Chapter 36: Poem

                                    

                                          

THIRD PERSON
It felt as if time itself froze for everyone in the room. Before any of them could process what was happening, a loud chime rang around the hallways of the mansion.

"A body has been discovered! Everyone meet in Hydra's office to begin your investigation!" An unwelcome announcement reverberated through everyone's heads.

No one could exactly process what was going on, but nonetheless, they tried to.
"Vanta!!" Sherwood's suddenly hoarse voice exclaimed at the sight before he leaped forward and verified the Umbreon's pulse. "He's not breathin'!"
"Fuck!" Luster watched in horror at the sight of the Sceptile attempting to shake Vanta awake.
"G-Guys..." Rayne stammered lightly, her eyes welling with tears. "If the announcement played, t-that means he's confirmed dead..."
The two froze for just a second. They didn't want to accept it, but the Manectric was right. From prior investigations, the announcement always confirmed that the victim was found dead.
"How..." Luster shuddered as he stared blankly at Vanta's lifeless body.
"I-I don't know..." Sherwood shook his head in denial as he continued to watch for the Umbreon's pulse.
Before they could investigate any further, a group of Pokemon had already made their way up the stairs in a hurry. After the gathering, a brand new wave of despair was introduced after a long time.
"What the fuck happened?" Vince turned the corner to gasp in shock at the sight of the corpse lying in the center of the room.
The Umbreon was sprawled against the cold ground, blood pooling under his maw. The sheet from the bed was presumably dragged under him, along with his provided towel lying flat and open next to him—which was also soaked with blood.
"Vanta!!" Loki cried as she tried to cram through the doorway to approach the body.
Even though most of the group couldn't see the body, the sound of the Zoroark crying out the victim's name meant everybody understood.
Vince felt a pit in his stomach drop as he went from watching the body to immediately shifting and turning his attention to the group behind him. His eyes scrolled in adrenaline until they landed on Grace.
"G-Grace...don't l-look in there..." The Greninja warned as the fox neared him.
Grace was completely silent, and it was most likely the feeling of disbelief that kept her moving forward while ignoring the amphibian's warnings.
The fox paused once she managed to make it past him. Even though she tried to believe it was all one big dream, her eyes continued to show her the same thing; a lifeless Vanta.
A terrible shiver shot down the Eevee's spine.



LEON'S POV
This painful dread was going to be something hard to overcome. There was more to the fact that Vanta as a person was extremely relied on, but the case that he provided comfort to most of us here. Having a leader who was unshaken and fearless was something we all took for granted, and this death was our biggest reality check.
Seeing the Umbreon sprawled hopelessly against the ground was a terrible sight, and we had to suppress the urge to move him to the bed, as knowing where he died is essential.