Opening theme:
Jonathan sighed as he and his team walked through the city, his paws fumbling a little for some reason.
Behind him, his team and even Trixie shared an amused look knowing just who they were going to meet. “So, you finally found your friend?” Trixie asked, still having the amused look in her eyes.
“Huh? Oh yeah,” Jonathan said. “Sure didn’t expect her to turn up here...or that she turned into a Zoroark of all things.”
“Well...Zoroark are pretty shy, and Alice is pretty shy herself, so...maybe?” Echo shrugged. Truth be told, considering how Alice always acted, they were all expecting her to have turned into a Fairy-type or something. Definitely not a Dark-type, but eh, stranger things have happened.
It wasn’t long before they made it to their destination, the building known as the Unity Building. Walking in, they were met with the sight of a Leavanny sitting at a desk.
The Leavanny, Lala, looked up from her spot behind the desk, folding the paper and nodding at the small party of Pokemon and mare that entered the building. “Hello. Renting, or visiting?” she asked.
“Er...visiting. I’m looking for Alice Maximilion,” Jonathan said. “Tell her it's from Jonathan Trace.”
After he said that, there was a voice that rang out in everyone’s head. Ah, hello. My apologies that I cannot greet you in person. I am a bit busy at the moment, but I can spare you some concentration for a greeting and directions.
Jonathan blinked, but remembered that this was probably the one who owned the establishment, one Vincent Nurem...much to his surprise at hearing that name of all things. “Ah...that’s fine. I was really just looking for my friend. Is Alice here?” he asked.
There was silence for a moment before Vincent responded again. Yes, but you won’t like what happened. Allow me to apologize in advance before I tell you...yesterday, she had a headache, and one of her partners asked for some headache medication. I accidentally gave her some that I used when I was an Abra, mistaking it for some over-the-counter pills. The effects of said dosage should have worn off by now, but if they haven’t...I apologize again. I would never do that knowingly or willingly.
Hearing that, Jonathan relaxed a bit. “Alright, I’ll believe you that it was an accident. Still, could you call her down?” he said...then face pawed when he realized how stupid the request was. “Right...she’s a Zoroark now. No psychic communications for her. Which floor?”
According to Bit, she and the ponies she came in with are on floor six. I’m...not sure where, they handled the organizing of who got what apartment themselves. But seeing as how there are only four choices, you have a 25% chance of finding her on your first shot.
“...works for me,” Jonathan shrugged as he walked up the stairs.
Going up the stairs, he soon found himself on the right floor, before checking the rooms. His luck must have been good today, as on his first try, he found the right room, and was treated to the sight of a Zoroark laying in bed, surrounded by a concerned looking group of Pokemon. A very familiar group of Pokemon.
“Excuse me?” Jonathan said, knocking a little, catching their attention.
The Pokemon all blinked, before they grinned “Hey Jonathan, its been a long time,” Shade greeted. “Looking good too.”
“We were wondering when you’d turn up. Alice will be really glad once she sees you,” Rascal chuckled, wiggling his eyebrow suggestively.
“Nice to see you too, Shade, Rascal,” Jonathan chuckled slightly, before frowning as he looked at Alice. “...is she okay?”
“...more or less. She needed help killing time so we…” Shade coughed.
“We knocked her out on her request,” Rascal sighed. None of them liked doing that.
“I see…” Jonathan frowned, but he knew that there was no way they’d hurt Alice without good reason. They cared for her too much. “Is she alright now?”
“She’s sleeping from her hangover, but on the whole...yeah,” Shade nodded.
“That’s good. Can I see her?” he asked.
“We’d insist even if you didn’t ask,” Rascal chuckled, as they stepped aside, letting Jonathan come in. When he got to the bedside, he idly noted that the Pokemon gave them some space for some reason.
Placing a paw on her arm, he noticed she started to stir. When she woke up and saw him, she seemed surprised, but smiled quickly. “Its...been a while,” she said. “Not counting earlier…” she added with a light chuckle.
“Yeah…” Jonathan nodded. “So...what have you been up to?”
And so the two old friends took the rest of the time just talking, and sharing stories, though as much as it pained Alice, she gave him a...modified...version of her story. “Heh, looks like you’ve had quite the time here too, Alice. And assistant to a Magician? Guess your hobby came in useful after all,” Jonathan chuckled.
“Well, looks to me like you’ve been really productive since coming here,” Alice chuckled lightly. “Didn’t wait to chase after Fox did you?”
“Well you know me, I don’t give up,” Jonathan nodded in agreement. “I’ll get her eventually.”
“I’m sure you will,” Alice said, though she had to fight hard to keep her expression as she felt the stab of guilt at her words.
“So...you gonna be okay?” he asked concerned.
“I’ll be fine. I’m a Dark-type now. I’m not gonna lose to something like a weird hangover,” Alice said, earning a laugh from Jonathan.
“Right, as if something on the mind could beat a Dark-type,” Jonathan nodded, getting her joke.
However, the moment was interrupted when Heat came upstairs. “Jonathan, we’ve got trouble!”
