Ch. 7 Tulip's True Colors

(Congratulations guy! I'm uploading this straight from my intro to game development class! :D I probably should be doing something productive... so I'm uploading this! Yay!)

{Rui's Point of View}

-August 18th, 2004-

I spent the rest of yesterday under my desk. The paparazzi mauled me with questions and accusations. Some of which were pokemon racist humans that called me the biggest hypocrite they've ever seen. I tried to bark back that I'm not and never will be attracted to Aura. I wanted to play the recording but quickly remembered the conversation she had with me. Did she somehow know? If so, how? Is she a brilliant strategist? What did she want from that encounter? To make me feel like shit? The hatred I received from my co-workers after the bad newspaper was enough. Now, they all pat my back and try to congratulate me on being with Aura. I fucking hate it. She literally has everyone wrapped around her thumb. Gojiro tried to get me out from under my desk but I just didn't want to. All of this has blown into my face and now I'm just going to be that hypocrite asshole who secretly nails Aura. What happened to the bad guys simply killing cops and detectives that get in their way? That's what we learned about at the academy. Does it not apply in the real world? I don't get it. The only good thing is that the chief gave me a nod. I guess that means everything is good, so my job is safe.

Then Justin came into the room and waved the Newspaper at me, "So you and Aura now, huh?"

I growled angrily, "Fuck off Justin!"

Justin mocked me, "Nothing to be ashamed of man. She's a very attractive POKEMON."

"Shut up Justin! She's just some slut!" I yelled.

"Oh, and yet you're fucking her?" Justin asked.

"I never fucked her! I never wanted to kiss her!" I yelled.

"Then what's this?" Justin asked, pointing at the picture of Aura kissing me.

I started to cry from the frustration, "She forced it! I didn't want it okay!"

Justin didn't expect me to start crying, "Whoa, now I just feel bad." He replied, leaving the room.

Gojiro came over and said, "Don't listen to him man."

I was crying into my knees, "I fucking hate this job! It's been nothing but shit ever since I met her! I thought I could do what I want but that's not the case. I'm so fucking stupid. Everything I've done has been played so brilliantly!"

Gojiro seemed sympathetic, "Rui, you can't just sit there and cry. We have to work. If we don't, we'll never get to prove Aura's guilt."

I wiped my eyes, "What does it matter? You don't believe me and everyone else wouldn't even care. She could skin me in front if everyone and they'd still defend her. It's so fucking unfair."

"If you were lying, you wouldn't be like this. Come on. I believe you know." Gojiro half smiled.

I sniffled and shook my head, "No you don't. You never have my back. You're too busy staring at Tulip and the others."

"That's behind me now. Come on. We can do this. What's the password to your computer?" Gojiro asked.

I answered him, "Sniff. Humanity8104."

"Humanity8104? Why that?" Henasked.

"It's the day I graduated. August 1st, 2004."

Gojiro accessed my computer, "Okay... huh. 8246 emails? Holy shit. They're from Aura's fan base ranging from hate to extreme hate. Hell, there are death threats in here. Well... there are some good ones too though... mostly just hate from jealous assholes who live with their mom."

I shook my head, "I wish I lived with my mom right now. Oh wait, she's fucking dead."

"Rui, stop being so miserable. You're alive and safe, aren't you?" Gojiro asked.

I sighed, "Yeah... for now. Then I'm going to get kidnapped again because breasts make the world go around..."

"How long are you going to hang that over my head?" Gojiro asked.

"Until you stop staring at titties and start helping me." I shot back.

"Fine. Fine! I'll stop! Okay! No more! I swear!" Gojiro yelled.

"Thank you! That's all I want!" I yelled back.

I shook my head angrily, getting out from under the table, "So, what are you going to do about Aura?" Gojiro asked.

I shook my head, "I don't know. If she was serious about the relationship then she'd probably try to see me. That's when she uses the relationship as the excuse. Yesterday, she asked who saved me, I have it on the recording. She knew I wasn't going to talk about it. As a back up, she probably wasted time for the paparazzi to come. She's smart..."

"Yeah but so are you. You graduated so many years ahead." Gojiro encouraged.

"What I learned is meaningless. I don't have the required skills to do this job. I'm so... worthless." I muttered.

Gojiro smacked my back hard, "That's not true. You were great at the crime scene. You actually looked around for the evidence and pointed out things others have missed. I'm not that good when it comes to crime scenes. I prefer to guess and go home; let others do it for me. You actually cared."

"I guess..." I frowned.

"Rui, you'll be a great Detective. You'll see. Come on. Let's go get something to eat." Gojiro told me.

