Pokemon The Revolution

by LandofGaming

After years of evolution and drifts and new ages, the Pokemon world has advanced to a modern state where politics and ideals flourished and many Pokemon began searching and striving for the idea of a perfect world. However, due to the corrupted government, a single Pokemon stands up to fight for his freedom...and ends up starting more than even he had anticipated.

19. Of Trust and Betrayal

Chapter Nineteen: Of Trust and Betrayal

A dark Pokemon slipped nimbly through the dark museum, his ears pricked with concentration. A bead of sweat dripped down his face as he made his moves, darting from shadow to shadow. He wondered if the cameras embedded solidly yet secretly in the compound had heat sensors. Probably. He was going to be so screwed at the end of this mission. It didn't need to be foretold. Any idiot would know that ransacking an arcane deadfall compound wouldn't go unnoticed.

Yet he continued on with his doomed quest, his paws gliding over the marble tiles on the floor as he slid through the halls, hoping his invisibility skills and anti-heat-radiating pendant would keep him safe. He knew they wouldn't, of course. In only a short matter of time. His mission was to waylay. That was all.

As he stepped across an invisible line, arcane runes immediately exploded into a chaotic clatter of shrieks and the whines of magic lasers. The thief dodged faultily, only to be caught in a glowing net. He braced himself, forcing his invisibility to hold even as the pain flared through him. He only needed to be invisible―his survival and the life of the mission depended on this factor―and he held on the fact that his talent would bring him through. It had to. It must. The entire mission depended on this fact. A small role he may seem to play, yet it had to succeed. There was no exception. No room for error.

Harsh lights shone on the seemingly empty net, but the night guards were not fooled. They knew a Pokemon had been caught, whether he was invisible or not. They were smart that way, and the thief knew this as well.

"Take it to the arcane cells," a clear, feminine voice barked out. "We'll study him or her there." A canine Pokemon stepped out of the shadows, her sharp eyes fierce and unforgiving. She had light brown fur, and a shaggy patch of blue ran down her back to her tail.

The guards dipped their heads at the Herdier's authority, and left, dragging the still-invisible thief across the ground.

---

On the road…

"I still can't believe that stuck-up smarty-nose of a mayor would actually offer us an alliance." Rachiel snorted as she strode towards Nacrene City, which was rising above the horizon in front of them. "Last time, that measly Stoutland sent us away with a bunch of insult about our IQ. Why should we believe he would help us now?" she argued.

Xeno, Lumiere, and Ralph accompanied the Houndoom and she cursed and stomped along the road. Due Mayor Aronel's request for an alliance and a council of war, the four had decided to head to Nacrene City on his account.

"Well, everybody knew it was the Shadow Force that bombed Castelia City," Xeno reminded her. "Just like everyone knew we were using the Nuvema Switcheroo Strategy in Castelia City. Maybe Aronel's finally seen how evil the Shadow Force is and is anxious to acquire our help."

"Unlikely!" Rachiel declared. "Even if they have all the runic-arcane mumble jumbo, I still can't believe that hound would want an alliance. With us, of all rebels!"

"Rachie," Xeno said sarcastically. "I think you just really, really hate magic."

"Who would ever assume that?!" Rachiel grumbled.

"You said it yourself," Lumiere pointed out. "Oh, look. We're here." He glanced at the sun as if judging the time. "And we're early. The appointment at the Nacrene City Hall is in an hour."

"We're too early," Ralph agreed as the four stopped uncertainly at the city limits. "What do we do?"

"Ze Mayor Aronel said you could visit zeir fair city," said a soft voice, the Kalosian accent clear in her familiar timbre. "Please do." The four looked up from their arguments to see a graceful Glaceon wearing a white lab coat standing at attention before them.

"Researcher Snowflake," Lumiere greeted. "Is that true?"

Rachiel huffed. "Aren't you that idiotic Kalosian lady that kicked us out last time? Why'd you want our help now?"

Snowflake sighed, her breath a pale white mist in the air. "I've had my reluctance," she admitted, dark eyes flashing. "But I see now zat keeping peace with ze Shadow Force is not of my best interests. My 'umblest regrets." She dipped her head deeply.

"That's fine. We understand," Ralph replied, then turned to Lumiere. "Well, we're allowed into their city now. What do you want to do?" he asked.

"I believe I would like to visit the Museum of Arts," Lumiere decided. "Their exhibitions are always quite exquisite. I haven't seen the new arts. I'd like to catch up."

"You know ze way, zen?" Snowflake asked. "Feel free to go straight zere." She dipped her head again.

Rachiel wrinkled her nose. "A bunch of paper with paint," she groused. "Who'd want to see that?" She lashed her barbed tail with an annoyed flair.

"Nacrene City has the best arts of the era," Lumiere told her sternly. "Don't judge before you see."

Xeno sniffed. "I don't plan on seeing a bunch of dried paint and all, either. Are there any other… more interesting museums?"

"With weapons and stuff?" Rachiel added. "Stuff that's not paint blobs and paper and sculptures and whatnots?"

"Would you like to visit ze Museum of Ancient Unovian History?" Snowflake suggested quietly. "Commonly called 'ze Museum of Relics'. Zey have a new shipment of weapons and 'ousehold items from the Relic Castle. I was on my way zere. Would you like to accompany me?"

Rachiel looked at Xeno and shrugged her narrow shoulders. "As long as zere's weapons," she said, with a poor Kalosian accent. Snowflake managed a small, amused smile.

"I try to speak without ze... the accent," the Glaceon admitted delicately. "It is much cause for contempt."

Rachiel immediately looked embarrassed. "Sorry, kid," she said. "I didn't understand."

"Z… That's fine," Snowflake replied cheerfully. "Shall we go, z… then?"

"You got it." Xeno nodded and turned to Ralph. "Who're you hitching with?" she asked.

Ralph shrugged. "I don't think we should ditch Lumiere on his own…" he began.

"Oh, come on." Rachiel snorted. "Lamp Head's gonna be fine. It's a city filled with nerds. He'll fit right in."

"Pardon me," Lumiere grumbled. "I prefer the term scholar, if you'll please."

"You know you like being called a Lamp Head."

"Okay, first of all, that's rude. Secondly―"

"I'll stick with Lumiere," Ralph said quickly. "Pairs of two and all."

Xeno shrugged. "If you feel like spending your precious time in a room full of paper and whatnots… well, it's your life." She turned and followed Rachiel and Snowflake over the city limits.

Ralph glanced at Lumiere. "Tell me it's going to be worth it," he grumbled.

Lumiere laughed. "It's a matter of opinion."

---

Some time later, at the Museum of Arts…

Ralph and Lumiere were staring at a majestic painting of Meloetta, who was wearing her scarlet shoes in the picture. Her azure eyes were the perfect shade of sadness, and her pale white body glowed like the moon, highlighting her pixel features.

"Amazing." Lumiere breathed, totally absorbed in the painting. "The colors… the textures… I'd expect no less from Lenora Va Dinci!" he exclaimed.

Ralph had to admit the painting was a lot more spectacular than he had expected. He was glad he'd followed Lumiere. The arts were like nothing he'd ever seen before. The paintings seemed to have been plucked right out of the rainbow, while the sculptures were either magically made or sculpted out of rare minerals. There were silver statues and gold statues, emerald statues and diamond statues. The museum itself was a work of art, its railings carved from ivory and gold and decorated with various glittering jewels. Tiny golden vines had been grafted onto the ceiling, and despite the faintly flickering arcane runes that warned the visitors of the museum's intense security, the museum looked beautiful beyond comparison.

"Yes!" A Furret suddenly burst into view, fluffy tail waving. "This is the best gallery I've ever seen! Even ze Lumiose Museum cannot compare to zis!" A faint Kalosian accent could be detected in his tone as he hopped about. Several guards hushed him severely. He paid exactly zero attention to them. His chocolate-and-cream fur was fuzzy and smooth as he tumbled under several Herdiers in their attempt to hustle him out of the museum.

Ralph and Lumiere exchanged a long, significant glance.

"Um… pardon me…" Lumiere floated over to the Furret, who was now enraptured by the golden sculpture of an acorn. The Herdier guards had apparently given up on trying to grab the slippery creature. "Do you happen to be from Kalos?"

"Of course!" The Furret burst into a wide grin. "I didn't know my accent was still quite zat strong, but yes! I'm Professor Chason of ze Kalosian Athletics Academy, but you may call me Meeko! Pleased to meet with you!"

Ralph shook paws with Meeko. "Nice to meet you too, Meeko," he said cheerfully. "What brings you here from Kalos?"

"Many zings, my friends!" Meeko beamed. "Of course, ze museums were a must-see here! I also came to study projectile magic, so I could enchant my bows and arrows!" He fluffed up his tail in excitement.

"Fascinating," Lumiere said. "I know foreigners are common here, because of the various museums, but it's been a long time since I've seen one. By the way, what's new in Kalos?"

A dark shadow passed over the Furret's eyes, and he hesitated. When he caught Lumiere staring at him, he forced a smile onto his face. "Nothing's new, of course! We're being affected by ze Shadow Force like ze Unovians, but nothing else is of importance!" He beamed at them as if everything was alright with the world.

Ralph frowned. "Is Kalos rebelling as well?" he asked. "Are they fighting against the Shadow Force?" Suspicious gnawed at his mind. Were there other regions out there that had started their revolutions as well? With the Shadow Force having cut off all national connections, he couldn't be sure. Perhaps Meeko would know.

Meeko tipped his head to one side. "We Kalosians are dignified characters, you might recall. We don't like battles! Of course we're not fighting, if only in the most figurative sense." He giggled for no apparent reason and twitched his silky ears.

Ralph had no idea what Meeko was talking about, and exchanged an uneasy glance with Lumiere. They were both positively sure that the Kalos region had done something to or for the Shadow Force. Why else would two Kalosians―Meeko and Snowflake―be in Unova? Of course, he knew Snowflake was here for research…

"Oops, sorry!" a chiming voice sang, and Meeko yelped and crashed into the ground. A smiling Froslass stood in his place as the Furret rolled around in pain, muttering, "Attack points: 80… Defensive force: 70… ugghhh…" He mumbled around some more, his tail waving in the air.

"Oh, my apologies." The Froslass helped Meeko up. "It's just… well, it's been a very long time since I've seen a Kalosian with such a lovely accent, yes?"

"That didn't mean you could knock me over, ma'am!" Meeko squeaked furiously.

The Froslass returned his reply with a smile plastered onto her face. "I thought Darkrai made a law that banned the travelling between regions, yes?"

"Not to ze Department of Education and ze Catalpa League of Academics and Colleges!" Meeko replied, rubbing his nose. "Professors like myself have long since earned the ability to travel about and spread our teachings!"

"I see…" the Froslass narrowed her eyes, then smiled. "My sincerest apologies from the cockles of my heart, my young friend. My name is Juno. I suppose I'll be seeing you around…" She gave them all a mysterious smile, then floated off.

"Not very gentil, is she?" Meeko grumbled. "Takes ze feathers off my arrows!"

