Anonymous {2nd Place in Miscellaneous (PWA 2018)}

Chapter 9: Hidden Beneath the Cover

It was decided that Wendy would patrol the back and alleyways of the building, Shin would take the front and left, and Terry would take the right as they searched for the dealers at large. When Terry asked why he was only given one side to patrol, Wendy only answered with an honest, "You aren't responsible enough. At least Shin had the nerves to talk to the chief about another folder."

At that point, Shin had to stop the car to separate the wild lashes of his friend on the level-headed girl.

When they finally managed to arrive at the scene without any injuries, they proceeded to get into position, and Shin took this time to find the dumpsters that Wendy had told him to hide behind. The stench of garbage stung his eyes, but he chose to stay vigilant, his eyes scanning for any suspicious stragglers on the streets in front of him. He began rotating off from dumpster to dumpster, switching areas as he went. There were no signs of anything out of the ordinary except for the occasional street Pokémon going about their days rummaging for food.

As he began to transition to the next receptacle, he felt a firm push against his back forcing him to trip over his feet onto his palms. His gaze then locked on Wendy's frosted ones who surveyed him intently, unfazed by the nudge of his weight. "Why are you here? This is the back of the building," she interrogated tonelessly.

Shin backed up slightly, still hiding from the open. "Sorry, I didn't notice," he replied truthfully. "I thought this was a subsection." Wendy pulled on the corners of her lips and readjusted the collar of her black uniform.

That was when Shin noticed the red and white pokéball clipped to her obsidian belt, reflecting the distant glow of the sun. He found himself rather surprised, as she tended to live her life alone from the periodic moments he saw her.

Out of spite, he decided that he would take the time to get to know his new teammate, at least so that he could deal with her better when Terry had his outbursts.

"You have a partner?" he asked. The girl nodded, extracting a few headshots of considerable suspects from her breast pocket and looking over them. Shin bit his lip from the awkward silence he had received. "May I ask what Pokémon?"

"A Ninetales," she answered plainly, her eyes darting rapidly to each side as she examined the details of the photos.

"Does it have a name?"

"She does." Shin waited patiently for her response, but Wendy only slipped the pictures back into her vest and began to peak around the corner.

"...Okay." There seemed to be a hesitation in her actions as if she were pondering making any subtle mistake.

Without turning to face him, she spoke with a hint of caution in her droned voice. "You have a partner?"

Shin could only manage an exhale at the irking question, his lips dry. He watched her still body. "No, I don't," he said.

This caught her attention.

"Ever?"

Shin dithered in his reply. "It's complicated." The man wiped the sweat that had begun to drench his now shiny forehead. He drew in the air tentatively, gently closing his eyes. "I wanted one as a kid and... let's just say that I knew what it was like for a brief amount of time before it was all over."

Shin could feel his own mouth move for him, and his thoughts were taken aback. Why on Earth did he tell her that? A complete acquaintance that he had only learned the name of that day? He had never even been this detailed with Terry about that time. It was as if his head had started to tip an overflowing pot, his secrets and nightmares seeping out from the brim.