Chapter 1: Placing The Pieces
Welcome to 'Mates and Stalemates', my new big story project with the characters from the PokeSpe B2W2 manga, only slightly altered to fit into the scenario. I wanted to go fully into crime fiction with this, because I feel comfortable writing in that genre, but the main focus will still be the characters and their relationships. And an immediate all-clear concerning the rating: There should be nothing not suitable for younger readers in this chapter, I'll warn you when later parts of the story get a little heavier.
I want to thank magnipisika16 and Leafpuff for the inspiration of this story. Hopefully they won't feel like I'm copying them somehow. Their work is extremely recommendable, they definitely are some of the best writers this fandom has, so check them out if you want more.
With this, I truly can't promise regular upload of new chapters. I want it to be as well-written as possible and every sentence to be thought over, so that the quality can make up for the wait. That's enough exposition here, since the story, especially its first chapter, should speak for itself. I hope you enjoy it.
Standard Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, places or Pokemon itself, and I have no intentions to earn money with this story in any way!
Not the slightest of sounds was audible when Detective Rosa White entered the big hall on her search for the decisive piece of evidence. She had been working overtime for weeks to bring the serial murderer that terrorized Virbank City to justice. Now she was certain that in this warehouse close to the Virbank Complex she would finally find the killer's weapon, which would prove his guilt beyond the shadow a doubt.
Leo Sedate, Captain of the Aspertia unit which she was part of, followed her inside equally noiselessly. He had allowed her to take the lead in this investigation to let her gain some experience, knowing it would help her if she sought a promotion. The young woman had always had higher ambitions than him, and he didn't want to stand in her way, although he hoped not to lose his most promising Detective too soon.
Right behind him were two assistants Rosa had nominated to help them with the search. The four of them moved around in the room for a short while to see if they could find something without giving their positions away. Once they had ruled that out, they switched on their torches.
It was a large number of boxes they had to check the contents of. At least after a short while the probability of somebody being there with them abated, as that person would have either fled or attacked sooner. However, they still had to be on their guard in case said character waited for them to find the right crate.
Rosa felt pretty confident she found a firm lead when she reached a place where traces showed multiple boxes had been stepped on to access some others in a high spot. The Detective smiled, as she had set her long brown hair at the sides to buns, especially for a situation like this so it would not get in the way during physical exercises. She liked it in this style, considering to keep it that way. At least it did indeed come in handy.
The young woman was about to start climbing when Leo tapped her on the shoulder carefully. „We have to pull back, Rosa", he whispered as quietly as he could.
The look on her face made it obvious she thought she had heard him wrong. „Pull back? Now?", she questioned unbelieving and had to restrain herself from being too loud due to her surprise.
As a response, her Captain moved his flashlight so that it pointed on a stack of crates in a corner he had just searched. On one of them, his subordinate discerned a peculiar symbol. It looked like a coat of arms, the left half of it white, the right one black, and in the middle was a blue 'P' crossed by a somehow misshapen 'Z'. She had never seen anything like it.
„I don't understand", the Detective mouthed.
Leo's eyes widened. „You don't know? That sign is..." While he was searching for the right words, he realized they were still inside the warehouse and constantly whispering might get strenuous. „I'll explain outside", he said. With a quick gesture, the Captain indicated to her that she should follow him outside.
She did as he commanded, but her aversion was clearly visible on her face as soon as the light of the afternoon sun fell on it again. The young woman was sure she would have solved the case if nobody had stopped her, and most of all she was eager to get back in there and do what they came here for. Still, she patiently waited for her superior to explain why he had a problem with that.
Said man needed a moment until his eyes had adjusted to the changed lighting conditions, another moment to check whether anybody was around to hear them. Luckily the few people in sight didn't care for the four police officers at all.
The town was for the most part inhabited by employees of the Complex, who were at work around this time, and folks enjoying it for its underground club culture, who weren't outside around this time. Tourists would be drawn by the near movie studios rather than the warehouses. The few people differing from this norm couldn't care less about officials doing their work, considering the more worrying crime rate of this place.
Once Leo was sure nobody could eavesdrop on them, he told his Detective: „The symbol on that box belongs to a criminal organization calling themselves 'Team Plasma'. The main unit of Castelia has recently announced that these people are their matter only."
„What?", Rosa expressed her disbelief. Now that she didn't have to keep quiet anymore, she spoke a tad louder than intended. Realizing this, the Detective decided to make it appear like a manifestation of her frustration instead of an accident. „I have been working on this case for weeks, and now I'm supposed to let somebody else solve it?"
Her superior looked at her sympathetically, but she also noticed something like helplessness in his eyes. Apparently he had no say in this decision. He ordered one of the assistants to call the division in Castelia and report to them what they had found before devoting himself to her again. „Their leading Inspector has been serious about this. He does not want to risk that any piece of evidence ends up in another bureau than theirs without them knowing about it."
The Detective raised an eyebrow. „And this Inspector can just do that? Claiming a case they haven't investigated in just because we find that sign on a box?", she wanted to know.
„As long as his Superintendent is having his back, he can do almost anything", Leo said. With a rueful smile, the short man looked at her. Of course Rosa wouldn't like having to leave the case with somebody else, since that would cost her most of the credit and put her rise in position she had worked so hard to get in considerable distance. Still, he couldn't help her now.
