>CHAPTER 2
Hallucination
The scent of a new day wafted through the open windows of the inn's guest rooms.
Alphonse wrestled himself awake but didn't make a very intense effort at it. After all, it had been ages since he had slept on a bed as comfortable as this one. A mixture of ultra-soft Whimsicott cotton and crisp fresh hay. A Pokemon could hardly ask for a more comfortable bed to spend the night on.
Rubbing his eyes and scratching himself, he slowly got up into a seated position and observed the room. The construction was sturdy yet comfortable. The Timburr and Gerdurr that worked on this inn clearly put a lot of time and energy into getting it right, he assumed. Lazily looking around, he saw Lazlo in the corner. One hand gripped his tail, painting away at a piece of paper, and the other tenderly held a steaming cup of... something. Alphonse guessed it was some sort of berry juice. Probably fermented as well.
"Mornin', kid. Sleep well?" Lazlo hummed. "Hopefully my snoring didn't keep you up late."
"Nah, you're all good," Alphonse yawned. "May I ask what you're doing?"
Alphonse began to walk over to the corner of the room Lazlo was working in, still half awake. Upon looking at the paper Lazlo was painting on, he saw strange figures and shapes dancing around the canvas.
Lazlo chuckled.
"Ain't it obvious?" A short hush fell over the room. Lazlo motioned Alphonse over for a closer look with the other hand, still gripping the mug.
"Workin' on my stories. Here, take a look."
Alphonse stared at the paper for several seconds, unable to decipher what was going on with the painting. It looked like just a bunch of shapes and lines to him.
"I don't get it," Alphonse blankly stated.
"S' fine. I told you I'm not much of an artist, eh?" Lazlo smiled. "This ain't meant to be some pretty picture of anything. It's more of a scratch pad."
"Scratch pad?" Alphonse questioned.
"Yup. See, especially in my old age, I'm not the best with words. But m' memory is as picture perfect as ever. So I draw these, not to paint a picture, but t' remember my stories."
"It helps me keep track of what happened, at least I can find another Pokemon with a good way 'a words to help me write things down."
Lazlo had piqued Alphonse's interest. What a peculiar system, Alphonse thought. Especially having to be so dependent on other Pokemon. It was alien to him. But as Alphonse could recall, he never really knew any old Pokemon where he came from, especially none as old as Lazlo seemed.
"So, these are your notes. Got it." Alphonse said.
"I'm not the most articulate Pokemon either. But I could at least help you write things down for others to read."
Lazlo smiled slightly.
"That'd be mighty kind of 'ya, Al." His smile started to shift into something more sly.
"But don't forget, you still owe me your stories," Lazlo smirked.
"You really aren't going to let me go until I cough them up, huh?" Alphonse mumbled.
"Darn right. In fact, let's start with something basic."
"You mentioned you were out in that storm after your home blew away. And that you met a Pokemon that robbed you of everything you still had on your back." Lazlo sternly stated.
"That's correct. But I think she also saved my life."
Alphonse choked up a bit. He could feel his emotions starting to get the best of him again as uncertainty clouded his mind. It still made no sense to him, the whole ordeal. He was no stranger to thieves and their antics, but he never would've thought a "kind" thief existed.
"The storm was raging, and I don't think either of us could see straight at the moment. She must've been a fire type too, as she was able to keep both of us warm inside a small cave we had found each other in. Her voice was cold and tough, yet her personality was warm."
Lazlo nodded along, increasing the pace of his writing.
"She told me stories until I fell asleep again. She talked about her life as a young orphan wandering the wilds. She had to struggle to stay alive and fight for everything she could get. Heavy stuff, but there was a sweetness in her voice that made me realize everything would be okay."
"Her backstory was pretty similar to mine. I'm not from this place, the Grass Continent. I was born overseas, in a wicked and wild place. It went by a lot of names, but one of the most common was 'the land behind the clouds'. At least, that's what the other inhabitants called it." Alphonse briefly paused.
