Shattering Relations

Victus’ office was inexplicably normal. Papers were stacked neatly on his desk in the center of the room and the walls and floors were spotless. The Watchog sat in a chair with a feather in his hand, scribbling away on a paper below. It was as if Charlie had not trashed the room a day prior. 

“Please take a seat, Andrew.”

The Marshtomp made his way toward a seat across from Victus and sat himself down. “Your office looks nice. I can see that you’ve done some cleaning.”

He looked up from the paper and narrowed his eyes. “Yes, I like to keep my office in mint condition. It is unfortunate that any Pokemon would attempt to ruin it. And the fact anyone chooses to associate with those types of Pokemon is beyond me.”

Andrew shifted in his seat. Amazing. Another Pokemon I can add to the list of people who hate me for no reason. What am I doing with myself? “Anyways, what exactly did you want to discuss with me, Vicmus?” 

“It’s Victus.”

“Oh, my mistake,” Andrew replied, flashing a strained smile.

Victus placed his feather into the jar of ink which rested beside him. Clasping his hands together, he remarked. “Well, I just want to make sure we are on the same page here. I have a file with information on you, so let’s start with making sure it’s accurate.”

“A file on me? Already?”

Victus sighed. “Yes, Charlie dropped it off a few minutes before you arrived. I can tell he made it himself, which is why we are going to review it.”

Of course he did, What could he have possibly gotten wrong? “Alright,” Andrew said.

Opening a drawer, Victus pulled out a folded piece of paper. He opened it up and slid it over to Andrew. The handwriting was a bit messy but still legible. Wait. Why do all of these Pokemon write in English? What even is the chance of that happening? 

“First off, you may notice Charlie spelled your name with two O’s at the end. I assume this is incorrect?”

Andrew studied the paper and saw the word, Androo written in the top right corner. “Yeah, that’s wrong.”

Turning his haze back up, he saw Victus with a blank piece of paper. The feather back in his hand, he said. “It’s probably going to be easier if we just make a new file. I assume your name is spelled normally?”

“Yes.”

“Very good.” Victus cleared his throat. “Is it true that you are a quote on quote, super sneaky food borrower?”

Andrew glanced back down at the paper and scanned it. Sure enough, he was described as a super sneaky food borrower under a section titled abilities.

“I’m going to be perfectly honest, I robbed some Kecleon and got arrested. I’m not very sneaky.” Andrew spoke, not looking up from the page.

He looked back up at Victus to see his head tilted. “You’re a criminal? Charlie bypassed protocol to put a criminal on the police force?”

“I’m a reformed criminal,” Andrew retorted, holding his flippers in front of him.

“You know what? I’ll just make the rest of the file myself, I can probably fill in the blanks on the important information about you. It’s less effort than deciphering Charlie’s scrawl.” The Watchog snatched the file from under Andrew and put it back in the drawer. He rested his paws on the desk and looked Andrew in the eye before sighing again. “Let’s just get through the rest of this quickly.”

I am also eager to get away from you as soon as possible.

“As a member of the royal police force, you will be tasked with enforcing royally-decreed law. You will be sent either on patrol or to fulfill some sort of assignment. You will be paid fifty Poke a day and are entitled to five days of sick leave plus a week of vacation per year. Any questions?”

One week of sick leave? Do these Pokemon even have labor laws? Andrew looked around the room for a minute, trying to come up with some sort of question. Before finally settling on, “Do I get training or something?”

Victus tapped his fingers against the wood of the desk. “Yes, yes, you’ll get some sort of training. Any other questions?”

“No, that’s it,” Andrew said, turning away.

Victus stood up and walked to the door. “Well, I believe we are done here. I’m quite busy, so you should be on your way.” He flung it open, revealing the haunting hallway Andrew had begun to dread.

“Wait? That’s it? When do I start training?”

Victus laughed. “Quite soon, but my responsibilities end here. You can talk to your corrupt little friend about that. Now, you best be on your way.”

Scowling, Andrew got up and went through the open door. He didn’t have to look back to hear Victus slam the door behind him. He looked down the empty, near-infinite hallway.

What am I doing with myself?

---

“Andrew, are you awake?”

“Andrew, wake up!”

“Don’t make me come in there!”

