Chapter 117:

Glad You're Evil Too

Pokémon List:

Luna (Kirlia)

Fay (Riolu)

Midna (Zorua)

There's a saying in Alamos Town that goes something like this: 'There's no sky like Alamos'.'

I initially thought it was just baseless sentimentality, but when I looked up during this particular night, I actually understood the saying. As in, literally, there was something different about the sky above Alamos. I couldn't really put my finger on it or quantify the disparity.

It seemed as though the stars were ever so slightly closer to the surface of the earth. Like the fabric of space itself had descended to the world below. The colors out of space felt more lively. Brighter and more vibrant.

There were multiple theories about why this was the case, with the most reasonable being Alamos' extreme geographic elevation, along with the clear lack of smog and light pollution.

Some of the theories were a bit grander in scope, such as one that attributed the effect to a strong Aura residue, and another that blamed a strange Pokémon that bent physics long ago. One notorious hypothesis was that the world's origin lay in Alamos and that creation expanded outward, which puts thinking you're the center of the world in a whole new light.

Regardless, no one really knew why the sky was this way, but it certainly made for an interesting backdrop to my late night adventure with Luna.

The Kirlia in question was happily skipping next to me as we made our way through town. She looked quite pleased with herself, going as far as to twirl around the nearest light pole whenever I was walking too slowly for her liking. This resulted in some stares from people who were wondering why she was this happy.

With the lights from all the windows, the myriad festival decorations and the people who were still outside, the town was feeling far from dead. But even with the beauty of the sky and the lights, something still felt wrong. It was barely noticeable, just like the sky above, but something was distinctly off about the ambiance.

The biggest thing on my mind, however, was how underdressed I felt. Not for a date, but rather for the cold. I shivered, still regretting my decision to not put on something warmer, as a sharp wind swept over Alamos. Perhaps it was because of the altitude, or perhaps there was something divine at play, but I was barely able to process my own thoughts with how viciously my upper and lower jaws continued to clatter against one another. Somehow, the wind managed to reach all the way through all the alleys and streets. I decided to blame Fate for that.

{Aren't you excited?} Luna asked. She stopped when she was ahead to look back, climbing on top of an empty restaurant table to gain my attention.

"I'm dying here," I said, showing her the goosebumps on my arm.

{Well…} Luna shrugged. {I told you to dress properly for tonight.} She muttered something under her breath and even though it was Poké speak, it was hard not to understand her.

"I thought you meant properly as in, able to take down anyone at a moment's notice," I clarified. "Not dressing fashionable or practical for the weather."

I was only wearing an unremarkable t-shirt and jeans–– nothing that would make me stand out at first sight. I was, however, able to sneak in some weapons on my person, though I was not at all prepared for the cold evening air.

{That's why I am here.} Luna hopped from the table to a chair. {I am the weapon you need. Not your knives. Besides, how many times do you actually have to use them?}

"They are good for slicing bread," I joked. "And hey, not having to use them means I am doing a pretty good job. After all, they are like a last resort. But you are right, I probably won't need them tonight."

I took out my Pokédex and flipped it open. "Now hold on, the address should be close here."

When I opened the map application, I saw multiple restaurants pop up on the map like tiny mushrooms. Almost every kind of restaurant or café was here. From Galarian Grills to Kalos' Crown, anything a visitor could want was present. Unfortunately for us, Poké Bowls was a large chain, and those were situated a bit further into the dining district. I hadn't really paid the fast food chain much attention, but from what I knew so far, they were a bit like McDonald's but much smaller in scope.

Luna and I pushed a bit farther, and I weathered the cold storm as well as I could. We found our destination only a few minutes later on a more quiet corner of the block.

The restaurant had a modern-looking design and appeared to be well lit, with a bright TV monitor facing the street with this week's combo deals. The logo was simply the name of the brand in bold green lettering. I thought that was a fitting metaphor for the establishment itself –– simple but modern.

