Hello, everyone. I hope you are all having a great day so far. And for those of you who are having a less than perfect day, I hope this new chapter for Binaural will help.

"It's hard to describe what is like being back in the city. Terrifying would be a great adjective, but it wouldn't nearly comprehend everything I feel.

"The horror, jumpiness, nostalgia, yearning to go back, how am I supposed to describe all that with just one word? I can't, simple enough. And that's fine, in my opinion, because I don't think I'm supposed to.

"Crap… I'm rambling, I need to get my head back on its tracks…"

Many pairs of eyes were giving them strange glances as they passed by people on the sidewalk. The eyes were drawn in by the spear Shali still carried with her. She carried it by her side, not letting it touch the concrete lest she should scratch it unnecessarily.

Shali was rather surprised when they first entered the city. It was just so… big. And open, much more open than the forest had ever been. She could see miles in one direction with the only thing blocking her vision being cars and people. The sky stretched up forever, not being blocked by any trees. The snow complimented the visual spectacle of it too, creating a sort of white, shiny wonderland.

The sight of other pokemon walking or sitting with humans was another thing she found interesting. She had her moral of not judging humans so quickly but aside from Matthew, there had not been much room to test it. So to see so many people show care to the pokemon with them was something amazing. Something she never imagined she would see.

However, she didn't like everything here.

The glances were one thing. Despite her annoyance to them, it was small enough she could ignore it. Then there were those who not only gave a mean look but whose aura's also emanated hate. She didn't know why they hated her, if it was because she had a spear or even just because she was a pokemon.

Then there were the things that made her think that her tribe had a point of humans being bad.

Matthew had claimed when they had gone into the urban area of the city that, "There's a lot of scummy activities around here. Just stick close and don't let people get your attention. And keep walking, no matter what."

His words were true. As they were walking to wherever they were going, she didn't have time to ask, she saw things that disgusted her.

Occasionally, she would see an ever so devious hand dip down into another's pocket and retreat before the victim could notice. And when they did, it was too late.

This, combined with the fact that there were plenty of suspicious people lurking around at every corner, eyeing those who passed them, as well as those who didn't give her looks of hate or interest but what seemed like desire, and her positive outlook had shrunk considerably.

But no matter how bad of experience this was for her, it appeared to be nothing when compared to Matthew.

Out of interest, she had used her aura sense while she was looking around. There was a vibrant array of them dispersed throughout the city but for some reason, Matthew's showed almost pure fear. He kept jerking his vision to random places and was speed walking, making it a little hard for her to keep up with crowds coming from the opposite direction.

As for the little piece of aura in him she knew as Neo, he remained silent but still pulsing with unstable agitation.

Shali didn't know where they were going. As far as she was concerned, the city was the maze to end all mazes. Matthew seemed to but had never communicated that information to her. Almost as if he were afraid to speak.

He was wearing a new coat, though she wasn't sure where it was from. At a point, when they were still in the suburbs, he had gone into a small house and she had waited patiently for him. When he returned, he had a coat and toque on, hiding his white hair, and didn't speak a word.

It had been almost an hour since then, and she still had no idea where they were going. They were going very deep into the city and currently in an area that would be called the textbook definition of sketchy.

Buildings that used to have life thriving in them were now hollow shells with broken windows. Echoes and groans of the sick and deluded rang through the alleys, setting her uneasy. The aura here was dark, unstable, dangerous. She prayed to Sphaera that it would be over soon.

However, it continued for some time. Thankfully, the scenery eventually became a bit more palatable. They passed a little soup kitchen with a few people, roughly clothed, were coming in and out.

Shali couldn't help but feel a smile come to her. Out of the dark aura this area had, this one place held an aura of hope and kindness.

They kept walking, letting the snow fall against them. Matthew had increased his pace slightly, as though he were excited for what lay ahead. And for a while, she kept that pace as well.

But as they passed an alley, she stopped.

There were three humans, all standing, who were beating another human lying on the ground. The one on the ground was bloody and trying his best to block the incoming kicks with his arms, though it appeared to be all for naught. She could hear the three assaulters cursing and insulting at the victim though she couldn't hear anything coming from the victim himself. No pleas, no cries for help, nothing.

"What are you doing?!" she heard Matthew hiss.

She turned to see him with a look of urgency. "That human down there, he's getting hurt."

"I know, I saw him when I passed by, now come on!"

"But… that human isn't saying anything, he isn't even trying to get them to stop." She looked back to the alley, the beating was still occurring.

"He's probably speech-impaired or something. We have to keep going Shali, I can't stop."

"Shouldn't we help him?" she asked.

Matthew opened his mouth, eyes angry and scared, ready to say something venomous, and stopped. He sighed, putting a palm to his head, feeling how hot it was regardless of the cold. "No, we can't." He let the hand drop from his face down to his side again, "We should, but we can't." He reached forward, grabbing Shali's paw and began walking. "Come on."

