Pokemon (Detective Pikachu)

A Legendary Search

44. Reunion

Emilia blinked her eyes open slowly, something feeling off. She wasn't in bed… she could tell that. But she felt more comfortable and more relaxed than she had in a while.

Then her memory returned, and she smiled. She was still lying on top of Tim, feeling like she fit there perfectly…she felt more comfortable this way then she did in her own bed. She lifted her head slowly to look at Tim's face, and found him still fast asleep.

Slowly, careful not to wake him since he needed all the rest he could get, she got up, untangling their arms from around each other, and crept away. She went into the kitchen first, and got everything out that she would need to make bacon and eggs. She wasn't going to start yet; the noise and possibly the smell of the food cooking might wake him, and though he needed to eat, he needed to sleep, too.

As she got everything out, her mind turned to their problem. Tim was right. Proving his innocence wouldn't be enough. The claims they had and the little evidence wouldn't be enough; they needed something that couldn't be denied or explained away, or avoided by bringing in paid off experts. It wasn't going to be easy. For one, Mayor Helding was a smart man. He'd been doing everything in ways that wouldn't leave a trace behind, at least not one that could be tracked to him. He was also very popular. Emilia had no doubt that Meiko, Mr. Graham, Mr. Baker, Amanda, Inspector Holiday and Tim's father would all believe them. They could probably scrounge up a couple other people, too, but that would be it. Very, very few people outside their circle would be willing to believe it without clear, undisputable evidence. Which they didn't have. It would be their word against his, and they were sure to pick his; Tim had been well- known and popular before this had happened, but so had the mayor, and the mayor was the one who also had authority in the city.

Unless…

Unless, of course… his words also spoke of his guilt. They needed a confession. A public one. But getting one… the chance seemed slim to none. The mayor wasn't stupid. She'd already established that.

But, if he didn't know he was being watched…

She was a reporter. What did she do best?

Maybe… just maybe… it could work.

But they would definitely need help. All hands on deck. She checked on Tim to see he was still sleeping, not even so much as twitching in his sleep, and quietly used a sheet of his notepaper to leave him a note, just in case he woke while she was gone.

Tim, if I'm not back before you're up, I've gone to call Meiko. My phone went missing yesterday so I've gone to the Hi Hat Café, it's just down the street and I'm sure Pablo will let me use his phone. I shouldn't be long, you can start breakfast if you want. I was getting out things for bacon and eggs. – Emilia.

Emilia closed the door silently, startled for a moment by a shadow with a large eye peering at her just outside the door before realizing it was Gengar.

"I'll be back soon." She whispered to the Shadow Pokemon.

She moved quickly, never before as thankful for being lucky enough to have an apartment so close to Tim's favourite café as she was now. She got there without incident, pushing open the door. Pablo was surprised to see her.

"Hey! Emilia! You haven't come since… well, since my interview. It's great to see you! What can I get you?"

It was true. Though Emilia somewhat missed the charming, cheerful atmosphere of the café and of the man who ran it, the idea of going there, sitting and drinking coffee while staring at Tim's empty chair, not knowing when or even if he'd be there again… Emilia couldn't do it, and nor, it had seemed, could Meiko. The two had stayed away.

Now, Emilia leaned in. The café only had two other people, both of whom looked busy with either their phone or a newspaper, but she didn't want to risk it.

"Actually, I hate to ask, but I need to use your phone. I'm not sure where mine is, and I need to make a really important call. It's… regarding our friend… the one who likes your coffee." She whispered. Pablo's eyes widened.

"Oh… yeah! Yeah, it's all yours. Here. I just need that back when you're done." Pablo fumbled for a moment under his apron, then tossed her his cell phone.

"Thank you. Is there somewhere I can make the call where I won't be overheard?"

"I don't have anywhere private, exactly, but you can step back there. It's not much, just a little storage area, but it'll be a little more difficult for anyone except maybe me." Pablo gestured to a little doorway behind him.

"Thank you."

Pablo opened the little door in the counter and allowed her to step inside, pass by him and tuck herself into the storage area, which looked to hold mostly an ice box, coffee beans, and cocoa beans, with a few other things including various types of nuts and spices.

Emilia had Meiko's number memorized, so she punched it in, and held the phone up to her ear as it rang.

It rang twice before a slightly shaky, "hello?" came through.

"Meiko, it's me."

"Emilia! Oh, thank Arceus! Are you alright? Where are you? What happened?"

"Meiko, calm down, I'm okay. Look, it's a long story and it's not safe to tell it here. I'm okay, but I need you to contact everyone working on Tim's case and get them all at GNN, okay? We need to speak to everyone, all at once. It's more important than anything."

"Okay, I can, but… who's "we"?"

"I found him, Meiko."

"What? You… you found-"

"Meiko, be quiet! I don't know where you are now, but at that volume you're going to tell all of Rhyme City!"

Emilia heard some heavy breaths on the other end before Meiko spoke in a more reasonable volume. "You found him? Is he okay?"

