"Good morning everyone, and welcome to Vulpix News. This is Catherine Renee, coming to you live to report the most important events around the world. Our main story today, recent investigations from police authorities around Unova have revealed that several apparently unrelated murders committed around the entire region have actually been perpetrated by the same serial killer. Today with me, Captain Jenny from the Mistralton Police Force will tell us more about these terrible events. Captain, what are the details in regards to this serial killer case?"

In a Unova TV studio, an important news program was being broadcast. The host was a young woman with short blond hair, accompanied by an Officer Jenny, who was ready for an important interview.

"First of all, thanks for the invite, Catherine," said the police captain. "To answer your question, initially we had no reason to suspect these murders could be related at all, especially since the victims were killed in very different manners. However, deeper examinations after the autopsies revealed a curious detail. Each one of the victims had a certain mark carved onto their bodies. It was very small, so it couldn't be identified in the preliminary autopsies, but now, we are certain that the three murders were the work of the same killer, as they all match amongst each other."

"I see. What measures are you taking for the security of the general public?" asked Catherine.

"As each of the murders occurred in major cities of Unova, it'll be a challenge for all police departments. To that end, we've established an information network to keep in touch with each other and up to speed with any update, and a special taskforce has been deployed to investigate, find and analyse any evidence that helps us find this killer. Also, some unsolved homicide cases have been reopened, in case we could find any clue that connects them with the current ones."

"What's the mark you discovered like?" the reporter asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to divulge that much information," the police captain replied. "The last thing we need are copycats spreading more panic around, while the real one is still at large."

"I understand. Out of curiosity, have you assigned a name for this killer?"

"Within the force, we refer to them as 'The Reaper'," Jenny said the last part with a chill going down her spine.

"To conclude, is there any advice you have for the general populace?"

"Yes, a few pieces, actually. First, never leave home without a Pokémon in hand. Any method to protect yourself is always better than none. Second, don't go to deserted places, especially not at night. And finally, don't take for granted that just because your city hasn't had any murders yet that you'll be safe. Remember, the three known murders have happened in different cities, and these cities are spread across Unova."

"Thanks for your time, Captain," Catherine concluded. "In other news..."

(Nimbasa City, later that morning)

"Can you believe that! A serial killer!"

"You think they're gonna attack here?"

"Wow, if there's a killer out there, I'd better train my Joltik very hard…"

Georgia, a 12-year-old girl with short, dark pink hair and blue eyes, was strolling around the street of the outdoor restaurants of Nimbasa on her way to school, listening to the conversations of people. The topic of the day, of course, was that news report about that serial killer known as 'The Reaper', who had been committing several murders across the region. And people were understandably scared, her included. What if they came after her? Would her Cubchoo and Vanillish be able to protect her?

"Stop thinking of that. You're going crazy," she thought to herself.

She was getting paranoid. It was better to relax, after all, she was just going to school. The last thing she needed was to ruin that night's dinner with her parents talking about some criminal if they ask her how was her day.

Her house was the farthest of the district she lived in, a little separated from the rest, and admittedly a little lonely. Not too far, of course. The neighbours were always in walking distance and ready to lend a hand whenever it was needed. All she had to do was give a shout (or a phone call) and they'd come immediately. It was a very friendly neighbourhood.

(Mistralton Police Station, later that day)

The Mistralton police force had organised a meeting to discuss their main case at hand. Captain Jenny had been appointed as the leader of the taskforce assigned to investigate and capture this killer known as 'The Reaper' and the meeting was currently in session.

"First off, Doctor Brennan, have you found more victims of this killer?" the Captain asked.

"That's right." Doctor Temperance Brennan, head of the forensic team, was standing next to her, presenting her own information. "We have discovered a total of four more victims. One of them had traces of a strange substance, which is being analyzed by Doctor Hodgins at the lab as we speak. However, they all share the same pattern, the killer's signature mark."

"I see," Jenny said. "What information do we have on the victims? How were they killed?"

