Chapter 8: The End of Matters

Success and failure are like two sides of a coin. Where one result is desired, and the other is not.

That's not a true analogy, of course. While some of each is to be expected, it is not as simple as a matter of chance. Success and failure and what a person will experience is in the hands of that person and those around them.

We live in pursuit of success. We all want to succeed at what we do, from the small things to the big. To not succeed is to have your efforts amount to nothing at best. And to bring yourself harm at worst.

Nori had fought for something big. He'd tried everything he could think of. And ultimately failed.

What happened? What could he have done better?

There was no one to answer these questions for him. Only harsh failure.

Ideally you will follow success and avoid failure. Experiencing failure sometimes is only natural. And if you don't learn from failure, you're doomed to repeat it.

Yet how can you learn from failure if you don't know what led to it?

Failure can come with consequences, big and small. This was the former. He fought for something big and there were big consequences. It's not that he was not aware of it. He was just hoping for success.

If he succeeded, everything would have worked out for everybody.

But he had failed.

Lives could have been saved. But they were ruined. Someone condemned for life for a mistake. A family member caught up in it. Friends shattered apart. And whatever awaited him for his involvement.

There was perhaps just one person who succeeded. His success meant failure for others. Inevitable when there are clashing goals. And where the consequences of failure was small. To that person, his success lies in others' failures.

Everyone deserves a chance at success. To take that chance away from someone is to take away that person's reason for being.

Why did things play out as they did?

What could have happened differently?

Where will things go from here?

Perhaps...

"That was the Dark Nightwingz. And this is DJ Ben Marler, bringing you the latest jams right here from Goldenrod Tower, baby."

The clock radio blaring brought Nori out of his reverie. It had been turning on at 8am sharp every day, and he had no idea how to stop it from doing so short of unplugging the thing. At least it had been advantageous in waking him when he needed it to, as was the case yesterday. He already had been awake today making it more annoying than anything, but at least trying to be optimistic, it had reminded him of the time. He had to get going.

"Word outta Mahogany now, I just heard charges are finally being laid in the Red Gyarados case!"

No. No. He did not want to hear this. He just wanted to push this out of his mind and forget about about it. He rolled over and reached out, fumbling his hand in attempt to hit the button to silence the radio. But it was no use, he was too slow and uncoordinated in his half awake state and the DJ was speaking too quickly.

"They're saying that a Kassia Parisa's being held accountable for this whole mess."

He halted. The DJ was still speaking, but what Nori had just heard made him deaf. Kassia Parisa was charged. No mention of Julia. Maybe his efforts had amounted to something after all. That would be nice. All the same, it would still mean he couldn't keep his promise. He said he would get Julia and her mother off the hook for the incident. He only managed one, and Julia was not in a good position for it. Maybe she had been granted freedom, but her mother had been taken away from her. She would be without a parent, possibly for the rest of her life.

No, that was just being too optimistic. Just because Julia wasn't mentioned doesn't mean she wasn't charged. It just meant at least that her mother took a lot of the blame. The officers had said that Julia had still committed a crime herself. Regardless of how ridiculous the nature of the crime actually was. She might still have to face punishment.

There was no further use thinking about it. Whatever had happened had happened. He had wanted to say that, at least. The events of the past three days had left the young official with deep regrets that were refusing to leave anytime soon.

Nori rolled off the bed, feeling as though under triple the gravitational pressure. He forced himself over to the kitchen, yanking on the refrigerator door. He grabbed the last of the apples he had bought and bit into it. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, and was feeling it. He supposed the traditional means off staving off exhaustion would be coffee, but he tried it once and hated it. The man he reported into told him it was an acquired taste he would appreciate when he got older, but the young official very much doubted that. He heard these were just as good if not better than that drink, anyway. Definitely healthier too.

The young official reminisced to the events of yesterday. In the morning he was feeling the determination to do things, but was unsure of what he needed to do. By the afternoon he thought for sure he was on the path to success. And then the events at the station happened. After that he had no motivation to do anything. No, rather it was all just a big haze. He remembered visiting the Pokemon Center and watching TV here, but besides those two things little else registered with him.