Just ten more minutes Mom…

“Andrew, If you don’t get your lazy, rotten carcass out of that godforsaken cesspit of an ocean, I will march in there and make you regret ever having been hatched.”

Groggily, Andrew pushed himself out of the water he was submerged in. Charlie stood wading a few feet in front of him. A wide scowl was spread across his short muzzle. “How do you expect to hold down a job if you can’t get up in the morning? This is the third time this week I’ve woken you up.”

“How am I supposed to know when to get up? I’m not used to sleeping in the ocean.” Andrew moaned, rubbing his eyes. 

Charlie grabbed hi’s flipper and began to pull him. “We don’t have time for this, there’s a situation that’s been going on for too long. And I want you to fix it.”

“What?” Andrew groaned while stumbling under Charlie’s grasp. “I just got up. I’m not fixing your mess.”

He continued being pulled along by the Raichu at an increasingly fast pace. Before long, they were sprinting up the cliff and into the castle. Andrew had no time to catch his breath. “Why are we running?” He wheezed.

“I’ll explain everything when we meet with the rest of the council.” Charlie panted. The colors around Andrew seemed to blur as they made their way up the grand staircase and down the evil hallway. He could barely feel his aching legs as the duo arrived at the meeting room’s door. Unlike the previous week, all the other members paid immediate attention and faced him.

“So Andrew, do you agree?” Felicia asked.

He tilted his head. “Agree to what?”

“Didn’t Charlie tell you?” She glared at him. “We practiced this!”

“I thought we were going to explain it here.” Charlie spoke, raising his arms.

Felicia turned to Andrew and sighed. “So, you’ve been training with Admiral Bisharp for the past week?”

“Training is a bit of an overstatement. It’s mostly being yelled at for six hours a day.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Charlie has been going on about how great humans are ever since you showed up. So we are going to put his theory to the test. About a week before Charlie found you, our chief of police was assassinated on the outskirts of Grandeport. We have had a variety of Pokemon working on the case, but nobody has been able to crack it.”

Suddenly, Charlie shoved Felicia out of Andrew’s field vision. “Which is why I had the idea to send you out to solve the case!”

“You don’t get to do that!” Felicia yelled as she slapped his face.

Clearing her throat, Felicia continued. “As Charlie said, we have decided to send out to investigate the crime scene. If you really are the ace that Charlie  claims, I’m sure you will have no issue. So Andrew, do you accept

“Well, it’s not like I have much of a choice here.” He uttered, crossing his flippers. 

A wide grin overtook Charlie’s face. “Great, we’ll leave now!” He exclaimed.

“What?”

---

Andrew did not find the journey to be particularly eventful. Accompanied by Charlie, they walked down a barren path toward the city of Grandeport. The untouched nature put Andrew at ease. It’s almost like I’m back home. Almost… But any glance at himself or his companion quickly broke the immersion. 

After about an hour of walking, they came upon a familiar main entrance. The lamps were extinguished, unneeded under the bright sun.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this gate. Good times.” Charlie said, craning his head up to admire it. 

Andrew did the same. “I know it’s only been just over a week, but it feels like three months.”

The duo continued walking through the main square, nearly being trampled by a group of passing Rapidash. Voices from every direction seemed to be trying to get their attention.

“Fresh fruit!”

“Brand new hats!”

“Pencils and paper!”

Charlie laughed. “Don’t pay any attention to them. That’s the only way for them to get business in this economy.”

Andrew nodded. Eventually, they entered a quiet side street. Buildings with varying-sized doors and windows were huddled in neat rows. I’d think I was in Europe if I didn’t know any better. As they continued walking, the buildings eventually began to deteriorate. Neat and vibrant walls became weathered and dulled. Some windows we boarded up with wood, others smashed or simply holes in the wall. 

“Charlie, are we safe here?”

He glanced at Andrew. “Did you expect an assassination to take place in the city’s wealthiest neighborhood? Don’t worry, keep your head down and you’ll be fine.”

They approached an unremarkable crumbling house. Charlie walked up to its door and knocked with his tail. Andrew heard faint footsteps before a Bayleef answered it, grasping the handle with its vine. A green bandana was tied across the creature’s long neck.

“What do you want?”

Charlie cleared his throat. “This is the special officer assigned to this case.”

“Oh really? Where’s his uniform?”

The Raichu’s head tilted. “Since when do you guys have uniforms?”