"Two of them were strangled, another was drowned, and the fourth one was buried alive," intervened Detective Sweeney Booth. "They've all been identified by our database. So with our initial three victims, that's two strangled, two drowned, one burned to death, and two buried alive."

"What else have you discovered?" Jenny asked.

"Dr. Sweets and I are trying to determine if the victims have something in common amongst each other." The detective placed several folders on the table, each one with a photo and information about the deceased. "So far, however, according to the demographic profiles of the seven known victims, there's a lot of diversity. We have four males and three females. In regards to their ages, we have a school-aged teenager, two are of middle age, two are young adults, one is over seventy years old, and the youngest victim was barely seven. Six of them hailed from Unova, and the seventh was an immigrant. Two of them were homeless, three came from families with average income, and the last two from well-off families."

"We believe we have discovered a behaviour pattern," Doctor Sweets continued. "All we know so far is when and where the victims were killed. We have mapped out all of the murders so far."

He placed a map of the Unova region on the table, with pins marking all of the cities where a murder had taken place so far. Everyone present noticed something in particular: the dots seemed to form a curve, as if to complete a circle.

"The Reaper seems to strike in major cities of Unova describing a circle pattern," the good doctor pointed. "Based on the dates of each of the murders, the killer apparently waits an interval of thirty to ninety days before moving on to the next. If the information about the victims says anything, it's that The Reaper doesn't care who they are, so long as they're at the right place and moment for the killer to get their hands on them."

"We know the last place where The Reaper commited a murder was Black City," said Detective Booth. "If this pattern continues, then Nimbasa City might be his next target, if we're still within the timeframe. However, we have no way to know how he could react to media coverage."

"I believe it should be wise to alert the Nimbasa Police Department anyway," Captain Jenny decided. "Anyone has something else?"

As if responding to her question, Dr. Brennan's cellphone rang. She quickly checked it.

"Dr. Hodgings just texted me. The forensics in the lab have determined that the substance found in the victim was gold dust. More specifically, the type shed by the Pokémon Cofagrigus."

"I see. That could be a valuable clue. It could mean the killer is using Pokémon to commit the murders," Jenny said. "Anything else?"

Since nobody answered, Captain Jenny declared the meeting adjourned, and ordered everyone to return to their duties and stay on alert. They had a lot of work to do, and a murderer to catch.

(That evening)

Georgia was glad to have left school that day. The Reaper was all anyone at school could talk about, and that casted a sombre mood on school activities. She went straight home, hoping to see her parents for something that could cheer her up.

"I'm home!" she called out as she went through her home's front gate. But as she did, she noticed something weird, a smell... like something burned. Nothing could have prepared her for the scene she would see when she opened the front door.

The living room was a real mess, full of scorching marks everywhere, black spots around the walls, clear signs of a struggle. There were two human figures lying on the carpet, completely burned, but Georgia recognised some traces of the clothing. They belonged to her parents. A third person, seemingly male, wearing a hooded cloak and a mask, and flanked by a Golurk and Chandelure, suddenly stopped at her sudden intrusion, having been interrupted in the middle of carving a mark with a knife on her father's body. The pain and despair upon seeing her parents burned to death made way to the terror, upon seeing those eyes through the mask the killer was wearing. Those eyes were now fixated on her, and if she didn't move fast, she'd suffer the same fate as them.

"HELP!" she cried, running for her life. "A KILLER! THE KILLER IS HERE! HE KILLED MY PARENTS! HELP!"

Georgia yelled as loud as she could, while the hooded killer ran after her along with his Pokémon. The shocked neighbors immediately opened their doors and windows upon hearing her cries, and they saw the hooded man, knife in hand and with two Ghost-types, chasing after the girl.

Some of them immediately called the emergency hotline, while others rushed to try and help her. Georgia kept on running, but the Reaper caught up to her and tackled her to the ground. He tried to stab her, but she fought back and in a burst of desperation she managed to kick him on the groin, and immediately bit his hand, causing him to drop the knife. She quickly grabbed it and violently shook it, managing to cut him in his left arm, which bought her enough time for one of her neighbours to catch up and tackle him away from her. Throwing the bloody knife away, Georgia quickly grabbed her two Pokéballs.