She took a last look at the beating. It was largely over now, the final attack came from one of the assaulters spitting onto the now motionless victim. Then, due to Matthew's tug, her vision was blocked by a brick wall.

She used her aura sense again and saw the dark aura that plagued this area once more. There were three darker patches in the alley they had passed. In the middle of them was a more brightly coloured one, but it was very faded. Though it didn't disappear, that she could take solace in.

Her head went over to Matthew, about to ask how much longer they would stay in this area, she was ready to leave. His aura now emitted disappointment. Not to anyone except himself.

She decided it would be better to just hold off.

After some time, they left the area behind and Shali let relief wash over her as the aura turned vibrant once more.

Matthew's stopped in front of a building. It had white sides with a red arch spanning the doorway. The roof was also red and it curved downward as it touched the walls. A white pokeball with red outlines was embedded above the doorway. The automatic sliding glass doors and square black letters that read, 'Goldenrod City Pokemon Center.'

Shali saw his aura finally change from disappointment to ease. So this is where they were going? She had heard that these places were used to heal pokemon. But she didn't have any injuries, so why were they here?

Matthew walked forward into the pokemon center, the doors sliding open as he was near. She followed close, feeling warm air coat her as she passed through.

The inside had a beige tile floor that had a picture of a pokeball emblazoned on it through red and orange tiles. The walls were bright orange and held many posters for various tournaments and contests. Humans and their pokemon were strewn about, talking amongst themselves or simply lounging around. In the center, there was a woman with curly, rich pink hair that had two oblong loops that hung like pigtails. She sat behind a red desk and gave a bright smile.

"Hi! Welcome to Goldenrod's pokemon center! I'm Nurse Joy, how may I help you?" the woman asked.

Shali, using her aura sense, could confirm that, like her name, the woman had a lot of joy in her.

"Yeah, I mean, I hope you can," said Matthew, giving off a large, exasperated sigh after he finished.

"Oh? What's the problem?"

"Well, you see, uhh… remember that blizzard about a week ago?"

"I should, there were many cases of hypothermia we had to treat," said Nurse Joy, shaking her head. "I really do wish people pay closer attention to the dangers of weather."

"Ah, then you might not like this next part."

She couldn't understand what was going on. There had been a blizzard not too long ago but as far as she knew, Matthew had only come into the Aperta tribe's territory two days ago. Where was he going with this?

"Shali and I here got caught in the middle of it while we were on our way here and… well… we lost the trail."

"Oh, dear. I hope you didn't freeze."

Matthew shrugged, "I was pretty well bundled up and Shali was just fine with her fur, plus we had plenty of Yache berries to keep us warm, right Shali?"

Put on the spot, Shali fumbled with her speech. "I.. uh.. We… the blizzard.." They weren't caught in the middle of a blizzard, Matthew was not 'bundled up' when they were in the forest, she had picked Yache berries, sure, but they were long forgotten by now. What was happening? Why was he lying?

"Right," said Matthew, not skipping a beat, "so we make it through the night and we're lost. My pokedex was frozen solid and malfunctioned so I couldn't figure out where we were." Matthew scratched his head through the toque, "It's been a rough few days, I'll tell you that much."

"I can imagine," Nurse Joy gave a sympathetic expression, "How did you manage to get out?"

"Thankfully, she's a very good navigator and got us to the city." Matthew took a moment and put a hand on Shali's shoulder in a commending sense. He looked at her, "It took some time but you did a really good job in getting us here."

That was a truth, but to her, it didn't sound like it was. "Matthew… I don't understand, why are you lying?" she asked.

"Ah, you're right, Shali. I guess I am getting a bit off-topic," said Matthew, ignoring her question and taking his hand off.

"You can understand her?" said Nurse Joy.

Matthew turned back, "Well, we've been through a lot. I can understand enough."

"Ah, I see."

"Anyway, we want to get a room and the problem is-"

"Stop ignoring me, Matthew. Answer the question, why are you lying?" interrupted Shali, banging the butt of her spear on the tile floor. Many eyes turned to the source of the sound.

"Hey! Shali!" he yelled suddenly more aggressive. He turned his entire body over to her. "I get that you're a little cranky after spending a lot of time out in the open…"

She was about to reply with the same snarky tone she was hearing from him, then she saw his face. It didn't reflect his voice at all. His expression was pleading with her, trying to make her understand what he was doing.

"... but you can't just make a scene like this. I gave you a lot of leeway with that spear and I don't want to take it away. Understand?"

With that, she felt a strong urge to reply, regardless if Matthew wanted her to stay quiet or not. Her spear was her pride, it was not just another object. She let it slide though. Whatever he was doing, it must be important for him to act this out of place.

"I understand," she said, nodding. You owe me a big explanation to this.

"Thank you," Matthew replied. He looked back at Nurse Joy, "As I was saying, the problem is that I lost my trainer ID somewhere in the blizzard."

