The story so far:

Alice Joy, despite her last name, decides to attempt to become a trainer at her best friend Jack's suggestion, despite her mother's wishes for her to continue the family legacy. Jack sends her a starter pokemon, which turns out to be a Houndour with an attitude. After catching her first pokemon, a Starly and running into a mysterious boy being chased by two suspicious individuals, she makes it to Jubilife City, where she planned to meet her friend. After meeting up with Jack, she is enrolled in the trainer school, where she meets one of the teachers there, Mr. Lewis, along with a trio of kids named Sammy, Antonio, and Miyubi. After spending a week at the school, Alice's anxiety over her mother gets the better of her, and she and Jack leave the city to put some distance between Alice and her mother. On the way to Floaroma Town they meet a coordinator named Archibald, who encourages Alice to attempt coordination, which she reluctantly agrees to. The day of the Floaroma Town contest finally arrives…

Chapter 10:

Sky rubbed his hands together, trying to warm up his fingers. He was sitting in the depths of a cave, taking shelter from the freezing winds outside. It had been a few days since Sky dove into the lake to escape from his pursuers. He was now in Snowpoint, an entire region now put between them and him. Even if they could figure out where he'd gone, it was far, far too late for them to find him.

He went to the other side of the region after all.

That being said, the move had definitely been a gamble. Putting aside the risky means of travel, ending up in the middle of the freezing Lake Acuity. While he had known the lake wasn't frozen over during this part of the season, he had still almost died being soaking wet this far north.

But he hadn't come here without a plan. There was some movement at the mouth of the cave. Sky lifted his head up to see a young Sneasel looking at him with a curious expression on its face. He smiled and motioned for the pokemon to come closer, and the ice-type obliged, cautiously approaching him.

"Are you the one everyone's talking about?" Sky heard the Sneasel say. It wasn't that Sneasel had spoken the human language itself, but rather that the words the young pokemon spoke were translated into words in his head.

Was that the reason he was being pursued? Sky wished it was, but he knew better. "That depends," Sky said to the Sneasel, already having a good idea what the pokemon was referring to. "What is 'everyone' saying?"

The Sneasel's eyes widened. "So you can understand us! I thought Shard was messing with me again." The ice weasel circled around him, curiosity sparkling in his eyes. "You also feel different from other humans too. Not smell, but kind of like… your presence? It's really comforting, and oddly pokemon-like?"

"I've been told that a lot." It was the thing most pokemon told Sky when he met them. "What do you think of humans?"

The Sneasel shrugged. "I don't really care about them. Most don't really bother me, and they're easy to avoid. My parents hate humans though. Something about being hunted in the past."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Eh, it's their issue, not mine." The Sneasel peered at him closer, as if trying to find something. "I do wonder why they helped you, though. What makes you special?

"Who knows?" Sky knew exactly why. The Weavile saving him from the freezing cold wasn't a coincidence. "Maybe they changed their minds."

The Sneasel glared at him. "You know, don't you? Tell me!"

Time to change topics. "I- Wait, I don't think I ever caught your name."

The Sneasel puffed out his chest. "My name is Whispering Leaves! Everyone just calls me Leaves though. A lot less cool, I know. What's yours?"

"Sky."

"Just Sky? That's pretty lame if you ask me. It needs another word in front of it to make it cool like mine. Like 'Red Sky'. Or maybe 'Howling Sky'! Or, or-" Sky smiled as Leaves began to list off potential names. His attention was drawn from the Sneasel in front of him to the face of the cave once again. Outside, a Weavile was glaring at him, the pokemon's black body barely visible through the heavy snowfall. Upon catching his eye, the Weavile motioned him to come outside. It was time to move on.

"Listen," Sky interrupted the young Sneasel's rant, causing the pokemon to look up at him in confusion. "As much as I'd like to hear your suggestions, I have to go."

Leaves pouted. "Really? Already? But we just met! I still have to ask you about humans and stuff!"

"I know, I'm sorry. But it wouldn't be healthy for me to stay here too long. I've been managing due to your parents helping me, but I couldn't forgive myself for relying on them for too long."

The Sneasel sighed. "I guess that makes sense. They probably don't like a human staying around here, despite how much like a pokemon you feel like."

"That is part of it, yes."

"Alright, go ahead! But if we do meet again, you better have thought up of a better name than just Sky."

Sky chuckled. "I'll try, Leaves."

"It's 'Whispering Leaves!'"