"Cubchoo! Vanillish! Come out now!"

The small bear and the ice-cream-like creature quickly saw their owner was in danger and scared, and seeing the two Ghost-types looming over her, they quickly launched their icy attacks to protect her. The rest of the neighbors quickly followed suit, bringing out their own Pokémon to help.

"Dammit," the killer groaned, upon seeing himself surrounded. There was no way to fight against so many people at once, he was at risk of getting caught. "Chandelure, Flash!"

Inmediately, Chandelure emitted a harsh, blinding light from its body, forcing them to cover up their eyes. By the time they could see again, the criminal was nowhere in sight. He had vanished without a trace, save for one thing: the knife Georgia managed to take from him in the struggle.

Minutes later, spinning blue and red lights filled the scene, and police sirens wailed all over the place. The street was once again at relative peace, once the criminal had been driven off. But not for one person. For Georgia, the initial fear for her life she had made way to grief and sadness, the sadness of knowing that heinous killer had taken her parents' lives. The poor girl fell to her knees, tears rolling down her cheeks nonstop, while her Pokémon tried to comfort her, as did some of her neighbours.

(Nimbasa Police Station)

The police were interviewing all witnesses about this terrible event. The most important, however, had to be left for last, so that she could have time to calm down and recover from the shock, if only a little so that she'd be more able to answer questions. After all, she had just lost her parents, and with the police having roped off the area, she couldn't even return to her home.

"Your name is Georgia, right?" Officer Jenny from Nimbasa asked her. "Look, believe me when I say that I'm really sorry for what happened to your parents, and you have my full condolences. Are you well enough to answer some questions?"

Georgia was still in shock, but at her parents' deaths as well as almost being killed herself. The kindly voice of the policewoman helped her calm down enough, and she nodded. She genuinely wanted to help.

"Good," said Jenny. "Can you tell me what happened, from the start?"

"I came home… after school. When I got to the door… I smelled something, like something burned. I opened the door and… he was there, with them. My mom and my dad…" said Georgia.

"It's OK, there's no need to go further with that." The officer held her hands to calm her down, noticing she was about to break into tears again. "What did he do when he saw you?"

"He was… carving a mark… with the knife. I guess I interrupted him… when I showed up at home. Then he saw me, so I ran."

"What happened next?" asked Jenny.

"I ran through the street, calling for help. He caught up to me and tried to stab me. I kicked him and then bit his hand, so he dropped the knife. I grabbed it, and I think I cut him. Then, my neighbors came and saved me."

"Is this the knife you took?" Jenny asked, showing her the weapon inside a plastic bag. Georgia nodded, noticing that it had some blood on the tip. "Grissom, come over for a moment."

"Yes?" Grissom entered the room, wearing a lab coat. Jenny gave him the knife.

"Have this taken to the lab. If what she says is true, this knife must have the killer's blood. Report any findings to the special taskforce. If his DNA is in the database, we'll soon have the Reaper's identity in our hands.

"Yes, ma'am." Grissom left the room, leaving Georgia and Jenny alone.

"Georgia, do you have someone else to stay with?" asked the policewoman.

Georgia shook her head. She didn't have any other close relatives, and now with her parents dead, she couldn't return home. Taking pity on her, the officer offered her to stay the night in the station while they contacted Social Services to decide what to do with her. She was very grateful they didn't leave her alone, but still, nothing could be done to ease the pain for her parents' dead. What would happen to her now? Where would she go?

(Mistralton Police headquarters, several days later)

"Damn it!" The Jenny from Nimbasa was still furious. "I still can't believe that five minutes after I get the tip that the Reaper could strike my city, that monster claims two more victims right under my nose!"

"If it makes you feel better, we have his DNA now," said the Captain Jenny from Mistralton. "The forensic labs are making an exception to speed up the process, and they're running the tests right now. We should have his identity in a few weeks, maybe days, if we're lucky."