Lazlo took advantage of the pause in Alphonse's story.
"Th' Mystery Continent."
Alphonse's face lit up. He was taken aback, but managed to regain his composure.
"Y-yeah, that's what the 'outsiders' call it. So you're familiar with it?"
Lazlo closed his eyes painfully.
"Course. You're not the first Pokemon I've run into from there."
"In fact, it explains a lot about ya. Your fire, y' no-favors attitude, and so on."
Sensing a bit of tension, Lazlo elaborated further.
"I mean no ill will, 'f course." "We don't get t' choose where we're born."
"Yeah. But I'll talk more about that later, I suppose." Alphonse said it with a slight hint of sorrow in his voice.
"Back to now. After I woke back up, that other Pokemon, 'Bethel', was gone. I was a bit taken aback that she left so suddenly. But then I noticed everything in my bag was gone."
"Oddly enough, there was a single piece of paper with directions left behind."
"Directions?" Lazlo inquired.
"Yeah, to here. Arcade." Alphonse responded.
"I still don't get it. If she was after my supplies, why would she have nursed me back to health? And better yet, why did she give me directions here?"
"Hm. That's quite the puzzle, indeed." Lazlo frowned, showing his concern.
"Tell ya what, let's put a pin in story time f' now. Gather yourself; we'll head out and look for this character."
Alphonse nodded as pangs of determination resonated throughout his body. Right after, he felt another rumble in his stomach.
"Of course, how about we get some breakfast first?" Lazlo chuckled.
Alphonse couldn't help but smile and agree with that plan.
Walking out of their room into the lobby, the first step in their quest was to fill their bellies. The two new acquaintances shuffled over to the reception desk of the inn, ringing the service bell. After a moment, a jolly Grumpig strolled over to the pair.
"Morning, folks. I hope you slept well after yesterday's festivities. How can I help you both?" the Grumpig beamed.
"Thanks Lou, same t' you. Beds were as comfortable as ever." Lazlo replied.
"First things first, call over to whoever the chef is today. We'll take two house specials, please."
"Of course. And don't bother paying, it's complimentary, especially for you, Lazlo." Lou smiled.
"Thanks, Lou; you're always a great host." Lazlo smiled back.
"Additionally, my friend here is in quite the pickle. His name's Al."
Lou looked over to Alphonse, extending out his arm for a handshake. Alphonse returned the gesture.
"Nice t' meetcha, Al. What's going on?"
Before Alphonse could speak, Lazlo had finished explaining.
"He's been wronged recently. Got something of a thief in these parts."
"That's horrible! "Were they here, in the inn?"
"Well, Lou, I'm hoping you can tell me that. We're looking for a female Pokemon, most likely a fire type." Lazlo proclaimed.
"Now, Laz, you've helped this town out plenty of times, especially me. But you know I can't let you rummage through the ledger. For the sake of the guests privacy."
Lazlo furrowed his brow. "Aye, I reckon you're right about that."
Lou pondered for a moment and then spoke once more.
"However, we've seen quite a few fire types here that came up for the concert. Have you checked with Mary over at The Watering Hole yet? She might know more."
"Not yet, but that's a great idea. Thanks, Lou; we'll try over there."
The two thanked Lou for their time, and Lou returned thanks for their patronage. Shortly after, Lou disappeared into a backroom, reappearing shortly after with two plates filled with an assortment of spices and other foods.
"Go ahead and eat; you two are skin and bones. I'll keep an eye out for any suspicious characters in the meantime," Lou smiled.
Lazlo and Alphonse thanked their host and wasted no time digging into their meals.
After their bellies were satisfied, they said one final thank you and farewell to Lou. The next stop was back at The Watering Hole, to discuss with Mary.
After a brief stroll through town, they found themselves back at the saloon where they had met. It was only less than a day, but the two had already felt a sort of kinship growing between them. Walking into the saloon, it was already packed, albeit not as full as it was last night.
