Pokemon: A Land in Trial

[Raven]

Bria sighed and did as she was told.

[Doom]

"...thanks Darrell. I'm here live at the scene in question with Lieutenant Jaden."
Jaden, the Tangrowth that had told Bria to flee, cleared his throat before the interview began.
"According to record, these events are the first accounts of public violence in eastern Celestia City. Is this true, lieutenant?" The female Plusle reporter asked.
"Well, no reports of street shootings have turned up anywhere within five miles of this block. Criminal activity has always been its lowest in this part of the city."
Nodding, the reporter asked, "Have the assailants been identified, or are you still investigating?"
Jaden sighed, answering, "Evidence suggests that Salem Ronald, the first victim under investigation, was gunned down by the very same victims of the conflagration. We're still unsure who decided to burn the suspected murderers alive."

Darcy blared over the phone, "Well?! Have you gotten the story yet?!"

[Raven]

"Shh," Bria quieted, frowning. "It doesn't sound like they know much. Only what happened and one of the victims. So what exactly is it you had to have me watch the news for? You couldn't have just told me?"

[Doom]

"W-well, I don't know what they know, and I don't know if I know what I know that they know.....uhh....." She sputtered unintelligible mutters as she tried to pick up her train of thought again, while the broadcast continued, the reporter saying, "This just in, one of the suspected felons responsible for the alleyway gas fire is escaped convict Dreg Fzar. His break out has gone unannounced to the public prior to the murder of these three victims, but he has been identified and is now being pursued. It is advised that all home owners take ample precaution while Dreg is on the streets. Back to you Darrell."

Darcy cleared her throat on the other end of the line, then asked in a more reserved tone, "You remember who Dreg is? I think he got a life sentence before I was old enough to remember him doing anything."

[Raven]

"No, I don't quite recall who Dreg is," Bria said tiredly.

[Doom]

"Well, I think he was arrested for some sort of-" Darcy still spoke, but a thick static overlapped what she saying. "De......psy......gang wa......"

The static eventually drowned out what she was saying, and then halted suddenly. A new voice, one more gruff and sinister, spoke. "Oh? You don't know about the Butcher of Eighth Street?"

[Raven]

Bria narrowed her eyes. She had just been about to tell Darcy about the static when the voice chimed in. "Who is this?" she demanded.

[Doom]

The new speaker cackled, saying, "Just a concerned citizen. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that Dreg, the mastermind killer of Celestus, will be casting his vote for you, dear Miss Sorvyan. Oh, and before he does away with another batch of innocents, he would be interested to know something. Do you, perchance, have any offspring to call your own?"

[Raven]

Bria scowled. "I do not," she replied. That was the truth. In fact, Bria wasn't even in a relationship. "You will be caught."

[Doom]

"Humph. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. One thing is for certain, though. Dreg will have his fun at the expense of this wretched city. Good day, Bria. And good luck. You'll be needing it." He cackled, and the line was suddenly dropped.
Darcy's voice returned, shouting, "Bria! Are you still there?!"

[Raven]

"Yes, I apologize. There was an urgent call on the other line," Bria said calmly.

[Doom]

"Oh. Well, I just talked with one of the officers. He said one of the reporters at the crime scene caught a glimpse of you. There's no telling how you'll be associated with this, but I'd suggest treading lightly. The media will erupt if you give them any reason to." She paused, then said, "If I might ask, who made that urgent call just a moment ago?"

[Raven]

"Oh it was just someone from work, nothing to be worried about, they just had a question," Bria replied, almost happily. If there was one thing she was good at, though it didn't please her, it was lying.

[Doom]

Darcy, perfectly gullible, said, "Oh, alrighty then...Talk to you later, Bria." She hung up, looking outside the phone booth at the crime scene. She frowned, turning and walking away.

"Dreg, you're a fool! We could get caught if you pick up any old phone line to taunt people!" Mariana shouted, leaping down from the top of the bookcase.
"Silence, child! We won't be caught. Not that easily." Dreg retorted, skittering around to the phone cord. "Besides, who's the master criminal here? The genius escapee of Stonetooth? Or the whiny high school dropout who follows him?"
Mariana scowled, glancing out the window. "I just.....don't like staying put for so long. The police are more proficient than you think, Dreg. They'll be looking for us, and you know they'll find us."
Dreg snapped at the cord, slicing it with a small spark. "In time, they will. But they won't look here. It's not one of my preferred hideout locations. Those are the places that they'll swarm first."
Mariana sighed, drawing the drapes. "Dreg.....why me?"
Dreg turned to her, puzzled. "Why you? Why what?"
"Why let me live? Of all the things you've done, it seems so out of character for you spare me. Hell, you went as far to take me under your wing. Why?"
Dreg clicked his mandibles, crawling up a nearby wall. "Oh, I can't be sure. Maybe I was just in a generous mood when I first met you. Perhaps you struck me as an individual that should live. In the end, however, I think I just needed a partner. And you, girly, are just violent enough and just unlawful enough to fill the position."
Mariana slumped to the floor, putting her head in her lap. "Maybe this is all wrong......I also have a question about that basket from earlier."
Dreg skittered toward the ceiling, saying, "What of it?"
"What was its purpose? I'm sure that Bria barely cared about it."
"Oh, yes. You see, young Mariana, love can be an excellent tool for evil. For now, Miss Sorvyan's 'secret admirer' will serve as a distraction. A distracted prime minister is easier to remain hidden from than a focused one." Arriving at the ceiling, he yawned, saying, "Now, I must rest. You should do the same. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
Mariana glanced up at him, then lay on the floor, quickly nodding off.

[Raven]

Bria sighed. It seemed like being Prime Minister was going to be even harder than she anticipated. Darcy wasn't helping, and, Bria remembered glancing at the basket, she still had a personal life to deal with. Something she hadn't stepped towards much at all today, except from simply receiving the gift.