"I'm glad. By the way, how's the girl? The victims' daughter?"

"She cried for days, but I'm sure she'll pull through. Social Services will take her to an orphanage, since she has no close living relatives, nor anyone who can take care of her. We also made some arrangements so her Cubchoo and Vanillish are transferred to her name."

The Jenny from Nimbasa nodded in understanding. Despite the fact that legally you couldn't have ownership of a Pokémon until you were 15, Georgia was given an exception. Now that they were all she had, nobody had the heart to take away her Pokémon after she had lost her parents.

(Nimbasa orphanage)

Once the social worker drove off in his car, Georgia took a glance at the building in front of her. So this would be her new home. The girl was greeted by an elderly woman, with graying brown hair, waiting for her in the entrance.

"You must be Georgia," she said. "Welcome, my name's Marion, I'm in charge of this orphanage. Come in, please."

Georgia nodded and followed her inside, dragging her luggage which contained the few things she could take along, including her two Pokémon. As they walked, Marion asked her some personal questions, and Georgia mentioned her Cubchoo and Vanillish. Marion smiled as she revealed that many of the other kids in the place had their own Pokémon (technically under her ownership, until they were of legal age). Actually, many of them aspired to be trainers one day, so she'd gladly share some of her own experience in the matter.

"So tell me, do you have any hobbies? What do you do in your free time?"

"I like taking strolls around the city, or watching TV," Georgia replied.

"Hmm… do you have any dreams for the future?" Marion asked.

"Dream?" Georgia became a bit thoughtful. To be honest, she had never thought about it.

"Don't have one?" said Marion. "Don't worry, you still have a life ahead to think about it. Most of the kids around here want to become trainers. I was one once too, and, believe it or not, a pretty good one. I was part of Unova's Fire Busters."

"What's that? Like firefighters, putting out fires?" Georgia asked.

"Hehe, no, dearie. The Busters are a special taskforce, squadrons of Pokémon trainers whose work is to combat corrupted members of the Pokémon League." Georgia was left blank at that. "Let me explain. There are many criminals out there, and believe it or not, sometimes those criminals are official members of the Pokémon League, like Gym Leaders or Elite Four members. You follow me?"

"Uh-huh." Georgia nodded.

"Alright. Now, the thing is, Gym Leaders and Elite Four members usually have very powerful Pokémon, so it's much harder to arrest them in a conventional way if they decide to resist, and they usually do. For these times, the Pokémon League has special teams trained to combat the types used by these criminals. We're split into several groups according to the type we're about to face. For example, as a Fire Buster, I was specifically trained to combat trainers who specialise in Fire-types. You get it now?"

"I think so," said Georgia. Admittedly, it sounded interesting.

Marion took her to the central courtyard, where she could introduce her to the rest of the orphans. Despite being new, she had no problem fitting in. Many of them have similar stories, having lost their own parents to illness or accidents, although being together helped in making the pain more tolerable. Having many other Pokémon to play with helped a lot too.

That night, in her room, Georgia decided to bring out her two Pokémon for a little chat before going to sleep. It hadn't been a bad first day.

"So... what do you think of this place?"

"Cub…" Cubchoo sniffed with a little sadness. Vanillish didn't say anything, but seemed to agree, judging by her expression.

"Yeah, I know it's different from our old house, but… maybe it's better that way." Georgia almost felt like she wanted to cry again. One day, and she was missing her home already. And her parents, of course. It was painful to think of them. "Plus, everyone here is really nice. We can get used to it, right?"

The two Pokémon nodded. She opened her arms, and the three embraced in a tight hug. She didn't care that their bodies were cold, she had gotten used to it long ago. They might be Ice-types, but their hearts were not hard or cold as ice. They were there for her, helping her cope with the tragedy.

After a while, they finally let go of her, and she returned them so they could rest. Nothing more to do, she dropped herself on her bed. The best she could do now was to try and get some sleep.

