Me: *spinning on a death wheel* IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY?!

Gardevoir: *throwing knives* Who's the one who hasn't updated in nearly a month?

Me: I DON'T THINK THAT CALLS FOR KNIVES AND WHEELS OF DEATH!

Ember: *flicking through magazine* You should've updated sooner.

Me: Shouldn't you be on my side?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!

Ember: Disclaimer: Eon doesn't own Pokemon. And I daresay she has no control over her voice level anymore either.

Chapter Four: Diamond

Red had been in that room for a solid hour now.

As for the rest of us, we waited patiently in the lounge of Professor Oak's laboratory. Nobody paid the time any mind; we were all still trying to wrap our heads around the information that we'd just learned.

"I had not been expecting to see Looker today," Platinum said.

I sat next to her in the group of chairs, Pearl on her other side. "If I remember right, he's the one who gave us Manaphy's egg."

She nodded. "I have not seen him since."

"Do you think what he said was...true?" Pearl asked uncertainly.

"It is a dubious exposition on behalf of Melany," Platinum said. She bit her lip gently. "However, if it is from Looker, then it may be true after all."

I tilted my head toward her. "He may be...different...but I don't think he would lie about something like this."

"Well, she's definitely strong enough to be an agent!" Pearl crossed his arms pouting. "She almost beat us in a three versus three battle all by herself!"

"But not strong enough to get out of Team Rocket's headquarters in time," I said quietly.

"We do not know that for sure," Platinum cut in. "Amber's words should not be forgotten, but we must also consider what Looker has told us. She could very well just be missing."

Pearl glanced down. "Which could also mean that Crystal is alive, too."

That had been a hard thing for Gold to hear. Silver, as well. The two had just started to accept the fact that their best friend was dead when this little bit of hope was thrown at them. As soon as Looker had finished explaining the situation to everyone, those two had gone out to take a walk. They hadn't come back since.

My belly rumbled suddenly. I glanced at it mournfully. Obviously this was not the time to be thinking about food, but the rumbles begged to differ. I would have gone to search for a snack, but after accidentally waking Green up in the middle of the night the previous evening...I shuddered. Never again.

The front door shut then, and I perked up as Black and White walked in loaded with grocery bags. The girl stopped in surprise when she saw us. "You're still waiting?"

Pearl nodded. "Looker is still asking Senior Red questions."

Black shook his head and reached into one of the bags on his arms. "Here, Diamond. I got those rice balls you asked for."

The bag was open just as soon as it was placed in my hands. "Thank you."

He chuckled slightly at the desperation in my voice. "Green's in the back room you know. You could have just gotten something from the fridge."

I bit into one of the rice balls. "I wasn't going to risk it."

Black snickered a little more before he and White went to put the food away. As soon as they had gone, the door to Looker's interrogation room opened, and he walked out with Red close behind.

"I'm sorry I couldn't answer much," the dark-haired boy apologized.

"You did what you could," Looker said glancing at his watch. "I must be off now. My colleague is probably about done speaking with your brother and the Erabareshi siblings. We need to meet up before he continues with this investigation."

"You mean Amber's with...Jade's family?" Red asked, trying to remember what Looker had explained earlier. The agent nodded, and so did Red. "So that's who he went to see."

Platinum rose and went to see Looker off. Pearl accompanied her, and I stayed behind with Red. "So, what did he ask you about?"

"Just simple things," he shrugged. "If I'd seen Melany or interacted with her before the explosion. But I hadn't, so I really didn't have much to tell him."

I glanced at him curiously. "Do you think she was an agent, Senior Red?"

He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, with the police backing it up, I find it hard to think that she's not."

Sighing, I held a hand to my head. "Things just keep getting more and more complicated."

Red lay a hand on my shoulder and smiled sympathetically. "Come on. Let's go see if Green and Blue have found anything yet."

I nodded and followed him through the lab to the back room. "It's a bit disheartening how little information we have to go off of."

Red nodded. "Even so, those two are the smartest people I know. They'll come up with something."

"We have nothing!"

Red and I froze, wide-eyed after opening the door to the back room. Blue was perched on a steel tables. One of her hands held her head, and she looked positively upset.

"Don't say that," Green muttered from where he sat at the computer. "We just have to keep looking."

