Chapter 1: Reunion
[
PRIVATE NUMBER
Hello, Ms. Jackson. I hope this message finds you well. I am sure you remember the terms of the agreement you signed on to, so I will not be reminding you here. I wanted to let you know that we have set up a date for the return procedure. You have until next Sunday to prepare for it. The location will not be disclosed until the Sunday morning. You will be given further instructions at that time. Please remember that there will be a... significant fee should you miss your appointment. Do not be late.
-G
Received 10/19/2036 8:43 PM
]
5 days later...
"Are you sure about what you're doing, Marcus? I mean… Castelia isn't the safest city in Unova." The young woman wearing glasses questioned as she took another sip from the cup of hot chocolate she had in her hands before setting it back down on the table. Her voice echoed through the emptiness of the cafe, devoid of any people except a young man who sat opposite her.
His black hair was styled into a fine crew cut. His baby blue T-shirt matched nicely with the blue jeans he was wearing. The booth the pair sat at was positioned next to the window, giving a view of the street illuminated by lanterns that sprouted from the sidewalk.
"I knew the risks when I signed on to be on the police force. This is my home, Rachel." Marcus glanced at the window on his left. "I grew up here; I feel obligated to serve the community which raised me well." Despite having grown up in the city, as he said, his voice defied his origins, holding a slight southern undertone.
His eyes returned to Rachel. "Besides, if it's so dangerous, what made you stay here?"
Her expression soured slightly at his question. "Because I love working here! The customers have told me so many stories of what it is like in their regions!" She mindlessly twirled her long brown hair in her finger as she continued. "Not to mention, both Samantha and I get to meet so many new Pokemon."
Cafe Sonata was indeed a hot spot for tourism in Castelia. Being one of the only port cities in Unova meant it was the point of arrival for many sightseers and traveling trainers from other regions. Most of Cafe Sonata's revenue came from foreigners.
"Voy voy!" The Eevee sitting next to Rachel exclaimed in agreement, putting her front legs on the table to raise her head so she could be involved in the conversation. The fur encompassing her neck was not cream-colored, however, being violet instead of her species' usual hue. Rachel reached over and gave the evolution Pokemon a rub on the head, eliciting a purr from her.
Marcus scoffed. "Always concerned about everyone except yourself. You haven't changed one bit."
"What? It's not like my patrons are scoundrels." She pointed a finger at Marcus. "Your 'clients' on the other hand..."
They both chuckled at her dry attempt at humor, Marcus letting off a warm smile. "Yeah, yeah. I understand where you're coming from. I'm not getting the best society has to offer-"
"Oh oh oh!" She abruptly cut him off while bouncing in her seat excitedly; it was a rather bothersome habit that Marcus had gotten used to having known her since grade school. "That reminds me! There was this one trainer from Sinnoh who told me he saw a ghost in this old chateau that had been abandoned!"
"Vuy…" Samantha appeared to shudder at the mention of the word.
"A ghost, huh?" He stared at her with skepticism.
"Not like a Pokemon ghost, but an actual person! He said he saw it walk into the kitchen, but when he checked, nobody was there!"
"Uhuh." Marcus had figured it was some salesman trying to pitch a ghost tour. More often than not, nothing interesting was seen, and the only thing learned is some history puffed up with paranormal stories.
"What, you don't believe him?" Rachel shot him a questioning look; he seemed unimpressed by her story.
"All I've ever seen are Pokemon ghosts. How could I believe him?"
Rachel reached over the table, putting her hand on his shoulder and pushing him back playfully. "Tck, you take the fun out of everything."
Marcus raised his hands and shrugged, "I aim to please." He put his arms back down and took a sip from his glass of water.
"If you knew what's good for you, you should have signed up to be in the fun division of the police." Rachel shot back at him.
"Oh come on! I know I'm not that bad." He looked at Rachel who had her hand over her mouth, and saw Samantha giggling next to her.
So childish, the two of them. Yet so joyful. They're like twin sisters. Marcus patiently waited for their immature display of laughter to cease.
"So," Marcus questioned, "you never told me about her." Marcus pointed at Samantha, the oddly colored Eevee.
"Oh, little Sammy?" She reached towards the fluffy creature and picked her up, holding her close to her chest, which prompted her to give a couple licks to her trainer's face. "I've had her for a couple years now. My parents didn't want me to be lonely when I moved out, so they bought me an egg for my eighteenth birthday."
"Three months later, this little goofball popped out while I was at work."
