Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.

Pam swallowed hard, working moisture into her mouth past the forming lump in her throat. The last thing she wanted to do was break her promise again.

Haley murmured in sympathy, pulling the smaller female close in a strange reversal of their earlier arrangement. Despite her own hardships, it seemed that the typhlosion merely needed something to fight for in order to find her strength. “Arceus, to have a man like that as your owner� How could he be so awful to you?” Her paw idly stroked Pam’s dreadlocks, the typhlosion’s voice quavering. “It’s not your fault. He deserved it, for what he did to you, but it isn’t your fault.”        

Pam welcomed the comfort, finding her voice once more. “I know. I hate to think of anyone deserving what he got, but if anyone ever did, it was Dom.” She found the typhlosion’s paw with her own, giving it a grateful squeeze. “But, that’s when things got weird.” She glanced over at Jax -who still remained flopped in the corner, apparently asleep, or pretending to be- then up at Haley. “You said you don’t remember your trial, but I’ll bet you had the same judge we did. Was he balding? A little short, with a wide nose and glasses?”

Haley considered, her narrow brow furrowing. “I-I’m not sure. But, that sounds familiar. It might have been the same person. I remember he had a big, gold watch. I noticed it, because it seemed strange for a judge. Too flashy and expensive.”

“Yes, that’s definitely him,” Pam said, nodding. “That’s what I didn’t understand. I’m no expert, but I’ve seen enough trials on TV to know there should have been evidence presented, or a Psychic type interpreter for me so I could defend my case. But, instead, he just reviewed a few papers, then gave me my sentence, no questions asked.” She frowned, tapping her lips with a paw. “Shouldn’t there have at least been a proper investigation of circumstances?”

Scrape. Scrape. Shink!

Abruptly, the metal shard held by the zoroark clattered to the floor, the dark type letting out a long sigh. For the first time that day, utter silence reigned in the cell. Four sets of eyes fixed on the zoroark, the pause pregnant with anticipation. The zoroark looked up, rose, and stretched, dusting off his paws. “No good. The walls are reinforced with steel rebar.” His voice was surprisingly deep, given how thin he was, reminding Pam, at least, of her television hero, Orion.

“Don’t know how you expected to get very far,” Jax muttered, proving that he had indeed been merely pretending to sleep. The audino chuckled softly, prompting a glare from Jax and Pam alike, which he didn’t seem to notice.

“When captured by the enemy, the only true defeat is giving up hope,” said the zoroark, sounding as if he were quoting from memory. “I had to try. It was more effective than attacking the door.” Jax growled at that, but chose not to rise to the jibe, instead returning to his brooding silence.

“I guess it was a good try,” Pam said, meeting the dark type’s gaze. Now that he was on his feet, she saw that he was quite handsome, even disheveled and covered in concrete dust. The sort she wouldn’t mind talking to, under better circumstances. “What’s your name, anyway?”

He didn’t answer immediately, strolling a few steps around the edge of the cell, working feeling back into his limbs. The amount of time he’d spent huddled in the corner hadn’t done much for his back, and now that he’d hit a solid blockade, there was no use continuing the exercise further.        

“I don’t think he heard you,” Haley whispered in Pam’s ear. The lucario frowned, opening her mouth to repeat the question, but he beat her to it.

“I heard, I merely needed a moment to consider. I suppose, under the circumstances, there is no harm in revealing my real name to you.” He leaned against the door wall, beginning to groom his long mane. The sight was so ridiculous, Pam smirked, and even Haley choked down a soft giggle. He didn’t appear to notice. “My name is Theon,” he said, “though, I’ve gone by the name Marduk for so long, it almost feels more natural.”

“Fancy,” Pam whispered. His gaze slid over to her, making her gulp and look down, embarrassed.

“To answer your question,” he said, continuing as though she hadn’t spoken, “the man you are referring to is the honorable Haven Maxwell. Sometimes referred to as, ‘the iron judge.’” He glanced around, but, finding no sign of recognition at the name, went on. “In the Kanto region, as of year 2086, all court cases involving pokémon offenders are decided by directed verdict, pursuant constitutional amendment 37. Additionally, clause 37 ‘B’ states that all offenders on trial are to be considered guilty until proven innocent. Both of these constitutional amendments were put into place by the house majority, and presented by South Kanto Progressive party senator Alan Pinkerton.”

Theon glanced from Pam to Haley, an expectant look on his face. At their blank expressions, he shook his head. “I see. I suppose I shall need to further elucidate.” He sat, crossing his legs, and continued to groom the dust out of his mane. The pose reminded Haley of a statue she’d once seen on a hike with Greg. A monk, meditating on the mysteries of life. It was oddly� peaceful.

“Are you all aware of the terms of a directed verdict?” Theon asked.

“No. At least, I’m not,” Haley said, glancing at Pam. Jax merely grunted, and the silent audino seemed more interested in an insect crawling along the floor by his footpaws.            

“I� That’s where the judge decides the outcome of the case, right?” Pam said, tapping her lower lip. “No jury, and any witnesses are called beforehand in a private hearing?”

Theon nodded. “Close enough to the truth. The system is used by more than merely the Kanto region, though other regions offer more lenient observations of the written law. Under the current political layout, judge Maxwell is the chief justice of pokémon affairs. This means that all cases of alleged murder, manslaughter, or other capital offenses by pokémon fall under his jurisdiction by default, and he is in sole control of all such cases.”

From where the audino sat, came a small, nearly inaudible crunch. 

Pam’s lips twisted into a frown, her eyes flicking briefly over at the pink pokémon, then back to Theon. “That doesn’t seem right. Shouldn’t there be a way of preventing one man from having that much power?”

Theon gave a short nod. “Ordinarily, yes, which is where amendment 37 comes into play. Clause ‘A’ of the amendment states that these verdicts are to be given only by the chief justice of pokémon affairs. In general, these cases are considered rare enough to be handled by one person. Hence, judge Maxwell also oversees court cases involving drug trafficking,” his gaze slid to Jax, “and the illegal pokémon sex trade,” his eyes found Pam, the calculation in them making a shiver run down her spine. “Do you begin to see the problem, now?”

“I guess it makes sense why our trials were so different from what I’d seen before,” Pam said, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “He seemed so� stern. I got the feeling he would never pronounce anyone innocent.”

“A-and we didn’t even have the chance to defend ourselves,” Haley said, a quiver in her voice. “I-it’s like they don’t even care.”

“All true,” Theon said, his paws moving from his mane to his chest fur, “but that is only a part of the picture.”

“How do you know all of this?” Pam asked. “Were you in politics?”

Theon chuckled, shaking his head. “No. Not quite. Please, allow me to explain�”