Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hey, Sina, listen to this,” Dexio shouted, barging into their shared living room.

Sina opened her eyes and glared at him from the couch. “What.”

“Did I wake you up? Sorry!”

Sina groaned and closed her eyes again, lifting her legs for Dexio to sit, then putting her feet across his lap. “Yeah. It’s fine, sleep is for the weak, anyway.”

“Right. Anyway, I was just having a chat with one of our informants, you know, the black belt? He told me that the Lumiose Gang has disbanded.”

Sina reopened her eyes. “What? Really?”

“Yeah! You know that detective agency that opened up by the sushi place? Apparently they had a confrontation and that Detective Looker and his assistants managed to convince the gang to clean up their act.”

“I guess that makes sense, isn’t Serena one of his assistants? She can do anything.”

“Yeah, and the other assistant is that girl with the Espurr. The girl who the gang seems to worship for some reason.”

“Yeah, what’s her name? Mimi?”

“I think that’s the Espurr’s name. I don’t know the girl’s name.”

Sina sat up. “Well, that’s good that they’re squaring themselves out, but where does that leave us? If all crime stops, what do the Defenders of Kalos do then?”

Dexio snorted. “We’ll just have to stick with our day jobs I guess. And didn’t we decide on the Masked Heroes?”

“You decided on that. I like Defenders of Kalos better.”

Dexio rolled his eyes. “Masked Heroes is more inclusive. What if we have to act outside the region? If crime in Kalos stops, the Masked Heroes could just move to Kanto instead, I hear it’s ripe with crime. The Defenders of Kalos would have to become the Defenders of Kalos and Kanto, which doesn’t sound as slick.”

“Ugh, fine, you win. Masked Heroes it is, then. Should we, the Masked Heroes, do some recon? Maybe check out this Looker Bureau and see if we can find out what the gang is up to now?”

Dexio grinned. “You bet!”

Sina jumped to her feet, striking a dramatic pose. “The Masked Heroes continue to fight for the safety of the citizens of the Kalos region! In tonight’s episode, our brave and dashing heroes must pursue the leads on the dangerous Lumiose Gang and stake out their new rival agency, Looker Bureau!”

Dexio struck a similarly dramatic pose. “What dangers will our heroes face as they hunt the truth of the Lumiose Gang’s fate? Stay tuned to find out more!”

Sina giggled. “Alright, let’s suit up!”

They quickly donned their masks and scarves, performed their elaborate secret handshake, and snuck out of their flat through the fire escape. Dexio always insisted that it was silly for them to leave that way, but Sina was a firm believer that vigilante superheroes shouldn’t use the regular doors. She also believed that it would be better to travel via the rooftops, but neither of them were particularly great at parkour, so they stuck to the alleys for now. They were practicing, though!

The full moon lit up the alleys just enough for the duo to see where they were going, and, sticking to the shadows to avoid detection, they snuck towards Rouge Plaza, then climbed the fire escape of a building next to the Sushi Highroller to stake out Looker Bureau.

Sina and Dexio lay on their stomachs, side by side at the edge of the roof, looking down at the Bureau. Sina kicked her feet behind her. The air was crisp, with a light breeze keeping them cool. She shivered, then scootched in closer to Dexio’s side. That was better.

“So,” Dexio whispered. “What exactly are we watching for?”

“Any suspicious activity. What do we know about this Looker Bureau, anyway?”

“Well, Serena works for it, so it can’t be all that bad. The girl who’s a former gang member and her Espurr also work there.”

“It’s named after the hard-boiled head detective, Looker, who I think is a foreigner, right?”

“Yeah, he’s a bit of a mystery. What does hard-boiled even mean anyway?”

Sina shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe that’s just how old-timey detectives like their eggs cooked.”

Dexio huffed a laugh. “I’m sure that’s it.”

Sina turned her attention back to the office they were supposed to be watching. The lights were on inside and the blinds were open, so it was easy to see what was going on. The girl and the Espurr were inside, as well as Serena and a man in a brown trench coat. They were talking, but the man, who was the only one facing their direction, held his hand up to his mouth thoughtfully, so she couldn’t read his lips.

After a couple minutes, Serena left the building, slipped on her roller skates, and dashed off towards North Boulevard. Looker left a few minutes later, heading in the same direction. The girl and Espurr stayed inside the office.

“Follow him or watch her?” Dexio asked.

“Uh, follow him,” Sina answered, climbing to her feet.

Dexio followed suit and they walked across the roofs of the buildings, trying to maintain a safe distance between them and Looker. Once he reached the North Boulevard, they had to climb down the fire escape to continue following.

Once they reached the ground, it took a moment to find the trail again, but they caught sight of his coat as he turned into Hotel Richissime. Great. How on earth would the Masked Heroes sneak into such a well-lit, illustrious hotel? They’d stand out like a sore thumb for sure, especially after crawling around fire escapes and roofs and getting all dirty.

“Now what?” Sina whispered as they watched Looker disappear from behind the safety of a cab.

“Go back and keep an eye on the girl?” Dexio suggested.

“Do you guys… need something?” A disgruntled voice asked from the cab’s open window.

Sina and Dexio jumped. Crap, they’ve been spotted.

“Uh, no thank you sir!” Dexio said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. “Just doing some recon, sorry for bothering you.”

“Time for a tactful retreat,” Sina whispered.

She waved awkwardly at the cab driver and backed away, slinking back towards a nearby alley. Dexio bid the driver adieu and followed suit. Once safely hidden in a dark abandoned corner, Dexio groaned.

“That was embarrassing.”

“Yeah, no kidding! We’re professionals, we’re supposed to be always vigilant and aware of our surroundings. Next time we have to follow someone on such a busy street, we need to find a better hiding spot.”

Dexio sighed. “Right. Well, should we go back and check on the girl?”

“Yessir! The illustrious Masked Heroes don’t ever let anything hold them down! There is still work to be done!”

They returned to the roof of the building across the Bureau, but by the time they got there, the lights were turned off and the doors were locked.

“Dang,” Dexio said, resting his chin on his forearms as they lay on the roof like before. “Guess we’re too late.”

“Ah, whatever. I still had fun, didn’t you?”

Dexio smiled at her. “Of course. I always have fun when I’m with you, Sina.”

Sina’s heart did something like a somersault. She looked away, feeling unusually bashful. Dexio did that to her sometimes, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. “Yeah, me too,” she mumbled back.

Chapter Text

Dexio watched absently as the coffee dripped into the pot. He and Sina ended up spending most of the night lying together on the roof, watching the moon pass by and listening to distant chatter and Pokémon cries on the street. While he was exhausted beyond belief this morning, he wouldn’t trade that experience for the world. Every day with Sina was some kind of adventure, even when things didn’t go according to plan.

“Morning, Dexio!” Professor Sycamore called out as he entered the lab. “Sleep well?”

Dexio blinked into awareness and slowly turned to the Professor. “Huh?”

The professor chuckled. “Late night?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I guess.”