"Well, that definitely is a problem…" said Nurse Joy, going into thought. "I'm sorry but I can't give you a free-of-charge room if you don't have your ID with you."

"Not even just one night?"

"It would be unfair if I only gave you special treatment." She gave a sad smile, "But renting a room is still an option if you have money. It's only one thousand pokedollars per night."

Shali saw his eyes flash with fear, "Oh, well, I guess that's an option. Let me check." His hand went into the coat's pocket, wiggled around a little bit, then paused. "Well, would you look at that," he said, with an almost distasteful undertone. He pulled out a clump of different coloured bills. "Is this enough?" He handed the bills over.

Nurse Joy skimmed through the money, "Plenty enough, you could stay two or three nights if you wanted to."

"Thanks." The bitterness came forth fully, he didn't even try to hide it. "Just one night please."

"Alright then," she took a few of the bills and handed the rest back to Matthew. "Name please?"

"Jackson Bullock."

She reached under her desk and pulled a card that was white with a pokeball on it, "Your room is number two-fourteen, have a nice day."

He nodded, taking the card, "Yeah… you too."

They turned away from the desk and headed off to their room.

Along the way, Shali could hear Matthew muttering things to himself. She couldn't make out much but she heard something along the lines of, "Arceus.. fucking.. fucking stupid… so fucking stupid.."

They reached their room before long and Matthew placed the card against the sensor. A ding was heard and he swung the door open.

The room was of a decent size. It was outfitted with two beds, a dresser, a mounted television on a portion of the wall opposite to the beds and a window that overlooked the street they used to be on. It looked remarkably like his room at the Silverline.

Matthew immediately went over to the window and peeked outside, scanning the area. He could still feel the sour thoughts poking in his mind. How could he have been so stupid? Damnit, he had done it plenty of times before, why'd he mess up this time? He remembered the story, the alias… what was wrong with him? And it was something so simple too, something that he could have easily done on accident and be done with.

He finished looking and was finally able to breath easy. Thank Arceus, it's still safe. He went over to the curtains and pulled them across the window.

The door closed with a click. "Okay, Matthew. I played along, now are you going to tell me what's happening?"

He turned around and faced Shali, she was looking at him intensely. At that moment, he knew he wouldn't be escaping this room until she got answers. And he could understand that.

"Do you remember when you were dragging me through the forest?" he asked.

Shali broke her seriousness with a little smile, "Yes, I do. Quite well."

"I asked you if you were part of Team Saber and you said you didn't know what that was."

She nodded, "I remember your aura. It seemed scared but I just took it as because I was dragging you somewhere you didn't know of."

"I mean, that was part of it but at that time, I was more worried about if Team Saber had captured me again."

"And now you're paranoid that they'll actually do it now that you're here," she said, figuring it out. "So what are they, then?"

"A group of bad people, really bad people. They were the ones who gave me my… powers. They're dangerous, secretive but also very careful in what they do."

"Why is that important?"

"It means they aren't going to do anything they can't back out of. If someone found a hacked security camera in a pokemon center or looking into one, the police would get involved and they have the risk of being found out."

Shali bent her head down in understanding, then raised it back up with a touch of fury in her expression. "But you lied. You lied to that nice person and treated my spear like just another object." That appeared to trigger something in her. She got close, angling her spear down into an offensive position. "One of our vows is to respect and care for one another. I can respect your decision to go into the city for whatever reason you have but I expect you to do the same for my spear."

Matthew, for a brief moment, felt more scared of the weapon-wielding Lucario in front of him than he was of Team Saber. "I understand. Your-your spear is important to you and I shouldn't have disrespected it. That's my mistake alone."

Her spear came back up to her side. "Then the lying, you made up this story about getting trapped in a blizzard."

"Yeah, that's… that's my fault, again. I didn't even have to lie if I had just checked the pockets in the coat that I… got. If I knew the money was there, I could have just bought a night without all the hassle."

He saw the inquisitive look surface in her eyes and prepared himself for the phrase that would surely follow.

"You stole it."

"Shali, you have to see that I-"

"Stop, Matthew."

Hearing the very weighty tone she had, he did so.

"I get it, alright? You have to lie, steal… anything, really, because Team Saber is after you. I just…" She came closer, non-threateningly this time. "Please, just tell me what you're doing next time, okay?" She raised her paw and showed the black symbol, "We're bonded by Sphaera now, everything you do affects me."

He looked down at his symbol, pulling back the sleeve of his stolen coat. "I know," he sighed, "and I'll keep it in mind the next time it comes up."

"Swear you will?"

"I swear, Shali." He felt some of the tension leave, "So are we good?"

"We are."

And the rest of the tension disappeared. "Thanks," he said, giving a small grin. "You know, you can be really freakin' scary at times."

"Only when I want to be," she replied. "So what are we going to do here?"

