Pokémon Police Force Chapter 23: Deathmark
After half an hour of travel, we made it to the onsen that Jessie's gang was running. It was a large rotunda made of finely cut bamboo. Surrounding it on all sides, were privacy fences made of the same bamboo. You could practically feel the heat from the hot springs behind. Pokémon of all shapes and sizes were chatting on the cobblestone path leading to the onsen from the nearby dirt road. Apparently, there was a line to get in.
"We gotta wait in line!?" Snow said in disbelief, "the sewer gunk is gonna crust over at this rate!"
"Do you realize who I am?" Asked Jessie, "I am far too important around here to use the front door."
Jessie led us around back to a hidden entrance. She quickly tapped in a secret code and the door opened.
"I had the foresight to have a hidden entrance for just this scenario."
We entered into the building and right into a locker room. I placed the Crown of Plenty and the Treasure Bag into a locker and closed it.
"Snow, are you sure you don't want me to take off your jewelry?" Asked Sal.
My eyes went back to the Glaceon's ears, all pierced with various golden earrings and chains.
"I'm sure. I never remove them."
After the lockers, Jessie leads us through an adjacent door and into a shower room. Though the shower is little more than a Pokémon-made waterfall with bars of soap nearby. I reached for a blue soap bar, but Jessie snatched it away before I could reach.
"Get under that waterfall," she said, "I'll clean you."
I did as asked and Jessie got to work, rubbing the soap all over me and scrubbing my body with a rag. This is the first time I've ever had anyone wash me. It was uncomfortable.
"Do you feel like we're third wheels here? Asked Sal.
"Sal, could you wash me too? I… don't have arms," said Snow.
Sal complied and began washing Snow with green soap. When Snow and I were clean of sewage, Jessie made me bathe her and Sal was saved for last as Jessie and I worked together to scrub her. Snow couldn't be bothered to do it at all. Lazy fox.
After our shower, Jessie led us to our final stop, a small hot spring. We gratefully dipped into it and relaxed into the warmth.
"Ahh… this feels great," sighed Snow happily.
Jessie had her arms wrapped around me, practically hugging me in the spring. Snow was laying on the other side of me, off to the right, soaking up the warmth. Sal was a bit further off, on the opposite side of the spring. Apparently, she was uncomfortable with Jessie's displays of affection toward me.
"So, Argyle," Sal said finally, "you never introduced us to your friend."
"I haven't? I guess we were too occupied with fleeing for our lives."
(Why is Sal looking at me like that? Did I do something? Why does she look so mad?)
"Well, this leech here, her name is Jessie," I said pointing at her with my free hand, "the don of the Black Market and my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Asked Snow, "I thought that Emerald was your girlfriend."
"Same," said Sal.
"Hey! I may play the flirt, but I'm still loyal to my girl."
"And you better remember that," said Jessie, pressing her finger threateningly to my heart.
"How come you've never mentioned her?" Asked Sal.
"We've been apart for five years," I replied calmly, "we were on a picnic date when we were beset by three thugs."
"They said something about skulls and then attacked," said Jessie.
"Let me guess, Argyle just had to be the hero and lure them away," said Snow.
"Yeah, he's always been that way," giggled Jessie, "could we end that story right there? I don't feel comfortable going any further."
"Why? What happened?" Asked Snow.
"The reason we lost track of each other," I replied, "I'll tell you later."
"I guess I can see why she won't let you go now," said Sal, "but why didn't you try to find her earlier?"
"I did! But then some things happened. I didn't want to pull her into this mess."
Sal seemed to loosen up after that. Seriously, what was her problem?
"Moving on with introductions," I said, changing the subject, "Jessie, the grouchy one over there is Salandra."
"Sal. Call me Sal."
"She's a drug dealer I met in prison. Long story," I said, cutting off Jessie before she had a chance to ask the question I knew she was about to.
"To answer your question," said Sal, "no. I did not use my pheromones on him."
"I didn't ask a question!" Said Jessie.
"Look, I know the reputation my species has and I hate it," said Sal, getting visibly annoyed, "I know what everyone thinks when they see me. I just want to be clear that I'm not like that."
"Forgive me," said Jessie, "but why is a Salazzle following Argyle here if you don't have a thing for him?"
For once, Sal seemed lost for words. It was a good long time before she spake once more.
"I don't know. At first, I thought it was just because we became friends."
She paused.
"I won't say that there's anything between us, but he's the only one whose looked at me like a normal Pokémon, not as a sex-crazed Salazzle. I guess you can say I'm just following out of curiosity."
"Sorry, I was out of line."
"It's not your fault. My species has brought this stigma upon ourselves. It's hard for a decent Salazzle to get anything done."
"Well, before this gets any more depressing," I interjected, "this Glaceon is Snow, my half-sister."
"Half-sister? You told me you were an only child."
"Again, long story."
"I'm an ex-pirate captain," Snow said gleefully, "Red Waves."
"The Red Waves? I've heard about you. You're quite infamous over at the Median Sea."
