Hello again. It's been a while and I'm sorry that I wasn't able to meet my upload date (Check the ending author's note for that) and also for the ghost alert you all received when I deleted the 'update chapter' (I didn't anticipate that would happen).
Anyway, I hope you will all enjoy my next chapter of Binaural!
"Don't try to find me, please.
"There is nothing I want more than to be able to say, 'No one else is going to be affected by this.' If someone gets hurt… or even dies, I… I don't know what I would do.
"But I understand that there are people out there that I might not be able to say 'no' to. I hope that I don't run into them, they don't deserve to get their lives entangled with one like mine, one with so much weight on it already that it always feels like it's collapsing.
"...But in the chance that I do run into you, and you are one of those people…
"Then we have to be willing to work with each other."
Matthew's eyes opened slowly to the world around him. For a moment, and a moment only, he saw the ceiling of the Deity Lab. The cold unforgiving metal which he had peered up at for four years of his life.
But the moment passed, and it was just the beige ceiling of the room he was in.
He sat up, stretching his limbs and feeling the warmth around him. His hand went over to his face and rubbed against it, trying to wake himself up further. Today would be the day he finally made more progress, he needed to be at peak performance if he wanted to teleport himself and Shali, seeing as that neither of them intended on leaving each other's side any time soon.
Remembering last night's turn of events, he looked over at the Lucario. Shali was laying down on the bed, no blankets were covering her but she was asleep all the same. Her spear was lightly grasped in the hand nearest him.
Whatever nightmare she may have had, it seemed to have left her for the time being. And with that fact came a tired, early-morning grin for Matthew.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood himself up, feeling his back crack as he did so. From the closed curtains, a few rays of orange sunlight burned through and softly lit the room up. The subtle beauty of it was almost enough for him to take a look at the sky outside. Of course, he knew he couldn't.
He reached down and grabbed his shirt. Putting it on, he felt the well-sized hole in its back and made a reminder to himself to get a new one as soon as possible. Using this one anymore would not be helping his situation one bit.
Although this time, he would buy it with the money he had. He wanted to think that he shouldn't need to do anymore stealing from here on out, but deep down he knew it wasn't true. It might be possible in the future but until that day, it seemed he needed to continue this way.
His eyes drifted back over to the sleeping Lucario. Shali never openly said that she was against him stealing things, but he could tell that she also never really approved of him doing it either.
Shali's eyes opened and her legs stretched out along the length of the bed.
"Well, good morning to you," said Matthew, feeling a yawn take him as he annuciated the last syllables.
She leaned her spear against the wall and put her feet on the floor before replying. "Yes, good morning, Matthew," she said, putting her paws on her knees and quickly standing up, "About last night, I'm sorry that I went ahead and-"
"Shali, really, it's fine," he scratched the back of his head, "Whatever happened last night, it's no big deal. I mean, you are fine, right, Shali?"
Her head angled down slightly, "Yes, I suppose so."
He shrugged, "I don't really mind helping you if I can, so don't worry about it."
She pulled her head back up and gave a small smile, "I get it, Matthew." Her mouth made the motion of wanting to say something more, but she caught it and went silent.
Matthew pondered on the move for a bit before turning the conversation back to the task at hand. "We're gonna head off today, probably Cianwood or Olivine next, they're a little less populous than Goldenrod. And after all I've gone through just to get one message out, that seems to be exactly what I need."
Shali looked confused, "Walking there will take a while, I was under the impression you needed to get there quick."
"We're not walking or anything, I'm going to teleport us there."
She squinted at him, looking dubious. "Can you actually teleport others with you?"
"I mean, I've done it before. What, did you think I would abandon you or something?"
She smirked, "You know damn well I wouldn't let you get away with that."
Matthew grinned widely at that, "Knowing you, I'd get there and two seconds later I'd get the sharp end of your spear at the back of my head." He shook his head and reminded himself what needed to be told. "At about midday, we'll check out of here and walk back to the forest. It's far enough away and secluded enough so that there shouldn't be anyone of concern watching us."
"And I suppose you can't simply teleport out of here because..?"
"Because of the psychic barrier that prevents anyone from teleporting in or out of the Pokemon center. Annoying for me, sure, but they need it."
Shali grabbed her spear and set the butt on the floor. "In any case," she thumbed the tip of her weapon, "what are we going to do in terms of breakfast?"
Matthew was surprised; he didn't expect the question. "I guess we order room service then. Of course, that's if you feel fine with opening the door again," he said sardonically
"With such a strenuous task, you are certainly asking a lot from me," she replied in like.
"Oh, I know, Shali. But if at all possible, would you be able to subject yourself to just a few seconds of really boring torment?"
She broke their back-and-forth and waved him off, giggling as she did so. "I don't really mind helping you if I can, so don't worry about it," she echoed.
"Thanks, Shali," he talked normally this time, "I mean that one hundred percent."
The numbness that Brian was currently experiencing was not a complete stranger to him.
It was the type of numbness that only came when one was in a state of complete and utter disbelief. The idea that there was absolutely no way something was true or that nothing else was true except what you believed in. When in the numbness, it was hard to even graze off-topic for a single moment.
Yes, he had experienced this before, approximately thirteen years ago.
How ironic, he thought feebly, Now it's because Matthew's actually not gone.
He was at his desk, hunched over and looking aimlessly at his computer monitor. It was about ten in the morning but it still felt like the sun had just peeked over the horizon. His eyes were prone to unsuspectingly droop down in fatigue but he caught it every time. The numbness was so strong that he could barely feel the hangover that he most definitely had.
From what he could remember about the night before was hazy at best and completely blank at worst. He knew for certain that he had too much to drink and that Derek had most likely driven him home and led him into the house, which would explain why he awoke, facedown, on the couch.
