[M] Pokemon: Avarice Versus Justice! (Ashen and Headwrapper)

[Headwrapper]

Just as before, Clive stood from his vantage point to watch the battle take place. His arms crossed his chest as the glare of Pokemon being released from their balls flashed across his eyes. A deep huff escaped him as he compared the two Pokemon that were called forth: a Meowth and a winged beast nearly four times its size. He already knew this battle was going to be a complete wash, regardless of how well Yulia commanded the Pokemon she had so carefully trained.

It felt like the detective and the Braviary locked eyes for a moment, before the winged Pokemon returned his attention to his master. Heavy flaps of his crimson wings held him afloat as its trainer relayed information to it, and finally he would turn to face his opponent. The battle was now underway. Clive shifted in his spot, finding himself once again searching for his main target. It seemed that there would not be a chance for Yulia to battle the suspect, but Clive might still be able to confirm that the girl trained here, which was still something. All it took was to see her command a suspicious Pokemon, or find some betrayal in her voice, to help him confirm his suspicions. Once he found enough proof to convince himself, then he could approach things differently.

His thoughts were interrupted by the crash of a strengthened Superpower, which wiped out the gym trainer's Meowth. The second Meowth was defeated almost as quickly, Valkyrie's attacks sending it straight back into its Pokeball. That meant the only battle left for Yulia to complete her Gym challenge was one with Whitney, the leader. It was possible that the trainer they were looking for was working in the next room, the main stadium, to facilitate the battle. It would probably be worth attending the battle for the chance to locate the woman.

The man's hands shifted to his pockets as he took a few steps forward to meet Yulia and her Pokemon halfway as they approached. "Yes, it's clear that the two of you have spent a lot of time together," he responded, before glancing up towards Valkyrie. "Nice battling." He offered the Pokemon a nod before it was returned to its ball. His gaze matched Yulia's as they continued their conversation. "Yeah, unfortunately only Whitney is left. I'm hoping that the person we are looking for might be there, but chances are she won't be. I don't want to spend time asking any of the other trainers if they know where she is either, or else she will know someone is searching for her."

He had just about ignored Yulia's testimony about having fun battling, but he couldn't help but duck his head slightly after hearing her final question. He drew a long breath, holding in his desire to explicitly tell her that he did not care to learn all that much about her anyway. "Sure," he finally huffed. "Anyway, we've spent enough time here. Let's get your badge and move on."

After they made their way into the main stadium of the Gym, they were greeted by the sounds of a battle already underway. Clives gloved hands tightened together in front of his face as he observed. The battle was between Whitney and the girl they had been looking for. His front teeth snapped together as he gnawed idly at the threads of his black gloves. After a few moments, a young lass approached the pair of detectives. "Whitney and Sierra will be finished soon! They just wanted a quick battle before the next challenger arrived!"

Clive merely nodded, still biting away at his gloves as he watched the battle. Whitney commanded a Lopunny against the other redhead's Persian. "I didn't know she had a Lopunny," he muttered. "It might not be registered in the Pokemon League, so she probably can't use it for regular gym battles."

The furry brown Pokemon dipped and dived between repeated slashes of the Persian's claws, before finally landing a kick to the long cat's abdomen. "Now Lopunny!" Whitney cried. Without question, the Lopunny delivered a High Jump Kick, it's knee crashing against the Persian and sending it hurling back towards its trainer. The one-on-one battle was now over. Clive hurried to walk to the edge of the arena to get a closer look of the loser's reaction, hoping she would convey a telling sign of her character.

[Ashen]

Yulia could tell her partner wanted to waste no more time talking about that battle he'd just watched. She was grateful he addressed her Pokemon, but once Valkyrie was recalled Yulia straightened herself and nodded. Clive wasn't paying attention to her at all now, intent on finding his target. Perhaps, Yulia thought, that would help her more than harm her. If her own partner didn't pay her much mind, it would give her the space she might need to take matters into her own hands... Brushing her thoughts from her mind, Yulia silently followed Clive to where the gym leader was bound to be.

