Chapter Twenty-Five: Capture
She said nothing as she returned Flow to her wagon, clinging close to Kit as he navigated their way through the darkness. Taking out her own torch, she was relieved to see that, unlike Dark Cave, there was no zubat clinging to the roof. Instead, they were met with a chilly silence, punctuated only by the occasional shuffling of pokemon in the shadows.
Merely five minutes inside, the party had to stop. Shuddering violently, they both withdrew their warmest clothes from their packs, throwing them on as quickly as their frozen muscles would allow them. Charlotte covered Flow in a couple blankets as well, not wanting the cold to worsen her condition. She seemed pleased by the warmth, her smile growing as she snuggled within the cotton. She also took the liberty of pulling up the map on her pokegear to help guide them through the catacombs.
Somewhat warmer and more prepared, they set off again, torches carving a path for them through the pylons of frozen water and icy rock. In many areas, the ground had completely frozen over, making it difficult for them to traverse. Nevertheless, they had fun sliding from rock to rock – it was like a free skate rink.
Firebrand seemed to enjoy it the least, preferring to simply melt a path for herself. However, doing so created pools of water which bothered her just as much. Ultimately, she clambered up onto Kit's shoulders, much to his disdain. She was warm though, so he quickly stopped complaining.
Things became a lot less enjoyable as they reached the middle of the path, where ice-free ground was no longer available. They slipped numerous times, both of them equally embarrassed by both their own, and their companion's falls. Kit, much too proud of himself, would blame all of his slip-ups on Charlotte, who would proceed to jokingly push him in vengeance.
Sliding along at uncomfortable speeds, the pair suddenly lost control of their movement. With a sharp scream, Charlotte latched onto the nearest objected, which happened to be Kit's hands. For once, he didn't complain, the bells on his wrist jingling wildly as the two began to spin down the path. Charlotte's frightened blue-grey eyes bore into the grain of Kit's mask and once more, she found herself wishing he didn't wear that all the time.
Her fear dissipated once she heard a chuckle escape from Kit, drawing out a smile from her. The icy walls around them sparkled like a thousand mirrors as they spun like crazed dancers, giggling their dizzy heads off. Charlotte briefly remembered an ice-skating competition she watched once before, telling Kit about it through heavy pants – how they did amazing tricks. Seemingly inspired, Kit swiftly let go of her hands, causing her to panic as he placed them on her waist.
"I'm going to lift you up," he yelled.
"What? No, I-," she screamed as her feet left the ice, her body losing control as Kit tried his best to lift her. Unfortunately, the task proved too difficult for the both of them and they crashed, spinning completely out of control, their limbs entangled within one another. Until finally, the smashed into a boulder with enough force to knock the wind out of Charlotte's lungs, bringing on a spell of nausea so strong she feared she would puke all over Kit. The wave passed and she was able to process the situation she was in.
A blush crept up her cheeks, spreading like rust as her nose pressed against Kit's mask, her lips briefly brushing the wood. She heard a strange noise – almost a squeak – come from him. She tried to pull away, but found herself trapped by both his limbs and the boulder behind her.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of red, followed by another impact and an excited squeal from Flow. How she managed to stay within that wagon was unknown to the children. They were tossed along the ice again until finally they ran out of spin. Breathing heavily and feeling incredibly awkward, they began the process of untangling themselves from each other's embrace.
Once freed, the two put a distance of at least three metres from one another. There was a long, awkward silence that resulted in Charlotte unceremoniously declaring she was going to go make sure Flow was okay. Finding that traversing the ice was a lot easier than facing Kit at that present moment, she inched over to the now battered wagon.
Flow smiled cheerily at her from within. Clearly, despite the incident, she was only growing happier, which was all Charlotte wanted for her. Beaming back at her, she brushed her wiry fur with her grazed palms, briefly embracing her in a hug. When she pulled away, she noticed the purple sheen covering the whites of her eyes, the twitch in her left cheek. Both the awkwardness and happiness she had previously felt drained away like water in a shower. She turned to Kit, who now had his back to her, scratching the back of his head.