Pushing those thoughts aside. He needed to get moving soon. He polished off the apple as swiftly as he was able to without choking and went over to check his bag. Going through it, he found everything that was supposed to be in there was there. He threw what he'd left on the table and dresser into it and double-checked. No, he didn't forget anything. To be extra sure, he even checked the drawers and fridge, even checking in the bathroom and under the bed. He wanted to be extra sure he left nothing behind on this trip, because he wouldn't see it again if so.

This trip.

He grumbled and gently whapped himself on the head. This whole trip ended up just a big waste. He was hoping to go sightsee around a new region, but instead he got caught up in something that went nowhere and met a stonewall. He did not succeed. Even without that threat looming over him, his time here was up. There was nothing more to do but return home coated in the stench of failure.

In spite of his lethargy, Nori managed to reach the airport despite it being a city over. It was times like these he pointed to his skateboard as a highly useful asset, and few were able to refute that point. He specifically requested an afternoon flight just in case he needed the extra time in the morning. While it would have been ideal to get over to Ecruteak last night, Nori knew he was in no condition for travel yesterday. Even this morning took some force of will to make it over.

Cloud Nine Airlines was one of the smaller entities when it came to air travel. Far from an international presence, it strictly operated within a few regions in close proximity, stretching from Hoenn to Sinnoh and a few out further west. Its lower ticket costs and good service made it a favorite of those traveling between said regions. Helping its reputation was that it tended to operate in cities without other airports, making it a convenience over its main competitor.

Nori retrieved his ticket, glancing it over again briefly. Two way, business class, time of departure at 2:45pm. Which was in about half an hour. Just a bit of extra time to relax before having to get into the flying metal box and not moving for a couple hours.

He looked up and saw two familiar faces walking into the lobby. The stout one among them gestured with a two-fingered point. "Here he is!" Bunston called. "We're just in time, Mr. Champion!"

"Thank you for your help. Please allow me to have a talk with him." With an emphatic nod, Bunston scuttled back. The caped man walked forward and greeted Nori, who turned away, dejected. "I'm glad I caught up with you," Lance started. "I would like to apologize to you for our previous conversation, Nori. I was not intending to discourage you from trying to do anything to help. I was only trying to help you understand what your options were." The boy tilted his head to peer at the champion, but did not say anything in reply. The champion added, "It seems you figured it out on your own, though."

At this the young official moved to face him again. However, he remained quiet. Certainly, they've heard what happened. And he couldn't be happy about what happened..

"Julia was looking for you," Lance told him. "She wanted to say thank you for everything you've done."

Well, he had to catch a flight for one. But more importantly. "Sorry," he explained, with a heavy sigh. "I couldn't face her after how things turned out." He made a promise and he couldn't keep it. He wasn't even sure that Julia was even free. "I told her I'd get both her and her mother out of there. But I could only help her. I think. At least if that radio announcement I heard was true, she was freed."

The spiky-haired man gave a nod of confirmation. So it was true. That was a bit comforting. But, "Even so, in the end, I may as well have failed. Julia might be okay, but she's lost her mother. So really, she might not be okay after all."

"You don't have to be so hard on yourself," the champion assured him. "You did well these past few days. If it wasn't for your actions, things would have turned out a lot worse for those two."

That just incited confusion. He did well? "What exactly did I do though?" the dark-haired boy asked. "I thought I just yelled a lot and said a bunch of things that didn't matter."

"They mattered."

Lance had arrived at the Mahogany Town Police Headquarters first thing in the morning. Having heard that the charges were all but formalized, he wanted to speak with Julia one final time. In spite of her situation, he wanted to assure her that he was going to work to see if he could at least get her sentence commuted.

He found himself speaking to none other than the one in charge of handling her case, in the hallway leading to the offices. The champion laid everything out in detail, including his plans that might run counter to the detective's wishes, saying, "These are my intentions."

Detective Holle took his proclamations without batting an eye. "Very well," he replied. "Just don't take too long. She and her cellmate are both set to be transferred to the Juvenile Correctional Facility west of Ecruteak today."

Lance solemnly nodded. He expected as much. However, as he was about to head off towards the holding cells, a booming yet jovial voice rang out.

