The Mask Maker

The right side of the mask, which had red features instead of black, was more feline and cunning in appearance.  A slightly glowing red slit of a pupil sat in the middle of the eye, the nose was shaped slightly more like a cat nose. Where the mouth on the other side of the mask was frowning, this side had a large, cunning smile, showing interlocking sharp teeth. 

Not forgetting the forehead, half of an eye shaped like a psychic eye symbol occupied the right side of the space, but stopped before it reached into the left side. The pupil, which was a red stone, looked as if it had been broken in the middle, leaving a more ridged semicircle shape.

Depending on which side of the mask you looked at, you would either see a mournful beast or a feline—or even vulpine—creature with a smile that made it look like it had just cheated you out of life itself. Everyone that gazed upon the half-eye on its forehead agreed that it elicited a feeling never felt before: a mixture of slight fear and a loss of control.

"I'll be taking these now. Don't worry, they won't be harmed." The figure, whose features were barely outlined by the dim streetlights, had caught and cornered an unaware young man who had dared to traverse the Castelia alleyways at night. 

"W-wait, why would you want to take my Pokémon? They're weak, you just saw that in our battle. Surely someone with Pokémon like yours would be interested in higher value Pokémon...right? Why bother with me and my Pokémon?" 

"Because you don't deserve them. You're  weak. The battle was simply a test. I knew you wouldn't win, but I wanted to see how ambitious and unbending you were when faced with a challenge. I was disappointed to find that you're lazy and unmotivated to reach any level of greatness. People like you should not have Pokémon."

The man immediately took to the defense at such an idea. "Hey, who are you to decide who should have Pokémon? I'll have you know that I—"

"Tell me, what are your deepest desires?" the figure interjected. 

"...Huh?"

"What beliefs do you hold in your heart that you wouldn't dare tell another human being?"

"Why would I tell you that?" he asked. 

"That's the beauty of wearing a mask, you see. You can say anything you want, and no one will know who truly said it. When an action is hidden behind a mask, no one knows who to target. Until you're caught, at least. I'm sure my fate is inevitable, but I would like to see how far I can go until then."

The man knitted his eyebrows together. This was more than a simple robbery. 

"Hey, who are you, a-anyway?"

"I haven't yet given this part of me a name. I am the words left unspoken so as not to hurt another. I am the actions one wished they would've taken. I am the mask one creates to deceive another, only to be switched out with another mask when another gullible fool comes along. You serve no true purpose in this world, but I can help you with that. I need to send a message to the police, and you're going to help me. What's your name?" 

"Uh...Jason...."

"Well Jason, fear not," they said.  "This won't hurt, other than a headache when you wake up. You'll even have the pleasure of forgetting most of this encounter."

Jason, completely out of Pokémon, had no choice but to stand still because of the other trainer's Mightyena that guarded him. Backed against the dark brick wall with no one to help him, he stood in silent terror. Before he knew it, the young man was no longer conscious. He had looked his attacker in the eye, which was a grim mistake. His arms fell limply to his sides, and his eyes lost the fear they held, now holding no emotion at all. The assailant smiled a hidden smile, the red slit of an eye casting a faint light on the extreme grin of the creature on the right side of her mask. Until she started to get a splitting headache, that is."

Back at the police station, a woman was making a complaint about a neighbor.

"Look, officer, I consider myself a pretty reasonable woman, but this is the third time this week that, that...thing  has tried to carry off one of my children! I'm a law-abiding citizen and my family is being harassed by Pokémon our neighbor obviously can't control. What are you going to do about it?"

The young officer sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "...Look ma'am, I have nothing but sympathy for you and your children, I really do. But your neighbor caught that Pokémon and has the right to keep and train it. Unless you can prove that his Drifloon has done physical harm, I'm afraid any charges you make have little chance of holding up."

"This is ridiculous! I ought to report you to your captain! Who and where are they?"

"He's right here, ma'am," the officer said, turning to the captain and giving him a pleading look. "Sir, this lady—oh my god!"

Just then, a mysterious man walked in the door, his head slightly tilted to the side with eyes that stared off at nothing in particular. 

"I come with a message," he said in a completely flat voice. 

Once he had served his purpose and delivered the entire message, he fell to the ground and lied still on the cold floor.

"My god, is he dead?" the captain asked. One of his subordinates, the one who first reported the string of robberies to him, checked the man's pulse.

"No, but he's out cold. We should get him to a hospital."

"Well, I'll be darned," the captain said, scratching his beard. "I'll get him to the hospital and see what he says when he wakes up. You make a new file."

"Ooh, well this is interesting," a female officer cheerfully chimed in, seemingly unperturbed by the violent nature of the crime. "What are we calling this one?" 

"I've got an idea," the first officer replied. "How about the Mask Maker?"