As far as he knew, he didn't think he had said anything about Matthew.
But Derek wasn't here yet. Why? Brian didn't know. Maybe he had told Derek and he was just getting the Men in White Coats ready to take Brian away to some asylum.
And considering the utter mindfuck I experienced last night, that might not be the craziest idea.
He looked down beside him. Pele was there, as he should be, sleeping. Arceus, he still felt like shit for leaving him in the house like that. All because he couldn't keep it together.
You stupid alcoholic, would it have been so hard for you just to take a few breaths and think for once? No, it wouldn't have been. He was responsible for his own actions. And this time he let it get away from him.
What the hell was he going to do now? He needed to get to Matthew, that was a certainty. But what of that? It was very unlikely that Matthew was even still around here anymore. The video said he needed to get the message out to others, no point in sticking around in one place. There was no telling where he was going next. If he really was psychic, he could teleport the other side of the world if he wanted to.
Unless…
Matthew was the one who he and Derek were trying to find, the one who 'attempted suicide'. And if he had followed the same trail as the supposed guy they were tailing, there was a very strong possibility he had something to do with the crater in the middle of the Trench. Continuing on from that, there was ambiguity over what may have happened. Derek had thought that the guy would go to the pokemon center to lay low and although it sounded reasonable enough, Brian was almost certain he wasn't accounting for the chance that the guy might be fucking psychic.
But overall, there weren't many other options for him to look into. The pokemon center was the only viable one he had. There was the trap they had there with the check-ups. Maybe Matthew went for it, maybe not. Maybe he wasn't even there in the first place but he had to try.
He glanced up, officers were walking around the office space with paperwork and other supplies, and still no Derek.
I don't know what's keeping you, but I'm going.
He felt pins and needles tingle under his skin as he stood up, still a little groggy from the hangover. It would leave soon, hopefully, he needed to look at least a little discreet when he arrived at the pokemon center.
A small yawn came from beside him. Pele opened his little black eyes and stretched his limbs to the limits of his cardboard bed. After that, he settled back and gave Brian the same look.
To his surprise, he was able to resist it this time. And without skipping a beat, he said, "Come on, Pele. We got somewhere to go."
At this, Pele tilted his head in confusion and stood up. "Groww… Grrowlithe?"
"We're going to the pokemon center. Checking up on whatever might have happened and whatnot." He grabbed the coat from off his chair and threw it over himself.
As he began walking down the corridor of desks, quick pattering steps were behind him and before long, Pele was walking alongside him.
They reached the car and Brian opened the passenger side door, letting Pele hop in and settle down into the seat. He made his way back over to his side and slid into his own seat.
From the side, he could still feel Pele's eyes burning into him. He let out a sigh, "I'm sorry about yesterday, bud. I just… No… No, there's no excuse for what I did."
He reached his hand over the central console and gave a few pets to the Growlithe's head. "I know you're worried, and that you want me to open up about what's happening and everything but… I'm not ready for that yet. Depending on what happens today, I might, but just not now."
Brian wasn't exactly sure how Pele would respond to that, but when he felt a few light licks on his hand, he cracked a tiny smile.
"Thanks, Pele. I-I really needed that. Let's get outta here already."
With that, Brian turned the key in the ignition and the car drove off from the 28th precinct.
He stopped the cruiser in front of the pokemon center and stepped out into the chilly wind. It was a lot colder today, nothing unbearable but he knew that the less time he spent out in the open the better.
His feet compressed and nearly slipped on the fresh snow as he made his way over to the passenger door and let Pele out.
The Growlithe slipped out and landed in the snow, causing a miniature flurry to be blown up and sent bits of cottony snow into his face. He shook them off and uttered a few annoyed barks.
At the sight of this, another smile formed on Brian's face. He bent down and brushed off the remaining snow that hadn't melted on Pele's fur.
"Silly Growlithe," he said. He stood straight and walked into the center, Pele in tow.
The foot traffic was comparably less than yesterday as it was lunchtime, most trainers arrived or left in the earlier or later times of the day. That was good. If there was one thing he didn't need, it was those standoffish looks he was given yesterday.
He caught Nurse Joy's eyes as he was halfway to her. She nodded and stood up.
"Hello again, Detective Elliott. Should we step in the back for the..?" she said, looking over at the scattered trainers hanging around.
"That would be appropriate, yes," he replied, nodding.
She turned and walked through the door to the back. Brian trailed behind, taking one last glance at the people still in the lobby. No one was paying attention.
But he remembered something from Matthew's video. Team Saber was everywhere. In plain sight and complete seclusion. Did he think that someone from Team Saber was here, right now? No, he never really got the feeling that was true. But that didn't halt his suspicion one bit.
In spite of this, he continued walking into the back and stood behind Nurse Joy who had sat down at a computer that had a large spreadsheet open on its monitor. Several names had a red block next to them while only a few had a green block.
"Am I correct in assuming the red is for those who didn't do the check-up?" he asked, seeing her head nod even before he finished speaking.
"I'm sorry Detective but it seemed not many were keen about it. Lilly said that she received many skeptical looks yesterday."
"You don't have to be sorry, I had an idea that this would happen. How about the ones that did? What's the status on that?"
"Everyone who came down completed the full check-up, but none of them matched the blood you brought in."
He leaned down and scratched Pele's ear, who had just settled down on the floor and was preparing to sleep. The Growlithe hummed pleasured sounds and rolled over onto his back. "And for those who didn't do the check-up, how many of them are still here?"
She paused for a moment and then typed a few commands on the keyboard, blacking out about two-thirds of the list. "Many trainers leave early this time of year. They want to get as far as they can before nighttime."
