~ Nightmare Guild ~

Chapter Nine: Interrogation

...

So I sit down and wait for the end. But still I pray and hope against hope that Arceus will let me see another sunrise.

Mighty Arceus answers my wishes in the form of this Pokémon. To be truthful, he doesn't look like much, but his punches are some

...

... ...

OK, Treecko thought the next day. Although it was still insanely early aka. just a little bit after six, he found himself sitting in the lonely library before a list. A list of the names of his dead friends.

Let us recap.

One: The case of Riolu Rollingkick. Killed in his own room by a single slit of the throat. Body found in the morning, during morning briefing by Team DynamicPunch, who had gone to his room to check on him because he was late. The culprit could have done it the night before, or early in the morning before the briefing. The one who was acting the most suspicious was Snivy, who lied about her activities on the day of Riolu's death. However, Staraptor had also been late besides Riolu and Treecko himself, giving the Flying-type more time to commit the murder.

Two: The case of Cleffy Clefairy. Killed in her own room with a butcher knife straight to the heart. Body found in the evening, during dinnertime, a few hours before Nighttime. Lombre was the one who found her, when she was bringing some food to Cleffy when she refused to eat. The culprit could have done it anytime during the day, since Cleffy had been there most of the time, if not all the time. Anyone could have done it, because everyone had been doing their own activities in various places in the guild.

Anyone could have done it. Treecko sighed as he read that particular line in his recount. He was going to have a lot of work to do.

Three: The case of Machop Wanriky and Magnemite Coil. Killed by a massive bomb explosion in the training gym. Even if they hadn't instantly died by the explosion, they surely would have been crushed under all those debris. The suspects? Froslass, of course, was the first one that came to mind, since she was the one who made the bombs. Other than that, the one who had been acting the most suspicious was Tepig. He wouldn't let anyone into the training gym, claiming that it was dangerous. However, it could have been because he was hiding something in the training gym and wouldn't let anyone see it.

After listing down the details of each case, Treecko started to look for patterns. First, he thought about the murder weapons.

Riolu was killed with a knife.

Cleffy was killed with a knife.

Machop and Magnemite were killed with a bomb. Or more, perhaps.

Pausing, he read that over and over again. Nope, he couldn't figure anything out by looking at the tools used. He knew it was never that simple. Just because both Riolu and Cleffy were murdered by knives didn't mean that their murderer was one and the same. He remembered what Roselio had said yesterday. "The culprit used 'mainstream' murder weapons so that we wouldn't be able to narrow down the suspects that easily."

OK. If you bump into a dead end on one path, go back and try another.

Next, Treecko searched for a pattern in the murder victims.

First victim was Riolu, from Team DynamicPunch.

Second victim was Cleffy, from Team Overgrow, Treecko's own team. (The wood gecko had to admit that he felt a weird pang of emotion, but he quickly dismissed it.)

Third and fourth victims were Machop and Magnemite, both from Team DynamicPunch.

Here, Treecko thought he saw something. Out of the four murder victims, three were from Team DynamicPunch.

Was it too far-fetched to think that maybe several of the Pokémon from the other teams hated or had a grudge on Team DynamicPunch for some unknown reason? Could that be the reason why almost all of the victims were from Team DynamicPunch?

But it doesn't really make sense, he thought with a frown. Team Red Bow and Team PokéPark had only met Team DynamicPunch for the first time the day they came to Dream Guild. It was rather unlikely that some of them could have developed such a grudge on Team DynamicPunch during that short time, right? Especially a grudge big enough to become a reason to kill its members.

Only Team Overgrow had met Team DynamicPunch before Dream Guild. They had met not that long ago, when both teams happened to choose rescue jobs in Thunderwave Cave. Then, rookie Team DynamicPunch had gotten into a sort-of sticky situation, which Team Overgrow had helped them get out of. After that, the two teams had become friends. Nothing weird there, right?

Treecko looked down at his notes with a small sigh. He had marked the names of the suspects in a different color. That was how no-nonsense and serious Treecko was. Once he had set his mind on something, nothing and no one could stop him.

However, there was one curious moment in which Treecko's steel heart sort of melted. Here he was, writing a report about the murders of his own friends. And here he was, listing down the suspects who happened to be his own friends also, circling their names with a different-colored pen.