“Mind pouring me a cup when that’s done? Then I’d like to discuss something with you and Sina.” He sat down at his desk.

“Sure thing, boss,” Dexio smiled, hoping it would cover his nerves. He always worried that they were in trouble whenever Professor Sycamore said things like that, even though they never were. He probably just had a new topic to research.

He turned his attention back to the brewing coffee. It was kind of mesmerizing to watch it drip, drip, drip, as the pot slowly filled up. A few more drips and it would be done, and he could finally have his mug of what Sina liked to call Yveltal’s beverage of doom. That was one of their ongoing arguments. Sure, too much coffee wasn’t the best thing in the world, but it had to be better than the nasty concoctions Sina liked to drink.

Once the dripping stopped, he poured out two mugs, added the requisite cream and sugar to Professor Sycamore’s, then approached his desk.

“Thanks, Dexio,” the professor said, accepting his mug and taking a sip. “Marvelous! You have mastered the art of brewing coffee.”

Dexio chuckled. “Thanks.” He took a sip of his own. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Oh, yes. Where’s Sina? It’s something I’d like to discuss with both of you.”

“I don’t know. She said she had to run an errand before coming over, so she left early. Want me to call her?”

“Hm, let’s give her a few more minutes.” The professor eyed him for a moment. “Why don’t you have a seat while we wait?”

“Yes sir.” He took a seat across from him and sipped his coffee awkwardly as Sycamore eyed him.

“How have you been doing since the whole Team Flare debacle?” the professor asked, concern clear in his eyes despite the casual tone.

“Fine, I suppose. I mean, it was scary, and I’ve had a few nightmares about it, but well, we all survived. Somehow. How about you, Professor? I know you and Lysandre were close.”

“Ah, well. I mostly feel ashamed. I should have noticed something was… off… about him. In hindsight, all the things he’s said and done, I should have seen it coming. What about Sina? Is she adjusting well?” the professor responded. “Ah, here she is! Sina, there’s…. hey, is something the matter?”

Sina sprinted across the lab, stopping in front of them and panting for a moment before responding.

“Yeah, didn’t you guys hear the news?”

Dexio and Professor Sycamore exchanged confused glances.

“No, what happened?”

“So, apparently last night someone vandalized the Lumiose Museum. I went over early to see if I could find out who did it, but no luck. Anyways, as I was heading back over here, I heard someone calling for help in an alleyway, so I went to check it out. One of those punk girls who hangs out in the back alleys was there, all alone and crying. She told me that she’d just had a battle with a strange person who transformed after the battle, stole her pokeballs, then jumped up onto the rooftops and ran away.”

Dexio jumped to his feet, nearly sloshing his coffee all over his hand. “A Pokémon thief?”

“What do you mean transformed?” Professor Sycamore asked, leaning forward, elbows on his desk and chin on his clasped hands.

“That’s the crazy thing, Professor!” Sina cried, her arms flailing wildly. “The girl said that the person she was battling looked like one of those veterans, an old and wizened trainer, then after the battle, her figure changed to someone in a black outfit with a weird helmet. They spoke in like, a weird robot voice, used some weird psychic powers or something to take her Pokémon away, then jumped straight up all the way onto the roof.”

“That is… unusual,” the professor said, furrowing his brows. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before.”

“So what did you do?” Dexio asked.

“Well, I called the police, of course. The girl and I gave our statements to Officer Jenny. I tried to look around for clues, but I don’t really know what I’d be looking for anyway. It’s like some kind of crazy supervillain.”

Dexio raised an eyebrow at Sina. She gave him a flat stare in return. Dexio resigned himself to not getting any sleep tonight either, but the work of vigilante superheroes was never finished.

“Well, you’ve done what you can for now,” Professor Sycamore told her. “I’m sure Officer Jenny will have her best officers on the case, and that poor girl will be reunited with her Pokémon soon enough.”

Sina sighed. “Right. Maybe that Detective Looker and Serena will help on this case too.”

“Who?” Sycamore asked.

“Oh, you hadn’t heard?” Dexio said. “There’s this new private investigator in town named Looker. He’s hired Serena to help him out.”

Sycamore shook his head. “How does Serena keep getting roped into all this stuff?”

“I have some theories about that, Professor!” Sina answered, nodding her head thoughtfully. “According to my hypothesis, Serena can’t say no to people who ask for help and is ridiculously competent at everything she ever tries!”

The professor laughed. “I suppose you’re right. Well, shall we get to work? I have a new project I’d like to discuss with you two.”

Sina rushed to the other chair and sat down quickly.

“As you know, I’ve been doing some research at the site of the Ultimate Weapon in Geosenge Town. The other day, while I was running some tests on Mega Energy there, I encountered something I’d never seen before. I think it’s a Pokémon, but it’s not one I’ve heard of before. Take a look at this.”

Professor Sycamore pulled up a photograph on his pokefinder of a small, squishy looking green thing.

“That’s the rare Pokémon you found?” Sina asked skeptically.

“That’s a tiny fraction of it. The Pokémon I saw looked…. How do I put it? It looked similar to a Houndoom, but it was black and green and it had this green scarf looking thing. It sniffed around the site of the Ultimate Weapon, saw me and attacked my equipment, destroying it all, and then it… separated. It’s like all these little squishy things come together to make a larger form, then disperse and go their separate ways into the nearby environment.”

“Awesome!” Dexio yelled, pumping his fist. “A brand new Pokémon! What a discovery!”

“Why did it destroy your equipment?” Sina asked.

“I think it was worried I was trying to use the Ultimate Weapon or something. I can’t fault it for being wary.”

“When did you get this photo?”

“After it separated. I tracked one of these parts to where it landed. It seems like in this form, it’s completely docile. It made a little warbly noise as I snapped the photo, but didn’t do anything.”

“Have you given a name to it yet, Professor?” Dexio asked.

“No, but I’ve been calling these smaller forms cells. My task for you is to try and find more of these cells. I’ve developed this cube that I think will be able to detect them. If my hypothesis is correct, they’re all over the place.”

Professor Sycamore placed a black truncated octahedron with green light emitting from all the edges on the desk.

“Um, Professor,” Sina hesitated. “I hate to break it to you, but this isn’t a cube.”

The professor chuckled. “Very astute observation. I figured cube sounds a bit better than truncated octahedron, so I took some liberties with the name.”

“Why name it based on the shape in the first place? Especially if it isn’t even that shape?” Dexio asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sycamore shrugged. “I couldn’t think of anything else to call it. Pokefinder was already taken.”

Dexio shrugged. “Fair enough. Do we have a starting point for this mission? Should we check out the Geosenge area first?”

“On the contrary, I’d like you to check Lumiose City first. I’d like to see if there are any of these cells nearby, and if this cube has any issues, I’d like to be close at hand to try to fix it.”

“Yes, sir!” Dexio and Sina shouted in unison, both reaching for the cube – truncated octahedron – at the same time.

“Hey!” Sina yelled as Dexio tried to pull it away. “No, I want to carry it!”

