Episode 10: Pop Star's Façade

Backstage wasn't nearly as extravagant as Lute was expecting. It was quiet, the lighting was dim, and most of the walls looked like a stage play, in that nothing reached the ceiling and was clearly made of unfolded cardboard or something. The red and pink colour stood out at least, but the lack of staff running around brought down his mood a bit.

Not that that mattered - he was already so mad at Sophitia that there was a gap between them. Him and Infia walked on Silver's left while Sophitia was on the right. They walked in silence for a while until the Goodra stopped them all outside a row of rooms.

"This may come as a surprise, but we very nearly had a murder on our paws," Silver began, making the trio flinch. "A number of staff got seriously hurt, and one has been transported to hospital. Our investigators said most of the damage was dealt from bites and poisoning."

"That's horrible!" Infia said.

"That is… but er, if you've already got Pokémon on the case, what do you want us to do? I don't think I could stomach looking at anything like that," Sophitia said.

"Find the culprit, of course. We've managed to secure the area. None of the unharmed Pokémon are allowed to leave," Silver folded her arms. "I know. It's quite violent for your second case. But trust yourselves. Just do what you did when you did when you caught Victoria."

"That was all Sophitia, though," Lute frowned.

"And to be honest, I could only do that on a whim because it was for a Pokémon I cared about, you know? I just didn't want Infia getting arrested. This, I know nothing about anyone involved," Sophitia said.

"Then find out. You've got time," Silver said. There was a pause. "The victims were all staff. Just Pokémon that handle things like lighting, cleaning and stuff. There doesn't seem to be a theme or a connection amongst them. On the other hand, the accused is Phoenix, Esther's personal security."

"Phoenix?" Lute and Infia said, exchanging a glance.

"Yes. The very same agent we appointed to take care of you," Silver nodded.

"He was a… Fennekin, right? Can they use poison attacks?" Sophitia said.

"As far as we know, only the move Toxic. Toxic is such a widely useable attack that the poison part has us a bit confuddled. It could be anyone," Silver said. "I've given you clearance to question everyone you find here. If you need me, I'll be by the manager."

The trio was quiet even after she disappeared into one of the rooms, until Lute broke the silence with a gulp. "I can't help but feel like she's still testing us or something."

"You and me both. But if she thinks we can figure this out, then we probably can. Let's do this," Sophitia said.

"I can't believe that, though. Phoenix is so quiet. I can't imagine him hurting Pokémon like this," Infia face the floor. "He barely ever says or does anything, he just does what he needs to. And he cooks. Why would he try to kill Pokémon?"

"Well, not saying I don't believe you or anything, but he was a security guard here for goodness knows how long. What I mean is, we don't know anything about what's been happening here. There's obviously some drama or something," Sophitia said. Infia looked like she was going to tear up, giving her a shivering look. "Ah, I just have to be open minded, okay? Sorry about that."

"Oh great, now some kids are sneaking back stage and- hey you!" a girl's voice shouted loud enough for the hallway to shake, making them all jump. Lute and Infia's eyes widened now, and the latter froze up completely.

Esther was stomping toward them, paws clenched into fists at her sides. This Pikachu was taller than Lute expected, but dressed almost exactly like Infia was right now: a short shirt and a frilly tutu that shimmered with pinks, purples, and glitter. Cute bows adorned one ear and her chest, while pink slippers covered her feet. If it wasn't for her angry look, something about the real deal's version of this costume felt more provocative to him than cute, although it was both. She was a beautiful Pikachu, definitely the kind that felt 'too good' for him.

"I dunno who you kids are, but please just make this easy for me and get outta here. This just isn't the time or place to mess about and be fans. I'm not signing anything," she said, trying to stand over them. There was a hint of moan to her voice, as if she was in pain or something. Either way, he didn't know how to respond. Infia's fangirling was closer to the original than he ever could've imagined.

"Er, sorry. W-we may be 'kids', but we're um," Sophitia mumbled as she revealed her badge.