They arrived at the small stadium, and Yulia was surprised to find the battlefield already in use. She looked over the Lopunny and Persian before she took a moment to study their trainers. Whitney commanded the Lopunny. Yulia had to admit, the girl looked much older in person. Even so, her timeless enthusiasm was clear in her eyes and in her voice as she spoke to her Pokemon. The other trainer, younger and more inexperienced, could do little as her Persian was attacked. Yulia suddenly noticed that this other trainer was their target, the girl from the photo Clive had shown her. Her perfect red curls were pulled back now, and without the Avarice mask over her face, Yulia almost did not recognize her. But there she was, this member of a criminal organization, battling against a gym leader, almost as if she were any other Pokemon trainer.

Instantly Yulia was thinking back, trying to remember more information about this one. According to the young woman who had spoken to her and Clive, this girl's name was Sierra. Yulia couldn't recall a Meowth or a Persian under Avarice imprisonment as of late, so maybe--hopefully--the girl's Pokemon was her own. But the girl herself... Just who was she? Yulia tried her best to not stare, but she wanted to know for sure. Was this one of Avarice, truly? She looked so young, so innocent. Why could she not remember? The longer she stared, the more her headache grew, until finally she had to take a woozy step away and look for a painkiller in her bag.

It was then that the battle ended. The girl, Sierra, looked disappointed for a moment, but her expression soon faded. She recalled her Pokemon after whispering a few words to it. When she looked up again she was smiling. She seemed to realize that she and Whitney had had an audience, and her cheeks colored the slightest bit. Bright eyes looked over Clive, lingering, then looked at Yulia. The two women made eye contact when Yulia had found the tablets in her bag. A look of confusion crossed Sierra's face, and quickly Yulia looked away, hating that recognition. A long time passed before Yulia dared to look back, into eyes that held as much recognition as her own.

Yulia downed the pills easily, then walked towards Clive. He was near where the battle had ended. Yulia tried to look natural, and she offered a smile to Sierra. "You battled well!" she said. "Both of you. Having the opportunity to experience how Whitney battles makes me excited to try and get my own badge."

Sierra was shy, though whether that was a personality trait or a result of Yulia's presence, the PI couldn't tell. Sierra hesitated. "Are you going to take on Whitney's gym?" She looked to Clive, studying him. There was fear in her eyes. "Whitney's tough, as you saw, but I'm sure you'd be able to best her, ma'am." Her last word, an afterthought, confirmed Yulia's thoughts. This woman knew her, feared her, which meant she had to be part of Avarice. But how was she going to tell Clive without exposing herself as well?

Yulia turned to her partner, wondering what he would do.

[Headwrapper]

Clive drew a sharp breath and held it in as he tried his best to listen and observe the losing party in the battle he just witnessed. In his experience, the moments just after a competitive trainer loses a battle lend some of the most insightful glimpses into who they were as a person. Sometimes those glimpses were just one page of their book, and sometimes they were entire volumes in themselves. Are you one of them?" he thought as he watched, his eyes now squinted into elliptical dark almonds.

It was hard to see the girl's expression as she spoke to her incapacitated partner, moments before she returned it to its ball. Clive found it odd that despite making the effort to get so close to her Pokemon, the girl did not display much of any physical affection for it. Just a few whispers and back into the ball. If only he knew what those whispers were, that oddity might actually mean something to anyone other than himself.

Other than that minor detail, the girl, Sierra, took the loss well. A full smile returned to her bright-eyed facade, and she made her way off of the arena for the next participant. When the girl looked his way, Clive made sure to make eye contact before offering her a gentle nod. It was then that the girl acknowledged Yulia. Immediately Clive noticed a sudden shift in the girls features. Her lips parted slightly, her eyes opened a bit wider, she drew a sharp breath. The detective was careful not to betray any hint that he noticed the sudden reaction, but it was well-logged in his mind.

He turned to face both Yulia and Sierra as they spoke to each other. Even as they spoke, he noticed Sierra still take a moment to give him a second glance-over. There was an unquestionable look of dread in her eyes, thinly veiled by the conversation. The detective even noticed the odd way the girl addressed his partner.

Clive resisted to urge to gnaw on his gloves again. He did not miss the fact that Sierra's blaring peculiarities truly began once she had seen Yulia. Between that and the story about the Skorupi earlier... Something was suspicious about Clive's new partner. And this girl as well, Sierra. That will have to be addressed when he can speak to Whitney, the Gym Leader, in private. The leader was observant enough to be helpful in past cases, tipping him off if a particular suspect had been in her gym. Clive wondered how she would react if he told her he suspected someone who was under her watch, though.