"Yes, that's understandable. Would you be able to spare a moment? I need to write down these names and their room numbers if possible." He took out his notepad and pen.
"Are you… going to arrest them?" she asked tentatively.
He gave a reassuring look, "Nurse Joy, unless someone is breaking the law or has claimed they have broken the law, I will not arrest them. I only need to ask them a few questions and then I'll leave them to be about their business. Nothing more than that."
She looked to Brian, then to the screen and back again. "O-Okay. Would you like me to print it out?"
He grinned softly, "Yes, that would be very helpful, thank you."
After one click of the mouse and the steady whine of the printer etching away, he had the paper spreadsheet in hand.
There was a name that caught his eye. In between two blacked out lines there was the text, 'Jackson Bullock'. A thought came to him. Jackson. Huh. Kinda sounds like Jacob…
Jacob Reynolds had been Matthew's supposed alias at the Silverline. It was a minor correlation, nothing more than the same first three letters, but Brian couldn't shake the idea that it might actually be Matthew.
He thanked Nurse Joy again and went down to pick Pele up, holding the Growlithe to his chest.
As he went through the doorway into the lobby, he looked down to his little partner and said, "Alright, bud. I got some door-to-door action to get on with. Did you wanna stay in the car or should I drag you along with me?"
Pele turned his head up and pointed his nose outside, towards the car. "Lithe.. Growlithe!"
"Alright, alright, I get it," he said, scratching Pele's head.
He walked out of the center, opened the passenger door to the cruiser, and set Pele down onto the seat. The Growlithe gave a little yawn before curling into a fluffy ball and settling.
Brian looked at Pele once more and shut the door. He turned and walked back into the center.
"Jacob… Jackson… whatever," he muttered to himself, "I'm here to find Matthew, not anyone else."
Shali was sitting on the bed again, the television wasn't tuned to soccer as it was yesterday. Matthew had gone into the bathroom and said that his head was aching. She had sensed that he hadn't told her the full truth but decided not to pursue it. He had caught on earlier that she wanted to speak further, but didn't push for it either. Reciprocating the respect seemed only natural.
Even so, she regretted not talking to him about it. About the fact that she could barely fall back asleep without her nagging thoughts pushing her out of the somnolent state.
None of the thoughts were particularly negative, only irritating in the sense that they were relentless in their pursuit to get her to think. It was just something about how Matthew's hand felt on her paw, the sense of assurance that came with it. She had been scared before and holding his hand had helped, it made sense. So why was she still stuck on it then?
Neo. That was why. Him and those stupid mind games he was playing on her. She had fallen into the trap he had laid out in plain sight. And the very idea that he had sown into her mind, that there was more than just friendship with Matthew, was the most troubling aspect of it.
What were you going to say, Shali?
Wrong. That question was the most troubling aspect of the ordeal. The fact that she didn't know what she was going to say, but Neo did. And with that being said… is that why Neo brought up Matthew and I's bond in the first place? She felt a tiny lump form in her throat.
A hard knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts. She quickly snagged her spear and ran over to answer it, as though afraid to slip back into that cycle of thinking again.
She opened the door and saw a tall figure, cloaked in a thick winter coat that made him appear much bigger than he actually was. His oak hair was rather messy but that didn't take away the authoritative aura he appeared to exert.
"Umm.. Hello there," he said, giving a small grin, "My name is Detective Brian Elliott. Could I possibly speak to your trainer…" he glanced at his paper, shivered, than said, "Jackson. Could I speak with him, please?"
There it was again. That stupid word, 'trainer'. As though she needed to be trained by another in order to become strong. She pushed the thoughts aside. There was a bit of confusion as she remembered that Jackson was the name that Matthew gave. "No, sorry. He… can't come right now."
"Oh, wait, could you repeat that please? I can kinda understand you but it has to be slow," he replied.
She was confused until she realized that this human wasn't like Matthew. The one before her couldn't understand her speech as well as he could. She spoke crisp and slow, "No. He cannot come right now."
There was a pause as the human looked up in thought. "He can't come right now… That's what you said, right? Just nod if you did."
She nodded, starting to close the door. It was stopped and shoved a bit more open from the human's hand.
"Hey, wait. I have patience, I'll wait for him," he said, peeking into the room. "Could I please come in?"
Shali was astounded at what this human was doing. It seemed so unreasonably frantic compared to the aura she had sensed before hand. And yet, there was something more that she could see now, the slight layering of fear and anticipation. Whoever this human was, there had to be a big reason as to why he wanted to see Matthew.
"You cannot come in," she said clearly, and attempted to close the door again.
The human forcefully pushed the door, harder than before and she was thrown off balance. On instinct, her spear swung upward and stopped mere inches from the human's throat.
"Matthew!" she cried, jerking her head to the bathroom. The situation was going downhill fast, she needed help with this.
"Hey, hey, calm down. I'm not trying to hurt you," he said calmly, holding his hands up. "I just want to talk to your trainer."
At the mention of that hated word, her arms tensed and the spear moved an inch closer. She whipped her head back around, her eyes lit with the tension the situation possessed.
"Matthew!" she yelled again.
He gently massaged his temples, breathing slow to help the migraine pass faster. His eye contact remained on his reflection in the mirror as he found that focusing on one point helped to ease the strain on his head.
While this migraine wasn't nearly as bad as others he had experienced, it was drawn out like a lingering motion sickness. But as soon as he got through it, they would leave Goldenrod and teleport over to Cianwood City. And when they got there, there wouldn't be any screwing around after he got the message out. That would be it, and then he and Shali would go onto another city.
Shali had never objected to the motion of leaving, aside from the dubious remark on his ability to teleport, and that made him somewhat unsure of their situation. He knew that the bond they shared had some sort of weight that she definitely felt even if he didn't.