He had been studying with that Inspector for a short while and knew him enough to not have high hopes of him changing his mind. Not because he was unreasonably stubborn – only a little -, but because in most cases his first decision was more reasonable. „The top management supports him with this. It keeps information on the Plasma case from leaking to the public, and fair enough, nobody outside the police knows about it yet", the Captain added.
Rosa still had further arguments against the course of action: „But to get here from Castelia City, they have to take a boat, that might take over an hour. We are already here, we can act right now", she insisted.
„That makes no difference, Detective, we're not in a rush", Leo pointed out, striking a slightly harsher note now. Despite his sympathy for her situation, he couldn't change it. She was the youngest Detective in his unit, having risen up to her position remarkably fast, but her problem had always been that she would not hold back in front of higher-ups when she wanted something.
The young woman shrank a little after her superior's change of tone. Whenever he did that, it was best not to keep beating the drum. She was relieved seeing the assistant who had made the call rushing towards them. „Sir, I have spoken with Castelia's official in charge, they are sending a team over right away."
„Thank you", the Captain said. He sat down on a low brick wall and sighed, closing the zipper of his jacket when a cold breeze blew a few orange leafs past his feet. „Now we have to wait."
In a fancy flat on the thirteenth floor of one of Castelia City's skyscrapers, Lack-Two sat alone on his sofa in front of a glass table. On it was a chessboard that almost looked like a game could be started, apart from the first white pawn having already been moved. Next to it lay a blue Xtransceiver.
Complete silence filled the room, just the way its owner liked it. He had his eyes closed and his hands folded, resting his elbows on his thighs. Neither the magnificent view outside his window nor the huge television or the even larger bookshelf inside his living room tempted him once he sunk deep in thought.
Only three things could disrupt him then: the doorbell, the alarm set for when Unova's evening news would air and the ringing of his communication device. In this case, it was the latter.
He picked up within two seconds. „Inspector Lack-Two speaking, what's the matter?", he answered the call.
„Colonel Looker, Sir. Captain Leo from the Aspertia unit just reported to us that they found what appears to be a hideout of Team Plasma near the Virbank Complex", the voice of his older colleague resounded.
„I'll be on my way there immediately. Bring Hugh with you", his superior ordered before hanging up and putting the Xtransceiver in his bag.
Then the young man straightened himself. „Finally", he said with a certain kind of relief in his voice, taking a black pawn and moving it forward. Afterwards, he left his apartment with fast steps on his way to the Prime Pier in the harbor, where the Police Department's boat was waiting.
Rosa immediately recognized the three men walking down the street towards them as the team they had waited for. It was probably just because she had been looking for them, but she also felt like inconspicuousness had not been these people's first priority when choosing an attire.
Going ahead was a tall young man, probably not much older than her. His knee-length black coat, which he wore above a white buttoned shirt, was not even the most noticeable thing about him, rather it were his maroon eyes. They seemed to be scanning the entire environment already, but at the same time, she felt like they pierced directly through her. His hair left an impression, too – it had a similar color to hers, only a little darker, and it was messy in a way that really made it hard to tell whether he styled it like that or just never treated it at all. He was altogether the type of good-looking person superficial girls would go into raptures about.
Leo walked towards him eagerly. „Inspector Lack-Two, always a pleasure to meet you", he greeted his old friend.
„The pleasure is all mine. It's been too long", Lack-Two replied. With that, his courtesy ended. „What have you found?"
The Captain was used to him getting down to business fast and adapted to it. „The symbol of Team Plasma is on one of the boxes in this warehouse over there", he informed him.
„Alright, Leo. Lead my Deputy inside and show him the object in question, he'll photograph it for us", the Inspector ordered with a nod at the man to his right, who wore a blue coat of equal length to his own above a red jersey. He was even taller than his superior and had dark blue hair that reminded Rosa of a blowfish. „And Hugh, please refrain from touching anything." So the Deputy Inspector's name was Hugh.
Said man sighed in annoyance. „I'm in no way as clumsy as you're pretending, as I keep reminding you."
Lack-Two just ignored his words. He turned towards the man on his left, who was about ten years older than the other two. His choice of clothing was a brown trench coat, and seeing all three of them wear long coats was what made it look a bit curious. „Looker, get in touch with the local forensics, I want to know whose fingerprints are on that box."
„I'm on it, Sir", the Colonel agreed and left the scene.
Still, the Inspector wasn't finished. „In the meantime, I'll talk with the officer in charge of the case. Who would that be?"
Hearing his words, said woman already stepped towards him, relieving Leo of pointing towards her. „Detective Rosa White, Inspector. Rosa, this is Detective Inspector Lack-Two from Castelia", he introduced them, before leaving together with Hugh as he had been instructed.
„Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sir", Rosa said, trying to sound as upright as possible. She held out her hand for him to shake.
However, he just looked at it absentmindedly. „White...", he murmured. His glance, which had pierced through her a short time ago, now seemed to go through her like she wasn't there.
„Sorry, have you met my family before?", the young woman asked, a little insulted that he rejected her handshake.
