Chapter 115:

Hunting Ground

Pokémon List:

Luna (Kirlia)

Fay (Riolu)

Midna (Zorua)

There were no eyeballs.

That's one of the few things that disturbed me deeply. Another thing was how the corpse was proudly brought to light in the middle of Flamera's speech. Unceremoniously dropped somehow in the middle of a busy and lively crowd. That disturbed me as well. The way it was displayed, almost like some kind of trophy.

But what disturbed me most was not the body, or the violent act itself. No, what disturbed me was how quickly I got over the shock.

While people around me were shouting, screaming or trying to get away I caught myself moving closer to the horror attraction. My body was lured to it.

Thoughts ran through my mind, but almost none of them adressed how fucked up this shit was. Instead they were focused on the future, on what my next step should be and how this unexpected incident could be used to my advantage.

A small part of me realized this was not a normal reaction to seeing a dead body. But then again, my situation was far from normal.

On stage I saw Flamera being led away by bodyguards. She tried to vocalize questions but the security teams were too much in a hurry to answer them and pushed her backstage. I saw Ash and Pikachu arrive at the scene as well. His face portrayed the same shock as everyone else had but that expression turned into an angry glare very quickly. He bit his lip in frustration as his eyes scanned the crowd. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and landed in front of him. His tail was glowing and angled over his own head like a scorpion's tail. Ready to sting whatever threat arrived.

"Whoever did this must be nearby," Ash said out loud. His eyes turned to me. "Pikachu and I are going to search the area. We can not let the killer go unpunished." He and Pikachu ran off in a rush, not giving me any time to scold them how that plan was stupid. On the flip side. I knew something they did not.

Behind me Dawn emptied her stomach on the ground. Brock comforted her and called out to me. Asking my help to bring Dawn somewhere she could sit down and rest.

My attention was not with any of that. Instead my eyes were stuck to the faceless corpse and the question that echoed through my mind. Why did Darkrai do this?

After a split decision I moved closer to the body. My two Pokémon followed until I was only half a meter away from the body.

I knelt down to study it closer.

It was getting dark but the floodlights surrounding the plaza gave me enough light to see what I had to.

The man had wild blond hair, like hay. He was fair skinned and he had a healthy figure. Nothing out of the ordinary about this dude. Well, besides being dead.

His mouth was bloodied and smeared with blood. His lip was cracked open. But most of the blood had dripped out of his empty eye sockets.

The eyes were completely missing. Instead there were deep red pockets with holes and tiny worm like veins in the middle. The walls of the sockets were scratched open. Flesh and skin had been cleaved in raw strokes. The red and black walls blended in with white fluid. Maybe torn off flesh. The scratch marks reached his cheeks where they ran deep. But the blood had gotten streaked everywhere across his face and even the top of his head.

The victim was lying on his stomach. His mouth was stuck in what I thought to be a perpetual scream.

For a brief moment I considered what I was about to do. And how that came to be.

"Luna, please, gently flip this guy around." I said while feeling disgusted by myself.

Like magic the body was gently lifted up from the floor. I hear complaints and disgust coming from the crowd.

I sighed and got up.

"Listen, I'm here conducting an investigation. If you all would back off a little?" I asked. I tried to make it sound like I knew what I was doing. I saw Luna give me a questioning look.
I spotted 2 police officers weaving through the crowd. They were having a hard time getting through. I quickly considered my options.

I wanted to see what the fuck Darkrai did. But I wasn't sure if I had the chance to do so at a later date. Now was the only chance I really had. The spotlight was aimed at me. Guess it was time to put on a show.

"Please move aside for my colleagues." I spoke out loud. I pointed at the two officers that were approaching.

The people parted and allowed the cops to pass with a new chorus of rumors stirring up. Both officers were relatively young. Somewhere in their late twenties I presumed. One of them gave the eye-less victim a pale look and convulsed. The other was a bit more experienced and started relaying orders to both the crowd and into the radio. Asking the crowd to leave and the other officers to establish a perimeter. They did eventually. Some of them tried to ask questions but it was pretty clear no one knew what the hell happened. I did see security around the area being tightened as more Pokémon were released by both trainers and security personnel.

I stood nearby, not trying to draw much attention to myself. Finally, the officer that looked almost empty of his own stomach stood straight and approached me.

"Who are you?" He asked, his voice was vaguely hostile. He eyed the body and then me. As if I had caused it.

"I work for the Sinnoh League." I said while trying to keep my expression neutral. "I happened to be near the scene of the…crime. Didn't see him die but I think my higher ups definitely like to hear about a dead body appearing out of nowhere."

The other officer got closer. He stood next to his colleague and folded his arms. He also looked at me like I was the problem here. "And who are you?"

"Look," I said, my impatience was dripping with every word. Did not even have to act that part. "I want to know what this is about. If you don't agree, talk stuff out with my boss."

I had pulled up my Pokédex and already opened the contacts list.

"We don't need any interference from the League." The officer said. "The APD can handle this perfectly fine." The Alamos Police Department? I knew next to nothing about them. Online I didn't find anything about them. What did these guys have against the League?