“Okay, so from what I’ve gathered,” Vincent said as he spread the papers in front of him, all of them aglow, “these charges are all about how we didn’t go through the ‘proper channels’ for our renovation, along with using untested technology for some of it.” The psychic sighed before forcing the papers into a neat pile.
“All of them say I need to go to the courthouse and dispute the charges in person, or rather, in ‘pony,’” he snorted.
“Sounds like a load of Tauros shit to me,” Jonathan commented. “While I can’t say for the ‘untested technology’ part, I know a few basic laws, and you already got the okay from the landlord, who as far as I’m aware, owns this land and building outright,” he said. “Furthermore, I don’t see anything about a defense attorney, or anything that should appear in a normal case in court. I dunno what’s going on, but I smell a rat.”
There was an indignant squeaking from a corner, as a small family of Rattata scurried on their way, though not without glaring at Jonathan.
“I didn’t mean you guys!” he quickly called after them.
“And as for him owning the building outright,” Vincent picked up, “I did pay him, both with Bits and with installing the technology, so we’re co-owners.”
“Still, something’s up,” Sam said, having gotten off of work not too long ago and eyeing the pile of documents. “Why didn’t we get any warnings or inspectors or the like?”
“I dunno, but I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” Vincent growled. “These ponies are going to learn why not to mess with our family.” He set the documents to hover behind him as he went for the front doors, but stopped as he felt a paw on his shoulder.
“Not alone, you’re not. This whole thing reeks of something foul, and I wouldn’t put it past whoever is running this scheme to arrange for you to have a little ‘accident’. I’m coming along, AND I’m reporting this to Ace,” Jonathan said. This whole thing seemed VERY suspicious to him.
Vincent’s expression softened a touch at the Lucario’s words. “Fine,” he muttered. “Come along if you must, but I doubt anyone will get the drop on me.”
“Trust me kid, if its one thing I’ve learned, is that its ALWAYS possible for someone to get the drop on you. Of course, in my case, only Fox has ever done that, but the point still stands,” he said. One good thing that came from dealing with Fox, was that he’d gained a very high level of awareness, something he had to hone if he wanted even a chance of catching the elusive thief.
What they didn’t know was that Alice had been at the top of the stairs, listening in on the conversation. “This...needs looking into, don’t you agree?” Alice mused. Next to her, Sleight and Storm nodded in agreement.
“We thought so too, so we went snooping around town a while ago. You’ll never guess who we ran into,” Sleight smirked.
“One of the Equestria Irregulars?” Alice guessed, using the moniker she coined for their three friends.
“Bingo. We ran into Info Scoop earlier, and boy did she have something to say,” Quick Storm nodded.
“Lay it on me,” Alice smiled as the two began explaining.
The town was eerily quiet as Vincent, Jonathan, and Heat walked down the street towards the courthouse.
“Not to sound like some old movie, but...It’s quiet. Too quiet,” Heat said, his expression dead serious. Next to him Jonathan didn’t say a word, but kept his sights trained on the surrounding. This scene looked waaaay too perfect for an ambush or something.
“Yeah,” Vincent commented. “But I’m not picking up on anything besides us, so...wait, scratch that, pegasus just came into range.”
“Well, we’d better see what he wants. Heat, if he proves hostile, submission maneuvers. Catch his wings, and if needs be, twist them,” Jonathan ordered, his voice cold as his instincts were warning him to be careful. This whole thing stank of a set up. Nothing good ever came from those.
Around the corner came more than just a pegasus pony, though. He was accompanied by a Houndoom, a Liepard, a Mightyena, and even a Scrafty. The pony himself was rust-red with a grey mane, and his mark did not inspire confidence that he would be reasonable. His voice just removed any doubt.
“Pardon me, but is one of you Vincent Nurem?” he questioned as a knife was held by his right wing, somehow.
“Oh yeah? Who wants to know?” Jonathan growled, stepping in front of Vincent. His instincts were telling him that this guy was trouble, and the vibe he was giving...somehow he doubted Ace would be too upset if this guy came back in a body bag. This guy was giving the vibes of a killer...and one that would have been put on death row back on Earth.
“Everyone calls me Mayhem,” the pony responded. “I’m here to give Vincent a little lesson in why you don’t mess with mob families.” The Pokemon next to him nodded in unison as he finished his statement. “So, is that him there?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Doesn’t matter, you’re not getting him. I’ll see to that. So here’s the deal. either you come quietly, and tell us who put you up to this, or we’ll do this the hard and PAINFUL way. Your choice,” Jonathan said as he and Heat stepped forward, their postures defensive.
“Oh, I love doing things the painful way,” the pony stated. “Others always make such interesting screams. And if you think I’m going back to that cell, well, you must be crazy. I’m getting that kid, one way or another.” The knife moved to a hoof and was pointed at Vincent’s shivering form.
“Get him,” Mayhem commanded of the four who’d accompanied him.
Jonathan didn’t answer, instead, he merely glanced at Heat, their eyes making contact, and Heat just smiled. No holding back. They were dealing with a maniac, and they would not let him get away.
