Wow, I'm updating on time for the first time in a long time. I said "time" too many times in that sentence.
"What do you mean 'two of our friends, dead'?" Crystal asked, fearing the answer.
"It was Yellow." Pearl sighed. Everyone had a moment of silence. They can't say they didn't expect some of the missing to be dead, but they all hoped it wasn't poor, sweet Yellow.
"We can't let this happen." Crystal had tears in her eyes.
"I don't want any more of our friends to die."
"But how do we stop this?" Green asked.
"We need to find the murderer, here and now."
Black ran down the hall. He made his appearance with the group to prove he was there, and quietly snuck away while everyone was grieving.
Dashing out of the north hall, he ran out into the garden, courtyard area. The entire area was decorated with various types of flowers, and there were cherry, apple, and peach trees scattered throughout the area. In the center, there was a huge water fountain. In front of it is where he met up with the search team before.
He arrived in the east wing and ran to Platinum's door. He put the key in and unlocked the door. Inside was Platinum, on the bed drinking tea.
"I assume you've found Yellow's body; how was it?" Platinum asked, sad.
"Gruesome. Her body was fresh like you expected." Black answered. The pair sat in silence for a moment.
"Anyways, I have to get back before anyone notices I'm gone. You follow a little later. I don't know what you're planning, but I hope you can prove your innocence. They're not going to take you just showing up lightly." Black said goodbye before running out of the room and down the hall.
Platinum resumed sipping her tea, before smiling.
"He's an idiot, but at least it's all going according to plan."
Black arrived back at the room. No one looked his way, so he's probably safe. He sighed in relief. He would not have known what to say if he got caught, since no one would just dash off secretly after discovering two of their friends had died.
"So that's the plan." Crystal finished.
'Shit, I missed the plan!' Black thought.
'I hope it wasn't anything important.'
"So, first up, Red." Crystal called out to Red. He, Green, and Crystal walked into the next room over. After a minute, Red walked out.
"Blue, you're up next." Red said. After Blue, Ruby, Emerald, Diamond, and Pearl each went into the room for about a minute.
"Your turn Black." Pearl exclaimed as he walked out of the room. All eyes were on him.
'Strange. Nobody else really paid attention when the others were called up. Yet, when I get called up, all eyes on me. I must have been caught! The others were told a code that they have been telling Crystal while Green acts as a bodyguard! That must be it! The code proves they were there and were listening." Black smiled to himself as he walked into the room.
"Hi, Black." Crystal smiled, before falling silent.
"I'm really sorry, but I forgot the code." Crystal's smile fell.
"The code..." She trailed off. Her smile returned as she talked again.
"You're very smart Black. Most of the others think you're just an idiot, not, let's say, a mastermind?" Black was silent.
"I have to give you credit, for thinking there was a code of some sort, but I asked everyone to tell me their favorite color." She said. Black was honestly scared. Platinum hadn't shown up yet, and he didn't think he could convince the others he was using the bathroom.
"You didn't think no one would notice you leave, would you?"
Crystal was upset that two more of her friends died. The murder has gone too far. She was just about to explain her plan to find the murder when Blue spoke up.
"Hey, where'd Black go?" Everyone looked around, but Black was nowhere to be found. Obviously, it was suspicious for him to just leave.
"Do you… do you think he's the one behind this?" Pearl asked.
"Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say he's number one on the list of suspects for me." Crystal replied.
"What do we do?! Black's going to kill us all!" Sun panicked.
"Relax, I don't think he could kill us all at once, just one or two. Maybe something more like six if he had a gun." Moon tried to calm him down.
"I don't think that would calm anyone down." Blue tried and failed to withhold her laughter.
"Well, anyway, I have a plan to trap Black." Crystal put everyone back on track.
"I'll go in the next room over, and call everyone in one at a time. Green will act as a bodyguard. Just..." she trailed off, "tell me your favorite color. Of course, we do this after he gets back. Don't let him know that we realized he left."
"Isn't that an elaborate plan just for Black?" Pearl asked.
"Well, if he's the mastermind behind all of this, he could be quite dangerous." She explained.
"I understand."
"That is a great plan, but what if he left for some other reason. Don't you think you're overreacting a bit?" Y asked. Some of the others muttered their agreement.
"NO!" Crystal yelled, before clearing her throat. The others were shocked.
"I mean, I don't think I'm overreacting. Look at the situation we're in! Right now, he's the only one that makes sense to be the mastermind. Anyways, I'll question him before I do anything too rash."
"Okay then." Y sighed. She had a feeling they were wrong about Black.
"Shh! I hear footsteps." Crystal whispered. Everyone turned to her. Black poked his head around the corner, before walking up behind the person that was the farthest away from everyone else.
"So that's the plan." Crystal said.
"Now, I'll ask. Where did you go?" Crystal asked Black. He was silent.
"Come on, tell me. Where did you go?" Crystal was smiling, but the look in her eyes told Black she would not hesitate to hurt him.
"I..." he turned his head to the side, "I can't tell you."
"That's what I thought." Crystal's smile grew.