"There you are, Inspector!" Holle turned as if he knew who it was. Lance knew enough himself to understand that was Holle's official rank in the department.

Approaching them was the chief of police in Mahogany Town, a short bespectacled elderly man with a wild mustache, dressed in a violet outfit that was as casual as he could get away with. "Oh, it's good that I found you. I see that the champion is once more gracing us with his presence!" The chief gave a brief respectful bow.

"Am I interrupting business of yours?" Lance asked, only to be met with a handwave.

"Oh, hardly. You may stay if it pleases you." The chief turned to face Holle. "Anyhoo, I had important things I needed to speak with you about, Inspector."

"Chief," Holle replied with a salute and nod. "Please, elaborate."

With a nod back, the chief elaborated, "There has been a development in one of the cases you have been handling. The department has decided we won't be charging Julia Parisa for what happened."

Holle's expressed contorted instantly. "What?!" the detective gasped. He shook his head in utter shock. "You can't be serious. Is this one of your jokes?"

"It would be a good one, wouldn't it? Hahaha!" The chief clutched his stomach with one hand, waving with the other. "But I don't kid, I don't kid. We're asking she make a public apology, but nothing more than that."

The champion couldn't help but break out into a smile. He wasn't sure exactly how it happened, but things had worked out for Julia after all. "That is good news," he spoke up.

"This is ridiculous," Holle disagreed through gritted teeth, barely containing himself. Lance figured this was only due to him speaking to his superior. "I apologize for any insolence you take from this, chief. But do you have any reasoning for this besides sympathy? You can't just up and release a suspect without a solid reason."

"Well, I thought you might ask that. You can be sure that we didn't make this choice lightly."

"We?" inquired Lance.

"Y'see, that surveillance video showed us all quite a few revelations about Ms. Parisa's situation. I myself just managed to catch the tail end of it with Prosecutor Paine. Before you interrupted, Inspector." Lance watched as the chief paced before them. He hadn't heard about about this.

"As I should have, since it was stolen from the station," Holle argued. "Why didn't you?"

"Oh, I planned to question the one making the 'presentation'. But it would have been rude to do so before he was finished," the chief replied with a chuckle. The detective sighed and shook his head. "Irregardless of that though. After some debilitation and polling, I decided we cannot in good conscience punish her any more than is necessary."

Holle crossed his arms. "So it was sympathy." Lance couldn't necessary disagree with that. Even those in power have to adhere to the rules. But unlike the detective, he knew and expected there was more to it than this, which is why he was not surprised by the finger wag that followed.

"Ah-ah-ah!" the chief corrected. "It was far more than just that, Inspector. For one, she also received two recommendations from separate officials."

Lance nodded, stepping forward. "One of those would be myself."

"Carino." The detective clenched his fists, his brow nearly twitching with how furrowed it was.

"Is that a name of an official?" asked the chief. "They do not tell us which ones gave the recommendation. So we will never know for sure!" He turned to Lance with a grin. "Unless of course, they say so as the champion just did."

The detective's response to this was to grumble with resignation and half pivot away. "I know that." Lance understood why immediately. Both he and Holle knew full well it was that person. And Holle certainly would want to try to do something if he could prove it was said person.

Unnoticing or uncaring of this response, the chief pressed on, "There is also the difficult issue that she was coerced into releasing the Pokemon by her mother."

Holle spun back, now not even hiding his disgust. "A Pokemon she never would have captured if she had not left the safety of this station and entered the base of a criminal organization," he protested. "If not for her sticking her nose in police business in the first place, none of this would have happened!"

"Ah, a good point. I thought of it too," the chief confessed, before shrugging and looking at Lance. "But I figured y'know, we already resolved that. So why make it a factor in this?" Holle remained silent, still as a statue if a brooding one. The chief concluded his explanation, "The mother has accepted responsibility for the coercing. That will be our official statement."

"What, you're saying there's still more to this?" Holle arched an eyebrow. Lance was curious about this statement with implications as well. "What else is there?"

After a glance around, the chief leaned in close. "Well, since it's you two and there are no curious ears about. Keep this part hush-hush. With all of those factors plus the media frenzy I have heard about, the prosecution has decided that this case would likely be too much of a headache."

