Pokémon Mars

Chapter 27: The Footprints

'Whose Pokémon is this...?'

'Primo Walterson,' Eden immediately replied to Firmino, 'The "Team Utopia" guy.'

'Never heard of him... sorry.'

Jin couldn't resist smirking. That Primo thought he was so important with his personal invite, but the leader of Team Aqua didn't even know who he was.

Altair asked Mercury to photograph Metagross before he and Osbert picked it up. There was limited room on the bus and Metagross was covered in dust, so they put it in the cargo compartment. At least most Steel-type Pokémon didn't decompose like others did. They didn't smell bad or become health hazards.

'But this is very odd,' Eden said, 'We know Walterson had quite a lot of Pokémon. We met him at Mt. Silver and basically told him to get lost, so he came here instead.'

'Walterson himself is accounted for, right?' Firmino asked, 'He did return to Ironville...?'

Altair was already checking the lists of people who entered and exited Ironville. Rudolph refused to allow him access to the full lists unless they were immediately relevant, so he hacked in instead.

'Yes. Walterson and all his Grunts are accounted for.'

'Did they employ Courtney to watch the Pokémon or what?' Jin said, 'It looks like they've dropped food since Metagross died. For a guy who claims he fights for Pokémon... you dropped the ball there, mate.'

Thalassa stared glumly at the break in the dust where Metagross laid.

'Poor Metagross...'

Callerya looked around. 'Where are the rest of his Pokémon...?'

'We don't know how recently Metagross died,' Altair said, 'Bandits could still be about. Ms. Lucine Rowan, please drive on for now.'

At first, everyone flinched whenever the bus rattled and rocked. It was incessant. They got used to it again. Delta Lab 3 was finally a glimmer on the horizon.

About 400 people lived and worked there at a time. Since it would be hours until anyone from Ironville reached it in the case of an emergency the local rescue stations couldn't handle, it had its own tiny hospital, electricity grid and water services, like the Birch Lab. Altair and Osbert took Metagross straight to the morgue. They didn't have the tools to prove how anyone or anything died, but the Team Aqua doctor there quickly found that Metagross was killed by slashing through the neurons linking its four brains. She also suspected, from the scratches on its tough steel body, that it tried to escape capture.

'Well...'

Osbert grimaced. 'That's where the others are... and this one had to die so it couldn't tell a Harmonia what happened.'

Altair stepped out to call Primo. He was definitely safe. He picked up right away. The buzz of Ironville was audible in the background.

'Excuse me?!'

He sounded as indignant as Altair expected.

'My Pokémon are gone? Firstly, they're not my Pokémon. They're free Pokémon. Secondly – who are you?! What proof do you have that you didn't take them?'

'As I told you, I'm Detective Inspector Altair Hawthorn Hesperia of the Interplanetary Police. You're welcome to search me and my lodgings to prove I didn't take your Pokémon, though I assure you that would be a waste of time. I have plenty of Pokémon already. Yours would be none of my concern, but if they were targeted by bandits, I need to know. Did you not set up cameras to keep an eye on them?'

'Why would I need to do that? There's no-one out there. Unlike those numpties led by Joshua Pickett, I trained these Pokémon to the highest level to ensure their survival anywhere.'