"We should…get going. That was stupid and now I feel all weird and we probably messed 425 up more," he seethed, heading towards the gaping crevice just up ahead. Charlotte opened her mouth to comment on how he actually enjoyed himself but was soon silenced by the sight of the bridge crossing the chasm.
It was once a wooden rope bridge, but now, it was caked in permanent ice, making it rigid and slippery. The ropes had snapped in places, unable to bear the weight of the ice. She called out for him to wait, sliding towards him, pulling the wagon along with her. Firebrand, who had avoided the crash, was waiting in an ice-free spot just in front of the bridge. Charlotte stared out over the icy expanse nervously, partially wishing that they could simply turn around and find another path. However, a loud and familiar canine bark in the distance reminded them of why they needed to push on. Kit seemed to have no problems, or at least, his vulpix mask did not betray him.
"We'll have to take turns," he muttered thoughtfully. "Since 425 and her wagon are pretty heavy I think you should have Sunnyside tow her along the bridge first." Awed by his ingenuity, she followed his suggestion, sending out the spirited fairy. He spun around once in the air before receiving his orders. Cautiously, he pulled Flow's wagon to the opposite side of the trench.
The pair watched with bated breath as tiny chunks of ice freed themselves from the frozen bridge, plummeting far below. Charlotte swallowed thickly, trembling as a large split appeared in the middle-most part of the railing. She heaved a sigh in relief as the pokemon made it to the other side. As back-up, Charlotte asked Sunnyside to hover along the length of the bridge just in case either one of them fell along the way.
Kit was the next to go, since he refused to let Charlotte do anything before him. His ninja-training was useful here, his light-footedness enabling him to get both himself and Firebrand across the bridge without any difficulty. It was like he weighed less than a feather. Even more nervous than previously, Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut, taking a few deep breaths, before forcing herself out onto the bridge.
Once she reached the weakened centre of the bridge, a groan and a loud crack drew her eyes to the ground below her, which she had desperately tried to ignore despite her morbid instincts. The ice beneath her had begun to crack further, spreading out beneath her like a lightning strike. Panic hit her like a bus, and within moments, she found herself screaming, her voice melding with cracks as she sprinted to the landing, almost crashing into Sunnyside.
Breathing heavily and incredibly relieved, she stared back at the bridge she had traversed, catching sight of one last fragment of ice drop below. She looked at Kit, who simply shook his head in disapproval. "Don't be a pussy," he hissed.
"A…cat?" she projected confusedly. Kit rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, stuffing the other hand in his pocket.
"I-I don't know, it doesn't mean that," he said quickly, not wanting her to reveal the deficits in his knowledge. He just heard his neighbour yelling it once before – he was sure it was an insult. He began to head off down the thin tunnel just north of the bridge.
Charlotte began to head after him, only to cast one last look at the bridge upon hearing a bark. The orange and black coat of Olivia's growlithe stood out against the blue ice, the creature struggling to make its way across. Beneath its feat, steam curled into the air as fresh water dampened his pads.
"Kit!" she called, catching his attention. She pointed towards the pokemon, though he didn't seem to care. "Yeah, I know, we got to get moving or it'll drag us back to that chick."
"No, it…it's burning a hole in the bridge," she said, squinting her eyes as she tried to get a better look of what was going on. A deafening crack shook the entire bridge, Charlotte's delicate features twisting in horror as the whole thing fractured beneath his feet, plummeting into the depths below. A yelp gurgled from his throat as he was caught by a lump of melting ice and wood. A succession of loud crashes followed.
On the opposite side of the ravine, Olivia clasped her hands over her mouth and her knees buckled beneath her, nearly giving way. Momentarily, she turned tail and sprinted back down the tunnel, presumably to locate another passage down there. In the wake of the incident, silence rose up like a miasma, sending chills down Charlotte's spine. "We have to see if he's okay," she said immediately, spotting a long ledge leading down to the trench floor. It was just thick enough for her to fit. She was terrified of the ledge becoming unstable, but she really didn't want Ace to die from whatever injuries he sustained.