When the conversation stalled, the detective glanced to his partner. "Well, better get this over and done with. You have a lunch date to get to, don't you?" His expression remained as calm as ever as he spoke. He followed the sentiment with a nod towards Whitney, who stood happily at her end of the stadium.

[Ashen]

There was no way Clive hadn't noticed something between Yulia and Sierra. The PI dreaded the conversation she would have to have with him later, if her partner decided to bring this up. She didn't know what she would say; she didn't know how to feel about the interaction now. Yes, she knew she knew Sierra, but how? What did she know about her? There were too many gaps in her memory to think clearly about this. As Yulia thought on it, she wished the medications she took would take effect much sooner.

Things were moving on. Sierra managed to slip away, and Yulia was sure she saw her pace quicken once she thought she was out of earshot. Yulia shook her head and turned her attention to Whitney. "Are you ready for round two?" she asked. She stepped up to the battlefield, which was only slightly messy from the previous match. Whitney seemed ready as ever, despite the battle that had just ended. She started with her Miltank, the dreaded beast that everyone feared. Yulia hesitated, then sent out her Beartic. Zita was a ferocious-looking beast, and she let out a roar when her feet touched the ground. Glancing only for a moment at her trainer, she assessed the situation, and she set her focus on the Miltank before her.

Yulia gave Zita a moment to gather her bearings. She turned to her partner. "Meet the last member of the team!" she announced. "Zita has been with me since I was born. She's the daughter of my parents' Beartic back home. And she's full of spirit, so I can't wait for you to see her in action." Zita seemed to be smiling as Yulia talked about her. She didn't remove her attention from the opposing Miltank. Yulia looked back to the battle. "Alright, Zita! Let's start with an icicle crash!"

It wasn't a very long battle. Yulia commanded her Pokemon effortlessly, and it seemed the Beartic knew what her trainer wanted before the words left her mouth. The two were completely in sync. Zita was powerful, but she had a more reserved fighting style. She took advantage of the critical hits available to her, but her slow movements made her a less fearsome foe than Yulia's Braviary. Still, Zita was able to take on Whitney's Pokemon by herself, and then the battle was over. Yulia ran to hug her icy bear, then looked to Clive to make sure he had been watching. She retrieved her gym badge from Whitney, her first, and held it up to the light. "It's a pretty one, isn't it?" she admired. She showed it off to Clive, but wasn't hopeful he would reply. "What an experience. Thank you for this opportunity, sir."

With Zita recalled and Whitney thanked for the battle, Yulia was ready to leave. Sierra was gone already, but they had a lead, and Yulia knew this would have to get them somewhere. She tried to be positive; her personal ties to Sierra would mean less than the leads they would get, certainly, and it would lead to them stopping Team Avarice altogether. After that, it didn't matter what happened, who recognized Yulia's face. But this, this was a start. Smiling, Yulia tucked her Plain Badge into her bag and looked back at Clive. "I hope we can use what we learned today to get to our goal. This was fun. What are our next steps?"

[Headwrapper]

Clive watched passively as the battle unfolded before him. As he had hoped, it lead to his partner's victory. His gaze regarded the Plain Badge when Yulia presented it, and he offered her a small shrug in response. It was not long after that the time to leave had come. Before heading out, he offered a wave to Whitney, who had acknowledged his presence with a bubbly smile. It was funny, actually. Clive could remember a time when this red-haired gym leader cried about any loss. She had grown to be a good sport, despite her skills also improving.

The pair of detectives backtracked their way out of the gym, reemerging onto the streets of Goldenrod. "Well, we have a name, and a place of employment, now. I feel like it will be worth the time to place some surveillance on Miss Sierra. Of course, before that, we will have to do a little bit more homework. Has she been convicted or accused of something before? Find her address, her parent's addresses, any other places of work, bike ID, if she owns a car or any property... All of those things will make surveillance a bit easier."

As they walked, Clive turned his head to get a better look at Yulia. "You and that girl had never met before, have you?" He spoke a bit cautiously, fearing that he might be going for too high of a gamble. If the events at the Gym did give him reason to be suspicious of his new partner, questioning her in even the most trivial of ways would expedite the process of her creating ways to cover things up. "She began to act so strangely when we approached, but I would have sworn she was more concerned about you specifically."

It would not be long before they would approach the station once again. It was approaching an appropriate hour for lunch. Should Yulia wish to take up Natasha on her offer for lunch, Clive would have no qualms about it.

