"Return Machop." Josée extended the Pokéball and Machop vanished inside it in a flash of red.
She clipped it back onto her waistband and then did something I genuinely did not expect… she smiled to herself.
It was not a frustrated smile nor was it a pained one. Josée was smiling joyfully.
Finally! Someone who didn't complain when they were losing? That alone made me want to join the Fist of Justice on the spot.
A place with actual mature people? Sign me up immediately.
She took her second Pokéball and kissed it once before holding it forward.
"Meditite, it's all on you."
She turned and flicked the ball without looking a sharp backward throw and it still arced perfectly, opening mid-air to release Meditite, which materialized already facing her direction.
It hovered off the ground in its meditative position with its knees drawn together and its hands resting open on them.
"Fletch?!" Fletchling turned to me with wide eyes, angling her wings like she wanted us to do the same entrance.
I shook my head once and she deflated.
"Fletch…"
Josée turned back to face us.
"We'll develop our own unique entrance later." I said, then immediately… "Quick Peck!"
Fletchling was already moving as the white burst of Quick Attack energy wrapped around her and she shot forward toward Meditite at full speed.
Josée's grin widened.
"Detect, then Work Up!"
She stamped her foot.
Meditite's eyes opened fully, the pale purple irises flooding with white light.
It read the incoming attack and the initial strike of Quick Peck passed through empty air.
Meditite hadn't lurched or dived, it had simply drifted and dodged the attack easily then the energy gathered around its frame, upping its stats.
Fletchling curved to come back and execute the signature drop from height, angling down.
Meditite moved again and Fletchling curved hard to correct and nearly grazed the ground before pulling herself upward.
It used Detect again and it was still working on consecutive use… That made this a harder battle.
"Now, Confusion!"
Josée stamped her foot again and Meditite's palms lit up in violet.
The psychic energy hit Fletchling mid-air and she let out a sharp yelp, the force of it shuddering through her frame and knocking her off her angle.
"Ember!" I called out.
Fletchling reoriented fast, opened her beak, and spat out several bursts of flame in tight succession, each one tracking toward Meditite's position.
"Detect once more!" Josée grinned and Meditite moved through the attacks without hurry, the flames passing behind it. "Unfortunately for you, Meditite and I are in complete sync. It'll be our victory. Close the distance… Rock Smash!"
Meditite opened its eyes fully and began to move forward, descending from its hover with one fist drawing back with fighting-type energy concentrated across the knuckles.
"Fletchling… Quick Attack to dodge, then go for it!"
Fletchling didn't wait for Meditite to close the distance.
The white aura flared immediately and she moved downward and underneath Meditite in a sharp angle, sliding below the Rock Smash before it could connect, then shot upward as high as she could manage with her wings driving hard as she gained altitude fast then she tipped and came down.
"Meditite… Detect!" Josée's voice was sharp and Meditite straightened itself in the air reading the incoming trajectory.
"Spin!" I yelled.
Fletchling heard it and committed. She tucked her wings partially and spun along her own axis, the rotation building speed as she dropped and came down on Meditite in a corkscrew that the Detect couldn't fully map.
Meditite began its drift but she was already past the point where drifting would save it and the impact broke the air open.
For just a half-second before the collision… Fletchling was close enough that Meditite could see every feather on her then Fletchling opened one eye and winked before they both hit the ground.
Dust rolled outward in a wide ring from where they landed and the crowd stepped back from the pressure of it.
When it settled, Fletchling was on her feet but swaying slightly with her wings dragging.
Meditite was beside her, also upright for a moment and then its eyes went spiral and it folded sideways onto the pavement.
Fletchling swayed once more and steadied herself.
"The match has been decided! Trainer Paxton wins!"
Our Rotomphones descended back to us and the crowd broke into applause. I returned Fletchling to her Pokéball immediately… she needed rest.
Detect was a genuinely irritating move.
On consecutive use its success rate dropped, but getting there meant eating whatever it blocked on the first and second use. We'd gotten lucky on the last one or rather, I'd made Fletchling move fast enough and unpredictably enough in the final moment that Meditite couldn't fully read the angle.
It was close.
"You did well." I said to her Pokéball, holding it in both hands for a moment. "We'll work on some techniques later. Aura farming, better spin control, all of it."
Josée had already returned her Meditite. She walked across the cleared street toward me with her hand out and a genuine expression on her face.
"That was an amazing fight." Her eyes were still lit up. "What was that last move? Using the spin to generate speed like that… that's your own technique isn't it?"
