CHAPTER 2: RIGOR MORTIS

It was like I could feel the tension weighing down on me like a giant block of stone.

Vivian the Venusaur stood at the entrance to the room. Fran had a puzzled look on her face, and Milly seemed lost in thought. Meanwhile, I waited with bated breath for Vivian to elaborate further.

“So, you admit it?” the Blastoise asked.

The Venusaur closed her eyes and nodded. “That’s right. I’m sure you will have many questions.” 

Well, she couldn’t have been more right about that.

“Indeed, ma’am,” he replied as he stared at her. “Who was the victim, and why did you kill him?”

Vivian put a vine under her chin. “In all honesty, I didn’t really know who he was.” Vivian shook her head. “And as for why, I can’t tell you.”

What? That was ridiculous! She killed me without knowing who I even was? What was going on here?

“What? That’s ridiculous!” The Blastoise seemed to feel the same way, getting closer to the Venusaur. “What the hell is going on?”

Fran put her face right next to Vivian’s. “Yeah, what’s the big idea? Why are you hidin’ things from us, huh?”

“Fran, slow down!” Milly urged as she pulled Fran back slightly with her ribbons.

Vivian looked on with a resigned expression. “Now, please, I don’t want any trouble. All you have to do is to take me in. I won’t put up a fight.”

“What? I don’t understand,” The Blastoise said with a frown, putting his hand to his face. “Why would you…”

Suddenly, I heard a loud stomp from outside, which was followed by a Haxorus suddenly popping in through the doorway. “Oi, what’s all this?”

“What the–!” The Blastoise almost jumped a bit. “Oh, Havok, it’s you. You’re back already? Where’s the other two?”

Everyone turned to the Haxorus.

“Oh, they’re right behind me,” he replied before gesturing to the Venusaur.  Who’s this?” 

Fran gave a slight chuckle. “Oh geez, you wouldn’t believe this.” Fran paused as she started gesturing with her small little arms. “So, get this. Luke went out for a lil’ walk in the forest, and stumbled upon a dead Marshtomp! Then, when we put out a reward askin’ if anyone knew anything about him, this lady over here walks right in and says she killed him!”

Havok did a double-take between the Blastoise and Vivian. “What? Chief, that true?” 

“Yep, that’s right,” he said with a nod as he turned to Vivian. “Maybe you can finally make her elaborate for us!”

Havok stood there with a confused look. Vivian met his eyes, giving him an odd glare. 

Suddenly, two more Pokémon emerged through the entrance, this time a Lucario and a Lilligant.

“Hey, what’s going on? I heard something about a dead Marshtomp?” The Lucario asked.

The Lilligant hesitated slightly before opening her mouth to speak, “H-has something happened?” 

“Ah, Lex, Laila, you’re both here, good. We’re gonna need all the help we can get,” the chief remarked and put his arms behind his back. “There has been a murder. Luke found a Marshtomp strangled to death in the forest. So far, our only suspect is this Venusaur, Vivian, but our only evidence is her confession.”

The Lilligant’s eyes went wide, while the Lucario seemed to flinch slightly. 

“A m-murder? But there hasn’t been one since…” She covered her mouth with her leaf-like arm. “You don’t think it could be related to that case, do you?”

Milly’s face went pale. Fran put her arms protectively around her lover. “Hey, let’s not bring that up until we’re absolutely sure, okay?”

“Ah, y-you’re right. I’m sorry, Milly,” she said, looking abashed.

The Sylveon took a deep breath and gave a forced smile. “It’s alright, Laila. I’ll be fine.” 

The truthfulness of that statement seemed doubtful.

“Well, in any case,” the Blastoise continued as he looked around the room. “Let’s take her down to the jail until something else crops up.” He gestured towards the Venusaur.

“I’ll handle her, sir.” The Lucario, Lex if I recall, raised his arm.

“Very well.” The chief stepped aside, letting Lex take Vivian away. Her walk seemed strange in a way, too calm and slow. None of this seemed quite right, but I didn’t know exactly why.

Havok the Haxorus shook his head. “Bloody hell, a murder, and while we were away, too!” He turned to the Blastoise. “Say, any idea who this Marshtomp was?”

“I’m afraid not. We couldn’t find anything on the victim at all. It’s almost like he was robbed,” Milly replied.

“Robbed…” Fran squinted her eyes. “Maybe it was just that?”

Milly shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t make sense. If Vivian mugged him, why would she confess immediately?”

“Maybe she felt remorse?” Laila suggested.

The Blastoise let out a deep sigh. “Whatever it is, I think it’s about time we take that body in. Milly, Fran, would you mind doing that?”