Matthew took off his coat and toque, throwing it onto the bed nearest to the door. "My psychic's been using a lot of energy to keep me from freezing. I'm gonna take a long hot shower to warm up and then rest until tomorrow to get my energy back."

"I'm failing to see how the 'we' part of my question fits into your answer," she said.

"I-I guess you could relax for a little bit. There's not anything else you could do."

Shali gained a look of incredulity, "Matthew, we are in this together now. If you need me to do anything, I'm right here."

"It's not the fact that I don't think you could do something, it's that there is pretty much nothing to do. I'm not even doing much right now."

She looked behind herself, "Then what about the door?"

"What?"

"I'm just saying it probably would be a good idea for someone to watch the door in case someone from Team Saber comes looking for you."

Matthew watched as Shali smirked and continued, "And wouldn't it be useful if there was someone who could read people's intentions by using, say, aura? I think it would be."

He thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right. That would be a pretty good idea," he admitted.

"I thought it might be."

"Alright, I understand, I missed something stupid… again." He turned off to a doorway in the far corner of the bedroom; the way to the bathroom. "I'm going to take that shower now."

"Hey."

Matthew turned, "Yes?"

"Remember, I'm always here."

"I know," he said. He opened the door and walked into the bathroom, "I know."

"Are you sure that is absolutely everything?" Brian asked.

"Yeah. Trust me, I wish it was less," said Derek, halting the car as they approached a red light. "It's a real clusterfuck, ain't it?"

Pele yawned on Brian's lap, stretching his limbs out and curling back into a snuggly ball. "This feels so far above our pay grade," he said, petting the Growlithe.

The sick day had done him well. He started off with an actual breakfast, eggs on toast, followed up by the walk he had promised Pele the night before. Sure, it was rather brisk out and all, but the fresh air cleared his head like he had never experienced. He ate out at a nice restaurant and then fell asleep on the couch watching a good movie. Hell, he spent the entire day sober even. The urge of having a cold one didn't come to him once.

And most importantly, he was no longer thinking about The White Hair Man.

He referred to the figure he had seen on his way to the Silverline as such because he had come to accept that it wasn't Matthew. No, it was impossible, and he knew it too. The sick day just helped him push through his uncertainty.

There was the silent wish that he had taken another day off but in all, he was glad to be back in the precinct, even if the tsunami of information was a little much.

The case, which he was still interested in solving, had grown a lot. Not only was the blood still unidentifiable regardless of the multitude of tests but there was also the fact that the fragments of bone were human. On top of that, they had found traces of the blood trailing out of the room and onto the sidewalk, another collection of the same blood accompanied by melted polyester found near what was apparently a crater in the middle of the road with cracks running all the way to the sidewalks on either side, a gun which had been contorted into an unsightly art sculpture also near the crater, and-

Holy shit, I'm going to have a brain aneurysm and I'm not even thirty. How Derek managed to try and process all that information is beyond me.

After he had finally mentioned his witness of The White Hair Man to Derek, the current theory they were working with was that the one who attempted to commit suicide was somehow still alive and was walking about. The thought of that being possible had baffled Brian.

"Maybe it's above the pay grade but hey, we were assigned to it, so we gotta solve it, right?" Derek said, accelerating the cruiser as the light turned green.

"Right… So why, again, are we going to the pokemon center? You seemed rather hasty to jump in the car."

"For one, it's pretty much the only place we can actually start. And two, the blood didn't cooperate with any of our tests so we…" he took out a sealed plastic bag with a vial of dark red liquid, "... are going over there to see if they have any matches for it."

"I will be thoroughly surprised if they do. It just seems too easy for something like this." Brian saw the pokemon center a few blocks ahead, miraged by snow. They had been briefly delayed in going there by a torrent of freezing rain of all things. And while he wanted to go as soon as possible, he nearly did slip on his way to the cruiser.

"Oh come on, have some optimism, man. This case is convoluted and weird but not impossible," he drove up to the pokemon center and parked beside the sidewalk. "Besides, I have a plan B."

"And that is?"

"A check-up, so to speak, with a blood test included."

"Seriously, Derek? Do you know how much bad press we're gonna get for that if the public finds out?" He felt something shift in his lap, Pele had woken up from the car stopping. "Plus, the odds of finding our guy in there are pretty damn low."

"I spoke with the captain about it yesterday and he's keeping everything in check. And the check-up is purely voluntary. If they don't want to do it, they don't have to." Derek took his thermos from the cup holder and drank from it excessively. "And sure, we might not find him here but from what we can tell, he's scared, he's hurt, he might've even been attacked in that cratered area, so he'd want somewhere to lay low for some time, somewhere he wouldn't get attacked. Hence, the pokemon center."

"If someone asked me for a check-up after I shot myself in the head, I'd decline rather quickly," said Brian, scratching under Pele's chin.

"That's the real beauty of it, if they accept, we can come back tomorrow to check to see if the blood matches. If they don't, we can knock on their doors and check their appearance, see if it matches up."