Rubbing Leaves's head, Sky put on the large coat the Weaviles had stolen for him, and walked out into the snow.

"Oh my god! You look amazing!" Jack squealed, walking around Alice while her phone flashed every second, trying to get every angle of her friend. Alice rolled her eyes but didn't object to her friend's photos. The one embarrassing thing was the stares of the other people in the lobby, looking at the racket Jack was making.

It did feel good to dress up every once in a while, not having her mother hovering over her shoulder judging her choices. Archibald had said a coordinator should look as good as their pokemon, so both her and her pokemon had prepared for the occasion.

Alice was wearing a violet petticoat dress. Frills adorned the short sleeves, with black ribbons tied at the ends. At the waist, another ribbon was tied around her hips, with layers of frills continuing downward to the end of the dress.

Rogue on other hand, wasn't wearing anything special. Archibald had suggested wearing something simple yet eye-catching, but Rogue had quickly made his stance on that clear, snarling at the suggestion. Instead, they had opted for simply giving the hound a haircut and some products to make his fur coat shine.

Alice was still amazed she managed to get Rogue to participate. Granted, it had required a bit of manipulation on her part, and required a performance that would match the dark type's personality. Which of course she couldn't have come up with without Archibald.

Two days ago…

Alice lay on the fields of Floaroma Meadow, her body splayed out as if she were in the snow making a snow angel. She could hear the buzzing of Combee in the distance, along with the whistling of wind through the grass. In her hand, she held a book filled with examples of contest techniques. Normally the atmosphere around here would be perfect for reading. But-

"It's no use," Alice groaned, staring hopelessly at the blue sky above. "I can't find anything that we could pull off in time."

"Well, not with that attitude. "Alice turned her head towards Archibald, who was sitting In the shade of a nearby tree. "You're not going to find the answer to your problems written down in a book."

"You're the one who told me to read it!"

"For inspiration for you, nothing more." Archibald said, wagging his finger. "It's true that your deadline is tight. I would be more comfortable giving a newcomer like you at least a week. But I'm confident you can do it."

"And if I can't?"

"Trying and failing is better than not trying at all."

Alice groaned. It would be so much easier if Archibald had simply given her an idea and told her to try to perform it. Why was he so obsessed with her coming up with something herself? Every second she wasted thinking was less time she had to practice.

Maybe she was thinking about this the wrong way. Alice closed her eyes, pushing the book out of her mind for the moment and simply thought about her pokemon. Her first instinct was obviously Paragon. The Starly was obedient, and hardworking. But the only thing she could think of him performing was maybe some of the flying techniques he had been taught by Jack's Noivern. But those were more focused on practicality rather than how good they looked, and other than that the bird didn't have anything flashy.

Then there was Rogue. Just remembering it, she could still hear the explosion above her as Rogue shot Paragon out of the air in a single shot. Fire was the definition of flashy, but the Houndour had no interest in obeying her at all. She couldn't count on him to perform. She already sees him curled up in a ball and ignoring her on stage in front of the audience, her face heating up in embarrassment at the thought.

But he did participate in battles. Rogue didn't listen to Alice at all, but he would still strive to win against anyone. Could she use that somehow? Miyubi's words echoed in her head. 'If direct orders aren't cutting it, you have to find other ways to win'. The Houndour despised losing, that much was clear after the match with Miyubi's Prinplup. Maybe through another loss…

Alice lifted herself off the ground with enough speed that Archibald jumped slightly. "Did you think of something?" He asked as Alice got up to her feet, brushing grass from her hair.

"I think I figured out a way I can get Rogue to cooperate with me. I'll need your help though."

Archibald raised his eyebrow with a smile on his face. "I'm listening."

Rogue sat at attention in front of Alice, a soft growl escaping his lips. For once, the hounds' irritation wasn't directed at her. Archibald's Flareon sat opposing the Houndour, a smug expression on its face. The pokemon had been talking to one another, and whatever the Flareon had said had really ticked Rogue off.

Of course, that was intentional.

Archibald, standing behind his Flareon, clapped his hands together. "Alright, you two, listen up! Fei here is going to do some basic fire type moves. Nothing contest related, just something to improve your fundamentals. The stronger your moves are, the more they'll impress the audience." He looked down. "Fei, if you'd please. Nothing too strong, just enough to impress."

The Flareon nodded and moved forward a couple paces, putting some distance between everyone else. Looking upward, the fire type braced itself, muscles rippling behind the Flareon's fur coat, and the flames were unleashed.