"Oh god. Seriously? They said they were getting detectives, please don't tell me it's you guys?" Esther replied, spinning and raising her head. She threw her arms up and groaned. "First Fluffy Cheeks gets arrested for some shit he couldn't possibly do, now you're telling me I gotta rely on some snotty little fangirls? This day just can't get any worse!"

"Hey, I'm a boy!" Lute said.

"Yeah. Next thing you're gonna tell me, you're Phoenix Wright. I don't care what you did, just, go home. In fact, gimme those badges. You obviously stole them," Esther held a paw forward. "I don't have time to mess about. Just do this, please?"

"Whoa whoa okay now, hold on. I wanted to be nice, but I ain't gonna be spoken to like a delinquent," Sophitia said. "We know about the murders and stuff. We're your investigators, like it or not. Silver's orders."

Esther stepped back and scanned them. "Ohh, right. Now that I look at it, you guys are the ones that found Victoria in that case back in Everend. Wow, I didn't think the agents would take you on. I dunno if they're desperate or what. Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

"… I would start by asking what happened, but to be honest, you really don't seem to be in the mood," Sophitia said slowly.

"Of course I'm not in the mood. I didn't wanna do this damn show in the first place, then all this shit happens. I can't go and sightsee, I've been alone for hours, and I'm so freaking hungry my body feels like it's gonna turn inside-out or something, it actually hurts like hell," Esther rambled as stomped around. She stopped with a grunt and clutched her belly with both paws, stretching like a pang was putting her in agony. "In fact, fuck this. I can't stand this anymore. I don't care if they want me to play tonight or what."

The glittery Pikachu stomped off into one of the rooms with a gold star on it, booting it open so hard the door hit the back wall. Lute and Sophitia watched her, their mouths on the floor.

"Is… that really… Esther?" Infia said quietly.

"They said they locked everyone out, so yeah. It has to be," Sophitia said.

The three of them immediately nearly tripped on discarded sweet packs and other rubbish. Litter made mountains in her room, and if they weren't mistaken, the smell of alcohol was present.

"And this is your room?" Infia said, this time aloud.

"Oh yeah, 'cos I'm a pop star, I've gotta be miss perfect. It's gotta be all clean and frilly and have a million make up products and shit," Esther rambled as she ravaged through a fridge at the far end of the room. She emerged with a four-pack of cup noodles and slammed them on her desk, ripped off the covers and filled them with water from a cold kettle, then squeezed her cheeks to roast all four of them with electricity. In a flash, the cups were steaming.

No one knew what to say. For Lute, the room blew his expectations out of the water. Despite being a popup room, it had the facilities he only could've dreamt of having his own room. Esther had a desk and mirrors lining one side, her own fridge, a cupboard dozens of times her size, and even what looked like a computer attached to one wall. The buttons beside the computer implied that it enabled her to contact the other rooms in the area from here.

But with the crude variety of mess all around, he almost couldn't see her bed. Nothing was clean, nothing was maintained, and it looked like everything she drank and ate had just been tossed into a pile without a care in the world. A Muk would have trouble making all of this mess.

"Oh, right. I just realised your costume. You're a real fangirl and stuff," Esther said, taking out contact lenses from her eyes. Now they looked a lot less glittery. She threw off her pink shirt too, leaving just a white, sleeveless undershirt. "Well, the Purrloin's outta the bag little Miss Minun. This is the real me. Fluffy Cheeks normally keeps it all tidy for me, but Brayen kept him busy all day."

Infia didn't reply. Her face twisted a bit, but she gulped and her breathing could be heard.

"Yeah yeah. I'm a slob, I'm gross, I shouldn't let the kids hear my foul mouth. Whatever, heard it all before, I really don't care anymore. Oh but… you guys aren't hungry too, are ya? I should've offered you something, too,"

"Not… really," Sophitia said, tilting her head.

"Your loss," Esther said, taking her first cup. She just downed it right in front of them, making them lean back from the slurps and gulps she was making. She didn't even stop until the first cup was finished, letting out a loud breath. "Oh my god I needed that. Seriously, why do Pokémon hate these things so much? They're so damn good!"

"She ate cup noodles by drinking it?" Lute gasped in his mind.

