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The Lilycove Department Store was overflowing with the usual arrangement of weekend shoppers. Sometimes, Bailey thought this place busy only because it was the only worthwhile destination in the entire city. It was either go shopping or go watch the wailmer from the cliff-side.[break][break]

From those two choices, the Officer would have rather thrown herself from the lighthouse that loomed in the distance. Her fingers pinched into the fabric of one of the arranged pokemon plushies–a pikachu–and wondered why she thought this would have improved her mood. The red cheeks and the hopeful eyes of the plushie do little to alleviate the sordid mood that continued to brew in Bailey Cooper's mind.[break][break]

She was still suspended from work. The league was pushing her away, telling her to take time to herself, trying to think of any excuse to keep her from kicking down their doors and demand a task to keep herself occupied.[break][break]

They must have thought she was still in mourning. They must have thought she was an absolute wreck with grief. Whatever they thought, it did not matter to her–she was just pent up, eager to find a way to get herself back into the flow; eager to distract herself from the ghosts that seemed to linger.[break][break]

Her hand had been wringing the toy's neck. Upon noticing this, Bailey tucked it back onto the shelf, and avoided any odd glances as she made her way to the stairs.[break][break]

This had been a waste of time–[break][break]

“Hey, did you see who that was?” and the Officer paused when she overheard the whispers of two women standing to the side of the stairs. “Was that actually her? There's no way...Evelyn Silph? Here?” The name sparked like fireworks; she remembered the name. She remembered the Silph that had gone astray. She remembered a afternoon spent in Slateport, after the Rocket had raged their destruction, and her efforts to move through the ruins before coming across the internet star–[break][break]

“I swear I've seen her in that exact outfit. The hair's wrong, but it could be a wig–” Bailey yanked one of the women out of the conversation, flashed her officer's badge, and watched as the woman stuttered before pointing out who they thought was the runaway Silph.[break][break]

And the girl was making her way to one of the elevators.[break][break]

Bailey Cooper ran. The elevator doors had started to close, and she wondered if the Silph had seen her as the Officer darted across the linoleum floors; frustration clear on her features as her body twisted. She squeezed through the tight space–the small gap before the doors could close–before anyone could wonder why she had just sprinted across the department store, just to catch the elevator.[break][break]

And with her momentum, she slammed both hands to the wall, trying to pin the woman as if she were a drunken man with no respect for boundaries; her sunglasses had slipped down her nose, letting her eyes focus on the accused traitor without anything to shield them. "It is you."

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There was a Chatot in the trashcan.[break][break]

Bailey downed whatever had threatened to rise to the surface, wondering if it was spurred by of the sight of the bird pokemon in an unlikely place; injuries raked its feathers, breath shallow, as if someone had battled it and then chose to discard it. Sobriety almost broke to the surface, bringing the Officer back to present... and her hands dipped down, gentle cradling the injured pokemon as she brought it to her chest.[break][break]

“Hey buddy,” and she held it gently, knowing that it was nearing a state of unconsciousness. “Guess it isn't your lucky night... well, me either. We got that in common,” and the officer walked out of the alley, correcting the sway in her step as her eyes sought the nearest Pokemon Center.[break][break]

She would handle the medical expenses. She would take ownership.[break][break]

End

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The winds rippled through the valley, bringing the sand to fly against them with a renewed vigor; Bailey watched as her go-goggles struggled to see through the millions of granules as they ripped past her face, making it almost impossible to watch the battle that unfolded in front of her.[break][break]

Turtonator was withdrawn back to his capsule; the weather had grown worse far faster than any of them could have anticipated.[break][break]

When Persephone signaled to her, it was almost obscured as the dunes rippled. It was like the dessert was preparing to reform itself before their very eyes–like this was a sandbox and someone was carving a new landscape with a drag of their fingers.[break][break]

“We need to bail!” The Officer ran through the winds, pushing against them and then against Persephone as her hand caught her upper arm; a light grip, but her intentions were made clear. “We can't excavate if this gets any worse!”[break][break]

Sand got in her mouth, making her sputter as she prepared to make a hasty escape.[break][break]

End

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She stared at the sight that awaited them, squinting in the low light to try and discern any notable features. “Finally, felt like we were trapped down here for months,” and the Officer shared in Persephone's excitement, letting it manifest as a cocky smirk as her hand sought her belt. Her fingers graced her belt, pondering if it would be overkill to let Kapow accompany Bumbo into the atrium-like space that awaited them.[break][break]