“Well, I grabbed it first!” Sina pulled it towards herself, and Dexio yanked back. “If you wanted to have it you shoulda been faster!”

Professor Sycamore laughed and shook his head. “Calm down, you two. Why don’t you solve this with some rock, paper, scissors?”

Sina and Dexio froze, glaring at each other at a standstill for several seconds, until Sycamore reached for the cube. They reluctantly loosened their grips, and he protectively pulled it to himself.

“Go on, figure this out in a civilized manner.”

“Fine.”

Without breaking eye contact, frowning in concentration, they did a round of rock paper scissors. Sina chose scissors and Dexio chose rock. Dexio jumped and cheered while Sina groaned in frustration.

“Best two out of three?”

Dexio stuck his tongue out at her. “You’re just a sore loser, Sina. I’ll be taking the truncated octahedron, thank you.”

He smirked at Sina’s pout and grabbed the cube from the professor, who sighed in resignation at their antics, and sauntered to the elevator.

“Children, both of you,” Sycamore grumbled with resigned humor.

Sina smiled at the professor then skipped after Dexio, her frustration gone. “Au revoir, Professor!”

Sina caught up to Dexio right outside the lab, where he was looking down at the cube curiously.

“Sina? Did you happen to catch how this cube is supposed to work?” he asked, holding the cube towards her.

“No, here let me take a look,” she reached for it, but Dexio pulled it away from her quickly.

“I think not! You’ll just keep it for yourself!”

Sina stuck out her tongue. “Spoilsport! Well, I’m sure we’ll figure it out! Let’s go, a new Pokémon needs discovering!”

She pointed dramatically into the distance and marched off down the South Boulevard. Dexio chuckled and followed her lead, keeping an eye on the cube for any changes. Dexio didn’t pay any attention to the wandering side roads and tight alleyways Sina decided to lead them down, focusing all his attention on the cube.

“Has the cube done anything yet?” Sina asked after a while.

“No. Have you seen any of these cells?”

“Nope. Hang on, that’s the trainer from before!” Sina said. “I’m gonna go check on her, see if she’s gotten her Pokémon back. Be right back!”

Dexio looked up, but Sina was already gone. “…Okay.”

He looked around. He was in a wider space in the back alleys of the city. He couldn’t say exactly where he was, but Sina would know. He turned towards the only path out of this area, just as a little girl stepped in. She was about eight years old, with a frilly pink dress and a pink bow in her hair.

“Are you lost, sir?”

“I don’t know, maybe. Are you?”

The girl giggled. “Nope! Do you want to have a Pokémon battle?”

Dexio blinked. He shouldn’t, he was on the clock. “Sure, why not?” He grinned. If Sina was allowed to wander off, he was allowed to battle.

He and the girl took their places on opposite ends of this weird courtyard place and Dexio sent out Slowpoke. The girl sent out a Whimsicott. Great, she had the advantage. That was fine. She was like, eight, how good could she be, anyway?

“Whimsicott, use tailwind!” the girl called.

Dexio grinned. That was a wasted turn, Slowpoke was probably slower, anyway. “Use confusion!”

Slowpoke’s attack didn’t do very much damage. The Whimsicott must have been at a higher level than he expected. Well, there was nothing for it but to keep going.

The battle didn’t last long. This girl’s Pokémon were tough. Had Dexio been using his Pokémon from his gym challenge days, he probably would’ve won, but all he had now were his young Slowpoke and Eevee.

“Well, that was a good battle, here’s your prize,” Dexio conceded, pulling out his wallet as he returned his pokeballs to his belt.

“You’re Pokémon are super cool! I sure wish I had Pokémon like that! I could do really well with them. In fact, hand them over right now!”

“Huh? No, are you crazy?!”

The girl held out her hand and the pokeballs pulled themselves off his belt of their own accord. With a shimmering light, she transformed from a child to a fully grown person dressed in black with a helmet. Dexio dropped his wallet and reached for them, but he was too slow, they were already in her hands. She took a half step back as Dexio lunged for his Pokémon. She crouched down and jumped straight up, shooting high in the air and landing on the roof of the building above them. Dexio’s jaw dropped as she ran out of sight. He stared after her dumbfounded until Sina came dashing back into the alley.

“I’m back! Sorry about that! I just wanted to – hey, are you okay?” Sina approached Dexio slowly. “Did something happen?”

“Yeah. I think I ran into that person who stole your new friend’s Pokémon,” Dexio said flatly.

Sina gasped. “No! They didn’t take your Pokémon too, did they?”

Dexio nodded. “Yeah, they did. Then jumped up there and ran off.”

“We need to call Officer Jenny. I’ll do that, you grab your wallet.”

Dexio nodded, stumbling back to where he’d dropped his wallet earlier. He was glad Sina was able to keep her thoughts straight because his mind was all foggy.

“Dexio?” Sina called after a few minutes. “Officer Jenny is on her way. You need a hug?”

Dexio nodded. Sina held out her arms for him and he collapsed into them. The floodgates opened and Dexio started sobbing.

“They’re still so young! What if they get hurt? I’m such an idiot!”

“Shh, it’ll be okay, Dex. You aren’t an idiot. We’ll tell Officer Jenny what happened, then do what we can to help with the investigation. Maybe Serena and that Detective Looker can help on this case as well. We’ll get them back safe and sound.”

Dexio sighed shakily. “If you say so. But they lost the battle, they need a Pokémon Center now! We’ve gotta find them fast!”

Chapter Text

Dexio curled around his cup of relaxing tea, staring blankly into the middle distance as Sina and Professor Sycamore discussed something nearby. He’d tried to follow along with their conversation at first, but he was incapable of focusing at the moment.

Detective Looker showed up at the scene of the crime soon after Officer Jenny and offered up his assistance in the investigation as well. Once Sina had confirmed Serena would be helping him, Dexio felt a little more hopeful, but hope was becoming a speck in the distance compared to the overwhelming fear for his Pokémon’s safety. They’d returned to the lab to wait for any updates. He took a sip of his tea and tried to tune back into the conversation.

“I’m not sure, professor. You know, I can’t help thinking that the vandalism at the museum is connected as well.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The timing, mostly. The impenetrable museum was broken into last night, then today a whole bunch of trainers had their Pokémon stolen by someone with supernatural abilities. But why would a Pokémon thief want to vandalize art?”

Dexio frowned into his tea. That was an interesting point. “Maybe as a test, or something?”

Sina grinned. “Hey, you’re back with us! What kind of test?”

“Like, to see how good the supernatural abilities are if it was some kind of experiment that gave that person those skills.”

Sycamore crossed his arms. “That makes sense. Perhaps some kind of mad scientist is behind these crimes, then.”

“Mad scientist, like someone from Team Flare?” Sina suggested. “I know some of them got away.”

Dexio scowled. He did not like the thought of his beloved Pokémon being in the hands of Team Flare. “Possible, but we don’t really have any leads for that, do we?”