"Ah, yes, because it's not suspicious at all when we walk up and say, 'Hi, I noticed you didn't have a check-up yesterday, mind if I stare at your face for a little bit?'"

"Obviously, we're not going to be that blatant. There was some gang violence two blocks from here a few days ago. If we ask if they've seen anything out of the ordinary, we kill two birds with one stone."

"Fine, fine, that's all nice and dandy and whatnot. Tomorrow, though? That just gives the guy time to get away."

Derek gave a droll look, "You, out of anyone, should know why," he chuckled lightly, "Two words, Richard Zhander."

Oh boy, wasn't that a fun fucking time. Brian had headed an investigation against a four-time bank robber and before long, had managed to corner him in a hotel. When they stormed into his room, he was nowhere to be found. So it really pissed him off when a rookie cop went into the room to look over the scene for evidence the next day and Richard Zhander himself answered the door.

The convict had known the police would get him soon so he was prepared when he saw the cruisers arrive. But he was caught by surprise when he didn't expect another officer to come face to face with him only a day after.

"You're right, I should, and do, know why. Despite me wishing I didn't."

Derek patted him on the shoulder, "Let's get going."

"Oh, I'd love to, but I seem to have a forty-pound weight lying on top of me," Brian looked down to Pele, "and I think it just fell asleep again."

The Growlithe's snores were muffled by his head being buried in Brian's coat, clearly not wanting to be woken up.

"Sorry, buddy, we gotta get going."

He opened the cruiser's door and carefully picked Pele up off his lap, making sure to support him with both arms. His little partner squirmed awake.

"Groww.. Growwlithe!" Pele said in protest.

"Don't give me that, bud, you had all the time in the world to sleep before we got here." He bent down and let Pele jump to the pavement.

"Lithe.. Growwll." He circled back to face Brian and lied down, giving a begging look.

"Yes, you'll get a treat after this," he shut the cruiser door, "Just don't look so unprofessional right now, we're in a public space."

"Gro… Lithe.." he said, getting back up on his legs reluctantly. His fur slowly darkened in colour as snowflakes melted on contact with the fiery canine. He strutted over and stopped beside Brian.

Derek walked up next to them, "Come on, you two, we got a job to finish."

They went into the pokemon center, Pele taking the time to shake off the loose water that had accumulated in his fur. Brian's hand went to his coat and unzipped it.

"Hi! Welcome to Goldenrod's pokemon center! How may I help you?" asked Nurse Joy as they approached.

"Hello, Nurse Joy," said Derek, digging into his pocket. He pulled out his badge and Brian did likewise, familiar with the routine. "Detectives Derek Barolin and Brian Elliott of the Goldenrod Police Department, we'd like to speak with you privately if that's possible."

"I can't say this isn't unorthodox…" said Nurse Joy, having a less than perfect smile.

"Yes, it does sound off-putting but if possible, we would like for you to start asking for check-ups today," replied Derek.

They were in the back of the pokemon center, various Chanseys and Audinos walked around, carrying supplies from one room to the next. After the test was run, garnering no results, they had told Nurse Joy Derek's plan B.

"I will, but only if it's voluntary. I don't want to force the guests staying here to do anything, it wouldn't be good for them," she said.

"Of course, we wouldn't want anything else," said Brian.

"Groww.." Pele agreed.

She nodded and waved a hand to a passing Gardevoir, catching the attention of it. "Lilly, could you come over here for a moment?"

The Gardevoir, Lilly, walked over and bowed her head in greeting.

"Lilly, we are going to begin asking our room guests if they would like a complementary check-up during their stay." Nurse Joy looked back over at the two detectives. "These two fine men suggested it to us so we can help them with their investigation."

"Hello, I'll do my best to assist you on your task," the Gardevoir spoke into Brian's mind. He flinched from the initial surprise but relaxed for the most part. This wasn't the first time he had worked with psychics.

"Thank you very much, Lilly. Please remember that if they do not wish to have a check-up, they don't have to."

"Of course, whatever needs to be done."

"And… I think that just about wraps our work up here," said Derek, scratching the back of his head.

"Is that it then?" asked Brian.

"Yep, unless you wanted to get Pele checked for whatever the opposite of insomnia is."

He laughed, looking down at the Growlithe who was barking while jumping up in annoyance.

"Thank you for your cooperation," said Derek, sticking out his hand. "We'll be coming by tomorrow to see if there's anything."

Nurse Joy shook his hand, "Have a nice day."

They parted from the back room and came back to the main lobby, a fresh line of trainers waiting to check in to the center. A few looked at them uneasily, seeing their guns and official look.

Nurse Joy was quick to follow them, giving her usual greeting and walking back behind her desk, ready to help the next trainer.

The pair shivered as they stepped back outside into the cold cityscape. The snow was falling heavier now, as though the light flurry between the freezing rain and now was a mere grace period. Brian zipped up his coat, ducking his head into the collar to keep snow from getting in. Pele's fur darkened much faster this time, much to his dismay.

