The Mask Maker

A Picture and a Conversation

"Are you sure we should be here? I feel like we're gonna get lost, and it'll be completely dark soon."

"Dude, stop being a coward. Can you imagine the reward we might get for this? If the police can't even find them, what'll they do when we manage to give them valuable information on a wanted criminal? You heard them. They don't even know what the trainer looks like. Even if we can just get a picture, we'll be heroes!"

Two voices echoed through the dimly lit alleyways of Lumiose city. They belonged to Hayden and Finn, two boys who had been trainers for one year. Finn was a stubborn and bold kid with blonde hair and freckles, and his friend had shorter brown hair that accentuated his blue eyes, which were looking around uneasily. Finn had persuaded Hayden into searching for the trainer, who was still little more than a vague description and the nickname "The Mask Maker". No attacks had yet occurred in Lumiose, but many of the city's citizens all seemed to be on edge, as if holding their breath, and the alleyways were completely deserted. Try as they might, the police still weren't able to find anything. It had been a week since the press release in Castelia, and all eyes were on the authorities to find the suspect. When they couldn't, Finn decided he and Hayden were going to take it into their own hands. 

"They said the trainer's dangerous. They said to stay away from these areas. If we die here, I'm blaming it on you."

"How're you gonna do that if we're dea—!"

"What's w—"

"Shhh!!"

Finn pushed Hayden into a small walkway that branched off of the main alley, and on his way in, Hayden realized why. A small red glow could be seen a ways down the alley, accompanied by a figure cloaked in darkness, leaning against the wall. They were both standing, pressed against the wall of their little hiding space, and both of their hearts were pounding. The figure didn't seem to notice what had happened. Finn pulled out his phone with shaking hands, and pulled up the camera. This was it. This was his chance to be a hero. All he had to do was peek around the corner and press a button, and they could leave. But there was a problem. They were too far away. 

"What are we supposed to do? They're right down there!"  Hayden replied in a hushed tone that gave away his breathlessness.

"I have to get closer. I don't want to, but we're so close...I can't just throw this opportunity away..."

Everything in the two young trainers was telling them to run, but they couldn't. It was like they were stuck to the wall with glue. Their hearts were pounding, fear had occupied every cell of their bodies. They were determined to stay silent, not even wanting to throw out a Pokéball. They were facing the complete unknown, completely blind to what, or who, they were dealing with, and what they would do if caught. Finally, Finn gathered the courage to slowly peek around the corner. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes, slowly inching his head towards the corner. He inhaled once more, but this time he kept the breath in. His head got close enough to allow him to strain his eyes and look down the alleyway. 

But the figure wasn't in it's original place. It had appeared right in front of him, the inhuman face staring right back at him

Before either boy could fully scream, a Malamar took control of them with Psychic. 

"Shhh, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. You need to be quiet. If you yell or scream, the police will be here within minutes—then we'll really have a problem."

They stared at the trainer that had walked in front of them. The description provided by the police had matched. They filled in the blanks from there. The trainer was female and had brown layered hair reaching the shoulders. She was taller than average.