I reluctantly agreed, "All right..."

"Tulip is here! Oh my god! Tulip is here! I love this police station!" A random police officer yelled, running through the halls.

"...It just doesn't stop... does it?" Gojiro asked.

I sighed sadly, "She'll be asking for me."

"Hey, there could be another reason why she is here." Gojiro suggested.

Tulip busted into our room, "There you are!" she yelled.

"..." I slowly turned to glare at Gojiro.

Gojiro put his hands up defensively, "Okay, I was wrong."

"...Yeah. Yeah you were." I replied.

"I hear you're Aura's new boyfriend!" Tulip giggled.

I raised a brow but bit back an angry retort, "Yeah... so what?" I asked curiously.

"I just wanted to see if I could... change your mind persay." Tulip replied, rubbing the fur on her ears.

I shot a glance at Gojiro, "You thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked.

Gojiro nodded, "I have a faint idea. I'll go get coffee."

Tulip looked at Gojiro cutely, "Could you get me one pwease? You'll be my favorite fan Goji." Tulip tried acting cute.

Gojiro smiled like an idiot, "Of course Tulip! Anything for you."

When Gojiro left the room, I asked the first question, "Why are you here? For real." I asked.

"Well... why be with a cruel, mean Gardevoir when you have... better options." Tulip winked.

This was getting interesting, "Like?"I asked calmly.

Tulip thought to herself a moment before giggling, "Well... there's me. I know a lot of tricks on and off the bed. Aura is too selfish and cold to have such a cute boy all to herself."

"Why are you doing this to her?" I asked calmly, looking aside.

Tulip gently caressed my cheek, "Do you really think a psycho like her deserves a boyfriend? I can't let her be with a nice boy like you. You deserve a kinder, softer, tighter woman."

I looked at Tulip disappointedly, "Is this what you do?"

"What do you mean?" She asked in her confusion.

"You steal your bandmates' boyfriends?" I asked.

Tulip scratched her chin, pouting, "To be fair, Medicham is a Lesbian. So... I guess the answer is a no?"

I decided to ask, "Then why do it to Aura? You stole the Gallade from her."

"She stole him from me! He was my boyfriend first! Then he had the nerve to break up with me. After that, he started dating Aura. I couldn't let her do that, so I got him to sleep with me again. Know what he said? I was better than her because I am." Tulip smirked.

"Sounds to me like you're secretly jealous of her." I replied, smirking as well.

"I am not jealous of that hoe." Tulip frowned angrily.

"Right. You just do it out of pure amusement." I replied sarcastically.

Tulip started pushing me back, "I do it because I can. I love how you act around us. So calm and defiant... until we bare our claws."

I swallowed hard, "That's only because I'm human! You have an unfair advantage!"

"True. Still. You can always just willingly be my boyfriend." Tulip suggested.

"Even if I was dating her, I would never switch to a two timing whore like you. You're a terrible friend and bandmate. You should be ashamed of yourself for what... you... did... gulp." I was back against a file cabinet.

Tulip didn't appreciate my comment, "Oh really?" Slam! "How about now?" Tulip asked.

She kneed my stomach and squeezed it against the file cabinet, "Ooh! Ow..." I groaned.

She tossed me onto the floor, throwing off her shirt, "Don't try to run away." she told me.

I was on my back, crawling away from her, "Leave me alone!" I yelled.

I grabbed my desk chair and tried to hit her with it, "Is that the best you got? I love humans. They're so easy. Plus, they usually have nice sizes. Unlike the stupid pokemon or hybrids like Gojiro." Tulip giggled darkly, crawling onto me.

"No." I replied, reaching for my gun.

My hand is punched to the floor, "Sorry. Not today."

Gojiro's voice shocked us, "I could say the same." Gojiro kicked Tulip off of me.

"Ow!" Tulip started sniffling, "Why did you do that Gojiro?"

"Cut the act. I heard and saw everything. You two timing bitch." Gojiro replied.

"Oh... looks like you're going to get in my way. How unfortunate." Tulip frowned, putting her shirt back on.

"Get out while you still can." Gojiro warned.

"Fine. I'll be around Rui. You'll see I was right one way or another." Tulip giggled, winking at me.

I pat Gojiro's back, "Thanks man. You actually had my back."

He pat mine in return, "No problem man. Now, hot cocoa?" he asked.

"Yeah." I smiled.

"Then go get it yourself." Gojiro chuckled.

"Oh ha ha. Very funny Dickweed." I retorted.