"For what?" She asked incredulously. "We can't just go off of ideas and theories! We need to find an actual clue!"

"And I'm trying," he answered coldly.

Blue sighed. "I know. I just..." She lifted her head up, finally sensing our presence. "Oh, hey, guys! Sorry, but we don't have anything new."

"That's okay," Red said. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Can we, uh, help somehow?"

The brunette shook her head. "Greeny's basically claimed the computer, and I'm not sure what else the rest of us could do."

"We could...check out the wreckage," I suggested nervously. It was the most obvious option.

"Gold already did, remember?" She leaned back on the table. "He didn't really find much. The entire place went up in the flames." A grumble suddenly resonated from her stomach, and she glanced down at it. "I suppose it is almost supper time."

I was getting ready to offer her one of my few remaining rice balls when Silver suddenly stuck his head through the doorway. "There you guys are."

I moved aside to let him in, and Gold appeared at his heels. His features were still rigid even after taking his walk. To be honest, he seemed more like Silver than himself.

"How's it going?" The redhead asked as the two boys walked over to Blue.

"No luck so far," she admitted.

Silver nodded, but Gold didn't respond. The raven-haired boy simply pulled his bag over his head and placed it on the steel table. "Here. I went and bought some local cookies for everyone." As he retrieved a small box, two crumpled papers fell out onto the table. Gold set the box down. Reaching for a paper, his eyes widened. "I forgot I even had these."

Blue perked an eyebrow. "What are they?"

Silver leaned over curiously. "They look like blueprints."

Blue's eyes lit up, and she snatched the paper from Gold. "This looks like the Masterball that agent described to us. Where did you get these?"

"I took them when we went to the Ilex complex," Gold replied as she picked up the other paper. "But they're useless at this point."

"No," she murmured. Her eyes flickered across the paper. "We might actually have a clue here."

Gold looked confused. "How?"

"These are plans." Blue's eyes flashed as she looked up. "For Project 2."

Sapphire

"I've decided to join you."

Amber glanced down from his Salamence's back. "I thought you were supposed to meet up with your agent friend to exchange information."

"I can message him what I've found out," Black 2 said releasing his Flying type. I had learned yesterday that it was called an Unfezant. "I think it's more important to continue my investigation right now, and we'll find out more if we work together."

Amber didn't respond. Instead, he turned to Jet and Jasmine who were standing on the porch to their house. "What about you guys?"

"We have to stay and watch over the Daycare," Jasmine smiled uneasily. "We couldn't just leave it all to Daddy."

Jet gestured a hand at the treetops. "You guys get going. We'll be here if you need a place to stay again."

"Thanks," Amber nodded, not meeting their eyes.

"Hey," Jet said lowly. "Be careful."

Red's twin sighed. "I know."

Emerald waved at the siblings as he climbed on behind him. "It was nice to meet you guys."

"And you," Jet replied.

"Ah," Jasmine sighed dreamily. "Just look at that green, though..."

Emerald frowned nervously and shifted until he was hidden behind Amber. "She's...weird."

The dark-haired boy sweat-dropped. "I know."

I turned away from him as Ruby climbed onto Pilo behind me. A breeze blew gently, irritating the small cut on my neck.

Ruby saw me wince. "Is that still bothering you?"

"Barely," I rolled my eyes. "It's about as annoying as a paper cut."

He pulled himself up onto Pilo with a soft grunt. "I think Jet went a bit too far with his...Bisharp I believe it was."

"He was just trying to protect his sister," I said quietly. "After all, he's already lost one."

Ruby glanced away. "Right."

I gave Jet and Jasmine another look before patting Pilo's back. As different as they were, those two seemed like nice people. I wondered if Jade had been like them.

Pilo stole my thoughts as he lifted off. I was the one leading the pack today. Black 2 had suggested that we evaluate the crime scene one last time which we could do on the way back to Pallet Town. Before that, though, I still had to deliver Papa's maps to Captain Stern in Slateport City.

It only took us maybe an hour or two to reach the seaside town. Early afternoon was already rolling in when we landed at the entrance to the Pokemon Center. The Contest Tent was just down the road, and it took me a minute of coaxing to stop Ruby from going after it. I had to admit; it had been a while since he entered a contest. But now wasn't the time for that.