(Mistralton Police Station, a week later)

Captain Jenny was looking through the recent reports when her phone suddenly rang. The call identifier said it came from the Forensic Lab. Something important, surely enough.

"Yes?"

"This is Brennan. I've got good and bad news for you. The good news, we've identified our killer."

"You mean the Reaper?" Jenny asked. "That's great. But what's the bad news?"

"The DNA we took from the blood in the knife doesn't match any criminal in our database. We found a match in the Pokémon League official database, though."

Captain Jenny became frozen. That could only mean one thing. "Who is it?"

"The DNA matches the Striaton Gym Leader, Eric Knudsen. Ghost-type specialist. Further examinations on the victim's bodies have determined that many received injuries or effects matching several of the Pokémon said leader has under his care. And there's something else, I don't know how we could have missed this. The marks he left on the victims have a similar shape to a ghost, like the badges he gives out in his gym. No doubt about it, it has to be him."

"Understood, thanks for the info." Jenny ended the call.

Armed now with this new information, it was time to call for additional help. A SWAT team wouldn't be enough. The killer was a Gym Leader, who specialised in Ghost-types. Who were they gonna call? The Ghost Busters.

(Striaton City, one week later)

The Police had shut the perimeter in four blocks around the Gym. SWAT teams armed to the teeth and car patrols had the whole area surrounded, to prevent any escape attempts, they were just waiting for their cue to act. Captain Jenny was delivering the final instructions via radio.

"The Alpha Team will enter the Gym on my call. Beta Team will remain in standby, in case we need backup if he tries to fight back or resist."

"Roger that, Captain."

Team Alpha, formed by several SWAT officers and Ghost Busters began moving in. They had to be cautious. If Knudsen's Pokémon had killed before, they wouldn't hesitate to do it now. Furthermore, as a Gym Leader, he'd have a Pokéball Limit jammer inside the building, so they had to be ready in case he had all of his Pokémon out at once. With a hand sign, Jenny commanded the team to spread out around the gym to cut out all possible escape routes to intercept him.

One of the SWAT members had his Joltik short-circuit the electronic lock in the front door, opening the way for Jenny and the main team to go in. Immediately, they spread out to look around the gym to find their target. As it turned out, he was waiting for them in the battle area. A middle aged man, surrounded by at least twenty five Ghost-type Pokémon, the Ghost-types native to Unova, Yamask, Cofagrigus, Frillish, Jellicent, Litwick, Lampent, Chandelure, Golett, and Golurk.

"Hmph, you guys came here sooner than I thought," he groaned. "I knew sooner or later you'd find out it was me after I left that knife, so I was ready to make a run for it. Still, I thought DNA tests took months to complete?"

"Eric Knudsen, you're under arrest for nine counts of first degree murder, and one count of attempted murder," said Egon, the acting commander of the Ghost Busters present. "Surrender now!"

"As if I'll go quietly! ATTACK!"

Immediately, all Ghost types began launching their varied attacks against their enemies. The Busters released their own Pokémon, including, among others, the Dark-types Liepard, Krookodile, Scrafty, Bisharp and Mandibuzz. A wave of Dark Pulse beams were released in unison, colliding with the attacks of Knudsen's Pokémon. The SWAT Team released their own Pokémon to support the Busters.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't go down that easily, the Gym Leader had faced lots of Dark-types and thus knew how to counter them.

"Into the floors and walls!" he commanded, and all of Eric's Pokémon, except the two Golurk by his side, phased through the building's structures, vanishing from sight. The Pokémon belonging to the SWAT officers and Busters looked around, wary of any potential attack while the two ghostly giants held their positions to protect their trainer.

"Now!" Knudsen yelled. At his command, the Ghost-types returned, firing their attacks at once from all directions, managing to get several solid hits in. The other Pokémon were unable to properly defend themselves against all of them.

"We need backup!" Captain Jenny called out on the radio. "Beta team, get in the gym now, we'll have to submit him by force!"

