Disclaimer: These characters are owned by Nintendo, not by me. Cover by topcat-sama and used with permission. View my profile for a link to the picture.
Sprinting through the alleyway, I squint to see through the thick fog. My flashlight illuminates little but the obstacles thrown haphazardly into my path a few feet away. Judging by the sound of her footsteps, the thief is only a dozen or so paces ahead of me. My Espeon's telekinesis clears the scattered garbage and abandoned bicycles long before we reach them. The Pokémon gracefully maneuvers by my side, hopping over puddles and leaping over gaps in the poorly paved street. The fog makes the chase a miserable business, but I know enough about Goldenrod's layout to know the pursuit is reaching its end.
"Just a little longer," I tell Espeon. She acknowledges me with a mew as another trashcan goes flying. Sure enough, I see that we're rapidly approaching a dead end. In the light of a streetlamp, I see a young woman frantically giving orders as her Golem begins to break through the wall. When we get within earshot, she attempts to shout something over the smashing of bricks but I cut her off.
"My name is Ethan, but you may know me as Gold. You are under arrest for the theft of three Pokémon belonging to Whitney Blanche, the local gym leader. Please return your Golem to its ball and approach with your hands up."
As I expected, she allows the Golem to continue smashing away. A fist sized hole in the wall appears. "Gold? I've never battled a previous champion before." Jolene Simmons says with mock innocence. She's attractively dressed in slacks and a modest blouse. Her hair's done up in a bun and her shiny brown eyes compliment her dark skin. I am more than aware, however, of how dangerous this woman is. She smirks at me through the fog.
That's enough for me. "Espeon, Shadow Ball." Suddenly a dark ball of energy flies through the night. Simmons dives out of the way just in time, but her Golem is not so lucky. It crashes against the wall once more as the attack meets its mark, but most of the brick somehow holds. Tonight may be my lucky night after all. With a practiced hand, Simmons immediately returns the KO'd Pokémon to its ball and releases a Crobat. I use the opportunity to gain some ground; Espeon and I now stand just a few yards from the trainer.
Her cool demeanor has quickly evaporated. Her face has quickly changed from a sly smile to a cold, angry looking grimace. "Aerial Ace!" she cries. Espeon easily evades the attack.
"Psychic," I say. The Crobat is flung into the streetlamp with a loud clang, but somehow remains airborne. I glance at Simmons, and her face is twisted into a mask of desperation and rage. She's doing her best to end this battle quickly and skip town as soon as possible. "Hyper Beam!" she screams and the bat begins to glow.
Ah shit. "We better move," I tell Espeon. "If you get a shot, blast the bat."
Just after I finish my sentence, the foggy alleyway bursts with golden light. As time slows to a crawl, I pivot my shoulders to avoid the blast and smell singed cotton. Espeon leaps into the air, bouncing off a wall just before it's reduced to dust. As she sails several feet above my head, I see the jewel on her forehead glow and the bat crumples to the ground.
As Simmons desperately readies another Poké Ball, I say "Hypnosis." The thief's eyes roll up into her head as she slumps onto the cobblestone.
"Good work, Espeon. You really carried the day," I say as I return her to her ball.
Besides scorching my jacket, Crobat's Hyper Beam melted through three dumpsters, destroyed what remained of the cobblestone street, and created a pretty big hole in a (luckily closed) restaurant. I take off my jacket and toss in the least melted dumpster before producing another Poké Ball.
"Go Feraligatr!" With his usual roar, Feraligatr presents himself. Even in the dense fog, I can see his imposing figure and spectacular jaws. "I need you to carry Simmons to the police station for me. Make sure she behaves if she wakes up on the way."
With a knowing nod and a grunt, Feraligatr effortlessly lifts the trainer as I return a crumpled Crobat to its ball and place it on Simmons's belt. First the police station, I tell myself, then Whitney's to pick up my paycheck. All in a day's work, I suppose.