"Come on," I muttered dragging him along. "You can enter a contest later. We gotta get to the shipyard."

Kids and families alike were flooding the streets as we walked down town. They were all bound for beach, colorful swimsuits and surfboards reflecting the bright sunlight. Those people sure looked like they were enjoying their summer; I wished I could say the same.

When we arrived at the shipyard, the others stayed outside while Ruby and I went to find Captain Stern. It didn't take too long; most of the workers' attention was focused on the project on the first floor, and Mr. Stern was right in the middle of it.

"We need to adjust the mast by five degrees," he called out to some lackeys, observing the front of the boat they were constructing.

"Um, Mr. Stern?" I called out from the top floor.

He glanced up through the giant opening that should have been a ceiling and waved us down. "I'm sorry, but I can't take any orders right now. We're busy putting the finishing touches on this ship."

"No," I said taking the steps two at a time. Ruby was more graceful about it, gently approaching the bottom when I had already ran up to Mr. Stern. "My name's Sapphire Birch. I'm here to deliver some maps from my papa."

"Oh!" The captain exclaimed. He finally looked away from the boat as I showed him the silver canister. "The professor's daughter! He told me you would be coming by soon. Thank you for dropping these off."

I nodded, glancing at the ship warily. "So somebody's really gonna try to navigate the eastern seas?"

"That's what they said." The older man stroked his mustache. "I'm not sure about it, though."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked as he walked over.

Mr. Stern frowned. "Well, the guy doesn't exactly look like the seafaring type. If you ask me, he looks more like a model."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "A model?"

"At least he dresses like one," the captain shrugged. "But who am I to judge! If he wants to pay for a new boat and actually try to tackle those waters, then fine by me. I'll wish him the best of luck."

I pointed at the maps. "Then those are for that person?"

Mr. Stern nodded. "He didn't want to go in blind, and I don't blame him. I'll get a hold of your father later to let him know they arrived."

I nodded slowly in return. "Thank you."

"No, thank you," he chuckled gently.

This mystery sailor had my curiosity breaking the charts, but I reluctantly waved good-bye and left anyway.

"I wonder who would go to all this trouble for the eastern seas," Ruby pondered as we walked back outside.

"Me, too," I murmured lowly.

"Hey, guys!" Emerald called out, cutting off our conversation. We glanced up to see him along with Amber and Black 2 waiting for us on the other side of the street. When we joined up with them, he asked, "Do you mind if we stop by my friend's house?"

"Which friend?" Ruby asked.

"The one who makes my gadgets. The Trick Master," Emerald explained, already walking down the sidewalk. "I keep all of my stuff there, and I need to replace some of my soil seals. He lives just north of Slateport."

There was no reason to say no, so we just went along with it. The city soon fell away to countryside as we made our way down the route. It was relaxing, just walking through the fields with nothing but the sound of the wind and Pokemon in the distance. There had been so much tension lately that I was happy to have a break.

A house soon appeared on the horizon. It wasn't far from the bike route that was well-known around this area, sitting quietly in the bridge's shadow. When we finally arrived at the door, Emerald knocked twice. There was no answer, and the short blonde extended one of his arms above the doorway. There was a small birdhouse there that he extracted a key from.

"He always keeps it in such weird places," Emerald muttered unlocking the door.

"He isn't home?" Amber asked as we walked into the empty house.

"Probably out checking on Wattson and New Mauville." Emerald replaced the key and followed us in. The house was rather well-kept, and he beckoned for us to sit at the table. "I shouldn't be too long. Feel free to look around, and if you get hungry, there's always something in the fridge."

The boys had already drifted off to investigate the multitude of gadgets littered around the house. Nothing really seemed to catch my attention, so I opted for going with Emerald.

"Just don't touch anything," he warned.

"Why not?" I demanded as he brought us to a door.

"Because," he retorted, "the seals I use contain soil from birthplaces of Pokemon. Each one has a specific scent that calms specific Pokemon. If you get your scent on them, then it will cover up the soil, and they won't work."

"Where do ya get all those seals anyway?" I asked.

He took a minute to open the door and turn on a light. Inside, there were shelves upon shelves of crates containing the pellets he used in his soil shooter. "The Trick Master gathers them for me when he can. He's constantly traveling so there's very few places that I don't have stocked here."