Compared to other restaurants, Poké Bowls had a smaller but far more active flow of people coming in and out. Some patrons only came for takeout while others took a moment to sit down inside.

"Well," I said to Luna. "This is our tie to the murder case."

{There are no candles,} said Luna, before muttering something.

"Huh?"

{Wait, I sense a familiar presence!} Luna stopped me from moving with her arm. Her eyes turned into slits while her horns began to glow.

"Is it ––" Darkrai…?!

{The Devil herself!}

Luna pointed towards a table by the window, where I saw someone eating on her own. I didn't immediately recognize, mainly because I would never have expected to find someone like her at a fast food joint, but her presence here was undeniable.

Long orange hair cascaded down her face, almost like an avalanche that hid her expression as she mindlessly used a pair of chopsticks to stir the contents of a bowl.

She had changed out of her purple dress into something much less conspicuous, now merely sporting black sweatpants and a sweater. The only reason she stood out was her hair, really.

"Fuck," I murmured, suddenly keenly aware of what I was doing and how I looked doing it. "Luna, we might need to reconsider our approach."

{What do you mean?} Luna asked.

"I need an alibi. If we want to snoop around off the radar we ––"

{You already have an alibi.} A dark expression covered Luna's face. {In fact, we should inform her immediately of our circumstances.}

Luna took my arm and dragged me forward towards the door. She didn't leave me much of a choice.

Inside, it was about the same I expected. A fairly standard, if slightly soulless, fast food joint that was decently crowded but not overly so. Plenty of tables were still vacant.

We stopped next to Flamera's window table, though the woman in question didn't look up from her meal. She kept poking at her food with her chopsticks, her thoughts clearly bothered by something else.

I thought it was rather awkward and had no intention of actually starting a conversation. I was here just to continue my investigation. I disillusioned myself with the thought of leaving Luna to deal with pleasantries and just sneak away to the toilets but just as Luna lost her staring contest with me, Flamera looked up.

"Hey," I said awkwardly

"Hey," Flamera answered in the same intonation, though a humorous undertone was present in her voice. "Didn't think you'd take me up on my offer…"

"It's a coincidence," I reassured her. "Guess mayors have to eat as well."

She shrugged. "It's good to show my face around town, especially at times like these. Try to return to normalcy, you know?"

"Not concerned for the murderous ghost that might be lurking around town?" I asked. Honestly, the resilience of the people living here is baffling sometimes.

"Are you?" she retorted.

"No."

So, did she know I was working with the League? Well, technically, at least, but that's besides the point. Maybe Hylla told them to keep things under wraps.

Flamera waved her hand dismissively, "Police will do their thing. I show my face and the people know me well enough to leave me alone." She gave her dish another stab. "Well, I'm probably gonna get smashed tonight. Want to drink with me?"
"Actually ––"

{He is not available tonight,} Luna teleported herself on top of the table. {He's with me.}

Flamera looked dumbfounded at Kirlia. Then she looked at me before glancing back at the Kirlia. Luckily, it seemed like Flamera was the only one who heard Luna. I could practically see the gears turning.

"I promised to take her out." I shrugged, hopefully steering away her thoughts. "It's kind of important for her to be special." That sounded vague enough for both parties to interpret it in their own way. In fact, Luna looked rather pleased with it.

"Oh," Flamera had a cheeky grin on her face. "Well, I am sorry for intruding on your special evening."

I sighed. "It's not like that. But I guess I did promise to spend the evening with Luna. I have time to sit down tomorrow." I said. "After I finish the game, obviously."

{Very nice and all!} Luna impatiently interrupted. {But Dust and I need to order food. So we better get going.} The final part was accompanied by the subtlest of glares.

Flamera gave my Pokémon an amused look. "I see you will be kept very busy. I suppose I should get to work as well. Tomorrow's a big day and all."

She got up from her seat, took her dish, and tossed it into the nearby trash can. She had barely eaten anything from it.

{Yes. Good night,} said Luna, crossing her arms.