She held Samantha out towards Marcus as if she were presenting a show-and-tell item to a classroom. Samantha's hind legs hung freely below her, yet the Eevee's expression remained unchanged from that infectious, gleeful smile. Marcus couldn't help but grin at the sight.
"I was wondering more about her fur and why you never told me about her before," Marcus asked.
"Eheh…" She appeared slightly nervous, shifting around in her seat uncomfortably. "Well umm, she isn't shiny; I can tell you that. She doesn't have the shiny gene that a shiny of her species would. She has some sort of genetic defect that changed the color of fur around her neck for some reason."
"You've never taken her to a professor to have her checked?" Marcus seemed a little surprised.
"Well... no. When I tried bringing it up to Sammy, she hated the thought of getting poked and prodded for testing." She seemed to squirm even more at this line of questioning.
"And why did you never tell me about her? She seems so adorable. I would have loved to have met her."
"Well, Eevee aren't a common species around here, especially not with his unique fur, so I've kept on the low about her unless I'm in the cafe. I don't know what I would do if someone stole my sweet little girl." Rachel seemed to almost tear up at the thought of losing her companion.
"Ah, so you are worried about living here."
"T-That's not what I said! I live and work near the ports, so I'm usually pretty safe. Castelia wants to give the tourists their best image so it is well-patrolled. You of all people should know this." Her tension seemed to go away from the subject change. "I just never ever want anything bad to happen to her. I would be crushed!"
"I feel you." He paused for a moment before speaking again, "So you don't know your parents?" Marcus questioned Samantha while taking another sip of water.
"Eevoy!" The Eevee shook her head, still looking just as content as she was before.
"Excuse me, young lady," Rachel interjected, "did you forget I am your mommy?" She held Samantha close to her once again, the fluffy evolution Pokemon nuzzling her face against her trainer's chin while wagging her dipstick tail.
Marcus nearly spat out his water at the implication of what she just said.
"W-Wait what? You don't mean that you're..." Marcus stammered over his own words.
"No, of course not, you dork! Do I look like I could lay an egg?"
"Oh, right. Forgot about the egg part." Marcus put a hand behind his head, slightly embarrassed. "It's just what you said caught me completely off guard."
"You know, for all that crap they crammed in your brain when you took accelerated classes, not one ounce was common sense."
"Yeah… I guess you could say that!" Marcus rubbed the back of his head, still flustered from what had just occurred. "So you call her Sammy? Isn't that more of a boy's name?"
"Her name is Samantha, but I call her Sammy most of the time because she's like a tomboy. She always seems to find her way into the Poke treats box…" Rachel shot Samantha a quick glare, but the Eevee kept her cheerful face held high.
"And no matter how many times I scold her, she seems to do it again and again."
"Little troublemaker, aren't you?" Marcus directed his question to Samantha, who received a simple tail wag in response.
"You have no idea." Rachel chuckled a bit at the reminder of her little Eevee's antics.
"Huh. Must be her little imperfection. You sure the only thing that changed was her neck fur color?"
Rachel seemed to tense up again. "W-Well, I don't know, maybe. Like I said, she doesn't want to see the professor for an exam."
Marcus' expression was one of concern. "You've never had her examined? At all?" His tone of voice corresponded with his unease.
"W-Well, I've taken her to the Pokemon Center for regular health check-ups. It's just that I've never had her looked at by a professor." At least she's not being downright neglectful. Marcus relaxed himself.
"You aren't worried that she may have long-term complications or anything?" Rachel's barely noticeable squirming continued as she twirled her hair around her finger once more.
"Her regular check-ups haven't shown any health issues, so I'm not concerned about that too much." Marcus saw her leg begin to shake, his concern towards her creeping back up again.
"Rachel?"
"Yes?" She looked up at Marcus with an unusually blank expression.
"Is everything okay? You seem... really uneasy."
"Vuy...?" Samantha looked up to Rachel, seemingly confused by Marcus' question. Her ears drooped down.
Rachel paused a moment before replying.
"Of course! What's up?" Her body language defied the way she spoke so calmly.
"Do you want to talk about it? I'm here for you, y'know."
Another pause. Rachel seemed to be in deep thought about something.
"I'm... just dealing with some... family issues. It's personal, and I don't want to get into it."
Her phone suddenly let out a soft, short melody. The suspense in the air was broken when she pulled it out and checked the cellular device.
"Ah. I'm sorry to cut this short Marcus, but I need to go. My boss won't be very happy If I keep the lights on here longer than usual." She raised herself from her seat and stood up to gather the cups on the table.