You know, Treecko Kimori actually hated this job. Of course he never showed it, but he did hate it. Very much, even.

As fast as that curious moment had come, it went. Treecko switched back to that serious expression he was known for, quickly telling himself that he had to solve the murders so that they wouldn't all be dead by the time this nightmare was over.

I'm doing this for a good cause, Treecko thought as he went through his report for the last time.

I hope.

»̶✽«

Meanwhile, Snivy and Oshawott were in the mess hall. It was filled with Oshawott's many complaints of "Who has been doing these horrible things" and "Why us of all Pokémon?" and "Good Arceus, we don't even know who this Guildmaster C is" and "What can we do to get out of here" and "What did we ever do wrong to deserve this". Then he kicked over an aluminium chair. It fell with a terrific clatter onto the floor.

"Complaining like a girl," said Snivy.

Oshawott looked offended, but he went on roaming the room like a hungry lion. "None of them deserved it. OK, maybe Riolu did - a teeny tiny little bit, and even that isn't enough of a reason to want to kill him - but none of the others did anything wrong, neither Cleffy nor Machop nor Magnemite. None of us deserved it. We ought to find out where this Guildmaster C's hiding and give him what he deserves. I'd also like to find whoever it is among all of us who's been doing these murders and..."

Without warning, the grass snake sprang up from her chair and suddenly clapped a hand over Oshawott's mouth, keeping him from saying any more. Her alert almond eyes were trained on the entrance to the mess hall.

"Mppppfffh!" Oshawott protested. "Mff mppph!" He tried to push her away, but the grass snake held on tight.

"Sssh," she snapped severely, and for some reason Oshawott found himself obeying.

For a few moments, Snivy and Oshawott were silent.

(They were also really close together, Oshawott noted. They were both silent, with Snivy's arm still around him - well, her hand was actually clapped over his mouth, but he decided to let that slide for now. Thinking about it sent a pinkish hue creeping onto his cheeks.)

Finally, Snivy let Oshawott go, her eyes still fixed on the entrance.

"I saw Yukimenoko pass by," she said cautiously. "Next time, try to keep your voice down whenever you talk about sensitive subjects like the murders and the murderer. The murderer might see that you're not in despair at all but is instead trying to catch them, and decide to attack you next. As they always say, kill before you get killed first. And stop the chair-toppling-over drama, you're making my eardrums burst."

Although Snivy didn't say it directly, everyone who knew her well should have been able to conclude that she thought Froslass was the culprit. After all, she had a habit of calling whoever wasn't considered "on her side" with their last names (you may have noticed how she usually calls Treecko).

Then when Oshawott didn't reply, she snapped her head back and stared at him with a weirded out expression on her face.

"...The chair-toppling-over drama may have been a nuisance to my ears, but now you're seriously beginning to creep me out. Cut it out with the googly-eye expression, will you?"

"Huh, what? Oh, sorry," Oshawott said, trying to make his eyes look normal again. He did accomplish that, but in turn a silly smile took over.

Snivy was letting out a tired "harrumph" and shaking her head when Tepig went into the room.

"O-oh, hello," Tepig said uncertainly, as if he hadn't expected to see them here. "Umm, what are you two doing?"

"Ah, Tepig," Snivy said with satisfaction. "Finally, our team is complete. Come over here, will you? Oshawott and I were just discussing the newest murder and how one of our friends happens to be a scientist-slash-bomb-maker."

"Ah." Tepig's smile wavered even more, but Snivy and Oshawott didn't notice. "You mean y-you think Froslass did it?"

"Well, according to my logic," Snivy said matter-of-factly. "She's the one who had the most business with the bombs."

"And I don't trust her cold, creepy silence," Oshawott said after recovering from his silly-smile-and-googly-eyes stupor.

Tepig laughed, and it came out high-pitched and squeaky. "Oshawott, you don't trust anyone."

"Well, who else could it have been?" Snivy countered. "As the maker of such bombs, she should have kept a close eye on them, like you would with something precious that you've just made. She won't just let anyone steal them. That's the thing with scientists. They're insane about their inventions. Take Reuniclus, for example. He never leaves his lab. He's that in love with his inventions."