"Instant food is kinda bad for you and stuff," Sophitia muttered, going quiet as the Pikachu moved onto the next cup. She started sweating a bit, sneaking an awkward glance at Lute and Infia, who looked just as awkward. "You weren't kidding about being hungry and stuff, huh?"

"Oh shit, sorry!" she gasped. "Listen, uh, Brayen sorta makes me keep figure and stuff. I haven't eaten a thing since like, early morning yesterday. I'm literally starving to death, you gotta understand!"

"Wait, why did you go that long without food?" Infia asked.

"I just told you, to keep figure and stuff. Pikachu sorta get a bad rep for being called fat, and I put it on pretty easily. But with all the travelling and interviews and rehearsals I have to do, there's no other way for me to not put on weight other than to just, not eat," she said, taking another long gulp. She went right onto the third cup. "Fluffy Cheeks sometimes sneaks me snacks and stuff, though. Drinks too, that's where you see the fancy stuff over there."

"Isn't she underage for drinking? I don't mean to be picky but…" Sophitia thought. She blinked in disbelief. "You've mentioned fluffy cheeks a few times. Who or what?"

"Oh, Fluffy Cheeks! Mister Fluffy Cheeks is Mister Fluffy Cheeks. He's called that 'cos that's what he's got, fluffy cheeks!" she cheered. Lute and Sophitia exchanged blank gazes, making her laugh. "He's my Fennekin guard, silly! The cutie's really quiet, but he's a real sweetheart. He's always looking out for me, and it makes Brayen pretty jealous."

"Finally, we're getting somewhere," Sophitia thought, shaking her head. Now she was smiling. "So it's obvious you guys are close. I'm not saying he's the one who did it, but any reason why he would hurt all those Pokémon?"

Esther folded her arms and looked away. "Framing."

"framing?" Lute said, tilting his head.

"Brayen is my manager in this whole thing. But the way I like Mister Fluffy Cheeks, it makes him really jealous. And I mean really jealous. I think he likes me, even though he's a Bewear. Size difference is gross, though. I've got no interest in a big guy like him."

"We'll be meeting him soon for sure," Sophitia said.

"Whenever we're all together, he's always trying to silence Phoenix. And this morning, he gave Phoenix a whole load of chores to do or something, saying I had to stay in my room. He always tries to get rid of Fluffy Cheeks like that, and then gets all sweet with me and stuff when we're alone. It's actually pretty creepy," she said, still looking away. She slowly drank her third cup, looking like she was concentrating. "Normally it's just petty stuff like talking over Phoenix or trying to hold my hand, but this morning, something felt real off. There was this guy with him who Brayen wouldn't let me talk to."

"Someone new?" Sophitia asked.

"Yeah. A Swirlix. I was outside walking around when I wasn't supposed to, and Brayen got all defensive when he saw me. You know, like I wasn't supposed to see the Swirlix guy or something," she went quiet. "Look, I know I'm not supposed to give you guys ideas and stuff, but I'm kinda afraid that Swirlix was from Spirle."

"What?" Lute whispered. His chest grew heavy in an instant.

"Seriously. You know what a Swirlix looks like, right? That cute cotton candy Pokémon. But this guy was sorta… buff? That kinda look when you know you're gonna get beaten the shit out of if you bump into him in an alleyway or something. I dunno how, but I got that vibe from him," she said.

"Infia, what kind of shows does Esther put on?" Sophitia asked.

Infia flinched when all eyes went on her, not realising she was being spoken to. Her face had gone pale, and she was so blank she looked ill. "I er…"

"Why ask her? I'm right here," Esther said.

"Just trust me on this," Sophitia said.

"… Esther's shows are a lot like plays. Even though it's her performing music, there's always a theme and a story across it all. Sometimes actors perform with her, but she does all the singing," Infia played with her paws.

"That creates the possibility that Swirlix is just a good actor," Sophitia scratched her chin.

"But then why not let me meet him? Everyone else I've performed with I've gotten to know. That's even before they're confirmed to work with us. Plus, tonight was just supposed to be me and Brayen. Why force me to stay in my room without Phoenix?" Esther said, going back to her food. "Even if it ain't Spirle, it just seems too shady. But my hunch is telling me that where there's a Spritzee, a Swirlix ain't far."