"I've heard of that happening before," Lance said. It was uncommon, but there were those cases where it did happen. It certainly wasn't the only reason behind the decision the higher ups of the department made to only ask that Julia only make a public apology, yet it certainly cemented it.

Holle however, was dumbstruck. He was actually slackjawed for a moment, "Spineless..." was all he managed to squeak out. It was as though someone had come in and scribbled disbelief all over his face.

"Any objections?" asked the chief.

For a moment it seemed Holle was going to scream, but he ultimately only shook his head. "No...none, sir."

"You appear upset."

"I won't lie and say that I'm not." The detective sighed. His next words came out forced, a wrath boiling beneath its low tone. "But I'll respect the department's decision."

"Then there is nothing for any of us to be worked up over! Now, you still have one prisoner who needs processing! Make sure she's attended to." With this, the chief waltzed off towards his office.

The two remained silent for several moments after this. Lance couldn't help but smile at this, even one such as him able to feel the joy of seeing something work out for the better. He thought for sure that Julia's imprisonment was inevitable. But due to the efforts of one young official, she was going to get another chance.

Holle by contrast had an expression that would make a rampaging Tyranitar think twice before crossing him. Lance could only speculate what was going through his mind at that moment. Soon after, they heard the sound of somebody approaching. Holle called out to the officer, amazingly cordial given his mood. "Jenny."

The woman saluted as she continued walking forward. "Detective Holle, sir."

"Julia Parisa is to be released. Chief's decree." Jenny stopped and gasped. "I'm busy, so you make sure the guard gets the message."

"Yes!" she said with a small smile, disregarding whatever she was coming over here for. "I'll get to it right away!"

As soon as the blue-haired officer was out of earshot, Holle glared at Lance. "Well? Are you going to sit there smirking or are you going to go see her? Go on already!" Without waiting for a response, the detective stormed off for his office.

(End flashback)

As Lance finished giving an abridged account of what happened, Nori nodded. "I see. So I pretty much stirred up a Vespiquen's nest, huh?" The caped man confirmed this, causing Nori to shake his head at himself. That was a bit awkward. He kind of had a problem with doing things like that. Then again, it was hardly the same as just stirring things up. He was taking action himself.

"That is discrediting your own personal actions, but yes," Lance added. "You were the catalyst for Julia being released."

Well, that was one thing. But he still couldn't be happy. "That may be so," he protested. "But what about Mrs. Parisa? I mean if she accepted responsibility for everything, she's probably getting punished severely, right?"

The champion shook his head, "Not so much, actually," he corrected. "Due to her confession, her past contributions to society, and acting in the heat of the moment without knowing the full severity of the situation, the courts are looking to pursue the minimum sentencing for her. She'll only be looking six months probation in which she cannot own, work with, or influence Pokemon in any capacity. After that, she will also need to retake the exam for her caretaker's license."

Nori sighed in disappointment. He wished he could've done more for her. Lance gave him a reassuring look. "It is about as much as you could have asked for."

About as much as he could ask for. Maybe this was the best case scenario after all. "I...guess you're right," he reluctantly conceded. It still didn't mean he was completely happy, but he could live with himself. He guessed.

"You did an excellent job, sir!" came a blusterous voice, as a rather large man came skipping out in front of him. Nori tilted his head.

"Officer Bunston?"

He paused. "Y-Yes! That's still me, Officer Lars Bunston!"

"Shouldn't you be at work?" he asked.

Bunston wagged a finger. "There's things more important than work, sir!" He raised the same finger. "Like bidding someone adieu! And uh, telling you that Connor chap said to say bye!" The officer grinned wildly. "You are headed back today, are you not?"

"Yes, I am," he confirmed. He guess he did kind of not say goodbye to anyone, though not entirely by choice. Well, this was the chance to do so. "I'm glad you're here actually, because I wanted to say thank you for all your help. I don't know if I could've done this without you. Connor too."

The stout man stood as tall as he could. "There is no need to thank me, Mr. Carino, sir!" He proudly pointed both thumbs at himself and grinned. "I was only doing what was right!" This made the boy roll his eyes. It was obvious that the officer was just trying to act cool. But he supposed that's what made him Lars Bunston.