The first thing anyone would tell about the Inspector was that he never slipped up. Some even called him Mr Perfect, in part to mock at him, but in part because he just always appeared like that. Nobody really knew why he would allow such a shabby nickname to stay once he finished his studies, that was just the way things were. Mr Perfect would never slip up.
Within the next second, Lack-Two was back to normal and pretended nothing had happened. Luckily, nobody dared mentioning it if he himself covered these moments up. „Please give me the details of the case, Detective", he moved on.
Rosa was sure she didn't like the man in front of her, but she didn't dare mentioning his slip-up, considering that to be unwise for her position So instead she did as he asked. „So, about a month ago a series of murders took place here in Virbank." The young Detective ran him through the case in great detail, showing a good feel for what could be important to him.
At last, she arrived at the events of the current day. „The evidence we collected was mostly circumstantial, therefore I concentrated on searching the murder weapon. I checked the places our prime suspect had been to and deducted that he hid it somewhere in this warehouse. Probably inside one of the crates I wanted to check when the Captain ordered us to withdraw because he found the symbol. There had been no traces of Team Plasma being involved until today."
These words ended her report. The Inspector had followed her explanation attentively. „Very good, thank you", he acknowledged her work. Looking at her, he knew she wasn't satisfied at once. Not because he had such a great knowledge of human nature, though, anybody might have seen that. „Is there anything else on your mind?"
„With all due respect, Inspector", she started. Behind her, she heard Hugh and Leo coming back. Suddenly she felt pretty sure the man in front of her would care little about her effort in this investigation, and it would not be worth trying to persuade him that she should keep the case. But this was the last chance she could get, so she had to go through with it. „I worked very hard to bring this serial killer to justice, and I'm close to getting it done. This is important to me, and it would only be appropriate to let me finish it. I have trouble accepting your unit is supposed to jump in now", she stated her matter.
His facial expression didn't change. He still paid attention to her every word and the subtext behind it. „I understand. There's a simple solution, then", the Inspector claimed, earning surprised reactions from everyone around.
„There is?", Captain Leo inquired, his eyes widened.
Lack-Two raised his head, maybe amazed that nobody else thought of it. „Change departments", he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Rosa thought she heard him wrong at first, then he thought it was his idea of a joke. „Really? Do I need a long coat to be accepted into the group", she returned sarcastically.
„He doesn't have that kind of humor, Detective", Hugh informed her drily, already on the brink of anger. „Lack-Two, you can't just invite her like that."
The Inspector shrugged. „Why can't I?", he wanted to know. Apparently, his Deputy was lacking an answer, so he turned towards Rosa again. „Right now, I put the offer out. I won't try to talk you into something, you see the advantages yourself. Join us, keep the case, rise in rank."
The young woman was at a loss of words. Was it really that simple? How had she made such an impression on him? Oh, of course...
„So the main unit of Unova just engages people because they look pretty now?", the taller man spoke out what the Detective had been thinking.
However, Lack-Two just stiffened his lips. „Oh, you think she's pretty? I didn't notice, but you sure have an eye for that.", he rebutted the claim.
Hugh groaned. „I really couldn't care less for women, you know that-"
And his Inspector didn't even let him end that sentence. „Great, then we're in agreement. Detective, if you want to take the opportunity, just apply for an interview with our superintendent soon, I'll complete all the formalities for you", he offered.
Still, Rosa couldn't find any words to respond in her bewilderment. Looker relieved her of the duty to keep searching for them. „Sir, the forensics has started working, they promised they'd have the results for us tomorrow."
„Good", Lack-Two approved, „then we'll be back for them. Now let's return to the headquarters and get started on the paperwork. Hugh, can you show me the photos on the way?"
The Deputy nodded as he and Looker were already walking down the streets again. „Sure", he agreed.
Their leader turned around one more time. „And Detective..."
„Yeah?", the addressed managed to answer.
„Go back in there and get the murder weapon you were looking for, please."
When the three officers arrived in the police station of Castelia again, everyone looked at them like they were the strangest thing they had seen all day. If those people would not work with Lack-Two, Hugh and Looker full-time, they probably would be, but under the circumstances, this was not normal.
The Deputy Inspector felt very uncomfortable being stared at like that. „Nothing to see here, get back to your work", he snorted angrily.
A woman sitting at Lack-Two's desk cleared her throat. The owner of the workspace didn't like anyone other than himself using it, but Bianca was one of the few persons he wouldn't drive away. „The Superintendent wants to see you, Lack-Two. She sounded slightly incensed", she informed him.
Without saying a word, the addressed picked up speed and made his way towards the department's biggest bureau. It was located on the highest floor and had a direct view on the city's market square. The receptionist waved him on without hesitation. He knocked on the ornate door and it opened automatically for him.
„Inspector, thank you for coming. Please take a seat", Superintendent Anabel greeted him. She looked calm as usual, sitting in her tall chair behind her desk and gesturing for him to settle opposite to her. However, the way she passed her unoccupied hand over her brow, stroking her violet hair, told him that she was at least agitated.
Lack-Two sank into the chair. He hated comfortable chairs, because it was a lot harder to stay focused in them. Obviously, a comfortable chair had been chosen on purpose for this room to put people talking to the Superintendent at a disadvantage. It would always be favorable to make your counterpart feel comfortable. He wouldn't fall for it. „Which occasion do I have to thank for the honor", he inquired.