She shook my hand and though her grip was firm I had the size advantage this time at least. "In Z-A Royale terms I'd say you'd be around Rank H. Maybe even Rank G."
"We're only at Rank Y." I said.
"That's what makes it impressive." She said. "I'd love to battle you again sometime, Paxton. Hopefully next time I get to see your second Pokémon."
A large presence entered the space between us before I could respond and the crowd parted again without being asked.
Ivor looked down at me with those amber eyes and I straightened slightly on instinct, which I was not going to think about.
"If I may be so bold… are you participating in the Z-A Royale?" He asked.
"Yes. Just Rank Y though." I massaged the back of my head. It really didn't sound like much when you said it out loud.
"Unbelievable." He said it like he meant it. "I feel there must be some secret to the strength you displayed just now and I can think of but one explanation. You must have mastered having your Pokémon learn their moves."
Was I going to tell him we started yesterday? No. Though he wasn't wrong either… it had taken real time and training before Fletchling could use Quick Attack to fly in a curve rather than a straight line.
"I guess." I said.
"Such confidence." He nodded slowly. "You clearly see to the heart of Pokémon moves and their significance. Out of respect for your display, I will take my leave for today. Though I hope we face each other in the Z-A Royale later."
He turned.
"Oh… Ivor." He turned back. "I was wondering where I could sign up to join the Fist of Justice."
He leaned forward and then I was briefly off the ground as my hands caught in both of his and my feet lifted by the sheer enthusiasm of the handshake.
What a bastard!
"You want to learn how to fight Pokémon like I suggested?!" He said with bright eyes.
"Not exactly." I said, forcing my feet back down. "I'm not a fan of your point of view but I have to admit… I admire the strength of you and your members. So I'd like to join."
Ivor released me and straightened with a nod
"So you aim for personal strength. That is an honorable goal." He produced a folded poster from somewhere on his clothes and pressed it into my hand. "If you're interested, you can find us here."
I pocketed it.
"Thank you." I said.
He laughed with both hands on his waist.
"My goal in the Z-A Royale is to reach Rank A… spread the influence of my words far and wide and abolish every single Wild Zone in Lumiose! Fist of Justice, let us be on our way!"
He turned and walked, the three women falling in behind him without a word, and the crowd began to peel apart around them.
"Here's the reward money." Josée pressed a stack of bills into my palm and gave me a wave over her shoulder as she caught up with the group.
The street returned to normal.
"That guy's off the rails and going at full speed." Taunie said, materializing beside me. "Nice battle again."
I was already counting the money. All ₽15,000 present was present too.
I pocketed it and looked at her… the person responsible for me being in this battle to begin with. At the end of it I was up ₽15,000 and I had a dojo poster in my pocket so I couldn't complain too hard but how much more trouble was she planning to drag me into before the day was done?
"Anyway… since everyone's gone." Taunie said, glancing toward the Wild Zone entrance behind her. "This is Wild Zone 3. More Pokémon can be found in here as well. Oh and I forgot to mention, there's a rumor that somewhere in the water in Wild Zone 2, there's a giant yellow Magikarp hiding that nobody's been able to catch yet."
She said. "If you want to try, you can go catch it and see."
"Uh-huh." I said, still pocketing my money and she grabbed my other hand.
"Alright… no more detours! Let's go see Emma." She pulled me along for what felt like the hundredth time today, even Ralts staggered from the sudden movement on top of my head. Behind us, Floette let out a soft giggle.
I could only hope nothing else interrupted us but knowing Taunie, something would.
…
Surprisingly, nothing did.
She just dragged me the whole way and we arrived at the Bureau without incident. I would remember this as a statistical anomaly.
The building sat on a side alley off Rouge Plaza and it looked like a narrow storefront with a plain door and a small sign beside it. It was not especially impressive from the outside though there was a Pokémon waiting at the door.
I pulled out my Rotomphone.
[No. 677 - ESPURR, The Restraint Pokémon]
[Type: Psychic]
[It keeps its intense psychic power from leaking out by using its ears to cover the organs emitting that power. Behind its expressionless face is a frantic struggle to contain that power… if it builds too much, it falls unconscious.]
[This Pokémon already belongs to a trainer.]
It was small, barely knee height with pale grey fur, large folded ears, and enormous pale purple eyes that held absolutely no readable expression whatsoever.
Tufts of fur on its head and shoulders gave it a slightly unkempt look that somehow made it more unsettling and beneath those folded ears were two ring-shaped yellow organs.
"Hey, it's rude to stick your Pokédex out like that." Taunie jabbed me in the side then her expression immediately softened. "Aww… Mimi! Thanks for coming out to meet us, you're really nice. Unlike someone I know."