"Follow me, Al." Lazlo motioned to Alphonse.
The two walked up to the bar counter, as Lazlo briefly talked with the bartender before inquiring for Mary.
Nearly instantly, a Lilligant walked over.
"Lazlo! It's always great to see you. Who's your new friend?"
"I'm Alphonse. Nice to meet you." It felt weird for Alphonse to be so casual, but it also felt good.
"The pleasure's all mine, dear. I'm Mary, the owner of this saloon. What's going on? Should we tap another keg for you, Lazlo?"
Lazlo, after laughing at Mary's half-joke, changed to a more serious tone.
"We've got an outlaw in town, Mary, and we're trying to track 'em down."
"How horrible! What did they do, if I may ask?" Mary said, excitedly.
"Just seems like your average two-bit thief. Nothing to be too worried about, but my friend here wants to settle the score."
"Ah, a thief? What a shame; we have enough of those already. Why just the other day, that Swablu that's been showing up here late at night? They..."
Lazlo gave Mary a look, and Mary paused.
"Oh, my apologies to you two. I'm such a motormouth. But anyway, do you know anything more about this specific thief?"
"They're female and likely a fire type. We talked to Lou as well, but he hasn't seen anything yet." Lazlo responded.
"Oh, that Lou is such a great guy. Send him my regards next time you see him."
"And unfortunately, there's been so many Pokemon coming through on account of the concert that I'm not entirely sure which might fit the bill," Mary stated solemnly.
"Have you checked with the guards?"
Lazlo answered yet again.
"Not yet. I reckon we'll head over to the gatehouse next."
"Thank you, Mary. Take care."
"Take care to you two, too! I hope you find what you're looking for!" Mary cheerily exclaimed.
She then walked back behind the bar, having an unrelated side conversation with the bartender.
After a brisk walk back to the entrance to Arcade, the two were at the gatehouse. Lazlo knocked three times on the gate's inner side, triggering a voice from above.
"Who's there?" the voice called.
"It's me, Nosey. And a friend, of course." Lazlo called back.
A hatch opened up, and a lone Nosepass climbed down from a ladder.
"Ay, Lazlo, how many times do I have to tell ya!? Stop callin' me Nosey!" The Nosepass returned.
"Ah, you know I'm just havin' fun with ya. Plus, it's a better nickname than whatever you've been calling yourself lately." Lazlo teased.
"I told you, it's Deadeye! C'mon, that's the coolest name I've come up with yet! You're doing me wrong by not calling me that." Nosey shouted.
"Haha, very well. 'Deadeye', is your pops up there too? We were hoping to get some intel.".
'Deadeye' looked the two over. He looked once at Lazlo and at least five more times at Alphonse. Then he spoke again.
"Pops is still out on a mission. I've been holding down the fort with the others in the meantime."
Deadeye a.k.a. Nosey looked then towards Alphonse with a piercing gaze. "Who are YOU?" he said, pointing his giant nose at Alphonse.
"Er..." Alphonse struggled.
"Settle down. He's a friend." Lazlo reassured.
"Yeah, I recognize this one. He was one of the last Pokemon that came by for the concert. Said he was an explorer. Although he doesn't really look the type."
Alphonse, struggling not to take offense, then spoke next.
"I'm looking for a thief. Have you seen anyone strange lately? They had to come in before I did."
Deadeye paused, deep in thought. Then suddenly, he reanimated.
"A thief, eh! I had a feeling! What exactly did you steal?" he proclaimed, once again prodding his nose at Alphonse.
"Now that makes no dadgum sense, Nosey. Why would he steal from himself?" Lazlo sighed.
"Alright, alright, can never be too careful. Anyway, I recall a few more Pokemon showing up late, but not as late as you, buddy."
Deadnose's nose was almost touching Alphonse at this point.
