Scorched Seas

The Interrogation

It was almost an hour before Maxie decided he was presentable for the public. He was not in his usual sweater and jacket combination, but rather a red dress shirt, complete with a breast pocket on the right side of his chest. He then put on a pair of jeans, and black tennis shoes. It was rare for Maxie to dress in a casual manner, but it was a nice change of pace to wear simple clothing rather than the complex clothes he usually wore. He then put on his standard pair of glasses before finally exiting his house.

Maxie kept a medium walking pace, not wanting to speed walk and look possibly suspicious to public eyes. He really wanted to get the questioning done and not have to deal with this case anymore. He sighed loudly. He wanted to kick Archie in the groin for causing this mess, but Maxie couldn't fully blame him. Archie thought they were both being threatened and fought back. The punch was a little excessive in Maxie's eyes, but it wasn't totally unjustified. Maxie sighed once again, and continued walking when he came across the blue building.

The police station was rather small, almost cube shaped. In fact, most stations across Hoenn are not as large compared to others in different regions, like Sinnoh and Unova. Perhaps it was because the crime rate in Hoenn was considerably smaller than the other regions. So law enforcement is rather lax, as no one had to worry about troublemakers or dangerous killers running around.

Maxie pushed open the door, and was greeted by female receptionist. Maxie ignored her hello, and walked up to her desk.

"I was called to be questioned." Maxie said straightforwardly.

The receptionist hummed. "Maxie, correct?"

He slowly nodded. "Archie was here last night."

The receptionist then pointed left. "Just head that way to the interrogation office," she told him. "You should meet up with Officer Sergio."

Maxie bowed his head and headed left.

There were only two officers in the office, on of the being Officer Sergio. He was an older man, his cap coving up his balding head. He was surprisingly an average weight for a man his age, not too skinny or overweight.

Sergio smiled at Maxie as he walked in and stood up in his seat. "So you are the guy Archibald spoke of last night?"

"Yes, it's me. Maxie"

Sergio pointed to the chair, and Maxie sat down. The officer did the same at his seat.

"I just wanna say is that I'm gonna put all bias aside," Sergio began. "I absolutely hate what your team did, but we're not talking about that. We're talking about what happened last night outside the Slateport Contest Hall."

"I appreciate you not seeing me as s villain completely," Maxie replied.

Sergio ignored him, sifting through the documents.

"There are hundred of witnesses that saw Archibald assaulted Brenda Leslie, yet none say you also attacked her. Is that correct?"

Maxie nodded. "I told Archie to ignore them, as the two of us were trying to enjoy a nice show."

Sergio raised a brow. "You attend these contests frequently?"

"Yes, I am a big fan." Maxie said, his cheeks turning a faint pink. "Archie isn't into contests, but decided to tag along."

Sergio hummed. "You and him friends now?"

Maxie froze. The relationship between him and Archie was complicated. They were romantic partners when they younger, now they've become rivals once they formed their separate teams. After the Legendary Pokemon were summoned by them and quelled by Rayquaza, they both disconnected themselves from their respective teams. Now they reunited for a brief period before the events at the Contest Hall happened.

"It is difficult to explain our relationship," Maxie replied, a slight tremble in his voice. "We are not entirely friends, nor are we rivals. We're more like acquaintances..."

Sergio nodded. "Did you knew Archie before you became the team leaders?"

"We were partners... in a relationship." Maxie mumbled.

Sergio's eyes widened. "Well, that's a plot twist." he said calmly. "Were you trying to... pair up again?"

Maxie shrugged. "Archie said he just wanted to see how I was doing after what happened with the Legendary Pokemon."

Sergio nodded, and scribbled down notes on his notepad.

"Alright, Maxie. You're free to go."

Maxie looked at him, confused. "That's it?"

"We're done with the case. You and Archibald will not be charged. Brenda has decided to drop it."

Maxie nodded. "I guess I should leave now. Thank you, Sergio."

Maxie stood and walked out of the office, past the receptionist desk and out of the station. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He and Archie won't have to deal with a possible trial or testimony against the woman. Maxie smiled, and began to walk back home. That's when he noticed the familiar face of Archie, leaning against the blue side of the police station.

"Yo, Max." Archie said calmly, a smile across his face.

"Good news for us, she dropped it." Maxie said, walking to the taller man.

"Thank Arceus." Archie responded.

"What are you even doing here anyway?" Maxie asked, cocking his head.

"Waiting for you, of course." Archie replied, leaning next to Maxie.

Maxie hummed. "Guess you're going to walk back home with me?"

Archie nodded. "We have lost time we have to make up."

Maxie gave a small smile. "Whatever you say, Archibald."

The two then made their way back to Maxie's house, with Archie still leaning into the redhead as they walked.