"That Froslass certainly has been quite a… problem." A Smeargle walked up to them, flicking his green-trimmed tail. "Unfortunately, she's a director of a new museum in Anville Town, and came here to study our arts. I suppose she'll be hanging around in my museum for quite a long time. She's been wanting to buy my collection of arts. Quite annoying." The Smeargle was dressed in a rich brown coat with gold lining which Ralph suspected was genuine. His buttons looked like they were made out of amethyst and everything about him was very regal. "To be honest, I hate having her in my museum as much as the next Pokemon. Maybe even more."

"Your museum?" Lumiere blinked, then nearly fell to the ground. "You must be Arthur Sebastians, the director of the Museum of Arts! It's a great honor to meet you!"

"And the same greetings to you, Head Cleric of the Nuvema Chapel," Arthur replied. "You are one of the original Revolutionists as well, so I suppose this young Lucario is the leader of the Revolutionists, Ralph?"

"Yes, sir." Ralph was surprised by the Smeargle's quick deductions. "I am."

"Ah, then I suppose you would have quite negative feelings against me, a supporter of the Shadow Force," Arthur said calmly. "Alas! It is something I cannot help."

"Hold on, you're a supporter for the Shadow Force?" Ralph demanded. This richly dressed Pokemon was a supporter? For the Shadow Force? "I thought Nacrene City was remaining neutral!"

"As a whole, yes," Arthur agreed. "But individually, we have our own ideas."

"How would you support them?" Ralph asked skeptically. "Don't tell me you're a fighter."

"He supports zem with 'is wealth!" Meeko chirped up. "But as every Pokemon has mixed feelings and opinions about ze Shadow Force, I would advise you to not be biased, Ralph ze Lucario!"

Ralph frowned. "But they just bombed Castelia City," he pointed out. "You support them for that?"

Arthur winced notably. "Ah… perhaps. Castelia City was rebelling. I feel that Darkrai's actions were correct because the Castelians should know that they're the center of our finances and such. How many Pokemon will lose their jobs just because of a simple rebellion?"

"None as of now," Lumiere muttered. "Because they're all dead."

"Shots fired!" Meeko beamed, then wandered off to inspect the golden statue of the acorn.

Arthur sighed. "This is a war after all, my friends. Who knows which is the right or wrong side? Think about it this way, young Ralph―you have destroyed hundreds of innocent lives!"

"And so have they," Lumiere returned. "Plus, they just blew up Straiton, Castelia, and the Skyarrow Bridge. Not to mention they bombed Nuvema a while back, too. Seems quite nefarious to me, Director Sebastians."

Arthur shrugged. "Perhaps I'll change my opinions," he mused, then glanced at a jewel-encrusted watch glowing on his wrist. "I have an appointment with another director soon. I will take my leave now. Take care, you two!" He turned and ambled off.

"What a pleasant guy," Ralph grumbled. "The entire Castelia City plus Skyarrow Bridge got blown up, and he says that we're the evil ones?"

"He didn't quite say that, though," Lumiere remarked. "I can only hope we'll be able to convince him otherwise during our stay here."

Ralph glanced at the paintings and works of art around him. Suddenly, they didn't seem as marvelous as they'd been before. "I'm out of here," he grumbled. "Let's go find Rachiel and Xeno."

---

At the Museum of Ancient Unovian History…

"And 'ere, you have ze Relic Crown, recently found and imported back by Ayra ze Lapras." Snowflake narrated as she led Rachiel and Xeno past a glass case imprisoning an ancient-looking crown that looked like it was made out of stone. "It is made out of a very rare silver material, but is now tarnished beyond repair of magic."

"That'd look good on you," Xeno teased Rachiel.

Rachiel snorted. "Pretty sure something that heavy's going to crush my head."

"And 'ere we have the Trident of 'Ydromancing," Snowflake went on. "A long time ago, a magical sea orb with ze ability to control ze tides was installed in its 'ilt. Unfortunately, ze sea orb 'as not been found yet."

Rachiel whistled approvingly. "Now that's a look cooler."

Snowflake smiled, then dipped her head towards a shimmering, magical dome-like structure protecting a glass case containing a lumpy, insignificant purple thing with holes bumping out of it and a long, pinkish-red tube protruding from one tip. "Zat is ze most heavily protected object in ze entire museum. Back during ze god Arceus' Second Awakening, zis flute was a weapon of mass destruction fallen into the wrong paws. Now it is a reminder of ze wars zat raged and ze life zat were sacrificed for greed. Some say it 'as ze power to summon and control Lord Arceus… but nobody 'as been foolish or curious enough to want to prove it."

"Smart," Rachiel approved.

"Looks like a Wiki Berry." Xeno snorted, staring at the arcane shield glowing around the glass case. "But that's some serious magical protection thing you guys have going on over there. As much as I hate magic, I have to admit I'm impressed."

Snowflake nodded, then gestured at another glass case, just as heavily protected. "And zat is ze Time Flute, rumored to be able to summon the Traveler of Time, Celebi."

"Why would anyone want to summon Celebi?" Rachiel asked, looking confused. "I mean, summoning Arceus with all his god powers is relevant, but Celebi is… well, useless. It's probably just going to fly off through time again once you summon it."

"Agreed." Snowflake smiled. "But we keep it within an arcane shield anyways. So far, no Pokemon 'as attempted to steal either. 'Owever, we did 'ave an invisible zief try to steal z… that." She pointed at a tall glass case containing a magnificent-looking scepter. "Zat is ze scepter of our first Supreme Leader, Lord Kalie ze Gallade."

Xeno's eyes widened as she studied the scepter. It was about five feet long and made of a shimmering white material that was much paler and brighter than silver. Two leaves―a Silver Leaf and a Gold Leaf―were curled around the top of the scepter, from which a scarlet, crescent-shaped projection levitated a glowing Comet Shard. The rest of the staff was decorated with minuscule emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and other rare jewels in strange yet somehow beautiful patterns. The base of the scepter enlarged into a diamond-shaped part of itself and contained a Star Piece.

"It 'as been z… the object of many thievery attempts," Snowflake continued. "Most recently, an invisible z… thief attempted to place 'is… his filthy paws on it. Zis used to belong in ze… the Museum of Arts, under z… ugh. I mean, under the ownership of Mister Arthur Sebastians. It was moved here after the invisible thief's attempt to steal it."

Xeno and Rachiel exchanged a worried glance. "An invisible thief?" Rachiel asked.

Snowflake gave them a rapid nod. "Apparently, zis invisibility talent seems to be completely authentic, without any artificial or magical addition to it. Quite rare, zis ability is. It 'as also kept 'im completely undetectable by heat-sensing radar of any sort. We still do not know which Pokemon he is nor what gender… so we are marking 'im as a male for now."

"I… see." Rachiel paused, then glanced at the massive jeweled clock that hung suspended on the far wall of the room. "The meeting's commencing soon. I guess we should probably go find Ralph," she told Xeno.

Xeno nodded. "Those musty relics are giving me vertigo, anyways."

Snowflake smiled. "Zen may I accompany ze two of you? Zere is zirty more minutes at ze very least… and zere are some great vendors here in Nacrene City."

Xeno bobbed her head. "If you pay, that is."

"Xeno!" Rachiel snapped. "Not nice!"

"I will pay, if only to apologize for my rudeness during our last meeting in which I turned you away," Snowflake said gently. "Let us go, zen."

"Sure!" Xeno bounded off after her, and Rachiel followed with a reluctant sigh.

---

In the Nacrene Town Square…

"I can't believe it!" Meeko squealed as he bounded out of the museum. "You're starting a revolution?! Merveilleux!"

"Would you like to join us?" Ralph offered. "With your archery skills and all… I think you'd be useful."

"Ah… no." Meeko smiled. "I try to stay out of ze fighting. It's nice to know zere are justified beings out zere, no?"

"There you are!" The three jerked their heads up as a Herdier marched over, wearing an indigo cape. "I didn't believe Arthur when he said the Head Cleric was in town, but it's true!" She ran over towards them, then bowed before Lumiere. "Good morning, sir! I'm Lia, a detective working around here. How do you do?"

"Good so far," Lumiere replied, looking greatly amused. "But please, call me Lumiere. This is Ralph, and that's Meeko."

"Hi!" Meeko interjected.

Lia nodded at Meeko. "Of course, Professor Chason," she said. "I've seen your archery skills. They're quite advanced."

"Of course!" Meeko said cheerfully. "Thank you for the compliment."

"Your Unovian has improved as well," Lia observed. "You're saying less 'zere'and 'zank you's now. And you can pronounce the "h" sound now. Wonderful!"

"Thank you for your compliment," Meeko replied graciously. "What brings you here?"

Lia glanced at Lumiere. "I'd like to bring Lumiere around to show off our fair city." She gestured at the bustling town. "We did some remodeling after your last visit. I'd like to show you around, if you may."

"Of course," Lumiere replied. "I'd like to see more of this splendid city."

"Why so formal?" Ralph whispered.

"That's how they talk here," Lumiere returned. "Nacrene City has her own dialect. But don't worry, most of the locals won't get mad if you speak normally."

"But formal is the normal here!"

"Exactly! Good luck!"

"Hey, guys!" another shout sounded, and Ralph looked up to see Rachiel and Xeno jogging over, Snowflake behind them. "There you guys are!" Rachiel stopped just short of Ralph and Lumiere.

"Who's the goofy-looking squirrel and who's the Herdier?" Xeno asked. She was carrying a huge bag with steaming Poke Puffs right out of the oven. Rachiel was sneaking bites of the delicious pastry as Xeno seized up the newcomers. "Okay, that's a really goofy-looking squirrel."

"First of all," Meeko said indignantly. "I'm a ferret, not squirrel! Secondly―"

"This is Meeko," Ralph introduced the now murderous-looking ferret. "And that's Detective Lia."

"Pleased to meet you," Lia added, shaking out her dark blue cape.

"A detective?" Rachiel frowned. "You guys didn't get in trouble, right?" She pulled another Poke Puff from Xeno's bag. "Oh, chocolate flavored. Yum."

"Of course not," Lumiere responded. "She just wanted to show us around." He eyed the Poke Puffs. "And what are those?"

Rachiel shrugged. "If you say so." She took a bite of her chocolate Poke Puff. "Those are Poke Puffs. Xeno made Snowflake buy a whole bunch."

"I did not, you helped, too!" Xeno complained.

"Shut up, Mushroom Cap. Stop hogging the bag!"

"Greetings again, Snowflake." Lumiere turned to the Glaceon. "Do you know Detective Lia?"

"Nice meeting you all again," Snowflake added. "And yes, I do know Detective Lia. Long time no see… Nice job on zat last case."

Lia smiled. "Why thank―"

"Parlez-vous kalosais?" Meeko bursted out. [You speak Kalosian?]

"Oui," Snowflake replied, smiling. [Yes.]

"C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer!" Meeko said excitedly. [Nice to meet you!] "Je m'appelle Professeur Chason! Vous pouvez m'appeler Meeko!" He reached out a paw expectantly. [My name is Professor Chason! You can call me Meeko!]

"Bonjour, Meeko. Je m'appele Snowflake." [Hello, Meeko. My name is Snowflake.] Snowflake accepted the Furret's paw and they made a friendly pawshake while the others stared at the two.

