Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Booo. On a side note, neither do you.
More reviews! I'm hoping for more, anyway. Writing this while not paying attention during Chinese lesson, but I hope to see more by the time I get back... none so far... Xx
Anyways, about Ralts... I like it because of its empathic abilities... to be able to sense the emotions of any person is really cool. Also Gardevoir because they're really loyal and devoted to their trainers.
Thanks for the villain-guy, Bigfoot12310. Skately, wasn't it? I don't know if I'll be using the purple-and-black uniform... that's Erynn's department! But the rest I'll be happy to include once I'm done with the preliminaries.
Heh... the teacher's sitting behind me right now... but it doesn't really matter. I'd answer any questions in your reviews when I get home in the A/Ns... but for now I guess I'll content myself by starting this; the next chapter of Pokémon Go!
He awoke to the morning light streaming through the window which overlooked the Great North Road. No rude awakening from Erynn, for once.
Stretching, he turned and heard a commotion outside the inn. Curious, he walked to the window. Ralts followed, levitating to the window's height even as he placed a hand against it; behind him, Dave awoke as well.
Two things caught his eye immediately. Firstly, there were three police cars parked outside the building. Secondly, there was a swarm of Yanmas parked outside the neighbouring window.
The latter was easily explained; Erynn's fiasco from the day before. The former, though, less so.
Dave yawned as he stepped up to look, the wide window-sill just managing to fit both boys and their Psychic Pokémon.
"Think the two are related...?"
Ash shrugged.
"Possibly, but I doubt it..."
He highly doubted that Officer Jenny's team would arrive just because of a Yanma infestation. If the bolts of flame shooting from the window were anything to go by, the situation there was pretty much under control.
"Ugh... I think I'll go take a shower first..."
Dave left for the bathroom as Ash continued watching them. The officers didn't even seem to notice the pile of K.Oed Yanmas lying in a heap beside them.
It must be pretty serious...
Ralts and Espeon just watched; they knew better.
"Griven; Overheat!"
The Fire Pokémon blasted another wave of Yanmas back, before retreating to allow the Houndour through.
"Boone; Ember attack."
She didn't seem very enthusiastic as she called the attack out; she seemed more interested in the drawing she was working on, only glancing up occasionally.
Her newly-nicknamed Pokémon, though, more than made up for it by toasting the remaining Yanma in a single attack.
"That's done it..." Erynn sighed.
Michelle finished her drawing, looking up as she snapped it shut.
"I guess that'll teach you to use Sweet Scent so indiscriminately..."
Erynn opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. Only for a second, though.
"Fine... but, when did you name Houndour, anyway...?"
Michelle shrugged.
"I decided that if they're going to be my permanent partners, they might as well have names... after all, you did nickname your Oddish, didn't you...?"
Erynn nodded.
"Any others...?"
She removed the two Pokéballs from her belt.
"Leon, Boone... and Blitz," she said, as she released the respective Pokémon from their red-and-white prisons. The Jolteon shook herself off; sparks flying from her body.
Erynn nodded slowly as she considered the as-yet unnamed Magikarp and Abra on her team. A fresh commotion brought her running to the window again.
"Are the Yanma back...?" Michelle queried, recalling her Pokémon as she prepared to head for the shower.
"Not hardly;" Erynn replied, "it looks like something's up..."
She pressed her face to the window as she watched the innkeeper speak with the Officer Jenny in charge.
His gestures were wild, and he looked more than a little nervous. Something big must have happened for him to be so nervous. Erynn hoped it had nothing to do with the Tentor Fog or, even worse, their night-time PokéMassacre.
She heard the sharp sound of water hitting stone tiles as Michelle turned the shower on. She saw the pink Pokémon, Ditto, still asleep on her bed.
But she couldn't know of the dark undercurrents this event would pull them into. How could she? Only the author could claim to know. But he didn't. Not really.
A/N: I'm home at last! Long day… thanks for the two reviews!
There was a loud knock on the door. Dave almost fell off the window sill in surprise. Espeon turned to nose at the door as he approached it; Ralts waited by the window sill. Ash was still in the shower; the water made a sharp, crackling sound as it hit the stone tiles.
Toweling his hair dry one last time, he opened the door. A woman stood in the doorframe; she was dressed in a navy police uniform with several white stripes emblazoned along each side. A tag attached to her chest identified her as the Officer Jenny. A Growlithe sat at her feet, looking singularly alert.
"How many occupants in this room?" her question was curt; it demanded an answer.
"Err… two; but including our Pokémon, five," Dave replied, hesitant not because he couldn't count, but because he was entirely surprised.
At that moment, the bathroom door swung open, and Ash stepped out, pulling on his OPL jacket as he did. He turned to see Dave and Officer Jenny, and then did a double take.
"Whoa… is something the matter…?" he spoke uncertainly.
Officer Jenny turned to him, her face livid.
"YOU JUST WIPED OUT THE ENTIRE POKÉMON POPULATION IN THIS REGION!" she screamed.
After which, she took out a gun and shot them both. In his imagination.
Officer Jenny turned to him, then nodded and spoke.
"We're currently conducting an investigation regarding…" she trailed off, deciding to go ahead with the next question first.
"Where were you yesterday at eight in the evening?"
Dave answered for the both of them.
"Both of us were out around the plains to the east of here; near the edge of the woods."
Officer Jenny made a note in her book, and nodded for them to continue.
"The two girls in the next room were also with us; you can check with them."
At this, Officer Jenny raised an eyebrow. Not the best alibi they could come up with.
"No…! We were… training our Pokémon. Not…" Ash said, trying to avoid the fact that they'd probably knocked out a whole lot of them as well.