"Do we have anything else happening today?" asked Brian opening the door of the cruiser.

Derek made his way over to the other side, holding onto the side of the car to keep from slipping on the black ice. "Don't think so, I'll radio in and see what's up."

The moment Brian slid into the passenger seat, Pele jumped onto him, forcing a grunt out, and nestled into his lap. The excess water in his fur dripped and soaked into Brian's coat, leaving dark stains.

He put on a sarcastic tone, "Gee, thanks for that, Pele. I was going to give you your treat but-"

He didn't finish his sentence before the Growlithe got up and licked his face, trying to show appreciation in hopes of redeeming himself.

"Alright! Alright! Pele! P-Pele! You can stop already!" he said, combing the fur of his partner with his fingers. The hot tongue stopped, and he was left staring at an overly happy pokemon that was still plenty wet. He reached in his pocket and brought out a beige star treat. "Lie back down, Pele."

Pele was quick to obey. He laid himself down and began staring strongly at the treat, resisting the urge to launch himself at it.

"Are you gonna behave for the rest of the day?" he asked.

The pokemon nodded.

The treat made its way toward the maw of the canine and was snatched up, chewed, swallowed and never seen again. Pele gave a satisfactory bark as thanks.

"Your welcome, bud."

"Well, isn't that sweet?" said Derek, making himself known.

Brian looked over and saw him sitting comfortably in his seat, radio in hand. "Only sweet until he takes advantage of my good side and… Shit, he's asleep again."

"Figures, huh?" Derek reached over and patted Pele's head. He turned his attention to the radio. "This is Derek Barolin reporting, we've finished our work at the pokemon center, requesting further instructions."

The radio was silent briefly before a staticky voice came through. "Hey, Derek. You and Brian have a pretty clean schedule for the rest of the day. It's pretty slow around here, not going to lie."

"You sure there isn't anything?"

"If you called a few minutes earlier, we caught wind of a possible two-seventeen but Ian and Damon are on that right now… Actually, hold on, give me a sec.." The voice went quiet for a few seconds then returned, "Yeah, there's something. The captain wants you to do another sweep of the Silverline, make sure you guys didn't miss anything."

"Ten-four, over and out."

"Over and out."

Derek looked over at Brian, "Well that's a shame, I was looking forward to doing nothing for a little bit." He hooked the radio back up to the console in the car.

"I bet you would, but Pele's already covering in that department," said Brian.

They had a light laugh and drove off to the Silverline, leaving the Goldenrod pokemon center behind them.

Shali had her gaze fixated on the television which was currently showing an odd sort of game where many humans were kicking a black and white ball between each other across a field. The humans were seemingly divided into two, one group wore silver shirts and another wore blue. After a team managed to kick the ball into the net of the other team, which appeared so big she couldn't believe only one person was guarding them, a large cheer erupted from the crowd watching. It was entertaining, yes, although she didn't quite understand all of it.

She had been watching for the door while Matthew showered and spotted an object that had many colourful buttons. Very much ready to break out of boredom, she tried out many of them and suddenly the once black screen filled with colour. Interested by what came on, she had sat down on the bed and started watching.

"... And it's taken by Courmarine's own Lambert Renou. Oh, this forward knows what he's doing, scoring a total of eight times during this season alone…" said a human who Shali could not see. He was always there, commenting on every human's action on the field and even he got excited when the ball was near a net.

What had convinced her to point out something that she could do? She knew even before taking her position that there wasn't going to be much, if any, action to be had here. For Sphaera's sake, Matthew wasn't even doing much, he said so himself.

"He's closing in, ready to kick it through the gap… the defenders are swarming, closing in… ready to snatch the ball up…"

It wasn't unlike her time in the tribe, after her time of patrolling the border or guarding Matthew, she would sleep, relax, maybe even train if she felt like it. What was so different here? The tribe aspect of it was gone, fine, but it was clear that he could handle himself well without her assisting in any way.

"And- Oh! Ouch! Renou takes a bad tumble to the ground from a kick to the knee! The refs have whistled and it looks like they are calling a foul on the Cyllage Steelixes. And it seems… It seems they are ruling a direct free kick to Renou here, people."

What was the point of it even? The door had been quiet ever since they got in, and if this Team Saber was as careful as Matthew described them, they wouldn't just go to their room to take him. And she even knew that before she brought up the door. Her reasoning behind her actions were unknown even to her.

"There they are, all lined up in front of the goal with Renou walking up to the ball. Does… Does he have a limp? This is going to be a very tough kick for him to make."

Come off it, Shali. Let it go. You wanted to help him and you are. It might not be much but it's something. You're just overthinking things, she thought.

A light knock came from the door and her head whipped around to face it. She grabbed her spear which was laying beside her. There were real actions to be taken now.