“Sure thing, boss,” Fran said. She and Milly then got up and made their way to the entrance to leave. 

My body, huh? Now that I thought about it, that thing was about all I had left in this world. And now it was going to be taken away… 

I decided to once again follow Milly and Fran towards that accursed forest, to see my corpse one last time. As I made my way ahead of the two rescuers through these now-familiar woods, I heard a recognizable whistling. Deeper into the dark, canopied forest, I saw a small Eevee with a green scarf. Odd, I thought Luke was supposed to be in bed. What are they doing here?

“Oh, Marshtomp, why did you have to die?” Luke said through the tune they’re humming, “Now everything’s all upside down…”

That was interesting. Were they mourning me? Or perhaps all the commotion of the situation was just too much for them? I could sympathize with that, I suppose.

As I watched the little Eevee, I got that sense of longing once again. If only I could just reach out to them. That would make this all so much easier. And less lonely, too.

Through these thoughts, I began to concentrate on a log beside them. I imagined that I was sitting right on top, having a friendly little chat with them.

Having someone to talk to, that would’ve been nice. Maybe they couldn’t offer too much, but that wouldn’t really matter. Companionship would be enough solace for me. Really, being an outside observer wasn’t that much fun.

If only…

If only…

If only…

BANG!

A flash of white energy engulfed me. It was like I had woken up once again, but only, something was different. I saw Luke, but this time, he was right in front of me, looking shocked.

“W-what just happened?” Luke asked in disbelief, “Who are you?”

What? Were they talking to me? I tilted my head a bit when I realized that I shouldn’t have had a head to tilt. Quickly, I looked down and saw that my lower body was dark and slightly translucent, with tiny little arms.

“Wait a minute. Aren’t you a ghost type?” The Eevee leaned in closer. “What was it called, Phantump?”

Phantump? Wait, is that what…

“Can… can you see me?” I asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, and I can hear you too,” they replied, raising an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Huh. “So, just to be absolutely clear, you can see me, hear me, and talk to me?”

Luke looked a little bit annoyed. “Yes, that’s what I said. What’s with you?”

“Alright…” I took a deep breath. “Well, this may be hard for you to believe but uh, I’m dead.”

“Dead?” The Eevee repeated, tilting their head. “I mean, aren’t you a ghost type? That’s kinda, like, supposed to happen, isn’t it?”

“I mean, yes, but…” I attempted to facepalm, but my arms were too short to reach my forehead. “I’m not just any dead Pokémon. You see, I’m pretty certain I used to be a Marshtomp.”

“Marshtomp?” Luke’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean…”

“Yes, that’s right, the Marshtomp you found lying dead earlier. That’s me. Or, used to be me, I guess.”

“No way!” Luke’s mouth went agape. “But wait, how did you know I was the one who found your, uh, y’know.” They still seemed frightened at the thought of my corpse.

“Oh, right, well…” I looked around my surroundings before elaborating, “Actually, before I was… this, I was more of a lingering spirit. Basically, uh, I kinda spied on you. And everyone else at your uh, little base.”

Luke took a step back. “Hey wait, hold on. You what?”

Uh oh. “It’s not what it sounds like! It’s just– I really wanted to find out what happened to me, and you were the first Pokémon I saw, that’s all.”

Luke looked even more confused. “Find out what happened to you? You mean you don’t know?”

Ah, crap. “Um… yeah. I know that seems a bit hard to believe, but it’s the truth, honest!”

The Eevee looked down for a moment, deep in thought before looking me in the eye. “Well… then I believe you!” 

I blinked in surprise. “Wait, really?” 

“Yeah! You sounded like you meant it, so that’s good enough for me!” they said with a smile.

“Well, thank you. Truly,” I expressed, “Please, help me find out who I was. I can’t rest until then.”

“I’ll try my best, er–” Luke paused. “Actually, what should I call you?”

“That’s… a good question.” 

My name. I don’t know my name at all. What would’ve been a good fit for a dead, amnesiac Marshtomp-turned-Phantump? 

I suggested, “Marsh?”

“But that’s too basic.” The Eevee shook their head. “How about Phan? As in, Phantump.”

“That’s a better name than Marsh?” I was skeptical. Sure, Marsh wasn’t the most original name, but Phan, really?

“Well, then I’m just gonna call you P. If you don’t like it, we can change it later.”

“Um…” P? Fine, why not. “Never mind. What are you doing out here anyway?” I asked.