The four Pokemon charged, yet the two Fighting-types simply stood their ground. Seeing an opportunity, the Houndoom and the Liepard lunged for them. However, just as they were about to pounce, the two officers moved. Taking a quick step forward, both delivered devastating thrusts into their assailant’s abdomens, knocking the wind out of them, before grabbing them, and promptly flipping them like flapjacks, before throwing them at the remaining two Pokemon, leaving them tumbling into a heap. When they stopped rolling, Jonathan simply gave them a ‘come here’ gesture.
“You’re going to regret that,” Mayhem said, flipping his knife back to his wing and deciding to join the fray. “C’mon, get up you four. I need that kid, and you said you could do this.”
Too bad for them, Jonathan had other plans. “Now!” he suddenly shouted, as Heat rammed his right claw into the ground, hard with his special Rock Smash, the shock causing rocks to jut out, while also creating a shockwave that threw their opponents off balance. At that moment, Jonathan surged forward in a burst of Extreme Speed, his fist glowing with a Focus Punch, which he delivered right into the guts of the Scrafty and the Mightyena, before nailing the still dazed Liepard and Houndoom with a roundhouse kick, sending all four flying back. To top it off, he landed a haymaker on Mayhem’s side, while grabbing his knife, and wrenching it free. “Had enough?” he challenged, before casually snapping the knife in half, the weak metal worthless before his strength.
The pony got back to his feet and actually glared at Jonathan, his smile finally slipping. “I am not going back empty-hooved,” he hissed.
“Keep this up, and I’m going to have to send you back with BROKEN hooves. So do yourself a favor and come quietly,” Jonathan shot back. He’d already seen the look in Mayhem’s eyes, and he knew he couldn’t let him get anywhere near Vincent.
“I don’t do quietly,” Mayhem replied, glancing at the shards of his knife. “And if you think I’m powerless without my knife, I’m going to wonder what you’re on.”
He proved his words by snatching one of the sharp metal shards with his wing and flinging it at high speeds towards Heat.
The Combusken didn’t look impressed, as a single burst of Flamethrower melted the metal shards to puddles.
“Fair enough,” the pony replied. “Still can’t go back without the kid, so your words are meaningless.” With that, he took to the air, hovering and looking behind the two intently.
“Oh no you don’t! Heat, Rocket Uppercut!” Jonathan shouted, as he immediately got down to one knee, his paws joined together in front of him.
“Gotcha!” Heat nodded, before stepping on his paws, and was promptly pushed upward, his claws glowing with a Sky Uppercut that was enhanced by the velocity.
Mayhem took the brunt of the attack on his chin, flipping over several times before landing on his back, more specifically, landing on his wings, which cracked audibly. While he didn’t scream, he did still pass out from the pain.
“It's not over yet,” Jonathan said, eyeing the other Pokemon dangerously. “Anyone else want some?”
The four Dark-types took one look at the scene, and made their choices.
“Screw this!” the Mightyena said. “Nobody said anything about Fighting-types!”
The other three voiced their agreement and bolted with him, vanishing down the road.
“Smart boys,” Heat smirked, before picking up the unconscious pony. “Should I check for consciousness?”
Jonathan simply walked up to the Pony, and promptly landed a sharp blow on a spot on his head that would guarantee that he was unconscious. “No consciousness,” he chuckled, before turning back to Vincent… “Wait...where did Vincent go?”
Heat looked around, and noticed that Vincent wasn’t there at all. “Huh? He was here a minute ago,” Heat said, perplexed.
A cry of pain from one alleyway, a familiar cry, got their attention.
“Found him!” Heat shouted, before they both dashed in the direction of the scream.
“Looks like we must have missed one…” Jonathan growled, before closing his eyes, and pumping his Aura into his legs. Whoever was doing this was gonna be in for a world of hurt.
When they arrived at the scene, they were met with the sight of several Kadabra, no doubt a Double Team, and a gloating Honchkrow
“Oh no, what am I to do?” the Honchkrow asked. “When confronted by so many handsome lords, oh what am I to do?”
Seeing the opening, Jonathan shot forward. “Shut up and go unconscious!” he shouted, catching the Honchkrow’s attention...too late for the Honchkrow as Jonathan’s foot plow into his face, and since said limb was being flooded with Jonathan’s aura...the Honchkrow soon found himself embedded into a wall.
“... bloody rouges...” the Honchkrow muttered before he passed out.
“You okay, kid?” Heat asked, as the Kadabra copies disappeared.
“Yeah, sorry we couldn’t help you sooner. Guess we were too preoccupied with the opponents right in front of us,” Jonathan said.
Vincent’s form glowed as he both channeled another Recover into himself, then sealed his strength back up again. He glared at the bird, before looking at Jon and Heat with only slightly smaller glares. “Which was probably their plan. I’m taking the Vincent Express to the station,” he said, before vanishing in a burst of blue.
“...gee, don’t mind us, not like we won’t mind a ride,” Heat said sarcastically, though there wasn’t much heat behind it considering what Vincent had just gone through.
“Come on, Heat. Walking is healthier anyway. Wouldn’t want to get pudgy now,” Jonathan joked, before the two of them shared a laugh as they hefted both the Honchkrow and the stallion over their shoulders and headed for the Guard Station.