As Nori opened his mouth to speak again, his words stopped short in his throat. The three of them turned to face a man in a dark coat and uniform, marching up and standing in front of the boy. The young official turned to the others. Bunston was frozen in place, Lance simply made a gesture, as if to indicate to Nori it was his to handle.

"So you were here." Detective Holle spoke with scorn dripping from his every word. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot, with a stare that seemed as though attempting to stare a hole through the young official. "Well?" he asked. "Are you proud of what you accomplished?"

Nori rubbed his head. What kind of a question was that? "I...think so?"

The detective scoffed at this reply. "I figured you would be," he quipped with all the bitterness of a Rabuta Berry. "You got away with a crime, after all."

"I...know what I did wasn't exactly right! But it wasn't wrong, either!" Nori protested. "Besides, it was all to help Julia! I was just doing all I could think of-"

"Doing what it takes?" Holle interrupted, shaking his head. "A shame you went too far, and a waste that you don't use that drive for the right reasons. Like me."

Just like him. Nori shuddered again at that comparison. He hoped he at least didn't turn out like this when he got older. "What are you doing here, anyway?" he had to ask the detective.

The detective lowered his gaze. "Because, there's one thing you didn't get away with."

Nori's eyes stretched wide. "Wait, what? No! I did what you said! I didn't interfere at all after the fact! And the case was thrown out, too! So it's irrelevant anyway! You can't arrest me!" He fired a defiant glare at Holle, as if trying to make his eyes seem like fire, but it was a very blatant facade.

Holle laughed. "I believe you should be incarcerated. But you won't be today," he said, with a sneer of delight. Nori took a step back in disbelief. Was he played just for that reaction?! "However, I can remind you of what you have brought on." The young official blinked. He looked back at Lance to get an idea of what it might be about, who simply shrugged.

"That girl is going to go free. The department asked she make a public apology, but it will be nothing more than a hollow one." The detective gesticulated with his hands mockingly, before pausing his walking. "Once more, she will go on to meddle in police business and/or capture a Pokemon she has no business capturing. She did it before, and she will do it again." He turned away, looking out the airport's large window. He almost seemed to be sad as he said, "I can't say where it will happen, I can't say when. But it will happen, and it will lead to another tragedy, just like this one. More people will lose their lives." Abruptly, he turned and pointed a finger in Nori's face, just a centimeter from his nose. "All because of your interference in this case!"

Unlike before, Nori remained unflinching, his faith in Julia unshaken. The detective methodically retracted his finger. His expression turned calm, yet had an eerie coldness. With a lethal venom, he growled, "We had better not meet again, Mr. Carino, unless you're on the other side of a prison cell. And..." He paused and smiled. "Remember that actions have consequences. Best of luck with your career."

With those parting words, Holle took a few steps backwards. The detective turned and marched off, shoving both the building's doors out of his way as he departed the terminal.

As soon as he had left, a concerned Bunston spoke up. "Sir...if that really happens-"

"That's not what I'm worried about," Nori interrupted. "I know it won't happen, anyway."

Not missing a beat, the stout officer asked the follow-up question: "Then what are you, sir?"

With a groan of dread, he explained to them, "He said he was going to report me to my superiors." He may have avoided arrest, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to punished for what he did. He could lose his position. Or worse.

Lance shook his head. "I do not believe you need to worry about that," he assured Nori. "I checked into your background myself, and if he does go through with it, I am sure you'll be fine. You did a good job these past few days, Nori. You've made a lot of progress with your position and yourself."

"Really?" he asked, getting a nod from Lance. "Well, I guess I can believe it, if it's coming from a champion." He breathed a sigh of relief, at least one of his worries dealt with. "He's a real piece of work," Nori openly mused, peering at the door. If he really was like Holle, he hoped he would never become this jaded.

"Isn't the force going to discharge him, or punish him, or anything?" he suddenly spoke up. It was something that just came to mind. "I mean, he did try to take advantage of things to make them go the way he wanted. He even publicly admitted it!"

Lance shook his head, "He never did anything to warrant it."