"Green, you could leave now. I think I can take care of him on my own." She called out. From where he was sitting, Black could see Crystal holding a knife in her inside jacket pocket. His eyes widened.
'I know you can't see it from where you are Green, but please don't leave!' Black begged in his thoughts. He didn't want to yell or cause a scene that would justify her using the knife, but he knew she wouldn't use it in front of Green
"I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you here alone." Green replied. Black sighed in relief while Crystal's smile fell a little.
"How manly of you." She said before turning back to Black.
"He ruined all of our fun we were going to have. Don't worry, we can reschedule." Crystal whispered.
"Green! Can I get a different interrogator? I don't think this one's right in the mind." Black called out to Green.
"Haha, very funny. Crystal's the most level-headed person here, besides me of course."
'For once, your ego might be right.' Black almost laughed
"I don't think that was very funny." Crystal pouted.
"Take a joke Crys." Green sighed.
'What could have happened to make Crystal, like... this. I can't think of anything besides the death of many of her friends, but Crystal is a strong-minded person. I don't think that would cause her to snap."
Unbeknown to Black, his question was being answered in the next room over.
"Don't you think Crystal is acting a little, off?" Red asked.
"Yeah, ever since we got split up with Gold, she's just been harsher and more rash." Moon answered.
"I hope she's okay." Blue sighed.
"She likes to take everything upon herself. Green too, but his ego's big enough to handle it all."
"I just hope she doesn't crack under all that pressure." Moon said. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Achoo!" Both Green and Crystal sneezed at the same time.
"Look, guys, I don't want to get sick. Can ya' just let me go?" Black begged.
"NO!" Green and Crystal yelled.
"Wow, you guys really are in sync today." he laughed. Green and Crystal both glared at him.
"You're being interrogated, I would take it a little more seriously." Green frowned at Black.
'I would like to, but someone is fashionably late. I don't think I can stall for much longer, but is silence the best option? I know Crystal won't kill me as long as Green is here, but I don't think mild torture is out of the question for him.' While Black was lost in thought, the other two discussed amongst themselves.
"Is he okay?" Asked Crystal.
"He looks like he's having an internal debate." Green responded.
"Can he even hear us?" She asked.
"I don't know, but he sure is awful at being interrogated." Green was practically laughing as he covered his mouth with his hand. They waited for a few minutes before Black's head poked up.
"Are you ready to answer my questions?" Crystal asked.
"No, but I can assure you that I'm not the mastermind. I don't even know how to do all of that supernatural stuff!"
"Come to think of it, the past two murders weren't from some supernatural cause." Crystal realized.
"Why is that?"
A figure whose face was covered in shadows let out a small laugh before covering their mouth. They regained composure before muttering a single sentence,
"Because all of that supernatural stuff was getting boring."
The figure smirked before they looked up.
That is the end of this chapter. The rest of it is like an interlude. It isn't a separate chapter because I didn't want to mess up the release schedule more than it already is, and also I have a clean number of chapters planned out, and having the interlude as a separate chapter would ruin that. Also, it is necessary to read since it clears up some things about the setting of this story. Well, I hope you enjoy it!
"It's been a long time, I hope they're okay." Moon was worried.
"Yeah, although I feel like they are probably just going in circles." Y added.
"That or Crystal and Green are putting on a little show for Black!" Blue giggled
"Eww, you're so gross Blue!" Moon gagged.
"No, nonononono! I meant they were making out, n-not se-"
"That's still pretty gross, but that's just the matchmaker in you." Y sighed. By now, the three girls had formed their little group that the others have started to call, "The Gossip Gang." All of the others are too afraid to approach them or even eavesdrop on them, since all of the girls were pretty scary, and they are afraid of what they might hear.
"Besides, I think Green totally has the hots for Red." Figure A, all of the girls were total fujoshi, and the guys don't want to hear who they're shipped with (except for maybe a few).
"One time, I heard a moan of Red's name come from Green's room." Figure B, all of the girls knew stuff the others don't want other people to know.
"How do you know that?"
"I might or might not have broken into his house to get some butter. I always forget to buy butter." Figure C, all of the girls go to extremes to get information.
"Wow Blue, you're such a troublemaker." Moon giggled.
"I thought you shipped Red and Yellow though?" She asked Blue. She got a little sad when she realized what she just said.
"Well, now that Yellow's... out of the picture, I ship Red and Green all the way."
"Anyways, I have a feeling the Ruby is BL material." Y moved on.
"Totally." The others agreed.
"Who do you think he likes?" Moon inquired.
"Ahh, that's a tough one." They all pondered for a bit.
"When we first got here, he was kind of all over Sun, but I don't think it was in a romantic way." Y thought out loud.
"Well, I think we can rule out Emerald, Pearl, and Black too. He doesn't really seem to care for the latter two that much, and Emerald is just like a little brother to him if anything." The other two girls nodded in agreement with Blue.
"He kind of has a friendship with Red and Diamond. Although, I think his gaydar isn't too bad, so I think he respects Green's feelings and can tell Diamond is straight." Moon added.
"Hey! I got an idea! Let's go check his phone!" Y suggested. (A/N: I know I have already mentioned Pokégears in the story, but since their so many forms of it in the Pokémon world, Pokénav, x-transceiver, holocaster, etc., I decided just to make it so that they are all just different phone brands or models.)