She eased herself off the bed, keeping the spear by her side as she walked to the door. Her aura sense told her that there wasn't anything bad behind it, which helped a bit. Though aura, while true in almost any case, doesn't always give the full message. One could have a benevolent aura but still have the potential to hurt or kill.

She opened the door to a little crack and looked out. A Gardevoir was standing outside, holding her own hands by her waist patiently. Her eyes looked over.

"Hello, my name is Lilly and I'm with the pokemon center. Is your trainer here?" she said, a gentle smile emanating off her.

That word, 'trainer', almost made Shali recoil and slam the door. Maybe he was a friend, maybe he was the one she's bonded to but if for a moment Matthew refers to himself as her trainer? No, that would be it. She wouldn't be able to handle anything like that.

She remembered that look he had given her, the pleading and desperation that he was silently screaming, and resisted. She pushed the door open a bit further, "No… he's taking a shower right now."

The Gardevoir saw the spear, her eyes widening before speaking again. "Alright, then. If you could, please let him know that we are providing free check-ups for anyone who wishes to have one."

"I will, thank you." Shali kept a close eye on the Gardevoir as she closed the door again. Her aura was fine but all it would take, even if it was accidental, was just one look into her mind and Matthew could be compromised.

She walked back and sat on the bed again, setting her spear down beside her as she continued watching the game.

"He has scored a tie-breaking point, yes, but it seems that knee of his has been completely strained. I doubt if he'll even be able to play the rest of the season. Can Courmarine keep their lead without Renou? It's possible but it will not be easy, I'm sure of that much," the commenting human said.

There must have been something that she missed because everyone in the audience, including the still unseen human, appeared much more saddened than she remembered it.

She heard a little click and turned toward the bathroom. The door opened slightly and Matthew poked his head out, hair dripping wet but still white. His light-skinned shoulder also peeked out, glistening with water that was falling onto the carpeted floor. In the background, Shali could still hear the shower running.

"Who was it?" he asked.

She was so surprised by his appearance that for a moment she stared. ".. I-It was a Gardevoir, Lilly, she said they were doing free check-ups if you wanted to."

He looked over at the closed curtains and shook his head. "Well, we sure as shit aren't going down there. I might just as well hang a sign over my head that says, 'Team Saber, take me!' Fucking hell. You'd think they'd be a lot more cautious about all this."

"Lilly seemed kind though, although she did-" No, don't mention the trainer thing, it'll just get awkward, "-she did look at my spear a little weirdly."

"I don't think it's very customary to see a Lucario with a spear around here," he gave a little smirk, "Why, out of all days, would they choose this one, the one day I'm here, to hand out free check-ups? Unless there's like, some new disease or something- she didn't say anything like that, right?"

"No, she didn't."

"Then they know I'm here, and they're just trying to lure me into some secluded place to take me," he took a moment to place a hand on his temple, "... stupid headache… Anyway, Lilly is probably innocent to most extents. She could still be a messenger who didn't know the context of her message."

"If they know you're here, shouldn't we leave? I know you have psychic and all, and you could probably take them but…" But what, Shali? What were you going to say?

"They aren't going to do anything. They can't do anything. If someone busts in and tries to take me, they have to deal with me, you, and pretty much anyone else who notices that something's happening."

"So we're safe?"

"Safer than we are out there," he said, taking another look to the curtains.

"The Gyaradoses still have their lead, though the Steelixes are very much keeping it on the opposite side. Any little movement could shift the balance here, this is a truly nail-biting game, people!" the television human said.

Matthew brought his head out a little further from the bathroom, craning his neck to look at the television. "Are you watching soccer? Or, I guess they call it football over in Kalos and Galar."

"I didn't know it was called that but yes, I was watching it," she suddenly realized why he was asking the question, "I'm sorry I distracted myself, I didn't respect what you said."

He waved his hand, "No biggie. I'd get bored too if I were staring at a piece of wood. I don't mind, Shali, honest." He turned his gaze over to the screen again, smiling big but almost somberly. "So soccer, huh? Are you liking it?"

Her eyes went over to the television, "I like it, though I don't understand much of it."

He nodded, "Well, I gotta get back in the shower. You can keep watching soccer if you want, just keep an ear open for the door."

"Okay."

The bathroom door closed and she directed most of her attention back to the soccer game, the rest going to the front door. She kept a close eye on the game but something was always distracting her from fully grasping what was happening. That one thought in her head repeated over and over again.

What were you going to say, Shali?

Derek pulled the cruiser into Silverline's parking lot and the detectives, plus a Growlithe, stepped out.

"Honestly, Pele, quit complaining. I know you hate the snow melting on your fur but this is part of the job," said Brian.

"Gr… Growl…" Pele replied, periodically shaking off as they made their way to the lobby.