“Oh!” Luke blurted, reminded of something. “I couldn’t really go to sleep, so I stayed up and listened to everyone else talk. When I heard that Miss Milly and Miss Fran were coming to take your, er… body, away, I thought I should go out there again and try to find clues, or something like that. I’m not really sure what I should be looking for, though…”

Wow, even after being traumatized by my corpse, they still went out here to investigate? I was impressed. Wait… Oh right, my body! I hope Milly and Fran were still there.

I looked back at the Eevee. “Then why don’t we ask Milly and Fran? I’m sure they can help.”

“Good idea! They should be around, right?”

“I think. Follow me.” I led Luke to the site of my body where I had caught a glimpse of the Sylveon and Flygon earlier. I saw the two of them, talking about something, with Fran carrying a bag containing– well, my corpse, I presumed.

“Gosh, this guy’s heavier than I thought,” Fran groaned.

“Yeah, be mindful with him, would you?” Milly reminded.

“Yeah, I know,” Fran replied, “Huh… do you sense something?”

“Sense what?” the Sylveon asked.

“Like… someone’s watching us.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about–” Milly’s voice faded as she turned around and saw us. 

Then, Fran turned as well, her eyes going wide behind their red exterior.

“What?” Fran pointed.

“Luke? What are you doing here?” Milly asked, before pointing her ribbons at me, “And who’s this?”

Ah. I didn’t think about how to explain this.

“Well, you see,” Luke began, “So um, I couldn’t go to sleep, and I heard that you guys were coming out here, so I thought I might come and, uh, help?”

Fran put her little arms on her hips. “Uh-huh. And what about this Phantump guy over here?”

“Okay, long story short, I’m dead, and I need your help,” I spoke, the couple looking somewhat befuddled. “I was killed, and I need to know why. Luke here just happened to be the first to encounter me.”

“First to encounter you?” Milly looked even more confused. “You don’t mean…?”

“Yeah, that’s my body in there.” I gestured towards the bag Fran was carrying.

“What?!” The Flygon almost dropped her bag. “But you’re not a Marshtomp!”

Thanks, Captain Obvious. “Not currently, but I am pretty confident I used to be one. It was the only corpse around when I woke up, after all.”

“Woke up? But aren’t you dead?” Fran seemed skeptical. 

“Well, I’m not sure how to explain this, but I think a good amount of time passed after my death before I was aware of anything.” I offered, struggling as I tried to describe something I’d barely come to terms with myself.

The Flygon tentatively nodded. “I… guess that sorta makes sense. I mean, I still don’t really get it, but y’know.” She turned to Luke. “You believe this guy, kid?”

Luke nodded, which made me feel a bit more at ease. But it seemed convincing her was going to take a bit more work.

“Wait, I think, if I recall correctly, Phantumps come from dead spirits possessing tree stumps, right?” Milly looked as if a spark had gone off in her head.

The Eevee’s ears perked up. “Oh, is that true?”

I contemplated, “That sounds about right. I was some kind of spirit, and the next thing I knew, I became this.”

“Hey wait, if you’re really that dead Marshtomp, can’t you tell us what happened?” Fran looked hesitantly optimistic.

I sighed. “I wish it was that easy. Unfortunately, I can’t remember much of anything. I don’t even know my name!”

Their jaws dropped. “What? Oh, come on!” Fran said in frustration. “We literally have the victim himself right here, and you’re telling me he can’t even remember his own damn name?” She turned to her partner, “Look, Milly, are you sure about this guy? What if he’s making a mistake? Or y’know… lying.”

Lying? I was appalled!

“Fran–” Milly sighed, “Look, I understand your cautiousness. But something tells me he isn’t. Besides, if he is, doesn’t it seem to be more trouble than it’s worth?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

Milly grasped one of Fran’s claws with her ribbons. “Hey, it’ll be fine. If Luke believes in him, then I’m inclined to as well. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“In that case… I trust him as well,” Fran said with a deep breath. “I just hope you’re right about this, sweetie.” She proceeded to quickly peck the Sylveon on the cheek, eliciting a flustered look from her.

“Fran! Not in front of him, we don’t even know his name!” 

Milly’s face was so red, I decided it was best not to tell her I already knew about their relationship.

Fran had an awkward expression on her snout. “Whoops, sorry, my bad.” Then, she gave me what seemed to be a wink beneath the red cover of her eye.

Out of curiosity, I turned to Luke and whispered, “Hey, how long have they been dating?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t really know, I haven’t been here that long,” Luke answered. Ah right, the Eevee mentioned something about that, didn’t they?

Fran looked towards Luke and me. “Alright, this thing’s starting to get heavy, so why don’t we all start getting a move on?”

Did she just call my corpse a “thing”?

“Yes, I agree, we should head back now.” Milly seconded, “Besides, even if our victim here cannot remember much, his input might still be valuable.”