“The police thoroughly investigated Lysandre Café after the Crisis, so if there’s any connection there, they would have found it by now,” the professor said.

“Well,” Sina huffed. “I feel useless just standing around here. We should be out there, trying to get to the bottom of this!”

Dexio sipped his tea. Professor Sycamore held his hands out to placate her. “Now, don’t be rash, Sina. There are skilled professionals working on this case. Officer Jenny has the police force working on it, and Detective Looker and Serena are working on it from a different angle. If we act on our own, we’ll likely just get in the way.”

“So we just sit here and let Dexio and his Pokémon suffer? Come on, Professor, we’ve gotta act!”

Sycamore sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright, what do you think we should do?”

“Yes!” Sina cheered. “I think we should start at the museum. If we can get a look at the security videos, that might give us a lead on our culprit. You in, Dex?”

“Yeah, sounds better than moping,” Dexio said with a shrug.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Dexio barely set his mug down before Sina grabbed his wrist and yanked him towards the door, Professor Sycamore following with a slight frown.

Dexio had to jog to keep up with Sina as she led him and the professor towards the museum. As they wove through the crowds, a familiar trench coated figure pushed past them going the other direction. Sina stopped in her tracks as Detective Looker dashed into a back alley. An Espurr followed him a few moments later.

“Was that… It seems like he’s onto something,” Sina said. “He must have a lead, let’s follow him.”

“Careful, Sina,” Sycamore said. “Let’s keep a safe distance so we don’t get in the way of his plans and observe carefully before taking any action.”

“Please, professor. Caution is my middle name! Come on.”

The three of them filed silently into the alleyway, Sina in the lead. They all pressed against the wall as they inched closer to a more open area. Detective Looker stood near the entrance and Serena was there too. In the center was a figure in a black suit and a helmet with a screen flashing different lights. The person was holding their head and crying as if in pain. The Espurr was rubbing against the person’s legs affectionately and Detective Looker appeared shell-shocked.

Looker said something, but the trio was a bit too far to make it out. From what they could see though, it seemed like Looker knew who this person was. He stepped closer, continuing to speak with the figure. As Looker got close, the figure kicked Looker’s stomach harshly. He doubled over in pain, coughing, as the figure jumped onto the roof and darted away.

Serena and the Espurr rushed to Looker’s side. Sina turned to Dexio and Sycamore, wide eyed, and gestured for them to leave the alleyway. They quickly snuck back to the main boulevard.

“Did you guys see that? That person’s someone Looker knows! And the Espurr! That must be Mimi.”

“Mimi?”

“Mimi is Looker’s assistant’s Pokémon,” Dexio explained. “And it was so affectionate with the thief, I wonder if that was Looker’s assistant. But why would she attack Looker like that?"

“Didn’t you hear her crying in pain? It seems to me like she’s being controlled,” Sycamore said, crossing his arms. “There has to be something about that suit that’s doing that to her.”

“Then we have to figure out who is behind it,” Sina said.

There was movement at the entrance of the alley. Dexio turned to look and saw Serena supporting Looker as he stumbled his way into the street, Mimi following closely.

“And I think we need to operate on our own,” Sycamore said. “Looker has a personal interest in this case and probably won’t be able to see things clearly anymore.”

“So, here’s what we know.” Sina held up her index finger. “First off, a person who can change her appearance at will with supernatural abilities is stealing people’s Pokémon. Second, she’s probably not acting of her own accord. Someone is controlling her. Third, we saw her last night at Looker Bureau, not in that suit and looking normal, but that could have been one of her disguises. Fourth, she was probably behind the graffiti in the museum.”

“Fifth,” Dexio butted in. “She has connections with the recently disbanded Lumiose Gang. Maybe we could see if they know anything.”

“How do we find them? Also, what were you doing at Looker Bureau last night?” Sycamore asked.

“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, Dex and I have informants. One of them is bound to know something about the gang,” Sina said. “Here’s what I’m thinking. We should split up. One of us can go check out the museum for any clues there, one of us should keep an eye on the Bureau in case the girl shows up, and one of us should find out about the gang.”

“Professor, you should go to the museum. You’re more well known than us, so they’re more likely to show you the security footage,” Dexio said. Sycamore nodded in agreement.

“Dexio, you should stake out the Bureau. Since I have my Pokémon, I think I should be the one to meet with our informants. Be careful, though! Don’t approach her if she shows up, just call us on the holocaster. I’ll call if I find out anything too.”

“Be careful. Don’t let yourself get dragged into any battles, not even with people we know. They might be her in disguise. I don’t want you losing your Pokémon as well,” Dexio told Sina.

“Don’t worry,” she said, pulling him into a hug. “I’ll be careful. Alright team, we got this. See you soon!”

Chapter Text

Sina wandered down the nearest side street and found Black Belt Killian hanging out at the dead end.

“Good afternoon,” she called out as she got closer. “I need some information.”

“Hello, Masked Hero. I see you aren’t wearing your mask today, are you off duty or something?”

“Huh? Oh, crap! I forgot it at home. Oops.”

Killian chuckled. “Well, if you want information, how about a battle first?”

“No can do today. Didn’t you hear the news? Someone has been stealing Pokémon after battles in these little side streets. How about you give me the info I need, and once the culprit’s been apprehended I’ll come back for a battle?”

The black belt hummed in thought. “Alright, I’ll hold you to that. What do you need to know?”

“Do you know anything about the Lumiose Gang?”

“I heard they’ve disbanded recently. Apparently they had an altercation with the girl they’ve been calling their boss. She and her new boss convinced them to find an honest living.”

“Do you know what they’ve been up to since then?”

“Nah, I don’t know anything about that. Sorry, miss!”

Sina sighed. “Alright. How about the girl, then? Have you seen her around at all?”

“Not since she was taken in by that weird private investigator. From what I hear, she’s a hard worker.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll be back for that battle, and be careful! I don’t want to see your Pokémon stolen too.”

“Will do. Take care, Unmasked Hero!”

Sina waved and wandered off, heading towards a different alleyway where she knew that beautiful lady Aimee liked to hang out.

“Aimee! Hi, how are you doing today?”

“Been better. I’d ask for a battle, but that doesn’t seem prudent today.”

“So you’ve heard about the Pokémon thefts?”

“Yes, my friend Anais had her Pokémon stolen. Is that what you want to ask about today?”

“Not exactly. Do you know what the Lumiose Gang has been up to since they disbanded?”

“Well, it sounds like they’ve committed themselves to making an honest living. It seems kind of weird and I’m not really sure I believe it, but their former boss, Emma, who’s been working with that handsome detective found them some part time work. I guess she’s been working part time as well for this other business, and they needed more workers and Emma got them in. That’s good news, if true, but to be honest, the work they’re doing sounds a little shady.”

“Shady how?”

“Well, for starters, they’re always going to Lysandre Café. I thought that place had closed down after the whole Team Flare Crisis, which by the way, thank you for helping deal with that! You and your partner both!”

“You’re welcome. That is suspicious. So this Emma girl and the whole gang all work part time there?”