Anabel picked up a piece of paper and looked at it as if she would read it again. „I recently received this letter of resignation. It was submitted by Miss Sides", she said. Dissatisfied with his lack of response, she laid down the paper and looked him in the eyes. „Your mentee", she added.
„Most regrettable", the Inspector muttered, avoiding her gaze.
His superior slowly shook her head. „You don't have an ounce of regret", she observed. Her tone got sharper with every word.
Letting out a sigh, Lack-Two finally returned her gaze. A mistake, as it turned out. „I can't do anything about the fact that they don't like me", he said. Yes, 'they', that was the problem – Miss Sides had been his third mentee resigning within a short amount of time. „You can't expect me to put on an act the entire time they're around."
„And that's where you're unbearably selfish", the Superintendent pointed out. Again, he didn't react, so she felt she had to explain it further. „Alder is going to retire next summer, and if I want to replace him as Unova's Chief of Police, my own succession has to be secured. And you can't become Superintendent without ever having successfully trained a mentee."
Now the young man just rolled his eyes. „Then why don't you give the job to Hugh? Or Looker? Or literally anyone who actually wants it?"
Anabel hit the table with her fist. He had never seen her do that. Behind her, two birds flew away from the window frightened. „I have preferred you in every situation. I have helped you to rise in ranks almost as fast as I worked my own way up. You know how it looks when you refuse now. You embarrass me", she expressed her disapproval.
An unpleasant break arose. The Inspector felt comfortable with his current rank, but he knew what he had embarked on deliberately with the Superintendent's support. Hesitantly, he started to speak again: „You're right."
„I don't know whether I have ever heard these words coming out of your mouth before", she said, not pleased with just that admission.
„That's why I already took care of it", Lack-Two claimed. Anabel raised her eyebrows, looking at him surprised as well as expectantly. He waited for her to say something for a moment. When she didn't do so, he went on. „Within the next few days, an aspiring Detective from the Aspertia unit will ask for an Interview with you to start working here. She is the only one I consider to have enough ambition and... stamina to keep being my mentee. I'll fill out all the forms for her, so she can start right away, that way she'll be finished in time."
His superior didn't even try to hide her bafflement. „Well, I hope this works out the way you're planning", she said after a while.
Lack-Two nodded. „Am I free to go, then?", he asked, less polite than he intended.
„Yes, you can leave", Anabel granted him.
He stood up and walked towards the door while she turned her chair to face the window. Hustle and bustle filled the marketplace, as it was rush hour by now. „I'm trying to be a little less selfish", the Inspector's voice brought her back from the realm of thought. He looked at the corridor, she looked at the glass, their backs turned at each other. „It's just hard to find the right drive for that." Then he left her alone.
A minute later, he reached his desk again. Bianca was still occupying it. The young forensic scientist had left her green cap at the hatstand, bestowing the seldom favor of seeing her blonde hair open on Lack-Two. On the computer screen behind her, the member files of the Aspertia City Police Department were displayed. „Quite the catch you got there", she said with a grin while pointing at a picture of Rosa.
„Hugh told you", Lack-Two suspected, gesturing for her to leave his chair. She didn't move.
„I understand why you'd fall for her", Bianca continued, pretending he hadn't said anything.
He admitted defeat and sat down on the bench for clients. „Nobody will ever believe me, but I did not choose her because of her looks", he stated.
The woman made it look like she was astonished. „Really? Then there's still hope for me?", she asked half-jokingly, changing her facial expression to a playful smile. She knew it was wasted on the man in front of her, but at least she could amuse him that way. She was one of the few people who would actually go through the trouble of amusing him.
Lack-Two grinned quietly to himself in a way only he could – without smiling. „If you're looking for honest hope, I'd recommend you talk with Mr Cheren", he advised.
„Yes, you keep saying that", Bianca laughed. Then she stood up and placed herself directly next to the Inspector. „So why did you recruit her then?"
He jumped up at once and saved his own chair again. „That remains my secret", he insisted.
With a moan, the forensic followed him and grabbed the armrests of his seats, leaning in close. „Come on, whom else would you tell it?", she questioned. Their faces were close enough for a kiss, and suddenly she wondered whether anyone had ever kissed these lips.
Yes, whom else would he tell it? Well, there was only one person, and despite the fact that Bianca was the only one he'd call a good friend, that person wasn't her. He held perfectly still as she brought her face closer to his, because he couldn't think of any other way to react.
Somebody knocking at the door disrupted them. „Too bad", the young woman murmured, and pulled back.
„Come in, please", Lack-Two said loud enough for their guest to hear him.
It was Professor Juniper, the chief of the Castelia City Police Department's forensics and Bianca's direct superior, who entered the bureau. „I'm very sorry to interrupt you two", she apologized, „but I need an assistant for the analysis. Would you join me, Bianca?"
„Of course", the addressed agreed, „I'll get back to you later, Lack." She smiled enthusiastically and waved at the Inspector before leaving with her mentor.
Once they were gone, he was alone again, and devoted himself to the files on his desk that had to be filled out or reorganized, enjoying the silence in his room and having something to work on. He didn't notice his computer screen still displaying the picture.
