Author's Note: This fic is set in the same universe as WTMR, 5 years after the still unforeseen events/ending of WTMR. (WTMR = Where The Moon Rises, another Pokemon fic of mine.)
This story was written for fun.
Reviews and comments are welcome. Malicious remarks and destructive criticism are not. Please remember that the people behind the computer screens are real human beings with feelings.
CHAPTER 1
Street lamps illuminated the evening darkness as I strolled down the street, one hand carrying a copy of the daily newspaper. I'd been so busy running around the city all day that I hadn't had a chance to read it yet. I was looking forward to sitting and enjoying some downtime.
A warm breeze blew past then, tickling the ends of my rust-colored hair. July was almost upon us. I tugged at the collar of my dress shirt a couple times before deciding it was better to undo the top few buttons. It was a little too humid for my liking.
Astre thought so, too, if the way he complained in my ear was anything to go by. The Morpeko was lucky I could understand him in between all the berry seeds being stuffed into his mouth.
"Chew on your food properly," I chided in an affectionate tone.
I playfully bopped his head with a finger. Before I could withdraw, Astre wrapped his stubby arms around my finger and hugged it. That drew a smile from me, but I repeated my previous words.
"Cute. Now chew on your food properly."
Astre pouted as he let go. This time, he ate his snacks more slowly.
A series of squeaks came from my other shoulder. The Morpeko that sat there nodded sagely in Astre's direction. In an almost sarcastic voice, she told him that he should savor his food. Astre argued back that he was. Tiny crumbs flew onto my jawline.
I discreetly wiped them off as the two Morpeko bickered. My shadow rippled ever so slightly in the process, and I heard the faintest laughter echo in my ears.
I kept walking. We were almost there.
The concrete sidewalk eventually turned into familiar cobbled flooring as we entered one of Lumiose's more historical districts. I made a slow, leisurely turn off the main street into a series of alleys instead. Eventually, I emerged into a noticeably older-looking part of town. Antique signs and weathered buildings bled past one after another as I walked. There were less and less people around the further I went. There was also a lot less lighting around here, but I didn't really need the light to begin with.
My eyes pierced through the darkness and studied a lone street lamp on the far end of the street. Its warm glow flickered irregularly. Hmm. Hopefully the Lumiose Public Works department came by and fixed it soon. If not, I supposed calling in a report wouldn't hurt if only for the sake of the locals.
This was already one of the shadier neighborhoods in Lumiose to begin with. I felt at ease around here, but the same could not be said for others.
My pace did not change even when a familiar brick building and neon sign came into sight in the distance. There, Kalosian letters were on display in looping cursive.
The Little Star, they read.
I hummed in content as we approached the establishment, mind already full of thoughts about the coffee awaiting me. Two cups were on the mental menu. Meanwhile, parts of a melodious song flowed out in muffled words the closer we got to The Little Star.
"C'est si bon… De partir n'importe où…"
I would have heard it better, too, if it wasn't for a commotion.
A man was arguing with a tall, black-and-white Pokemon in front of the doors. Even from where I was, the whiff of booze was strong. Alcohol was important to Kalosian culture, but it seemed someone had had a little too much to drink. My nose wrinkled.
"Come on, I've got enough money for a ticket," I heard the man slur. He swayed side to side on unsteady feet. "I promise I'll buy a lot of drinks. More revenue, right?"
The Obstagoon blocking his way stared back with a decidedly unamused gaze. He remained unmoving.
Undeterred, the man tried again in a more insistent tone.
"You think you can run a business like this? I demand to see the owner—"
He broke off when Obstagoon finally shifted.
The over six-foot-tall Pokemon leaned over the unwanted guest, eyes gleaming with a hint of madness. A threatening rumble emerged from its throat as it slowly uncrossed its arms. Under the neon lights from above, bulging muscles were highlighted with an almost sinister glow.
"Hic."
The small hiccup of fear was heard by everyone. Wisely, the man took a step back.