“Six months at least. Maybe seven?” The Bayleef sighed. “I probably have an extra one, c’mon in.”

Nodding, Andrew proceeded to step into the house. The door opened into a short hallway, only decorated by a few drawers. Charlie grabbed the door knob. “Anyways Andrew, I’ll leave the rest to you. See you when you crack the case!”

“Wait, what? I have no idea what to do!” He pleaded.

But it was no use, Charlie promptly slammed the door. A loud bang echoing down the hall. Leaving Andrew alone with another mysterious Pokemon. 

“So, have you ever seen a dead body?”

“Um, can’t say I have,” Andrew uttered, backing away from the Bayleef.

The Pokemon laughed. “I’m just messing with you, we cleaned it up a while ago. Chief’s probably six feet under at this point.”

He began to walk down the hallway, Andrew following from a few feet behind. It flowed into a main room lacking any furniture. Candle holders decorated the paint chipped walls, and a cracked window sat in the room’s backside. A large white outline was drawn on the floor. Is this where the dead body was? I don’t know what Pokemon that even could have been!

“So, how did he die?” Asked Andrew as his eyes darted across the room.

A scowl brandished the Bayleef’s face. “Not sure how. Tones of stabs, bruises, and burns. There’s no way for us to pinpoint the exact cause of death. The owner of this house claims to have just found him dead on the floor, but we took him into custody to make sure we get the truth out of his sleazy snout.”

“I see.”

The Bayleef turned his head. “Anyways, I’ll go find you a uniform. You can do your investigation now.”

Andrew approached the outline. What am I supposed to do with this? I can’t even tell what Pokemon this is supposed to be! He turned his head to ask the Bayleef about the police chief’s species, only to find him gone. Groaning, he began to pace around the room. So, I guess I’m some sort of investigator now? A detective? Well, a detective is supposed to look for clues. He walked back up to the outline and scanned the edges, attempting to find anything of use. 

“Oh my. Who do we have here?” A voice spoke from behind.

He spun his head around. A Servine was standing a few feet behind him. His vines were out, one curled around a pencil and the other around a notebook. Why do all of these Pokemon keep sneaking up on me?

Andrew examined the Pokemon. Noting the lack of a green bandana. “Hey, what are you doing here? You aren’t a part of the police.”

“I’m a writer for the Grandeport Gazette, investigating the murder of Chief Rime!” He stated proudly, his snout tilted up and vines on his hips. “Plus, I don’t see you with a police uniform.”

Andrew began making his way to the exit. “What was that idiot thinking? Clearly, I am not needed here. I’ll be on my way.”

“Wait! Don’t go!” yelled The Servine. “I have some leads but haven’t been able to crack this case. We could work together.” 

Andrew stopped. He tilted his head up to the low ceiling. Charlie might kill me if I went back empty-handed. And I don’t really have anywhere else to go right now. 

Turning back around to the Servine, Andrew stuck out his flipper. “Fine. I’m Andrew.”

“I’m Thomas!” he said with a smile, curling a vine around Andrew’s fingers.

They shook appendages lightly before pulling away. “But wait, why are you here?” Thomas asked.

“I’m part of the police force. Just waiting for that Bayleef to get my uniform.”

As if on cue, the Bayleef walked into the room with a dark green bandana on his vine. He tossed it to Andrew. “Sorry for the wait, I see you two are acquainted.” 

He inspected the bandana. It was a solid green and seemed to be in good condition. No tears or stains he could notice. The texture was smooth and pleasant to the touch. He turned his gaze to the identical bandana on the Bayleef’s neck. Do I still remember how to do this? Andrew placed the bandana around his neck… or the space where his neck would be. Just put that in there, and tie that through there. Voilà!

“Cool bowtie,” Thomas exclaimed. “It looks good on you.”

Andrew scratched the back of his head. “Uh, thanks.”

“I’ve turned this place upside-down looking for clues. I have a few leads, but none of them are in this broken-down house. Want to come with me to investigate? Thomas questioned. 

Andrew straightened his bowtie. “Well, I’m not just going to sit here doing nothing.”

“Let’s get out of this place then. I’ll explain what I’ve found so far on the way.” He began walking toward the door.

Andrew nodded and followed as the floorboards creaked beneath his stubby legs. He felt relief wash over him while exiting the building, having realized just how claustrophobic it felt. A drop of water rolled down the back of his head. The sun beat down on his wet skin as he strolled down the run-down street.