The young official grumbled. "That figures. I guess I should've saw it coming, though." Certainly, the detective knew the law so well he could tow the line if need be. It'd explain his remark about doing what it takes, too.

The champion then did something that made Nori take pause. He gave an uncharacteristic playful smile. "However, wouldn't you say that this is punishment enough for him?"

"What are you talking about?" Nori asked. "Nothing happened to him."

"Exactly. Nothing changed."

He hated when people were vague like that. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "He's still in the same position he was at the start of this." He paused as it hit him. "Wait, you don't mean...that?"

The champion nodded in reply, Nori reciprocating. That was it. That's what made sure he would never be truly like Detective Holle.

"Huh, what? What are you two talking about?" Bunston asked, scratching his hip.

Nori gave a small smile. "This trip was more worthwhile than I thought it'd be going into it. I got to save someone, I got to learn a bunch of things...I even gave Julia the chance to learn and grow, too. And I know she's going to."

Lance nodded in confirmation at this. "But Detective Holle..." he started.

The young official lowered his head. "Even after everything that was shown to him, even as people around him disagree, even after everything that's happened...he still thinks Julia isn't a good person." Stubbornly clinging to his own views and ways. A strange observation suddenly popped into Nori's mind. "He said I was living in an idealistic fantasy world. But...maybe it's him who's trapped in his own world? I mean, he seems to think everyone who commits a crime is bad and irredeemable. Like, I guess his would be a cynical world of regret and resentment."

"That is an interesting way of looking at it," the champion mused, tapping his chin.

"Uh-huh. Never thought that about him before, heh! Pretty sharp thinking, sir!"

It was actually just a weird thought that came out, but it seems it wasn't completely crazy. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Holle. He'd likely be enveloped by his pessimism for the rest of his life.

More importantly, there was himself. This incident seemed like it was never going to end. At times he doubted himself. At times it felt hopeless. But in the end, it all worked out. It was over, and it was all worthwhile. For the first time in days, Nori felt worry-free. "Well, that's a lot off my mind," he declared with a small jump and a smile. "Anyway-"

"Final boarding call for Flight 468 to-"

The chestnut-haired boy yelped. "Ahh! I'm late!" He snatched Bunston's hand, giving it a rapid shake before doing the same to Lance. "Gotta run, thanks again for everything, bye!" He frantically dashed off, leaving the two adults briefly dumbfounded.

"And off he goes," the stout man said.

"One of the youngest officials I've met," the champion mused. "He has a lot of growing to do, but I look forward to seeing the person he becomes." The two remained in quiet reflection for about a minute, before Lance spoke up. "Would you mind if I ask you a question, Mr. Bunston?"

The stout officer grinned and nodded. "Of course, Mr. Champion. Ask away!"

"Why did you take the security tape?"

Not a question he was expecting to be asked. After a moment to consider the wording, he explained, "It was because of how Mr. Carino reacted at the diner that night." He dropped his usual bravado. "I didn't know what to think of this mess at first. But when I saw how strongly he felt, I thought that there might be something to it. When I saw what was happening for myself when working overtime that night, that's when I knew for sure. And I could give him a solution. And you know, if he would stand against Holle, I figured I could too."

The spiky-haired man nodded in agreement. "I admit, it moved me as well." He looked out at the plane, catching sight of Nori boarding. "I'm a bit concerned his outlook may land him in trouble some day. But it will also take him far."

"Of course it will! He's got the right stuff, after all!"

Lance was a bit surprised at Bunston's positivity. Nori may have dedicated all his efforts into helping free Julia, even risking his own neck. But the man he was standing beside had made a very big sacrifice himself, and was acting like it was no big deal. He had to ask, "So what are you going to do now that you're out of a job?"

The former security worker shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure yet. But one thing I am sure about." He walked forward and raised his hand in triumph.

"I regret nothing!"

Prosecutors not wanting to lay charges on a person for various reasons is a real thing in Japan. This fic's world has a bizarre hybrid American/Canadian/television/etc. law system, so I figured why not add a bit of Japanese flair to it? For that matter, sympathy is a factor in other systems.

Also I lied. Real last chapter is soon.