"What're they talking about?" Xeno hissed. "I didn't take Kalosian in college!"

"You got as far as college?" Rachiel asked.

"I think they're introducing each other," Lumiere returned. "But my Kalosian isn't that good either."

"You're the smart guy, and you don't know Kalosian?"

"At least I know some, which would be more than you'll ever know!"

"Get wrecked," Ralph told Xeno.

"Okay, I'm going to finish the rest of those Poke Puffs if you don't want them, Xeno," Rachiel said. "I'd hate to be unfair, but I'm ready to eat this all without the rest of you."

"Hey!" Xeno complained, and the two continued arguing as Meeko and Snowflake went on with their friendly foreign conversation.

"Il est bon de trouver une autre Kalosaise ici après une si longue période," [It's nice to meet another Kalosian after such a long time.] Meeko said happily, fluffing up his tail.

Snowflake nodded. "En effet, c'est." [Indeed.]

"Pourquoi êtes-vous ici?" Meeko asked, looking puzzled. [Why are you here?]

"Je pourrais vous poser la même," Snowflake responded coolly. [I could ask the same.]

"Je suis ici pour en savoir plus sur tir à l'arc. Et vous?" [I'm here to work on my archery. And you?]

"Je suppose que vous pourriez dire que je suis ici pour regarder." [I guess you can say I'm here to watch.] Snowflake said in an amused tone.

"Regarder?" Meeko narrowed his sharp eyes. [Watch?] "La Révolution?" [The Revolution?]

"Oui." [Yes.]

"Avez-vous participé à la Révolution kalosais?" [Did you participate in the Kalosian Revolution?]

"Je suppose que vous pouvez dire que je―" [I guess you can say I―] Snowflake started to say, but was interrupted by Ralph.

"Hold on a second, you two," Ralph said, looking from Snowflake to Meeko. "I have no idea how to speak Kalosian, but did you just say Kalosian Revolution?"

"He said la Révolution kalosais," Rachiel said. "Is that the same thing?"

"What's a la?" Xeno wondered.

"Saint Artikodin, idiot! Tu leur as dit tout!" Snowflake hissed. [Holy Articuno, you fool! You told them everything!] "La première loi que nous avons fait était pour aucune Kalosais dire aux autres au sujet de notre Révolution!" [The first rule we made was for no Kalosian to tell others about our Revolution!]

"Comment est-ce ma faute?" Meeko complained. [How is that my fault?]

"Rapidement, faire quelque chose à ce sujet!" [Quick, do something about it!]

"Ainsi, tu l'as fait participer à la―" [So you did participate in the―]

"Ça ne fait rien. Résoudre ce problème!" Snowflake growled softly. [That does not matter. Fix this!]

Meeko turned to Ralph. "We were talking about 'ow it'd be great if Kalos 'ad a Revolution," he explained.

"Exactly," Snowflake agreed. "It's a pity our people despise fighting as zey do and let zose filzy Shadow Force tyrants just take over."

Lumiere didn't seemed satisfied, but he looked ready to drop the topic. "Alright, then."

"Would you guys like to come check out the Nacrene Jail?" Lia asked.

Rachiel blinked. "Is that a threat or an―"

"It's an invitation," Lia said quickly. "I also need Snowflake," she added, turning towards the Glaceon. "I need your help with the thief that was caught some time ago."

"The invisible thief?" Xeno asked.

"Yes," Lia agreed. "It's been giving us headaches. I was wondering if Snowflake could produce his image by using your 3-D tablet and technology to help?"

"I will see what I can do," Snowflake promised.

"Let's go, then!" Xeno cheered. "We've got no time to spare! To the jail!"

"That sounds so wrong, but okay," Rachiel replied. "Can we buy more Poke Puffs on the way?"

"Okay, first of all―you're the general with all the money. I'm just a lieutenant forced to build stuff whenever a town gets torn down, and―"

"Hel-lo, do I look like I'm getting any salary here?"

"Even so, you're still richer than me!"

And the two continued to squabble as Lia led the way, Lumiere noticed that Snowflake had pulled Meeko aside.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked them.

Snowflake nodded. "Yes, but I'd like to talk to Meeko first."

Lumiere's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"We're wondering what it'll take to get Kalos to join the war," Meeko added helpfully. "With Kalos on your side, you're bound to win!"

Lumiere nodded, but he wasn't exactly convinced. "Don't take long, or you'll be left behind," he warned.

"We won't," Meeko replied.

The two Kalosians waited until Lumiere's silhouette had disappeared into the crowd.

Meeko glanced at Snowflake. "Alors… pourquoi parlons-nous encore une fois?" [So… why are we talking again?]

"Pour que tu ne vas pas jouer stupide et dire au reste du monde que notre Kalos est débarrassée." Snowflake rolled her eyes. [So you're not going to play stupid and tell the rest of the world that our Kalos is freed.]

Meeko shook his head. "Je ne le ferai pas cela, bien sûr, mais pourquoi es-tu…" [I won't do that, of course, but why are you...] Realization suddenly passed over his face and he stopped chattering.

Snowflake frowned. What had he discovered? Surely not who she really was…

Meeko stared straight at Snowflake, with a sort of awe on his face. "Je te connais. N'es-tu l'un d'eux?"

[I know you. You're one of them, aren't you?]

---

Nacrene Jail…

"And here is the invisible thief." Lia announced with a grand gesture, her cape flying about in a smooth circle as she showed off the wondrous majesty of an arcane barrier swirling magnificently around the enclosure, glowing with multicolored light and runes invoking bond and seal. Bright bursts of light flickered softly as tendrils of mana curled around the small, glowing cell. Everyone held their breath as a metal door covering a wall of the transparent cell lifted slowly up… showing off the beauty of a completely empty cell.

"Um, are you sure he's in there?" Rachiel asked suspiciously. "If this is a prank…"

"Detectives do not prank," Lia replied solemnly. She was flanked by two other Herdiers as she narrowed her eyes at the cage. "This is the invisible spy. Oh, he may think he'll be away to slip away invisibly, but I won't have it! I will find out who you are and what you want, and that will be the end of your career!" She directed her words at the cell.

No reply. The cell stayed empty and devoid.

Lia scowled in disgust.

"What can you tell me about zis zief?" Snowflake asked. "Perhaps I can be more of use if I knew what I was looking at… or what I'm not looking at."

"The thief is invisible," Lia explained, tapping on a wall near the cell. Several monitors appeared, their screens a variety of different colors and codes. "It's also impossible for us to sense him by using heat sensors. That's why we're using a life aura sensor to detect and track him." She pointed at one of the monitors, which was showing a silvery mist that looked vaguely like a blob sulking in a corner of the cell.

"'Ave you tried attacking 'im or forcing 'im to return attacks?" Snowflake asked.

Lia nodded. "We've tried everything. He just won't reveal his form. We got him to use Shadow Ball, but that was all. And that doesn't even help that much―almost everybody can use Shadow Ball. It's like a universal move."

"True," Snowflake admitted, then frowned at the barrier, lost in thought.

"Do you like acorns?" Over by the corner where the thief supposedly was, Meeko was whispering. "I have acorns. Do you want some? I 'ave poffins too!"

"Sir Meeko, please step away from the arcane barrier and the thief," one of the Herdiers flanking Lia spoke sternly.

"What? But I zink he's hungry…"

"He hasn't eaten since he was captured," Lia informed him. "Of course he's hungry. We give him food, but he seems suspicious of it."

"Well, we did put knockout drugs in them," one officer ventured. "And the drugs that cancel out one's natural talent momentarily."

"Silence!" Lia hissed.

"Did you make this barrier soundproof?" Lumiere asked, studying the swirling patterns on the barrier.

"Of course." Lia sniffed. "But there's an air vent in there that's not."

"Well, at least you're not starving him of his oxygen," Ralph said. "Assuming he needs oxygen."

"How does this barrier even work?" Rachiel asked, tapping the arcane barrier, which felt like a smooth, warm rock under her paws. Her paws slipped off of it, due to the barrier having near to zero friction.

"Nobody can get in or out," Lily supplied. "Any allies he had would never be able to break into the prison, and there were guards guarding him 24/7, preventing the slightest hint of escape. Also, the cell suppresses its inhabitant's powers, making it impossible for the thief to use more powerful attacks." She glanced at the barrier, her eyes confident.

"So you used a mixture of your special Nacrene bond, bind, seal, block, and cancel out runes, right?" Snowflake asked.

"And some trigger runes as well," Lia said. "But yes, those were the runes we used."

"And you 'ave mages casting zis spell at all times, correct?" Snowflake inquired.

"Of course. We're not like your normal sloppy police," Lia replied. "We're very efficient."

"I see…" Snowflake frowned. "Be careful you stay zat way," she warned. "I just may be able to solve this puzzle. I need perhaps a bit more time, however." Her sharp eyes narrowed as she walked around the arcane barrier.

"Uh, guys," Ralph suddenly called out. "I'd, um, hate to tell you guys this, but we've got to get to the City Hall soon. The meeting will be starting in ten minutes. We should probably start off for it."

"True," Lumiere agreed.

"I'll see you later, then?" Lia asked. "I hope you all plan to stay in our fair city for a while."

"Zis place is quite magnificent," Snowflake agreed, still transfixed on the cell. "I believe I will go back to my lab and figure out a way to find out just who zis spy is," she said thoughtfully. "I'll be taking my leave shortly. I must asked Lia a few more questions first, though."

"That's fine," Lia said. "What about you, Professor Chason?"

"I'll go buy some poffins!" Meeko cheered. "I zink they're on sale this week, aren't they?!"

"Get some for us, too," Rachiel teased. "Xeno is begging you."

"Hey!"

"That's fine!" Meeko agreed. "See you laters!"

And the Revolutionists left the Nacrene Prison beyond, ready to meet the mayor.

---

At the City Hall…

"Good afternoon, respective ladies." Mayor Aronel nodded regally at Rachiel and Xeno, "And gentlemons. May I invite you into the meeting room for some tea and crumpets?"

The four Revolutionists stood in front of the towering Nacrene Town Hall, with Mayor Aronel himself on the porch and three attendants fanned out behind him. Lumiere looked impressed with the splendid remodeling that had been done to the Town Hall, while Xeno, Rachiel, and Ralph were simply speechless.

The Town Hall itself looked old fashioned, yet somehow modern. Its structure was made out of old bricks that'd probably once been red but were now more of a pale pink. Vines curled from planters, and metal spirals decorated the doors and windows of the building. The railings were painted white, like any old-fashioned building, yet here and there arcane runes sparkled along the building. Ralph caught more than one brick that glowed with arcane magic.

Mayor Aronel led them into the meeting room, which had been lavishly decorated with heavy silk carpets and drapes. A round, polished teak table was set off to the side with cushioned seats for sitting, and a TV was arranged on the far wall from the table. A small counter was set up on one side, piled high with silverware that contained tiny, beautifully shaped pastries. A Ralts came over, carrying dainty cups of tea for them to use.

As the tea was set down, Aronel motioned for the Revolutionists to sit, then sat down himself.