A week later, Rosa found herself sitting on a bench of the boat that travelled between Virbank and Castelia. She had left Unova's south-western isle before, but only by plain, which meant she never got to be in a city as big as the gigantic port. Now she would do so for the first time, and it would be in order to have some kind of job interview – to say she was nervous would have been an understatement.
When she started to feel like watching the open sea wouldn't help her stomach too much, the young woman decided to read in her book until they would arrive. But to her dismay, it wasn't in her backpack. „Ugh, please don't say I left it in my suitcase...", she sighed to herself, knowing that was what had happened. Only a short amount of time was wasted by being annoyed about this, then she decided the ride should still be long enough for her to go get the book from the cargo hold and read a chapter afterwards.
She stood up and walked past a number of other passengers before reaching the stairs leading into the ship's belly. Maybe it was due to her profession that she paid a little attention to the faces she came across. The only thing conspicuous about them seemed to be how they stared at her like somebody moving was the most amazing sight they had seen all day.
Once she arrived at her destination, it surprised the Detective how much luggage was stored in this cargo hold. How many passengers were actually on this ship? What surprised her even more was that she had not been the first to come down here during the crossing. A tall young man with dark brown hair and a black jacket stood close to the entrance and rummaged through his bag.
At first, she thought he had just seen that man upstairs, however she quickly dismissed the idea since he couldn't have passed her at any point. Not wanting to disturb him, she looked for her own suitcase. The crew had stored it on top of a lot of others, leaving it in a particularly high spot. She tried her hardest, but couldn't reach it. That left her with two options – getting help or giving up – and she had never been good at the latter.
„Excuse me, Sir, could you help me for a second?", she asked the man who was down there with her a minute later. With apparent reluctance but no protest, he came to her aid, and soon he let her stand on his shoulders, so she could reach her stuff.
Rosa didn't realize what lead to the man falling, she only knew he did because she suddenly lost her stance and landed on top of his back. „I'm so sorry!", she quickly apologized, „are you-"
Then she stopped. As she stood up, the woman noticed a card that had slipped out of his big pocket when he had fallen. It immediately caught her eye because it had a small logo of Team Plasma on it in the upper right corner. She wasted no time and grabbed it while he still tried to pull himself up with his back turned on her.
The man, who apparently was a member of Team Plasma, groaned. However, once he faced her again, he said „It's okay, as long as you have your suitcase now." With that, he stepped past her and moved towards the exit. „I'll go back upstairs", he took his leave.
Pondering whether she should confront the criminal right here and now, Rosa quickly saw the gun at the back of his belt. She had a service weapon herself, but a shoot-out was definitely not in her interest. So she knelt down and took her time fishing her book out of the suitcase, already thinking about how to approach her target.
At this time, her mind made the connection that the man was the Team Plasma member responsible for smuggling the crates with the coat of arms on them into the warehouse in Virbank. He was now wanted and tried to get away as far as possible from the crime scene. There had been no warnings by the Castelia Police, thus she assumed they didn't know about this.
A bright idea came up in her mind when she crossed the bag he had rooted through on her way out. She considered the ways that plan could turn out and decided it was her best shot to make sure she could arrest her target. So she took his suitcase with her when climbing the stairs again.
Having returned to the deck, she first let her gaze wander through the rows of seats until she spotted the man she had met earlier. He sat on a bench she would cross anyway on her way to her own. The Detective calmly walked over to him and tapped on his shoulder. „Sir, you forgot your luggage", she claimed, and quickly handed the bag over to him in a way he had to receive it with both hands while he was still taken aback.
Some people looked across at them, but Rosa couldn't care for them any longer. Both of the man's hands were occupied, therefore he had no way to resist when she drew her gun. „In the name of the law, you are hereby arrested under suspicion of belonging to an illegal organization", she recited. His facial expression told her he was overwhelmed. He sure should be, she thought. Everyone else in the area stared at them now. Maybe she should have watched the crowd a little better, than she could have reacted to the danger approaching.
„Miss White, you clearly misjudged the situation. Can I kindly ask you to stop pointing your weapon at me?", her counterpart whispered once he had adjusted to what was going on.
Rosa was probably more bewildered now than the man had been when she had cornered him. It didn't move her to let him of the hook, but she still wondered. „How do you know my na-", she started the question. However, she stopped as she felt somebody holding a weapon at her back.
„I'd like to have my suitcase back, if you don't mind", the person behind her spoke. She only saw him in the corner of her eye, but his voice made it clear to her: This was the man she had just seen downstairs.
Her first thought was that they were twins, but that was unlikely since they were too similar considering they apparently weren't working together. Rather, it was someone impersonating as her target whom she had just threatened, and the man threatening her now was the member of Team Plasma. How that deduction could help her, she didn't know.
The man on the bench slowly stood up, still holding the bag. He slightly turned to face his spitting image. „No", he said with determination.
„Don't think I won't shoot her", the member of Team Plasma exclaimed, tightly gripping his gun.
The detective saw the man in front of her raise his eyebrows. „I'd like to see you try", was his response.
She very much did not like to see him try. In her mind she ran through her options on how to disarm the foe without allowing the other to draw his own weapon. While she still did so, he just pulled the trigger.