“Isn’t it a lovely day?” Thomas asked. He maneuvered his three-pointed lead on his tail toward the sky and stretched out his minuscule arms as far as they could go.

Why is this guy so happy? I’m being cooked! “It’s nice, I guess.”

“Is something wrong?” Thomas tilted his head, frowning. 

Andrew sighed, “No I’m fine. I’ve just been having a rough time this past week.”

“I feel you, this case has been driving me crazy also. This could be a front-page headline, and I’m so close to figuring it out!” Thomas said, lowering his tail back down.

Andrew raised his flippers. “It’s not just the investigation. It’s everything. I just woke up one day and my life completely changed. And there was nothing I could do to stop it! I hate being a Marshtomp.” He stomped his feet against the uneven road. 

“Well, I think Marshtomps are pretty cool.” He laid a vine on The Marshtomp’s shoulder. 

He quickly shoved it off. “I don’t need to be comforted. Where are we going? 

“It’s a restaurant called Rainberry. The owner is a friend of my dad, and apparently, he has some information.” Thomas whispered.

Andrew stared at a building that looked abandoned. Its windows and doors were fully boarded up. “Why are you whispering? This street’s a ghost town.”

Thomas quickened his pace. “Let’s keep moving, you don’t want to run into any other Pokemon in this part of town.”

After a few minutes of walking as fast as their short legs could carry them, Andrew and Thomas exited onto a populated street. Shops were built into the ground floors of several-story high buildings. A small sign hung above one of the shops, prominently displaying Rainberry. 

The interior was simple. The walls were painted a light blue, and small tables and chairs were scattered across the floor. A Spinda sat behind a bottle-lined counter in a far corner of the restaurant. Despite the lack of detail, the restaurant was packed with Pokemon of all shapes and sizes. The noises of laughing, crying, and talking all seemed to blend together. 

Thomas pointed to the Spinda. “That’s our guy.”

The two squeezed their way through the crowd of Pokemon over to the counter. They each took a seat on wooden benches. 

“Anything I could get you two?” The Spinda asked, wiping down a plate with a rag. 

He cleared his throat. “I’m Thomas Servine, reporter for the Grandeport Gazette, and son of Sirius Serperior. This is Officer Andrew Marshtomp. We’re investigating the murder of the late police chief Benedict Rime. I was told you have some information.”

“Oh, you’re Sirius’ kid? I haven’t seen you since you were a little Snivy!” He exclaimed. “I overheard something a couple of days ago you might be interested in. But, I have to get you something to eat. You kids must be starving!”

Thomas panned his head around the restaurant. “Well, a bit of food wouldn’t hurt. I’ll have the house sandwich. What do you want, Andrew?”

“I’ll just have what you’re having.”

The Spinda smiled. “Alright then! Two house sandwiches coming right up.”

He disappeared through a door behind the counter. Only to return moments later with two ordinary-looking sandwiches. Placing them down, Andrew picked his up and took a small bite. This is pretty good. I taste lettuce and some… cheese? How did they get cheese? Do I want to know?

He turned his head to Thomas, seeing the Servine happily enjoying his sandwich. Well, if Thomas isn’t bothered by it, there probably isn’t an issue. He shrugged and took a larger bite out of the sandwich. They continued their meal in silence. About halfway done with his sandwich, Andrew felt a light tapping on his back. His heart dropped as he turned around. 

In front of him stood an all too familiar Zorua. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be banished?”

Andrew put down his sandwich. “Didn’t you hear? I’m no longer banished. Isn’t that great?”

“Jason, get over here!” Ryder yelled. “Andrew is evading his banishment order!”

Thomas turned to Andrew. “Banishment? I thought you were a police officer.”

“I am,” he sneered. Crossing his flippers. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Ryder repeatedly kept yelling, “Jason!”

“Are you capable of shutting up? Some of us are trying to eat.” Andrew turned away and took another bite of his sandwich, trying to tune out Ryder’s shouts. 

“Ryder, what’s the problem? We’re in a public…” Jason trailed off. “Please tell me that isn’t Andrew.”

Thomas whispered. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”

“You didn’t ask for my life story.” He whispered back.

“Are you even really a police officer?”