I tapped my chin. "Do you have Littleroot Town?"

"Pft, easy," he scoffed.

I leaned against the wall as he searched for the seals he needed. "Route 119?"

"Right here," he said absentmindedly flashing a seal before putting it back.

"Hmm, what about Mirage Island?"

"That one I do not have," he admitted. "Mirage Island is hard enough just trying to find, let alone getting a soil sample."

"Sorry I didn't bring ya any back," I laughed. "Maybe there's a speck somewhere on my clothes."

He perked up. "That would work!"

I rolled my eyes. "That was a year ago, Rald. It's probably washed out by now. But would just a speck really work?"

"As long as it still has the scent," he said putting a few seals in his shoe compartments. "I never use the whole seal at once anyway. Only enough to launch a shot. I save whatever is left for later use. The only time I've needed to use more than one shot was at the Battle Frontier."

"You mean when you calmed all of the Battle Tower Pokemon?" I said remembering the event.

He nodded. "Like I told you guys, it was special soil from an island said to inhabit Mew. I had to use most of it to complete the seal around the entire Frontier. I barely have a fourth of it left."

I watched him move onto another shelf. "Is it here, too?"

"Somewhere." The blonde pushed a crate aside. "I have it here for safe-keeping. I'll only ever take it out again in case of an emergency. You can't waste soil that precious."

I nodded, glancing around the room. The shelves took up most of the space, but the back wall was piled up with tons of cardboard boxes. I walked over to investigate them. "What're in these?"

"Just some reject projects the Trick Master could never bring himself to throw away," Emerald answered putting the shelves back the way he'd found them. "He can be a bit of a pack rat."

I raised an eyebrow at the bulging boxes. "I can see that."

The blonde turned to me with a huff. "Well, I think I have everything I need. I'm going to go check on the others. Hopefully they haven't broken anything."

I snickered at his narrowed eyes and turned back to the boxes as he left. One of the lids was slightly open, and I pulled the tab the rest of the way open. What looked like a remote-controlled helicopter lay inside. I picked up the small controller, reading the sticky note on it that said, "Snack Retriever."

Sweat-dropping, I picked up the box to investigate the one beneath it. This one contained a half-completed Spinda robot and another mechanical object that I had trouble identifying.

I folded the box's flaps, ready to move onto the next one, when there was a noise. It was so soft; I probably wouldn't have heard it if I hadn't been standing there considering which box to open next. It was coming from behind the gigantic pile standing before me. Trying to recognize the sound, I realized that it was the breathing of a person.

My feet sneaked quietly across the floor. There was a small space between the boxes that I slipped into. Grabbing one of my Pokeballs, I leaped behind the boxes with a snarl. "Who's there?!"

A hand clamped over my mouth. "I told you to breath quieter, Whi-Whi. It looks like you've given us away."

My eyes instantly widened at the sight of Drake standing there restricting my voice. Behind him, a girl with long brown hair stood up from a crouching position. Her hair must have been really long because it was rolled into two buns above her ears yet still reached her waist. Blue eyes flashed beneath a pink and white visor as she entered the light.

"Sorry," she said quietly, glancing down.

The redhead smirked cheekily back at her. "No worries. We got what we came for."

My fingers curled into fists. "What are you doin' here?!"

He chuckled at my muffled rage. "Like I would tell you, kid."

I ripped his hand off my mouth. "Then I guess you can tell the police officer when I bring you guys to him!"

"I've got a better idea." There was a flash, and a Hypno appeared. "Why don't you just come with us instead?"

I had barely any time to comprehend what was happening as the Pokemon raised its hands. Before I could respond, my eyelids flickered, and everything faded to black.

Gardevoir: *lets me off wheel of death* There, see? You lived.

Me: Barely. *collapses*

Ember: *glances up from magazine* Oh, good! She lived!

Me: *narrows eyes* Thanks.

Gardevoir: Now, what are we not going to do next time?

Me: *grumble grumble* Wait a month to update...

Gardevoir: Good girl! *pats head*

Me: *sweatdrop* Sorry, fellow readers! I've been juggling many things lately what with summer ending and school beginning (yay -_-) so this chapter came out much later than anticipated! I hope you all enjoyed it, though, and come back for more! Review and return!