“Seems to be the case. I overheard one of them talking about their work as guards. I don’t know what they might be guarding, though.”

“Interesting. Well, you’ve been a big help, Aimee. I’ll come back for that battle once it’s safe to do so. Take care!”

Aimee waved and Sina wandered off to Juane Plaza to collect her thoughts. She should probably tell Dexio and the professor what she discovered, but Dexio didn’t have his Pokémon and the professor was a lousy battler, so they’d probably just get in the way if they were apprehended. One the other hand, if she went to the café alone, she would never hear the end of it. She decided to just call them.

Dexio sighed, resting his hands on his forearms, watching Looker Bureau just like he had with Sina last night. It was far less fun without her.

Detective Looker and Serena were talking about something inside. Dexio wished he could hear what they were saying. After a few minutes, Serena left and skated away. After she was gone, Looker handed a note to Mimi, then stubbornly limped his way out the door. He was clearly in pain from the girl kicking him. Dexio wondered if he should offer his assistance, but that would blow his cover. He mulled it over for a few seconds, watched while Looker paused, leaning against a wall to catch his breath, and decided he needed to help.

He snuck down the fire escape, thankfully hidden from Looker’s view, then strolled into the alley. Detective Looker looked at him in surprise as he approached.

“Ah, yes, I remember you. You’re one of the victims of the Pokémon theft, correct?”

“That’s right, sir. Are you… okay? I came to see if there was any progress on the case. Do you need help? You look hurt.”

“Thank you, young man. I’ve attained a minor injury, it’s nothing too serious.”

“All due respect, sir, it seems pretty serious. Please tell me you’re on the way to the hospital. Here, let me help you.”

“While I would like to go to the hospital, this case isn’t going to solve itself. Alas, I have some important business I must attend to first.”

Looker pushed himself off the wall, but before he could take another step, he doubled over and coughed harshly.

“Please, sir. Allow me to help. You shouldn’t push yourself, not when you’re hurt like this. I can do whatever you need.”

Looker looked at Dexio inquisitively, silent for a moment. Dexio stared back, not willing to back down. As much as he wanted his Pokémon back, he didn’t want this detective to push his injuries any more than necessary.

“Yes, perhaps I can accept your help. I need to get to Hotel Richissime. I know that’s not the hospital like you want, but I need to speak with my informant, and they won’t accept a stand in.”

Dexio offered Looker his arm for support, and Looker leaned on him heavily. They slowly made their way towards North Boulevard.

“Once you take me there, can I ask you to return to my office? I have reason to believe my assistant, Emma, is involved in this case, though I don’t believe she is aware of her involvement. I'd like you to wait there for her, and if she shows up, I want you to say you’re looking for me for an update about this case and see what she says. I’ll give you my holocaster number so you can call me with any information. Whatever happens, though, I don’t want you to mention her involvement in this case. If she suspects she’s a suspect, we might lose our trail.”

“I think I can handle that, sir.”

“I just realized I haven’t asked for your name, how rude of me!”

“I’m Dexio.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance, Dexio. Thank you for your help!”

Dexio smiled. “Nice to meet you too, sir. Should we get a cab to the Hotel? I know it isn’t far, but you’re hurt.”

“I don’t have money for a cab, unfortunately,” Looker said with a wince.

“I’ll pay! You are solving a crime for me, after all.”

“I can’t ask that of you,” Looker said.

“You didn’t, I offered. And I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t okay with covering it. Besides, I get a discount. Come on, we’re almost there.”

They finally emerged from the street onto the North Boulevard, where a cab was conveniently waiting. Dexio hailed the driver, gave him their destination, and climbed in after helping Looker take his seat. It was a short ride, but it would have taken forever to walk there with the injured detective.

“Alright, here we are! Normally, the fare would cost $1,000, but since you look so stylish today… Let’s just say $500 and call it good!”

“Thank you so much!” Dexio grinned, pulling out the fare. “Here you go.”

He helped Looker out of the cab and they shuffled towards the entrance of the hotel.

“That’s an unusual discount to receive.”

“That’s right, you’re new to Lumiose, aren’t you? I get a lot of discounts because I’ve spent a lot of time here. I don’t think it has to do with my style at all.”

“That’s interesting. How do they know?”

Dexio shrugged. “People can just tell. It’s always fun when my friend Sina has to pay twice as much for dinner as I do, she gets so mad. Should I go with you all the way to your informant’s room?”

“No, thank you. I can take it from here. I appreciate your assistance.”

“No problem, good luck! I’ll go back to your office now, then.”

Dexio and Looker waved goodbye and Dexio powerwalked back to Looker Bureau. He didn’t want to pay for another cab. He didn’t want Looker to know, but he wasn’t exactly rolling in money. He was so grateful for the discount.

He made it back to Looker Bureau before Emma did, but the Espurr was still there, holding a note in its paws.

“Uh, hello. You’re Mimi, right? My name’s Dexio.”

It didn’t move. It stared with its blank, wide eyes. Dexio cleared his throat.

“Do you mind if I wait here? I was hoping to speak with Detective Looker.”

It continued to stare. Dexio noticed it hadn’t blinked at all. That was pretty normal for an Espurr, he supposed. They were cute Pokémon, but even as a psychic type specialist, he found it a little unnerving, especially in this situation.

Dexio looked around the office. It was nice and well organized. There was a comfy seating area where clients were meant to wait, but Dexio wanted to look around a bit first. The desk had a notebook that was wide open and just sitting out, asking to be read, and he was happy to indulge. Keeping an eye on Mimi, he slowly approached the notebook. Mimi didn’t seem to mind, just continued staring. He looked down at the book, which was labeled at the top with ‘LOOKER’S TOP-SECRET JOURNAL’. If he wanted it to be secret, he shouldn’t leave it out like this. Dexio read the entry.

‘I sense that my duties here in the Kalos region draw near their end. I will attempt to contact that one who is rumored to have ties to Team Flare. This will not come without cost, truly. Such a one does not do favors for nothing. I will need something that I can use to persuade such a fiend... Some bargaining chip...’

That was… interesting. Something specific drew Looker to Kalos, something to do with Team Flare. Was his informant a Team Flare member then? Perhaps their assumption that Team Flare was involved wasn’t too far off. Why would a private investigator need to do this, though? As far as Dexio knew, private investigators didn’t usually start up new offices in random cities, they just stuck with their own locale. Was Looker Bureau just a front, then? But who could Looker really be?

Dexio glanced back at Mimi, who kept staring blankly, unmoved. He turned back to the notebook and flipped to an earlier entry, shoving down the feelings of discomfort that was starting to well up with his snooping. It was for official Masked Hero business; he had to know what was going on.

‘Emma has been going out more and more often. I find it worrying, not knowing where she goes. Is this perhaps how a father feels? The young people from the gang came by to tell us that they had secured part-time work. I've never worked within the Community Safety Department, but even I do feel quite moved to see young people turning their lives around.’

