PROLOGUE: The Masked Man's Bargain
~
"Drat! Where did that pesky masked man go!?"
A hooded figure yells in the dead of the night, in the middle of a city, somewhere in an abandoned hallway. He had inspected the brick walls, the wanted posters, even the footprints of stray humanoid Pokemon. And yet he still hadn't found something, or rather, someone he was looking for.
If he can recall it correctly, that 'someone' seemed to be a man in a gray-purple hooded jacket, with one arm sleeve rolled-up to reveal a skeletal-looking artificial arm. His eyes are covered by a metallic silver mask, with carvings of straight lines around the eyeholes seemingly to resemble how someone else who's not great at drawing photorealism (or a toddler) could draw a realistic eye with lashes.
Or that it reminds him of his old friend... but that wasn't important.
Soon enough, he noticed that there was something else in the hallway; a black, dusty briefcase lies in the corner of the hallway, hiding among trash bags and Trubbishes. He reaches his palm into the case, but then...
"Ow! What was that?"
Someone kicked him on the back. Hold on... that's the 'someone' he was looking for! With the silver mask and all!
"Tritone!"
"Oh! Hey there, hooded guy!" The masked man replied. He seems to have the briefcase in his hands.
"Get that briefcase back to me! No one but anyone from Vanitas Incorporated should have touched it!" The hooded figure then lashes out a stick that extends into a staff-like weapon, with a short blade at the tip of it.
Tritone puts his hands up in the air and smirks. "Alright. If you say so," he settled in. "But, here's a catch; You know that this briefcase has three pokemon, right?"
"Yeah? So what are you going to do with it?"
"I'd say bring this briefcase into Hemlock Labs for research. They seem to be related to the Versa Species, they're quite a rarity. Ask Ms. Hemlock if they could find out more about them." Tritone offered.
"Then where did you know that these are Versa Pokemon? How did you...?" The hooded figure doubted. He feels confused. Not only that a suspected fugitive like him knows more about the Versa Species than he does, but if trusting a stranger seems necessary, let alone a "criminal"... he still feels distrust akin to the actions from his past. He keeps lunging his staff into Tritone's neck. slowly, but surely.
"Hush. You'll find out soon enough." Tritone drops the briefcase, then walks away. "I have no plans on messing with you... yet."
"Fate knows that we'll meet. I will now bid you... adieu."
Tritone disappears into clouds of smoke. The briefcase lightly flew into the ground like a falling fruit pushed by a breeze. The hooded figure takes it as the smoke clears.
As he leaves the hallway, his Poryphone rings. The man picks it up.
"Hey, codename Ragdoll here, how is it, Sleet?"
"I got the briefcase. That Tritone fellow said I need to bring it to Hemlock Labs, then hand it to Professor Hemlock. Whatever that means."
"That's because it has those Versa Pokemon, isn't it?"
"Mh-hmh."
"He doesn't want you to report it to Vanitas Incorporated, right?"
"Of course he doesn't. He's rather strange."
"Alright, then! Hemlock Labs is in Meteo Town, right? It only takes a few hours to get there if you go by taxi. Besides, you won't want to work out your sweaty, old legs, aren't you?"
"Argh! M- I mean, Ragdoll!"
Author's Note: The hooded guy who's inspecting Tritone isn't the main character. You'll just have to wait and see.