"Were they fire types? Or females?"
"There might've been one or two fire types. Or dark types. But all of them were in groups except for one Pokemon."
"Tell us about that lone Pokemon!" Lazlo was now as excited as Alphonse.
Deadeye obliged.
"Yeah, they were a younger lookin' Pokemon, probably around your age," he said, rubbing his nose on Alphonse. Alphonse slowly began to inch away. "Not sure if they were female, though. Or a fire type."
"Where did they go?" Lazlo barked back.
"To the concert, of course, like everyone else. It was the place to be. I would've loved to go, but I was stuck on guard duty."
As if a lightbulb lit up over Alphonse's head, he suddenly remembered the Litten he had bumped into earlier, after the concert. He didn't realize it in the heat of the moment, but after reanalyzing, he remembered they had a large bag with them, almost oversized for a Pokemon that small.
"That's it! It must've been a Litten!" Alphonse shouted excitedly.
"A Litten?" Deadeye responded.
"Don't know how your father could put you in charge of anything..." Lazlo groaned under his breath.
Alphonse turned to Lazlo, barely containing his excitement.
"We have to find that Litten! That must be Bethel!" Alphonse then started to run back in the direction of the town square.
"Thank you, Nosey!" he called back from a distance.
"IT'S NOT NOSEY!" Nosey called back. "IT'S DEADEYE!"
Lazlo, barely able to hold in his laughter, began to saunter back in the direction Alphonse ran off to.
"This'll certainly be an interesting encounter," he thought to himself.
Alphonse, now in an all out sprint, rushed back to the town square, the same place he had last seen the Litten he presumed to be Bethel. Lazlo trailed far behind, barely able to match Alphonse's speed. But during the blind rush of Alphonse, he mistakingly bumped into another Pokemon, ramming straight into them and rebounding off onto the stone pathing below.
"Oy, are you alright? The Pokemon called, extending a helping hand to lift Alphonse back up. "You were in quite the mad dash, there."
Alphonse, dizzy from the impact, stumbled back up to his feet.
"I'm fine, sorry about that..." Alphonse paused. Looking up at the tall Pokemon, he immediately recognized them as the Obstagoon playing with the band during last night's performance.
"Oh, good to hear. You were running as if you were escaping a crime scene, mate," the Obstagoon spoke in his strange accent.
"Pardon my language; that's probably not a very kind thing to say, eh?" The Obstagoon said sheepishly.
Alphonse, still dizzy from the impact, shook his head.
"No, you're all good." He wasn't sure if he should clutch his stomach or his head.
The Obstagoon, still totally unfazed, spoke back to Alphonse.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry, if I may ask?"
Slowly regaining his composure, Alphonse explained his situation.
"huff huff... ah, I was looking for a Pokemon I met here last night, after the concert."
The Obstagoon smiled a toothy smile.
"Ah. Missed connections, was it? It wouldn't be as uncommon as you'd think, mate."
Alphonse embarrassedly shook his head.
"No, nothing like that. It's complicated, but I'm pretty sure I'm hunting down a thief here. I think they were a Litten."
"A Litten, huh? Interesting." The Obstagoon pondered for a moment.
"Funny you should mention, mate, I ran into a peculiar Litten last might myself."
"Really?"
"Aye. They came backstage after our show with a big bag of goodies. Offered them to us, claimed she was a huge fan of our work. We appreciated her hospitality, but we didn't have enough room in our bags for everything."
Alphonse peaked up again as Lazlo humbled over, out of breath.
"Can't keep up with these kids anymore..." Lazlo sighed to himself.
The Obstagoon scratched his chin.
"Yeah, I think she mentioned about setting out for the general store to offload the rest of the supplies. I had no idea they were stolen goods, though. Proper shame."
He then looked over at Lazlo.
"Hey there, Laz. You alright, mate?" he asked.
"All good, just a bit winded," Lazlo answered between pants.