“So. My money is on Reggie... uh, what's it called...” she snapped her fingers repeatedly, “Reggie Ice?” Yeah, close enough. “If it's that thing, I call dibs. You got the last shot last time. My turn.”[break][break]

The jokes alleviated the sense of trepidation as they moved forward, coming into this dark and undefined space.[break][break]

Kapow was allowed to occupy the space next to her; Darmanitan on her left and Kommo-o on her right. Her pokemon were prepared, standing with their trainer as they awaited a fight... and the Officer could only share in their anticipation as her cold hands were tucked into her jacket.[break][break]

end of mission

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“What?” Bailey Cooper caught the looks of the fellow occupants of the Pokemon Center–Fernando was not the only one wearing an expression of disbelief. “I wanted it,” and the officer bounced the capsule in her hand, watching as Kapow balanced the sack over his scale-encased shoulder--a bag that was not attatched to the Delibird, because that would be fucked up and what the fuck are pokemon. Like, the tailbag fucking thing that Delibird had was empty and this bag is seperate but has the toys. I don't fucking know anymore.[break][break]

The capsule was played with. She would have remained persistent with the bird until it would have yielded. “Look, I know having a dragon pass out the gifts to the kids is a bad idea, so, uh, it can do it when we get there,” a toss as the capsule spun in the air, falling back into her readied hand; her hand under her chin, as if in contemplation, as Bailey Cooper pondered a name for the Christmas bird.[break][break]

The boldness of her actions did not faze her. There was no regret or thought put into what had been done. She came, she saw, she captured. Fernando's statement was received with a shrug. “Uh, I'm a pokemon trainer. It's a pokemon,” and the capsule was then spun on the tip of her finger.[break][break]

“What the fuck am I gonna call you, huh?” And she made her way for the exit of the Pokemon Center, walking with the confidence of someone that was ready to submit a Christmas mission two months late.

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The miry clutched to her clothes, rising up through the fabric, drawing the moisture like a sponge. It made Bailey shudder–a reaction that occurred at the same moment Persephone questioned the speed of a Hyper Beam.[break][break]

“I mean. It's light. Light is pretty freakin' fast,” Bailey Cooper, the scholar. What an astute observation. The officer frowned to herself as she stepped closer to Bumbo, letting his heat radiate across her shoulders. With time, the water waned. With time, Bailey found herself standing on the same slick surface as Persephone.[break][break]

The Officer braced a hand to her fire-type, letting his weight act as her anchor with each step. His weight cracked the ice, but failed to break the surface. “You alright?” Was her first question when she watched her light-haired companion nearly slip. “We're gonna have to slow down,” but that did not phase her. The water had already impeded their progress.[break][break]

The cavern seemed to expand, allowing for more space. To Bailey's untrained eye, it almost seemed as if the passage was coming to an end–that something would await them if they kept following the path that stretched before them.

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“It's... useless,” Bailey would have assessed the moment they stepped into the Pokemon Center, staring at the plump bird as it struggled with its onerous bag; it looked ready to collapse at any given moment, struggling with a weight that it could not feasibly carry.[break][break]

The Officer stared at the bird, then to Fernando, and back to the bird; her predilection for pokemon had always been questionable–she was a trainer that sought the most unusual of pokemon, or the most useless as she had once been told. Her love and affection for Chubs the Spheal was a well-known joke among her fellow officers...[break][break]

And right now, the Delibird was looking really helpless. “I want it,” and instead of approaching the Christmas pokemon like a normal person, Bailey felt her hand twitch to her belt, snapping off one of the pokeballs from its place.[break][break]

Kapow was summoned into the Pokemon Center. “Hold the bird,” and the dragon obliged, hefting the Delibird into his grasp; it squeaked in dismay, flailing against the stronger pokemon while desperately reaching to the bag. Maybe it presumed that the officer would attempt to steal it. That was not the case.[break][break]

“Heeeey little guy,” and she bounced an empty pokeball in her hand, grinning from ear to ear. “You need help with delivering those toys, right? Well. One stipulation—you're coming with me,” and she bonked it on the head with the pokeball capsule, sucking it inside and leaving it to squirm as it would attempt to escape.[break][break]

It could have burst from the capsule, but it would have only found itself in the same situation... over and over.[break][break]

“Kapow, can you get the sack?” And she bounced the capsule as it trembled; red light flashing as it tried to capture the Christmas pokemon.