Mimi squeaked and I had to admit, it was a very cute Pokémon.
"So, welcome Pax." Taunie said, turning to the door. "This is Looker Bureau… Emma's detective agency."
I blinked.
She owned a detective agency? Emma owned a detective agency? The woman I had met briefly yesterday while staring at her chest had been a detective all along?
"You look surprised." Taunie said, reading my face. "Not what you were expecting."
"Honestly I wasn't expecting her to be a detective." I said which was true on multiple levels. "Though the name was is a bit funny.
"Right, 'Looker Bureau'... do they think they need to explain what a detective does? Anyway let's go in." She went through the door ahead of me with Floette and Mimi trailing behind her, leaving me outside.
I turned to Fletchling's Pokéball.
"Alright, I hope you're rested now." I tapped the center of the ball and it opened, releasing her in a flash of blue.
She appeared and stretched her wings immediately, rolling them back with a satisfied shake and I scratched underneath her chin with one finger. "You did a very good job today, Fletchling."
"Fletch!"
"Yes. We'll work on techniques like that spin later. But first… we need to go to the Research Lab after this, so stay sharp." She blinked at me and then resettled on my shoulder, and I pushed open the Bureau door.
The inside was small and occupied entirely by purpose.
It was a single room, the walls lined with shelving that held labeled folders and cardboard boxes in various states of organization.
A corkboard on the far wall was covered in pinned notes and a hand-drawn map of Lumiose with colored string running between marked points.
Beneath it, a narrow table held organized stacks of papers and what looked like evidence bags and two framed photographs hung on the left wall… Mimi with a man I didn't recognize in a long tan coat, Mimi with the same man and a second person in a white lab coat.
They looked like old photographs.
Emma's desk sat at the center of the room facing the door.
It was the largest surface in the room and it was covered with papers, an open notebook, two empty mugs, and her Rotomphone lying face-down.
She sat behind it with her fingers laced together in front of her with her chin resting slightly downward and her eyes closed which was a posture of deep concentration however I heard the quiet sounds of snoring from her.
It was completely clear that this woman was asleep.
"Knock knock!" Taunie called out after we'd both fully entered. Mimi trotted to the front of Emma's desk and sat and there was no response from Emma.
In the silence, the snoring was now audible to everyone in the room.
Taunie nudged me and I made a mental note never to fall asleep around her… she was clearly the type to exploit it.
"Look at Emma…" Taunie said. "She always acts calm and collected, overworks herself constantly… It's actually kind of nice to see her acting normally for once. Even with those big bonkers she calls—"
"I can still hear you, Taunie." Emma said. "A detective doesn't sleep on the job… I was merely resting my brain by closing my eyes."
She opened her eyes without adjusting her posture. If I hadn't personally heard her snoring I would have believed every word.
She sighed and sat back properly.
"Besides, it's not my fault that I am naturally gifted in that regard." She glanced at Taunie with an expression of complete calm. "If you're still feeling jealous, you can take from your ass and add to your chest over in Kanto. Although I forgot… you barely have ass either."
Ouch. Taunie, are you seriously going to take that?
Taunie placed one hand on her hip.
"I would have struck back as usual but Paxton came with me and I'll handle myself like the calm woman I am." She said with dignity. "Though I'm more concerned about you sleeping, Em. Are you sure you're well rested?"
"Of course I am. Part of my job as a detective is to stay well-rested so I can act quickly when needed." Emma said smoothly.
"When did you last actually get a full eight hours?" I asked.
Emma looked at me, then looked at the floor, and said at low volume. "Five days ago."
Is this woman trying to kill herself?
"Isn't that a bit little?"
"Not at all. I usually stay awake for longer than that. If anything you two are far too energetic after a late night in the Z-A Royale." She said then smiled. "But it's good to see you again, Paxton. You do remember me, right? Taunie hasn't given you short-term memory?"
"How could I forget?" I asked.
She nodded.
"I'm glad. The Espurr you've already met is Mimi… my partner. She was outside to let me know you were coming." Emma said. "But I'll cut straight to the chase."
She stood, running one hand through her hair and buttoning the brown cropped coat over her Expansion Suit as she came around the side of the desk.
"Would you mind helping me out with my detective work?" She asked, looking at me directly.
"Sure."
"I suppose that was rather direct… huh? Yes?" She blinked.
I blinked back.
Had I just said yes without processing it? Stupid. We had research work for Mable and who knew what else? However, I cleared my throat.