"Lazlo, I've got a lead. Where's the general store in this town?" Alphonse wasted no time getting his question across.
Lazlo, barely able to speak, instead brought his hand up and pointed in the direction of the store.
"That way," he exhaled.
"Great! I'll meet you over there!" Alphonse said hastily, wasting no time to run off again.
"Strange fellow. Seemed nice, though," the Obstagoon murmured to himself.
Alphonse barged into the general store, sending the bell attached to the doorframe flying across the room. The door swung open with great force, bringing in a gust of wind and rattling some of the items on the shelves.
"Woah! What's going on?" the clerk said. It was a young Kecleon, par for the course in general stores across the Grass Continent.
"Sorry to barge in, but I'm looking for a thief. Have you seen any suspicious Litten?" Alphonse inquired.
"There was one here earlier. She tried to fence off some goods that she implied were stolen. Bold girl. I wasted no time alerting the town guard, though, and they carried her off to the town jail. Are you one of the guards as well?"
"No, I'm the one she stole from," panted Alphonse.
"I see! Well, the jail is down the road; turn left at the corner and head south. You can't miss it. Good luck getting your things back!" The Kecleon beamed.
"And be sure to remember us should you need any more supplies!"
Alphonse expressed his gratitude, heading back out the door and in the direction of the jailhouse.
Shortly after arriving at the jailhouse, he heard a familiar voice coming from down the hall. Following the sound of the voice, he came across a small holding cell.
"And this is probably one of the nicer cells I've been in," the voice teased.
"Hush. I'm not in the mood for jokes," another voice growled back.
Alphonse, unable to get into the room due to a locked door, put his ear next to the wall to get a better listen.
"The Magnezone will be here first thing tomorrow morning. They'll decide what to do with you going forward," the stern voice reprimanded.
"Whatever you say," the female voice chided back.
The voice was unmistakably the voice from the night before.
The door flung open, sending Alphonse back into the wall. A Lycanroc looked down at Alphonse, who was collapsed on the floor. A dark, threatening shadow covered the Lycanroc's face, but his eyes shined brightly.
"Who are you?" The Lycanroc howled. "Another thief?"
"No, no! I swear! I'm not!" Alphonse panicked.
"Then what are you doing back here? Trying to bust this young lady out?!" Lycanroc growled, taking an aggressive stance.
"No, she's actually the one I think stole from me." Alphonse reasoned.
"You really expect me to believe that?" The Lycanroc looked unimpressed.
Just as a fight was about to break out, Lazlo strolled into the hall.
"Now, what's going on here, Chad?"
The Lycanroc, presumed to be Chad, perked up at the mention of their name. Looking over at Lazlo, they returned to their aggressive stance.
"Lazlo. Do you know this punk?"
Lazlo chuckled.
"Which one, the one behind bars, or the one on the floor?"
Chad blinked.
"I'll take that as a yes. To at least one of those questions."
Looking back at Alphonse, and then again at Lazlo, Chad sighed.
"I'll let you handle this, Lazlo. But don't go causing us any more trouble. We've got enough problems already." Chad growled. He then turned and walked back down the hall, retreating into another room.
"Al, you gotta slow down. I'm not as fast as I used t' be."
"My bad, Laz." Alphonse, embarrassed, looked up at Lazlo and stood back up.
Lazlo grinned.
"S'all good. Looks like you've found your prize, eh?"
Alphonse gave a nod in agreement.
"I have to say, Lazlo, it sure seems like you have everyone in Arcade in your pocket. They really seem to respect you."
Lazlo flashed a quick smirk.
"Ah, me? I ain't nobody special."
"I'll be outside. Take the time you need, but don't cause' too much of a ruckus. I don't need Chad angrier at me than he already is, ya hear?"
Alphonse gave another triumphant nod.
Lazlo smiled again.
"Good." Lazlo then sauntered back down the hall, leaving the police station.