Kit rolled his eyes, choosing to stay put under the guise of him making sure Flow was okay. Even more frightened without him with her, she tried to think cheerier thoughts as she descended slowly, yet determinedly. The walls seemed to creak as she clung onto them, her legs wobbling like jelly. Her breath hitched in her throat, as if it were lined in glue.
Body aching with all the tensing, she finally made it to the bottom of the trench, the cliff she was just on towering at least twenty metres above her now. Quickly, she got to work searching for any tufts of orange fur amongst the debris of ice, rock and splintered wood. As she searched with her numb fingers, she was bothered by a shuffling amongst the rocks.
Initially, she had hoped it was the growlithe she was looking for, but upon finding his limp body lying trapped beneath a couple of heavy planks of wood, she learnt otherwise. She began to hastily approach him, concerned, only to slow her pace at the sight of a pokemon she had never seen before.
The pokemon had thick, brown fur with darker streaks. Its stubby, hooved legs were almost completely hidden beneath its tiny body so the girl wonder how it managed to even get around. Its peachy pink snout sniffed the wounded puppy in intrigue, though its beady eyes told the trainer that this was not the first time it had seen a pokemon fall. Its short tusks glinted in the low-light as it noticed the girl approaching, though it didn't move, it just stared at her expectantly.
Curious yet worried for Ace, she whipped out both her pokedex and her medicinal case. Firstly, she pried the growlithe out of the debris, cradling him as gently as possible as she checked him over for injuries. His worst injury appeared to be a broken leg, combined with some nasty cuts and bruises. Luckily, his life didn't appear to be in danger, and she was able to apply first aid. Once her work was complete, and she had spritzed him with a couple super potions, he was well enough to reach up and lick her nose appreciatively. She smiled at him, pleased that he was going to be alright for the trip to Blackthorn. Before she returned to Kit, she decided to attend to the little pokemon at her knees with her pokedex.
It was a female swinub, a duel ground and ice type. Its species was known for having a particularly keen sense of smell and being highly resistant to the cold. She had the nature oblivious, rendering her immune to infatuation, which Charlotte didn't totally understand but she assumed was useful. It was ARS level 23, which was about the same level her pokemon.
She sat there for a few moments, staring deep into her eyes, wavering in her conviction. It was just standing right there, not a hint of fear on its features and was pretty cute to boot. She also would need an ice type pokemon if she was going to stand a chance against the dragon-type gym in Blackthorn, she realised grimly. Mind made up, she unclipped Moonlight's pokeball, hoping that catching this swinub would earn him some decent experience points. Recognising the movement, the swinub made to escape, only to be caught off by Moonlight materialising right behind her.
He yipped happily, shaking his rear end playfully as he stared expectantly at his trainer, fully prepared for a fight at all times. Pleased by his enthusiasm, Charlotte hoped that this next attack would break the barrier between a level 10 eevee and a level 23 swinub.
"Shadow ball!" she yelled with pride, drawing a wary look from Kit up above. She had been gifted the training manual for it after losing a battle with an ace trainer, who said that she probably needed it more than he did. Trying to remember how the move went, Moonlight hesitated as his eyes began to shine a deep violet, a hazy purple aura leeching from his fur. With a bark, from his mouth he fired a ball of shadows directly into the duel type, a puff of smoke enveloping her upon contact. Eagerly, Charlotte waiting for the smoke to clear, only to find that the swinub appeared almost completely unaffected by the attack. She just blinked at her confusedly.
"Uh…use tail whip a few times," she tried. Moonlight flipped onto his back, shaking his tail in swinub's general direction with a goofy grin. She seemed even more confused now, taking a few steps towards him. Suddenly disturbed, the eevee scrambled behind Charlotte's legs. She sighed heavily and shrugged at swinub. Impatient, she figured she would try to catch it with an ultra-ball rather than send out another pokemon. Clumsily, from lack of practice, she tossed the pokeball at her opponent. Quickly, she commanded Moonlight to sit on it, in an attempt to assure it stayed shut. He did so and a few moments later, a relieving click was heard. Beaming, she retrieved the pokeball, clicking it triumphantly to her belt.
