“No, no.” Navy shakes his head. “You misunderstand. Suppose, for argument’s sake, the teeth don’t match any bite patterns associated with any known species of canine Pokemon. Under those circumstances, how do you think the victim was killed?” He’s curious to see where her mind goes with that.[break][break]
He’s got a few ideas of his own about how someone could replicate or otherwise imitate bite marks, but for now it’s just a thought experiment. Something to pass the time until they can see the facts for themselves.

[break][break]

+ Elise Calcifet

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Not bad.” Navy says. “Not bad at all. Doubt it’s that, but it’s a solid logical foundation. That’s the important thing in this job. Gotta know how to make proper leaps of logic. Being a detective’s kind of like being a mathematician. There’s only so many correct formulas. If you can do them right, you can put the pieces together. Clinically speaking, that can translate to battle too, you know? A Blastoise using water is always gonna beat a Charizard, barring outside factors.”[break][break]
Before long, they’re at the morgue. Oldale Town is the same as ever. A sleepy little out of the way place. Kids kick cans through the streets. On the edge of town is a forest. Somewhere out there, according to Dell and his family, a monster is lurking.[break][break]
The coroner’s office is an unassuming little building. Oldale isn’t a very big town. There’s not much death there. They don’t have to ply and trade in it, make it a much bigger craft like the cities of the region do.[break][break]
“Wait…have you…ever seen a dead body before?” Navy asks, concern in his voice as they wait to be shown the body.


[break][break]

+ Elise Calcifet

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“That’s not like this.” His voice sounds sad. Hurt. Drained. Like having to convey that message drops all the weight in the world on his shoulders. He feels 24 again, looking at Gabe’s body on a morgue slab with kyle lopez. Human bodies aren’t supposed to look the way they do here. Human bodies deserve more dignity than they are afforded by coroners and morticians.[break][break]
“But if you’re sure.” Navy enters, letting Elise in with him. Calling people his Junior Detectives tends to smooth things over. They’re shown the body in short order. Patrick was once a handsome man, before this autopsy ruined his body. He has been sewn back together. Organs harvested, the innards cleaned. Yet what is on the surface remains.[break][break]
Navy lays out his laptop near the body. He establishes a link to the League’s database. Sources of information on all sorts of matters are there at his fingertip. Navy points at the wounds on the neck.[break][break]
“Yeah, these…these don’t look like something you could replicate with a knife or something.” He observes, running it through the database. It compares it to every known canine Pokemon on record. Obviously, the legends of Galar are excluded. Such creatures would not simply let someone take a sample of their bites.[break][break]
“…looks like no matches.” He looks to Elise, wondering what she might do or say with the dead human right there. What she might search for on Patrick besides the bite marks.

[break][break]

+ Elise Calcifet

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

And, wouldn’t you know it, the princess finds what she’s looking for. All along his body, there are signs of a struggle, signs that he was running away from something. There’s bruising at the hips, on the ankles, at the wrists. Patrick knew death was coming for him. He did not go gently into that good night. He ran through the moor. The bite marks are angled such that the killing blow likely came from the back.[break][break]
Turning the body over, the trauma indicates a massive pressure on the man’s back. Almost…almost like…[break][break]
“Hmm.” Navy rarely looks at things like an actual detective. He’s forced to do that there. This case forces genuine logic out of him. There isn’t pretense that’s set-up for a fight. This case boggles the mind.[break][break]
“Looks like it really was a hound of some kind.” He says. As far as Navy can tell, there are no more secrets for this dead man to tell them.[break][break]
“Where next, Elise? What do you think we should do next?” Navy already has his answer, but he picks her brain.


[break][break]

+ Elise Calcifet

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Mmmm…” Musing over her notion, they leave the carved body behind. She’s a straightforward girl. There are some who might question how direct she is, say it’s not based on logic or stretching her brain. Navy would tell those people to get bent. She’s trying her best, and it’s not a bad suggestion.[break][break]
That said, he has to provide her with alternative solutions. He’s helping stretch her mind – think about things in different ways. If she’s going to be ambassador, it behooves her to consider things from multiple angles.[break][break]
“Okay, the sooner we do that, the better. We have Voyager and your Growlithe. Those two will be able to pick up scents. That might lead us somewhere. Consider this, though: what about interviewing eyewitnesses? Maybe there’s someone close by? Maybe we should interview the family. I already have a theory about what happened, but I don’t wanna taint your own conclusion.” Those deductive inferences are a precious thing, more valuable to a detective than gold. Everyone deserves a Virbank ‘Eureka!’ moment.

[break][break]

+ Elise Calcifet

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“It’s alright.” The detective reassures her. They’re almost back to his truck. Voyager frees himself from his pokeball, jumping in the back and wagging his tail. Voyager seldom remembers that he is a large dog now. With his tongue wagging out, he waits on them to get in and get going. Basking in a truck bed is one of the privileges afforded to a Pokemon such as he.[break][break]
“That’s why I’m asking you. I think this is pretty open and shut, so it’s good to let you test your sea legs.” He throws a maritime metaphor in there with a smile. “So, where next?” He throws the ball in her court.

[break][break]

+ Elise Calcifet

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

They pull up to an estate that looks old beyond its years. The Dells, like any good family of immigrants, what to put on appearances. They’ve cultivated an image here. Who knows, maybe in a hundred years, the image will take root. They’ve got money and taste, Navy can’t deny that. A long winding driveway leads them past drooping, weeping trees. Each looks like it could reach down, scoop them away, place them in a land of fairy tales.[break][break]

Voyager’s belch keeps the tree away. A tiny gout of flame spills out of his stomach. Navy looks back at his dog and laughs. He’s a good boy, even if he’s getting lazy now that he’s grown up.[break][break]

This family’s running from something. He wonders what chased them out of Galar. Well, wonders is a strong word. The detective’s intuition tells him. Superstition, rumors of hounds wreathed in mist, to him it all seems very…[break][break]

Fantastical. Stories are powerful things, especially to those who already want to believe stories. If someone wants to believe they’re important enough to be hounded by the ghosts of heroes…[break][break]

“We’re here.” Navy says as they pull around the front. A butler saw their approach and came out to greet them.[break][break]

“Hey there, Jeeves.” Navy says, making the old man’s eyes go wide.[break][break]

“How, how did you know my name, Detective Navidson?”[break][break]

Blink.[break][break]

Beat.[break][break]

“Dell told me about you. He said you’re a good butler.” Navy lies as easily as he breathes, trying in abject desperation not to laugh at the man with the unfortunate name.[break][break]

“Why, my word.” The old Galarian butler huffs up in pride. “I’m to take you two to the drawing room. The family will be gathering soon.” Navy nods, lets himself be led.[break][break]

They’re soon sat down in a room that looks so out of place in Hoenn it’s ridiculous. It’s Galarian architecture from about a century ago, transplanted onto Hoenn. These people packed up, moved across the sea, kept everything the same. What’s even the point of moving if you’re going to keep everything the same?[break][break]

The detective supposes that question isn’t one worth voicing. Instead, he looks around. Sees a globe of the world and a portrait of the family.[break][break]

Mr. Dell himself is handsome. His brother’s there in the portrait, hovering like a specter. At his side is his wife, a posh noblewoman. Older than Elise, refined. They have two children. Both boys, younger than Elise.[break][break]

“Man, these guys are loaded. The royal family this rich?” Navy jokes with the Princess.


[break][break]

+ Elise Calcifet

[attr="class","pokeclass"]