"We need to see Brayen. And this Swirlix. They have to still be around," Sophitia turned to her allies. Lute nodded unsurely, while Infia was back to her blank state.

"Do you mind if I tag along? I can't stand another minute in here, and I'm still hungry," Esther said, downing her last cup. She swiped the lot of them off the desk and into her pile, wiping her mouth. "Dunno if you're doing it on purpose, but I get the feeling you don't trust me, either. So I gotta prove myself and all that."

"It's not that I don't trust you, I just have to look at things this way, you know? I can't go having a biased opinion," Sophitia said as she shuffled through the rubbish piles to get out.

"You were biased for Infia," Lute said.

"Yeah but- oh shut up."

Esther directed them down the hallway, keeping behind them and pointing where they needed to go. It wasn't a long walk, but it did bring their attention to markings on the floor. White outlines of Pokémon were there.

"What's this?" Lute asked, careful not to step on them.

"Crime scene marks. It just shows where the hurt Pokémon were found. I guess the investigation already happened long before Silver brought us in," Sophitia scratched her chin with a feeler. She looked up to see a trio of bickering Pokémon emerge from the room they were heading towards, those being Silver, a Bewear, and a Swirlix.

"You can't leave now. That's an order from the authorities," Silver said, having to bounce after them.

"Please mister, reconsider. You remember our bargain, don't you?" Bewear said, his paws cupped together. His voice was unbelievably friendly and high pitched. "If you would just cooperate with the authorities now, I am sure we can discuss of contracts further."

"You had your chance and you threw it when you let the Fennekin get away. Any deals we have are off!" Swirlix said, revealing his rough, gritty, and excitable voice. He stopped before Lute and company, snickering to himself. "And you three are? Authorities, too?"

"Yes we are," Sophitia said.

"Good. Your names?"

"I'm Lute—"

"Yours first!" Sophitia slapped Lute with a feeler.

"Lute?" Swirlix blinked. He seemed surprised for a moment, and then cracked an excited smile. "And that makes you Sophitia. Well now, this is great!"

"And you are? I have quite a few questions for you," Sophitia became tense.

"No need, no need. I am Spirle High Point Victor, a commander of the same rank as Victoria," Swirlix said.

It took a moment for what he'd just said to get a reaction out of anyone, but they all flinched back, eyes widened. In Lute's case, his breathing became erratic and uncertain, and his focus locked onto the Swirlix and nothing else. That cocky smile and loose tongue smelt of confidence, confidence he wasn't prepared to challenge.

"I knew it, I freaking knew it!" Esther cried, hiding behind Sophitia. "Guys, do you your thing!"

"Wait, you've gotta be joking. You're revealing yourself to us? You're not really a High Point, are you?" Sophitia said. "You're just trying to play us!"

"That isn't something to joke about," Silver said.

"Are you going to take that risk?" Victor gave her a snarky look. He turned back to Lute, laughing crazily. "Lute! Sophitia. The two of you are all Victoria's been talking about since that incident. I've never seen her so upset before. That everything she had built up had been toppled by a bunch of children."

"Children. It's always that we're children," Sophitia hissed, shaking herself off. "I don't think this guy's lying."

"Wha? So he really is a—" Lute gasped.

"She wasn't lying either, you know. You two don't even look the slightest bit like a threat. In fact, sizing you all up now, I can tell that if you all were to attack me at once, you'd lose! That's how weak you all look in comparison," Victor said. His voice turned calm. "So we'll make this simple. Give me Esther, and I'll let you all walk out of this."

"Me? Why me, what do I have to do with anything?" Esther cried. Sophitia stood in front of her.

"Good luck getting to her. I've seen enough silly little skits like this to know exactly how they go," she said.

Victor's face went back to his crazed smile. "And I've seen enough overconfident police die by my fangs thanks to that same attitude."

"Lute, take him down Swift! Even if he isn't a High Point, we have the right to arrest," Sophitia said.

"Wait but he's—" the Eevee spoke on a shuddered breath.