"N-Never mind. I need to get up early for work tomorrow," he blurted out. The last word had hardly left his mouth before he stumbled away. I sidestepped the drunkard on his way out and idly wondered if I wanted to report him to the police for public intoxication.
"Nice job, bud. Where's Hugo?" I asked instead.
Obstagoon had been busy glaring after the man, but he did a complete 180 when he heard my voice. A dopey smile replaced his previous look of intimidation. His tongue rolled out of his mouth as I walked up and patted him on the shoulder. He growled happily before answering.
Unsurprisingly, Hugo was on a restroom break. I wasn't going to dock his pay or anything, but the guy went to the restroom so many times in a day that it really made one wonder about his health.
I chatted with Obstagoon until a bulky man dressed in formalwear emerged from the club doors. His eyes widened when they met mine.
"My apologies, Monsieur Fabreau," he hurriedly said, head dipping in a slight bow.
I shook my head with a smile of understanding. "No apology needed. Keep up the good work."
And… my dearest consolation to your bowels, I added silently in my head.
Hugo beamed at me.
Without further ado, he took up his usual post by the doors. Obstagoon went first and opened the door for me. I followed him inside as faint snickering came from the two Morpeko sitting on my shoulders and my shadow. My following words were almost drowned out by music and chatter. It was as loud as ever here.
"Let's not judge someone for something they can't control," I warned, but the corners of my lips twitched.
The snickering died away as we took steps up two at a time. At the top of the small staircase, people of all genders and ages mingled on the dance floor with colorful drinks in hand. In the back, a woman in a long red dress stood on a platform framed by drawn curtains. Her accompaniment — a saxophonist and pianist — supplemented her soulful singing without missing a beat. In the audience, people swayed to and fro to the lively jazz.
Heads turned my way as Obstagoon and I walked past the dance floor.
"Club owner, you're here!"
"Come dance with us, Monsieur Fabreau!"
I raised a hand in response to all the warm voices, casting a brief smile in their direction.
"Maybe later," I called out over all the sound. "The night is long. Go and have your fill of fun!"
A wave of cheers met my suggestion.
With greetings out of the way, I headed for the bar. I had the whole place to myself as I leaned over the counter, calling out to the bartender on duty. He might have looked like a gangster, but he was a good man.
"Anything?" I asked.
The sandy-haired man shook his head. One of his eyebrows had a scar across it.
"Nothing, boss," Mathis replied in a regretful voice. I was pleased to see he already had cups of strong black coffee waiting for me. He slid them over on a small tray, and I was quick to inhale their warm, steaming scents with a smile.
Finally.
I blinked back to reality when I realized Mathis was still staring at me.
"Anything else I can do for you, boss?" he asked, looking like a hopeful puppy waiting for praise from his owner. It was a hilarious contrast to his rough features.
"Just let me know if we get any clients," I said.
It was the same thing I always told him, but Mathis bobbed his head up and down enthusiastically anyway.
"You got it!"
Mathis returned to cleaning cups with a spring in his step. I even heard him humming to himself as I pushed myself off the counter with newly-acquired coffee in hand. Obstagoon took my newspaper from me and once again led the way in thoughtful consideration of the hot drinks I carried.
We went through a staff-only entrance behind the bar and down a long hall. The walls here were sparsely decorated with a few paintings and hanging plants, all of which were not to my taste. I hadn't picked them out; Mathis had.
The lively club sounds gradually faded the further we traveled. Our final destination was a door half-hidden in a corner of the passage. Obstagoon held it open for me as I walked into my office. My shoulders were finally relieved of their passengers at this point as both Morpeko somersaulted themselves onto the couch.
The room was already occupied before our arrival. In the corner of the room, one of Houndoom's eyes cracked open at the sound of the door closing. He'd been sleeping on a pile of blankets. He raised his head with a yawn as I set my coffee tray down on my desk.
"The others?" I asked him. According to Houndoom, all but one of them were training in the underground room below. They were getting antsy due to the lack of action lately. As for the last one, well…
A timely tapping sound against glass let me know Honchkrow was back.
