An innocent school student, a timid cheerleader, an intelligent amnesiac, a spunky pop star, and a reserved mercenary. When fate brings these ordinary Pokémon together, a dramatic new story begins.
Set in the futuristic world of Aseria, these Pokémo...
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Backstage wasn't nearly as extravagant as Lute expected. It was quiet, the lighting was dim, and most of the walls looked like a stage play. Nothing reached the ceiling and was clearly made of cardboard or something. The red and pink theme stood out at least, but the lack of staff brought down his mood.
Not that that mattered - he was already so mad at Sophitia that there was a gap between them. Him and Infia walked on Silver's left while Sophitia was on the right. They walked in silence until the Goodra stopped them all outside a row of rooms.
"This may come as a surprise, but we very nearly had a murder on our paws," Silver began, making the trio flinch. "A number of staff got seriously hurt, and one has been transported to hospital. Our investigators said most of the damage was dealt from bites and poisoning."
"That's horrible!" Infia covered her mouth.
"That is... but er, if you've already got Pokémon on the case, what do you want us to do? I don't think I could stomach looking at anything like that," Sophitia said.
"Find the culprit, of course. We've managed to secure the area. None of the unharmed Pokémon are allowed to leave," Silver folded her arms. "I know. It's quite violent for your second case. But trust yourselves. Just do what you did when you did when you caught Victoria."
"That was all Sophitia, though," Lute frowned.
"And to be honest, I could only do that on a whim because it was for a Pokémon I cared about, you know? I just didn't want Infia getting arrested. This, I know nothing about anyone involved," Sophitia said.
"Then find out. You've got time," Silver said. There was a pause. "The victims were all staff. Just Pokémon that handle things like lighting, cleaning and stuff. There doesn't seem to be a theme or a connection amongst them. On the other hand, the accused is Phoenix, Esther's personal security."
"Phoenix?" Lute and Infia gasped. They exchanged glances.
"Yes. The very same agent we appointed to take care of you," Silver nodded.
"He was a... Fennekin, right? Can they use poison attacks?" Sophitia asked.
"As far as we know, only the move Toxic. Toxic is such a widely useable attack that the poison part has us a bit confuddled. It could be anyone," Silver explained. "I've given you clearance to question everyone you find here. If you need me, I'll be by the manager."
The trio was quiet even after she disappeared into one of the rooms, until Lute broke the silence with a gulp. "I can't help but feel like she's still testing us or something."
"You and me both. But if she thinks we can figure this out, then we probably can. Let's do this," Sophitia sighed.
"I can't believe that, though. Phoenix is so quiet. I can't imagine him hurting Pokémon like this," Infia faced the floor. "He barely ever says or does anything, he just does what he needs to. And he cooks. Why would he try to kill Pokémon?"