„Then watch this", the aggressor said confidently. There was no sound of a bullet, no lightning object coming towards her – there was no shot.
Everyone in the room looked at how he desperately pulled the trigger time and again, knowing in his heart of hearts it wouldn't work. „Ammunition might be helpful next time", his doppelgänger said. The way he gloated told all people paying attention he got rid of the ammunition himself. Then he pulled out a police badge from his pocket and showed it to Rosa. „Now, Detective, do you want to have the honor of arresting him?"
Rosa's memory of how the actual arrest proceeded was a little hazy. However, she would never forget her first time seeing the frontage of Castelia City on the horizon about half an hour later. Standing on the galion, she counted five huge piers protruding from the harbor. In comparison to their steamboat, the container ships docking there seemed enormous. Still, they were nothing next to the terrace front behind them. She had already noticed when checking on possible apartments to rent that there were no small houses in this town, only skyscrapers, one towering the other.
„You're enjoying the view", Lack-Two stated, calmly approaching her from behind, now looking like himself again. His words were a remark instead of a question.
The Detective turned towards him, since she learned to carefully keep an eye on him whenever he was around to not miss his tricks playing out again. „It's magnificent", she agreed.
He didn't really care, though. „You should collect some local knowledge as fast as possible. It will be necessary to work here", the Inspector advised. A pause followed, since there was no fitting response to that.
It was only after the ship's captain told them by loudspeaker that the arrival was just a few minutes away when Rosa dared to inquire him what had been on her mind the entire time since the arrest. „Sir, if I may ask, how did you remove that criminal's bullets from his gun?"
„I exchanged his weapon with my own, unloaded one when he was talking with the captain to get a ticket", the young man explained, shrugging like it was child's play. „The intervention has been carefully planned for a while now. I regret not having prepared for you being present and taking rapid action. How did you know he was a fugitive?"
„Oh, he dropped this in the cargo hold", the young woman revealed and pulled out the card she had picked up. „It has the logo of Team Plasma on it, I recognized it from the crates in the warehouse."
Lack-Two examined it admiringly and received it as soon as she reached it out. „Thank you. I've been wanting to get my hand on one of these for quite some time now."
„What is it, exactly?", Rosa wondered.
„An invitation", he simply responded.
She wasn't quite satisfied with that answer, a feeling she had coming up a lot when in the presence of the Inspector. But since he didn't say more, she knew asking further would have been pointless, as he may have told her all she needed to know in the first go.
He had a little trouble averting his gaze from the item before finally pocketing it and looking at his counterpart again. „Your plan with the suitcase was pretty impressive. It would have almost worked", he pointed out.
The Detective smiled a little. „Thank you, Sir", she said. Maybe he could be nice after all? It did not last long, though.
„That was no praise", he clarified, „'Almost' is what gets you killed." The sudden oppressive atmosphere completely drove out any lighthearted feelings that might have just come up. „I expect better of you in the future."
Those were the words he left her with before he left to secure there would be no problems when the captured criminal was led away. He had said 'in the future' and she just hoped to have as little to do with him as possible in this future, knowing this might turn out to be slightly harder if he became her direct superior. Still, she could always hope... At least the sight of the gigantic Castelia City coming closer gave her the feeling high hopes could pay off quite nicely.
On the outside, the Police Department of Unova's greatest trading city was not that different from the surrounding buildings, aside from the neon letters on the front. It was early morning in autumn when Rosa arrived there for her interview the day after her troublesome crossing, so the letters were still illuminated. A pleasantly mild mix of morning air and sea air filled the mainly empty market square in front of the structure.
The Detective had slept pretty well in the hotel, however her nervousness had only grown. She was not usually the type who would be held back by such feelings, still she knew the importance of the pending talk for her career path. Thus, it was not surprising she entered the agency twenty minutes early and reported to the reception. A young woman, likely at the same age as her, came in shortly after and lined up behind her.
„Excuse me, Miss, my name is Rosa White, I'm scheduled for the aptitude test", she introduced herself to the receptionist.
Said man, however, looked on her computer screen for a moment before raising an eyebrow. „Today's aptitude test has been cancelled for you, Miss White", he said slowly.
„Oh!", the woman behind them drew their attention on her before the guest had time to be shocked or wonder why her test wouldn't take place. „Sorry, Miss White, right? Haven't you received the message our Superintendent sent?" The questioning look she earned told her that Rosa had not yet checked her mailbox. „It was our main subject of discussion, she considers your success yesterday as enough to prove your suitability, so you only have to go through the interview."
The addressed was still somehow overwhelmed by her words. „My success?", she inquired.
Her counterpart laughed lightly. „The arrest of a wanted Team Plasma member, obviously", she explained.
„Ah, I see...", the Detective mouthed. So Lack-Two had given her the credit for that. Had he mentioned her original slip-up, too?
„I'm Bianca, by the way", the other woman introduced herself and held out her hand for Rosa to shake.
An offer she gladly took. „Nice to meet you. Are you a Detective here?", she wanted to know.
„Sadly not", the blonde admitted. „I wanted to be one when I was younger, but I just wasn't cut out for that. Science is more my metier, so I eventually decided to become a forensic scientist. That way, I can still help to solve crimes while also doing what I'm good at."