The massive bird waited patiently on the balcony for me to open the window. As soon as I did, he hopped inside with all the grace of a gentlemanly bird and a loud cry to boot. He answered my unformed question before I could even ask.
He hadn't heard anything new from the city Murkrow.
I sighed. "Really? You'd think it'd be easy to get information considering the state of the city these days…"
Honchkrow copied my sigh but with a more theatrical flourish.
While he hopped over to Houndoom for a chat, I finally sank into my plush armchair with an oomph. A stream of darkness traveled from my shadow to the shaded area by the couch. There, it split into two shadowy puddles. They fooled around with my Morpeko in a lazy game of tag.
I let the four of them have their fun. I nearly melted with pleasure as I raised a cup of coffee to my mouth and finally, finally tasted the hints of spice and warm chocolate I'd been craving for hours now.
It wasn't like I needed caffeine. I just loved the rich flavor of coffee.
Speaking of… Mathis got better at brewing coffee with every day that passed. It was to the point where I seriously considered buying another cafe and letting that guy be the main barista there. I had a feeling that even if I did, though, he would refuse and stick to me like glue.
I hummed a random tune to myself as I held my coffee cup in one hand and accepted the newspaper from Obstagoon with the other. He started tidying up a bookshelf in the room while I flipped through my copy of the Lumiose Daily, our fair city's leading news organization.
That was only after my eyes lingered on the front page. There was a whole spread there of the Lumiose Gym, or the Prism Tower as it was otherwise known by.
'GYM LEADER MEYER'S MURDERER STILL AT LARGE' was also slapped on the top of the page in bold letters.
I turned pages while intermittently sipping coffee.
NEW HOLO CASTER MODEL IN DEVELOPMENT AT LYSANDRE LABS.
ONE YEAR SINCE DIANTHA'S DEFEAT BY MYSTERY MAN AT BATTLE CHATEAU: WHERE IS HE?
MAYOR BERNARD SWEARS TO REDUCE CRIME RATES IN LUMIOSE BEFORE YEAR'S END.
Time passed peacefully. I had moved onto the international news section and my second cup of coffee when multiple Pokemon in the room perked up. The large shadow playing with my two Morpeko darted out the room and back in again before announcing the news.
Mathis was approaching, and he wasn't alone.
I wore a practiced smile as I put away the newspaper and leaned back in my seat. Moments later, the door swung open to reveal a nervous-looking man with thinning hair. Mathis did not enter the office with him; instead, he waited for the man to walk hesitantly inside before bowing respectfully to me.
Then he closed the door, leaving us alone. I gestured to the empty chair across my desk.
"Please, have a seat," I said kindly.
The guest took his time looking at the various Pokemon in the room first. With a loud, audible gulp, he finally sat himself down in the chair. I took a sip of my coffee while he fidgeted with his hands, waiting patiently for my newest client to speak up.
"You're… You're really the one they call the Problem Solver?" the man finally asked. I ignored the stare he gave me as I put my coffee down.
"That does seem to be what they call me around these parts, yes," I finally said. I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt as I continued. "Do pray tell: what brings you here today?"
The man looked surprised.
"You're not going to ask for my name?" he asked. "Who I am?"
"No," I said simply. "Not unless you care to share."
The man immediately shook his head. "I'm… I'm looking for someone."
That didn't sound too unusual. I made a gesture for him to go on.
"Ivo Abrache. He… broke into my store several years ago. A jewelry shop. My Fletchinder tried to stop him and… he killed her," the man managed to get out with some difficulty. I saw tears form in his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. "I had Fira since I was a child. There's not a day that goes by when I don't miss her."
I stayed quiet.
"He was in jail until recently," the man continued. "He broke out and hid himself here in Lumiose. I want you to find him."
"You're coming to me for this and not the authorities?"
"I went to them already," my guest replied. His shoulders drooped. "They're trying their best, but they said it'd be hard to find him. He's a slippery one. But I… I don't want to live another day knowing he's out there somewhere in the world again."
He leaned forward in his seat, eyes blazing with desperation. "They say you always succeed in fulfilling your client's request. Please help me."