With that, she motioned for all of us to start moving. Seeing Fran casually carry my corpse around like cargo was still quite unsettling, but I opted to ignore that feeling for now.

“So like,” Fran suddenly asked out of the blue, “How’s it feel knowin’ you’re dead, huh?”

Unsure how exactly I should’ve responded, I tried my best. “Well, strange, I suppose. It’s weird, how everybody else but me knows exactly who they are, but I guess it’s not the worst. Feels lonely, though.”

“Uh huh…” Fran nodded slowly.

Luke tilted their head. “Lonely?”

“I mean, the most I could really do was eavesdrop, so…”

Milly narrowed her eyes. “Eavesdrop?”

“Uh, I mean… oh look, the base is just up ahead!” 

Dodged that bullet.

From outside the base, however, was an unusual sight, as I saw a Haxorus running towards us at full speed, nearly crashing into Fran before he stopped.

“Whoa whoa whoa, Havok, slow down! What’s the matter?” The Flygon asked.

Havok heaved and huffed, before he finally answered, “Quick… hurry… to the jail…”

“What?” Milly placed a ribbon on Havok’s shoulder. “Did something happen?”

“It’s about… the suspect–” he took a deep breath before continuing, “There’s something wrong with her. You two should go there right away, Chief, Lex, and Laila are already there. Come on!” Havok turned to us, made a motion with one of his tiny arms, and swiftly ran off. Evidently, he was in such a rush that he didn’t even notice the sudden appearance of a random Phantump.

Milly and Fran turned to each other, both giving a quick nod before following the Haxorus, the Flygon proceeding to drop the bag with my corpse onto the ground without a second thought. Which…

How rude! I was still here! Were they just going to–

“P, we gotta follow them, quick!” Luke interrupted, tapping my wooden head.

“What? But…” I sighed, and shook my head, electing to ignore the issue of my corpse for now, “Alright, let’s go then.”

Luke dashed off quickly, with me trying my best to float after them. Eventually, I followed them to an old, decrepit-looking building, presumably the jail building, not too far from the Rescuer’s HQ. I caught a glimpse of a pink tail running inside and continued onwards with Luke. 

The interior of the building itself was just as gloomy as the outside, with old, musty-looking wooden walls and numerous empty cells fitted with rusted iron bars. But what caught my attention now was not the atmosphere of the place, but rather a strange commotion coming from the far end of the building. As Luke and I walked down the hallway of deserted cages, I finally saw Milly and Fran, at the entrance of a cell room on the right at the end of the hall, along with Havok. The Blastoise, Lucario, and Lilligant standing further inside the room. 

Then, there it was, the source of the whole commotion– my supposed killer, writhing in agony in her very own cell. Her eyes were bloodshot, her legs spasming uncontrollably, and her vines seemed to thrash around without purpose.

“We just got here! What the hell’s going on!” Fran demanded.

The Chief spun around quickly. “It’s the suspect! She just suddenly started acting like this, I don’t know why!”

“Good Arceus, it’s horrible!” Laila uttered, covering her mouth in horror.

Milly stepped forward. “Let me have a look at her, sir.”

The Blastoise nodded, and stepped out of the way, as Milly approached the Venusaur rolling around on the floor. Lex stepped forward, and cautiously opened the door for her, allowing the Sylveon to get behind the bars. She carefully wrapped her ribbons around the Venusaur, restraining her, before feeling around her body. 

“What is it?” the Chief asked.

Milly laid the Venusaur flat on her back, and felt around her skin a bit more. “It seems like a severe allergic reaction, sir.”

“Allergies? How the hell does a Venusaur have an allergy like that?” Fran asked.

“I don’t know, but if we don’t get her treated right away, she may die!”

Die? No, I couldn’t let that happen! Not when there were so many questions still left to be answered!

“Shit, what do we do?” Havok demanded.

“Fetch a heal seed. That may alleviate the effects for now, but this jail cell is no place for her to be. We have to move her to the infirmary!” Milly explained.

The Blastoise looked incredulous. “But she’s still a suspect! What if she’s dangerous?”

“If she dies now, valuable information may be lost! Now, hurry!” The Sylveon shouted.

“I got it!” Fran answered, then quickly ran out of the room.

The Chief sighed, “And just when I thought this night couldn’t get any more insane…”

Slowly, Milly managed to lift Vivian up with the help of Lex. “Alright, we should go now, before her condition gets any worse,” she said.

As everyone started to move out of the cell room, Luke turned to me, with a frightened look on their face. “P, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know, but things are definitely getting interesting…”

So, my alleged “killer” suddenly had a horrible allergic attack? I wondered if that really was a coincidence…