Love in the Time of Tomorrow

Chapter 4: A Grave

I have this unfortunately sharp feeling that people don't read my author's notes these days, so I might as well repeat here: don't expect anything you usually expect with a Team Rocket plot here. That said, plese enjoy Chapter 4!

Chapter 4

A Grave

It was a horrible sight. That was Lance's first thought upon seeing the demolished building that was at the site of his arrival. He grimaced, striding forward, his head traveling back and forth as he took it all in. People were running around the building, trying to keep spectators away despite the cordoned off area, while others were plunging themselves deep into the rubble. It wasn't a particularly large task force of International Police officers, Lance knew, but he was grateful for the assistance. The sooner they could wrap all this up, the sooner he could spare some men for Nova Town...assuming Ash hadn't already resolved it all.

"Might have to call the Foundation in on this one..." the Champion muttered under his breath, hands sliding into his pockets as he approached the pile of debris that was once the building. There was the flash of a camera within the wreckage, but Lance soon heard a clattering of stones from near him, and he turned his head on instinct.

"Sergeant Anabel of the International Police reporting for duty, Champion, sir!" cried a distinctly familiar female voice from next to Lance. He turned his head and gave an amused expression to the lilac-haired woman that was standing there.

"At ease, Anabel. And no need to call me 'sir'. You're a Frontier Brain before you're an officer of the IP to me," Lance informed her. Anabel lowered her salute and nodded, instantly looking more relieved. Lance couldn't help but sigh at that; having a League initiative to allow greater involvement from Gym Leaders, and other key officials, in the major peacekeeping organizations wasn't a bad one. It just got annoying when they all felt he was their actual boss. "I'm glad Looker was able to lend me you from HQ."

"I was happy to come. Something like this requires immediate action, and my psychic abilities may be of some use here," the woman stated. Lance nodded in agreement with that. Their greetings now out of the way, the two made their way in towards the crumbling building. They stopped a few feet inwards, so that they could scan the area. "Rage...sadness..."

"You can sense the thoughts of the dead now?" Lance asked, his face entirely stoic as he asked it. He didn't want to be jerked around or joked with. Anabel walked forward slowly, shaking her head.

"No...just those of the living, even if they're attached to a location. But I feel as though there was such a titanic battle here, that those thoughts and feelings are imprinted on this very area," was her answer. Lance squinted at her skeptically, but trusted her words. Anabel hadn't been such an asset to the International Police on intuition alone. "I feel as though two convictions clashed here: one for peace, and the other...it's murky, but there's a feeling I can't describe. It's etched deep."

"Whatever it was, it was either controlled and targeted or very, very indiscriminate in its anger," Lance replied. Anabel said nothing to this, and Lance headed further inside now (despite the fact there was not enough ceiling remaining to call it an inside). It was completely desolate here, despite one of the officers turning over a stone to find a body beneath it. "Anabel, would you be able to tell if there were any survivors?"

"Not unless they were nearby," the woman admitted, offering a shrug of her shoulders. However, she also reached for a pokeball at her waist and tossed it down. "Espeon, my friend. Can you search for any bodies in the rubble?"

"Eon!" Espeon mewled out, trotting forward. Lance watched the lilac-furred fox move deeper into the building area, its red gem glowing lightly. It was almost like the Pokémon was scanning the entire area, calling out every time it seemed to locate something. With every single one, Anabel would act like some sort of director, sending officers over with Psychic types or heavy lifting Pokémon to remove the rubble and show the ARC agents underneath.