"I'm not surprised the gal in charge of the Black Market has heard of me."
"Do you know that you have several crew members that have a bit of a crush on you?"
"I kind of figured," Snow said with a sigh.
"So, who were those two Pokémon chasing us?" Asked Jessie.
"Danté and Pyra. They were my friends."
"Were?"
"It all started several months after I lost you. Those thugs continued to hound me that entire time. They almost had me when I was saved by those two. We hit it off and eventually started pulling off heists together."
"Sounds like you were tight," said Jessie.
"Until they burned down a city."
"WHAT!? THEY BURNED DOWN A CITY!?"
"Argyle, tell her the whole story," said Sal, "you were the only one there."
"Fine. I guess I should start at the beginning. When I met Emerald."
From the trial, I let Jessie know everything that happened. From the time I met Officers Emerald and Sheriashuu to the assault on Ironwell Stronghold. The time I visited my mother's grave to meeting Snow and braving the Devil's Gauntlet. Ending my story at the burning of Mystery City, my subsequent imprisonment and search for Danté and Pyra, catching us up to the present, leaving no detail out, except for the Time Gear and Lake of Origin. I did make a promise after all.
"Wow. You've had quite the journey," said Jessie, "but now you're safe."
"I'm never safe, not while those two are after me. The deep sewers will not stop them."
"Then… I'm going with you! To keep you safe."
"You can't. Get back to the Black Market. I don't want you involved," I said, "they've already seen me with you. Like it or not, I'm involved already. Ok, fine. I hate it when you're right."
"Then, everything's settled!" Said Jessie.
"Yes. I hate it when you argue like that."
"Um, what just happened?" Asked Sal.
"Oh, he can never win an argument with me," said Jessie.
"So, I recite the entire argument I know we will have," I said, "no use arguing when I know I will lose."
"You two are perfect for each other," said Sal.
"Look out below!"
Something crashed into the water with a mighty splash. When the resulting geyser faded, we had a new Pokémon in our midst, Pelipper.
"What is the meaning of this!? Interrupting our bath!"
"Sorry! I have a letter for Glacier, the Glaceon! The hot spring air made me lose my lift. You two do not make a habit of being easy to find."
"Wait, you're that Pelipper we met before!" I said.
"Good to see you well," said Pelipper.
Pelipper reached into his mail bag and handed Snow a letter, which she handed to me to open.
"Looks like my crew is doing well," said Snow, reading the letter, "they've built a new ship, the Fat Floatzel."
"The Fat Floatzel? Seriously?" Asked Sal.
"I was the only one there with any sense of decorum it seems," said Snow, "they want me back. To help bring the Red Waves back to normal."
"So, what will you do?" Asked Jessie.
"Turn them down, for now," said Snow, "Argyle still needs me."
"Do you have anything for me to deliver?" Asked Pelipper.
"Let me draw up a letter real fast," said Jessie, releasing me and walking off back to the locker room.
"So, what are we going to do about our other leeches?" Asked Snow.
"They'll keep after us until we deal with them," I said, "we need a kill box."
"You want to kill them!?" Asked Sal in surprise.
"No, of course not! I want to lock them up like they did us," I said, "'kill box' is a term we in the larceny business use for a trap. A room that we've rigged to work for us even against overwhelming odds. A place to confront them."
"Hmm… then I would suggest Loramarr Palace. It's an old palace on an island just off the coast of Blizzard Island. It's where I used to make my product at," said Sal.
"How long will it take to get there?" Asked Snow.
"Two weeks to get to shore," said Sal, "and then factor in travel by boat."
"Snow, can we borrow your crew?" I asked.
Snow smirked at that.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" Asked Snow.
"I'll go write the letters," I said, joining Jessie in the locker room. We wrote our letters and handed all three to Pelipper. He put them in his bag and then flew off. More carefully this time.
"What was the third letter for?" Asked Jessie.
"For Emerald. So that she wouldn't worry about us."
After our bath, we left, heading west. We would have to go north around the top of the Median Mountain Range and then south to south west to reach the port of Isatar, the only port on the continent anywhere near Blizzard Island.
"Finally. Finally made it."
"That voice!" I said.
"No. It couldn't be! They couldn't be out already!" Said Jessie.
We cautiously walked to the source of the voice. We found the speaker crouched next to a broken pipe sticking out of a mountain, a dead Feraligatr at his feet. An Incineroar, covered head to toe in rank sewage water. Next to him, panting was a Houndoom, covered in that same sewage.
"I am going to rip his neck off," panted Pyra.
"We need him alive," said Danté.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," said Pyra.
"Either way, we've wasted too much time. Those Pokémon put up a nasty fight. Now Argyle is probably miles ahead of-"
Danté caught on to us, looking right into my eyes.
"Let's go!" I said, dragging the girls off in a hurry.
"Was that… Argyle!?"
"Argyle!? Where?"
"Just over that hill! After him! Quick!"
Suddenly, the pursuit was back on.