I drummed my fingers against the table.
"First, let me clarify the details of this commission," I said. My green eyes bored into his. "You said you want me to find him. What am I supposed to do after? Do you want revenge?"
The man's eyes widened.
"No! No. I just want him back in jail again. You can give him to the police."
I nodded. Good. I had admittedly toed the line between law and unlawful activities many times before, but I didn't want to cross it. I couldn't.
"Alright," I said. The man's eyes lit up, but I held up a finger before he could get too excited. "I haven't accepted your request yet. There's the issue of payment. Since you've heard about me, I'm sure you also know the way it works here?"
He squared his shoulders, looking more confident than before.
"'No money,'" he quoted. "'The Problem Solver only deals with valuable information.'"
The smile I gave him was a pleased one. "That's right. I only want information, and it has to be something I don't already know. I'm not talking about ordinary gossip either. It has to be meaningful. If you can satisfy me with your intel, I'll accept your request."
I stared expectantly at him. He looked confident, so perhaps this would be worth my time. Otherwise, he and I would both be leaving this office as disappointed people.
Even though my office was soundproof, the man looked left and right before leaning in.
"You know the recent case about Leader Meyer?" he asked in a hushed whisper.
This was either going to be a dud or a jackpot. I sincerely hoped it was the latter.
The man's already faint voice dropped a few levels.
"One of my neighbors passed by the tower the night of the murder. She said she saw two shadowy figures leave the gym."
I studied his face and overall body posture, and I determined he was most likely not lying. My hand clenched into a fist under the table.
Jackpot.
"This… neighbor of yours. Did she not bring this up with the League? They're looking for any and all information related to the case right now."
"Not yet. She's hesitating because she wasn't sure if she saw right," the man trailed off. "You know what people say about the Lumiose Gym nowadays, right?"
Oh, I knew. There were rumors rapidly gaining traction by word of mouth in the streets and on social media.
"You mean that the Gym Leader position is cursed?"
"Yeah. Two Gym Leaders have died now," he muttered.
I almost clenched my jaw. Control your emotions, I reminded myself. I nearly missed what else my would-be client had to say.
"My neighbor's scared that the perpetrators might come after her if she tells the police what she saw and it turns out she's right," the man explained. He fidgeted with his hands, looking at me with an expression as nervous as the one he had when he first walked in. "So… is that good enough for you? Will you take my request?"
There was no point keeping him waiting in suspense. I flashed a wide, confident smile at him.
"Your commission has been accepted. Rest assured, everything will be over by morning."
Minutes later, the office only held me and my Pokemon again. My client had left after offering profuse thanks and many, many handshakes of gratitude.
I downed the rest of my coffee and stood up, cracking my knuckles. As much as I wanted to look into the unexpected intel my client had given me, I had a job to finish first. I needed to fetch the rest of my Pokemon from the underground training room.
This wasn't going to take long. I still needed to eat dinner after all.
Ivo Abrache was not having a good evening.
It had taken him months of meticulous planning to figure out a viable escape plan from jail, and it had taken him even longer to actually execute it successfully. Hiding in Lumiose had been a genius plan on his part. The city was so infested with criminals in the first place that it was hard to catch them all, and it helped that the city was currently without a Gym Leader. More and more criminals were running wild in the backstreets of Lumiose without a top dog to keep them in line when the police couldn't.
So why was he not having a good evening?
Well, he was on his way to move hideouts. He didn't want the authorities to get a hold of him by staying in one place for too long, so he switched where he hid every now and then. Currently, he was passing through an abandoned parking lot. It was odd. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that he was being watched. No matter how hard he looked, though, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary around him.
He shivered, deciding to walk faster. Maybe he was being paranoid—
The world turned black and white without warning.
Quite literally, the world around them had been sapped of any colors it originally held. The street lamps no longer glowed an inviting yellow but an eerie white. Peeling movie posters slapped across brick walls lost their brilliant hues. And the ground… oh, the ground had been covered entirely with shadows.