"That is probably right," said Tepig, "but you don't know for sure, Snivy. What if it turned out to be someone else after all?"

"Hah! Someone else like whom?" Snivy exclaimed dismissively.

"Yeah, someone else like whom?" Oshawott unconsciously repeated.

"I... don't know," Tepig said, looking down at his hooves. His voice was very quiet.

"Exactly," chorused Snivy. "That's why the culprit had to have been Yukimenoko. Choose the lesser between many evils."

"...Is that so." The reply that came was said in a very small, almost inaudible voice...

But it hadn't come from Tepig.

Snivy could see that Oshawott's eyes were wide and staring at something behind her. He was giving her desperate signals to turn around.

Snivy turned around, and there, at the doorway, stood Froslass.

...

"OK," Staraptor said a few moments later. "Tell me again why you're accusing Froslass of murder."

This time, both Team PokéPark and Team Red Bow were sitting in the mess hall. Froslass, it turned out, had heard everything, and after Oshawott, Snivy, and Tepig had caught her listening in, she'd run out again to find Roselio and Staraptor.

"Looking for allies," Snivy had said. "How typical."

After that, Froslass' teammates had come with her to the mess hall. Staraptor had looked angry. Roselio had looked unfathomable, unknown whether he was in his usual happy-go-lucky mode or his other psychotic one.

"She was the only one who could have done it," Snivy said haughtily in answer to Staraptor's question. "I mean, you never let anyone into the lab these recent days, right?"

Froslass shook her head. Despite having been accused of murder, she was still as calm and emotionless as ever.

"See! I know you scientists," Snivy went on. "You'll never leave your precious labs alone unless you really, really have to. Am I right or am I right?"

Froslass only nodded again.

"So, if the only one to have entered the lab around the day of the murder is Yukimenoko, that means the bombs were accessible by her and her only. Right?"

Another nod.

"So is it not logical to assume that the culprit is most likely to have been Froslass Yukimenoko?"

This time Froslass didn't say anything but merely looked down at her lap.

"Well?" Snivy prompted.

There was a painful pause during which you could hear a pin drop. Finally, after a long period of silence, Froslass spoke.

"...I did not do it."

The ice in the room suddenly seemed to melt, and Snivy turned away with her hands folded in front of her.

"Of course you didn't," she said under her breath, but still loud enough for Froslass to hear. "That's what all culprits say before they get busted."

And with that, Froslass' patience ultimately snapped.

Roselio suddenly noticed Froslass' hands balling into tight, angry fists on the table. Her face went bright red...

And suddenly, a thin sheet of light blue ice simply appeared on the table underneath Froslass' cold fists! They glittered under the lamplight and began to spread across the top of the table...

"Whoa hey, calm down!" he cried. "Froslass! I thought w-we talked about this already!"

Froslass looked down and suddenly realized that she was freezing the table solid. She quickly raised her hands from the table, and the ice stopped spreading. Tears began to shine in her eyes, but as soon as they came, they got frozen solid also.

"I... Forgive me," she suddenly hiccuped, and ran out of the room with her hands madly swiping at her frozen tears.

"Froslass!" Roselio called, but she didn't return.

There was silence for a few moments, but then Roselio and Staraptor turned away from the doorway and stared at the members of Team PokéPark instead.

"Look what you've done!" Staraptor yelled.

"Yeah, you twerps made her cry," Roselio seethed. His face expression had changed - now it was dark and menacing. (Enter Roselio, back in Psycho Mode.) "That's a first for Froslass. She's never cried before. Ever."

"Well, you'll see soon enough that she has a good reason to," Snivy said unsympathetically, and Oshawott nodded in agreement. If anything, Staraptor and Roselio only looked angrier.

The only one who has not said even a single word was Tepig Pokabu, who had been standing off to one corner, at a safe distance from the crossfire. Oh, how he had wanted to stop the two teams from fighting. How he had wanted to tell them the truth (he holds that at high regard).

But he couldn't. He just couldn't.

The only thing he could do was look down at his hooves and try not to picture Froslass Yukimenoko running out of the room madly swiping at her frozen tears.

10 Pokémon remaining