The officer laughed a bit, and then sighed, serious again.
"Fine… it's not in my place to judge on that matter; did any of you see a man with a green Pokéball, by any chance…?"
Both of them shrugged, shaking their heads. They hadn't really paid attention to anyone around them at the time. Ash was reminded uncomfortably of Ditto's old ball transformation; he was lucky that Erynn had turned it blue, so even if it did change…
The Officer nodded, noting their names. Then she looked the both of them in the eye.
"I've already checked with the girls, anyway. Your story holds."
The door closed behind her as the two trainers looked at each other, confused.
"What was that about…?"
She stepped out of the bathroom, zipping her leather top up as Michelle closed the door. As the door shut, she looked up at the sound; there was something ominous about it. Michelle sighed wearily as she stepped away from the door, walking over to her bed and sitting down. Her red hair hung around her shoulders as she finally got down to tying it up.
"Who was that…?"
Erynn sat down on her own bed, being careful not to sit on Ditto; she had no idea how it'd feel to have the Pokémon plastered against her pants, but she had a feeling it wouldn't be pleasant. For either of them. Michelle looked up as her fingers deftly finished the job.
"Someone's died," she said flatly.
Erynn's eyes widened.
"You mean, the officer told you…?"
Michelle shrugged in response, absentmindedly scratching Leon's head.
"I didn't really need her to; it's all in the eyes… that expression…" she shook her head, "but the police are a lot more jaded."
In another few minutes, they were packed up and ready to go. Ditto waddled out as the four trainers met in the corridor. Ash and Dave looked as though they'd been waiting for some time. At least they'd the courtesy to wait without knocking.
"Did Officer Jenny come to talk to the two of you…?"
The two of them nodded; confusion was evident on their faces.
"Who do you think killed him…?"
At that, the confusion on their faces doubled.
"Someone was murdered…?"
Michelle shrugged; beside her, Leon was remarkably quiet.
"I can't be sure if it was murder… but chances are it was a death."
Ash looked to Ditto, who had waddled over to stand by his side.
"Ralts… this is Ditto. Ditto; Ralts."
He made the introduction short. Ditto smiled at Ralts good-naturedly, the Psychic Pokémon bowing her head in response.
"Well… that's that done with…"
The noise from the lower levels could be heard even from where they were. Ash turned toward the stairs which led down to the lower level. Dave was already halfway there. Michelle shrugged.
"We might as well find out what the commotion is… probably whatever it was that killed the guy might be waiting to kill us too… but hey; it's not like we've got anything better to do…"
Erynn smirked as Ash groaned.
It's going to be one of those days…
The blue-and-white police tape could've been the same tape plastered around every other crime scene in the region. The same blue background with the same white strip through it… the same red-and-white Pokéball printed at regular intervals along it…
So. Not the Pokéballs.
The four of them stood outside the room, the room which looked so much like their own. Erynn shuddered at the strange smell which emanated from the room.
"… Concentrated Victreebell acid."
Ash spoke the words with little feeling; the three looked around at him.
"Highly corrosive with organic substances, and not very common. I've only smelt it once before…"
Erynn took a step back, feeling a little faint. The rest of the crowd followed as the stench got stronger; they parted like water for the police officers as they carried a bucket covered with a large leather cloth. The murmurs grew louder; Ash caught snippets of the dialogue around them.
"… the body…"
"… wonder… it was…?"
"… connected to the…"
"… important… wanted from him…?"
The four of them stepped back as the police officers walked right by them. The stench was overbearing; he fought the urge to throw up as Michelle thumped Erynn on the back behind him. And then they were past. Dave looked at their retreating figures with more than a little curiosity.
"Think it might have something to do with the Tentor Fog…?"
The words elicited a flurry of response from the others in the crowd; soon it became too loud for them to have any kind of private conversation. Michelle led the group down the stairs and into the lobby, the Pokémon helping to clear the way in front of them.
The inn's restaurant was crowded; remarkably so. It would've been hard to say the death hadn't been good for business. Somehow, the four of them finally managed to get a seat in the corner, where they wouldn't be so easily disturbed. Erynn watched as Dave, Ash and Ditto ate with as much good appetite as they normally did.
"I can't believe you guys can still have any appetite after that…" she sighed.
Michelle had her sketchbook out again, her pencil flying across the page without her even looking.
"Don't worry about it… we're not dead yet, are we…? There's only so much of a chance that we might die in the same way; and while it's possible we might die in some other extremely imposing circumstance, it's comforting to know Officer Jenny takes such good care of her subjects."
Erynn shot her a look.
"That was just morbid."
She nodded.
"Couldn't help it."
Ash looked to Ralts, who seemed remarkably distanced from everyone else. Her eyes were hidden from his, but he couldn't help but feel there was something else about the Pokémon.
This Pokémon has the ability to sense and replicate the emotions of its trainer…
Am I like that then…?
He dug back into his food, unable, or perhaps; unwilling, to think.
A/N: A series of short shorts. Pokémon Go! is starting to veer towards a darker side… I've tried to add a few funnies to make it a bit more lighthearted, but don't worry, this gloom won't last long… after all, this is only the beginning…
And I'm not going to grin evilly. It just isn't me. Instead, I'll just say I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and review! Adding a new side to Ash; he can't just be hit at and bullied all the time… there'll be a few twists as this story comes along, but like I said before, I'm not exactly sure what they'll be, or even where they'll be, myself.
I'm happy for my PDA; which allows me to write anytime; anywhere. But I'm happier for the reviews you send me, and while you mightn't like certain portions, I hope you'll give your feedback nonetheless! Though I feel the lightheartedness of this story will never be fully redeemed…