Dexio flipped the journal back to the page it was originally on. He backed away, keeping half an eye on Mimi, who continued to stare at him, and sat down on one of the couches. It was as comfortable as it looked. What was the Community Safety Department Looker mentioned? That implied that Looker was part of a larger organization. Community Safety didn’t sound bad, so Dexio didn’t think Looker was part of some kind of criminal organization, but it was still very suspicious.

He sat for a few minutes, mulling this information over, when his holocaster started ringing. Oh yeah, he was supposed to keep Sina and Professor Sycamore updated. Whoops.

“Hello?”

“Hey Dex!” Sina said, waving. “How are things going on your end?”

Dexio glanced over at Mimi, who was still staring at him. “Fine, I suppose. I’m in Looker Bureau, waiting for someone to come back. Everyone’s out except for Mimi.”

“Wait, you’re… that wasn’t the plan!”

“Well, things happened. I’ll fill you in later. How about you?”

“Well, it took a bit of asking around, but I guess the former Lumiose gang found some part time work that they seem to think is honest. Is something over there, why do you keep looking off to the side like that?”

“Sorry, it’s just… Mimi has been staring at me since I got here. I don’t think it’s even blinked. It’s a little unnerving.”

“Have you tried staring back?”

“What? No! What would that even accomplish?”

“Establish dominance.”

“I don’t want… whatever. So the gang has jobs. Doing what?”

“They’re working as guards in – get this – Lysandre Café!”

“Seriously? The café’s been closed since the Team Flare Crisis. What are they guarding?”

“Not sure. I think we should meet up soon. When will you be able to leave the Bureau?”

“I don’t know, I’m gonna stay here until someone gets back. I’ll give you a call when I’m done. Don’t do anything rash in the meantime.”

“Alright. I’ll fill the professor in then. Good luck!”

Dexio hung up, then looked back at Mimi. It was still just standing there, holding its note and staring at him. Dexio smiled at it, but it didn’t respond at all. After an excruciating five minutes of trying to ignore Mimi, the door to the bureau finally opened. Dexio jumped to his feet as a teenage girl with poofy hair entered.

“Hey, Mimi, I’m back.” She closed the door, then noticed Dexio in the waiting area. “Oh, hello! Sorry if you were waiting long, is there something I can do for you?”

“Uh, I was actually hoping to see Detective Looker, do you know where he is?”

Emma shook her head. “Sorry, I’ve been at my other job all day. I’m his assistant, Emma. Perhaps I can help you in his place?”

“I was just hoping for an update on my case, see if he’d made any progress.”

“Oh, I’m afraid I haven’t heard anything about this. What happened?”

Emma frowned in concern. She looked so earnest, Dexio had a hard time matching her to the person who stole his Pokémon and attacked Looker.

“My Pokémon were stolen. I’m worried sick about them,” Dexio sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“I’m so sorry to hear that! I’m sure he and his partner Serena are busy investigating right now, and they are so good at their jobs I’m sure you’ll have your Pokémon back, safe and sound in no time!”

“Thanks.”

“Well, let’s see if he left me any notes. Hey, Mimi, what are you holding?” Emma, having finally noticed what was in Mimi’s paws, reached towards it, but Mimi pulled it away. “Alright, I guess that isn’t for me. Must be for Serena, then.”

She turned back towards Dexio. “I’m afraid I don’t have a way to get ahold of him or Serena, do you want me to take down your contact information and have them call you when they get back?”

“That’ll work. Why do you need a second job?”

Emma handed him a notepad and pencil and he jotted down his holocaster number. “I just want to be able to support Mr. Looker. He’s done so much to help me, I want to be able to help him in return. I think he’s struggling a bit money-wise, so I want to do my part.”

“That makes sense. Do you like your other job?”

“Yes, it’s actually pretty easy. It doesn’t feel like work, really, but it pays well, and Dr. Xerosic is a super nice boss.”

Dexio gulped. That name was unfortunately familiar. “O-oh, well, that’s good to hear. Oh, my name is Dexio, by the way. I guess I’ll head out now.”

“Nice to meet you, we’ll be in touch! Take care.”

“You too. Bye, Emma, bye Mimi!”

He darted out the front door and beelined for Rouge Plaza. Once there, he dialed up Sina.

“About time, Dex!” Sina said. Professor Sycamore was standing next to her. “Get any intel?”

“Yes, I know who’s behind all of this, I just met the assistant, Emma. She’s super nice, by the way. I don’t think she has any clue what’s going on. She has a second job working for Dr. Xerosic. Dr. Xerosic! Of Team Flare! She called that monster nice, can you believe it?!”

Sina whistled in surprise. “Yikes, well, why don’t we reconvene at the central Pokémon Center and discuss our strategy there?”

“Sounds good. See you in a bit.”

Sina hung up and Dexio left a message for Looker with the new intel. He was shaking with some weird nervous energy. They’d suspected Team Flare from the get-go, but to have it confirmed made Dexio’s heart pound. What would Dr. Xerosic do with his Pokémon? Poor Eevee was still so young, not to mention Slowpoke! He’d just caught it a couple of weeks ago. They had to be so scared. Hopefully Xerosic wasn’t doing any crazy experiments on them like he was probably doing on Emma.

Sina and the professor were already at the Pokémon Center when Dexio arrived. Sina crashed into him with a big hug, as though they hadn’t seen each other in forever. It was nice, and Dexio hugged her back just as tight.

“Well, first of all, I’d like to report that my end of things was a bust. I learned nothing from the museum. The criminal wasn’t caught on video at all, and they hadn’t uncovered any new leads,” Professor Sycamore said while his assistants hugged it out.

Sina backed up. “But we still know everything we need to know. We have the who, the where, and… well, I suppose we don’t have the how or the why, but if we go to Lysandre Café we’re sure to get our answers.”

“Right. I had a talk with Detective Looker earlier,” Dexio said. “He was on his way to meet with an unsavory informant, so he’s probably right behind us. Emma doesn’t seem to know anything about anything. Unsurprisingly, she was busy at her other job all day and just got off a little while ago, so she hadn’t been filled in about the case when I found her.”

“That’s so weird, considering she’s the culprit,” Sina said. “I’ve officially decided I’m not a fan of mind control. She’s been doing all these terrible things and just has no clue…” she shuddered.

“Yeah. Hopefully Xerosic isn’t doing the same thing to Slowpoke and Eevee.”

“Well, standing around talking won’t solve anything,” Sycamore said. “Let’s get to Lysandre Café.”

Chapter Text

Lysandre’s Café was unlocked and empty. The hidden door leading to the lab was still open, so the trio stepped inside. Sina led the way, holding her ace Pokémon at the ready. The main floor of the lab was a confusing labyrinth of warp panels and those weird direction tiles. If there was any sign that Team Flare was crazy, it was those direction tiles. They made Sina soooo dizzy, she couldn’t imagine having to go through all of that just to get to and from her office every day.

“Should we split up?” Dexio asked. “Each take a floor?”