However, little did they know that they hadn’t been alone. “Curiouser and curiouser,” Fox mused as she watched from afar. “But this is becoming bigger than I thought...perhaps I will need to be more...direct here,” she said to herself as she got up to walk away...right before she held her head. “Darn headaches…”
“His name is Mayhem,” Ace said, looking at the newest arrival to her jail. “Or rather, that’s what everypony calls him. If there was anyone that knew his birth name, it would have to have been his parents. Shortly after having Tolerance,” here she snorted, “The colt grew jealous of all the attention they were giving him, and, well, that square is still burned down today. He just stood there and watched the fires burn. Luckily, or not, depending on how you look at it, we saved the foal, but quite a few ponies died in the surrounding buildings. And then he got worse.”
“Translation: He’s a psychopath,” Jonathan deadpanned, having run into his fair share of them back on Earth. “But what’s he doing on the streets? Shouldn’t he be locked up?”
“Mmhmm,” Ace responded. “I put him into a mental institution, and for the past ten years, he’s stayed there. Caught him mid-torture. He’s...unpredictable, save for one thing: he loves to bring others pain, and prefers to use a knife to do it. Likes to draw it out.” She said flatly. “Sometimes the mob families would pay him to do something, and he’d do that job, and do it well. But there was usually collateral. Eventually they stopped paying him, and he killed anyways. His death toll is relatively low, but that’s only because he didn’t like getting new ‘toys’ after the old ones broke.”
“Well...just make sure he STAYS in there this time. I’d recommend straight jackets with chains. Throw in a muzzle if needs be. Can’t be too careful with those types,” Jonathan sighed. “Anyway, he was after the kid. Any info on who sprung him loose?”
“No, and it infuriates me,” Ace growled. “Mayhem won’t sell out his employers, ever. Those other Pokemon you talked about, we can’t find them. And as for that wonderful amount of paperwork you brought me,” here she looked back towards her desk, “The only thing we can find is that as of so far, we can’t find anything. All of them ‘spontaneously’ decided to file charges against the building on the same day. That’s not an uncommon tactic, especially for the now-defunct PegasusAir, for when they want a building or to pressure the owners, but it’s nigh-impossible to trace. The one line we might have is the institution itself from when Mayhem was busted loose, but that’s going to take time to figure out how it happened.”
“Time you need assuming you do this the ‘legal’ way,” came a new voice, a distinctly feminine voice.
Turning to the source of the voice, they were treated to the sight of a certain someone fading into view.
“Fox?! What the hell?!” Jonathan gasped, not expecting to see the thief here. In fact, he wasn’t expecting this at all. This was the first time, probably in recorded history, that a Fox basically walked up and showed themselves in a Police Office.
Ace didn’t so much ask a question so much as launch a trio of small telekinetic ‘bullets’ at the figure’s forehead, all charged for stun.
The bullets hit...the wall, as they went right through the Zoroark.
“A little quick on trigger, are we?” Fox chuckled, as she was now suddenly leaning against the opposite wall.
“Better quick than dead,” Ace replied blandly as she looked over the Fox and then back to Jonathan. “This the girl who’s been eyeing you?”
“What?” Jonathan said flatly. “That’s Fox, not some girl.”
“Johnny boy is cute, especially when he’s flustered, but I just like to tease him,” Fox chuckled in amusement.
“I noticed earlier,” Ace said with the smallest of shrugs. “When he and his friend Alice met up in my office, poor dog got red as a rose.”
“The Maximilion girl? I’ve seen her from time to time. Honestly not surprised, seeing as they seemed close,” Fox simply said. “But enough about that. Before anyone does anything...rash, I’ll have you know I’m on your side right now.”
Ace let out a masculine bark of laughter. “Oh? Give me a single good reason why I shouldn’t slam your head into the table and cuff you myself, aside from the fact that you’re probably not where you appear to be.”
“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. I honestly ought to thank Arceus for this new body. It's only fitting that I become the very Pokemon that inspired the first Fox centuries ago,” she chuckled. “But to answer your question, I’m here to help with your...recent incident, and from the info I’ve got, we stand a MUCH better chance of resolving this if we work together. That and I just knocked out the other officers in the building to get here. I think I can take one on any day.”
“Oh wonderful, there’s more of that senseless violence and problem causing that you seem to be so good at causing,” Ace shot back venomously. “Do you even realize how much chaos that’s going to cause here for us? I mean honestly Fox, the level of stealth that you’ve displayed so far means that you could have been in this office without anyone knowing a thing. Now I’m going to have to have everyone checked for concussions and possibly suspend them from duty.”
“Now don’t get ahead of yourself. I never laid a finger on any of them,” Fox chuckled. “I just didn’t want anyone interrupting. Otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered spreading the Sleep Powder.”
Ace stared at her for a moment before glancing at Jonathan. “Is there any likelihood that she’s actually in this room?”
Jonathan sighed, before walking up to Fox. “Let’s find out I suppose,” he said, before poking the Zoroark on the arm. It was solid. “She’s real,” he reported.
“Aw...just a tap? I wouldn’t mind you doing more that that,” Fox teased, her lips puckered as though she was asking for a kiss. Jonathan blushed at the implication, but backed away with a grumble.
