inquired, still uncomprehending regarding his former friend's behavior.
The addressed closed his eyes and leaned back into his seat before reacting. „You can't separate the world into good and evil because those are subjective qualities. Some might consider rather harsh method's appropriate for people like Team Plasma. However, more important is that there is still always justification. I have been taught to differentiate between what's justified and what's not. Therefore, I will do what is right, not because it's compulsively good, but because it's justified."
None of the passengers had anything to respond to this, so they went quiet for a short moment, only so Hugh could speak up again, asking what everybody was thinking. „Are you actually twelve?"
„No", Lack-Two sighed, and the two other boys were relieved for a short moment. A very short moment. „But I'll be twelve in a month."
Soon, Whi-Two saw the black car parking near the hospital from her window. Ever since she had moved to Aspertia City, she had not seen such a fancy vehicle. So she knew what was coming. Just like two years ago – International Police...
It wasn't like she hadn't fled a place before. She had fled from them before. But today she was bound to the bed. No escape, no help, no last chance.
It still reminded her of last time, though...
The little girl heard the fast footsteps first. She had no idea what was going on. Of course, the sages had informed everyone the castle could emerge today and that there would be a huge battle. But this was beyond huge: There was fighting in every corner of the residence, the commotion made every conversation impossible and the poor Mei roamed about alone, searching for anyone she knew.
And then she heard the footsteps. They differed from any other noise in her surroundings by just one thing: They sounded well-ordered.
Anthea and Concordia were the first persons she recognized. They just tried to have a talk about Lord N's battle, which they were watching through a window, when the girl approached them. „An army is below us!", she cried apprehensively.
„An army?", one of the sisters repeated confused. Their warriors already had problems with the casual trainers' resistance, so this was definitely bad. „Are you sure?"
„Yes", Mei confirmed. „There are organized fighters one level lower, I'm sure."
The two young women looked at each other. „Interpol…", they whispered.
„What's ‚Interpol'?", the young one questioned.
The goddesses gave each other another look. „That's not important right now", Anthea decided.
„When they're already here, we have to leave", Concordia pointed out. „We'll meet at the western exit on the first floor as soon as possible, make sure you get there without them seeing you."
The girl nodded and watched them leave in a hurry to inform everyone about the evacuation. She didn't follow instantly, though, since she saw her chance to see Lord N through the window. So she watched him fight. And she watched him lose.
She couldn't quite understand the outcome of the battle. What had happened, and where did they go? But she understood that her favorite had lost to this stranger who attacked him. She ran. In the end, she reached the point where Anthea and Concordia waited, though she couldn't remember how she got there. She hadn't even watched where she had been going. Only when she saw the lot of expensive black cars that had been parked outside, Mei realized how lucky she had been. When she learned what Interpol was, she hoped she would never encounter one of them again.
Whi-Two watched as Lack-Two emerged from the car. The others stayed behind at first.
While Hugh kept his eyes on the superintendent, Leo grew interested in their driver. „Say, do you work with him full-time?", he wanted to know.
Looker turned towards him, surprised to be addressed. „Yes, in the case of Team Plasma at least."
„How is it? Is he always that…", Leo started. He didn't know how to end that sentence himself.
The detective knew how to answer, though: „I think Lack-Two is like fire. He protects you, scares off your enemy. But come too close and you'll get burned…"
In the meantime, said boy knocked at the door of Whi-Two's room. She was so taken aback by him actually knocking instead of just breaking in that she couldn't have answered, even if she wanted. And since she didn't answer, he didn't come in. After about a minute, he knocked again.
The girl sighed. This wouldn't lead to anything. Why couldn't he just get through with it? „Come in", she bellyached.
He stepped in. He looked at her with an examining gaze. Then he sat down on a chair close to her bed. „What now?", she asked. She didn't understand his behavior at all.
„I don't know", the young agent admitted. His voice indicated that he was partly lost in his thoughts.
„You're not here to arrest me, then?", Whi-Two dared asking. What was going on with this boy?
He shook his head. „Nobody arrests you. I sent the data chip to our headquarters. Since it proves we share the same enemy, I got an acquittal for you." When she opened her mouth to say something, he added „And your mother, of course."
She didn't know how to respond to this, but one question still was unanswered. „If so, why are you here?"
Lack-Two hesitated for a moment. „Because I don't understand this", Kyohei admitted.