"Act very formal," Lumiere whispered quietly to Ralph. "They won't start off with the topic of an alliance first, so do your best to answer and reply to every comment they have.

"That goes for you two, too," he added with a glare at Rachiel and Xeno.

Xeno hailed him and eyed the treats on the table.

Aronel sipped his tea delicately. His attendants did the same. Ralph and the Revolutionists copied their movement.

"Lovely weather, isn't it?" a Zebstrika commented casually. "Beautiful day."

"Indeed." Lumiere caught on smoothly. "The Weather Trio must have smiled down on us today."

"It's a perfect day for berry picking," Xeno added. "I remember that Pecha and Oran Berries grow like freakin―I mean, grow well in this weather."

"It'd be nice to harvest berries under the shade of the forest," Aronel said wistfully. "Alas, these days have made it hard."

"Indeed." Ralph caught on. "With all this strife and war, there's barely any time for relaxation."

"Exactly," a Gallade commented.

The third attendant―a Quilava―spoke up."I find it disheartening to see that such an advanced culture we Unovians have created has started to once again slip into the Dark Ages."

Silence wrapped momentarily around the table of Pokemon.

"Let us start by introducing ourselves," Aronel said formally. "I am Mayor Aronel Aloe, mayor of the fair Nacrene City."

"I am Researcher Stryker, Head of the Energia, the research facility that studies the flow and ebb of energy," the Zebstrika introduced himself.

"I am Rapier," the Gallade said, dipping his head slightly. "Master of the sword, Head of the Physics Facility in Nacrene City."

"I am Plume," the Quilava spoke in a clear, calm voice, dipping her head as she spoke. "I am the Director of Arcane Security, and is responsible for the magic barrier that protects our fair city."

"I'm Ralph," Ralph said. "I'm the leader of the Revolutionists, and the general of the First Regiment."

"I am Lumiere Cherison," Lumiere announced. "Head Cleric of the Nuvema Chapel, head medic for the Revolutionists."

"I'm Rachiel," Rachiel said. "General of the Second Regiment."

"And I'm Xeno, her lieutenant," Xeno pronounced.

Aronel nodded. "And what is your case?"

"What?" Xeno muttered. Luckily, Lumiere saved them.

"We come to your fair city, hoping for an alliance," Lumiere said. "Our numbers have been depleted numerously, with the lost of Castelia City." He bowed his head, as if lost in grief. "We cannot continue without your assistance."

"Indeed you cannot," Aronel agreed. "Which means this war weights on our choice."

"What are your proposals?" Plume asked quietly.

Lumiere glanced at Ralph, who shrugged.

"Let us hear what you suggest first," Lumiere returned promptly.

"What are your plans?" Plume countered.

"We're planning to ally ourselves with Nimbasa City, which you've already done," Lumiere said. "Together, we will take down the Shadow Force generals who reside over the remains of the once-grand Castelia City. We will banish them from our lands, then take the battle to the Northern Kingdom. Once we have defeated the Northern Kingdom, Darkrai will not be able resist us anymore. We will drive him out of Unova, and then our land will truly be freed."

"Interesting case," Aronel said. "I deem it the best interest of Nacrene City to join this war. But there are conditions." He glanced sharply at Ralph.

"I'll listen," Ralph offered.

"First of all, the citizens will not join your army unless they wish to," Aronel said. "You cannot take away their rights, even in war. You will not have the right to draft or order us around. We will supply you with what we can, teach you what we deem safe, but we will not be under your orders, or anybody else's orders. Is that clear?"

The Revolutionists glanced at each other. Rachiel leaned over to talk to Ralph.

"It might not be good," she warned. "A lot of Pokemon are going to die, including or excluding us. If we can't draft soldiers when needed…"

"We haven't started drafting yet," Xeno pointed out. "We've managed to do well enough without it."

"But we might need it in the future," Rachiel said.

"But what's the point of forcing soldiers who don't want to fight, to fight?" Lumiere asked. "Even if we do desperately need soldiers, at least we need ones who want to fight, not the ones who are forced to fight. We can't be cruel."

"Well, but when the time comes―" Rachiel started arguing.

"If the time comes," Xeno corrected. "Which it won't. Besides, the Nimbasa Revolutionists are joining us, we're getting more recruits every day, and who knows how many more Pokemon will join us from today on? Let's not get too cocky here."

"Fine." Rachiel slouched back into her seat.

Ralph faced Aronel. "We've taken that into consideration," he said. "And by the honor of our forefathers and ancestors and by my own honor, I will keep to your proposal."

"Touché," Rachiel murmured.

Aronel actually smiled. "Very well, then. Let us be―"

SLAM!

The polished oak doors flew open with a ringing sound as a Tynamo rushed in at full speed, the air whooshing past his tiny body as he furiously twitched his tail, gasping for breath.

Aronel stood. "What is this?" he demanded angrily.

The Tynamo gulped and gasped. "A murder!" he panted, almost wailing. "Arthur Sebastians is dead!"

---

Moments later…

"It has to be them, Mayor! Who else would want to kill him?!" Lia screeched at Aronel. The group was now standing on the porch of the City Hall, surrounded by curious Pokemon, whom the Nacrene Police were shooing back.

"What are your deductions?" Aronel asked calmly.

Lia glared accusingly at the Revolutionists. "They knew Arthur was supporting the Shadow Force! And they killed him to prevent him from doing so!" she spat out.

"We were in a meeting with the mayor when this happened," Lumiere pointed out. "I don't see how this is possible."

"He was only murdered recently," Lia snarled. "You must've done it before the meeting!"

"We came straight to the City Hall," Xeno said. "How would we have found the time to? None of us can teleport or use magic, except Lumiere."

"Then he did it!" Lia turned furiously on Lumiere. "To think that such a greatly respected Pokemon―"

"Lia," Aronel said sternly. "False accusations will get you nowhere. There is no evidence. And I do not believe Lumiere could've done this. He is the Head Cleric of the Nuvema Chapel, who has forsworn the unjust murdering of Pokemon, including assassination like this case. Think carefully about this, and do not taint the reputation of our fair city."

"They are still suspicious," Plume said quietly. "We cannot overlook that."

"What about cameras?" Ralph demanded. "We were in public all day! None of us even know where Arthur lives!"

"All the cameras have been sabotaged," Lia growled. "Magically."

Plume frowned. "Impossible. The amount of magic taken to wipe out our surveillance…"

"Go check the security," Aronel ordered, "and strengthen the arcane barriers once more. We cannot have the murderer escaping."

Plume dipped her head. "Understood," she said, and raced off.

"I will check the energy pulses in the city," Stryker said. "Perhaps it was the Energia, which helps with the security, that had been meddled with."

Aronel nodded. "Go."

The Zebstrika charged away.

"You are all still suspects," Lia declared. "Surely, mayor, do you not see my logic? Even a simple-minded―"

"Do not accuse me of that," Aronel said sharply. "But yes, I do see your logic." He turned to the Revolutionists, almost apologetically. "I'm afraid that, for the safety of the Nacrene citizens, I must put at least two of you in holding cells until we uncover this case."

"Oh, that's fine," Xeno said quickly. "Take Rachiel and Ralph!"

Rachiel blinked. "Wait, wha―" She was cut off as the Herdiers beside Lia barked a spell. A magical bubble encased her and Ralph, and the two went unconscious inside the tiny magical cell.

"Xeno," Lumiere said. "What did you do that for?"

"What?" Xeno demanded. "They're tough. They can take some prison time."

Lia scowled. "I'd like to put you all in jail, but―"

"I can help with the case." Lumiere interrupted. "Let me help."

"Good idea," Aronel said. "I know Lumiere Cherison. He is not a good liar. We would've been able to hear the falseness in his words if he had wanted to betray us. I hear none. We can trust him. The Breloom… I am not so sure."

"I won't do anything suspicious," Xeno promised. "You can do a soul scan spell on me."

"The spell can sometimes be warped," Lia snapped. "Don't think we're stupid, suspect."

"Lia," Aronel warned.

Lia sighed. "Fine," she growled. "Then come with me to the scene." With a whirl and a flick of her tail, she stalked off, her officers flanking her.

Xeno glanced at Lumiere. "It's all on you. Lightbulb Head."

Lumiere sighed.

---

On the way to the scene…

Lia led them up a long road. "I wish to pick up Researcher Snowflake first," she announced. "She'll be able to help." She pointed her nose at a glittering white research lab standing proud and tall a few paces before them. "Stay here and don't do anything… suspicious," she barked. Her officers flanked Lumiere and Xeno closer.

Lia went in, then reappeared with Meeko and Snowflake, both of whom looked confused and surprised at seeing Lumiere and Xeno surrounded by the police.

"What 'appened?" Snowflake asked, shock in her gaze, as they approached Lumiere and Xeno. "What are zey being arrested for?"

"Murder," Lia growled. "We're going over to check the scene, and I want your help."

Snowflake nodded.

"Oooh, I just love detective stuff!" Meeko squealed. "Zis is going to be so fun!"

Lia frowned. "Professor Chason…"

"He may be childish," Snowflake said. "But 'e… he is smart. You may trust him…" She glanced at him in a way that said, "No, not really."

"Are you guys okay?" Meeko asked, scampering up to Lumiere and Xeno. "Those dogs didn't bother you?" He wrapped his fluffy tail around himself and glanced at the Herdiers lined up beside Xeno and Lumiere. "Goodness me, they take security very seriously 'ere."

"Let's go," Snowflake said.

Aronel's mansion was a huge, five-story building with pale pink walls decorated with gold and silver floral designs. Lia left her officers at the front step, taking with her only a Fletchinder who appeared to be her partner-in-investigation.

"This is Starstrike," Lia said briefly, nodding at the Fletchinder. "He's my partner. A good detective."

"A pleasure to meet you," Starstrike said. "Let's hope you're ready."

"Same to you," Lumiere returned gallantly.

They walked up four set of spiraling staircases that looked more like structures of art than something one would trust their weight on, and followed Lia down a long hall taped off with yellow tape. Officers were here and there, patrolling the place. Three Stoutlands stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of a massive door inlaid with gold. Lia barked and order, and the three of them sidestepped to let her, Starstrike, Lumiere, Xeno, and the two Kalosians through.

The scene was terrifically horrible. A Smeargle laid stretched out in front of them, doused in chokingly thick red blood that spread out is a pool around his body. dots of blood splatters decorated the white floor rug. To the left of the room, a glass table with a pot of tea and two teacups stood, sandwiched between two beige couches. The air felt slightly frigid, as if even the warmth in the room had fled from the devastating scene. The Smeargle's blank eyes watched them accusingly.

For a second, everyone was silent as the Stoutlands closed the massive doors behind Lia.

Then Meeko started laughing.

"He's covered in ketchup!" he cheered, and started dancing.

---

Moments later…

"Let me arrest him, Snowflake!" Lia screeched as Meeko cowered away from her. "He's a suspect!"

"Don't touch ze innocent," Snowflake said sternly, holding her back. "Let us know the situation first."

Lia scowled but stepped back. "Arthur Sebastians, director of the Museum of Arts, was found murdered by a concerned friend, who has been deemed innocent, when he failed to arrive at a restaurant for afternoon tea. His estimated time of death, done by checking the rigor mortis, is about twelve o'clock." She narrowed her eyes. "Which was, if I remember correctly, you rebels left for the City Hall."

