Epilogue: One Down
I might have felt like I was headed home before I conked out the night I caught Arabella Ragno, ex-Rocket and all around bitch. But I woke up in a hospital bed in Veilstone City. I looked groggily to my left, and smiled weakly at Tiff standing side by side with my diminutive mentor, Maylene. They weren't watching over me very closely, instead petting and doting on my Staraptor. And feeding her poffins. I scowled slightly at the intrusion, but decided she had earned it. Then I looked to my right... and smiled weakly at Tiff kneeling alone, scratching Lucky behind the ears.
"Ok," I rasped out, "which one of you is Looker?" It hurt to talk, but seeing them jump was worth it. Making them aware I was awake and could sip some ice water was definitely worth it. And making sure Arabella was in custody, being questioned regularly, pretty much made my year.
It turned out the Tiff feeding my bird was actually Looker. Yeah, I guessed wrong too. Once Tiff got me to a hospital, choosing to direct Pete and Big Bird to Veilstone based on some concussed, poison addled ramblings of mine, she called up the cops to report the brothel and the base out in the desert. The desert base had been flagged as my last point of contact, so they kicked it up to Looker. He showed up at once, very relieved to see me and my mons alive and the mission accomplished. Turned out I needed a new PokéGear, his people tracked my signal down again just in time for it to disappear out at sea. I guess Arabella's people thought of that whole tracking thing and ditched it, just in case. I'd been presumed dead for two days. At any rate, the police had raided the hideouts while I was out cold.
Nothing of significance was found at the desert base, though a number of Pokémon were apparently left behind by mistake. No transmitters left behind with them to study, sadly. While I doubt that whole plot of theirs is over and done with, the loss of their primary scientist, many test specimens, a major source of income, and one of the admins running the project, it should at least be severely set back. The brothel was another story. Most of the personnel there had beat a hasty retreat after their boss vanished as well, but thanks to Tiff's efforts a number of battered individuals and their Pokémon had been captured. The panicking staff had also forgotten the abused Pokémon used in their business, and they had all be recovered. Also, a number of financial records turned up, just as neat and tidy as those in the underground base. Well, once they were picked up from where they'd been tossed in the haste to flee and sorted out. Predictably, all mention of the boss' name had been removed and replaced with the code "XD000" just as indicated by Arabella's appointment book. But, we'd get her to crack eventually. I argued for leaving the Game Corner untouched as a source of intel, but Looker's bosses shut it down. I think they tipped their hand too early in the game, but fuck it. I'll deal one way or another.
Sadly, I was out of the game for a couple of weeks. The antidotes had saved my life, but I hadn't gotten enough of them to purge my system fully and I'd be down with what amounted to pneumonia for a bit. I'd also managed to sprain my left ankle and badly strain my right knee. Not to mention the Golbat bite still searing on my arm and the lump on my head where I'd gone down after the Swalot gassed me. They weren't letting me go home for two solid weeks at least. Still totally worth it. Well, except the docs wouldn't let me smoke until my lungs healed. I went a little stir crazy, but Tiff replaced my lighter (even after I assured her I was just joking) on the day they gave my cigs back so it worked out rather well in the end. She even paid to have my coat dry-cleaned. I have since fully forgiven the Gastrodon assault.
Looker wanted to hire Tiff on as a member of the International Police, which must have come off as very strange to her considering his chosen disguise at the time was still her. He wouldn't take no for an answer either, not until she reminded him that technically she's a reformed criminal and the brass probably wouldn't welcome her on the team. Oh, and could he pretty please not mention that part in his reports? She did this fluttery eyelash thing and he melted. I refrained from laughing. Laughing still hurt at the time. Dude got off light, I'm pretty sure if the cute act hadn't worked she'd have moved on to threats and battles. At any rate, she's taking some time for herself right now. And maybe doing some freelance work when she's ready. I could always use a competent sub-contractor for some of my jobs after all. The world's big enough for one more PokéMercenary, if she wants the job.
My last day at the hospital, as I was taking a drag off my first cigarette in two weeks (I had just been discharged and could have headed home first, but I couldn't wait any more once Tiff gave me my lighter), Looker showed up in his non-disguise clothes. I'd call them normal, but the disguises are more common on him. Unless his "normal" appearance is a disguise too? Looker makes my head hurt. At any rate, he handed me a Pokéball and smirked at me.
"What's this? I've already got all six of mine back," I looked at him quizzically.
"Open it up and you will be seeing," he intoned in that goofy ass way of his. "It is one of the Pokémon recovered from the desert facility that you located for us. I arranged it as a bonus for the work you did on our behalf this time out, yes? And for doing far less damage to the suspect than I had anticipated, though I did not mention that specifically." I kept my mouth shut, lest he learn I'd largely been too unconscious to try hurting her if I'd wanted. The nasty bruises and abrasions Maiden had left her with would have to do.
"Ooook, not weird at all. Let's see what you..." I grinned like a fool when the ball flashed open and revealed a Mareep, one with a distinguishing nick in its right horn where it had caromed off into the woods after being "released" during an ill-fated battle with an Electabuzz. "Aha, so that's where you went. Thanks Looker," I shook the odd cop's hand and called back the little sheep and exchanged it for Big Bird. "C'mon girl, we got a very rich man to see and a little girl to make happy. This should cover all our medical bills and then some."
And so we took flight for Sunnyshore City. I ticked off a check mark on a mental list that hadn't been updated in years as we flew. After all this time, progress.
One down. Two to go. I'll find the other two soon enough, and one of them won't get off so lightly as Ms. Ragno did. And until then? Business is still good.
End
Author's note: So, there we go, the final chapter of the first full length story in the series. Sorry about the long wait between chapters of late, but I think I made up for it tonight (had to do something with that insomnia). Now that we're here, I'm really looking forward to reviews of the story as a whole (I still welcome the chapter by chapter reviews I've been seeing of course).
As for where the series will go from here? I think I'll be taking a break from the main story and doing an intermission of sorts, unrelated to the quest for vengeance that is Devil's primary motivation. Other than that, only time and inspiration will tell!
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in another story.