The cold wind sharply slapped my face as I huddled into my body and watched the dark water slither.

"He told me to imagine I'm the perpetrator." I yawned and looked at Red, who looked just as groggy.

"So be Vespiquen then." He turned to watch me as I embraced the disguise the night gave me.

"How? How do I just pretend to be a murderer?"

"Just do it Yellow, before I fall asleep on you."

"Fine, but we're going back in before I become numb."

ChuChu, who was inside my hoodie, grumbled to herself before dozing off again.

"To her, Pokémon aren't personal, they're just objectified as pawns in her wider plan." I sighed and twisted a strand of my hair in confusion.

"Mm?" Red watched me expectantly and I closed my eyes, ignoring him.

"What's the easiest way to objectify..." I suddenly gasped and then clapped my hands together, "Pokèdex entries! Oh my Arceus, Red. I've got it!"

It was as if someone had smashed a light bulb over my head; I was blinded with illuminated answers.

"Go on," Red leaned towards me with a grin on his face, "I've never seen you this excited."

"Bear with me," I murmured and then pressed my hands to my burning cheeks, "I used to love sequences as a kid, they were the only part of Mathematics that interested me because they were fun to solve."

Red followed my stream of thought, "You think the victims follow a specific numerical pattern?"

I nodded my head in distraction, too busy with the screen on my phone. I scrolled through the inbuilt Pokèdex and began to match the Pokémon to their entries.

"Five, eight, thirteen and twenty-one." Red read over my shoulder and then sighed, "makes no sense to me."

"But it does. Well, sort of." I scratched my head, "It's missing the first three numbers, but I'm sure it's the Fibonacci sequence!"

We stared at each other for a long silence as our minds comprehended the findings. It was possible, but how could we make sense of the missing three Pokémon?

"Yellow," Red yawned and then chuckled drowsily, "Nice one."

I burnt in embarrassment, "I didn't do it by myself-"

"Take credit when you deserve it," He placed a hand on my shoulder, "And take the house back too."

We stood up and I cradled ChuChu as the sand silently crushed beneath our feet, apprehensively walking back to the darkened house.

*

"We shouldn't wake her up, it's been a hectic day with that outburst."

"Well we can't not tell her."

The blurry words started to form sentences as I opened my eyes and mumbled, "Well I'm awake now."

I sat up from the couch and rubbed my cramped neck, looking around at the three. Arceus, what was it with my weak body always falling sleep?

"Perfect," Blue jumped beside me, "Your rendezvous with Red really helped that thought process, hm?"

I yawned and patted down my hair whilst Red rolled his eyes, "Yellow and I weren't the ones-"

"Okay! Moving on," Green cleared his throat, "Red and I pulled out some other leads from your hunch."

"What?" I stretched my body and then walked to the fridge and retrieved a bottle of fresh water.

"We were thinking about the rarity of both Charmeleon and Wartortle, we figured there have probably been some unlucky trainers who lost their Pokémon."

I nodded my head as Green continued, "We were somewhat lucky. Two boys who had recently started their field journeys in Kanto lost their partners."

"Did they lose them at secondary evolutions or beforehand?" I sat back down and frowned, everything was beginning to sound more dark. "Did their statements give us any information into a possible perpetrator?"

"Secondary evolutions and nothing apart from Sleep Powder." Red scrunched up a paper and began to toss it absentmindedly.

"On the bright side," Blue covered a yawn, "The statements were made about three months ago, that means she's been planning everything from beforehand."

I blinked at the brunette in confusion, "How is that a bright side?"

Blue pursed her lips together and then suddenly groaned, "I don't know. I have no clue, but Arceus I'm tired so let's go to sleep."

I sighed, "I wish you could have just let me sleep, we aren't getting anywhere."

"Wrong." Red threw the paper ball to me as I shielded my face and hit it away, "we've called out for Rangers to protect wild Nidoking, if your hunch is right they're the next number."

"Alright," Green stood up and began to walk towards his room, "Let's get some sleep, we need to get back to K-Z early so I'll wake you up at six."

"Great," Blue rolled her eyes as she dragged my half-asleep body to our room, "A whole four hours of sleep."