"Hey Kit!" she called, cupping her hand to her mouth to project her voice. "I caught a pokemon! I'm naming her Tundra."
"Well, I'm going to catch two pokemon in Blackthorn just to show you I can catch things better than you," he yelled down at her, his voice containing not even a hint of congratulatory grace. Her mood dampened, and she returned to her main task of carrying Olivia's growlithe out of the ravine.
They set off at a fast jog as they knew that Olivia was even more agitated in her pursuit now. The jagged walls seemed to close in on them as the path narrowed to the point where they had to move single-file, their shoulders scraping against the shallow rock. All the while, an odd cracking sound could be heard above them, bringing further urgency to the children's escape. With a shattering crash, the ceiling mere paces in front of them shattered.
As Olivia's face was generally enshrined in a dopey, kind look, Charlotte nearly jumped out of her skin when she fell from the freshly made hole in a puff of dust and debris. Her breath seethed through her teeth in huffs, her hair tipped in ice, scrapes crisscrossing her skin, lips inked purple with cold. In her eyes burned a fire that seemed to devour every trace of blue, yet it was clear that rage was stoked by deep concern. Kit immediately moved for his pokemon belt, but Charlotte stopped him.
She cowered under her gaze, wanting just to give Ace back and be given a five second start to start running again. But she knew that wasn't going to happen. The guilt sinking in her gut told her so. Kit, in denial, came to the same conclusion. Olivia had burst through the cavern roof, and was currently blocking the only way forward. There was no way to cross the ravine behind them with the bridge out. His knuckles twitched as he considered just decking her in the face and subsequently knocking her out so she would cease being a pain.
Listlessly, Charlotte held Ace out, like some kind of peace offering. Olivia took her eyes off them for merely a moment as she received the pokemon, checked Charlotte's handiwork, and returned the pokemon with a vague look of relief. She promptly turned her attention towards Flow's listless face in the red wagon trailing behind them. Kit moved in front of her, gaze darkening underneath his mask.
"We both know she's going to die," he muttered as if saying so would kill her right there and then. Olivia flinched, anger draining from her face. "Like Carrot said, she might as well see the outside world." The ranger straightened up, regaining her mad expression, though not nearly as intensely as before.
"Not if we get her to Blackthorn, now," she said firmly. "I have no idea what you're punishment for this will be but I'm sure it will be pretty grave, do you two even realise what you've done?" She glared down at them, trying to evoke some kind of understanding response, but received nothing. They were children after all, and they clearly believed what they were doing was right.
"We…we were going to take her back to the pokemon centre anyway b-because she l-looks sick," stammered Charlotte, gesturing at the purple fluid spilling from the hybrid's eyes, accompanied by the milky gloss covering her irises. Her body seemed to twitch uncontrollably, muscles spasming as if a seizure was going to take her at any moment.
"Look, regardless, we need to go," Olivia said in deep concern. Charlotte had only seen such a look, such a tone of voice, in her mother once before. It was a year ago, when she snuck out of home to go swim in the lake outside Sprout Tower with a couple of her school friends. Given that it was nearing winter and the water was freezing, she contracted pneumonia and was sick for weeks. Throughout her illness, her mother had a constant look of anxiety that seemed to settle over every one of her features.
And for that reason, Charlotte began to understand why Olivia so urgently wished to get Flow to a pokemon centre. She also reminded herself that, after all, the woman was a ranger – her job was to protect the pokemon of the world. At the end of the day, just like her mother, she knew what was best.
"…Okay, l-let's go," she uttered, following the ranger dejectedly. Kit stood there in silent rage with no clue what he should do. He could just choose to abandon the whole situation by turning around and leaving Charlotte to their problems. His gaze flickered towards the chasm briefly, before returning to see the girl's backs, and Flow's wagon, steadily heading away from him. Clutched by a feeling of unease that he didn't care to analyse at the time, he cursed his own name violently as he followed them.