It felt like he was in one of those old noir films.
Ivo's finger hit a Pokeball's release mechanism almost instantly. Out popped his partner Kadabra, and Ivo shouted for him to Teleport them away.
He tried to issue the order at least. Nothing came out. It was only then that he realized he hadn't heard the sound of the Pokeball clicking earlier, either. It was like… all sound had been erased on top of color. Ivo ignored any confusion he felt in favor of signaling what he wanted with his hands to Kadabra instead. He practically melted in relief when Kadabra held up a spoon. They were going to be out of here soon. Screw Lumiose, he was going to another city instead. This place was too freaky.
That was the plan, but Kadabra's Teleport didn't work. Ivo's blood ran cold.
What the hell was happening?
He tossed out two other Pokeballs — those belonging to his Mightyena and Gourgeist — without further delay in case a fight was imminent. They all started running, but they halted in place when figures emerged from the shadows on the ground. A humanoid feline Pokemon bowed mockingly and offered a flower to them while a large panda-like figure smashed two fists together with a scowl. A Meowscarada and Pangoro.
The other way. He had to go the other way. Ivo turned and froze mid-step, a silent gasp stuck in his throat.
More figures had appeared on the other side of the street. A laughing Grimmsnarl, a Kingambit sitting menacingly on its throne, and a Sableye with its head tilted back in a cackle.
That wasn't the end of them. Above their heads, a Honchkrow alighted on a utility pole. An Umbreon rested almost languidly on its back. One draconic head— no… three snarling, draconic heads peeked over their shoulders. A Hydreigon.
Ivo and his Pokemon backed up against the wall as figures rapidly materialized mere feet away from them. Shadows eventually gave way to another small group of Pokemon, this one consisting of a Houndoom, Absol, and Obstagoon. A Sharpedo swam around them. The way it popped in and out of the shadows like it was swimming around in the ocean was terrifying. And was that… Ivo squinted.
Yep, that was a Gyarados flying around in the sky.
He thought things couldn't get any worse. Then Ivo saw the green Pokemon whose head peeked over the top of the building across from him, and he paled. Its massive jaws parted wide in an unpleasant smile. That was most definitely a Tyranitar.
Ivo Abrache realized at that moment that he was well and truly fucked.
His head spun. His legs shook violently. Forget a noir film, he felt like he was suddenly in a horror movie.
What the hell, what the hell, what the hell—
So many Pokemon. So many Dark types. The pressure all of them radiated made it clear he was vastly outmatched. He would have almost thought the Elite Four or Champion themselves were after a small-time criminal like him, but none of them were Dark Specialists.
He gritted his teeth, trying hard not to shake. He had to at least put up a struggle. Ivo raised a hand to urge his Pokemon to action—
The last thing he saw was a ninja-like Pokemon — Greninja — blink into existence in front of him. Then it hit his neck with its hand, and his eyes began to roll over.
Merde.
I finished placing a delivery order for pizza right as Greninja finished incapacitating Ivo Abrache and his Pokemon.
It had been easy finding my target.
With a city full of Murkrow roaming the skies and Alolan Rattatas rooting through trash in the alleys, Honchkrow and I had a whole information network at our disposal. Once we narrowed down Ivo's location, my Pokemon rapidly searched by traveling through shadows.
The rest was history.
I hadn't needed to bring my full team, and my client hadn't needed revenge, but I figured it was fine to at least scare the guy a bit. In truth? It was more to relieve our boredom than anything. My Pokemon and I hadn't done anything exciting lately other than information-gathering.
It was too bad they wouldn't remember anything about this encounter after Sableye ate their dreams. None of the security cameras had caught us, either, with the void we'd set up.
Now that dinner plans were in motion, I sent in an online tip from my phone for the sighting of one Mr. Ivo Abrache. My two Morpeko were once again sitting on my shoulders, and I oh so nicely ferried them to the others as I approached the unconscious criminals we'd apprehended.
The void was still up. Space was altered here. From the outside, it looked like nothing was out of the ordinary. The rest of the street remained a monochromatic world while color returned to the areas surrounding me and my Pokemon.