The next thing the Fox knew there were a pair of hooves planted solidly in her stomach and she was thrown into the wall. “That was for my husband, you arrogant bitch,” Ace said calmly. “Now let’s get on with it.”
“Fair enough, fair enough,” Fox said, grimacing slightly, but simply dusted herself off, not looking any worse for wear. Thank Arceus part of her training was how to instinctively role with blows and relax muscles on impact, or that could have caused some actual damage. “Anyway, let’s just say I know a thing or two about this incident,” she started, baiting them a little.
“Cut the ‘I’m mysterious and playful’ shit and get to the point,” Ace stated blandly.
“Geez, way to kill the mood,” Fox sighed. “Fine, I have no idea about Mayhem, but I got some info that one PegasusAir is starting up again. Looks like you weren’t very thorough in cleaning them up, seeing as one Quick Notes has taken over.”
Ace frowned faintly. “Ah,” she nodded her head. “I suppose I was still a bit busy keeping an all out street war from erupting at the time to focus on everything,” she said before frowning a little more. “Though the name does not ring a bell.”
“Well, according to my informant, she was apparently the secretary of the previous owner...well, former now I suppose,” Fox shrugged.
“Huh,” Ace said befuddled. “I suppose that would make sense, we did take in their higher ranking executives, it’s hard to grab every single pencil pusher.”
“And this is why I like being a thief more,” Fox commented, sticking her tongue out. “No stupid politics and protocols to worry about.”
“Indeed, but you get to waste the guard’s time with your antics along with their money and make them look like imbeciles,” Ace said with a grunt. “Hurray for you.”
“Point. So, what are you gonna do about it NEXT time?” Fox goaded with a slight smirk. “What are you gonna do the next time I, or someone like me comes along?”
“I wouldn’t tell you,” Ace said blandly.
“That’s fine,” Fox chuckled. “Now then, before we get off topic again, here’s the deal. Normally I’d go about my usual way of doing things, but...I decided that an unusual situation requires an unusual approach. My informants got a hand on what they were paying local Pokemon with. Looks like she’s managed to replicate Rare Candies and Pokemon Vitamins, and seems to be paying the Pokemon with them. Buuut...there is a flaw. Like all big operations, there must be documentation....” Fox simply said, leading her on.
“She’s right. If we can get those documents, we’ll have legal proof of their actions, and we can catch them, Pokemon be damned,” Jonathan begrudgingly agreed.
“Not just that. She’s got Pokemon on her side because she has a monopoly on what they want at the moment. If we can get the data on that too, we can publicly manufacture it, and thus break any chances of future monopolies happening,” Fox added.
“I see...” Ace mused before letting out a small sigh. “I wish Abby was here to offer assistance, the most reliable form of Pokemon help we have in this town is Vincent and much as I realize he tries to help, the kid is a few plates short of a suit of armor.”
“...you do realize the kid is in the room, right?” Fox deadpanned.
“Not sure she cares at the moment,” the Kadabra deadpanned right back while glaring at Fox. “What with you being here. Can’t say I blame her either.”
“Doesn’t matter. As long as the job gets done, I really don’t care who I work with. Though Police are ALWAYS preferable,” Fox shrugged.
“When you’re not using them to further your ego,” Ace said flatly. “So, Fox, do you have a plan?”
“...I’m surprised you didn’t ask about the stuff that PegasusAir has been making,” Fox commented.
“It doesn’t really matter in the end,” Ace said with a small shrug. “From Jonathan’s reaction it’s legally damming.”
“And potentially very bad,” Vincent pitched in. “Candies and Vitamins were used often enough at the lab...the Vitamins focus on one particular attribute and provide the nutrients needed to the ‘mon who ingests it. They then assimilate it into their systems and become better at whatever it was meant to help with. Taking hits, dishing them out. Faster, stronger, better. And quickly, too. The Candies...they help a ‘mon grow instantly. From whatever rung they were on to the next.”
Ace blinked. “You know. Your entire old world either annoys me or makes me extremely concerned,” she stated. “Because here candy is made of sugar and vitamins help your body work.”
“If you think that’s weird, hear this. Apparently eating rare candies can temporarily boost a Unicorn’s power...but after it wears off, it's like a sugar rush,” Fox added.
“Oh joy, next you’ll tell me it’s impossibly addictive too,” Ace grunted.
“Wouldn’t know,” Vincent said. “Maybe not in small doses, but they’re not supposed to be eaten by non-Pokemon anyways. The only one that did overeat on Candies in the lab...escaped.”
“I fed a few of my Pokemon candies when I could, but they sure didn’t seem to get addicted to them, and I’ve never heard of a human who tried them getting addicted...aside from them wasting a good Rare Candy,” Fox shrugged. “But we’re getting off topic...again. Anyway, point is, PegasusAir is trying to make a comeback, and I KNOW that’s not going to be a good thing. But I’m not so sure going it the way I usually do would be a good idea this time, so I came to you with the information. So are you in on this little scheme of mine?”
“Oh no, please do walk into a lair of artificially enhanced ponies and Pokemon with the intent to steal from them,” Vincent said with more than a hint of snark to Fox. “I’ll warm up the popcorn and fetch Bit to watch the fucking fireworks when you do.”