"Good night to you as well." Flamera kindly nodded to Luna before giving me a playful wink. "And don't let the murderous ghosts stop you from becoming this year's Sinnoh Knight."

With those cheerful words she headed for the exit and left. After Flamera disappeared into the darkness of the cold night, and I was unequivocally sure she would not return, I fixed my gaze on Luna.

Cockblocker.

{Well, now you have a very solid alibi,} she said smugly, ignoring my deadpan expression. {You can thank me by buying dinner.}

"I am infinitely grateful," I said mockingly.

{I know!} Luna embraced my torso from atop the table. This caused some people who saw it to aww in my direction. I even saw someone take a picture.

If only they knew.

We ordered food pretty easily. The menu was not anything special, and if there had been a secret code behind it, I couldn't find it. As far as I could determine, it had just different bowls filled with all kinds of ingredients. Poké Bowls was basically a deluxe salad bar, I suppose. As average and boring as one could get.

I ordered the Dragonair Bowl while Luna took the Psychic's Bowl.

We sat down in the corner of the restaurant. Away from the bar and door, allowing us to basically oversee most of the restaurant from our position while also having a window to see the town and people outside. I sat with my back to the wall while Luna sat on the opposite side. She took one of those child-cushions to stick out above the table. It was rather cute to see her struggle with that. Something which wouldn't be an issue once she evolved.

She took the spoon in her hands and made a few attempts at scooping the leaves and berries, failing miserably each time. Eventually, after one ingredient was sent flying, she gave up on using the spoon and instead used her own psychic powers to float it over.

Honestly, I've had worse dinners back in the days, so I wasn't too bothered by it. I used the chopsticks included and began my Dragonair Bowl. It looked a bit like pasta with arugula, sauce and some ingredients I did not recognize. It was, as the name should have clued me in, very spicy ––much more so than I could handle. But I didn't want to go back and look like a pussy, so I committed to it. Using water to cool my tongue didn't really help.

It probably was delicious underneath all the spices, but I couldn't say anything good about it.

"So, how is yours?" I asked Luna, who had been occupied with her own meal.

Luna looked up from her bowl, her face tinted red.

I looked at her bowl and saw that it had been completely emptied.

"Ah," I said. "It was that good?"

She weakly nodded.

{It's been a while since we ate like this,} said Luna with a small voice.

I smiled. "Remember the first time we ate together? At Sunbright's Hospital, with Hylla and Chelsea?"

{Feels like a lifetime ago,} Luna reminisced.

We both were silent for some time after that. A lot happened ever since the day we set off on our journey. The world felt smaller back then. Luna literally was smaller back then.

{I do feel like I changed,} Luna said suddenly. I guess my expression must have been easy to read. She elaborated, {I feel more powerful, smarter and more confident.}

"Well, you did change a lot," I agreed. "You were so small back then. So innocent and young."

{I am still innocent and young,} said Luna, pouting. {Besides, you also changed.}

"I barely changed." I felt pretty much the same person.

{Both of us changed,} Luna said, her expression turning serious. {And who knows what the future holds for us?}

"More bullshit."

{Probably,} Luna sympathized. {So…} She gave me a weird look and face turned red.

"What?"

{Uh ––} She cut herself off before looking down at my dish. {Are you going to eat that?}

I pushed it forward. "You can have it. I'm full."

An invisible hand grasped around the bowl and it shot towards Luna's side of the table. Immediately she began to assault it, not at all bothered by the extreme spiciness. Or maybe I had a weak stomach. Nah, couldn't be it.

"So, you think Midna overdosed yet?" I asked, clearly joking.

{What's overdosing?}

Oh god.

The conversation for the next few minutes didn't get any deeper than that.

While she was finishing the last few scrapes of her Dragonair Bowl I gave the place a good look. The actual reason I came to this place.

Again, I noted, this place was utterly unremarkable. A fast food establishment like many others. Why would someone without money, Pokémon or papers carry this address around?