He looked at his marking and sighed, still keeping a set of fingers working on his forehead. Arceus, I really hope I'm not forcing her into this. She's my friend but she doesn't need to follow me if she doesn't want to, he thought.
"Well, I've followed you for a number of years and I can firmly say that I don't want to follow you," a voice said that he recognized as his own, "But I guess that's not my choice."
His eyes went back over to the mirror, increasing the intensity of his rubbing as he knew the migraine would be kicked up a notch when Neo came out.
Sure enough, he cringed as the pain grew worse, and felt the presence next to him like a cold spot in the ocean.
"Neo, fuck off. I don't need you in my head right now," he said, putting a bit more effort into his finger-work so his headache would go away quicker.
The twin moved around and put himself between the mirror and Matthew. He smiled, "It just sounded to me that you feel like you're in a moral dilemma."
Matthew ignored him, turning on the faucet to splash some cool water onto his face.
"I'm just saying, Shali has her reasons for going with you."
Matthew felt a spark of anger and stared at Neo. "Excuse me? How do you know that? Did you read her mind?"
Neo shrugged it off, giving Matthew a wicked look. "I mean, she was basically reading off a script when you caught her holding your hand last night. But hey, a little confirmation never hurt anyone."
"Neo, I swear to Arceus-"
"Matthew!"
Shali's voice came from outside and briefly, Matthew forgot Neo was even in talking to him. He rushed over to the door and almost burst out before thinking of the possibility of who was out there.
"Hey, hey, calm down. I'm not trying to hurt you. I just want to talk to your trainer," another voice said. It sounded male and human, maybe about ten years older than he was. There didn't seem to be any malice in his tone, but Matthew had been deceived before.
Again, Shali yelled, "Matthew!"
He carefully opened the door a crack and took in the scene. Shali was in a defensive posture, her spear seemingly against the throat of whoever had come to aggravate her. The person who had his hands up was tall, had a winter coat and messy brown hair. Matthew had never seen this person before and yet there was something so familiar that it was almost uncanny.
"Huh, well isn't that something," said Neo, making himself known to Matthew again, much to his dismay.
Oh yeah? What about it? he asked, shifting to speaking through thought. He was trying to figure out what the course of action would be. Shali was most likely fine for the time being but he needed to intervene soon or else there could be bloodshed.
"This guy's in the police, one of the best detectives apparently," said Neo.
Neo, stop reading his mind right now, he said, but he couldn't help thinking about what kind of mess he had gotten himself into considering that the police had gotten involved. He recalled the Silverline, how his room must have looked like after he pulled the trigger. He had been sloppy, of course, that's how they found him.
"Even more interesting," Neo continued, "He has a drinking problem, he just got off of a binge last night."
Neo, stop. You are going too far with this. He didn't need to get involved with this detective's personal life, all he wanted was just to diffuse the situation and get out of the pokemon center.
"Well now…" Neo whispered.
What? You better not have read any more of his mind.
"I did, and I think you'll find this rather pertinent to you."
Don't bother. I don't want to hear it.
"This detective has a certain missing friend named Matthew. He came here to try and find him."
His whole body froze, time seemingly at a standstill. What he had heard from Neo… it couldn't possibly true. There must have been something he had missed. There had to be something that he had missed.
No. I heard everything crystal clear.
With a shaky hand, he pushed the door open a tiny bit more and looked closely at the figure. The face suddenly became drastically familiar as a flood of nostalgic and warm memories flooded his thoughts.
Walking to and from school with him.
Deftly kicking a soccer ball across the field with him.
Plucking a steady riff on the bass while he shredded a solo on his guitar.
He felt himself speak, "Brian…"
Brian turned his head toward the bathroom door. As they made eye contact, Matthew's legs felt weak and he could barely stand up anymore.
Brian smiled slightly, it most likely would have been more if a spear wasn't at his throat. "Jackson? Is that you? Could you come out please? I just want to ask some questions, nothing more."
He hadn't seen him yet. There was still a chance to break away from all of this and get out hopefully unscathed.
"You know he's just going to keep tracking you down."
Matthew looked and saw Neo leaning against the sink, arms folded across his chest.
Doesn't matter, I still have to get out of here.
"Sure, I wonder if you can handle keeping your face out of his sight the entire time."
I'll have to. If I have to erase some of his memory I'll…
He couldn't do it. How could he? Thirteen years of nothing then finally seeing Brian again and what was he planning to do? Run away again. Because of course he was, that's all he had been doing for so damn long. Just running away at the feeling of trouble.
But he couldn't run away from this. Knowing that his best friend was still looking for him after all this time was something so overbearing he could feel the anxiety build up already.
"After all this time, after all that he went through to get here, are you really gonna leave again?" asked Neo.
Matthew let his head drop, wiping his eyes as though he expected tears to eventually begin falling.
"Hey Jackson? You almost done in there?" Brian said, trying to maneuver his head to a better vantage point without impaling his neck.
Matthew took a quivering breath and opened the door.
His eyes immediately went to Shali's, whose eyes were concerned for him. He nodded and she lowered her spear from Brian's throat.
"H-hey, Brian," he said quietly, finally turning his vision over to him, "It's b-been awhile, huh?"
Brian's face, which had, up to this point, only carried an expression of calm and inquisitive, became an amalgamation of surprise, horrification, relief, happiness and so many more emotions that he couldn't show on just one face. His breathing became uneven and raspy, making him drop his hands to cover his mouth.
Shali went over to Matthew's side. "I only answered the door, I-I didn't know he was going to b-barge in like that," she said.
"It's fine, it's fine. H-He's not a bad person," he replied back, still keeping his eyes on Brian.