"Do not be accusing zem," Snowflake said calmly. She walked around the corpse, while Xeno shuddered at the sight. "Mmmm… 'ave you checked ze corpse yet? We can find out a lot more z… through autopsy."

"Not yet," Lia admitted.

"Zen let us do that now," Snowflake said. "Do you 'ave a body bag?"

After the body was packed up, Lia decided to go with Snowflake to check out the corpse.

"Starstrike, stay with them and investigate this place," Lia said. "We can keep in touch using magic. Do not let anyone else in unless I say so," she warned.

The Fletchinder nodded. "Understood."

After the Herdier and Glaceon left, Starstrike turned to them.

"Try not to touch anything," he said. "Let's get to the bottom of this."

"First: how was he murdered?" Lumiere wondered, looking at the pool of blood. "Slashed to death?"

"Pokemon skin don't tear that easily," Starstrike said. "Especially not a Smeargle's. They have six layers of skin, plus fur, while the rest of us usually have three… unless you're a ghost type. I'd say it'd be a pretty savage blow if it made him bleed like this. Also, I'm sure Arthur would've put up some type of resistance."

Xeno shuddered at the pool of blood and cringed. "Who would've wanted to kill him?"

"That… I don't know," Starstrike said. "But he doesn't have any enemies in our fair city that I know of."

"Can't you use magic to find out what happened?" Xeno asked.

Lumiere shook his head. "The solution to everything is not always magic. Magic has its own limits: it can't show us when or how the victim died when it comes to a crime scene, and what you're talking about is a memory spell, which only works if the victim is unconscious, not dead. However, memory spells aren't always accurate since memories can always be remembered wrong or altered… just like the rigor mortis." He frowned at the pool of blood as if trying to remember something. Starstrike took a look at the teacups, then at the teapot.

"What's a rigor mortis?" Xeno whispered to Meeko.

Meeko blinked. "You don't know? In Notiqua, 'rigor' means stiffness and 'mortis' means death. After a Pokemon dies, some other chemical reactions occur and stuff, followed by all the muscles stiffening. All ze muscles stiffen. No exception. In the first two to six hours the rigor mortis affects the face muscles and ze neck, like ze eyelids and one's features. Spreads to the rest of ze body after the next four to six hours, including the innards. It's commonly used to predict ze time of death."

Xeno shuddered. "Just great."

Lumiere frowned next to her. "Excuse me, Detective Starstrike," he said to the detective, who had pulled out a magic tablet and was analyzing the tea in the teapot and cups. "What temperature was the victim's body when you first found him?"

"We aren't allowed to touch the corpse directly," Starstrike informed. "Except with gloves. I didn't touch the body, but Lia did. I can do a call-and-confirm for you if you'd like."

"Please do," Lumiere said, his eyes fixed on the blood.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Xeno murmured. "I'd almost rather do prison time with Rachie and Ralph. Even fighting a war sounds better than this. At least you don't think so much about the dead."

"Ketchup!" Meeko cheered.

Starstrike drew a rectangle in the air using what looked like magic chalk. The rectangle flared gold, and a fuzzy screen appeared.

"Calling Detective Lia Amor at the Crime & Investigation Research Labi," Starstrike intoned. The screen flared blue, and a Glaceon's face appeared.

"Wha―" Starstrike started.

"Detective Lia is inside ze lab with ze body," Snowflake said apologetically. "It's magically protected, so your message didn't go zrough. I can try to answer your questions, zough."

"Yes, please," Starstrike said. "Can you ask Lia what temperature the body was when it was first found? I'm sure she took notes on that."

Snowflake nodded, her image powdery and fuzzy. "Zat, I will do. Please wait." Her face disappeared. A moment later, she reappeared, looking grim. "Ze body was cold, as in about twenty degrees Fahrenheit. Ze blood on him was warmer, around fifty degrees Fahrenheit."

"Interesting," Starstrike murmured. "Thanks, Snowflake. Keep in touch for a bit." He turned to Lumiere and repeated the information.

"Why would the blood be warmer than the body?" Lumiere mused.

"Maybe he kept on bleeding even after he died, and his body cooled faster than his blood?" Xeno suggested.

"Ze blood controls 'is body temperature," Meeko argued. "Or at least, most of it. Zat is just not done!"

"Agreed," Snowflake said from the screen. "Something is out of normal 'ere."

"What about his wounds?" Lumiere asked.

Snowflake shrugged. "After his body was cleaned of blood we found z… three of 'is major blood veins cut. 'E also 'ad a long cut on 'is z… throat. 'is cause of death is determined to be ze loss of blood."

"Thank you," Lumiere said. "That'll be good for now."

"Very well." The screen flickered off, and Lumiere examined the blood splatters.

"Yucky," Meeko muttered.

"Yes," Xeno agreed. "And it's not helping with you saying stuff about mustard. Nobody care about your mustard."

Meeko fluffed up his fur indignantly. "Okay, first of all, it was ketchup―"

"Both of you, stop," Lumiere commanded. "Look at the blood splatters. What do they look like to you?"

"Blood splatters," Xeno said.

"Ketchup!" Meeko cheered.

"No, what shape?"

Starstrike's eyes widened momentarily. "Spherical. Which means―"

"Yes." Lumiere agreed.

"What?" Xeno looked back and forth between the two. "Uh, what did I miss?"

Lumiere cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

"Oh, not another lecture," Xeno groaned.

"Lecture!" Meeko clapped his velvety paws. "Yay!"

"Look at the blood." Lumiere gestured at the scarlet liquid below him. "It's mostly in a pool, indicating that Arthur had been in one place while he was bleeding. The blood splatters around him were also round and spherical, or O-shaped, indicating that the blood splatters had been created by a passive force, A.K.A. low force, because if the blood splatters had been I-shaped, they would've been caused by a medium-force, and if they had been tiny and less than 2 mm in width, it would've been called a high-force impact splatter. The fact that the blood splatter is perfectly round meant that it had fallen from a ninety-degree angle." He pointed at a large red dot. "See?"

"You lost me at the first look," Xeno said.

"You lost me at blood splatter," Meeko said.

"Go on," Starstrike urged. "I think I'm getting the idea."

"I'm also unable to find a blood transfer, which is when the blood first comes into direct contact with a surface, which would point to how Arthur had been attacked. Also notice how there's only blood here, and not anywhere else. When I saw the body at first, notice how his paws weren't stiff or clenched. All of this shows that Arthur had put up no resistance while he was being killed and while he was bleeding. He probably wasn't even standing while he was bleeding, or slashed while upright, for that matter, because the blood splatters would've been different," Lumiere concluded, "which means…"

"Arthur was either put to sleep or drugged before his death and slashed after, then left to bleed to death," Starstrike said. "But that's strange. How would that have happened? I scanned the tea. There's no poison in it."

"Perhaps he was injected then," Lumiere speculated.

"Ask Snowflake how the autopsy is going," Xeno suggested.

Starstrike nodded and took out his magic chalk again. In a few moments, Snowflake appeared on the screen again.

"What is it?" she asked.

"How's the autopsy going?" Starstrike asked. "Is there any trace of poison in the blood?"

Snowflake shook her head. "No. Zere is no poison. But Detective Lia says zat she is almost done with ze autopsy. She will 'ave ze details out soon. She wants to know who visited Arthur zis morning, before 'is death."

"He said he was going to meet another museum director," Xeno remembered, while Starstrike went over to talk to the Stoutland guards outside. "Right?"

"Which museum director?" Starstrike wondered.

Xeno shrugged.

"Look at the blood," Lumiere said thoughtfully.

Xeno groaned. "Please no more blood."

"Ketchup!" Meeko said.

"This part." Lumiere pointed at a place where the blood had spilt onto the wooden floor beside the rug. "Doesn't the blood look… clearer to you?"

"Clear, not clear, blood is blood," Xeno grumbled, then frowned. "Wow, you're right, though. It looks like… water with red dye over here."

"The wooden floor couldn't absorb the blood like the fur rug did." Lumiere determined. "This is another clue."

"Bloody clues," Xeno muttered.

"Why would there be water here?" Lumiere mused.

"What if someone just spilled water here?" Xeno asked. "Can't you detectives just take things lightly?"

"We are delivering justice for the dead," Lumiere said grandly.

"Yes," Snowflake said from the magic screen.

"Great. Now Lamp Head thinks he's a detective," Xeno grumbled. "Things could be worse."

"Ketchup!" Meeko added.

"Okay, little squirrel. Take your mustard and get out of my face." Xeno growled.

Meeko huffed. "First of all, I'm a ferret. Zere is a fine difference between a ferret and a squirrel. Secondly, it's ketchup. There's also a clear color difference between red and yellow!"

"Take your mustard and get out of here anyways."

"It's ketchup!"

"What do you deduce from this?" Starstrike asked Lumiere.

"The same as you," Lumeire returned. "He had condensation on him or something ice-water related on him that might've been the cause of his lost consciousness. It can't be tea or any other type of drink because the blood color would've been different."

"You?" Starstrike inquired of Snowflake.

The Glaceon nodded thoughtfully. "To 'ave diluted ze blood in such a way and carry ze victim's body to ze rug before killing 'im seems to indicate ze fact zat the murderer wanted to 'ide ze fact zat water or ice was used in zis assassination."

Xeno blinked. "Can somebody speak normally."

"He was attacked by either a water or ice type move," Meeko explained. "Which knocked him out."

"Thank you," Xeno grumbled. "Smartypants and their smarty grandiloquences."

"Grandi-what?" Meeko asked. "I hate Unovian!"

"I dunno, kid. Mayor Aronel called us grandiloquences last time we met," Xeno replied. "Otherwise, I wouldn't even know that word."

"Reports say that a Froslass was seen entering and leaving this compound at eleven-thirty," Starstrike reported. "She was the only Pokemon seen by the neighbors, and they were having a barbecue party in the front yard next door. The neighbors also heard no screams or anything, and they said the Froslass left quickly. The meeting was only about half an hour."

"Do you think it was Juno?" Xeno wondered.

Starstrike gaped at her. "Juno? She's here?"

"Do you know her?" Lumiere asked.

Starstrike nodded. "Juno's been wanting to buy Arthur's art collection for a long time." His eyes hardened. "I'm not a good guesser, but it has to be her!"

"Agreed," Snowflake said. "I shall report your findings to ze detective. I shall return shortly." She disappeared from the screen.

Starstrike tapped on the wooden door, and a Stoutland opened it. "Yes?"

"Arrest Juno the Froslass," Starstrike ordered.

"Understood."

The others waited in silence.

Xeno sighed. An entire war was going on out there, and here she was, the Mushroom Head, stuck in a bloody murder mystery hot spot, while trying to get just one alliance with the nerdy citizens of Nacrene City as a crazy squirrel (read: ferret) ran about the room dancing and singing, "Ketchup!"

"We have a war," Xeno grumbled. "And here we are, stuck in a murder case. Not to be rude, but isn't there more important things out there to do?"