"Fine," I tapped on my Pokédex. "Here you go. Have fun." I handed the device over as the ringing sound played.

The guy reluctantly took the device and walked off. Telling his partner to keep an eye on me. He was still looking at me like he thought I was the criminal here.

The wait didn't last long. The guy returned rather quickly. His face noticeably paler. "He's the real deal."

He pulled his colleague away from the crime scene. He only gave me one last dirty look before wandering off to talk to the security personnel.

I looked at the Pokédex and saw Hylla had sent a message asking me to call her back as soon as possible. I made a mental note to call back once this whole ordeal was over and I had a good story prepared.

"So," Midna muttered. "This Darkrai of yours. Did that Pokémon do this?" She approached the body. She sniffed it once before turning her face away. "If so, I think it would be a good idea to skip town."

"That's what I'd like to know as well." I said, serious. I checked to make sure no one was watching us. After Luna confirmed we had no invisible observers I knelt down next to the body to the point I could almost smell the body odor and count the hairs on his skin.

Being so close to him made me feel sick a little. Like his injury was contagious. But I knew he wasn't. It was just a dead body. Not even my first.

"As far as I know Darkrai doesn't tear out the eyes of its victims." And considering that did happen, I want to know why it did.

I grimaced. I had seen enough films and television to know generally what to look for during autopsies. Let's just hope all of that is accurate.

Hesitantly I put my finger against his neck, finding a spot that wasn't wet and covered by blood.

His skin was still warm.

I almost pulled my finger away immediately. A wave of disgust fell over me. But instead of pulling it away I moved it lower until I reached his mouth. With only a soft flick I dislodged his jaw and I could finally look inside.

Blood. Of course. It had slipped down from his eye holes into his mouth. His teeth were stained red. But there was no damage to the insides of his mouth. Although, I did not know what to look for either.

I softly closed his mouth until the expression was no longer a scream. "You know, in these kinds of situations you would actually close the victims eyes." I said.

{Ha.} Luna commented dryly.

She had gotten closer as well, taking as much interest in the victim as I had. Though she was mostly looking at what I was doing.

Midna kept a respectful distance from the body. She also was the only one who looked visibly disturbed by the mutilation. That in itself was an odd thing. She had seen the Red Orphanage and murdered the guy in charge. She should be the one who felt calm and composed.

I let go of the head and focused on the rest of the body. His clothes were particularly unremarkable. They did not have a brand or any design on them.

His hands however. That's where I stopped to do a double take.

Suddenly the hand moved up to my face.

I immediately leaped back, drew a dagger from my backpack's side pocket and held it in front of me. I was only stopped from plunging the knife down when Luna said. {Here, this way you can see it easier.}

I looked at the psychic and saw her horns were glowing. The Kirlia stood proudly next to the victim. Using her psychic powers to raise his arm effortlessly and displaying it as if she learned a new trick.

"Fuck," I muttered slowly. "Don't do that shit without warning me." I went on. In my chest my heart was still raging against my ribcage. I told myself to relax a little. I put away my weapon and lowered myself to the ground again.

{Sorry.} Luna laughed sheepishly. {You were so focused on his hands, I thought you wanted to see them closer.}

"She's helping a hand…" Midna said humorlessly. She was standing a little closer. She tried to crack a smile but her eyes were still focused on the body.

I shook my head and took a look at the arm Luna had so graciously lifted.

Like the rest of his image the hands were ruined by deep red blood, peeled skin and mushy bits of flesh.

What piqued my interest were the nails. Luna's help did give me a better angle at them. I was not sure what I was seeing correctly so I took out my Pokédex and activated the built-in flashlight.

There was blood, white veins and flesh underneath his nails.

I frowned, not exactly liking what I saw. I signaled Luna she could drop the arm. She did as I asked and the limb hit the concrete.

"Luna, please empty his pockets." I asked.

Without hesitating she did so. An assortment of items flew up into the air and hovered above the body as if a spectral entity was haunting this very place. But it was just my Kirlia.

I looked at the array of belongings that hung in the air. I found a discarded candy wrapper, some coins and a restaurant card.

That was all. No personal identifications, no licenses or Pokéballs. Nothing that could tie this man and his mysterious fate to anything except a cheap looking advertisement for a fastfood chain called Poké Bowls.

I took the card and put it away. I recalled how important it was to take a photograph of the original crime scene in films. But I already screwed that up when the guy got flipped over.

I took a few more photos. Each flash lit up the night sky and highlighted the poor fool in front me.

Memories of my first few moments in this world came back. I theorized back then that Pokémon could do terrible things. I had seen evidence of it but to see it like this, right in front of me. It was almost surreal. The people at the Red Orphanage that got offed by Pokémon were experimenting with them. It felt like an isolated disaster. This somehow felt more personal.

"I think I've seen enough." I told Midna and Luna. Midna sagged with relief while Luna gave the dead body a skeptical look.

"So, you're going to spill the truth?" Midna asked while I went looking for the officer I spoke to earlier. "I mean, you are a 'League investigator' now." She paused. "Wait, you told me the same thing when we first met."