Brian was still in his frantic state, emotions cycling through his face and supersonic speeds, although his breathing had steadied for the most part. He carefully removed his hands from his mouth and let them down to his sides. "Matthew?" he said huskily.
"Yeah, it's me, Brian. I'm here," said Matthew. He didn't know what was going to happen next, he was pretty sure no one was sure of it.
With the utmost caution and patience, Brian further calmed his breathing and oscillating emotions and brought a hand down to his waist. After a quick sigh, he pulled handcuffs from his belt and started walking towards Matthew.
Shali saw the motion and raised her spear again. Her teeth barred and a low growl came from her, stopping Brian from moving forward. Matthew turned to her and shook his head.
"It's okay, Shali. He's not going to hurt us."
She dropped her spear down but only by a small degree, still prepared to make a strike if necessary.
Brian continued and was soon in front of them. Averting his gaze from them, he said, "Turn around, Matthew."
Matthew complied, and as soon as he was fully turned away, he felt cold metal brush up against his wrists. Brian's hands came down and forced his own into the cuffs and snapped them shut. He found they were uncomfortable but not nearly as tight as he imagined they would be.
In a remarkably clear voice that could only belong to a police officer, Brian said, "Matthew Alexander, I am arresting you under the charge of…" he paused, "... unauthorized firearms use."
Matthew was jerked back around by Brian. Shali appeared at his side, looking worried about their current situation. He tried to smile assuringly but even he was having trouble thinking that this was the correct solution for him to take.
They began moving towards the door but Matthew stopped them.
"Wait," he said, "I need my toque. Th-they can't see my hair, they'll know."
Brian hesitated but walked away from Matthew and grabbed the toque that was lying on the ground beside his bed. He put it over Matthew's head and tucked in any loose strands that he could see.
"Thanks."
There was no response from the detective, only the brisk transition back into pushing him forward.
Shali rushed up to walk beside Matthew. "Matthew, what are you doing?"
"It's okay, Shali," he whispered, "We're gonna be alright." But as they walked down the hall, he realized he was trying to assure himself that he made the right choice rather than her.
Pele awoke at the sound of a car door unlocking. He got up and looked around the car, finding that the sound came from the back.
From the driver's window, he saw Brian which eased him. It wasn't just some random person.
The back door opened and Pele turned his attention over to that. He saw a human slide into the backseat, hands behind his back. A toque covered most of his head but from a few strands that Pele could barely see, it was almost like the hair under the toque was white.
Interested, he hopped on top of the center console and put his paws up to the wired fence that cut the back half of the car off. He looked down at the human, wondering what had happened to get him here. The human looked up at him, gave a small smile, and then turned his head to the still-open door.
The human nodded and another passenger stepped into the car. This time it was a Lucario who brought a spear in as well. She glanced at Pele and there was a moment of pause between them. She growled suddenly and made Pele lose balance. He fell back onto the passenger seat.
He jumped back up and shook his body. The driver door opened and Brian got in, wiping his face as soon as he settled into his seat.
"Hey, Brian!" said Pele, trying to get his attention, "Who are they?"
Brian brought a tired gaze over to Pele, "I don't know, bud." He shoved his keys into the ignition and turned them, "Honestly, I don't know."
Shali still had no idea what was happening. One moment, everything had been relatively fine. But as soon as that door opened, and that human, 'Brian', had come into their room, everything had been lost in the confusion.
The one thing she was certain of was the fact that they were in a vehicle and being taken somewhere. She didn't know where, and she was confident that Matthew didn't know either. But still, there seemed to be a little piece of him that caused him to think that he had an idea of where they might end up.
And just what was Matthew's endgame here? When she had drawn her spear against Brian, she imagined he would simply use his psychic to knock him out or something. Instead, he comes out with no aggression and greets Brian almost like he was scared. Then, for some unknown reason, allowed Brian to bind his hands and move him to this car.
But even so, she didn't want to ask him right then. Matthew's aura was showing a vastness of anxiety, not directed at Brian like she had thought, but at their situation.
She looked at him worried, there was probably a lot that neither of them fully comprehended right now.
Matthew turned to her, giving that same grin he had given her when they were leaving the room. Although it seemed to have lost much of assurance it once possessed. It quickly folded down into a frown after finding no reciprocation.
The vehicle slowed down and stopped abruptly, causing them both to shift from their seats. There was a click and the engine was killed.
Shali looked out of the window. There weren't any buildings around them anymore and instead there were houses lined neatly along the road, all of which had a healthy layer of snow on their roofs. She felt a subconscious sigh of relief leave her lips. Getting out of the city made her feel so much better.
Brian opened his door and left the vehicle. He quickly reappeared on Matthew's side, opening the door and letting Matthew step out. She followed quickly and stayed close to Brian, watching for any uncertain moves. His aura didn't seem to harbor any aggression towards either of them but after what she had gone through to get here, she felt it safe to be extra cautious.
They stopped at the door to the house they had pulled up to. Brian got out his keys and unlocked the door.
The interior was dimly lit by the outside as light petered in from the open door. It was a living room with very minimal furniture but it seemed very well lived in.
Shali heard a click and turned to see Matthew's hands no longer bound by the cuffs he had been given. He rubbed his wrists where the metal had pushed into it.
"Umm…" Brian whispered, "If you could, just stay here for a while… I have some things to finish up at work… Eat anything you want.. Bathroom is the first door on the left down the hall." He turned around and went back outside, "Just… please don't leave, not right now." The door closed.
Shali looked back at where Matthew once was, only to see him standing by the coffee table. He appeared to be looking at the open-faced book that was lying on it.
"Matthew, please tell me you knew what you were doing," she said, trying not to sound too vexed.
There was little response; he merely turned away from her.