The fight hadn't even started, and already he was losing himself to a terrifying foreboding. Perhaps this was some giant bluff and Victor was some petty criminal posing as a Spirle High Point. But in the event that he was, that meant Lute was now staring at a criminal so elusive and powerful that rumours could only hint at his true power.

A little Eevee like him couldn't even hope to take that kind of Pokémon down. And even worse, at Sophitia's orders, those same orders that got him smashed into a ditch when fighting the Risen. This was going to be a fight against a renowned criminal, one who wouldn't hesitate to take his life.

He couldn't stop those thoughts from crowding his mind. His face descended into panic and petty tears. All he could see was Victor, and everything else was black. All he could hear was his fearful thoughts and the shouting orders of Sophitia. And then, one final thought arose again.

"I'm an agent of King's Shield, now. I have to do this."

If he died here, then he died doing his job. Died proving that he was just a little Eevee that wasn't as up to this task as he thought he would be. His fear had frozen him stiff, and it took all of his will to break free and move. Even then, his thoughts and focus hadn't settled. He couldn't move properly, nor could he think straight, he just knew that he needed to attack.

And attack he did. He followed Sophitia's orders and flew into a Swift attack. However, he shut his eyes, formed those energy stars below his feet, and then tossed them wildly. He continued to drown everything out, aimlessly throwing attack after attack without looking at all. He was sure he was throwing them where Victor was standing, so one of those attacks had to do something, right?"

"Lute, stop! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Silver screamed at the top of her voice.

Her volume snapped him back to reality, but only with the same pathetic trembling from before. He felt like he wanted to cry, like he'd tried his best and still done wrong enough to upset the grownups. Smoke and dust was everywhere, forcing everyone to take big steps backward to avoid being blinded.

"Your battle dust is blocking him from view. Are you really an agent? How could make a mistake like that?" Esther shouted. He couldn't reply besides more petty whimpers.

Sophitia was shaken by his complete change of character, but not so much that she wasn't paying attention. Her body tingled hard when she felt the charge of another attack going off, and she dove in the way of Lute. Surely enough, Victor came charging like a rocket, smashing headfirst into her magic shield that formed on the end of her feeler.

The Sylveon was pushed back so hard that she felt her legs buckle instantly, and she let herself fall back, focusing on keeping her shield in front of her body. Before she could regain any kind of control, she caught a glimpse of Victor's fangs raising far above her head, and shoved her shield into his maw to try and bash him away.

Not only did her attack not do anything, but he didn't refrain from locking his jaw onto that shield. For a brief moment, she caught him snickering at her, and then he planted his feet and swerved. Sophitia gasped as she was brought into the air, her entire weight getting lifted and flung around in a circle by just the grip of his mouth. With two complete spins, he threw her directly into Silver, and the two went rolling into the wall behind them.

"And now," Victor laughed to himself. He locked eyes with a panicking Esther.

"No you freaking don't, leave me outta this!" she cried. He ignored her of course, tackling her to the floor in a flash. She was next to roll painfully into the wall behind her, but he chased her body, locking his jaw around one foot. With that as his grip, he took off with far leaps across the ground, carrying the screaming Pikachu out of sight.

"Wa-wait, Victor! That's my star you're making off with, wait for me!" Brayen cried, flailing his paws about as he gave chase.

"Don't just stand there, don't let him get away!" Silver roared as she scrambled to her feet. Sophitia was just as desperate, but tripped on her way up, unable to stand as quickly as Silver. The Goodra didn't wait for her allies, she took off after them with a fury that could scare a fairy.

"Lute, c'mon! Get up, we gotta go after them," Sophitia shouted as well.

Lute shook his head. "I-I know but, what can I do?"

"Don't think about it. Just get your head in the game and let's go," she said. She scooped up a whimpering Infia and placed her on Lute's back, and then ran off after Silver.

"Wa-wait, Sophitia," Lute stuck a paw out. Infia was no better than he was, and stuffed her face into his mane. "I-I can't, I mustn't… Oh, why am I doing this?"