She was stopped by Marcus, who also stood up, putting his hand on her arm.
"What?" Rachel seemed confused.
"I know something is bothering you. I know we haven't seen each other in a few years, but that doesn't change the fact I'm still your friend, Rachel."
"O-Okay..." Her voice seemed shaky as if she were about to cry.
"Hey. Come here." Marcus opened his arms wide for a hug. Rachel paused before hugging Marcus with her face planted on his shoulder.
"Don't forget that I'm here if you need me." He patted her on the back before letting her go.
"Thank you, Marcus." She let off a smile that felt genuine. That's the smile I remember.
"Stay safe, Rachel, and you too, Sammy."
"Vuy~!" He lowered his hand to the Eevee still sitting on the booth, immediately getting the response of nuzzling and soft coos from her.
"Let me know if you ever want to hang out and chat again." Marcus waved at them as he pushed the door open and stepped out into the chilly open air of Castelia City. Samantha waved back by shaking her big fluffy ears side to side. Rachel was clutching her phone to her chest as she waved.
As soon as the door closed behind him, she unlocked her phone, looking at the message she had been sent.
[
PRIVATE NUMBER
Hello, Ms. Jackson. I just wanted to give you a courteous reminder that your appointment is on Sunday. Remember that there will be a significant fee if you miss your scheduled time. Please reply with 'YES' to confirm that you have received this message in full and understand it.
-G
Received 10/24/2036 9:56 PM
]
Rachel let out a deep sigh. Samantha was looking up at her, wagging her tail happily.
After a few moments of contemplation, she silently typed on her phone.
["YES"]
Marcus opened the door of his patrol car, stepped in, and sat down in the driver's seat. It was an older model police interceptor that he was given due to his lower rank, but it had served him well since he had joined the CPD.
He looked over to his left, silently watching Rachel clean up the booth they were sitting at through the window. Samantha was perched on her shoulder, seemingly unphased by the scene Rachel had just put on. The both of them seemed like an inseparable pair.
I really hope those two will be okay.
He switched on the ignition and started the vehicle, shifting into drive and pulling out of the parking spot next to the sidewalk.
Most officers in his precinct didn't drive in their patrol cars while off-duty, but it was allowed. Marcus did it out of necessity because it was his only vehicle to get around with. He often found that aggressive drivers would quickly slow down when they saw his interceptor, even if he was out of his jurisdiction.
The drive back to his parent's residence was uneventful. The traffic was light at this time on Friday night, so there wasn't much trouble getting across the main roads.
After turning onto his neighborhood street, he eventually pulled into the driveway of his residence. It was a two-story brick structure sporting a mostly monotone shade of paint that matched the rest of the modern neighborhood. While Marcus had found the style of the house somewhat drab, he was fond of the dwelling that he grew up in.
As the vehicle drew closer to the garage, he felt a familiar energy touch his mind. Psychic energy. Someone in the house was aware of his presence.
He audibly groaned and set the vehicle in park, turning it off and stepping out before locking the doors. He needed to prepare for the hell that was waiting to meet him.
After a few steps out of the driveway, he opened the front door and stepped in.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" He waited a moment. No response. He figured they were in the shower preparing for bed, considering how late it was.
"How was your date with Rachel, hmm~?" The slightly muffled feminine voice that rang out in his head like an echo made his head tingle. His face soured heavily upon hearing it.
"It wasn't a date, Nicole." His voice was loaded with venom, and his head shot in the direction of the living room, where he saw the head of a fire fox Pokemon peaking up over the couch. Her giant fluffy Braixen ears were unmistakable.
"Uhuh. Whatever you say, lover boy." Marcus stomped over to the couch and sat next to her. He was still wearing the same pissed expression as before.
"Would you please cut that out?" He pleaded.
"Nah," She closed her eyes and shook her head at him dismissively, "I don't think I will." Marcus eventually conceded to Nicole, slouching his shoulders in defeat with a long, exasperated sigh.
The Braixen he had as his starter Pokemon when he first got his license had been a thorn in is side even when she was just a Fenekin. After she evolved, she began to develop early psychic abilities that would come with her next evolution. This only furthered Marcus' torment as her voice now followed him in his head whenever she was around him. Thankfully for him, she wasn't quite able to read minds yet due to her novice skill in psychic power.
He wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible to avoid further 'date fantasies.'