She was taken aback by this motion, it was surprising to see him like this. She looked into his aura again. There was conflict, amassing itself inside him like a plague running out of control. She got closer, beginning to see the minor tremble his body seemed to hold.
"Matthew?" she asked, more gentle this time. Again, there was no response from him.
She tilted her head down to the book he had been looking at. It was full of pictures of many humans on grass. All of them were wearing the exact same outfit, reminding her of the soccer game that she had watched in their room.
Then, she realized it was soccer. That this was a collection of team pictures.
And there, in the bottom left corner, was a photo of two humans, one of which had their hand behind the other's head, giving the appearance of bunny ears. One of them had a marginally similar face to Brian while the other was practically identical to Matthew. The only difference would be the hair colour.
With utmost care, she said, "He's… your friend?"
Matthew nodded and trembled more. He turned around to face Shali.
She had to hold back a gasp as she saw how his face had been absolutely torn apart by tears and grief. He still seemed to be struggling to restrain a few more tears that we're building at the bases of his eyes. Never before had she seen him like this, and she prayed that she would never see him like that ever again.
He suddenly hugged her, pulling her close but with a loose hold that she could have easily backed out of. But she didn't. Matthew needed it, he needed someone to just be there. She wrapped her arms around him.
"H-He was my friend…" said Matthew, few words getting through that weren't obscured by his hysteric state. "I n-n-nearly forgot about him all those years," there was a big sniffle from him, "And he never stopped fucking looking…"
Unsure of how to comfort him further, she continued holding on. It seemed to work, as his cries slightly lowered in volume. "Matthew, you didn't know about it… It's not your fault…"
"He spent so much time looking for me…" he moaned, "How the hell am I supposed to look him in the eye now?"
She hugged him tight, "You're smart, you'll know how…"
"I-I just…"
"Matthew."
She pulled out of the hug by only a little bit and looked at him. His face had improved immensely, no longer completely broken by everything that was eating him up inside. "Brian, your friend, he knows you. He still cares about you, that's why he's been looking for so long."
He took one of his hands and wiped his eyes of the tears that had collected there. A solemn chuckle left his lips, almost sounding like crying. "I just…" he inhaled sharply, "I just don't know what to do."
She put a paw up to his cheek and wiped away one tear he had missed. "Talk to him. I won't be there, neither will that Growlithe. It's just you and him." She smiled, trying to get him further out of the rut he was in.
Her smile brought out a little bit of his. Not nearly as radiant but it was something positive. "Talking to a detective? Heh, I'm gonna get torn apart by the questions he's gonna ask…"
"You'll be okay."
"I know, but it's gonna be tough."
"I'm sure you've gone through worse."
"Not by much."
He looked down, back at the photos. There was still hurt on his face, but a new, slightly warmer feeling of nostalgia had introduced itself into his aura. Shali's smile grew, knowing that he would be able to get through it.
The hug parted, and she realized they had been embracing one another for a rather long time. She found herself recalling the thoughts Neo had implanted in her head.
I did this because he helped me, nothing more than that, she thought to herself. And although it was true, the doubt that followed was monstrous.
What were you going to say, Shali?
I don't know, she thought, but I desperately want to.
Brian had Pele on his lap, petting him slow and not really paying attention to the world around him.
They were back at the precinct. Brian was at his desk once again but instead of staring at the monitor, this time it was at his little partner. Surprisingly enough, Derek still hadn't shown up.
He wanted to think about something, anything, else, but there was just no way of that ever happening any time soon. The day when he saw Matthew on the side of the road had set out a path for him. And today, he was reaping the rewards from said path.
But those rewards were something far more than he could ever handle. Matthew had changed, a lot. More than he could ever imagine.
Pele nuzzled against his hand, not for the return of extra pets, only to comfort. He hadn't given him one of those looks for as long as Matthew and the Lucario had left their car. He seemed to know that this was what was eating him up. It made him wonder what would have happened if he had let Pele help him earlier.
If I did that, I'm pretty sure Matthew wouldn't be sitting in my house right now, he thought somewhat cynically. Maybe that wasn't true, but it was hard for him to see it from another perspective.
"What am I gonna do, Pele?" he muttered, "Arceus, he had white fucking hair. White as the goddamn snow."
"Growl.. Growlithe.. Lithe.. Growl!" said Pele, looking up to Brian.
"Maybe I made a mistake in this… I should have just left the pokemon center when I saw him. I could've seen that he was still alive and be done with this nightmare. I could've thrown in all behind me and forget about it…"
He lethargically leaned forward and grabbed his coffee on the desk and took a sip, not really feeling his tongue burning from the hot liquid. But what the hell do I know? I just dropped off my white-haired psychic best friend who was missing for thirteen years and a Lucario who nearly poked a clean hole through my neck.
Perhaps he was thinking about it the wrong way. Matthew was there, in his home. He didn't try to resist his arrest and even stopped the Lucario from trying to prevent it. Was he really like him and just wanted a chance to talk to his best friend again?
Pele rubbed his head on Brian's hand. He realized that he had stopped petting him during his contemplation.
"Sorry, bud. I guess I'm a little overwhelmed," he said, going back to gentle strokes down Pele's back. "I don't think I'll ever understand everything that went on today."
He leaned back in his chair, still petting the Growlithe. He wanted to return to the world he knew three days ago. Everything that world had was something understandable. He wasn't the only human being in the world who knew what was happening and how.
Whatever world he was in now was the embodiment of a chaotic enigma. One that was populated by psychic best friends, Lucarios that wield spears and a whole secret organization that was surveilling everything, had given Matthew his psychic powers and was so much more dangerous than Team Rocket had ever been. And if they got what they wanted, then the Orwellian dystopia that so many movies painted a picture of would become reality. What a world. What a fucking world.