Olivia must have contacted Blackthorn's police force, as they were waiting to meet them at the end of Ice Path. Kit's nerves tingled with apprehension upon spotting the batons and steel handcuffs hanging from their belts. Their pokemon were absent – this was no place for a battle. Charlotte was fixated upon the handcuffs, concerned that they were going to be used. Luckily, that seemed to not be the case, as Olivia simply handed over Flow and her red wagon which was promptly whisked away by one of the officers towards the orange-roofed pokemon center.
The children watched her leave with a heavy feeling in their hearts, Charlotte hoping that their time with her had not induced any permanent damage. They didn't have too long to reminisce, as the remaining officer escorted them to the police station. With each step, guilt rose and intensified in Charlotte, bringing faint nausea. She knew she had gone against her own morals – theft was something that she deplored and had reprimanded Kit for doing before. But now, here she was, by his side, accused of the same crime he was when they met. What would her mother think of her?
Kit knew full well how Charlotte was feeling, but couldn't reciprocate her feelings. For him, this was exactly what he would be doing if they had not partnered up anyway. He would have continued being a ninja for hire, doing whatever his employer asked, whether that be theft or saving someone's life. He was beginning to think that returning to such a life wouldn't be so bad.
The police outpost was small – a neat shack constructed from planks of white-washed wood. A signpost with the word 'police' on it was nailed to the blue tiled roof. It looked like the crime rates were low here, judging from the diminished police force. The screen door was thrust open and the children were ushered inside, to a small alcove on the left with a couple sunken sofas. They were told to wait patiently until an officer was ready to brief them. To their utter horror, they were also told that their parents would be contacted.
Charlotte sunk in her chair, filled with perpetual fear of her mother. If she were to find out what she had been doing, her punishment would be unlike any she had received before. Her mother had never beaten her – she had no need to – but now she was not quite sure. Trembling as wave after wave of rising panic hit her, she sent out Fang, holding him close. Sensing her distress, Fang panicked and bit her hand, his maw effectively swallowing her whole hand. At least she was distracted from her fears for a few moments while she pried him off.
Kit, however, was surprisingly calm, gazing out the window at the rolling mountainous landscape outside. His parents expect this kind of behaviour for him – this wasn't his first theft, after all. He had stolen pokemon time and time again – he only got in trouble by his parents if he was caught which, in their eyes, was worse than the actual crime. Though he had to admit the circumstances surrounding the theft were more serious, since the pokemon was under intensive care and protection from the government, their penalty was likely going to be more serious than just a smack and being locked in his room for three days. A cold shudder ran down his spine as he came up with worst case scenarios.
Momentarily, a middle-aged female officer sauntered up to them, equipped with a clipboard and pen. Olivia accompanied her, looking grave. Kit was opposite to her, but if he was beside her, Charlotte would have clung to him. She fought hot tears, averting her gaze since looking at them only made her tear up more.
"Charlotte Orange Evergreen, aged 11, Mamoru Nakano, aged 12," she began. Kit flinched upon hearing his real name, face scrunching up in a scowl beneath his mask. He didn't say anything though – he was already in enough trouble. Charlotte's arms tightened around her partner pokemon, a low growl gurgling from his throat as he sensed the trouble his trainer was in. If given the command, he would attack Olivia and the officer and not think twice.
"First of all, Mamoru, hand me your mask. You may get it back at the end of our conversation," she said sternly. Kit froze as if he had been hit with an ice beam attack. There was a long moment before he took it off, reluctantly handing it over. He suddenly felt less confident, as if everyone in the entire police station was watching him now, judging him. Charlotte resisted the urge to stare at him.
"You have both been convicted of pokemon theft – serious theft, since this isn't a normal pokemon, but a critically ill, one-of-a-kind pokemon that the Union has taken into its care," she went on, her face placid and tainted with a professional seriousness – it was like she had seen a thousand cases like this one. "Now, first I want to find out who amongst you is responsible for initiating this plan," she said. "I'm assuming there was a plan as all the security cameras in the pokemon center were conveniently down at the time of the theft, and all three of the security guards had been incapacitated with, I believe, sleeping pills."