"I'll spin a good story."

Of course I could not outright tell them Darkrai was in town. Darkrai was merely a local myth here. I also didn't want the police to mess with my own plans.

"Officer," I approached the dude who spoke to Hylla. I figured he knew what my role here was. I for sure didn't.

"Amaranth." The guy tipped his hat. "James Amaranth."

I straightened my back a little and gave him a serious nod. "So, what's the status?"

"We sent out a city wide bolo and tightened security. The mayor wants to keep the Knight festival going regardless of the monster who did this still running around. Something about spirit." He shrugged. "But what do you say? Your boss said your specialty was dealing with situations like this."

Thanks Hylla. I don't even know what a bolo is. However, it seems that Flamera is determined to let the show go on. I thought that was the best course of action as well.

"I believe this act of violence was done by a rogue Pokémon," I started hesitantly. "He was clearly teleported or phased to where it is right now but the way his eyes were removed." I let a brief silence fall. I didn't want to reveal too much to the League and the police. But I had to give them something.

Amaranth sighed. "Poor fellah. Probably a Gengar or other mean spirited beast."

"Also, tell your guys to not engage in any hostility with the target."

The guy coughed. Or I thought he was, until I heard him laughing. "Y-you think we shouldn't fight the monster that did this? You League people are really out of your mind."

Both Luna and Midna also looked to me like I just told them the sky was green.

"You are crazy," Officer Amaranth said.

I rolled my eyes. The moment I'm telling the truth people start doubting me. Classical. "Think about it. Whoever did this wanted to make a statement. That's why the victim was dropped in the middle of the crowd where everyone could see it. This is not a simple murder. It's a message."

"A message to whom?"

"That I don't know," I admitted. "But right now, the murderer has declared war on someone they thought to be in the crowd. Well, knowing what I've seen I wouldn't want to get between it and their prey." I felt a sudden shiver run over my back. A thought I hadn't considered before whispered into my mind. What if I am his target?

I shook my head. That wouldn't change much.

"That's all I got for now." I said. "I don't have a lot of experience with performing autopsies."

He nodded at that. "Well, thanks for sharing I suppose. The last League official who came here kept saying everything was confidential."

I compassionately smiled at him. "It was a pleasure to work with you."

With that act done I walked away, hoping I left a good enough impression. Another part of me wondered if it really mattered. A few days from now no one would care about a single random liar anyway.

"So, what's the big plan now?" Midna asked me as I walked away from the scene. The area had been closed off by the public and was swarming with security, police and volunteering Pokémon trainers.

"We are going back to the Pokémon Center. We should have Fay fixed up and then eat something. I think I'll take something that makes my brain go blank the moment I touch the blanket."

{Shouldn't we take countermeasures against Darkrai?} Luna asked. She sounded worried.

"Like I just said. Darkrai is not our enemy." Yet..

A cold wind was blowing through the streets of Alamos town. I was going through the district with all the local restaurants. Where there once used to be cheerful conversations were now whispers and hushed tones. Some attempts at cheering people up had been done but it didn't matter much.

"Sure," Midna asked sarcastically. "You don't think the creep is going to take your eyes away?"

"I'm very confident I am safe."

{I don't think you are.} Luna chimed in. {Maybe we should reevaluate our approach to Darkrai. Maybe get back up?}

"Our stance on Darkrai doesn't change." I repeated myself after I checked to see if we were alone. I swallowed. "Although I would like to ask you two for a favor."

Midna gave me a suspicious glance. She shared the look with Luna before saying. "And that favor is?"

"Well, you both saw the body and what happened to the poor man. I don't ever want to experience that myself. So, if you two ever see me trying to scratch out my own eyes. Kill me."

Silence. Two incredulous looks. Guess I had screwed up my timing.

Great.

I smiled. "Okay, who here wants to try Poké Bowl tonight?"

A/N It's late. I'm going to keep this short.

Hope I wrote this chapter right. I usually don't really write detectives or stories like that, but I hope I did a good enough job with both the tone and keeping the story grounded enough in the Pokémon world.

Come join my discord server. Or not. If you drop by and mention which review you left behind I can like, thank you and stuff.

They also helped out a lot with editing and proofreading stuff. So yeah. I'm going to bed. There's a whole insane world out there but right now I'm going to rest.

(reviews)

Delta669

AAAAAAAAAAAA.

Okay, sorry, I'll calm down. I can't wait to see the outcome of Darkrai's meddling, heck, you're even motivating me to rewatch The Rise of Darkrai. It's been maybe 8 years since I last saw it. Wow.

A: I don't really recommend the Darkrai movie, but you do you.

LazyImmortal:

beautiful. I love it. the guy at the end couldn't say "Eye love it"

A: This pun is a thorn in my eyes. It's too cheesy, damnit.

Ferno16:

And just like that it got dark, I love it. on a side note, would you mind if I or others use parts of your story for their own? The danger system you set up makes sense. If anything you are inspiring to write a fanfic of my own.

A: Feel free to use it.

Dimensional reader:

Probably something like chicken, and for Luna something with sugar.