"Great idea!" The girls walked over across the distance the others had put between them and tapped on Ruby's shoulder. He gulped, fearing what would happen.
"Hey give us your phone." Blue said.
"Uh, no?" Ruby was a little confused. All three girls suddenly glared at him violently, before Blue repeated herself sternly.
"Give us your phone!" Ruby, in absolute terror, fished his phone out of his bag and practically threw it in Blue's hands before dashing away.
"Thank you!" They cheerfully called out to him. They skipped their way back to their original spot. Y and Moon hovered over Blue's shoulder as she went to his text messages.
"Oh thank god you don't need cellular service to view text messages! We would be so out of luck since there isn't any service here!" Blue sighed in relief.
"I feel like that line didn't make sense and was just trying to mention something that should have been mentioned earlier." Y said.
"Huh?" The other girls were confused.
"Oh don't mind me, I'm just patching up the fourth wall over here." Y explained, sorta.
"Whatever, let's just see his texts with Red."
"Let's see... asking about advice for dealing with savage creatures, bragging about being the only one with a dad, and pictures of his 'cute' Pokémon."
"Ahh, here! Romantic advice!" The girls immediately switched from happy to sad.
"It says, 'Hey Ruby, I need your help with something. I want to ask Yellow on a date after that thing Crystal needs us for at the Old Chateau. Do you have any advice? I'd figure I'd ask you since you got Sapphire.'" A tear fell from Blue's eye.
"Ruby replied, 'Sapphire and I are not dating, stop assuming things,' mad face emoji, mad face emoji, mad face emoji." Moon read out loud.
"He's such an ass." The girls agreed. They sighed before looking for his texts with Diamond, only to find out he doesn't have his number. He didn't have Green's or X's numbers either.
"Man, he isn't very social." Y laughed.
"Who's even left?"
"Gold and Silver." Moon said, looking at his contacts.
"Oh god, it better not be Silver." Blue gagged. It seemed as though this lighthearted conversation was making her momentarily forget about his death and the situation they were all in.
"Let's find out." They scrolled through the text history, finding out most of their conversations were just Silver replying with "Stop texting me."
"Sounds like my brother." Blue smiled sadly. Y, sensing her sadness, moved the conversation along.
"Well, let's see about Gold. Wow, Ruby talks to Gold way less than any of the other guys. Big sign"
"Yep, yep. What else?"
"Hmm, Gold's asking for a battle and Ruby say, 'maybe sometime soon.'"
"That's a good sign!" Moon gleefully cheered.
"Why?" Y was a little confused. As much as she enjoyed her gossip, she wasn't too experienced with romance.
"Well, first of all, he didn't say no. We all know Ruby would likely immediately shut anyone down if it's a battle." Moon explained.
"Ahh."
"Also, he said 'maybe later,' meaning he didn't really want to go and battle him. It's a stretch, but we could assume that it means he's too embarrassed to be alone with Gold." Blue added.
"I get it now. Hey, look at this here! 'I got free tickets to a movie, and Sapphire doesn't want to go. You want to go?'"
"It's Gold."
"For sure Gold."
"Definitely Gold."
"The Gossip Gang is radiating a sinister aura over there, I'm scared." Diamond said. Red walked up and put a hand on his shoulder.
"We all are man, we all are." Pearl nodded his head in agreement.
"They stole my phone." Ruby chimed in.
"Earlier, Moon was going through my bag, and when I asked her what she was doing, she hissed at me like a stray cat." Sun had a terrified look on his face.
"Though I don't think any of us are as scared as him." Red pointed to Emerald, who was curled up against the wall with a look of sheer terror on his face. He looked up to them and responded.
"How are none of you concerned about the fact the X's dead body is on the floor right over there!?"
"So girls, do we ship them?" Blue asked.
"Totally!" All three of them yelled at once
"So what do we have to do?"
"Well first, we got to find Gold, it's no good if he's missing or dead." Y explained.
"Once we find Black innocent, Y and I can go back out with the search team to find Gold." Blue declared.
"I'll be our branch in the defense team." Moon added. The girls nodded their heads.
"Okay, meeting... adjourned!" Blue yelled. The girls walked back towards the others, giggling.
"Here's your phone asshole," Blue tossed Ruby's phone at him, "and we're totally rooting for ya!"
The gossip gang walked off further in the room.
"Asshole?"
Hooray! No cliffhanger this time! I mainly wanted to get from one point to another this chapter, but I didn't want to start the next thing yet, so yeah. Sorry if the whole "Gossip Gang" thing seemed like filler. I was just trying to use it to reach 2000 words (my goal for each chapter, usually), but it ended up being really fun to write and I accidentally wrote my longest chapter ever (3000 words).
Also, about the whole Gold and Ruby thing, I don't really ship them anymore, but it reminds me of my middle school years when I was all about crack pairs. Don't worry if you're not into crack pairs, it's not relevant to the plot except for comedy. It's mainly because it's nostalgia for me, and a perfect example of what the Gossip Gang is all about.