Pocket Monsters Adventures
CHAPTER 4
The sun had just barely risen over the mountains and the clear skies and calm wind made for a tranquil morning. At the Team Chaos headquarters, Yadon stood with his arms crossed as he waited in the clinic for Breyar to finish getting his arm examined. Breyar sat on a stool with the doctor sitting opposite him. The doctor, an elderly man with gray hair and glasses, kept looking at Breyar's wrist and slowly readjusting it. Every touch sent a wave of pain through Breyar. They'd been at the clinic for nearly two hours before the doctor finished the examination. After setting Breyar's arm gently back down, the doctor nodded, coughed, and cleared his throat.
"It looks like… it is broken."
Breyar and Yadon gave him a dumbfounded look as the doctor took off his glasses and cleaned them. Yadon walked up to the doctor.
"We already know his wrist is broken! Why do you think we came to you in the first place?"
The doctor shook his head and put his glasses back on.
"No, you misunderstand. It's not just his wrist. His entire arm is broken in three extra locations." Yadon and Breyar's eyes widened at the news. They couldn't believe what they just heard. That one little twist broke Breyar's entire arm? "I don't know what you did, but your arm is completely out of commission. It'll take a month to heal at least."
Breyar slammed his fist against the table.
"You can't be serious! I don't have that kind of time! I have to get back at that kid and make him pay for what he's done!"
A smooth voice came from the doorway as it slid open.
"My, my, what's with all this noise so early in the morning?"
They turned and saw Rose walk into the room. When they did, they stood up at attention. She smiled and waved them down.
"Take your seats. I came to see how my subordinates were doing. From the look of your arm and what the doctor said, you're not going on any missions any time soon."
Breyar stood back up.
"Captain Rose, please you have to let me back on the mission! I have to make that kid pay for what he did! Just give me a day to recover and I'll be back-,"
She held up her hand to stop him from speaking.
"As of now, you two are officially off this assignment. Not only did you fail to bring back the Carrier, but you brought back a souvenir, a souvenir that shows me you're not capable of dealing with that kind of power. Also, Team Chaos can't afford to send such high-strung soldiers to handle such a delicate mission. Your methods are too extreme and we can't risk the Carrier dying. So, recover in your barracks and await further orders."
She turned to leave when Breyar called out to her. He fell to his knees and bowed his head.
"Captain! Please, I need to get back at that kid! Give me another chance! I swear I will not fail this time!"
Rose turned to him and gestured to see his hand. He stood up and reluctantly let her hold it. She held it in her hands and gently caressed it. Her milky smooth hands felt like heaven to him. She looked him in the eyes and then twisted his arm. Pain surged throughout his body and he fell to the floor with his screams echoing down the hallway.
"Senior Chaos Grunt Breyar, let me tell you a little secret. There are three things I hate the most in this world; number one: people who make me repeat myself, number two: weak men, and number three: weak men who touch me. You fall in two of the three categories."
She walked out of the office and down the hallway. People stood to the side as she walked by, scared she might do to them what she just did to Breyar. She took notice of their fear and simply brushed her hair aside.
"Carry on."
When she did, everyone scurried away. She reached her office, closed the door, and leaned against it. She pulled the picture of Ayden out from her cleavage and marveled at it. She couldn't stop staring. His look of strong determination sent chills down her spine.
"I can't afford to let anyone hurt you, my dear Carrier. I'll make you all mine very soon."
With the afternoon sun directly overhead, Ayden, Mendy, and Nami made it out of the forest and stood gazing at what awaited them, Pewter City. Both girls breathed a sigh of relief and dropped to the ground. Nami fanned her face with her hand.
"Thank God! I thought we were gonna be in that forest forever!"
Mendy wiped her brow.
"I know, right? Can't wait to get to the Pokémon Center. I could really use a shower."
They looked up and saw Ayden already heading toward the city with Piik riding his shoulder. They looked at each other, shrugged, and then leaned back on a boulder.
"I think we're good for now. We know he's going straight to the Center. We've got time."
Mendy smiled and pulled out a water bottle from her backpack.
"Yeah, you've got a point."
As they relaxed their legs, a shadow quickly fell over the girls. They looked up and saw a scraggly man look down on them with a sour face. He had a dark brown beard, wore hiking gear, and had a deep voice.
"Hey, you girls think you can just rest on my merchandise and not pay for it?" The girls looked around and saw their resting area had boulders with price tags on them. The man stomped his boot on the hard dirt. "That'll be a five dollar charge for resting on my boulders, little missy."
They got up and bowed their heads.
"We're sorry, we didn't know this was a store. We didn't mean anything by it. We just needed to rest our legs for a minute. We just got out of the Viridian Forest and were a little tired."
The man crossed his arms and looked them over.
"Well, you didn't damage anything, so I'll let it go just this once. They may not look like it, but stones are valuable in this city, and we're all just trying to keep our stuff in tip-top shape and make an honest living. So, go on if you're not going to buy anything."
Both girls stood up.
"Yes, Sir!"
The streets of Pewter City bustled with lively activity. People walked around eyeing different shops, some of the women pulled their boyfriends or husbands into certain stores, and kids ran around and played while their parents watched.