As I toppled onto the crisp grey sheets, I mindlessly called out "Good night!"

"Sweet dreams." Red chuckled as he turned out the lights in the house.

"I see you're becoming part of the family." Blue laughed, shutting the door and then climbing up the wooden steps of the ladder.

"Mm," I closed my eyes and murmured, "I could get used to this."

It felt like I had just closed my eyes and a heavy weight was placed down as images of Uncle Wilton eluded my mind. I could vaguely hear him calling for me to join him as his fishing rod bounced in a calm stream. I wanted to move towards him, but there was a strong grip from Vespiquen pulling me back.

"Yellow, put that phone on silent!" Blue smacked the wooden frame of the bed and I gasped, sitting upwards and hearing Jigglypuff gently sing.

The dizziness from suddenly getting up made my hands shake as I grasped the phone in my pocket.

Lance.

I shouldn't answer, he's going to yell at us for not staying.

Too late, my fatigued fingers had already accepted the call. I held the phone at a distance from my ear and murmured an extremely quiet "hello?"

"Finally! Why are those idiots all ignoring my calls?"

I winced, "Their phones are on silent?"

"Well, I hope you kids are enjoying your unscheduled and unpermitted holiday," the softness in Lance's tone was more threatening than his yells, "Sorry to disturb you, but you need to get your asses to Viridian City now!"

"Viridian?" I rapidly blinked and then gasped, "What happened? Is everyone okay? Is the forest-"

"Get over here. Now."

The line went dead and I felt my hands become numb as the phone slipped from my hands. Of all places, it couldn't have been hit. Not my Viridian. Not home.

"What's wrong?" Blue flipped downwards as her head peered to me.

My voice quivered and I mindlessly stood up, "We have to go to Viridian, something bad has happened."

I knew there was damage, something in my gut automatically weighed down with Lance's words.

*

My insides turned numb.

Like the toppled bricks that had smashed the lower half of the building, my mind collapsed.

A gentle drift of smoke slowly escaped the disaster, it looked like the only peaceful thing here. I could still see the faint outline of the building that used to stand in my memory. My eyes wandered around the destruction: the glassless windows, the bordered bright yellow tape, the hole that looked like the building had been pierced. Everything was wrong.

But the people? Where were the people inside?

"They've just given us the okay," Lance approached from the side of my eye as I continued to stare at the sight in shock, "The attack happened in the afternoon yesterday and there have been all sorts of officers going in and out to secure the area, so evidence is limited. Try not to touch anything, the foundation of the building isn't stable."

"What are the details?"

I blindly followed the others, but the case wasn't in my mind. In my eyes, the crime had been committed just now. There were thousands of questions rushing in the stream of my thoughts, but my mouth didn't open. It couldn't.

I would be sick.

The blue door that I normally entered from was unhinged and now, only an isolated doorframe stood without company. What hadn't been smashed by the removed bricks was still ruined. There were small shards of glass mixed with scuff marks on the floor and a smell of burning made me nauseous.

It seemed liked Lance had stopped talking as everyone nodded before moving towards what was left of the scene.

It didn't feel as though I was here. I was just a spectator. I was only watching a scene unfold. I was only staring at a small red shard from a Poké Ball. I was only observing the worst sight of human cruelty.

Something still didn't feel right.

There were reporters agitated to enter, firemen cautioning the interior and officers scanning potential evidence for the case.

My fingers moved to touch a desk that was covered in rubble-like dust and I sighed as the heavy substance clumped to my skin.

If it wasn't for a sudden loud sound, I would have stayed in my bubble of shock.

But the desperate sound of a collision woke me up.

Green, who had been observing the Poké Ball shards too, quickly pulled me under him as a system of lights smashed in the spot I'd just stood in.

I opened my mouth to scream, but a louder sound outcompeted me as another smash pierced the air.

"They're attached, all the lights are going to collapse!"

What followed was a bustle of yells and a rush of bodies that squeezed through the no-longer lonely blue doorframe.

Something was bound to get ruined, and someone was bound to get hurt, but the only thing I could focus on was my phone call with Uncle Wilton yesterday.

"I have to go now, there's some business to do in Viridian city."