“Absolutely not,” Sycamore answered, appalled. “You have no Pokémon at your side to help if you get into trouble. We’re sticking together.”

“Dang, I was going to offer to take one of the lower floors,” Sina said. “You know, the floors that don’t have those awful tiles. Why did they even do that?”

“They’re evil, Sina, why else?” Dexio answered. “Maybe we should start in the bottom floor and work our way up. That way, if we find something on those floors, we might not have to deal with the tiles or warp panels.”

“Good thinking,” the professor said.

They pressed the button for the elevator. It took a moment to come up to them, so Sina figured there must be someone on one of the lower floors. They rode to B3 in silence. Sina’s heart was pounding. Lysandre Labs was creepy. Last time she’d been here, she and Dexio were infiltrating Team Flare to try and stop them from destroying the world. It had been scary then, but at least Sina had some kind of idea what to expect. This time, she had no clue. They didn’t have any idea what Dr. Xerosic’s goal here was, they didn’t know where in the hideout he was, they didn’t know what kind of resources he had, nothing. It was probably stupid of them to come here without some kind of backup, but it was too late for that now.

The elevator dinged and the door opened. The hallway was dimly lit with the ominous red lights Team Flare was so fond of. It was quiet as they stepped down the hallway. There was a dead end ahead, but the hall branched off to the right. After a few stairs, they entered a room with some weird half walls on either side and two large buttons on the back wall. This must be that room where Serena said she was forced to choose what to do. If memory served, Xerosic was the one who launched the Ultimate Weapon despite Lysandre’s orders. Sina shuddered. That must have been a terrifying moment for the girl. Serena was so brave.

“Well,” Professor Sycamore whispered, breaking the silence. “It doesn’t seem like there’s anything new here.”

“Yeah,” Dexio said. “Are those buttons… still functional?”

“No. All this machinery’s been dismantled, so nothing will work. Hopefully.” Professor Sycamore frowned. “I wish they’d done more than just snip the wires, though. It still feels like one wrong move could, you know…” he trailed off.

Dexio shuddered. “Yeah. Let’s move on. There’s nothing here and I want to leave.”

“Good idea,” Sina said. “Onward and upward!” She struck a dramatic pose, but her attempt at levity fell a little flat when neither Dexio nor the professor responded. She dropped the pose and led the way back to the elevator.

The next floor didn’t have anything, either, just the empty cell where that really tall guy was being held prisoner. All that was left was the main floor of the lab and its terrible floorplan. Sina thought she remembered the way from when they were there before, so she took the lead once more, with Dexio right behind her and the professor pulling up the rear.

She took a deep breath, then bravely stepped onto the first direction tile. She spun and spun and spun, then crashed into the half-wall. She barely stepped aside in time to avoid Dexio crashing into her. Dexio stumbled out of the way for the professor, and Sina couldn’t hold back a giggle.

“What on earth could possibly be funny at a time like this?” Dexio asked, an eyebrow raised.

“It just looks so silly, all of us spinning in a line until we crash into the wall.”

The professor groaned. “I already feel sick.”

“And we’re just getting started! Come on, off to the next set of tiles.”

Everything was spinning by the time they reached the first office. They stumbled into the room, which was empty. There were rows of desks with computers, so the three of them tried to log in to them. Unfortunately, none of them had any skills as hackers, but it didn’t hurt to try. Everything in the office was covered in a thick layer of dust that had the professor sneezing, so they decided this office was no longer in use, anyway.

The next room they spun to had a bunch of beds and two fully outfitted Team Flare Grunts. Sina stopped in her tracks as they both turned to look at her.

“Hey there,” one of the grunts said. “You guys take off your uniforms or something?”

“Hang on,” the other one exclaimed. “I know you! You’re Professor Sycamore!”

The three of them prepared to get into a fight, but the second grunt continued speaking. “You finally came to your senses and joined Team Flare, then?”

Sina’s jaw dropped. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Well, why else would you be here?” the first grunt asked.

“Didn’t Team Flare, you know,” Dexio shuffled awkwardly. “Get disbanded?”

The grunts cackled. “You’re joking, right? Team Flare is indominable!”

“We’re going to be taking over the world, with the great Lysandre as our leader!”

“We’ll destroy this horrible, ugly world and create a new, beautiful one, and that glorious day is coming!”

“Joining Team Flare was the right call. Anyone else will be eliminated.”

Sina exchanged confused glances with Dexio and the Professor.

Sycamore cleared his throat. “Are you guys unaware that Lysandre’s plot failed? He was stopped by our new champion. He tried using the Ultimate Weapon already and was killed in the process.”

“What? No! Lysandre wouldn’t fail!”

“How long exactly have you two been here, anyway?” Sina asked.

The first grunt shrugged. “I will not leave my post until called to do so by my superiors.”

“Yikes,” Dexio chimed in. “You’ll be here a while. All your superiors are in prison. Professor, didn’t you say the police combed the lab? How did they miss two entire people?”

“That’s a good question and very concerning. Perhaps they didn’t comb as thoroughly as I’d been told. Who knows what else they missed…”

Sina cringed. She turned back to the grunts, who were starting to look a little perturbed. “So you guys have been down here, waiting for orders, for what, like, a few months now? How are you even alive?”

“This is the canteen, as well as the dorm. We have plenty of food and water stored here.”

“And you’re okay with this. You guys are fine with hanging out here, forgotten, indefinitely?” Dexio asked. “It didn’t occur to you that something might be wrong when people stopped showing up a few months ago?”

“It isn’t our place to question the great Lysandre’s plans. We figured he had a reason for keeping us here.”

“So, you’re telling us we haven’t been relieved of our position because Team Flare disbanded?” The second grunt was starting to look a little perturbed.

“That’s right.”

“So… we don’t need to stay here anymore,” the first grunt said.

“That’s right.”

“And the world hasn’t become the beautiful place Lysandre dreamed of.”

“The world is a beautiful place as is,” Professor Sycamore said. “It didn’t need to be destroyed in order to gain beauty, it’s been here this whole time.”

The grunts scoffed. “If you say so.”

“Do you guys know anything about Dr. Xerosic?” Sina asked.

The first grunt shrugged. “He always kind of creeped me out, to be honest. I try to avoid him.”

“Never spoke with the man. He’s Lysandre’s right-hand man, though.”

“Has he come in here at all in the past few months? Or even this past week?” Dexio asked.

“Nope. His office isn’t on this floor, anyway.”

“Where is it?” The professor asked, taking a step forward.

The grunts shrugged. “We’re just grunts. We aren’t privy to Team Flare’s greatest secrets.”

“We haven’t left this room in a long time, I don’t think I’d know my way back to the entrance anymore.”

“You know,” Dexio started. “We could help you with that. You guys should come with us.”

“And why would we do that? You’ll just take us straight to jail.”

“No, we wouldn’t,” Sina said. “I mean, you guys have been trapped in this room for so long, it honestly sounds even worse than jail. I don’t think another cell would be beneficial at all.”