[Ashen]

As expected, Clive hadn't given Yulia much to work with. The woman took this small disappointment with grace. When they were done in the gym, they were able to head back onto the streets of the city. Yulia listened to their next steps attentively, taking numerous mental notes as he spoke. She would look into all the things he wanted later, both through public records and through a private source. Was that safe? Was it worth risking so soon? Yulia didn't know, but regardless of her means, she was determined to find out more.

The young detective was pulled from her thoughts when Clive questioned her. Yulia hesitated only slightly, then adopted a smile and slightly perplexed expression. "I noticed that too," she said. Her voice was calm, surprisingly slow. She pretended to be perplexed. "No, I can't recall ever having met her. It was strange though, she seemed almost... afraid of me." She looked over the sleeves of her shirt, then checked her skirt and stockinged legs. "Could it be related to some trauma? Could it lead us to another clue? It's most interesting." She was thinking on it, so her expression was genuine, but she was thinking of not why Sierra recognized her, but why she would have been afraid. She considered it, then shook her head. "I'll write a report of all my speculations when I get a free minute. I have much to write today. I should have it submitted to you by tonight. Is that alright?"

They had arrived back at the police department then. Yulia looked at her wrist. Her eyes followed the second hand for a few seconds before focusing back on Clive. "Should I let you alone now? I would like to catch up to Natasha, if it's alright. I'm still interested in finding out more." And, she had to admit, the cranky man looked like he needed a minute alone. After getting her response, Yulia politely bowed and headed away from Clive in search of Natasha. All the while she was thinking about all the ways that day could have gone differently. Had she ruined anything? Should she have monitored her expressions better, feigned complete surprise at Sierra? She couldn't help but think, somewhere, someone was laughing at her for destroying everything she had worked so hard for.

[Headwrapper]

Clive grew quiet as Yulia responded to his careful probing. On the surface, she seemed to be just as confused about the girl's behavior as he was. He decided it was best to leave things at that, at least for a while. There were plenty of other avenues that needed attention, ones that were likely to give him answers sooner. He raised an eyebrow at his new partner's pledge to provide him a report with her thoughts. He was far from against the idea, rather, he was not used to it. Working alone in most cases, there were few times he had been promised any information that he did not have to dig himself. "Sure. I think tonight would be fine," he finally responded slowly.

Yulia had posed him another proposition as they were approaching the GRPD, to which Clive was quick to oblige. "Of course. Natasha is very knowledgeable. Very easy going, too." Not long after, the pair separated. Clive made his way back to his desk, immediately transposing his mental notes onto the screen. There was some digging he would have to do before he could place the aforementioned surveillance on Sierra.


Natasha emerged from an interview room, adjusting her jacket before turning her head to watch fellow officers escort a middle-aged man out of the room. Jean emerged from the observation room connected to the room she had just been in, and he marched to stand next to her. "I can't believe you managed to get him to talk," he said, rubbing one of his giant shoulders. "If what he said is true, we'll blast the roof off of Harde Corp."

Natasha rolled her neck casually, a small smile forming on her lips. "Well, men are easily manipulated. Besides, we gave him little choice, after all. The senior executives at Harde made a mistake being so forward about having their managers comply to their tactics."

[Ashen]

Yulia was glad to finally be freed of Clive. She didn't know how she would get along with the man. It was as if he had never worked with anyone before in his life. Would all of their cases be so excruciating? No, Yulia thought, eventually the man would warm up to her, and not all their cases would be so close to home. At least, she could hope. Sierra did present a problem, and Yulia wondered how they would handle this without her losing her job after her first case.

Before she headed out to find Natasha, Yulia found herself stepping out. She dug through her bag for a cigarette and watched as the flame she lit danced on her lighter. It had been her only bad habit, she'd been told throughout the Academy. Goodie Two-Shoes Yulia Oryolovna smokes? She had gotten tired of everyone poking fun of her for it, and she had gotten used to hiding her habit. Now, she smoked openly, far from the entrance of the building, knowing no one from the Academy would dare insult her now.