"Your voice seems a lot less muffled than before. Has Damian been tutoring you again lately?" He looked at her inquisitively, impressed with her progress.
"Yeah. I've also been practicing with Mom and Dad. Whenever I'm around them, I try to use my telepathy instead of speaking crap they don't even understand. They said I've been improving a lot!" She held her head high with a cheery look, evidently proud of her recent accomplishment. Whenever she wasn't tormenting Marcus, she was often tooting her own whistle whenever she got the chance.
"I can see." He nodded in agreement. "Did Mom and Dad already go to bed?"
"No, but they're getting ready to. You missed dinner like... three hours ago or so. We had Mom's homemade mac and cheese. She made sure there was some left for you in the fridge."
"Tell her I said thanks." At least he wouldn't have to settle for another TV dinner tonight.
Marcus felt something fluffy touch his shoulder and looked down to see Nicole leaning her head on him. "Soooo... What did you and Rachel talk about~?"
Marcus groaned. He knew he wouldn't be able to get around her questioning and replied, "Mostly about my new position with the CPD. But the thing I was most interested in was her Eevee. She had a strange color variation that made her neck fur purple."
"Oh? She got an Eevee? When was this? Was she, like, shiny or something?" Her face lit up with anticipation, excited about this new subject.
"No, she told me Samantha wasn't a shiny. Some sort of genetic defect changed her fur. She was well-mannered and honestly adorable."
"Oooh, I like her name. I hope I'll get to see her someday."
"Thing is, she had Samantha for 2 years and didn't tell me about it."
"What?!" Nicole seemed taken aback. "Why wouldn't she? You two are like best friends!"
"She said she wanted to keep low about her because of her rare genetic defect. She was afraid someone would steal her."
"I can understand that, but you're her friend! Why wouldn't she tell you?"
"I don't..." Marcus couldn't finish his sentence. His mind kept going back to the way Rachel was acting back at the cafe. She was clearly bothered by something, and he felt that she wasn't telling the whole truth about it. What was she hiding? Was she in danger?
His stream of thoughts were interrupted when a paw started waving in front of his face, followed by a question from Nicole, "Hey? You still there?"
He let out a sigh. I need to get this weight off my chest. "I'm a bit worried about Rachel. I know it's been a few years since I last saw her, but I've never seen her so stressed out before. Her legs were shaking and she looked really uncomfortable."
"Rachel? Stressed out? I've never heard those two said together."
"That's why I'm worried. She said she had family issues, but she didn't want to talk about it with me. Part of me doesn't believe her." Marcus laid back further on the couch with a long sigh, trying to alleviate some of his stress. Nicole gave him a few pats on the shoulder.
"I think you might just be overthinking it like you always do. She probably got in an argument with her parents or something."
"Yeah... but why wouldn't she want my help?"
"Hey. If she really needs your help I'm sure she'll reach out to you. Now quit your moping and go eat your dinner." Nicole lifted Marcus off the couch and held him upright.
"Ugh." Marcus let out an annoyed groan at being removed from his comfortable position.
"If you need me, you know where to find me." She walked to the staircase and made her way up to the second floor, leaving the sight of Marcus.
Marcus silently shook his head. For an only child, I sure don't feel like one.
When Nicole reached the top of the staircase, there was a bend that went to the left. Immediately ahead was a single door that went to the bunk room. In the hallway to the left, there were three more doors. The one straight down at the end was Marcus' room. The door to the left was the bathroom, and the one on the right was Nicole's room.
She felt something off. The strong psychic presence she had grown used to was not in the bunk room. Instead, it seemed to be coming from her room.
Oh, I swear if you're in there...
She swung the door open and saw just what she had suspected before she even entered. The Kirlia was in her room, sitting on her bed to make matters worse.
"DAMIAN!"
The small psychic type remained in place with his legs crossed in a meditative pose.
"What are you doing in here!?" She barked loudly, "Get out!"
Damian didn't move an inch.
"Apologies ma'am, but I am trying to avoid Young Master Marcus' unbearably negative emotions right now." Despite his situation, Damian's voice remained stoic.
"That's cool and all, but you know the rules! You never go in my room! Couldn't you do your little therapy session somewhere else!?"
Damian shook his head, "I tried every room on this floor, and yours was... the most shielded."
Scattered across the floor of Nicole's room was a large mix of belongings and garbage items, most of them Pokemon fashion magazines. It was well shielded alright.
Flames shot out from her nostrils. "Oooh, you've got some nerve, little fairy boy." She pulled the twig out of her tail, lighting it aflame; her temper was about to boil over.