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Unable to sleep, Bailey Cooper stared at the streetlamps that lined Petalburg City. Red rings lined her eyes with their ugly, burn-like quality; this was not the first night that she had found herself unable to rest. Something thick hung on her breath, wafting with every exhale–the burn of alcohol that tried the saliva on her tongue, leaving her thirsty and wanting for a glass of water.[break][break]

The officer had been suspended from duty while the League tried to find her a new partner.[break][break]

She did not know what to do with the free-time; did not know what to do with the turmoil of her emotions as she dealt with the loss that still hung in her mind. Her mind recalled the day–recalled the envelope that was placed into her hands as an officer bowed before her and told her the grim news.[break][break]

She felt sick; if it was from the memory or from the mixed drinks that swirled in her stomach, the officer was unsure. “Fuck,” and Bailey sought the closest trashcan, thankful that the streets were unoccupied.

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Black slacks that were neatly fitted; white dress shirt, unbuttoned down to the rise of her collarbone; black heels with a wedge; they said she should have worn a dress, but Bailey Cooper had seen the sight of women dressed in black dresses too many times today. She hated the absence of color, hated the wailing, and even hated the small sniffles and the passing of tissues from one tear-soaked hand to the other.[break][break]

Light colored blue from the stained glass flushed its sheen across the high rising walls, celebrating customs that Bailey had never acquainted herself with.[break][break]

She sat in the back, in the farthest corner of the church, watching in a silence that felt all-consuming; white knuckles twisted at the sight of the flowers when they were arranged. White lilies and forget-me-nots, neatly compiled and appealing to the eye... but mournful to those that understood what that arrangement would have meant. The color from her skin bled out, seeming to match the pure sheen of each petal, of each twisting flower face.[break][break]

There was a wake, both within the church and within her mind–water that swelled in her chest, swelled to her gaze, and wash over her thoughts. The attempts to be recondite had failed the moment the final words were spoken, when the reality of the situation threatened to pull her beneath the surface.[break][break]

She left, leaving the funeral behind her, leaving behind a casket that she had never approached. [break][break]

Out through the tall double doors. Out to the cold air of a night that she had been dreading. Bailey Cooper listened to her heels click across the blacktop as she crossed the rough terrain of the parking lot, seeking her keys and seeking the sight of her motorcycle from the sea of vehicles.[break][break]

When the engine came to life, it roared like a storm; wheels squealing as they spun across the paved roads. Her headlights cut the dark, following through a darkened landscape that stretched out long and flat before her, letting her eyes stare out at the nothingness like a ship lost at sea, rocking with each tortuous twist as she pushed faster andfaster.[break][break]

Each mile was a victory, driving more distance between her and the mire of misery. [break][break]

The road transitioned, sloping downward into the wilds of a place that was touched by trees and windswept grass. Clear skies allowed for illumination from above, signaling that the cloud that had been following her had been left behind–for now.[break][break]

It was quiet on Route 120. The water that split through the middle of this empty place seemed to beckon the eyes; rainbow-like light reflecting across its surface, cast by the long, shadowy shapes that occupied the depths. They would surface, breaking the water and letting their soft cries carry through the night–paean to her ears.[break][break]

Becalming, even if she was lost to these waters.[break][break]

The engine went cold. The rumblings of the motorcycle died as Bailey Cooper approached the edge, feeling soft, river-made sand seep between her toes.[break][break]

It wasn't what she wanted. She had thought of Slateport–thought of the beach and the night spent there–but had known that it would have been out of her reach.[break][break]

Cold fingers sought one of the capsules from the pocket of her slacks, widening its round shape with a tap to its center; she threw the pokeball, unsure why the sight of the Milotics seemed to distract her during this trying time; unsure why their lullfull songs seemed to react to her presence, beckoning with their siren-like reassurances; words murmured against her ears, as if to say that everything was going to be alright.[break][break]

The ball spun through the air, colliding against one of the shadowy figures before it hit the surface of the waters; floating and trembling as if she had cast a lure.[break][break]

ufzZzRf7[break][break]

edit: fuck my luck.

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