As the battle inside the gym raged on, the Beta team members began their assault, using their Pokémon to take down the walls to get in. The Ghost-types were putting up quite a fight, but the tide was turned when one of the Buster's Krookodile managed to snatch one of the Jellicent using Crunch, violently shaking it around between its jaws. The others, encouraged by this, quickly followed its lead, and their numbers began going down. Slowly but surely, Knudsen's Ghost types were reduced and knocked out, until only his two Golurk remained. The strength in numbers was overwhelming, the Busters and the SWAT team had almost no downed men, and still plenty of powerful Pokémon on their side.

"Give it up now, you have no chance!" one of the SWAT Team yelled.

In response, he climbed on one of the Golurk, while he commanded the other to use Hyper Beam. While the officers and Busters responded in kind with their own attacks, they soon realised this move was just a way to cover up his escape, since the other one had just rocketed upwards, flying through the skylight on the roof.

"Don't let him get away! Everyone with Flying Pokémon, chase after him! The rest remain on standby and get ready to intercept him on the ground!"

Those who had airborne-capable Pokémon immediately sent them to fly after the escaped Gym Leader. Golurk's rocket boosters were fast, but having fought to defend its master had taken its toll, and it soon began losing altitude as it was forced to fly lower to dodge the airborne Pokémon. Once they were in range, even ground-bound Pokémon began firing their own attacks, trying to take him down. He managed to evade and dodge them, for such a big target it was quite evasive. Two Mandibuzz had managed to get behind him, and firing a combined Dark Pulse attack, striking him right in the back.

"Gaaaaahh!" That last impact caused Knudsen to fall to the ground, blasted of his Golurk, who was chased after the Mandibuzz to finish him off. Upon landing, he saw himself surrounded by police officers and Ghost Busters, everyone with their Pokémon and weapons ready. There was no escape.

"Get on the floor, and hands behind your head! This is your final warning!"

Snorting in anger, Knudsen finally understood he had no other choice, so he complied without further resistance. The officers immediately jumped in to cuff him, and dragged him into the SWAT truck. At long last, the murderer had been caught.

(Nimbasa orphanage)

That night, Georgia was dining with Marion and the other orphans quietly. It had been little over a month after that terrible incident, but the girl had been able to fit in quite nicely. Of course, it would take a long time before she could fully recover from that tragedy, but being surrounded by close friends certainly helped.

Right then, the phone rang, and Marion took the call. When Georgia and the others wondered who could be, suddenly the woman's eyes widened, and after hanging up she quickly grabbed the remote to check out the Vulpix News channel. The report was on right in that very moment.

"… finally revealed the identity of the serial killer known as 'The Reaper'. The Striaton Gym Leader, Eric Knudsen, was captured and arrested yesterday in his own gym even after trying to fight his way through and make his escape, thanks to the combined efforts of the police force and the Ghost Busters. He is currently under police custody while awaiting his trial for the crimes he committed. Here with me is Captain Jenny, the leader of the taskforce assigned to capture the Reaper. Tell us, Captain, how did you discover the killer's identity?"

"It was all because he committed a grave mistake during his last attack. After killing a married couple in Nimbasa, he was found by the victims' daughter. He tried to kill her as well, but fortunately for us, the daughter not only escaped, but she managed to take the knife he was using to mark his victims, and drew his blood with it. Thanks to that, we were able to get a DNA sample allowing us to identify him. It goes without saying that we were all shocked to learn the DNA matched with a member in the official Pokémon League database.

"How did you discover him so quickly?" Catherine asked. "It's my understanding that DNA tests could take weeks, even months to complete."

"That's in part due to the fact that labs need to check out information of several cases before finding a match. There is also a huge backlog of cases to analyse. The analysis of the result itself takes no more than a couple weeks, or a few days in this case. We tried to speed up the process, as our priority was to catch the Reaper as soon as possible.

"What other evidence did you find?"

"After investigating the Gym, we found a secret door leading to an underground passageway. We found several bloodstained knives, kept in glass cases like trophies. We suspect he used each one of these to leave the marks on the corpses. We're currently running tests to see if they match with the victims."

