Larry moved with the grace befitting one of his nature—Sleek, elegant, small… powerful… purple.

  He dipped, dived, dove, rolled, and slunk his way down the busy corridors, completely and utterly undetected. He’d been in these situations before. Jennifer was a police investigator, and being her partner came with these stressful, but important, missions. After diving through the legs of a wandering Gym Trainer, the exit of their prison was in sight. Many trainers filled the lobby with their partners by their side, seeking entrance to this dreaded penitentiary of the accused.

  He needed to escape. To tell Jenny’s aunt of their imprisonment—

  “Well, well, well.” The chilling, mocking voice of the warden caused his limbs to still. His pupils dilated back to their normal size as he deflated, knowing his mission had failed.

  Entering through the automated doors of the Gym, Gardenia swept into the lobby with a knowing smirk as she pinned him down by her gaze alone. With a lazy pluck, Larry was firmly within her grasp, clasped under her arm, limp and boneless.

  “As I said before, you’re not to leave the gym without my say so. This was what? Attempt number six? Seven? Anyhow, where’s Jennifer?” Gardenia mocked him in her mocking, mockful… mocky tone.

  “You cannot break me.” Larry replied telepathically. He was resolute and unwavering. His will is stronger than steel.

  “And you suck at stealth. Now, where’s Jennifer? I bought a bunch of berries. You want one?”

  —---------------------------------------------------------

  Ethan rapped his knuckles across the hard wooden door of Jessie and James’ cottage and waited for a response. In his hand, a manilla envelope was held at the ready.

  “Chiiiiime!” Chimecho dingled and dangled from above the doorway, clinging and clanging in a wiggle of sound. Ethan gave the pokemon a nod of greeting as he waited.

  When the door eventually opened, it was Jessie. Her eyes scanned their surroundings to make sure that there weren’t any unwanted visitors first, before eventually landing squarely on him and his awkward smile. “Hello, Jessie. First, before anything else, I wanted to apologize for bringing up business that wasn’t my own. The information I know about you is all secondhand and may not be accurate, but in my ignorance, I assumed to know you and understand you. I do not, and I am sorry for any hurt I caused you with my careless words.”

  Ethan waited patiently as Jessie practically recoiled in uncomfortableness. It was clear as day that she wasn’t used to such apologies from strangers, judging by her shuffling and conflicted expression. “Whatever. What do you want? I have to meet Jocelyn in a bit.”

  With a simple outstretch of the hand, Ethan handed over the manilla envelope. “Payment for services rendered. It’s not much, but I sold some berries to Gardenia today and I haven’t actually paid you guys yet. As you can see, I don’t make that much money, but I don’t need that much to get by.”

  Without pause, Jessie opened up the envelope and pulled out the small stack of paper Pokedollars—Fifty-thousand, to be exact. It was the equivalent of five hundred USD. “Split that amongst yourselves as you see fit. If you need to buy or order things, I have a laptop at my house. You can come over and borrow it to shop… Actually, have you ever been to Floaroma town?” Ethan asked.

  Jessie didn’t immediately respond as she turned and strode back into her cottage, leaving the door wide open with invitation. Without further ado, Ethan made his way inside and looked around at the changes that had taken place.

  Their small cottage felt… homely. On the small countertop next to the sink in the kitchen, a simple Onigiri was placed inside a small, sanded wooden bento box. Some veggies, grown from their own small courtyard garden, were splayed out next to the box, signaling that he must have interrupted Jessie as she was making her lunch.

  The living room was… a mess. Many blankets and pillows were lying about without much care, and a suspicious amount of orange hair could be seen in tiny wisps all around the furniture. It seemed that Growly the Growlithe had a lot of fun in here… and shed.

  Speaking of… “Where’s James and Growlie? Or your pokemon?”

  Jessie placed the small envelope of money onto the kitchen table and lazily gestured to her waist. “They’re in their balls. James took Growlie for a walk once Gardenia left. Meowth is with him.” She sat down in one of her chairs, flicked her scarlet, gravity defying hair aside, then narrowed her eyes and took him in from head to toe. “We’ve been to Floaroma town. We were caught there. Why do you ask?”

  With a smile, Ethan slid into a chair as well and started talking about his idea. “Gardenia said they have a weekly market to sell goods to trainers entering the forest. I was thinking of selling some of the berries I have and to advertise my ranch. We have a pokemon center here, if not a proper one, but people don’t know about it. It’s not listed. I was wondering if you and James would like to come with me when I go?”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Jessie parted her mouth like she was going to speak, but quickly bit back down and silenced herself. Ethan waited a moment for her to speak her mind, and eventually, after much reluctance, she asked. “You’ll let us leave?”

  It sounded… bad when she put it that way.

  “Of course you can leave? You’ll be coming with me after all.” Ethan knew what she was implying. They were his prisoners to an extent. After a hefty sigh and a slump in the chair, he continued. “I know your position here is… special to say the least, but I would like for us to all be friends? Or at least friendly? This is better than a real prison, at least?” He finished unsurely.

  Jessie snorted as she crossed her arms on the table. “James is happy here. Meowth as well, for all that he likes to sneak about. He says you’re weird, but kind…” She trailed off, deep in thought. “It’s not bad here, but it’s not good either. I’m hoping my meeting with Jocelyn about training in the pokemon center works out, because frankly, I am fucking bored to death.”

  He couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Yeah, I guess it’s easy to be bored here. You do know you can let your pokemon out, right? I do not mind them wandering about. Just, make sure they remember the rules.”

  She flipped her hand, swatting away his worry. “Yes, yes. No eating the locals. Seviper understands. He’s been hunting in the forest…” She pinned him with a significant look. “You’re too trusting.”

  Ethan shrugged and picked off a loose strand of Growlie fur that somehow managed to get on his shoulder. “Perhaps. Or maybe I am just confident?” After a second of mental debate, Ethan decided to share a secret. “Pokemon can feel my emotions. They know my intentions. It’s the reason Meowth says I am weird. When that officer came by after our… fight, all the pokemon on the ranch were ready to tear that Jenny apart.”

  “Darkrai, the mythical pokemon who you saw with me a while ago, is very attached to me for some unknown reason. He will protect me if I am in danger. I do not know how I know that, but I do. So, I am not scared of your pokemon. Your pokemon will know I am not scared either. Let them out to enjoy themselves, I will not mind.” Ethan began to stand to make his leave. “Let James know about my offer. I think you two could haggle better than a fisherman's wife.”

  As he left the cottage, he sent a final glance over his shoulder near the doorway to find Jessie splitting the small pile of money into three even piles. With a smile, Ethan made his way back home.

  The day was turning out to be a good one.

  —---------------------------------------------

  “Laurent. You look… flushed. Is it the heat? Or is it the weight of the secret you’ve been keeping from me?” The honeyed baritone voice of one of the most wanted men on the planet taunted as Laurent made his way into the extravagant suite on the top floor of one of Goldenrod’s most prominent hotels.

  Laurent had made some mistakes in his life. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that the day he accepted the bribe was the day his life turned upside down. A dirty Interpol agent didn’t last long. He knew that… but here he was.

  With the stiffness of a man trying not to break down in a panic, Laurent sat down at the end of a long, cleared table made of rich, dark mahogany. At the other end of the table, Giovanni, the leader (or former leader, he wasn’t sure.) of Team Rocket, ate an ostentatious meal of Slowpoke tail, braised in what looked to be some type of honey.

  Within the silence of the room, he could hear Giovanni’s Persian rumble in content by his side, just beneath the table and out of sight. The gentle clank of silverware caused him to jolt to alertness as the crime lord’s fierce eyes pinned him in place. “You’ve kept me waiting longer than I find polite.”

  After a mighty gulp to clear his throat, Laurent replied. “It—It’s not easy to get away and find time to speak—”

  “Tell me where they are.” The no nonsense, murderous tone caused beads of sweat to drip down Laurent’s temple.

  He knew what he was asking. He was asking about Jessie and James. “They’re alive. That’s—First off, they’re alive. Uh, Jessie and James, that is.” After a pregnant pause, he carried on. “They were picked up in Sinnoh and taken into custody. That’s—”

  Giovanni picked up a glass of wine and swirled it in his hand, piercing eyes never leaving Laurant. “And yet, here you are trembling like you’ve sold them off to Moltres. Who has them, Laurent? Sinnoh’s Government? Interpol?”

  “That’s... that’s classified. I shouldn’t even know that much of it myself. Only the Champions and... a very small circle in Interpol are aware of the individual.”

  “Individual?” Giovanni smiles. Not kindly. He… he shouldn’t have said that. “Ah, of course. Classified. The magic word bureaucrats use when they want to sound important while saying absolutely nothing. But you, Laurent... you’re not important. You’re useful. Or at least you were.

  He set down the wine and leaned forward, folding his hands. “Let me be very clear. I don’t want theories. I don’t want riddles. I want results. You will tell me who this individual is, and you will do so now. Because if Jessie and James are off the board, if they’ve been neutralized, turned, or... reeducated by this little ghost of yours, then I’m not simply down two operatives…”

  “I’m also down an inside man.”

  Persian’s rumbles of content grew louder and louder and Laurent couldn’t help but swivel his eyes to find the big cat strolling up the side of the table towards him. The sparkling gem on its forehead shimmered in the light, highlighting the glee which could be seen in its wide eyes.

  “I’m not in the habit of losing operatives without repercussions.”

  “I don’t know! I swear! I don’t know!” Laurent screeched, fear coursing through his veins as Persian grew ever closer.

  Giovanni ignored his pleas, grabbing his silverware to continue his meal. “How quaint. How… profoundly believable…” He then sent a one-word message. “Persian.”

  The big cat paused, foreleg frozen mid air as its eyes bore into Laurent’s head… two steps away.

  “Thank you, Laurent. This has been enlightening. You may leave.” Giovanni said just before dabbing his mouth with a nearby napkin.

  Face full of disbelief and fear, Laurant stood with haste and backpedaled away from the murderer cat. “You’re letting me go?”

  “Of course? I’ve already gotten what I wanted.” Giovanni waved him away as he continued with his meal.

  After a second of speed walking towards the exit, Giovanni’s parting words rooted him in place. “Oh, and Laurent?”

  “If anything happens to them, you won’t need a bulletproof vest. You’ll need a closed casket.”

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