The move was less of a stream of fire like Alice had expected, and more of a giant fireball. The flame traveled upward, leaving a small trail of smoke from Fei's mouth. After a split second, the ball of flame exploded, raining down a flurry of sparks.

But what impressed Alice wasn't the display of force, but rather the deliberate beauty of the flame itself.

The plume seemed to flow like water as it traveled upward, and seemed even brighter than normal. When the ball exploded, the sparks seemed to fly in a uniform pattern before fading. Afterwards, Flareon puffed out its chest while looking at Rogue, almost taunting the other pokemon with its display.

Even Rogue seemed stunned by the display, but after Fei seemed to bark something at the fire/dark type, his scowl returned, deeper than before.

"Now then, you two are up. I want Rogue to try to imitate that flame as best as he can." As Alice and Rogue stared at him blankly, Archibald smiled. "Don't worry if you can't do it. Once you make an attempt, we can gradually work our way there."

Present Day:

It was through that grueling practice that their contest idea had emerged. Alice had thought it might be too basic, but Archibald had reassured her that it would be fine, and that if they managed to recreate what they had done during practice things would work out.

"How are my two stars doing?" Speak of the devil.

Archibald strolled into the contest lobby, a grin on his face. Immediately the stares and murmurs in the lobby increased tenfold. Great. The last thing she needed right now was a target on her back, but being seen being advised by a big shot like Archibald was a surefire way to earn one. Groaning, Alice turned to face her (second?) mentor.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" She hissed, looking around at the other contestants.

Archibald tilted his head. "Doing what?"

"Be serious. What do you think people are going to think when they see you supporting me?"

Surprisingly, Jack was the one who spoke up. "Chill out, Al. People are always going to assume things. Just don't pay them any mind. It's not like they're the judges."

Alice narrowed her eyes on her friend. "Shouldn't you be trying to dissuade me from participating? You want me to become a trainer, right?"

"Yeah, but if I knew that coordination meant getting to see you in a dress I would've been on board from the start."

Alice rolled her eyes and lightly pushed her away. "Go cool off outside. And go find some seats while you're at it."

"It's pretty hot outside though?"

"You know what I meant."

Jack chuckled. "Alright, alright. Ah, before I forget, here's what you asked me for!" She held out a small straw bag.

Alice snatched it out of her friend's hands and looked inside. "Why didn't you give me this earlier! I can't perform without these!"

"Sorry. Like I said, pretty dress."

Alice sighed. "Just go."

Jack smiled and made her way to the seating area, a skip in her step.

"So," Alice turned to Archibald, the man giving her a comforting smile. "Are you ready?"

"No." Alice deadpanned. "And I was trying to forget how 'not ready' I feel, so thanks for that."

"Ah, but young Alice, you don't solve your problems by avoiding them. You must face them!"

"How the hell do I solve how I feel?"

"In this case, by performing anyway!" Archibald proclaimed. "You think I've gone into every performance with 100% confidence? There's always the chance something goes wrong, a step the wrong way, a move missing at the worst moment. But accepting that is not only a part of coordination, but a part of life. Let me ask you this: Did you become a trainer knowing for sure it would work out?"

No, she hadn't. While what motivated her was her stuck-up parent, but in the back of her mind she'd known the risks. Being a trainer wasn't easy, and it was far from safe. At this moment, wasn't she simply taking another chance? Compared to the risks she had taken, this was trivial.

Clenching her fists, Alice looked up at Archibald. "You're right. Let's just get this over with."

Archibald smiled. "Excellent. I look forward to seeing you two perform." Giving a smile to Rogue who was sitting in the corner, Archibald strolled out of the lobby, with then a couple gazes following him. Alice could feel some of those gazes on her as well, so she walked over to Rogue, trying to ignore the curious glances from the other contestants.

"Ready?" She asked the Houndour. While she expected the usual snort of smoke, but oddly enough the pokemon gave her an odd stare she couldn't read, simply staring up at her.

It unsettled her out, so Alice tried a different approach. "What's wrong? Getting scared?" At those words Rogue's usual irritated expression returned, and he let out a puff of smoke in her direction before turning away. That was better. The last thing she needed was Rogue to get cold feet.

"Attention coordinators!" A loudspeaker in the corner of the room crackled to life. "The Floaroma Town contest will start in 30 minutes. Please follow the staff to the back rooms to prepare for your performance!" As the other contestants around her started moving, Alice took a deep breath. Things were going to be fine.