He handed me a cup, "I was only playing." He grinned.

I shook my head, "You better be." I chuckled, drinking my hot cocoa.

"Think she'll come back?" Gojiro asked.

"Definitely. She has no real reason not to. Unless Aura makes a stand." I replied.

"Then let's hope she does." Gojiro smiled before going on his computer.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"My job. Shouldn't you as well?" Gojiro asked.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah. Whatever." I replied, getting on my computer.

-2 Hours Later-

Gojiro and I went on another case. Apparently, it might be linked to whoever murdered Tomo. If I was right, a Gardevoir most likely did it. Question is, why use a gun? I only found the answer when we came across an important piece of evidence. Some was attacked in the bathroom of a night club. The owner, someone called The Sappy Guy, is going to help us.

"What kind of Night Club is it?" I asked.

"The fun kind." I gave him a weird look, "Not that kind! You just go there and dance all you want. It's free to enter but food and drink is expensive because of it. The owner is a really nice guy that cares about everyone. He opened this place to get everyone to unwind and cut loose." Gojiro explained.

"Is he a human?" I asked.

Gojiro described him, "Yeah. Male. Mid to late 20's. Short blonde hair. Ears pierced. Tanned skin. Skinny and slim. Married. Wears several gold and silver rings. Using has a blue suit and black dress shoes. Very classy."

"Noted. You been there before?" I asked.

Gojiro looked conflicted, "Well... once... On Karaoke night. Never again."

"Pfft, you probably sucked! Hahaha!" I started laughing.

"Shut up man! Singing isn't easy!" Gojiro seemed flustered.

I tilted my head nodding, "Yeah... you're right." I replied.

Gojiro stopped the car and said, "Good. We're here."

The club is basically a black cube with neon lights running around it. It spelt out FireFly as the title with five different colors. Security guards were stationed along the entrances and corners. They were all pokemon, meaning humans would never cause problems. A security guard saw us and immediately asked for id. We showed our badges and he immediately moved aside.

"Sap is in the bathroom waiting." The security guard told us.

I nodded my thanks while Gojiro said, "Make sure no one gets inside."

He nodded, "You got it officer."

Inside, the place was huge with a large stage for the DJ. All the equipment is gone, so it was empty except a table and chairs. Seating from couches with tables to small tables and chairs laid out the room. A bar rested near the entrance with the kitchen behind it. I saw a few Humans working as the chefs. There are three bathrooms located on the east, west and to the left of the entrance. One had two security guards looking inside it.

I pointed towards them, "I think we found our crime scene."

Gojiro nodded, "Good eye. Let's go."

We approached them, "Police!" I yelled.

That got their attention, "Good. You're here. Sap, we're going on break." One of the guards told him.

"Alright! Have fun. I'll handle this." A male voice replied.

The security guards left, allowing me ans Gojiro to enter. We found three dead bodies. All shot to death. Multiple bullet holes littered their body. Two were pokemon, one was human. The human was male in his mid teens. Kind of like me. Maybe a year younger. The two pokemon are both Roserades except one had blue petals. Their petals are witting but still has their color. The blood of the RoseRades is a dark green mixing with the red human blood. I think they're both female but this is the men's room. Did they come in here with the boy? I guess they wanted to give him a night to remember. Well, he got it. Look what happened.

Sappy knelt over the bodies before getting up to look at us, "Hello. Hey, aren't you the guy in the newspaper?"

I shuffled nervously, "Unfortunately."

Sappy smiled, "It's nice to meet you. I heard from my friend that you saved his friend's pet."

"You mean Scott and his Poochyena?" I asked, to which Sappy nodded, "So how is he?" I asked.

"I dunno. I think he has an Eevee now too." Sappy replied.

"That's good. Now, onto business." Gojiro reminded.

"Right. These three were found dead a few hours ago. We think it was fresh because the Roserades' petals began to wilt only recently." Sappy explained.

"Hm... I never studied pokemon biology. Only human biology." I groaned.

Gojiro looked at me before saying, "...It takes about 3 to 4 hours for a Roserade to start wilting, immediately after death. So, you're right. It was fresh. Did you guys see or hear who did it?"

"No, but we have security cameras. Let's go check them." Sappy suggested.

"Good idea." I agreed.

We left the crime scene and walked over to a black door that almost blended in with the wall. Sappy took out his keys and began looking for the right one. When he found it, he tried to unlock the door but it didn't work. He started using all of the keys but none of them worked as well.

"That's strange, someone changed the locks without my permission. Someone's getting fired when I find out who it was." Sappy said aloud.