"You were the one who got Ralph and Rachiel jailed," Lumiere reminded her. "Besides, the case seems almost over."

"Usually it takes less time," Starstrike admitted. "The detectives here are fast workers, and we're usually able to solve the case by checking the energy flows and surveillance cameras."

"No wonder Nacrene City has the least crime rate," Lumiere commented.

The screen flickered and buzzed, and everybody looked Snowflake's way as she appeared.

"Detective Lia 'as solved ze case," she announced. "Please come over to ze Crime & Investigation Research and listen to what she 'as to say."

"Finally!" Xeno burst out. "Let's go!"

Lumiere nodded. "Let's," he agreed. "Because I have a sneaking suspicion of who exactly the murderer is."

---

At the Crime & Investigation Research Lab…

"Is everyone here?" Lia asked, looking quite cold from her time in the lab. Juno, who'd been brought in by the police and was looking quite annoyed, stood between two huge Infernapes, and Plume was standing behind her. Ralph, Rachiel, Lumiere, Xeno, and Meeko, along with Starstrike, were the only other audiences here.

"Where's Snowflake?" Lumiere wondered.

Lia tipped her head towards the research lab. "She's helping me write the report for the corpse," she said slowly, as if still dazed from the last few hours.

Ralph felt dazed as well, and being inside that magic bubble hadn't helped. He felt as if he had been trapped in gelatin, watching everything in slow motion while his stomach churned and his physical body floated about aimlessly. He swallowed back bile, determined to not puke like Rachiel did. The Houndoom had managed to set several trees on fire when she threw up. He had no desire to vomit after seeing that.

"Everybody's here," Starstrike confirmed.

Lia nodded, then turned to Ralph and bowed deeply. "My apologies for arresting you in such a rude manner," she said in a soft voice. "You and your friend Rachiel are not the murderers." Then she stood straight and glared at Juno. "But you, Miss Juno of Anville Town…"

"I didn't do anything," Juno growled.

Lia ignored her. "Juno the Froslass. I, Detective Lia, arrest you on the charge of murdering the Art Director Arthur Sebastians." She nodded at Plume, who murmured a spell. A red sphere encased Juno. The Froslass lunged at the barrier, only to return to the center with burned paws.

"Evidence!" Juno cried. "I want evidence!"

"You want evidence?" Lia sounded almost cruelly amused. "I shall tell you the full story, then." The Herdier turned to face her audience, and began her story.

"Juno, as we all citizens of Nacrene know, has long been envious of Director Arthur's extensive art collection," Lia began. "The first clue to deciding she was the murderer was the fact that she was the only Pokemon seen to enter and exit Director Arthur's mansion."

"How?!" Juno shouted.

Lia glared at her. "We all know you can use magic, you witch," she said mercilessly. "But did you honestly think that you could take out all of our surveillance systems? It's true that most of the cameras around the prisons, museums, and central Nacrene are still out, but we collected images from the undamaged cameras―which were, unfortunately for you―the ones in the very area Arthur Sebastians resided in."

"What are you talking about?" Juno screamed in pure rage.

Lia ignored her. "Secondly, you are an Ice type. Lumiere, Xeno, Starstrike, and Meeko all know that Arthur had been assaulted by an Ice or Water type attack. And you are quite suitable in that position with your ice powers."

"Since when were you a detective?" Rachiel asked Xeno.

"Ever since the squirrel started sprouting mustard quotes," Xeno replied.

"Hey!" Meeko complained.

"I didn't kill him!" Juno cried.

"What are your deductions?" Lumiere asked Lia.

"The story goes like this," Lia continued. "Juno arranged a meeting with Arthur at eleven o'clock this morning, to 'talk' about her own museum in Anville Town. She is also the one who sent the invisible thief to steal Kalie's Scepter, since she was unable to buy it from Arthur. We all know the two had a big fight over it last year. Those of us who were in Nacrene City do!

"During the meeting, Juno first tried to talk Arthur into exchanging, trading, and finally selling pieces from his art collection. Arthur, of course, had said no. He is not one to part with his precious art. Then Juno, furious, had froze Arthur to death. Worried that the ice might not completely melt before it was gone, and the melted water from the ice might give her away, Juno took Arthur over to the fur rug, and to disguise his death-by-ice, had slashed Arthur in various place. Then realizing that he needed Arthur to be covered in blood in order to make it look like a convincing attack, she gathered the blood up in a bucket made out of ice and poured it over him slowly, causing the O-shaped blood splatters. Then she disposed of the bucket, which still had some blood on it, and tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately, Nacrene City had shut down all exits and entrances before she was able to get out."

"Lies!" Juno snarled.

"You didn't have to kill Arthur to get what you wanted," Lia sneered. "Now you'll spend the next a hundred and twenty years inside a cell."

"I didn't do it!" Juno shouted. "It was the rebels! They are the cause of this! They knew that Arthur supported us! I would never kill another supporter!"

"Us," Lia noted. "Meaning the Shadow Force, I presumed."

Juno looked at her speechlessly, then realized her cover had been blown. Her mouth fell open in shock and she stammered inaudibly.

"You worked for the Shadow Force?" Ralph asked. "You're an art director!"

Juno made a crackling sound that might've been laughter. "You were suppose to die!" she snarled at Ralph, who could feel her field of cold even through the sphere of fire. "My mission was to kill you!"

"But instead, you killed Arthur," Lia summed up. "I suppose it was because he refused to keep on sponsoring the Shadow Force. It was supposed to be a meeting to secure your alliance with him, and you wanted him to help you trap and kill the rebels, didn't you? But he'd refused, and in your anger, you killed him."

"Sucker," Xeno said.

"Ketchup!" Meeko added.

"I didn't!" Juno growled. "But his death means nothing!" she declared. "We have many more supporting sponsors. We don't need him!"

"What use are your words?" Lia asked. "You're going to jail."

Juno grinned nefariously. "Who said a little fire sphere can stop me?" she growled.

"Watch out!" Plume shouted.

A deafening shriek raked across the area, and tongues of frosty snow flew out everywhere. For a second, everybody was blinded by the dazzling white frost. When they recovered, they realized that they were trapped under at least a foot of snow.

"I hate snow!" Xeno complained as Rachiel blew fire to melt the ice.

"I hate melting snow," Rachiel muttered.

"Step back!" Plume ordered, and used Lava Plume. The blistering hot smoke drifted across the area, melting all the ice. Then the Quilava turned to her Infernape officers. "Go get her!"

"Let's go!" Ralph shouted, shaking the water off of his body. "Anybody hurt?" he called out as the squad of Pokemon raced in random directions.

"Head for the border!" Lia yelled, while Starstrike flapped his wings and took flight.

"There's a trail of frigid air!" Plume called. "Follow it!"

Sure enough, there was a tingling scent of frost in certain parts of the air. Ralph followed his nose as he ran.

"Oh, no," Plume realized. "She's headed for the―"

BOOOM!

A wall of snow flew backwards, enveloping half the buildings around central Nacrene.

"The casters for the barrier!" Plume yelled. "No! She's weakened the border! She'll be able to get out now!"

"Prison break!" Starstrike shrieked as alarms started blaring from a gray building across central Nacrene. The squad of Pokemon dashed towards it, Lia in the lead, as officers ran about in a panic.

"Keep your calm!" Plume ordered. "Magma! Flare! Come with me!" With the two Infernapes at her side, she whirled around and darted back to the snow-covered sections of the city.

After a good couple minutes of clearing things out, Starstrike flew over.

"The invisible spy!" the Fletchinder panted. "He's gone! Juno must've freed him!"

"Get to the border!" Lia shrieked hysterically.

"We've secured the perimeter of the city!" Plume called, racing back over. She had headphones and a microphone on, and a walkie-talkie was clipped to a cord around her. The announcer was blaring, "… warning: a Froslass on the loose… invisible thief… prison break… Shadow Force guilty of…"

Another alarm blared from the Museum of Relics, and Plume cursed as she listened to her headphones. "Kalie's Scepter, along with the Time and Azure Flutes, have been stolen!" she cried.

"Those Shadow Force scumbags!" Starstrike cursed. "We should've never stayed neutral!"

Lia started running towards the Museum of Relics, but Plume grabbed her.

"She's been seen nearing the border!" Plume warned. "Quick!"

Ralph dug his paws into the dirt and shot forward, following the desperate agents as they raced for the border. They arrived just in time to see a spectacular burst of pink arcane magic, and a humongous tsunami of pure snow.

Rachiel's jaw dropped down. "Holy Arceus. No way anyone can―"

She was cut off (literally) as a house-full of snow was shoveled into her mouth. She fell backwards, crashing into Meeko, who yelped and screamed, "No ketchup!" as the Houndoom fell on him, knocking them both into the ground.

And Juno the Froslass made her escape… as did the invisible thief.

---

At the Nacrene City Hall…

"We're terribly sorry for everything we put you through today," Rapier the Gallade apologized. "I assure you… that wasn't the plan."

Ralph nodded, exhausted. After helping the Nacrene citizens rush the ones who'd been wounded by Juno's ice to the hospital and helped clean up the town, the Revolutionists had been invited back into Mayor Aronel's presence. Lia had gone off to deliver her reports, while Plume, Stryker, and Rapier had wearily returned to their posts beside Aronel to continue the meeting.

After signing several contracts, Mayor Aronel had bid them an endless friendship and said good-bye to them before rushing off to help his city recuperate. Now only Rapier remained, thanking and apologizing to them for the day.

"It's fine," Lumiere said. "I just wish we could've caught Juno, though."

"We will be searching for her with magic," Rapier said. "Justice may be slow, but it is unstoppable. Also, we will be helping you contact the other regions and hopefully severe the Shadow Force's connections between each outpost and base."

Ralph nodded numbly. "Thanks for everything," he said, bowing a bit.

"Especially the part where you threw us into the magic bubble," Rachiel added sarcastically. "That was epic. I've always wanted to be trapped inside a magic bubble and have my senses taken from me before puking. Great job."

Rapier winced. "That was not our intention, Miss Rachiel… and we truly apologize for all the unjust things we've done to you today."

"Whatever," Rachiel snorted.

"Good luck on the battlefield," Rapier added. "Our recruits should be arriving at your encampment in Striaton City to sign up. Thank you, and good day." Then he too, turned away and walked off.

"Rich nerds," Rachiel muttered.

"Not nice," Xeno chided.

"Ketchup," Meeko said cheerfully.

"So where are you going after this, Meeko?" Lumiere asked. Ever since the entire Juno incident, he'd been rather quiet and deep in thought. "Would you like to come with us?"

"Snowflake and I are returning to Kalos," Meeko replied happily. "We're hoping to… er… start a revolution zere. It'll be fun!"

Ralph grinned, amused. "We'll see. Thanks for everything, Meeko."

"I hope you find mustard," Xeno added.

Meeko huffed. "And ketchup to you, Mushroom Cap."

Xeno blinked. "How did you―"

"I taught him some nicknames," Rachiel said. "Turns out―he's a fast learner."

"Bye-bye, Lamp Head!" Meeko cheered. "And the brother of Waffles! And you too, Rachiel! Bye!"