Jonathan frowned when he heard that. The way Vincent was talking it was as if he actually...relished in the idea of Fox getting herself killed. But that was crazy. Vincent had issues, but he wouldn’t actually want to see Fox dead from just ONE incident...right?
“Maybe you should. Of course, the only fireworks I intend to set off are the ones signalling PegasusAir’s permanent end. So do put aside the animosity for now...or do you want PegasusAir to come back? I hear they’re not too fond of you and your family, and seeing as they might just try to take over the city next…” Fox simply said, seemingly not the least bit worried about Vincent. Seemingly being the keyword, as she was inwardly frowning. She’d have to be careful with this one. It seemed he was more unstable than she thought.
“You. Broke. Bit. You may not have laid one finger or claw or whatever on him, but he doesn’t take failing at all well,” Vincent stated. “Were this any other time, I would break you in return.”
Now she was getting annoyed. Yes, she made a mistake, but this...this was taking it too far. Everything going on, and he was STILL fixated on that? He could at least TRY to put it aside till after the greater threat was dealt with. Not to mention it was rather petty all things considered. “I’ll say it once. I’ll say it a thousand times. I. Am. Sorry. Breaking someone was NOT on the list of things to do on my Heist,” Fox commented with a hint of annoyance, though she did include a tinge of guilt in her tone as she WAS sorry. “It goes against my personal code to do damage like that, and so far, I’ve been able to avoid it back on Earth. I had no intentions of changing that.”
“Huh, it’s almost as if your actions have consequences that you should consider before you commit a crime for fun and drag down other people in the process,” Ace commented lightly. “Maybe you should think about that.”
Now Ace was getting on her nerves too. What did they think this was? A joke? Some game that she was playing? Either way she reigned in her emotions and kept up her poker face. “I always do. I did the exact same I did back on Earth, and if anything, I thought the police came out stronger for it. Johnny boy and his family being one of the strongest examples. And before you all start ganging up on me, let me put it this way, which would you rather have failed against? Me, or someone who actually wanted to take the items I’ve stolen? I’ll tell you straight. I could have taken any and all the items if I wanted to. But I didn’t. I have my reasons, but at the end of the day, I don’t truly mean anyone harm,” Fox explained.
“Fat lot of good that does to those that simply can’t handle you,” Vincent retorted, glancing at both Mayhem and Fox, before delivering a final barb. “Cause from where I’m standing, the both of you break your fair share of beings on your way. Maybe you should share a cell when all’s said and done.” With that, he vanished, unable to stand Fox anymore.
Inwardly Fox let out a sigh of relief, glad he was gone, or she might have lost her cool and punched him in the face if he kept talking. Honestly, did that boy think the world revolved around him and his family or something? The nerve. “Hmph. Easy for him to say. Like I said, I never intended to hurt anyone OTHER than the crime lords. Heck, I was only planning for the local Guards to begin with. The Porygon-Z was an unexpected variable. I adapted, he couldn’t. It’s cold, but its a fact of life,” Fox snorted...but then her expression softened as she did think about it as a whole. “But...for all it’s worth, he’s got a point. Maybe tricks that work on Earth aren’t the best for Equus. Speaking of which, with all our arguing, I never got to suggest that he go through Mayhem’s head. Maybe he can find incriminating evidence on PegasusAir,” she sighed, before deciding to ask something. “Actually...can I ask you all something? And be honest about it.”
“I’ll try,” Jonathan shrugged.
Ace just grunted.
“I’d like to think the Porygon was an isolated incident, but seeing as I can’t stick around long after heists anymore...anyone else I accidentally hurt?” she asked.
“Well...you already know the answer for Earth. Aside from our bruised pride, nothing but superficial injuries, be it both human and Pokemon,” Jonathan said, though he glared slightly at her. “As for Equus...none that I can think of...of course, I had to chase after you shortly after too.”
“My husband’s rather angry at you but honestly I’d say the only people who got seriously injured were the two or three mares who were robbed because their officers were busy dealing with you,” Ace said, her features tight. “You know, I’m sure that that’s not actually what you look like... mostly because every once and a while it flickers ever so slightly, so I’m guessing you could get a real job at some point. If you ever do, I’m sure a security company or two could benefit from your knowledge, or you could go into criminal justice.”
“My condolence to the mares. Again, I can only control what happens in the heist itself, and I do try to avoid any unnecessary injuries whenever I can. Also, not bad. You actually noticed. Yes, this is an illusion, but how it's an illusion...well, you’ll just have to find out,” Fox chuckled. “As for a job...let’s just say that’s not an issue,” she chuckled. “Either way, I’ll be going now. I’ll come back if I find anymore info. In the meantime, I trust you and Jonathan can cover the rest.” And with that, she was gone, fading away into the darkness.
“Have to admit, that is pretty impressive,” Jonathan commented. “I’ll head over to the Unity Building, and see if I can get Vincent again,” he said, before he walked out of the office.
“So...how did it go?” Heat asked as they rejoined Jonathan.
“You’d almost need to be there to believe it,” Jonathan chuckled, before relaying what happened.
“What? She was actually there?” Echo said in surprise.
“Yeah, she was,” Jonathan nodded.