"I mean… if it's not too intensive. I can't work every day and I'm already working for Professor Mable, but if I can help I'll take it. Though I'll need some mentoring in the field, and payment."
Just because someone was easy to look at didn't mean I was working for free.
"I… I see." Emma said slowly. "I expected you to ask for the details first. Being a detective isn't particularly easy."
"It's you, so I doubt you'd try to get me killed." I said.
A small red tint crossed her cheeks and she looked briefly to the side.
"I'm glad you have that much trust in your new Boss." She returned to the desk and sat. "I've tried working with different people before but there's always a problem. I was hoping to convince you to work with me part-time at least. While you are a pervert…"
I am going to accept that distinction because honoring beauty wasn't perversion in any technical sense.
"... I believe you can change, and you're clearly capable with your Pokémon. You'll be useful in the field."
"What's the pay looking like?" I asked.
Emma laced her fingers together.
"Citizens of Lumiose leave requests on the Bureau app and I handle them. I make around ₽10,000 per commission and they come in dozens at a time. Since you're working part-time—" She stopped. "What are you doing with my hat?"
I pressed the brim of her brown hat down onto my head and gave a short bow.
"Detective Paxton of the Looker Bureau, at your service. My beautiful Boss."
Emma's cheeks went properly red this time. She reached for one of the empty mugs on her desk and brought it to her lips, pretending to drink from it.
"You're not starting work just yet." She set the mug down afterward. "I'll contact you tomorrow with our soon-to-be usual meeting place and I'll even have Taunie bring your uniform." She paused. "To commemorate this… I have something for you. Mimi, if you will."
Mimi looked toward the far table along the wall.
A moment later, a Pokémon Egg lifted off the surface in a psychic shimmer and floated over toward me. I held out both hands and it settled into them… it was blue-spotted, warm to the touch, and lighter than I expected.
"I found that Riolu egg on a job two days ago." Emma said. "It was abandoned. I hope you can care for it and add Riolu to your team… it'll give you a broader range of Pokémon to work with."
I held the egg carefully in both hands. A Riolu, just like that?
"I'll cherish it." I said, and meant it.
Emma flinched slightly and looked to the side again, apparently there were a lot of things that could make the Detective lose her edge but it was mostly because we were familiar with each other, If I had tried this back in the Vert General Store then a glare would be the least of my worries.
"Aww~ Em." Taunie pressed both hands to her cheeks. "You know in Sinnoh, giving someone a Riolu egg means a declaration of feelings."
"No it doesn't." Emma said flatly.
"It actually does—"
"I'm a detective and I haven't encountered any such custom in any official capacity." Emma said, then looked back at me. "Thank you for coming and accepting my offer, Paxton. You may leave now."
"Hold on." I set the egg carefully on the edge of the desk and reached to the side pocket of my backpack where I kept the insulated Coffee Holder that had been given to me with the bg, unzipped it, and brought out the cup.
"What is…"
"It can't compare to a Riolu egg." I said. "But you need it."
She took it, looked at the body of the cup and sniffed it.
"Coffee from Nouveau Café?" She looked up. "How did you know I liked it from there?"
"I asked the lady, Griselle while we were ordering. You weren't hiding it." I said. "We like the same flavor too… Creamy Charizard. Charizard unites people. It's a fact."
Emma looked at the cup for a moment then she lifted the lid, checked inside it which seemed to be a detective habit apparently and took a sip.
A quiet sigh followed.
"Isn't this technically stalking?" She asked, taking another sip.
"It's detective work." I said.
I picked the Riolu egg back up carefully and moved toward the door.
"I'll text you later. Oh… Tawn, stay safe on the way back to the Hotel. Try not to get hit by a truck."
"I won't, don't worry." She waved me off, already distracted by Floette who had drifted over and appeared to be telling her something urgently.
Emma gave me a small wave as I pulled the door shut behind me and stepped back out into the Rouge District air.
I stood for a moment with the egg in both hands, looking at it.
Riolu…
There was a soft sound from the open window above and Floette came out through it, drifting down to hover beside me.
"Flo~"
"Oh… you followed me out, Floette?" She let out a cry of joy and spun once, I smiled. "Alright. All of you."
"Flo?"
"Rara?"
"Fletch?"
"Let's go Magikarp hunting." I said.
[Author's Note]
Sorry the chapters are coming a bit late since we already hit the goal a while ago but thanks to everybody that supported last week and I'm genuinely glad the book is up to your expectations.
Well then, another goal for this week... 150 Power Stones for 2 more Bonus Chapters, made it a bit high cause this week will be a bit stressful for me.