Alice and the other contestants were led to what seemed like a smaller lobby. On the left there was a small door which led to a dressing room, perhaps for contestants to change if they hadn't already, or to make sure nothing was wrong with their clothes. On the wall there was a large screen which currently showed an interview with the three judges, asking their thoughts on the contestants today. There were apparently a few that had caught their attention. Alice scanned the room once their pictures were shown.

A boy in a black suit sat on a bench, a Murkrow perched on his shoulder. A girl in A blue dress whispered to her Piplup as she held it in her lap. A young woman knelt in the corner of the room, brushing her Ponyta's hair. To Alice's dismay, the interview eventually showed her face on screen, and she looked down, trying to ignore yet another wave of stares sent in her direction. Just think of it as practice for on stage. Alice thought, and she lifted her head, still feeling the burning embarrassment on her cheeks.

"Attention, attention!" Alice jumped as one of the contest staff yelled into the room. "Will contestant number 1, Teo Rumbleton please come with me? It is time for your performance."

A young boy practically stumbled his way forward, and Alice's heartbeat began to rise. She took a breath, and closed her eyes. You've done more stressful things than this. Get a hold of yourself.

Time seemed to blur as Alice waited for her turn. She kept her eyes closed, not opening them even when she heard impressed gasps from the other contestants, most likely from other performances. The last thing she needed was to start comparing herself to others.

Soon enough, Alice heard the words she had been waiting for. "Will contestant number 34, Alice Joy, please follow me. It is time for your performance."

Her eyes snapped open, and she felt Rogue get up near her feet. Deep breaths. Alice's body felt like lead as she stood up from the bench, flinching as her joints crackled from sitting for so long. It made sense she would be last since she had joined at the last minute, but having to sit for so long had been torture. She dreaded going up on stage, but she also had simply wanted to get it over with.

Almost stumbling in her heels, Alice followed the staff member to the backstage area, clutching the bag Jack had given her so hard that she could feel the straw digging into skin.

"Ok, so since this is your first contest, I'm going to give you the rundown, ok? The staff member said, catching her attention. Alice blinked, surprised she had known. But then again, it was probably something the contest staff kept track of to keep things running smoothly. Veterans on the other hand they could leave on their own with just a few parting words.

"Right now, contestant number 33 is doing their performance. After that ends, they'll head back to the waiting room and the judges will give their thoughts and cast their scores. After that, there will be a short pause while the cleanup crew makes sure there are no lingering traces from the previous performance. Once they give the ok, the host will introduce you, and that'll be your cue, alright? Make sure you actually wait until you hear your name."

Seemed simple enough. A lot of words just to say she needed to wait until the host called her name. Rogue grumbled as he sat next to her, shifting his paws. He didn't seem nervous, just annoyed. Was he getting impatient too? Somehow, watching her pokemon's usual indignation calmed her down a bit.

That's right, just treat this like a normal operation. Alice closed her eyes. She wasn't at the contest backstage, but in the supply room getting ready for an operation. The stench of cleaning wipes permeated the air from recently cleaned tools. The murmurs of nurses in the operating room ahead as they prepared for the upcoming surgery. As Alice took in those sounds, a memory surged to the surface. Her imagination rippled, and the click of familiar heels made her turn around.

Her mother now stood in the supply with her, wearing her usual pink scrubs. Although her face was obscured by a face mask, her eyes still pierced Alice's heart, sending chills through her body.

"The family creed."

The family creed. Before Alice realized it, she was already saying the words.

"As a nurse of the 2nd sect of the Joy Family, I pledge to dedicate myself entirely to treating others. That my blood, sweat and tears will be committed to seeing patients rise again. That I will cast aside emotions and personal desires to achieve this. The patient will always be first, the family always second, and myself third."

As soon as she said those words, Alice felt a deep shame swell from inside. She had done so much, yet she still couldn't escape from her mother's, from her family's influence. In this stressful situation, instead of relying on herself, she found herself running back to her mother's teachings.

And the worst part was that it worked.

"Hey, Miss Joy! You're up! Snap out of it!"

At the staff member's words, Alice snapped out of her thoughts. Her anxiety had faded, and even as she wordlessly recalled Rogue to his pokeball in preparation for their entrance and was pushed out to the stage, she felt no fear.

In fact, she didn't feel anything.