“Wow, this must be REALLY serious if Fox came herself,” Heat mused, while Howl just frowned.
“Something wrong Howl?” Echo asked.
“...yeah, a thought crossed my mind. Vincent...can we really trust him?” Howl asked.
That made them stop short, Jonathan frowning deeply. “You picked that up too, huh?”
Howl nodded. “Fox is a criminal, a thief, and our all time headache...but she doesn’t deserve to die,” he said, to which they all couldn’t help but agree. “No offense to the kid, considering the life he’s endured, but something about him rubs me the wrong way.”
“You’re not the only one,” Jonathan sighed. “I thought something was off, but I kept writing it off as something left over from back on Earth. But fact is, we don’t have a choice. We need all the help we can get,” he sighed again. “But if they try anything funny...you know what to do.”
“Roger,” the three Pokemon nodded. When they capture Fox, they would let the Justice system judge her. NOT a group of escaped experiments whose morality just came into question.
Once they got back to the Unity Building, one quick question to Bit and he was now on the way to the basement to talk to Vincent. When he got there though, he saw Vincent talking to another Lucario. “...is this a bad time?” he blinked.
“You’d have to be more specific,” Vincent said. “To what do I owe the pleasure, officer?”
At this Jonathan sighed. “You kinda left before Fox could finish her suggestion. She was suggesting we have a psychic rummage through Mayhem’s head, maybe get some info that could help us build up a case against Quick Notes and PegasusAir,” he explained.
“They’re back?” the other Lucario questioned, her ears going back and flat while she unconsciously snarled.
“I assume you’re Lucy. Glad to see you’re back to the right state of mind,” Jonathan said. “I’m Jonathan Trace, Baltimare Guard, and Canterlot Pokemon special division.”
“While I am...loathe to admit it,” Vincent said, his eyes shut and his fists balled. “She has a point. Is she there at the moment? I don’t think I could control myself if she was.”
Jonathan inwardly sighed at that, but if nothing else, one thing he’d gained from years of chasing after Fox, was a Poker Face that could fool most people. “Nah, she vanished not long after you left. I think you might have given her some food for thought, since she’s only just realizing that Equus seems to be reacting differently than how it was on Earth in terms of her heists,” Jonathan said, feigning some levility. “Just hope this doesn’t throw her off her game. For once, I’d prefer if Fox was at the top of her game,” he inwardly sighed again. They needed everything they had, and that included Fox’s usualy sharp mind.
“Fine,” Vincent said. “I’ll help, but understand something, mister Trace. The moment, moment, that Quick Notes is down, I’m going after Fox.”
He fought the urge to groan at that, but he knew he had to play along. “Sure,” he shrugged. “But I’ll have to ask that you refrain from doing any lasting damage. She may be on the most wanted list, but she doesn’t exactly deserve death row as far as the law system is concerned, and as she said, she never meant any harm,” he sighed. “That’s also assuming she even sticks around. From the way she was talking after you left…”
“Really, I don’t care if she sticks around,” Vincent said. “I just want her as far away from Bit as possible. Fixing him is going to be an effort and a half. He already was broken once. He doesn’t need an encore. Her being around at all is going to hamper his recovery something terrible.” With that, he vanished in a flash of blue, supposedly on his way, leaving Lucy to examine Jonathan.
“This Fox, you’ve been chasing her?”
“All over the world for the last 5 years on Earth, and more or less the whole time I’ve been on Equus. Not easy, since I don’t have many of the tools I had back on Earth but…” he clenched his paw. “I’m making due with this new body. Honestly, if I could choose, I think I LIKE being a Lucario more than being a human.”
“Yeah, same,” Lucy said. “Of course, for me the choice was Riolu or Lucario, so no brainer there. And if mister high-and-mighty is to be believed, this was something you earned. So yeah, welcome to the Lucario family,” she smirked, before walking past him on her way out. “Now if you’ll pardon me, I have a few forms to practice before I join you in this endeavor.”
Jonathan nodded as he watched her go.
Half an hour later saw Jonathan watching what was soon to be an interrogation of Mayhem, all the while his eyes were fixed on the mad Pony. He’d been bound in a straightjacket, muzzled, and there were even chains and padlocks wrapped around his form. A bit excessive, but nobody wanted to take any chances with this one getting loose again. In fact, Jonathan had personally suggested this configuration.
“Let’s just do this,” Vincent sighed, holding a spoon out and closing his eyes.
The process took a few minutes, as it was clear Vincent was making his way into the Pony’s mind. However, to Jonathan’s surprise Mayhem suddenly screamed, before he broke down crying.
“Okay...that’s a little disturbing…” Heat’s eye twitched, the Police Pokemon all wondering what the hell Vincent did to him.
“All she said was that she was putting a few things in the works, and that in exchange for help to ‘pressure’ us, he’d get the city to play with,” Vincent reported. “While she pointed the mad dog at us, she hid any proof that she got us out of the house for him to savage us from that conversation. As well, they kept him blindfolded and chained up until the meeting actually started, and there was nothing in the place they met to indicate that they intended to use it for more than that meeting.”
“Well that wasn’t as helpful as we would have hoped,” Jonathan sighed. “Hopefully our other source will have better luck.”