Andrew pressed against the counter. “Yes, and I’m no longer banished. Apparently that news hasn’t made it to them yet.”

“Andrew?” Jason asked. “Is that you?”

“No, I’m hungry.” He turned around slowly, a smug grin on his face.

Jason scowled. “You can’t be here! You’re banned from entering the city!”

“My ban got lifted, and I’m a part of the police now.” Andrew bragged, stuffing the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. 

Stammering, Jason questioned. “What? How is that even possible?”

“It’s quite simple, really. The royal council lifted my ban and put me on the police force. Clearly, they understood how ridiculous my treatment was.” His smug grin grew even wider.

Ryder stomped his paw on the ground. “Likely story. I’m guessing you just swam back into the harbor.”

“I’ll have you know, I walked all the way from the royal palace.” 

“Shut up!” Ryder snapped. “You can’t be here.”

Jason cleared his throat, loudly. “Andrew, you are evading a court order. I should be reporting you to the guild. However, we are going to give you a chance to leave on your own terms.”

“No, I think I’ll stay,” Andrew said, turning back to the counter. 

“I don’t want to use violence against you, Andrew,” Jason announced, raising his voice.

“I do,” Ryder added.

Andrew leaned over to Thomas. “I’ll convince them to go away, just get whatever information we need.”

Thomas nodded. A concerned look in his large, red eyes. Andrew faced Jason and Ryder yet again. He undid his green bowtie and waved it around. “Look here. My bowtie is actually a police uniform. If I was lying, how would I have gotten this?”

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Ryder spoke. “Plus, even if you aren’t lying, a cop isn’t much of a step up from a criminal.”

Andrew leaped down from his chair. “You wanna go, Zorua? I’ve been waiting for a rematch.”

“Andrew, we can do this peacefully. Nobody wins when we fight.” Jason pleaded, stepping closer.

“Shut up.” Ryder and Andrew said simultaneously.  

He looked back to the counter to see Thomas and the Spinda were gone. Before Andrew could turn back to face Ryder, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. He tumbled and hit the wood of the counter before fully realizing what happened. The sound of bottles clanging against each other echoed through the cramped restaurant. Cheater! I wasn’t ready. 

He turned around to see Ryder inches in front of him, tongue sticking out. Jason stood another foot behind with a worried look on his purple face. Additionally, several groups of Pokemon had turned their gaze to the scene unfolding. 

“Wow, that was too easy.” Ryder laughed. 

The audacity of that idiot! A large scowl overtook Andrew’s face, his eyes narrowing. I’m going to kill him! But before he could retaliate, a bottle slipped from the top of the counter. Time seemed to move slower as it fell. Right onto Ryder’s head. 

A loud clunking sound emanated as the glass bottle hit the floor and rolled over to Andrew. Ryder howled in pain, raising a paw to massage his injured head. A wicked grin curled across Andrew’s face. I’ll show him what it means to mess with me! He carefully picked up the bottle, slowly clasping his finger around its top.

Jason yelled something, but Andrew was too lost in the moment to hear. He raised the bottle as high as he could, and smashed it against Ryder’s head again with one swift motion. Ryder fell to the floor with one last thump.  Glass shards scattered everywhere, several grazing Andrew’s skin.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jason barked, rushing over to Ryder’s unconscious body.

He tapped Ryder’s face with his paws, progressively harder. “Wake up!” he repeated louder and louder. His gaze turned to Andrew, a tear slipping from the Espeon’s eye. A purple glow formed around Ryder. A mysterious force lifted him gently onto Jason’s back. He approached Andrew, who shamefully turned away. 

“I suggest you leave the city, leave the country, and maybe leave this world while you’re at it. Because I swear, if Ryder doesn’t wake up tomorrow, I’ll make sure you don’t either.” Jason slowly walked toward the exit, allowing every Pokemon to gaze upon the creature Andrew knocked unconscious.

He sat down against the counter, covering his face. It was self-defense! Why am I always the bad guy? He felt a sting on his flippers, causing him to gaze at them. They were riddled with cuts, some of which were leaking blood. He ran a finger across his flipper, staining it red.

Andrew felt footsteps shake the floor below him as somebody approached. “Oh my gosh! Are you hurt? What happened?” Thomas pleaded, kneeling down to Andrew.

He buried his face in his flippers. 

“What am I doing with myself?”