That was Kit's handiwork. Charlotte's job was simply to retrieve Flow, whereas Kit would take care of any security. At the time, Charlotte was awed by his talent, but now she felt guilty for the both of them and wished that there was a deficit in Kit's talent which led them to be caught before they had actually stolen Flow. At least then, they wouldn't get into so much trouble
The children exchanged grim expressions, hesitant to actually say anything. It was Kit's idea in the first place and it was his resources and skills that essentially put in into action, but Charlotte went along with it without resistance. They needed to talk alone.
"C-can we have a few moments," Kit stuttered. "Uh…alone," he added. The woman very obviously glanced at the security camera just above them before nodding and leaving them be. Kit immediately got up and sat beside Charlotte, much too close for comfort. Face heating up, he whispered.
"We're in deep shit," he began. "Look, I don't know that much about the whole criminal system but I know that from the age 12, you can be punished and even go to court for crimes that you have been found responsible for." Charlotte's heart skipped a beat as it fell into her stomach. That would mean that Kit could be held responsible for the whole thing and would be punished for it, whereas she could go unscathed (provided her mother didn't kill her).
"But kids under the age of 16 don't actually get convicted if they are incapable of recognising the wrong in their actions in a sort of…uh…court…like way?" he trailed off at the end of his sentence, unsure how to explain it. Charlotte seemed to understand though so he stopped trying.
"What we did was…right though, in a way, right?" she projected. Kit nodded in agreeance.
"It was. And because of that, they'll let us off, as long as we explain ourselves carefully. Because I don't want your stupid guilt or empathy getting us in trouble. I am halfway to getting the funds I need to go to ninja school – if I get fined, I'll lose all of that. And even worse – I could go to juvenile detention," he continued. His expression was set with determination, though his eyes betrayed him – guilt glimmered in their midnight pools. His hands gripped her shoulders, causing her to seize up, face getting even hotter.
"Do you understand? Play dumb, which isn't hard because you're dumber than a sack of bricks," he said firmly. She took offence to that but understood his message nonetheless. There was one question that was still not completely answered though.
"Who do we say is responsible?" she asked, dire. Kit paused, grip loosening slightly and falling to her forearms. Charlotte's head was swimming with dizziness as she tried to stay afloat in this situation. She wanted to hold his hand but she knew it would probably make her more anxious. She settled for fiddling with the hems of her shorts instead.
"I…fuck," he faltered. She frowned at his explicative but had pretty much given up on stopping him by this point. There was a silence. Kit moved away from her, bells tinkling as he did so. He stared down at his wrists with a wry smile. "Huh…you gave me these to stop stealing."
"I think I need some too," she sighed.
"Nah, it doesn't work. I'm cutting them off later," he noted. She couldn't help but agree. He hadn't taken them off since she tied them to his wrists – they had both become accustomed to their chime now. But they did nothing to stop him. "But, seriously though, let's just say we were both at fault because that's pretty much the truth."
"I guess so…you did come up with the idea though," she whispered softly, not wanting anyone to hear that since it would land him in further trouble. He punched her in the arm and she winced, but silently, they had both agreed to admit that they were both at fault.
Finally, Kit called the officer back, who was waiting on the opposite side of the room.
"Right, so are you ready now?" she asked. They nodded, and she repeated the question. "Who was responsible for this plan?"
They both began to speak at the same time. Flustered, Charlotte quietened down, Kit continuing for the both of them. "We're both at fault. I-I…" he stopped, glanced at Charlotte, and sighed. "We both wanted to get her out of there. We had the same idea." He worded his statement as carefully as possible, hoping that they would just convict them both for the crime so the punishment wouldn't be dumped on him alone. If he didn't win over that officer, he would make Charlotte regret the day they met.
"Alright," confirmed the officer. "Now, why did you two decide this was a good idea?"