"Is it Alice's turn yet?" Jack groaned, shifting in her seat. Patience was never her strong suit when it came to events like these. While the performances had been nice, she desperately wanted to see what Alice and Archibald had come up with.

"That's the fifth time you've asked that, my friend. And she should be coming up next." Archibald sat next to her, legs crossed and looking at his reflection in a hand mirror.

Jack looked at the senior coordinator. Archibald was someone Jack herself had met near the beginning of her journey, and like Alice, Archibald had attempted to get Jack into coordination. Unfortunately for him, Jack loved battles too much to consider it, and she also wasn't a fan of having to dress up. She also just didn't find coming up with performances to be fun. She did like the battle rounds, due to the unique way it twisted the usual trainer battle.

What Jack didn't expect was for Alice to, unlike her, take an interest in contests. Maybe it was a bit much to expect Alice to be as dedicated to be as dedicated to battling as she was, but she never would have expected her to participate in contests.

Jack flinched as she remembered how angry Alice had gotten when she had tried to steer her away from Archibald. Was it because she tried to keep Alice from taking an interest that her friend had stubbornly dived head first into coordination? Was she just going along with Archibald's whims? Had she been doing the same with Jack? Was she actually enjoying herself with either?

In any case, it was too early to tell. This was her first contest, and she hadn't even entered a gym yet. Jack resolved that whatever happened, she would do her best to make sure Alice had a good time with her gym challenge.

"Are you alright? Getting nervous for Alice's performance?" Jack jumped as Archibald interrupted her thoughts.

"Nah, she'll do fine. I mean, with you helping her, she has to do at least decently well."

"My, you would rate my help so highly?" Archibald held his hand to his heart. "It warms my soul to hear such praise from such an accomplished trainer."

"Yeah, yeah." Jack waved him off. "Save that energy for Alice when she's done, ok?"

Archibald chuckled and opened his mouth to speak, but a crackle of static from the loudspeakers distracted them both.

"It's time for our final performance, ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer walked back onto the stage, her white flower petal dress glowing from the stage light. She had said her name at the start of the contest, but Jack had already forgotten it. "Our new contestant is new to the scene, but that last name is one everyone recognizes."

"Let's go Al!" Jack yelled before the announcement finished, earning a few odd stares from people sitting around her. She didn't care. She would make sure Alice knew that she had her full support. The lights around the gym dimmed, while the stage lights shifted and brightened.

"Let's see what this renowned family can bring to this contest. Give it up for Miss Alice Joy!"

As the audience began to clap, Jack stood up and hollered her friend's name, waving and clapping so her friend would hopefully see her. Beside her, Archibald let out a chuckle but stood up as well, albeit clapping quieter than Jack was.

And then, there she was. Alice finally walked onto the stage. But something was… off. She looked exactly as she had when Jack had left her, with her dress glittering in the light, and her neck length pink hair neatly combed, with a purple bow at the top of her head.

Jack squinted. What was she missing? The monitor above the stage flashed with a close-up of Alice's face, and Jack instantly pieced it together. It was her face.

If Jack were to describe Alice's expression at the moment, it would be a blank slate. Her eyes, while never really shining, now looked like empty shells, and her movements looked creepily slow, as if she were sleepwalking.

As the applause died down, and the announcer motioned for the performance to begin, Alice slowly lifted her arm, a pokeball gleaming in her hand. With careful precision, she tossed the device into the air, and there was a flash of light as Rogue was released onto the stage, his new green scarf tied around his neck. Sitting on his hind legs, he let out a howl that echoed throughout the gym.

There was a wave of murmurs as the audience observed Alice's pokemon. Jack was sure she heard someone nearby whisper "Cute".

Alice lifted her other hand that had been hidden behind her dress, revealing a familiar small bag. Jack knew exactly what was inside, but she still had no idea how Alice meant to be used, her curiosity peaking as she watched Alice put her hand inside the bag.

Taking out the object, Alice presented it dramatically to the audience. A single oran berry glowed in the stage light, being clutched between Alice's fingers. After holding it aloft for a few more seconds, she bent her hand down, whistled, and tossed it forward into the air. Time seemed to slow as the berry spun in the air, but Jack found her attention shifting to Rogue, who was no longer sitting, his body tensed and looking at the flying object. Was he going to jump and catch it? As she looked back at the berry, Jack jumped as the berry suddenly exploded, an impressive plume of flame flashing over the stage.