Rosa was now smiling again. „That sounds nice. I-", she started, only to be interrupted by the receptionist.
„Miss White, I found your new appointment. The Superintendent will welcome you in her bureau within the next hour. You can wait in the recreation room on the top floor", he informed her.
The Detective straightened the strap of her back and turned towards the elevator. „Thank you, Sir", she said, before looking at Bianca again.
„I should get going as well", she realized, and stepped forward to the counter. „Forensic Scientist Bianca reporting for duty."
The receptionist nodded. „I'll take care of your registration", he promised.
Then the two women walked together to the elevator, where Bianca said goodbye her new friend. „I hope I'll see you again later. Good luck with your interview!", she said before leaving Rosa alone.
It was only thirty minutes the Detective had to wait, not sixty, until she was brought into the office of Castelia's Superintendent. She had expected to be interviewed by a row of critical administrators, but once she entered the room through the automatically opening door, it was just one smiling woman welcoming her. Somehow she found that off-putting, and the fact that this woman was wearing a black business suit warned her not to get comfortable.
„Thank you for coming, Miss White", the Superintendent greeted her, „my name is Anabel. I'm pleased to finally meet you."
They had the obligatory handshake before Rosa sat down in the chair she was offered. She immediately felt comfortable in that chair. „Thanks for having me", she replied.
Anabel then picked up a stack of papers and pretended to skim through them. „I have to congratulate you on bringing the Virbank murderer to justice. And the member of Team Plasma just yesterday. I think I'm right to assume further proof for your skills isn't necessary."
„This all came a little fast for me, I'm just doing my best to adjust", the Detective said. It was obvious her heart wasn't really in this answer. She eyed the report her counterpart was holding carefully, wondering what the Inspector had written and how much of what had been going on was actually known to anyone else. It appeared as if the Superintendent truly admired her accomplishments, so had she been lied to, or was she pretending herself?
If she was pretending, she was pretending very well. „Fine, then let's start with the basics", she suggested, „Tell me about yourself."
It must have been about half an hour the two of them spent talking. Rosa soon discovered the inviting smile was just Anabel's version of a poker face. Nonetheless, it seemed the interview was going rather well. She seemed at least satisfied with all the answers the applicant gave her.
„Alright, we're almost done", the Superintendent just indicated. „Why don't you tell me what your ambition in this job is? How far would you like to go?"
The Detective pondered on how to best phrase her response for a second. „My primary aim is to help people, and I think a higher rank, or in this case a more influential department, would give me more possibilities to do that. Therefore, I'm open for every opportunity to be promoted, hoping it will be for the benefit of as many victims as possible", she stated.
Her counterpart finished her notes and put aside her pencil. „That should suffice. You fulfill all the requirements and convince with your ideals and personality. I'm happy to offer you a place in our unit, Miss White."
Suddenly it felt like a big weight fell off Rosa's shoulders. She had actually made it. „Thank you, Superintendent, I will not disappoint you", she said, unable to hold bag a big smile.
Anabel chuckled a little at her reaction. „Only a few formalities I have to inform you about before you can go." Then she paused so her new subordinate could focus again. „The first day of September is going to be your official starting date, but if you need a few more days to move to Castelia, that should be fine. Since you're not replacing any of the current members of our department, we'll bring you in trough our mentee program. You'll be working in the office of a leading Detective for your first year or until you manually cancel the partnership, which is going to be possible as soon as you've got at least one promotion."
„I understand", the younger woman agreed to the conditions.
„There would normally be some forms for you to fill out, but your new mentor has already taken care of most of them, as far as I can see", the Superintendent informed her. And suddenly Rosa had a horrible feeling of whom that mentor may be. One that would soon be confirmed. „Inspector Lack-Two will be responsible for you from now on."
The Detective sank a little in her chair. „And there is nobody else who could be my mentor?", she asked quietly, almost like she hoped Anabel wouldn't hear it.
She did, though. „I'm afraid there isn't, that's not how it works", she said. Her tone of voice made it sound like an apology. Considering everything she knew about the Inspector, it might have just been one.
„Is there anything else I need to know?", Rosa quickly inquired, hoping to move on as fast as possible.
The Superintendent did her that favor. „Yes, one last thing. The Inspector requested for you to receive a code name like himself. We decided for Whi-Two, in case that's fine with you. We would appreciate it if you use it whenever you do something related to your work. It serves your personal protection, and the protection of your friends and family."
„Whi-Two, hm?" This surprised the Detective, since such a thing had never been necessary during her work in Aspertia. It wasn't a name she liked thus much, either, however if both the Superintendent and the Inspector considered this helpful, she would accept it. There was one question she had to ask, though. „Who was Whi-One, then?"
At that, Anabel truly smiled. Rosa immediately saw the difference between this smile and her poker face. „Please don't view this as us having too great expectations for you, but rather us being very hopeful for you to go far. Whi-One was me." And after that revelation, Whi-Two really didn't know what else to say. Just like her first impression of Castelia City, she would always remember the Superintendent's honest smile as she said that last sentence.
„'I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when'-" A bell interrupted Lack-Two in his sentence, so he closed the book he was reading out of. „Well, you'll get the answer to that next time."
The children of the after-school care center crowded around him mourned in disappointment and stood up to meet with their parents or older siblings.