“Right,” Professor Sycamore nodded. “What you guys need is fresh air, real food, and a second chance. It really doesn’t seem like Team Flare’s treated you very well, you don’t need to suffer more.”

The grunts looked at each other. The first one shrugged. “Alright. I am getting sick of this room and hardtack. Lead the way, then.”

“Hang on, what about our mission?” Dexio asked. “Should we bring these guys along with us?”

Sina turned back to them. “Have you guys heard anyone coming and going at all recently? Within the past few weeks?”

“No, it’s been really quiet.”

“No one’s come in here at all then, or even walked by this room?”

“No, ma’am.”

Sina sighed. “Something tells me we aren’t going to get any more answers here. I think Xerosic is probably working in his secret office, and we don’t have any idea where that might be.”

“Sina’s correct,” the professor said. “I believe our best course of action now is to leave with these two, help get them sorted, then go from there. Don’t forget, Detective Looker and Serena are on the case. They were close to the answer, and Detective Looker had that informant. Who knows, they might already be closing in.”

Dexio frowned. “Alright,” he grumbled after a moment. “This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay,” Sina pointed at the grunts. “I’m going first, then one of you will follow me, then Dexio will go, then the other one of you, then Professor Sycamore will bring up the rear. That way, you won’t get up to any shady business. We’ve got our eyes on you.” She glared at each of them in turn until they nodded, and in a single file line, they all headed back to the elevator.

Chapter Text

The crew snuck around the city until they reached Sina and Dexio’s apartment, hoping the Team Flare outfits wouldn’t catch anyone’s attention. Dexio really didn’t want anyone from Team Flare in his home, but it was the closest option, and all things considered these two were… fairly harmless.

Sina grabbed normal clothes from her closet for them while Dexio and Sycamore talked in the kitchen.

“I don’t like the idea of Team Flare members being let off the hook like this,” Sycamore said. “How do we know they won’t start up their own world ending plot or something? They were pretty enthusiastic about Lysandre’s plans.”

“I get that. We’ll just have to keep an eye on them somehow. Maybe they can find some good honest work like the Lumiose Gang tried to. Are there any positions available at the lab? That’d make it easier for us to watch them.”

Sycamore sighed. “No, and I couldn’t afford to pay them anyway. I’m barely making ends meet as it is.”

Dexio hummed. “Well, we’ll think of something. I don’t really want to turn them over to the police. They’ll probably think we were doing something suspicious in Lysandre Labs too.”

“True. Besides, it seems the police aren’t as… how can I put this nicely? They aren’t nearly as competent as I once believed.”

Dexio laughed. “Yeah, no kidding.”

They were interrupted by Dexio’s holocaster ringing. Dexio answered it.

“Hello, is this Dexio?” Detective Looker’s voice asked. There was no visual.

“Yes sir, it is.” He jolted upright. He held his breath as he waited for Looker to continue.

“Well, I’m happy to report that this case has been solved. We have all the stolen pokeballs at the Bureau, could you swing by to come pick them up?”

“Yes! Yeah, I’m on my way, thank you so much!” Dexio shouted.

“Marvelous,” the professor said with a grin after Dexio ended the call. “You go get your Pokémon back, Sina and I will take care of these two.”

“Thanks! Bye.”

Dexio dashed outside, waving to Sina as he passed, and sprinted all the way to Looker Bureau. He went inside and found Dr. Xerosic standing awkwardly with Detective Looker sitting at his desk.

“Ah, Dexio, there you are!” Looker exclaimed, standing up.

“H-Hello,” he panted. He glanced over at Xerosic. “What are you doing here?”

“First of all, I would like to return your Pokémon,” Dr. Xerosic said, handing two familiar pokeballs to him.

Dexio snatched them away quickly, glaring at Xerosic like he’d try to steal them again.

“Secondly, I would like to formally apologize for all the trouble I’ve caused you. I got so caught up in my research and experiments that I didn’t think about the effect they would have on the people and Pokémon around me. I don’t expect your forgiveness, but I want you to know I am truly sorry.”

Dexio scoffed. “I’m sure you are. What did you do to my Pokémon? Did you experiment on them, too?”

Xerosic shook his head. “No, I hadn’t done anything with your Pokémon. I hadn’t reached that stage of my plans by the time I was apprehended, so they remain untouched.”

“Seriously? So, what’s going to happen now?” he asked Looker.

“Well, I’ll be taking Xerosic here to a high security interregional prison. He won’t be able to hurt anyone else anymore.”

“Wait, are private detectives even capable of arresting people?”

Looker cleared his throat awkwardly. “To be completely honest with you, I am not a private detective. I am an illustrious member of the International Police. My mission here in Lumiose City has been fulfilled with the arrest of this man, so I will be leaving the city soon.”

“Interpol, huh? I knew there was more to you than you were letting on!” Dexio said. “Uh, anyway, thanks for saving my Pokémon. Good luck breaking the news to Emma!”

He turned on his heel and walked out the door. His next stop was the Pokémon Center. Even if Xerosic wasn’t lying through his teeth, that would mean that Slowpoke and Eevee were still worn out from their battle and they would need medical attention.

He returned home afterwards to find that Professor Sycamore had taken the Team Flare grunts to his own apartment. He and Sina got their apartment back to themselves for the night, what a relief! Sina was in the kitchen making dinner, so he sat on the couch and released Slowpoke and Eevee from their balls. Slowpoke yawned and rested its head on its hands, looking up at him and Eevee stretched out.

“Vui!” It called up cheerfully, wagging its tail.

Dexio exhaled. “Are you two okay?”

“Vui? Eev-evui!”

“Poooke…”

Dexio smiled. “I was so worried about you two. I’m so sorry I let that girl steal you guys, and I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner.”

Slowpoke yawned again and closed its eyes. Typical. Eevee jumped into Dexio’s arms and started licking his face. Dexio laughed, a weight lifting off his chest. Good, they didn’t hate him. He hugged Eevee tight and it did its best to hug him back, its tail wagging like crazy.

Dexio buried his face in Eevee’s fur, his breath hitching as he tried to hold back the tears.

“I-I’m so sorry, you two. I promise I will never ever let anything like this happen to you again. I will be more cautious, pay better attention, and do everything to keep you guys from harm.”

“Sloow? Slow… poke.”

“You guys mean the world to me, and I don’t want to – I cannot lose you again. I won’t.”

“Vui! Evui!”

Slowpoke crawled up to where Dexio was curled up and placed its paw on his leg, and Dexio couldn’t keep the tears in anymore. He loosened his hold on Eevee to pull Slowpoke into the hug with them. They stayed like that for several minutes, Dexio sobbing into Eevee’s lush fur. He’d have to give it a bath later.

“Well, gang,” Sina called from the kitchen after a while. “Dinner’s ready!”

The hug broke up as Eevee darted into the kitchen excitedly, Slowpoke following at its much more sedate pace. Dexio chuckled and wiped his face on his sleeve, then got up and followed them in. All was finally well.