Her heart still beating from surprise, Jack looked back at Rogue. The Houndour's mouth was smoldering, black smoke and sparks trailing into the air. The explosion had definitely been caused by him, but the move itself had been performed at an unbelievable speed.

Alice threw another berry, and this time Jack kept her eyes glued to Rogue. The Houndour tensed again, and after a moment Jack caught a small ball of light escaping from the hound's mouth. It had to have been the smallest Ember that Jack had ever seen, but the fastest as well, and it wasn't weak by any means.

For a Houndour, that was some fantastic flame control. Jack thought, watching the small spark burst this time into a star-shaped flame. It took Plume evolving to show near that degree of control. Then again, we didn't have anyone helping us on that front. Then again, considering who Rogue's parents are, I'm not surprised.

Each time Alice threw a berry, Rogue would cycle between three shapes. A sphere, a star, and a triangle. The star and triangle were the shapes the Houndour struggled more with, as they would sometimes appear with an odd curve, or a point sticking in a weird direction. Despite that, it was still an impressive feat, and Jack felt a swell of pride watching her friend perform despite the fact she was coordinating and not battling.

"Let's go Al!" She yelled, attracting some irritated stares once more. "Show these chumps how it's done!"

If Alice had heard her, she gave no indication to Jack that she did. Digging into the bag, Alice took out three berries, dramatically presenting them to the audience. It was time for the finale. She said something to Rogue who immediately tensed, his ears perking up and eyes narrowing with focus. Alice tossed the berries into the air one at a time rapidly tossing them higher than she had the previous ones. After a short pause, Rogue started, nailing the first berry on the left with a triangle explosion. The second was a bit shaky, with the following sphere on the right having some odd spikes here and there. The third however…

In hindsight, it had been quite amazing that nothing had gone terribly wrong yet. It was Alice's first contest however, and the cracks were beginning to show. Rogue's third shot missed its mark, the spark fizzling out as it zipped past the berry. Rogue visibly panicked, sending two more sparks towards the descending seed. The first missed again, but the second hit its mark, forming into a very malformed star. At that point the berry had nearly hit the ground, leaving the third explosion in an odd position compared to the other two.

Jack turned to Alice, expecting her friend to be red with embarrassment as she usually did when getting flustered. That wasn't what she saw.

Alice had the same blank expression she did when she did on stage. Her eyes were looking at the remains of the final explosion, but her eyes looked glazed over, as if she was lost in thought. There was an awkward minute of silence, as Alice gave no indication her performance was over. As murmurs started to emanate from the audience, Rogue blew a light cloud of embers at Alice's face, snapping her out of her stupor. She gave an awkward curtsy, prompting the audience to start their applause. As she quickly walked behind the curtains, Jack could almost hear her cursing out her Houndour, her ears bright red from embarrassment. Whatever had come over Alice had passed.

"Will that be all, detective?" sat in the teacher's lounge, his arms clasped together on the table. Miyubi could see flickers of irritation on his face as she sat on a couch nearby, pretending to look at her notes as she listened. "I do have to get back to work."

The woman across from him gave a bright smile that didn't seem to reach her eyes. "I guess that'll do for now. I would like to know a bit more about her associate, but I suppose we can continue this another day." She stood up with a strange elegance that clashed with her casual clothing. With the oddly oversized sweater and ripped up jeans, Miyubi had done a double take when the woman had presented her badge. And neither her elegance or clothes really matched her occupation.

As the odd detective slowly walked out the door, Miyubi slowly walked over to her teacher, trying to hide her curiosity over the interrogation. As she approached, sighed, running his hands through his hair.

"Why does that weird detective want to find Alice?" Miyubi gets straight to the point. There was no point dancing around it, and the question had been gnawing at her once she heard the questioning. "Is this why she was in such a rush to leave?"

"I think so." Mr. Lewis said, picking up one of the papers in front of him.

"Is she possibly on the run?" Miyubi speculated. "She doesn't seem like the type, but looks are deceiving. Is she part of that protest that's starting to get popular?"

shook his head. "I doubt it. Something like that wouldn't be handled by a private eye."

Miyubi frowned. "Then why? In the first place, isn't it weird she didn't reveal who her client was? Could someone dangerous be after her?"

"No," Mr. Lewis said, taking out his phone after he found the number he was looking for. "I think this might be a family matter."

Hey folks! It's been a while. No, this story isn't dead, I've just been a bit burnt out on writing in the past few months. I can't say if I'll be back to regularly updating again, but for now, we're back. As always, follows and reviews are appreciated.