Alphonse took one final breath, gathered his composure, and prepared to confront the Litten.
After a moment, the door into the holding cell cracked open, with Alphonse entering in. The Litten, seeing him out of the corner of her eye, arched up her back and hissed at Alphonse.
"You!" the Litten spat.
"You," Alphonse rebounded coldly. He walked over to the outside of the cell, coming face-to-face with the Litten, with only the iron bars standing between them.
"You're Bethel, I presume. And you have something of mine." Alphonse decreed without emotion.
Bethel was astonished. But in a flash, she had returned to a cool, sly persona.
"Well, look at the detective here. They should be giving you a raise for all the good work you've done." Bethel mocked.
Alphonse, unfazed by Bethel's words, looked her directly in the eyes. His mouth motioned, and one word came out:
Why?"
Bethel looked back at him blankly, refusing to answer for a few seconds. Breaking the silence, she retorted back.
"Why, what?"
"Why did you save me?"
Bethel's eyes turned away from Alphonse, facing the cell wall behind her.
"If you wanted to steal from me, why not just take it off my body after I expired? Why did you go out of your way to rescue me?!" Alphonse's tone of voice was a mixture of a sob and an accusatory shout.
"Because I'm not a bad Pokemon."
Alphonse was taken aback by her cold, pained response.
"Yeah, sure, I took all your stuff. And you could've perished shortly after I rescued you. But that would've been out of my hands."
"Plus, I left you directions to town. And you're here now, standing strong, or at least pretending to. So you have no reason to be mad."
Alphonse raged internally. No reason to be mad? Was this truly the same Bethel? The Bethel that had rescued him may have also had a similar roughness in her voice, but there was a tender care behind it all. The same tenderness was now nowhere to be found.
Before he could formulate further thoughts, he found himself yelling out.
"What is your problem!?"
Bethel, not showing a single sign of being phased, contemplated for a moment. Then came her response.
"We have the same problem."
Alphonse stopped. He felt his fists clench, and tears began to well up in his eyes.
"I got a read on you that night. You're a cutthroat Pokemon; you're an outlaw, just like me. You may think you're good at hiding it, but you're just as fake as anyone else."
"I helped you because I thought you were strong. I left you those directions because I thought you were strong. I respected that about you. But now you're here before me, holding back tears like a baby Pokemon that lost its mother."
Alphonse found himself acting out on his own again. This time, he spoke with even more anger and tumult in his voice.
"You don't know me at all. You're just a punk."
Bethel laughed at the insult, wasting no time to fire right back.
"Do you really think there's some great sense of justice in this world? Do you really think that there is someone looking out for each of us? Don't play around with me; I already know we have the exact same outlook on life."
Shortly after her response, she flung something over to Alphonse through the cell bars. It was a small black cloak that had belonged to Alphonse.
"I couldn't get a good deal at that ridiculous market. This is probably worthless; you can have it back. But the supplies are locked away in the evidence room."
Alphonse latched onto the cloak, fastening it around his body and wearing it like a poncho. The huge cloak loosely fit around the small Abra, with the majority of it flowing back and dragging across the floor. He was still trying to gather his thoughts and form a response, but Bethel beat him to the punch.
"If you're as strong as you believe, you'll follow my next few words carefully."
"Get the key to the holding cell, gather back our supplies, and bust me out of here."
Alphonse was yet again astonished. Why in the world would he help Bethel after that little spat just now? But at the same time, a part of him began to rise within. A part that he had suppressed for quite some time.
"There's a tunnel not too far from here; we can sneak out the back. I have a few Pokemon on standby there, waiting for me. If you don't bust me out, they will."
"Either way, I'm getting out of here. If you're truly who I think you are, you'll come with."
"If not, then leave me behind, and we can both pretend we never met."
Alphonse brushed off his eyes and buffed out his chest. Without a word, he walked out of the room and headed towards the main office of the station.