Kathy stayed with her substitute carer the longest. „And you really don't wanna tell me what comes next?", she asked relentlessly while he put his belongings back in his back.
„You're sure the kids aren't too young for this story?", asked Hugh, who entered the room when he noticed his little sister wasn't coming out.
Lack-Two only answered once he had stood up. His partner viewed this as an excuse for him to take time for thinking up a response. „They seem to like it, just ask your sister. And if they don't understand something, they can always ask", he claimed.
Hugh shook his head. „I don't doubt that they understand it, that's not the point."
„I'm only here to do Mr Bronius a favor, but if you want to discuss this with him, be my guest", the Inspector reminded his subordinate.
The latter returned a sigh. „Of course this is about our work. Why did I think you actually care about children?"
Nobody liked to be accused of disliking children, so even Kathy, who followed their conversation attentively even though she only understood a small part of it, expected Lack-Two to rebuff this assertion. But he just skipped over it. „Caring about our work is a good thing, you shouldn't portray it otherwise."
At that, the taller man noticed the pointlessness of the chat and broke it off. „Come on, sis, we have to leave now", he told Kathy. She finally picked up her backpack and rushed over to him.
„We can take my car, I'm headed for the same direction", the Inspector offered, following the two of them on their way out.
Somehow Hugh suspected that wasn't the only reason. „Why the sudden generosity?", he wanted to know.
The answer to that came quickly: „You're driving", Lack-Two determined.
„Ah, so you were just looking for a chauffeur." That made a lot more sense to the Deputy.
His counterpart opened his vehicle with the key and gestured for Kathy take place on the back bench. „I wasn't looking for one, I found one", he corrected his colleague as he sat down on the passenger seat. When he heard his sister laugh at this rebuttal, Hugh admitted defeat.
He drove them through the traffic that always filled the streets of Castelia around closing time. Since he couldn't make headway fast anyway when he passed Narrow Street, he was slow enough to recognize Leo standing next to a moving truck. „Mind if I hold here for a second?", he asked his co-driver.
Lack-Two spotted their old acquaintance as well and had a premonition of what would happen. „Feel free", he accepted the proposal, sounding as indifferent as most people knew he would never be.
While Hugh pulled into a parking space, Rosa stepped out of the building Leo was waiting in front of. „I think that's everything. Thanks so much for your help, Captain. I couldn't have moved here in time without you", she said to her former superior.
„No problem!", the latter asserted. „But I guess you can stop calling me 'Captain'. You probably outrank me by now."
The young woman chuckled. „And even if I did, I think I couldn't re-adapt to that. Make sure Aspertia stays as peaceful as it is, will you?" She thought of her parents for a moment, and how they encouraged her to take this job further away from home.
Leo nodded vigorously. „Of course. Even if that may be a little harder without you." He sighed, however he still smiled proudly. „I would have liked you to stay with us longer, but I always knew this is where you belong. At least make sure Team Plasma is taken care of", he said with a wink.
„Definitely", Rosa agreed. She had yet to find out what the deal with this organization was, still, after all she had seen of them so far, she was determined to reveal that.
„Hey, Leo", Hugh's voice interrupted her thoughts. The two of them turned around to see him walk towards them, Lack-Two and Kathy close behind him. „What brings you here?"
„I've helped Rosa with her move, we're just finished", the Captain responded happily.
Kathy hurried to get a view of the new face. „So you're gonna live here?", she asked inquisitively.
The older woman smiled back at her. „Yes, that's right. I'm going to work with your companions from now on."
„Now that we're all here, would you two like to join us at Cafe Sonata?", her brother offered.
„Yeah, that would be nice", Leo immediately agreed.
„Okay, why not?", Rosa consented.
Only Lack-Two, who still stood a little remote from the others, didn't share their enthusiasm. „I'm going to pass. You can go to the cafe on foot from here, right?", he requested.
Hugh raised an eyebrow. „What, you don't want your new mentee to find out about your drinking problem right away?"
The addressed rolled his eyes and picked a bill out of his wallet. „I can get in a round for you. Have a nice evening", he said before handing it over to his colleague to silence him.
„Likewise, Inspector", Whi-Two dared responding.
Lack-Two glanced at her in an appraising way. „I'll see you tomorrow morning, Detective. At eight o'clock in my office. Don't be late."
With these words, he turned away and went back to his car. While the four of them walked to the cafe down the road together, he drove home alone.
A chessboard has 64 tiles, eight ranks and eight files. Over the centuries, countless variants of the classical mental exercise have been devised, however none as popular as the original. Normal games are played with 16 pieces on each side, eight of them pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, a king and a queen. Both players place their figures on the two ranks in front of them, with the queen standing on a tile of her own color. Usually, the one using white figures commences. Everyone can get that far, but when it comes to the first move, the entire game might already be decided.
That's it for the first chapter of Mates and Stalemates, I hope you've grown to like it. If that's the case, please consider liking and following the story. I'm especially grateful for reviews, be it concerning the content, my writing style or whatever you feel like talking about, those are my main drive of continuing my work.
As I said, it might take me some time to write more, especially now that I'm about to begin my studies. Therefore, I promise the end result is going to be the best I can do, for better or worse. I'm signing off now, have a nice day!