"Matthew," he mumbled to himself, "Please still be there when I get back."
He was glad that the couch he was sitting on was comfortable because he didn't feel that way in the slightest.
Matthew and Shali were in Brian's living room, both of them anticipating Brian's return to be soon. The sun had just barely touched the horizon as the sky turned to a collage of reds and oranges.
"I don't think I'm ready for this," he said.
"You are. Just remember that he's your friend."
As she said that, the bright headlights of a car peered in through the closed blinds. The lights eventually stopped moving and then ceased shining completely.
He was nearly ready to just grab Shali's hand and teleport out of there. It was too much, this whole thing was too much. He had made a mistake, but not one he couldn't get out off so-
His hand was in Shali's paw, making the connection. A light but firm squeeze from her shut down his train of self-doubt.
"You'll be okay," she said, "I promise."
She stood up and as she walked away, the connection broke and he felt an almost empty feeling.
His eyes followed Shali as she went down the hallway, and the only reason they snapped back to the door was from the sound of keys being slid into the lock.
It's gonna be alright, we're just two friends having a conversation, he thought.
The door creaked open and Brian stepped inside, barely taking a glance at Matthew as he leaned down and took off his boots.
"Pele, go down the hall into my room, alright?" Matthew heard Brian say.
A Growlithe, the same one he had seen in the car, came through the door. It looked at him, tilted its head and said, "Hey! Who are you?"
The hyper yet curious voice juxtaposed so much against the situation that Matthew couldn't resist the little smile coming to him.
But Brian managed to answer before him. "His name is Matthew, Pele." He kicked off his boots and placed them down by the door. "Just head into the bedroom, alright? I'll talk to him.."
The Growlithe, Pele, gave Matthew one more look and then trotted back past Brian to go down the hall. Considering how Shali had reacted to him before, Matthew hoped that Pele would try and stay clear of her, at least for the time being.
There was silence after the pitter-patter of Pele's steps faded and the two of them were left with one another.
Brian looked at him, and although he partially expected it, Matthew still cringed at the lack of warmth from his gaze. It wasn't surprising that Brian didn't quite see him as the friend he once knew.
He walked over and sat down on the loveseat opposite to the couch, never taking his eyes off.
"Um… hey, Brian," Matthew started, "...I'm still here, like you asked. D-did you… want to talk about something or..?"
"Something? Really, Matthew? We finally see each other after thirteen years and you just want to talk about something?" he said in a tone that made Matthew feel like a suspect being interrogated.
"No, Brian, that's not what I-"
"You think I'm just gonna pass off what I saw today and just talk about something?"
"Of course not but-"
"Then let's talk, Matthew. I'll ask and you answer, got it?"
He was about to speak out again, but caught himself. If they really were going to get through this patch, he needed to shut his mouth and let Brian talk.
Seeing that his friend no longer had anything else to say, Brian said, "What's your name?"
Matthew raised an eyebrow, "Brian, you know my name, it's Matthew."
"Full name."
He sighed, trying to figure out the angle Brian was coming from, "Matthew Elgin Alexander."
There was a nod from the detective, "Date of birth?"
What the hell is he doing? he thought, yet still answering, "February 16th, 1989. You came to my birthday party every year, don't you remember?"
"Where were you for the past thirteen years?" Brian asked, ignoring Matthew.
This time he didn't answer, "If you found me then that means you found the video. You know exactly where I've been."
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Answer the fucking question."
There was something very wrong here. Whatever Brian was doing, he didn't seem like himself. It was certainly possible that Brian changed over time, throughout when he wasn't present, but to this degree? To his own old best friend as well? It was such a turn from what he saw earlier.
"For the first four years I was in the Deity Lab run by Team Saber, not that you would need reminding, and up until now I've just been in between spots, trying my best to stay out of their radar," he said quietly.
"And you didn't even think twice about coming into contact with anyone? Anyone at all?" Brian said, the moment Matthew finished his sentence.
"No, I didn't, Brian. And you wanna know why?" he stopped and stood up, feeling bitter toxins building in his words, "I was scared! I could barely walk five feet anywhere without twisting my head around like I was a Noctowl or something."
"But you didn't think about coming back to me? To your family? To-"
"No. Shut up, Brian," he said, losing the adrenaline rush he had. Now his voice was becoming shaky, "Can it with the i-interrogation talk. I'm not a criminal or a s-s-suspect or whatever…" He paused, taking in a huge breath, "I'm y-your friend, and I w-wanna talk... can't we just do that?"
Matthew slumped back into the couch, exhausted from the miniature rant. This was definitely not how he wanted this conversation to go. Sure, he didn't assume that it would be all smooth and peachy, but this was completely blown out of the water.
He felt a headache coming on, nothing large, but on top of what just happened, it was more of nuisance than he would have liked it to be. He raised his hand up and rubbed his forehead.
"...Are you having a headache?" asked Brian, his voice now devoid of any interrogative tones.
Matthew looked at him, noticing how his expression had softened. "A little bit. Why?"
"I remember from your video. You started rubbing your head like that about halfway through," he said, "I… uhh, I think I have some ibuprofen in the bathroom… if you want it, I could-"
"It's not that bad… thanks for offering, though." He stopped rubbing, it had dimmed for now.
"And… they come from your psychic, I guess?"
Matthew nodded, "Yeah. They're not unbearable, if that's what you were thinking. I guess I've built up a tolerance for them over time."
Brian let himself rest back on the loveseat, "Your healing, you have that too, right? That's how…" he took a moment to breathe, "That's how you were able to shoot yourself."
"Yes, that's how… I.. uhh.. I hope I didn't give your officers a hard time, you know, cleaning up my blood, heheh." His laughing tapered off as he felt his attempt at lightening the mood fall flat.