"He's… he's not hurt. He's lost a lot of weight, but he's not hurt."

"Where is he now? Is he with you? Wait, where even are you? Whose phone are you using, I have yours here…"

"Oh, you do? That's good, I wasn't sure where that ended up." Emilia sighed in relief. "And no, he's not here right now. I'm at Pablo's café, using his phone. He's… he's sleeping. He was exhausted, too… the last month has been really hard on him. And Meiko, we really need your help… we need everyone's help. We have a really big problem… I need you to gather everyone."

"I can do that. Um… should I try to contact the ones on Cappucci Island, too? I could give them a call, I just don't know when the ferry would get them here…"

Emilia hesitated. "I don't know… I mean… yeah, maybe you'd better. We've got a big problem on our hands… the more friends we can get, the better. Maybe look into seeing if there's a way someone knows how to get them here without the ferry?"

"Sure, I'll ask. I'd probably better. I think that Milo boy would kill us if we left him out of the loop, the way he was so fired up about clearing Tim's name."

Emilia gave a small laugh. "That's true. Do what you can, then. We'll meet you there once he's awake, and we've eaten. Okay? I'm trying to let him recover some strength."

"Yeah, that's not a problem. Send me a text when you're on your way? Oh, shoot, no you can't. I've got your phone." Meiko muttered. Emilia couldn't help but give a nervous giggle.

"I'll tell you what, I will make sure we're there before twelve. I don't want to wake him, but we can't afford to waste too much time, so I'll get him up if I need to."

"Alright. We'll see you then. And Emilia? You haven't told me what's going on yet, but… be careful."

"I will." Emilia promised, and hung up. Ducking back around the counter, she handed back Pablo's phone. "Thank you. I owe you one."

"No, you don't. But if you insist, then I'll ask one favour of you." Pablo gestured at two take-out cups, both with steam rising from them. "Take those with you when you go. On the house. One for you… one for you-know-who. Just the way he likes it."

Emilia looked at the two coffees, and couldn't think of a word to say.

When Emilia slipped back inside her apartment, after making a quick stop at the laundry room to grab the clothing that had been left there all night, Tim was still on the couch, sleeping. He hadn't moved at all… didn't even look like he'd twitched. Emilia smiled, set down his coffee and his clothing on the table in front of the TV, and moved into the kitchen, setting her own coffee, half-drank on the way there, on the kitchen table and threw out the note she'd written earlier before turning to the things she had pulled out.

She was quiet as she made breakfast, not wanting to wake Tim up with the sound of crashing pans, but no longer worried about the smell waking him; if he didn't wake before she was done, she'd have to get him up anyway. She'd promised to be there by noon, which meant that they needed to eat, then travel there, and the earlier they started, the better.

Sure enough, the bacon was sizzling in the pan and the eggs almost done when Emilia heard noise in the doorway, and she looked up to see Tim standing there, leaning on the wall and blinking heavily, a hand reaching up to rub at one of his eyes.

"Good morning." She smiled.

Tim gave her a sheepish smile back. "Good morning."

"Feel better?"

"I… yeah. But I still don't know what to do about-"

Emilia hushed him. "That's alright. I think I might have an idea."

"You do?"

"Yes. It's… reckless. But it might work. Once we've met up with everyone, we'll discuss it."

Tim's eyes widened. "Oh! I forgot, how are we going to get everyone together?"

"I've already done that, don't worry. I went out to Pablo's Café and used his phone to call Meiko. She'd going to get everyone together at GNN. I told them we'd be there by twelve. She'll get everyone that we know will believe us… your father, Amanda, Mr. Baker, Mr. Graham... and a few other people might be coming as well. She's going to see about contacting some of the other people we've spoken to… I know that Dr. Waals and Milo on Cappucci Island really wanted to help if they could."

"Dr. Waals and Milo?" Tim looked surprised, then grinned, looking more excited than she'd seen him since she'd found him. Emilia smiled in response. Tim still looked exhausted, not to mention he was still thin, but it was good to see the spark back in his eyes. "Milo did say if I ever needed help, to just call."

"He told us to call, too. He really wanted us to. I think it would hurt his feelings if we left him out of it. So he's being called as well, and we'll meet everyone at GNN. But we'll finish breakfast first." The eggs finished, Emilia slid them onto two plates before they could burn, and when she checked the bacon, she found it was done too, and split it up between the two plates. Setting each plate at one end of her table, she grabbed two forks, two glasses, and the milk pitcher, and set it all on the table as well before gesturing at Tim.

"Oh, and I almost forgot. I don't know if you saw it on the table, but Pablo sent a coffee for you. He's looking forward to seeing you again after we clear your name."

Tim looked at her, surprised. "Really? He sent it?"

"Yes, he sent two back with me. This one's mine, and I left yours on the table in there."

She smiled as Tim looked back over his shoulder and, presumably spotting it, went to go and grab it.