Ace just leveled Vincent with a singular stare. “And you wonder why I dislike you,” she said very simply. “The hell did you do to him?”
Vincent smiled a sick smile then. “Made him really feel the things he’d done over the years. Not my fault he was just a little colt when he started down the wrong road.”
Jonathan suppressed an eye twitch at that, but ultimately quickly put on a mask of levity again. “Damn...you are one scary kid. Didn’t think you’d pull a Penance Stare on the guy. Oh well, I guess it was appropriate,” Jonathan shrugged. He was half serious for that matter. On one hand it was fitting for a psycho. On the other hand, this seriously pushed the ethical limits. That and he was now positive he didn’t want the kid anywhere near his brain.
“I need to find a mind shield of some kind,” Ace grunted before glancing at Jonathan. “Jon, is that normal for dealing with psychics?”
“Depends on how stable and/or sadistic the psychic is. Though, pulling a copy of a comic book anti-hero’s signature move is new,” he shrugged. Inwardly he was wondering the same.
“It is not my fault they make it so easy,” Vincent commented with a huff and crossing his arms. “Seriously, the amount of things they’ve done is like a big red button, begging me to press it.”
Jonathan leveled a deadpan stare at the Kadabra. He was seriously wondering if the kid fully understood what he was doing.
“Just be sure to watch your own head, kid. You’re likely not the only powerful psychic in the world, so don’t go doing it too often. You don’t know who you might piss off,” came Fox’s voice as she faded into view again. “I’ve got more info on PegasusAir.”
Vincent clenched his fists and studiously looked away, not giving Fox the courtesy. Only Ace’s right eye twitched a little bit as Fox appeared. “Fine. Out with it. Sooner we get this over with, the sooner things can go back to bucking normal, whatever it is that means these days.”
“There’s gonna be some big shipment coming in from Canterlot. Apparently one of the mob families that owe PegasusAir have finally paid up. Its scheduled to come in tomorrow night,” she said simply.
“Hmm…” Ace said. “While I can’t go poking around the shipping manifests of what few import and export companies remain after the first time without probable cause, you have no such restrictions. If you’re truly as solidly ‘behind’ us as you say I’d request that you and a certain Fighting-Type escort you to make sure you don’t break more laws than absolutely necessary on your jaunt around the city. And no, I don’t care if you’d prefer to go alone.”
Fox just sighed. “Personally, I’d rather go it alone, but I can read between the lines. Alright, Johnny-boy can come with me. Might need that muscle anyway if a fight breaks out,” she shrugged.
“I’m gonna just take that as a yes. Honestly, the only reason I’m willing to do this is because at least I can count on you to not stab me in the back,” Jonathan sighed. “Alright, then, we’ll be ready tomorrow night at 8 PM. We’ll coordinate further from there. Would that be alright with all of you?”
“Fine by me,” Ace said, and Vincent gave a curt nod, not looking at anyone in particular. “Oh, and Miss Fox? Just so you’re aware, I’m fairly certain once this operation of Notes’ is swept up, I’m giving you more than a buck to the stomach.”
“Awww, and here I thought we’d be such good friends,” Fox chuckled, before her face became more serious. “Understood. Though all I ask is one thing in return when this is over.”
“I make no promises,” Ace said. “But speak.”
“Five minute head start,” Fox grinned.
“You’d be lucky to have five seconds,” Vincent hissed. “You two can deal with her. I’m off to make sure Bit isn’t stuck in a loop.”
“Oh shut up, you stupid kid,” Fox inwardly growled. She was REALLY getting tired of Vincent’s seeming inability to put aside smaller arguments when the future of this city was on the line.
The Kadabra vanished again, leaving the Guard and Jonathan with Fox and a heavily weeping Mayhem.
“Charming kid. I feel sorry for anyone who’s dumb enough to really hurt someone he cares for,” Fox mused. “So then, 8 PM tomorrow. Its a date, hope you’ll show me a good time, Mr. Trace,” Fox chuckled, before her cape wrapped around her before she vanished.
“Oh, and Ace, bring as many able bodied officers you can. I HIGHLY doubt this is going to be as clean as I would prefer it to be,” Fox’s voice rang out, before fading away as well.
“Is your life always so interesting, Mr. Trace?” Ace asked with a dry tone. “Because I much preferred my job of a month ago, when it was routine and boring.”
Jonathan simply stared at her, before saying in a long suffering tone. “Every. Damn. Day. It’s why I’m the only one who they have to deal with Fox. Everyone else who’s ever dealt with her case was smart enough to quit.”
“Let’s check our friend here back in the nuthouse and co-ordinate what we can for tomorrow,” Ace said. “I think the first thing I need once this mess is done with is a damn massage, and I know just the Thestral to give it.”
“...ookay, not gonna ask anymore there. But...got any drinks to go with one of those? I’m technically underaged, but at this point, I’d like to see if it works,” he groaned in response.
“Not while we’re on the job,” Ace commented before pulling out a file of the still-in-business shipping companies. “Now let’s get cracking on who could possibly receive such a shipment.”
“Right, right. An officer’s job is never done,” Jonathan shrugged helplessly.
Ending theme:
