Pokemon Godin Region

Chuck stirred feebly. Hillary started above him.

"Chuck? Can you hear me?" She spoke softly. Catherine leaned in, and Nix stayed still.

"Yeah..." He began, his voice gruff from misuse. "...I think the drugs have worn off..."

Hillary hugged him tight, fresh tears in her eyes. Chuck held her back, his face hidden in her hair. Catherine, suddenly understanding their relationship, backed off a little, leaving them some privacy. As Hillary let him go, Chuck looked to the others and nodded gratefully.

"Thank you all, for everything you've done...I cannot thank you enough for continually saving me." He smiled, revealing sharp canine teeth in his otherwise human-like face.

Nix nodded and smiled.

"Hey, no problem, man." Catherine smiled and saluted, to Chuck's bemusement. "You won't know who I am, because that's my deal, but know that I'll be looking out for you.  And with that, I need to leave. See you on the flip, Sally." She dissipated into nothing, her ghost Pokemon taking her from the area.

"We need to get out of here, Chuck. It's not safe, we need to get the next ferry to-" Hillary began.

"No, Hill. I want to stay. I want....to fight." Chuck said simply.

Hillary stared at him for a moment, her hands on her hips, her eyebrow raised. The gesture was so familiar to the pair of them (usually when Hillary was reminding Chuck to eat less pastries) that they both smiled.

"Seriously, Hill, I mean it." Chuck spoke, turning to Saleme. "I want to help. They made me to be a weapon, but now I'm completely off their leash. I want Scism to fall, so no one ends up...well, like me."

Hillary tutted and grumbled, then shrugged and smiled.  "...Fine. Then I'm helping, too. Also, Chuck- I got this for when you woke up. It's a little crushed-"

She passed him a paper bag from her pocket. He ripped it open to reveal a slightly crushed glazed doughnut. His face lit up and he began to eat, enjoying the taste of his old favorite.

"Oh, Hill, I love you! Thanks!"

Hillary blushed.

Saleme had left the group to arrive back at the cabin using his Arcanine as a mount in order to get back there relatively quickly skidding to a halt outside he smiled petting the large canine Pokémon on the head “Good job Woofy” he said getting off Woof back who barked at his trainer. “You earned some extra food today, I know,” He said as he went into the cabin. “Deandre! Woof and I are back!” He shouted as Woof followed behind him.

Woof would begin sniffing the air in the cabin, his nose quickly being overwhelmed by the scent of meat. “Damn Deandre, I didn’t know you could cook,” Saleme said quickly getting a whiff of the food looking over at Deandre who sat down at the table, his head turned away from Saleme. He couldn’t help but wonder what brought on the culinary expertise. “So Detective, you didn’t happen to make me and Woof any lunch did you?” He asked cheekily.

Leaning out from behind the Detective, K’oueh smiled at Saleme. It was warm and inviting, a smile that spread from ear to ear. “Actually, it was me. I made dinner while the Detective and I discussed future endeavors. Please, help yourself to a plate. We have more left over in the pot,” He spoke eloquently gesturing toward the stove top. Rice and peas in one pot, garlic butter herbed steak in another, leafy vegetables in the third with mashed potatoes in the fourth. “I even prepared punch!” He called out, lifting a glass and taking a sip. He exhaled obnoxiously, “it’s all really delicious, Saleme.”

“Exactly what is he doing here?” Saleme asked, immediately becoming defensive. Even Woof felt it, he started growling at K’oueh. “Masking your scent with the food, huh?” Saleme probed, keeping his eyes peeled on K’oueh. “Smart move.” Saleme looked back over to the Detective and growled, “I think you’ve got some explaining to do, Dre.”

Finally Deandre spun around and offered a sheepish smile. “Well, y’know Saleme. I can explain, really. I met him while I was a beat cop in Joh-“

K’oueh cleared his throat. “You don’t have to explain anything,” He interrupted before snapping his fingers.

A Weavile dropped down onto Saleme who immediately burst into laughter. “Gyahaha, hey, that tickles!” Saleme called out trying to shake off the Weavile that jumped away. “What the… HEY! That’s my notebook!” He said, pointing at the bound book in Weavile’s claws. “Give it back!” He hollered, prompting Arcanine to bark at the ice-type. “Better yet, don’t!” With a wave of Saleme’s hand, Arcanine let loose a flurry of purples flames toward Weavile.

K’oueh narrowed his eyes as Weavile tried and failed to evade the will-o-wisp attack. Burn damage. ‘Its of no matter,’ K’oueh thought, a smirk playing on his lips. The confident smirk Saleme wore after hitting Weavile faded once he saw the notebook was gone. His eyes darted around until he found K’oueh spinning it on his index finger. “You best give that back!” He yelled again, nodding at his Arcanine. “Woof, flare blitz!” Saleme ordered, no longer worried about damage to the cabin.

K’oueh wagged his finger condescendingly, “Ah-ah-ah.” He wasn’t fazed by the attack. Kadabra leaned from behind his trainer and pointed his spoon at his opponents and blue psywaves engulfed the duo.

“Ugh… Deandre sto-“ Saleme muttered as his angered expression grew peaceful. His eyes glazed over and his head slumped forward ready to be entranced. Woof was already charging his attack when Kadabra hit him with Hypnosis. His orders became foggy mid charge and by the time he reached K’oueh the flames were extinguished. Woof looked at up K’oueh before his eyes drooped and he let out a blissful yawn. Kadabra looked into Woof’s eyes and gave him another powerful dosage to keep him awake for K’oueh’s orders.

K’oueh smiled widely again before rubbing Woof behind his ears, “Who’s a good doggy?” He asked to an unresponsive Woof. He looked back at Deandre, who had been trying to look away the whole time. “This here’s a strong Arcanine… I think I’ll take him,” K’oueh said, his voice dripping with malicious intent.

Deandre finally stood up and walked between the two. He was taller than K’oueh by a few inches so he glared down at him, fire burning in his eyes. “No. That’s too far. You got what you came for.”

K’oueh grinned before chuckling and raising his hands. “I was just kidding, Detective. Lighten up, take a joke!” He looked back down at the duo. “Next time we meet Woof, you’re not going to do me or my team any harm.” K’oueh looked over to Saleme, “Neither or you will remember that I was here. After rushing back to the cabin, you grew tired and wanted to take a nap.” The Phantom Thief lifted a pokeball toward Weavile, returning his Pokémon. He nodded toward Kadabra who took a step closer. “Alright Detective. The plan is in motion. I’ll see you then,” He said before shimmering out of the cabin alongside Kadabra.

Deandre looked back at Woof and Saleme who fell back asleep on the floor. He slumped Saleme over his shoulder and laid him down on the couch, opting to leave Woof asleep nearby on the floor. “God dammit,” He moaned, turning the television on to diffuse the tension he felt. It didn’t work.

Catherine headed back alongside Saleme, and spying people she didn't know in the cabin, stayed back, and went invisible with her ghosts. It wouldn't do to be seen by strangers, not after today's clash with Xiomara.

She entered the cabin silently after Saleme, and hung back as he met someone new. Her mouth fell open in shock as Saleme was jumped, and she silently clapped her hand to her mouth as his notebook was taken. She'd never felt so helpless, Saleme had made her vow not to reveal herself so easily, that anonymity was her greatest power, but seeing her friend and colleague attacked and robbed was a real test of this. 

As the detective lay the unconscious Saleme down on the couch, the thief Koueh long gone, burning tears of irritation and anger streamed down her face. She felt her pokemon silently comforting her. She'd done what Saleme would have wanted, but this had been torture. Her eyes burned from under her disguise into the back of the traitorous detective's head, hating him for what he'd done. Silently, she knew what she had to do, and left the cabin.

= = =  = = = = == =

Nix ventured up the mountain, huffing. The cable car was much slower than Saleme's Arcanine or Catherine's ghostly flight, but it was safer, in her eyes, and she had evidence to put together. Arriving back at the summit, she looked around and spotted Hillary and Chuck.

"Guys? Guys!" She smiled.

Chuck waved and Hillary smiled back. 

"We're hiding out here, and Chuck mde me promise to help you guys with this situation." Hillary spoke, defeated.

Deciding not to push it, Nix simply smiled. "Come on, you must be cold, lets go in."

As they walked up the Cabin path, Nix noticed Catherine walking up from a side road, flittering in and out of vision.

"Catherine? Didn't you arrive here the same time as Saleme?" Nix questioned. Chuck and Hillary looked up. 

"Oh, no." Catherine easily lied, holding up a bag of groceries from a convenience store. "I thought it best to get some food but..."

She paused as the smell of cooking emanated from the house. "Looks like somebody already cooked."

As the four headed in, Nix smiled at the Detective, and the others greeted them, too. Chuck settled down by the fire, and Catherine checked on Saleme.

"Must be all tuckered out, it's been a long day." She said simply. "Shall we eat?"

=  = = = = = = 

Evanna smiled blithely. Handing the prize to the detective, beaming wide for the cameras, and then making her way off-set. The fight had gone on longer than she'd imagined, hopefully Xiomara had done her thing. There was no sign of Nix or any of her pathetic friends on the coastline.



Waving her crew away, and only taking her immediate entourage, she made her way to the large office building, walking confidently through the lobby, not being stopped by any guards. Her thick mane of luscious red hair was ID enough.



After getting through several doors, she smiled and winked at Barry Blake, sat across the room from her, behind his desk.



"Look, sorry I'm late. Who knew those guys would get so competitive over something as trivial as money?"



She sat across from him, and filed her nails.

“Easy to be late dear when your life isn’t on the line while you been gone I had to deal with a cocky ass red headed man who I believe works for team rocket or Aqua or maybe one lesser ones actually, Skull maybe no wait I think that’s Xiomora's team, whatever it doesn’t matter to me anyway” he grumbled at her while he begun pacing around the office.

"Ugh, already antsy, 'Barry?'" Evanna spoke, still filing her nails. "You know damn well Xiomara is with us, she's just foreign. Alola isn't that far from here, you know. Once this is over, I think that might be where I vacation."



The mention of the redhead perked her attention.



"So, you finally hired someone to get the damn notebook? I hope they're worth the money. Saleme is a slippery fish, and that ghost girl he hangs out with? Even when we had her it was like trying to put water into a cage. Xiomara was sent to scare them all, did you hear?"



Evanna nodded and smiled, looking back up at him. "I hear she was....effective. My little protégé, Hillary, had QUITE the outburst, I'm told."



Her face pulled into a frown. "The only one I'm worried about is Nix, and the Detective. They're starting to amass proof. Hillary won't come out, as Chuck will be experimented on and killed, and the agents don't have enough on us already, or they would have already done something. How about I take Nix, and you take the Detective?"

“Xio reckless and alola is trash trust me I got relative from their” he grumbled before looking over at Evenna with a frown.

“You give her to much credit ever since that incident at the lab she took out one biopokemon and even then it took Saleme stupid arcanine and Lucario to team up with her two pokemon to do it” he said getting irritated.

“Saleme notebook contains information on his explorations in Sinnoh Kalos and Hoenn I want it after all it has information on mega evolution pokerus and several biopokemon the incompetent fools that came before us unleashed it could have the cure hidden in those notes” Barry snapped.

“As much as I would love too do that I have to keep playing this fool so the detectives off limits to me because I need to put on a good face dear after all your forgetting the entire reason you are here” Barry gestured towards the closet.

Evanna rolled her eyes. "Ugh, yes, I know why I'm here, but no reason we can't converse. If you want to live Nix and Deandre alone to rat you out, then that's your business, but I'm interested in covering butts. You hired one person to steal the book we need, why not hire another to....silence our other problems?"



She got up, and walked towards the cupboard. "You've been letting him eat, right? If he dies in here the smell will linger something awful."

She opened the cupboard, and the real Barry Blake's body tumbled out, tied up, gagged, and completely knocked out.



"You've been keeping him well sedated. Don't blame you, he loves nothing more than the sound of his own voice."



Evanna clicked her fingers, and her attendants hurried over, manhandling the real Barry Blake into a rug, ready to take him deep into the headquarters.



"You do a really good job as him, you know. That perfect balance of cheesy and desperate. If I didn't already know, I'd never have guessed." She smiled at the doppleganger. Her smiled then soured.



"But remember your place, too. You're not the only Ditto fusion, and you won't be the last. Don't disparage your fellow teammates, or you'll see exactly how reckless we can be. Let's be a team. Don't end up like Chuck. Dead man walking."

“What can I say he made a career that just made him perfect for the media and his knowledge on the battle network is absolutely to die for” The fake Barry pointed out before crossing his arms.

“I will be careful Evenna, but you should know I and well Barry are not the only ones in this room considered expendable” The fake Barry chuckled.

“Will you both just shut up having a contest about whose D*** is bigger” Sophie muttered walking in and making a somewhat underwhelming entrance “Mother called me back from my vacation in Sinnoh father wasn’t too happy about and Saleme hoe of a friend Josaphine is now encrypting the messages because she and him figured out they have a mole so one of you lot have been getting pretty sloppy” Sophie grumbled.

“Xio is literally the only person I seem to be able to get any kind of success done here, her idea with the Salazzles was genius and testing is already showing signs of success” Sophie stated while looking at her pokegear rather disinterested.

Opening up her pokegear voice messager function she began putting on a cheerful tone “Yo Sally Im back in town can we do lunch?” She asked with a cheerful expression on her face before sending the message.

“See now you don’t need eliminate Nix or the detective just eliminate the evidence they have after all it shouldn’t be that hard for Barry and Evenna two super star celebrities right?” she asked.

Evanna nodded, then turned to Fake Barry with a wide smile. "Expendable? Hah. I help fund Scism, and run all the media to keep us safe. I've been here years. You're....what? A homeless dude filled with Ditto DNA?"



She turned to Sophie and nodded.



"I'll erase the evidence, Sophie. I still prefer the more permanent solution, but I suppose it works in the short term."



She waved her arm, and her attendants took the real Barry out of the room.



"That poor idiot. You ever smell his aftershave? Like unwashed Walrein blubber. Right, guess I'd better love you and leave you. And Sophie-"



She caught Sophie's eye and winked. "We know I have the biggest d*ck in the room." She grinned and walked out.