Once Tim and Emilia had eaten, Tim pulled his hoodie back on, and they immediately set out for GNN. Genger pulled Tim into Emilia's shadow, and Charizard ended up flying them there. It got them there earlier than Emilia had predicted, but that was alright; it was still only just a little before eleven. She was slowed down a little once she walked in, as well, by the receptionists who had seen everything happen the day before and had had no idea what had become of her. Once they calmed down, Emilia continued to Mr. Graham's current office, no longer on the first floor but still not in the spot that would become its final destination.

When she opened the door, everyone was already in there, which did surprise her a little. She had told them twelve, and she hadn't expected that they would all jam into the room for an hour or more to wait… and especially she hadn't expected that Milo and Dr. Waals would be there as well, both keeping out of the way in a corner for the moment, though Milo looked rigid with anxiety and Dr. Waals had a hand on his shoulder, presumably to keep him calm. Absol sat at the back of the room, but she felt his eyes fixate on her the moment she walked in. She closed the door, and everyone started speaking at once.

"Is he with you?"

"Are you okay?"

"What's going on?"

"Where's Tim?"

"What's happening?"

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"Did you really find him? What's going on?"

Emilia held up both hands as if in surrender, feeling overwhelmed. The chatter died down.

"Close the blinds… just in case." She requested, and Mr. Graham stepped over to them and shut them.

"Can you tell us what's going on now? Meiko said you found him… and that there's a big problem." He asked.

"Yes… there is. Gengar, you can bring him out now."

There were a couple of started yelps as Gengar suddenly emerged from her shadow, dragging Tim with him. Tim shuddered as Gengar let go, and the Shadow Pokemon dove back into, well, the shadows. A noise of surprise came from the corner Dr. Waals sat in.

"Oh, man… Tim!" Meiko raced over to haul Tim into a brief but enthusiastic hug.

"Oh, thank goodness…" Amanda sighed, looking relieved… and she was far from the only one who did.

Holiday took off his hat. "It's a relief to see that you're okay." He said, stepping toward Tim. Tim, having been released from Meiko, nodded.

"Thank you. I'm glad all of you have stayed safe as well…"

"Of course. We can all handle ourselves just as well as you can, you know." Tim's father winked at him, but Emilia could still see the relief there, just as she'd seen the worry etched into his face every time she'd seen him in the last four weeks.

The shrieking of the Cheering Pokemon, which had been nonstop since Tim had appeared (and only briefly paused between Emilia's return and Tim's appearance), suddenly cut off. Absol walked past them, stepping up to Tim. Tim looked at the Disaster Pokemon, and wrapped his arms around his neck. Absol reached up one front paw and put it on his back.

"Thank you, Absol. Thank you." Emilia heard him murmur, and Absol replied with,

"Sol."

Tim pulled away. "Are you okay? Your shoulder?"

"Sol."

Tim smiled, actually looking like he might be near tears. "I'm glad. I… I really owe you."

"Sol. Absol!"

He gave Absol a shaky grin. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Tim!" A new voice joined the conversation, one that had been impatient to do so, and Tim looked over at the boy it belonged to.

"Milo!"

As if Tim calling his name had given him permission, the boy ran up, Dr. Waals' hand slipping from his shoulder. "We heard you were in trouble, so we came up to help! Dr. Waals and I heard everything from your dad and Inspector Holiday! How can we help?"

Tim smiled. "Thank you… everyone. Thank you. What we were going to do was what we're going to discuss here. Emilia said she-"

"You… it's you!"

Tim stopped, startled, and looked up to see that Gengar had come out of the shadows again and was in front of Dr. Waals.

"You… you were… where were you? I waited for you for so long, but you never came back!" Gengar wailed.

Understanding hit Tim like a Thunderbolt, and he hurried over.

"Dr. Waals, maybe you know this Gengar? It lived at the Pokemon Comprehensive Laboratory ten years ago."

Waals' eyes widened. "Gengar? You're… that Gengar? You're okay? I went looking for you after the accident, but I couldn't find you… and then, I had to leave the mainland. After everything about that accident… I had to get away from the accusing stares. But… I never once stopped wondering where you were… if you were okay."

Gengar froze. "You… went looking for me? I hid right after the accident… and I missed you? You… you really did come for me… you really did care… I'm sorry!" Gengar almost fell forward, gripping Dr. Waals in a tight hug that shocked the man, but he nevertheless returned the gesture.

"There now… it's alright. We found each other again. It's alright."

For a moment, neither moved. Then, Gengar straightened, wiping at its eyes.

"Right.. we gotta… we gotta help our friend!" He turned and looked at Tim. "What are we doing?"

Tim smiled. Turning, he scanned the room; everyone wore expressions of surprise, confusion, or were smiling; most had a mixture of all three. No one but Tim, after all, had completely understood what had just happened.

"Alright. I'll catch all of you up to speed on what I know. Then, Emilia said she has an idea on what we can do."

A/N: A reunion... for more than just Tim. Gengar found his favourite human, and Tim is now back with all of his at last...

Emilia has a plan. Her admission that it's a reckless one didn't really stop Tim at all... not that something being reckless ever has before.