"Please ma'am, I mean no offense. This room simply has the ideal environment for me to block out negativity. We must stop this arguing, I feel the negativity getting hig-" He was suddenly cut off by yelling from downstairs.
"I don't know what the hell you two are saying, but knock it the fuck off!" Because the two of them were speaking in their natural language, the argument they were having would be lost on human ears, sounding like a repetition of their species' names over and over instead of anything coherent.
Nicole looked back towards Damian after Marcus' outburst to see that he was covering his head in a fetal position.
"Oh Arceus, please make the negativity go away!" He pleaded, still cowering with his hands over his head.
"Marcus will get over himself after he gets some rest." Nicole contemplated for a moment before shaking her head and continuing, "You can stay in here until he comes upstairs. Your room is farther than mine is, so you won't have an excuse at that point." She shoved the twig back in her tail.
"Oh, Thank you so much!" He sprang back up and assumed his usual meditation position.
She rolled her eyes. He has about as much common sense as Marcus.
"So much crap to deal with over one guy who's in a bad mood." Nicole made her way to her bed and fell backward, allowing the soft mattress to cushion her fall. The comforter on her bed felt so incredibly soft that she nearly forgot that there was still an intruder inside of her room, on her bed nonetheless.
"If I may inquire, ma'am, what has caused Young Master Marcus to have such negativity?" Damian was once again in his calm state of mind, no longer bothered by the previously growing anger of his trainer.
Nicole looked annoyed at the psychic type, "Seriously? You couldn't have just listened to our conversation?"
"Miss, you know that I respect Young Master Marcus' privacy. I would never read his mind without his explicit permission! We psychic types have a heavy burden to never use our abilities for malicious purposes." The use of psychic capacities outside of battle was considered unethical in most regions and some cases, restricted by law. The unwritten rules of psychics were heavily taught in trainer schools to ensure that misuse was at a minimum.
She was unimpressed by his lengthy rant about ethics. "Ugh, fine. You can go through mine." She loosened her body so that any remaining stress she had would not cause interference.
"As you wish, ma'am."
The Kirlia stood up from his sitting position and balanced himself on one leg, putting his tiny hands together in preparation for the mental connection. His eyes began to glow a soft pink, and Nicole soon felt a tickling sensation in her brain as her memories were sifted through.
While Damian was much more experienced in psychic ability than she was, he had not perfected the art of making clean mental connections for reading one's mind. This often caused incidental lingering sensory illusions in the target's body that varied depending on the user; Damian frequently caused individuals to perceive being tickled whenever he read their thoughts.
"Ehehe! Cut that out!" Nicole began to squirm and giggle due to the sensation, making it difficult for Damian to focus.
"Please.. don't.. squirm." He said as slowly and calmly as he could.
Eventually, her laughter and squirming caused too much mental interference, and Damian was forced to sever the connection. The glow in his eyes dissipated, and he sat back down on the bed.
After recovering from her fit of giggling, she looked over towards him and asked, "So, you get the picture now?"
Damian contemplated for a moment before responding, "Although I've only met Madam Rachel a few times in person, what you two spoke of is certainly out of character for her. For Young Master Marcus to suspect something deeper of his acquaintance is concerning. I will inquire further with him tomorrow once he has well rested; I do not wish to bring him further stress about the subject-" He stopped mid-sentence due to an overwhelming sense of joy.
"Oh, it appears Young Master Marcus is feeling... happy now?" Damian's face lit up with excitement.
There was a rhythmic rumble in the floorboards as someone made their way up the staircase and before long, the door to her room swung open. It was Marcus.
"Hey, Nicole... Uh..." He looked confused at this display, "Why is Damian in your room? Isn't that your one rule?"
She sat up to establish a mental link with Marcus so he could understand her, "We were having a little chat. What's up? You seem miles happier than you were earlier."
"You both get some good rest tonight. We've got plans tomorrow before my shift, and I'm taking you two with me."
[
Sgt. Roberts
Hey, sport! I know it's a bit late to be sending you a message, but I wanted to ask if you'd be up for a spar before your shift starts in the afternoon tomorrow. Tyler and Ashley have been itching for a fight recently, so I figure you and I could have a little match outside the precinct. Let me know what's poppin' and I'll get something arranged. See ya tomorrow.
Received 10/24/2036 11:48 PM
]
Thank you for reading my first fan fiction! Feedback would be greatly appreciated. Stay tuned for future chapters!