Through the window they could see Jeremy at the desk, reading a book with an almost distracted look to him. Brian's memory of when he had freaked out in front of him made itself known. He had freaked out because he thought The White Hair Man was Matthew. Reminiscing about it now, it was outrageous how he had acted like that. But he was a different person now. He wouldn't let anything unnecessary get involved and… and…

"Derek?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Derek stopped walking to turn to him.

"Could you… uh.." He pointed at the doors to the lobby,

"Really?"

"I… I just can't, man. Not after last time."

His eyes went to the lobby and back to Brian. He bit his lip, "This time, yes. But not again. You said you were over your 'cold', I hope you weren't just pulling my leg there."

"I am over it, alright? Can… Can we just drop it, right now?"

Derek looked away from him, staring back into the city as a sigh escaped him. "Fine, you and Pele just wait out here." He pushed the doors open, causing Jeremy to jolt up from his book.

He wasn't able to hear their conversation but he figured it was probably for the best. At a point, Jeremy looked over Derek's shoulder to see him and he had given a meek smile then turned away in shame.

"Grow.. Growlithe!" said Pele, rubbing up against his leg.

He leaned down, ruffling the head of Pele. "It's fine, bud. I'm just a little out of it."

"Lithe... Lithe.. Gro.." This attempted reassurance didn't seem to affect Pele one bit. That sixth sense of sensing conflict in a person came forth once again.

Derek walked out, "We got the go ahead, let's head over."

There was silence between them as they made their way to room six. Brian hated it, even if he knew it was caused by him. Come on, why couldn't you have just gone with him to see Jeremy? You are over the cold, no doubt there. Just throw your embarrassment in the toilet for once and grow a pair.

Derek took the room key out of his pocket and opened up the door. They were greeted with a much more pleasant sight. The room had been stripped of all its blood and gore, and had been washed well. There was a noticeable scent of lavender wafting around though he could still smell the death that remained. And as Pele's nose twitched uneasily, Brian knew he could smell it too. Even if he didn't kill himself, that smell remained, he thought.

"I can start over in the back there, you can start looking here and we'll meet in the middle. You know, divide and conquer," said Derek, walking to the far end of the room.

"Hold up, wait," said Brian. I can't let this stand in the way between us.

He turned around, "What is it?"

"A bet."

A bit of a goofy grin came to Derek then, and Brian felt so much better. "Really now? And what sort of details are pertaining to this bet, dear sir?" he asked sardonically.

"Simple enough, whoever finds the first piece of evidence wins."

"I figured that much, but I was referring to the 'other' details."

He shrugged, "Five hundred?"

Derek's eyebrow arched, "Five hundred each?"

"If you want to."

"Holy shit," he put his hands on his hips, shaking his head. "I'll take you up on that but I don't have that kind of money on hand."

"Neither do I but were not going to let that stop us, right?"

"I don't know, I want to hold you true to your word when I win."

"Alright, smartass. Game on." He went over to the bedside table and began looking over it.

"And no using Pele, that's not fair."

Brian turned, about to communicate the message to his little friend, when he saw the Growlithe already sitting obediently by the door, looking pleased with what he saw.

He opened the bedside table's drawer, nothing was there save for some lint and fluff. He knelt down and looked under the first bed, there remained a few tiny patches of dried blood and many cobwebs as well, it was like a horror movie set waiting to happen.

No, wait. Something else was here. It was a little Joltik that had huddled at the head of the bed and who looked at him with its four large eyes. It squeaked its name as they made eye contact and scampered out from under the bed. Pele barked as it passed by him and out the door. Good luck out there, tiny one.

He stood up, walking around the bed to the table that sat between the first bed and the one Derek was currently looking under. Nothing in that drawer either.

"Anything?" he asked.

"Nope, unless you count webs and dust," replied Derek, standing back up. "The guys and I combed this room pretty good the other day, so we might not find anything much."

"Sounds to me like you're giving up on the bet."

"Fat chance of that happening."

Brian turned back around over to his side of the room. Even if it was mostly bare, there was something here for him to find, he could feel it. He went to the desk and pulled out its drawer, nothing except for some brochures of tourist attractions in Goldenrod. Not many tourists right now, eh Jeremy? He leaned his hand against the wall, trying to get himself to think.

No dice. He took his hand off and abruptly stopped. He had brushed up against something on the wall.

The hell? He ran his fingers over the piece of wall over the desk. There was a dent. A little one, for sure, but it was there. Curious, he brought the desk towards him. The back of the desk was completely hollow, the edge against the wall used for aesthetic purposes.

"Hey, Derek."

"What is it?"

"Pay up."

And behind the back of the desk, coated in grime and filth, was a rather old looking video camera.

Please leave a follow or favourite if you enjoyed and feel free to review! I love reading all the comments and criticisms.

Also, kudos to MissBraixen for adding me to their community. If you want other interesting stories to read, go check out 'Pokémon fluff and plot lovers'. There's quite a few to choose from and I highly recommend you take a look.

Peace!

-Minusbomb