"What were the carved marks like? Did they have any particular meaning to him?"

"Yes, and we're actually surprised we didn't see it before. The marks were very similar to the badges Knudsen handed out in his gym, the silhouette of a ghost. That said, the lack of details made it hard for us to make the connection, so it wasn't until we got the DNA testing results that we put two and two together."

"My God. Trainers who have earned those badges must feel disgusted at having them," the reporter stated. "Sorry, our time is running out, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"Yeah, actually there is. I speak for the SWAT team and the rest of the police force who took part in this case. We'd like to express our gratitude for the Ghost Busters. Thanks to them, and their training to specifically counter Knudsen's Pokémon, we were able to bring them all down. If it wasn't for them, he might have gotten away. Thank you, Ghost Busters."

"Thanks for your time, Captain. Now, for our next story…"

Marion pressed the mute button, and the orphans around the table began cheering and clapping, happy to know the serial killer had finally been brought to justice. At long last they had nothing to fear. Strangely enough, Georgia remained silent, staring at the TV without a single word. Some of them glanced at her in concern, they thought she'd be the one cheering the most. After all, her parents were among the victims.

After dinner, when the other kids left, Georgia offered to stay and help Marion wash the dishes. This was actually more to have an excuse to talk to her, because after seeing the TV report, something awakened in her. When she arrived at the orphanage, Marion asked if she had a dream for her future, and she didn't know what to answer. Then Marion told her about the Busters, and today on TV, she saw that thanks to a group of them, her parents' killer was behind bars.

"Marion… you said you were a Buster, right?" she asked.

"A pretty good one, if you allow me to say so," the woman replied.

"Do you think... I could be one too?" Georgia asked. Marion arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, suddenly interested?"

"To be honest, I never thought what I wanted to do when I was older," said Georgia. "But after today, if those Busters helped in the arrest of my parents' killer…"

Marion didn't find it too hard to piece together what the girl was thinking. It made sense, she knew many police officers who chose that path after being victims of crime themselves. And this girl had lost her parents to a serial killer, who was brought to justice thanks to the Busters. That wasn't so different.

"It won't be easy, but I can give you a hand," said Marion. "I can help you train your Pokémon, and maybe put in a good word for you with my former bosses. Though it's been ages since I retired, I don't know how they handle things now."

"It doesn't matter. I'll do whatever it takes," the girl said with determination.

"OK, if that's what you want, I'll do everything in my power to help you."

"Thank you." Georgia smiled in gratitude. If something good had come out of all this tragedy, it was that she finally chose her own path in life.

(Two years later)

Georgia and Marion were now at the entrance of the Unovan Busters Boot Camp. At age 14, Georgia was only one year away from getting her trainer license legally, but the path to her dream began here and now.

"Well, this is it, Georgia," said Marion, tears in her eyes. "Make me and the orphans proud, girl."

"I will." Georgia felt some tears too, but not of grief, they were of joy. She was excited, eager to begin her training.

"Oh, before I forget, the others decided to give you a farewell gift." She pulled a Pokéball from her purse. "They caught this Pokémon for you. Now she's technically in my name, but that will change in one year, when you turn fifteen."

"Thanks." Georgia grabbed the ball. "May I?"

Marion nodded, so Georgia opened the ball to release and meet her new partner. A Pawniard, a female one. The girl smiled. The other kids must have put a lot of thought in it, and they gave her a Dark-type as a way to honour the Ghost Busters. After all, they brought the man who killed her parents to justice.

"Hey Pawniard, nice to meet you," she greeted. "Let's work together, shall we?"

"Pawn, pawn!"

Thanking Marion once more, and asking her to give the others her regards and gratitude back at the orphanage, Georgia bid her farewell to the woman and entered the camp. She was more than ready to get started.

"Mom… Dad… watch me. I'll become the greatest Buster ever. No criminal trainer will ever escape me. Just you wait. I'll make you guys proud."