Why carry around an address in the first place if you already know the address? Maybe a bad memory? Unfamiliarity with the location. Probably that, if he were indeed familiar, he wouldn't require the address. Someone who lived in Alamos would know an easy location like this by heart.

Maybe the victim came to this town from somewhere else, but that doesn't make much sense either. How would he have gotten here without any Pokémon? If he were from somewhere else he would need to have some base of operations. A place to rest, eat, or to store his belongings. But there were no keys or anything else that suggested any permanent or temporary residence in town.

Did he stay in Alamos and live like a homeless person on this street corner? Did he hide in the toilet stalls? And in either case, where did he come from?

Maybe…

I looked at the floor.

It would be a stretch, my sense of logic said my idea was stupid, but then I remembered that the entire A2 facility had been built underneath a shack in the woods.

"Luna," I said, keeping my voice low. "Do a scan."

Luna looked up from her bowl and gave me a cheeky grin {I already scanned everyone and everything the moment we entered.}

I raised an eyebrow. "You did?"

She pushed the bowl away. {Everyone here is mostly clear. One person is feeling particularly angry, but his emotions are directed at his significant other.} I followed her gaze to the other side of the establishment, where two young looking trainers were both sitting at the same table, their heads down as they ate their meal in complete silence. I could practically feel the awkwardness radiate off the couple.

{But no one here is suspicious.} Luna declared proudly. She leaned back in her seat with a smug look. {That is, everyone we can see.}

"There's something underground?" I asked. I felt my muscles tensed.

{I noticed when we sat down.}

"And you didn't think to tell me?" I asked, tapping my fingers expectantly.

{We had such a lovely date, right? Couldn't let our evening go to waste.} Luna gave me an enigmatic shrug.

"I raised you horribly," I contemplated aloud after sighing deeply. "Well, spill the beans you've been hoarding."

{I learned it from the best.}

"We are just discussing the aftermath of a murder, no need to worry about anything," I stated dryly.

{Fine.} Luna stuck out her tongue in a rather unexpected, childish manner. She pointed down. {Someone below us is feeling rather stressed and worried. Their emotions are being suppressed by something but I still recognized it.}

It clicked. I started to grin.

Just as I theorized, there was indeed something underneath here. That cleared up some facts.

"Well, I say we give this person a visit and ask some questions. Shall we?"

Luna tilted her head. {How do you want to do that? I cannot teleport to him.}

"Well, just like with A2, there must be an entrance somewhere. And considering this is a public location, well, that doesn't leave a lot of options," I mused out loud. "Did you check everyone in the back as well?"

{I think they are clear,} Luna cautiously said.

"Okay, so somewhere public." Maybe the toilets? A supply closet? There was someone underneath us, someone with answers.

Darkrai wanted these people for a reason. And if I know what Darkrai wants…well.

My smile must have been contagious because Luna began to beam as well.

"The game is afoot, Luna."

A/N And that's another chapter. As of writing this chapter we are about 2 chapters removed from 400.000 words. 400.000 words of a story that started all the way back in early 2020. And look at it now, I can barely comprehend how much this fic has progressed.

Just as our lovely protagonist and the ever so loyal Luna reflect back, I as well like to take the opportunity to do so and thank everyone who is still reading this and thank you all who left such kind reviews on the last chapter.

I am unsure how my schedule will look and whether or not I will be able to upload before the end of the year, but in the event I do not, have an above average Christmas and a forgettable new year!

Also, loads of thanks to Atomic who beta read this chapter and gave me about 3 times the word count back in grammar errors and explanations of why I suck the way I do.

(Love you)

(PS, is anyone else experiencing the glitch where new PM's don't show up as a (1) and you have to open the Inbox to check? I want to thank some people (lots of people) but don't know if they'll see it.)

That's it for this chapter. Hope you'll enjoy the fireworks but don't keep watching them too long. A whole world of Pokémon is waiting for us.

-CaptainMoonShine-