He stopped thinking. He was sure he was still scared of Victor, but now he was more afraid of seeing Sophitia get hurt like that again. The Sylveon wasn't as fast as Silver, and was clearly limping in her light gait – that one attack hit her harder than he probably realised.

"Sophitia, you're hurt!" Lute cried. She wouldn't be able to hear him over the outside world, though. The crowds of Pokémon had made a path for the running Pokémon, but they were all screaming and crying out. As Lute left the stage area as well, he caught sight of severely damaged guards, the Heatmor and Machoke he saw earlier. They were face flat on the ground covered in burns.

"He's so fast," Lute whispered. He was surprised that he was struggling to catch up to Sophitia, but he still couldn't help but slow down as he realised where they were headed. The Waterworks he'd been informed of. The closer this chase brought him to it, the quieter the area became. No Pokémon were around here, just the industrial buildings lined with giant pipes on the outside.

He didn't get a chance to look around properly. Sophitia bolted right into one of the structures that looked like it had been blown open. Inside was almost pitch black, but Lute followed anyway.

"Sophitia!" Lute shouted, skidding to a stop. There was a ledge with a tall handrail and lots of thick iron pipes around. Silver was pinning down Brayen, while Sophitia had slowed down to scout the area, it looked like. "S-Sophitia, we can't—"

"Oh shush already. We chased 'em in here, but they're hiding from us. Help me find them," she said.

Lute didn't know how to reply. He shuddered hard, and then looked around again. The Bewear under Silver's grip was shouting and crying incessantly, so she soon shut him up with a hard punch to the back of his head. His head recoiled onto the floor harder than the punch, and then he fell limp.

"Finally. Now, Esther! Make a sound. We know you're in here, Victor!" Silver shouted.

The noise they were looking for was made, and their attention was brought to a high ledge on the right. Lute could just about see them, Esther still locked in Victor's mouth. It looked like her mouth had been stuffed with something however, white balls that muffled her voice.

"How do you get up there?" Lute asked. Sophitia scooped him up suddenly, making him and Infia squeal.

"Like this!" Sophitia said, leaping over the ledge with them.

"S-Sophitia, what're you doing?" Lute cried.

They landed on giant pipes that went below their initial ledge, but soon after, Lute realised what she was getting at. The formation of the pipes along the wall were so big, flat, and shapely that they could actually be climbed by a Pokémon that could jump her height. And so she did, taking a run up to make her way over.

"Bad move," Victor said cockily.

Sophitia ignored him until she realised he was charging a special attack, a Moonblast. She hung from one of the giant screws used to hold the pipes in place. From here, all she had to do was kick off the pipe to hang from a pipe on the right wall, then she could climb it and reach the ledge with Victor. She just needed to stop his attack.

"Lute, try Swift again," she said.

"B-but I can't hurt him! I'm not strong enough," he squeezed himself into her back. Infia was no better.

"It doesn't matter, just do it!" she raised her voice

"Too late, kiddies!" Victor sung, hopping off the ground to fire his attack. The trio cringed and braced for the worst, only to have smoke briefly cover them instead.

"He missed?" Sophitia said, glancing up at the impact. The sound of a heavy gush of water said otherwise.

"What's?" Lute whispered, only to cry out as a huge torrent of water fell right on top of them.

"Lute, Sophitia!" Silver cried, sticking a hand out. She couldn't have saved them even if she wanted to however. The water that hit them swallowed them immediately, and then they vanished into the dark depths below. She snarled and glared at the laughing Victor, and fury filled her eyes again. "You villain! They were just teenagers!"

"C'mon, who doesn't want to drown a teenager? They're the villains out here. You won't ever hear such high levels of disrespect from anyone but teens," Victor said.

Silver's growl got more violent. She whipped her head around, bringing up a Sludge bomb to her mouth, but Victor shifted so that Esther shielded him, and she had to spit her attack elsewhere.

"There's a good girl, now. You wouldn't want to hit my hostage. Now be a good little girl and just clean up the mess, will ya?" Victor laughed comically. Silver snarled at him again, but hesitated on acting with trembling rage. Seeing she had nothing else to try, Victor leapt off deeper into the pipe works, leaving only his laughs to echo down the room.