I held up my phone, grinning.
"Who's up for pizza?"
My answer consisted of shadows wrapping around my body. I closed my eyes, surrendering myself to their embrace.
It was time to head back.
Dinner had been more chaotic than usual. Thanks to our little exercise before dinner, everyone was in high spirits.
Now, it was well past midnight; however, I didn't have any plans of going to sleep anytime soon. I was still investigating the information I'd received and matching it up with other intel in my possession, but I wasn't having any luck.
Still, a lead was a lead no matter how minor.
My eyes narrowed when the Pokemon currently inhabiting my office moved.
My two Morpeko jumped onto my shoulders like bodyguards while Houndoom, Obstagoon, and the others melted into the shadows like they were never there. Mathis was bringing someone again… someone unusual.
For the second time in the span of a single day, I put on a practiced smile and waited patiently at my desk.
The door opened. Like I'd expected, Mathis had brought another client with him. It was a short woman with ginger hair in a pixie cut and tattered jeans. She looked no older than… twenty, give or take.
Looked was the key word here. The glamour was good, I'd give her that, but it couldn't escape the senses of a Dark Specialist like me. Besides… I'd had a feeling she'd come knocking on my door sooner or later. As soon as the door swung shut, I rested my chin on the palm of my hand.
"Well, isn't this such a surprise," I greeted. "Who would have I'd meet the Champion of Kalos in this old office of mine?"
She didn't even try to refute it. The woman — Diantha — smiled amicably, settling herself into the seat across from me with an air of grace.
"So quick to see through my Pokemon's glamour," she mused out loud. "I'd expect nothing less from a talented individual like yourself."
She stared into my eyes. The smile still hadn't dropped from her face.
Mine didn't, either, even with her next words.
"It took me a year to track you down, Raynard. The last son of House Odaria."
Astre moved to make a threatening squeak, but I bopped him on the nose before he could do so. This wasn't as big of a deal as he thought.
"It wasn't like I was specifically avoiding you," I politely replied.
A bell-like laugh filled my office. "I know. I have my suspicions, but first… I'd like to speak to the real you."
It went both ways. A Fairy Specialist could see through the Dark as well.
"Ladies first," I gestured with a flourish.
Diantha hummed out loud in thought, but her transformation was already unraveling. She went back to looking like her usual iconic self. Behind her, a Gardevoir blinked into existence. Its hand rested protectively on her shoulder.
In good faith, I raised a hand. Diantha and her protector watched in guarded interest as my Pokemon in the room came back out of the shadows and revealed their true forms. The Champion soon found more interest in me.
The air around my body rippled subtly. Strands of muted red hair turned into brilliant silver as the rest of my body followed suit in transformation. Illusions were coming undone. Even one of the Morpeko sitting on my shoulders had disappeared. Zoroark stood behind me now with wary eyes in the direction of our guests.
Eventually, purple eyes rested their gaze on the woman before me. I smiled, clasping my hands together on the desk.
"So, what can I do for our dear Champion?"
Author's Note: Meyer is Clement's dad in the Pokemon anime. I do feel terrible for Clement and his family, but I had to do it. /shifty eyes/
I will say it right now: there is no Team Flare, and Lysandre is not an antagonist in this. I felt iffy about 'em in the games, and I always hated the lack of overall lore for X & Y. What you can expect from this fic is an original (and slow burning) plot that features antagonists of my own making. Will it be an epic tale for the ages? Interesting? I have no idea, but I'm going to do my darned best to at least have fun writing it.
This is one of two new Pokemon stories I've written. You can get updates and chat with other readers in Discord (link in profile, bio, or fic description depending on the platform). I will be writing and releasing one more chapter for this fic before I focus entirely on releasing the next chapter of WTMR, another fic of mine. My current projects include: Color The Night (this one), To Face The Sun (Bug Specialist), and Where The Moon Rises (Fairy Specialist).
Is this madness? Probably, but I write what I find fun and find fun in what I write. :)