"The next time somebody calls me that," Lumiere grumbled. "I'm going to go steal a jet and bomb them."

"Whoa, Lumiere," Xeno said. "No need to get violent there now."

Lumiere sighed, "Just a few things off track…" His voice trailed off as another figure approached them.

Lia walked over briskly. "Hello, friends," she greeted them. "I heard you were going back to Striaton City. I'd like to accompany you there, if only to make up for my wrongs against you."

"Aw, that's fine," Xeno said. "We'd love to have you."

"Yeah, I just love being called a suspect," Rachiel grumbled.

"Sorry about that." Lia dipped her head. "May I escort you?"

"Just as well," Lumiere said, nodding. "I have some I want to discuss with you."

Lia nodded. "I'll answer your questions gladly, Lumiere Cherison."

"You surname is Cherison?" Rachiel asked.

"Not a single word from you," Lumiere grumbled.

"Is it like, cherish on together, or is it cherry son, or―"

"Not another word!"

"Fine, your medical grumpiness," Rachiel mumbled. "Let's go."

And they left Nacrene City.

---

On the road…

After walking in silence for quite a while (because everybody was exhausted), Lumiere suggested that they took a break.

"It's only about five o'clock," he said. "I think it'll be okay to rest for a bit."

Ralph did better than that. He dragged himself under the shade of a tree off the road, and collapsed. Rachiel and Xeno followed suit, while Lia stood by with a blank expression as they rested.

"So Lia," Lumiere turned to the Herdier. "May we talk?"

"Of course," Lia returned. "Anytime."

Ralph frowned. Lumiere had a rather businesslike look in his eyes, and they were also filled with suspicion.

"Lumiere," Ralph said. "Is everything okay?"

"It will be," the Head Cleric said mysteriously. "First of all…" He stared at Lia. "Why did you kill Arthur Sebastians?"

"She did what?" Rachiel blurted out after a moment of shock silence. "But the murderer was Juno! She's a Shadow Force member!"

Lumiere shook his head and told them the real story.

"Lia had used a special ice poison that couldn't be detected easily," Lumiere explained as the others edged away from Lia, who stood smiling subtly on the side. "I've made a short study about it while I was in Nuvema Town. It's a very rare kind of poison, and completely undetectable after a mere half-hour after the use, since it's sort of like poisoned water and spreads by infecting a cell in the body and eventually making its way to the heart. She poisoned Arthur directly after Juno's visit," Lumiere stopped to glare at Lia. "Didn't you?"

"Please, continue," Lia said lightly. "This is a most interesting story."

"You wanted to frame Juno for murder, in order to get her out of the city, or for something else," Lumiere accused. "You'd performed a messy job with the blood to make it all look like someone inexperienced with murder, like Juno, would do. That's why you were so anxious to remove the corpse, using autopsy as a cover. You didn't want the other detectives to figure out something was off about the body."

"She was the one who got the idea to move the body?" Xeno frowned. "Wasn't it―"

"But I'd examined the body before it was taken away," Lumiere continued. "You may recall that I have a remarkable memory, and am able to remember all the details on the body before it was removed. I saw the claw marks on him by using my magic on him as well. The claw slashes don't match. Therefore, I figured out that Juno couldn't have possibly done it when everybody started accusing her. But I decided to bide my time so I could learn more."

"I agree that a Froslass couldn't have done damage like that." Lia chuckled. "But what makes you think it was me?"

Lumiere ignored her laugh. "You probably used an Ice-type attack and purposely diluted the blood with water to make it all point to Juno. The melted ice and the frozen status of the body… you did it all to frame Juno!"

"And?" Lia asked in a different voice. "What do you think about it?" She looked like she wanted to laugh. "Why didn't you speak up when I was presenting my case?"

Lumiere hesitated. "I meant to expose you after you made your deductions, but I stopped when I found out that Juno was from the Shadow Force and meant to assassinate Ralph. That was unexpected."

"So that's why you looked so confused at the deduction scene," Xeno recalled, then frowned. "But how is Lia the murderer? She was with the police at all times!"

"That's true," Rachiel admitted. "She couldn't have done it. She had no reason to, either!"

"Lia didn't," Lumiere agreed, then stepped closer to Lia, who wore a somewhat amused expression on her face. "It was all a hoax, wasn't it? A trick to get the legendary artifacts from the Museum of Relics. Isn't that right, Lia? Or should I say…" Lumiere's eyes narrowed sharply. "… Snowflake?"

"Snowflake?" Rachiel and Xeno said together, in shock. Ralph was speechless as he stared at the Herdier laughing in front of him. He was pretty sure Snowflake was a Glaceon, not a Herdier.

"Oh, child," the Herdier said, laughing now. "How admirable." She curled her lips, showing her sharp fangs. Then the Herdier in front of Ralph's unbelieving eyes started to melt, like a wax shell crumbling to nothing. The thick blue fur dissolved into water, as did the brown and beige coat. The face of the Herdier peel off like a mask and crumbled into fresh chunks of snow.

"Très bien," said the Glaceon standing in front of them, in a perfect imitation of Lia's voice. "Bravo, Sir Lumiere. You are the first to have seen through my disguise." She gave him an amused smile. "I've worked on my Kalosian and Unovian differences for quite a long time, so yes, I can speak perfect Unovian if I wish,"―she laughed at Rachiel and Xeno―"which means I didn't exactly appreciate 'aving to endure your taunting." She smiled. "Excellent work, Head Cleric. Now please tell me how you found out."

Lumiere was still staring in shock at Snowflake's melting disguise, but he regained his composure quickly. "First, you may have mastered Unovian and imitated Lia perfectly, but you didn't mimic her dialect as well as you thought. I can tell by the way you phrased your words that you weren't Lia. At first, I was fooled like the rest of the Pokemon you tricked. Then I started getting suspicious." He narrowed his eyes. "First of all―why wouldn't Lia return Starstrike's magical messages? She'd promised him to keep in touch. I wasn't sure how you did it, but I knew you'd somehow taken out Lia and replaced yourself as her. Why else weren't you there when 'Lia' was doing her 'deductions'?"

Snowflake laughed. "Interesting… I suppose simply looking like another Pokemon won't quite do ze trick."

Ralph regained his bearings. "You murdered an innocent Pokemon," he accused, "and we nearly got sent to jail!"

"I got you all out of prison all ze same, did I not?" Snowflake asked. "To be 'onest, I was only interested in framing Juno."

Lumiere frowned. "Why?"

Snowflake sat down and wrapped her tail neatly over her paws. There was something different about the researcher. Something… off about her. It was as if they were looking at the evil version of Snowflake… yet she was the true version of herself…

"I'll start my version of the story, if you don't mind," Snowflake said. "But we'll 'ave to back up a few years. I'd earned a good reputation for being a great researcher after my family's death,"―she paused a bit there―"which was caused by Darkrai. So naturally, I would 'ave a good reason to 'old a grudge against 'im. I was determined to personally see to ze deaths of every one of 'is secret agents… especially ze one who tricked my family to their deaths…"―she narrowed her eyes―"which would be Juno, I believe. I hadn't meant for her to get away, but it's much better zat she did." She smiled cruelly. "I will enjoy hunting 'er down and tearing her apart. Perhaps I'll freeze 'er so she'll last longer. I 'aven't decided."

"Freaky lady," Xeno muttered.

"I'll only tell you zis story," Snowflake continued. "Since I'm sure you all 'ave questions about my… other intentions.

"First of all, you should know zat Arthur Sebastians isn't as 'innocent' as you zought him to be. He and Juno got together zis morning and plotted Mayor Aronel's death, planning to frame you rebels for it." She paused, and smiled at the Revolutionists' shocked looks. "Believe my story or refuse to. I do not care. It is ze truth."

"Why?" Lumiere asked. "Arthur didn't seem like…"

"Ze most innocent beings 'ave the cruelest minds," Snowflake said. "A couple years ago, Arthur's father died in a terrorist attack. 'E 'ad died to protect Aronel, who 'ad been targeted during ze ambush. Ze terrorists were subdued and arrested, of course, but zat wasn't enough for Arthur. 'E believed zat Aronel was somehow indirectly connected with 'is father's death, which 'e was. 'E never forgave Aronel for being zere at zat time and place, which 'ad led to ze death of 'is father.

"Zerefore, when Juno proposed zat zey assassinate Mayor Aronel, Arthur was quite eager to 'elp. I… 'appened to be around during zat meeting, and decided to take it upon myself to kill zem both before zey could commit such crimes." Snowflake turned to them. "Zat's why I wanted you all to be placed in 'olding cells. I wanted to keep you all out of zis so you'd stay safe from 'er."

"But that wasn't you when Lia said that," Lumeire said. "You impersonated her when you guys went to the autopsy lab, didn't you?"

Snowflake chuckled. "Indeed. you can say Lia's mind was twisted. Zat's the only reason Lia would suggest zat. But enough about zat."

Xeno coughed. "Uh… the Kalosian accent is kinda ruining the story. Can you, like, speak perfect Unovian?"

"For you, my child." Snowflake laughed, then continued. "Like Lumiere had said, I poisoned Arthur with that ice poison by injecting it." Her fur suddenly spiked up ever so subtly. "I'm sure you've all heard of how Glaceons are able to freeze their fur into icy quills, right? That's exactly what I did. The thinnest strand of fur I have has a diameter of less than one millimeter. I simply pricked that fool and finished him off that way. Thin my fur may be, it still retained the hardness of diamonds, so I was able to easily pierce his thick skin. I froze him with my ice since I wanted to frame Juno for the act, then melted it quickly. I have some power over my ice, so that wasn't a hard task for me. The rest of my actions… well, the Chandelure over there has explained how I did it to frame Juno, and he is ever so correct." She smiled gruesomely at the shocked Revolutionists.

Rachiel glanced at Ralph. "Do we kill her?"

"Would you killed someone who literally just protected you?" Snowflake sneered. "You rebels are all the same. Unforgiving. No wonder Unova is in such a dump."

"What did you say?" Ralph growled. "Do you want to die?"

"I'm in. Let's get rid of her," Xeno grunted.

"Hold up," Lumiere commanded before they pounced. "I have one more question."

"Ask away," Snowflake replied, smiling maliciously.

"How did you get into Arthur's house without being seen?" Lumiere asked. "Plume was pretty clear about the cameras seeing only Juno, and she's also a magic weaver. You couldn't have twisted her mind so easily."

"Indeed I could not have. And I didn't." Snowflake smiled venomously. "Do you remember the verdict of the legendaries?" she asked.

Lumiere frowned. "The one where the legendaries aren't allowed to kill mortals unless provoked?"

"Yes," Snowflake agreed. "Yet my family was killed by Darkrai 'imself."

Lumiere stared at him in horror. "If he'd broken the rule, the rest of the legendaries would've woken up to punish him!"

"He didn't break ze rule," Snowflake replied. "Because zere was another exception to ze rule―ze blessed ones."

"The blessed ones?"

Snowflake turned to look at Lumiere. "Legendaries occasionally bless certain Pokemon and zeir bloodline, granting zem special powers. Remember your friend Marucs? 'E was a dream-blood―a blessing from Cressalia."