That was an easy question, to which Charlotte swiftly replied, voice trembling, yet coloured with passion, "Freedom. I know…sh-she's going to die so I wanted her to see the outside before she…yeah," she muttered sheepishly. "A-all she knew were white walls and horrible experiments…she needed to see that was not all there is in the world."
Kit picked up the thread. "We knew she was going to die if she was outside intensive care for too long, since she's like…physically…unstable? I don't know. So we were going to return her as soon as we got to Blackthorn. There is nothing wrong with what we did." He looked at Charlotte again, wanting her to nod or something but she just sat bolt upright, fists resting on her thighs, looking incredibly guilty. He bit back a discontented sigh.
"Whatever your intentions may have been," began the officer. "That pokemon was still stolen, and you have sabotaged equipment and incapacitated police officers to get it. Not only that but this pokemon needs to be presented as evidence in the upcoming meeting. We cannot let you slide for this one, despite your young ages." She paused to scribble some notes on her clipboard, chewing her lip habitually. All the while, Olivia stood by her side, simply nodding every once and again.
"I'm going to further clarify the story with Ms. Speckler here, and then I will consult my superiors for a suitable punishment. We will also be consulting your parents once they arrive tomorrow. In the meantime, you two will be staying here," she explained. "Your pokemon will be confiscated, healed, and returned to you tomorrow if your sentence allows it." Fang growled loudly in disapproval, not wanting to be torn from his trainer. Charlotte stroked his forehead, feeling just as apprehensive, but knowing it was only short-term.
Olivia sheepishly added, "Um…I don't think all of this is really necessary." Judging from the guilt in the children's eyes, they weren't going to attempt stealing another pokemon any time soon.
"It's just a precaution," the officer clarified. With that, they were led to a small room at the back of the station furnished purely by a couple of beds and a dingy bathroom separated from the main room by a curtain. The door snapped shut behind them with a sense of finality, the light on the roof flickering with the force.
They spent a few moments glaring into the security camera in the ceiling, before falling down on their respective beds. Charlotte curled into a foetal position, hugging the pillow to her stomach, finally letting herself cry. Kit simply watched her for a little while, unbeknownst to her, before lying back. He was fed up with all her tears, but he supposed this time they were justified.
"They didn't give back my mask," he retorted. "So don't look at me."
She said nothing. He had been expecting her to say some crap like 'but your face is cute' but she seemed to be too overcome. A long silence passed, and Kit was seriously considering just going to sleep and dealing with it all tomorrow, when Charlotte spoke again.
"I'm scared," she squeaked. She felt exposed and vulnerable without her pokemon with her – she had nothing to defend herself with, both from external and internal forces. Her mother was going to be there tomorrow, leering down at her through her glasses, probably thinking that she was the worst daughter she could have asked for. She was going to be sentenced. A sentence which, in her pessimistic mind, was likely the worst they could dish out to children. Not only that, but her mother was probably going to force her to come home too.
"I can't be a ranger if I do stuff like this! Rangers don't steal, or disobey the law," she wailed. Kit rose all of a sudden, clenching his fists. He didn't care about her stupid, bleeding heart dream, but her sobbing was shortening his fuse. At least, that was his surface excuse for speaking up.
"This is exactly the kind of shit rangers do!" he reprimanded. "I mean, I don't know jack about rangers but I'm assuming they always do what they feel is best, right?" Charlotte nodded, numbed by his sudden outburst. "You did, we did, what was right in our own minds. Now 425 can die knowing how the water feels running through her fur, and how the dirt feels beneath her toes. You always do what is best for pokemon, you numbskull. You're a good person."
"She…is not going to die," whispered Charlotte, her sobs dying down. Kit didn't answer immediately, he was too busy chastising himself for letting slip an ounce of care for her – a ninja does not show affection.
"Did you even listen to the rest of the stuff I said?" he asked.
"Yes…t-thank you," she smiled solemnly.
The two fell silent again, a silence which was not broken for hours, both of them locked within their own emotions. Beyond their guilt, they both felt they had done the right thing. They also knew that no matter what they had done, Flow would not live very long. In the end, she was going to die.