But to his surprise, Brian uttered a chuckle, shaking his head as he did so, "I forgot how bad your sense of humor was."
Matthew smiled, finally being able to find that common ground that had not been touched for so long. "I'm glad that it still has its charm."
"Sure, keep saying that."
"Well it's not like it could get any worse."
"I'm certain it could."
"I thought you missed me."
"I think that was the one part I didn't miss too much."
They both had a share of laughter, not because of the funniness of their banter, but because of the release they both felt as they did so. The reminder that, yes, there used to be a friendship between them and that there was still a glimmer of that old, amicable bond to date.
"Man… I wish we could have met up under better circumstances," said Brian.
"Couldn't agree with you more," replied Matthew, "But it seems the universe might not be in our favour. If I had it my way, I'd have a good job and have a drink with you on weekends."
Brian leaned forward in his seat, "That certainly would be a better timeline. Instead we got an organization that's taking over the world."
"Yeah… yeah, if only."
"That's life for you."
Matthew gave a smirk and settled in the couch, reflecting on Brian's words. Yep, that's life. It sucks way more than it should, but that's life. He felt his headache leave entirely now, thankfully, but it would return again, of course, because that's life.
Life had been dealing him a shit hand for quite a long time. Only now was he starting to get some good luck again. First with Shali, now here with Brian. The fact that it could have been so much different had been known to him for a long time, but he had always just accepted it and moved on. Now that it was in front of him, he felt oddly comfortable in the position he was in.
Matthew looked up, realizing that Brian had been giving him an odd look for the past little bit.
"Uh… Hey, Brian… what are you-"
Brian's look turned analytical. Then his eyes eased and he said, "You know, if I have to be fully honest with you…" he paused momentarily, "I don't think you're really cut out for this kind of thing."
Matthew was a bit confused about what he meant by that.
Brian continued, "I mean, that's not to say you can't do it or anything. It's just that I've seen my fair share of guys who've done some excessive stuff because of duress or something else. To be blunt, I think that you're feeling more forced into this rather than simply doing it."
Now he understood. He understood perfectly, and couldn't agree more. "I know, but someone's gotta do it. Whether I want to or not doesn't matter in the long run."
The detective stood up, "That doesn't mean you have to do it all by yourself."
"Come on, Brian. You don't wanna get involved with all of this."
"Maybe I do. After all, isn't it a police officer's duty to protect and serve the public? The whole world seems to fall into that category."
"It's not like I need any help, I'm able to get around and-"
"And deliver your messages, I get it," Brian finished for him. "But hey, if I was able to catch up with you, how long will it take for another detective in a different town to?"
Matthew thought about it. There was always the option of erasing memory, but that was something he dismissed immediately. It wasn't something he wouldn't even want to come close to using.
"Well?" Brian asked.
Matthew stood up as well, "Alright, you can help. Just be cautious, deal?" He stuck out his hand.
Brian did the same, and they were locked in a handshake. "Sounds like a deal."
"You're gonna have to be a little more wary about what you do."
"I can manage, I was always prepared to adjust for when you messed up the tempo on your bass."
"Says the man who broke three strings at once by down-picking too hard."
Their handshake folded inward and the two friends hugged.
"I've missed you, Matthew," said Brian.
"I've missed you too, Brian," Matthew replied.
"I just... have so many things I want to say. I'm not sure I'll be able to get it all out."
"Let's just settle down for tomorrow. I think both of us have had a certainly unexpected day."
They hugged for only a few more seconds before they parted. Both of them stepped back and Matthew put his hand up to scratch his head.
"So... I guess you wouldn't mind Shali and I staying the night then?"
"Oh, so that's who the Lucario was? I hope she and Pele can get along alright."
"Considering that I haven't heard any scuffle yet, I think they'll be okay."
"Well, if that's the case, then I think sleeping arrangements can be made. I have a spare bedroom that's mostly been my extra storage space, but there's still a bed in there."
"I'm sure that'll be fine, thank you."
Brian nodded, "It's down the hall, the room past the bathroom."
"Alright, thanks. I should probably talk to Shali. She might be wondering about the whole thing that's going on here."
"Sounds good."
Matthew gave his friend a final glance before turning off into the hallway. He could still feel the smile on his face, broad and indelible. But he couldn't imagine it any other way, because this smile had been the one of his childhood.
He saw Shali standing in the spare room, the one they would soon sleep in, and walked towards her.
Her back was turned, but as he approached, she turned around and smiled, "Judging by your smile, I would assume that you were successful."
Although it seemed unfeasible, his smile got larger. "The conversation went well, and I really can't thank you enough for getting my head back on track."
"It wasn't anything, Matthew, I just hope you're feeling a lot better than before."
"Miles better."
"Good."
Matthew looked over her shoulder and observed the room around him. As stated by Brian, it was rather cluttered with many miscellaneous items, but there was a bed that seemed fairly comfortable.
Shali's eyes saw his shift in focus and turned around as well, "Is this where we're sleeping tonight?"
"That's the plan, and hopefully we'll be able to stay here for a while."
She looked around, "There appears to be a flaw in your plan."
He raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"
"I can only see one bed here."
Matthew's eyes widened and the smile faded, "O-Oh, well… uh… um… Well that's really… Okay… then we'll just…" Although he didn't manage to get any words out, his mind produced one coherent thought.
Whatever the sleeping situation is, tomorrow will certainly be interesting.
Hey everyone, I want to state this loud and clear: Consistent uploads are unfortunately going to be impossible, the next chapter will be up when it's up. Apologies, but I know you guys want the best and I want to give it to you, so this is the way it has to be.
If you enjoyed please leave a follow/favourite and a review if you want.
Peace!
-Minusbomb