"That's why he went on that quest! I remember now!" Ralph exclaimed.

Snowflake nodded.

"Are you a dream-blood too?" Lumiere asked.

Snowflake shook her head in amusement. "Of course not. The dream-bloods were gifted with wings. We call zem the Winged Eevees, or the Knights of Sweet Dreams. My gift, however, was a blessing from Mew. My family was also a line of Eevees, and we were often played by the other Pokemon who used our talents for zeir evils. Beside the ability to shape-shift elementally, we could also pass our talents to each other with our wills. It enabled Flareons to become resistant to water, Vaporeons to electricity, and so on."

"Shape-shift elementally?" Ralph asked, feeling his blood turn to ice as he remembered a conversation he'd had with Charlez not long ago. "You mean you're an elemental shape-shifter?"

"Or infamously known as ze special assassins, yes," Snowflake agreed. "You know us well, Ralph." She smiled cruelly. "I have the ability to turn into ice, or control it to disguise myself, as you've seen earlier. But the only reason I escaped ze slaughtering of my family was because my mother―a Vaporeon―passed her ability to become water and water vapor on to me so I would survive." She paused. "So in a way, I have control over all forms of water―solid… liquid… gas―to infiltrate Arthur's house, I simply became water vapor and snuck in to listen to their plans."

"Your cover will be blown when Lia wakes up," Lumiere warned. "She'll remember."

"Oh, she won't," Snowflake replied easily. "Do you know of ze memory spell?"

"I don't sense any magical aura on you," Lumiere said. "There's no way you could've performed that."

Snowflake chuckled. "Who said I did the memory spell, or twisted Lia's mind?"

"What's your purpose?" Rachiel interrupted roughly. "What was the point? I don't believe you would go through all the trouble just to help us."

"True," Snowflake agreed. "My job was to distract. Nacrene city's very touchy about zeir little artifacts, aren't zey? All I had to do was to let my companions know how ze barriers were maintained, and have them sabotaged while I held your attention."

"Lunis!" Xeno realized. "He must've been the invisible thief… you're one of the rogues!"

"How rude." Snowflake wrinkled her nose. "We're no more rogues zan you or that Chandelure are."

"I get it," Lumiere said. "Lunis let himself be captured to stay within the boundaries of Nacrene City, since it takes a great deal of energy to stay within the city by using magic when the arcane barriers are up. The barriers instinctively send non-citizens or Pokemon without special, temporary citizenship like Snowflake out. That's why he let himself be captured."

"I never said I was in cahoots with 'im, or knew he was the thief," Snowflake said loftily.

"But the way you speak indicates that you know him," Lumiere deducted. "Yet… as far as I know, Lunis doesn't have the magical capability to do the memory spell either. How did you do it?"

"Who said zere were only ze two of us?" Snowflake remarked icily. "Ze world's certainly small with you shallow-minded Pokemon. Trying zinking bigger… if you can." The wind suddenly rose around her, and the air turned frigid. "'Ave fun, little rebels." Her form started shivering, as if her entire body had become an illusion. The sunlight ricochet off her body in multicolored fragments, making her look crystalline.

"Stop her!" Rachiel blew fire, but Snowflake had turned into powdery snow and easily whisked away from the attack. She stopped next to Ralph for only one moment, just so he could hear her clear, crisp voice taunting him.

"And by ze way, Ralph." Snowflake laughed, her voice as cold as splintering ice. "I killed your parents."

Then she was gone.

---

Back at Striaton City…

The entire council was silent after Ralph finished his story of the day.

Of course, he hadn't told them everything. Lumiere had insisted that the part about Snowflake and the rogues being caught in the mess should be avoided. Ralph hadn't understood by Lumiere wanted to keep that a secret, but since Lumiere was smart and probably knew more about the world than him, he decided to listen to him.

But he was still shaking.

Snowflake had tossed that last line out so casually, as if killing his parents had been as normal as eating a piece of cake. Like the murder of his family and the cause of all his self-judgment and depression was nothing.

He still couldn't believe that one of the special assassins, especially the one who had killed his parents, was still alive. It was unacceptable. It wasn't fair.

She probably didn't mean it that harshly, Lumiere had told him. There's more to the words that she said. Remember how she told us her entire family had been killed by Darkrai himself? I think she wanted to let you know by whose paw your parents died. You deserve to know, don't you?

I could've lived without it, Ralph thought. He felt a flame of revenge inside his body, and he felt like telling the entire world, Hey, guys! That Researcher Snowflake? Yeah! She's a shape shifter and assassin!

"So you guys almost got framed as murderers?" Mark gaped. "That is so―"

"Lovely, isn't it?" Charnette offered. "Well, at least that's one little Shadow Force toy down and another on the run. Oh, I just can't wait to find that Froslass and dig her heart out with a dull pin! Won't that be fun?"

"Very," Amethyst agreed.

"You guys think murder is cool?" Jason yelped. "It's not funny! It's not waffle-friendly! It's not―"

"Boring!" Charnette said enthusiastically. "I know, right? Isn't it just epic?"

"Thank you, Miss Murder Mistress," Rachiel grumbled. "Next week, we hopefully form an alliance with Nimbasa City. Then we can really whip Doomsday's butt."

"Plasma mentioned that two other generals are coming," Charlez remembered as she dished out snacks to everyone. "We shouldn't be over-cautious."

"Oh, we will be. And we'll die because of it!" Charnette cheered.

"Charnette," Xeno said. "How high are you?"

"Lower than the lava pits of hell, Fungi Maid," Charnette purred.

"Hell." Amethyst grinned. "Nice and warm. My kind of place."

"Our kind of place," Charnette agreed.

"Those two are crazy," Xeno muttered. "Fungi Maid?"

"You are the Mushroom Pokemon," Rachiel reminded her. "And reminder: Those two have never been sane."

"How come I don't remember them being so insane?"

"Oh, darling," Charnette purred. "That's because we've discovered a whole new level of insanity."

"Okay, now I'm scared." Xeno edged away. Charnette and Amethyst giggled.

Ron came racing in. "The Third Regiment can start learning how to use the Mudkip Tanks!"

Mark sighed. "Yes, yes," he said, sounding quite annoyed. "That's literally the seven hundredth time you've told me today."

"Just so you know!"

"Well." Lumiere looked around. "Let's just wrap this up. We officially have an alliance with Nacrene City. The battle is in about a month. Let's do this!"

Vindictus fluttered in the doorway. "Potion brewing stand," he said.

May bolted from her seat. "I forgot I was doing that! Did it―"

A tiny popping sound came from the outside.

"Explosion," Vindictus said thoughtfully. "Heat blast radius fifty―"

"Waaa!" May teleported.

"Also," Vindictus said. "Munchlax and Tyranitar. Here to mourn Snivy? Ingredients for healing potion: one oran berry…"

"Morfient and Trent are here?" Mark asked.

"To mourn over your lovely dead lieutenant." Charnette chuckled. "How hopelessly delightful."

"Can you shut it?" Rachiel snapped.

Charnette cackled.

"Well, that finalizes this." Charlez cleared her throat. "Let's get going!"

The others repeated her cheer and departed.

---

In a cave, far away…

"Zat memory trick was impressionnant." Snowflake laughed as she sat down in a circle where three elites, including her, were talking about their newest successful mission. "If only I 'ad a magical capability like zat!"

"Please, Icicle," the leader said in a tired voice. "I try to not use my powers to twist minds or reset memories. It doesn't feel right."

Snowflake, whose real name was Icicle, rolled her eyes. "Power is meant to be used, leader. Otherwise it doesn't deserve to exist."

"Sometimes I wish I was never born," the leader murmured.

"Well, who can want to when Icicle exists in this world?" Lunis asked.

"You got trapped inside zat prison, and I helped you learn 'ow to break out," Icicle snarled.

"And you told that Ralph that you killed his parents," Lunis retorted. "Do you honestly want them to stop trusting us? What were you thinking?!"

"Enough!" The leader stood. "The important thing is that we have the scepter."

"Plus two bonus flutes," Lunis added. "Thank me."

"She sabotaged ze arcane barriers," Icicle said. "You just went in and 'ad an easy picking."

"Well, at least the Wish Stone was hidden well enough so that even the Nacrene City citizens didn't know what they had," Lunis pointed out. "Speaking of which―can we use Jirachi's powers, after waking her up from her nap, of course, to stop this war?"

The leader stared at the Wish Stone, which she'd extracted from Kelie's Scepter moment earlier. "Jirachi is the Nymph of Wishes. Her power is limited. What you are asking is something that can only be done by Fate, for Jirachi does not control the future, nor can she stop what is already installed in the future. She grants objects, items, and some small events. But she cannot help us stop such a large-scale war. It has already reached the point of no turning back."

"Okay, so I went to jail for like, I don't even know how long, for nothing?" Lunis demanded. He pointed at his stomach. "I sacrificed more than forty hours of no food for this mission, thinking I could stop the war―"

"You looked good as a prisoner," Icicle told him, snickering.

"Trust me, Icicle. You'll become one someday," Lunis grumbled.

"This can be use to awaken Jirachi forever, although her wishes remain three per thousand years," the leader said quietly. "There is someone out there who needs her. Someone whom we need to be on our side…"

Lunis shifted impatiently. "Then what do we do now?"

The leader pushed the two flutes and the Wish Stone towards him. "Seal them in the Crystal Platform," she said. "I will strengthen the seal later."

Lunis nodded and left with the relics.

Icicle frowned. "I zought you can't see ze future."

"I can't see the future," the leader agreed. "Not the way oracles do. But… I have what you'd call an futuristic empathetic link. I can see individual's emotions. I sense one who needs Jirachi."

"We're in ze middle of a war," Icicle said. "And you're off caring about zis little imbecile?"

"Everybody…"―the leader gazed off into the distance―"needs a second chance."

"Wonderful," Icicle hissed. "My leader 'as turned into a soft kitten. Just great."

The leader rose. "Icicle," she said in a dangerous voice. "Call me what you wish. It doesn't matter, and I appreciate your concern for me. But this… I know my own powers. I know what I need to do to help shape this war."

Icicle sighed. "Well, I probably can't stop you." Her ears suddenly perked up. "Who's zere?"

Zamza slithered in, looking apologetic. "We have… visitors. They're in the waiting room."

Icicle hissed. "Wimps! And you let zem in? You're not suppose to let anyone in!"

The leader frowned slightly. "Visitors? I thought I told the guards to not let anyone into our bases."

Zamza nodded. "But those visitors are different," he said in a solemn tone. The leader's eyes widened as she read Zamza's mind.

"You're not kidding?" she gasped.

Zamza shook his head.

"Sure, just ignore ze best agent who can't read minds over 'ere. Mind telling me what's 'appening?" Icicle asked.

Zamza turned to her, his face regal and stern. "We have special visitors," he said.

"I got zat part," Icicle said impatiently. "Who?"

Zamza's eyes were crimson in the crystalline light.

"The legendaries."

---

Credits:

alpha2275: LOG representative on Fanfiction and Fanfiction Manager

Esther Hung: Chief Writer, Character Creator, Chief Editor, and Video Maker

Anisa Krieg: Chief Artist