When she was finished, she walked back inside and sought Natasha. She found the woman with her partner. They were talking about something, another case from the sounds of it. Yulia respectfully waited for them to stop talking, then entered into their conversation. "Good afternoon Ms. Natasha, Mr. Jean. I hope your morning has been going well. I have a little bit of time to spare, and I was wondering if you would still were interested in getting lunch together? If you'll have me, I would still like to ask you a couple more questions about how things work around here, and maybe some tips on how to get Mr. Clive to open up a bit. We did some field work today, and it seems working as his partner may prove difficult if I cannot get him to work with me." She looked between the two elder detectives. Was she talking too much again? "Or... We could talk about lighter things. Please, don't let me annoy you in any way."

Yulia had had friends before, of course. She kept in contact with only a few after graduation, and she occasionally met up with them for coffee and a quick chat. She wondered if that was a better approach to mingling with her coworkers than asking too many questions. Socializing was not her strong suit, at least not socializing for pleasure rather than work, but she was interested in trying. Yulia liked Natasha so far, and she did want to get to know her better. After all, she would be a great asset to her while she worked here--and maybe the first friend she would make here.

[Headwrapper]

Jean and Natasha exchanged glances as Yulia spoke, both of them smiling softly. The interaction was not unlike the kind parents might have, silently amused by their child's silliness and youth. "I need to get busy on some paper work, but you ladies go ahead without me," Jean said. He gave the others a nod before excusing himself, carefully and deliberately navigating his large physique through the narrow walkways of the department.

Natasha's emerald eyes were quick meet Yulia's, one cheek dimpling as she tightly curled the corner of her lips. People were quick to learn that the green-haired detective rarely was the first one to break gazes, which put them on edge. The habit had its benefits. There was a certain level of discomfort caused by cheery eyes tracking your face, unwavering in their pursuit, and such discomfort was often enough to scramble one's mind and leave them vulnerable to probing and interrogation. "Don't worry about annoying anyone, Yulia," she finally said with a smirk. "Not everyone can be as uptight as Clive. Of course my offer still stands."

She finally did direct her gaze towards something else, an older man with thick glasses crossing by. Natasha's expression sobered for a moment, but when the man had passed her expression regained its previous cheer. "Do you like sushi?" she inquired suddenly. "They expanded the department store a while ago, and I have been dying to try the new sushi place that opened there."




When Clive finished rigorously typing at his desk, one of his hands quickly reached for his folder of pictures from earlier that morning. He moved the picture of Sierra off to one side, before scanning over the picture of the male he had considered before. There would still be time left that evening to take a stroll through the Underground, he thought. Maybe he would be able to find this man's whereabouts if he put in a few extra ours of searching.

First thing is first, he needed to get the surveillance placed on this Sierra. His hands went back to work, quickly pulling up windows in search of the information that would be needed by the surveillance offers once the order was issued.

[Ashen]

Yulia and Natasha made their way to the sushi place in the department store. As they walked, Yulia took a moment to remind herself to not overwhelm her superiors. She wanted to enjoy this outing, and make a good impression on Natasha. With the Sierra dilemma aside, Yulia did intend to spend a very long time working for the GRPD. She had worked too hard for this just to let one silly case interrupt her dreams.

Once they were seated at the restaurant, Yulia looked over all the different kinds of sushi on display. "Wow," she breathed, "I've never seen so much fish in one place. It all looks so good." She brought her eyes back to Natasha, a sparkle shining within them. "Back home, we didn't get to have sushi very often. I'm originally from Snowbelle, and there's next to no fish up there. Quite tragic really, because sushi is so delicious." She paused a moment trying to decide what she wanted to try first. "Do you have a recommendation? I think I might have to keep coming back here and try it all; it all looks great!"

After they had made their selections, Yulia sat and twirled the straw in her glass of water. "Do forgive me if I'm asking too many questions," she started, "but can you tell me how things work around here?" The blue-haired woman put on her best smile, then continued to ask Natasha question after question about the workings of the police department. She made sure not to drag on too long, and stopped as soon as their food arrived, not long after they had ordered. Yulia thanked their waiter and examined her food. "I don't think I've ever had Magikarp," she commented. "The most common type of sushi, surely, but I just don't think..." She picked up a pair of chopsticks and effortlessly balanced her food between them. "Ah, I should ask you if you have questions for me," she seemed to recall, an afterthought. "I hope I'm making a somewhat positive first impression."

In the back of her mind, Yulia could feel a headache blossoming. She flinched just slightly, nearly imperceptibly, as it came. A flush of something washed over her features--irritation? Panic? Wordlessly she dug into her purse and pulled out a pill bottle, then decided against it and turned her attention back to Natasha.