„That makes us two, I guess." The girl was only more confused by his words. Was this the same agent that drove her to take the fall? The more she looked, the more he wasn't lost in thoughts – just lost.
„Is this how it feels like?", he wanted to know. The words came out so suddenly she thought she heard him wrong.
Mei eyed him up, seeing he really expected that answer. „How what feels?"
„Anything", the boy then groaned. She had to decide if she should be taken aback by either his words or how fast his voice could change. „Is this how it feels to feel anything?"
„I... I don't think I understand the question", Whi-Two said, now actually trying to follow his train of thoughts but finding herself unable to do so again.
So he tried to explain. „You're good at feeling. You were ready to die because of your feelings, so... Please, tell me what this is. Why am I thus... Why can't I...", he found it hard to express the final problem. „Is this feeling?"
And because she still didn't get it, she looked into his eyes. They were not cold this time, not empty. There was something, anything. And she got an idea of what he just asked. „You... don't know that? How can you not know that?"
As Lack-Two returned her gaze, he saw something widely related to care. She meant it, she wanted to help but needed more information, he deduced. „I mustn't feel. I forgot how to feel, I had to", he stated, speaking slowly but not as calm as usual.
„Because of Interpol?", Whi-Two inquired.
„Because of my parents' death", he returned.
Silence fell. This statement kept hanging in the room. Mei had no idea what to say. Never had she thought that this boy, this top agent of the International Police, had to have parents. And they were dead. She couldn't link the pieces outright, still it made so much sense. They were dead, and he knew it. She wouldn't want to feel that either.
„Sorry...", she murmured after a while, uncomfortable with him just sitting there looking into the distance, basically staring at the wall.
He turned towards her again. „For what?" His voice had changed again, without a trace of the old one. It was so soft now, yet in no way lively.
She searched for an answer. There had been one, but it was lost. „I don't know." It bothered both of them that not knowing seemed to be everything the conversation would lead up to.
He decided to change the topic. He took the pendant out of his pocket. Hugh had given it back to him when they decided he had to go in first. Whi-Two's eyes widened as she saw it. Noticing that, he wasted no more time with it and tossed it over to her. The girl stared at it unbelieving for a moment. Then she opened it to check on its content. The memory card was gone, obviously, but her picture of Lord N was still there. Somehow she smiled. He didn't understand how a picture of that man could make her smile now. „What do you see in him?"
This took her by surprise. She needed a second to understand he noticed her look, and another one to understand the question. Afterwards, she still had to think about a right answer. He waited quite patiently, following the process of her thoughts attentively.
„Well, he cares so much about others. A few years ago, he saved me by taking my punishment. I could never make up for that... He does so much, just to make those around him more comfortable. And we share an immense care for Pokemon that are treated rude by humans", was her answer.
He listened carefully. „That was nice of him", Lack-Two said after a short time. „But he's still a criminal. He's crossing too many lines, his actions seem extreme and unjustified."
„They do to you. But to us they don't", Whi-Two almost snapped, trying not to take this personally. She found it hard to just listen to him insulting her Lord N. Something deep inside her knew he was at least partly right, but everything else denied that.
„To you few. It's not just me who thinks that way, courts are in agreement that his methods have to many victims as a consequence and..." He wanted to go on, but she disrupted him.
„Please stop", she whispered. She couldn't hear this, she couldn't think about this.
He stopped. He complied. „I'm sorry", Kyohei spoke after a break. His tone was now exactly like hers had been when she had said these words.
The girl of Team Plasma looked at the picture of her leader another time. What would he have done with this boy? „It's okay", she conceded. „But I think you should leave now."
He left without another word. He didn't even react to Hugh and Leo, who were waiting on the corridor for him to call them in, or tell them how it went, or anything at all. Leo's pleading and Hugh's shouting didn't suffice to make him even turn towards them. Neither did the kind words of the woman at the reception desk.
As he left the building, he noticed how cold it was for the first time. He looked around, seeing an empty road slowly being covered by the falling snowflakes, seeing his vehicle standing lonely on the car park, seeing people standing in their windows simply admiring the snow. And he felt alone. He felt.
When he approached the car in which Looker waited for him, he had a million questions on his mind. Was feeling always like that? How could it be a good thing to feel this way? Would they forgive him after a while? Could he just go on like before after what happened?
Looker was older, maybe more experienced with these feelings than him. He had to know at least some answers. But when Lack-Two finally sat down on the passenger seat, he could only express one issue: „Looker, is it actually snowing in August?"