Gojiro looked discouraged, "You can't open it?"

"No and the lock was built to withstand an attack from a Rhyperior. We'd need some heavy duty explosive." Sappy frowned.

"Damn it. What now?" Gojiro asked.

"I can get it opened." I smirked.

"You can?" Sappy asked.

Gojiro looked surprised as I asked, "You got a bobby pin?"

"No but I can get one." Sappy answered.

"Why would you need a bobby pin?" Gojiro asked as Sappy went to grab one.

"Don't be stupid. Haven't you heard of lockpicking?" I asked.

"Yeah. Sorry. I just didn't think a bobby pin would work." Gojiro replied.

I smiled, "Bobby pins can break, that's why I hate using them. Thing is, I used to have a metal lockpick. I think it was taken by the academy after I used it to break out past curfew."

Sappy came back with several Bobby pins and gave one to me. I started working on the lock, listening and feeling for the inner mechanism of the lock. It took a few pins and near stuck situations but I finally unlocked it. When I opened the door, the security room was perfectly fine. A key laid on the floor and I confirmed it as the security room key.

I started laughing, "Some dumbass changed the locks but left the key inside. How is that possible?"

"He must have slid it under the door after locking it. Now, let's see what we got on camera." Sappy replied, turning on the security computer.

Sappy began playing back last night's security feed. A lot of it was loud music and no sounds of gunshots. Once we started getting towards the 3 hour mark, I noticed something. There was a Gardevoir but... he didn't seem right. I started getting Deja vu when he kept his head down. The hair covered his face effectively as he walked around the crowd. The Teen human was being dragged by the two Roserade. They all looked happy and laughing. Once they got into the bathroom, the Gardevoir followed them. He was in there for a few minutes before leaving the bathroom. Several people tried to open the door to the bathroom but it was locked. The Gardevoir must have used psychic to lock the door. The thing is, who changed the locks and slid the key underneath? Also, why didn't Gojiro just use psychic to unlock the door?

"Hm... I don't like doing this since it's against club policy but..." Sappy pressed a button.

It showed camera feed inside the bathroom. The Roserades were kissing the teen, grabbing his shirt and pants when the Gardevoir came in. They talked but the music really muffled them out. One of the Roserades held onto the teens hand in fear. Then the Gardevoir pulled out a silenced pistol and shot them quickly. I think he used psychic to keep them in place. He fired 12 bullets, wasting the entire clip. Once he was done, they fell on top of each other dead. The Gardevoir pressed one finger to his ear and nodded. With that, he shrugged and left the club without anyone stopping him.

"Well, we found the culprit. A Gardevoir." Gojiro groaned.

I spoke up, "No... I don't think it's that simple. I keep getting the same feeling as Bisharp from him."

"Bisharp?" Gojiro asked.

"The one I told you about." I reminded.

"... ?" Gojiro had no idea.

I shook my head disappointingly, "Bisharp is a human teen that wears the skin of a Bisharp to gain its power. I believe this is a human like him, wearing the skin of a Gardevoir. I'm surprised at how willing they are to kill their own kind."

"I've heard of that. Those guys are bad news. They blend in the crowd so effectively, it's ridiculous. Sometimes they take the skin off and wander human areas looking for people to kidnap or so I've heard." Sappy told us.

"We haven't heard anything like that." Gojiro replied.

Sappy thought to himself, "Well... it does sound Farfetched."

I added, "Plus, only one human gets kidnapped a month. I don't think people can really link that to the kidnappings."

"Still, we now know it was a Gardevoir skin wearing human. Wait... the Gardevoir fingerprint could actually connect here. However, can he use trace as well or just the attacks?" Gojiro asked.

"Good question but we won't be able to answer it here. Any camera on the outside?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course." Sappy replied.

He began playing footage of the outside. The Gardevoir responsible crossed the street and went down an alleyway. Damn it. We didn't get to see a get away car.

"Shit." I grumbled.

We even tried reversing the footage to when the Gardevoir first came in. No car. He just walked from the alley towards the club. This was organized to specifically kill at least one of the three people here. I just wonder, why them? What did they have to do with this?

"Gojiro... there's only one thing we can do now." I told him.

"What's that?" Gojiro asked.

"We need to investigate the Roserades. They must have some sort of tie with the local gang. That's the only assumption I can think of." I replied.

"Alright. Thanks Sappy." Gojiro smiled.

"Just make sure you guys catch who did this. You guys are the best." Sappy smiled.

We left the club and called for the bodies to be picked up. Hopefully the Roserades will pop up in our records.