Within an alleyway near the edge of the city, a dark figure stood looking over his shoulder. He held a cell phone in his hand and constantly checked his watch. The seconds slowly ticked away until the time finally read 13:00. At that moment, the cell phone went off. The figure made one more look around and answered.
A raspy voice on the other end spoke.
"When do Clefairy dance?"
The figure looked around again and then spoke in a whisper.
"When the moonlight reflects off the Moon Stone."
The voice spoke again.
"Good work so far. Keep it up and you'll get what you want in no time. Here's your next assignment."
Ayden walked through the town with his hands in his pockets and Piik lazily riding on his shoulders. They scanned the area and saw shop after shop selling nothing but stones. From jewelry to regular rocks, they sold it and did everything they could to get a sale.
He turned a corner and bumped into a young man carrying an armful of stones. The young man of mid-teens had short brown hair and gray eyes behind a pair of glasses. He wore a short-sleeved shirt and baggy jean shorts. Ayden looked around and saw all his stones had scattered about the ground. He kneeled down and helped pick them up with Piik quickly offering her assistance.
"I'm sorry about that."
The young man adjusted his glasses.
"No worries. I wasn't really paying attention. Had a lot on my mind."
Piik handed Ayden some of the stones she picked up and then ran back up onto his shoulders.
"Thanks, Piik. So where are you headed with all these stones? You sell them too?"
The young man shook his head.
"No, I actually work at the Pewter Museum of Science. I was taking these stones over there so they can be put on display."
Ayden stood up with his share of the stones.
"The Pewter Museum of Science, huh? That's one of the most famous tourist attractions in Kanto. Working there must be pretty cool. Getting to work side-by-side with all the scientists and see the mysteries of the world unfold."
The young man stood up.
"Yeah, it has its moments. I'm Jin by the way."
Ayden extended his hand.
"I'm Ayden and this is Piik."
As Jin shook Ayden's hand, his eyes widened as he stared at Piik.
"Wow! Your pikachu has blue cheeks! I've never seen anything like that before! What an amazing find! And she looks really happy too! You two must be pretty close!"
Ayden lightly smiled.
"Yeah, she and I haven't been together for that long, but we've been through quite a bit already."
Jin looked down for a second.
"It must be nice." Before Ayden could ask what was wrong, he looked back up and smiled. "Anyway, let's get these stones over to the museum. I don't want to get yelled at again." He chuckled as he hastened his pace.
Mendy and Nami, after dodging the crowd and rejecting persistent shopkeepers, finally made it to the Pokémon Center. They walked in to find the silver-haired boy hadn't shown up yet. Instead, they spotted Joy resting her head on the check-in counter while drumming her fingers. When they approached the counter, Joy perked up and greeted them.
"Why hello. What can I do for you today?"
"Nurse Joy, did a boy with silver-hair and a pikachu come by earlier?"
She shook her head.
"I'm sorry, it's actually been rather slow today. My last visitor came by two hours ago."
The girls looked at each other and realized they had again lost their target. They went over and took a seat on the couches. Nami plopped down and breathed a sigh of irritation.
"How do we keep doing this? We blink and that jerk just disappears. Come on, let's go find him!"
Mendy remained in her seat and yawned. Nami turned back toward her and stomped her foot.
"What are you waiting for? That jerk is probably half-way through town by now."
Mendy took another yawn and turned to her.
"Relax. There's nothing much we can do at this point. Instead of wandering aimlessly throughout the city, our best chance is to just sit here and wait. He hasn't come by yet and he just got out of the forest. Chances are he'll show up at some point today."
Nami sat back down.
"Yeah, that's true, I guess. What do you want to do now?"
Mendy thought for a second then snapped her finger.
"Wanna play Shogi?"
Nami looked at her and saw the gleam in her eyes and knew she wanted to play badly. She sighed and gave in.
"Sure."
Ayden and Jin made it to a two-story building in the northern part of town with a fuchsia-colored roof. A large line of people stood at the entrance waiting to get inside.
"Well, here it is; the Pewter Museum of Science." Ayden and Piik gazed at it in awe. He'd only read about it and hoped to get the chance to visit it someday. "Thanks again for helping me bring these stones here. Wanna come in and take a look around? I'll give you the special VIP pass."
Ayden looked over at Piik for a moment and then turned back to Jin.
"Yeah, that's sounds great. Thanks."
Jin waved it off.
"Hey, don't mention it. It's the least I can do."
They walked in and both Ayden and Piik marveled at what the museum had to offer. They were surrounded by multiple glass cases displaying fossils and artifacts. Everywhere they looked, millions of years of history stood in front of them.
They approached the front desk where a young woman around Jin's age addressed them. She had long brown hair tied in a ponytail and had brown eyes.
"Jin, welcome back. Looks like things went well."
Jin laughed.
"Yeah, thanks, Maria. Actually, I ran into Ayden here who kindly helped me carry these stones. Ayden just recently became a trainer and came all the way here to compete for his first badge."
She looked over at Ayden and smiled.
"Is that so? Well, thank you, Ayden. That was awfully kind of you."
Ayden shook his head.
"It was no trouble at all, right Piik?"
Piik shook her head as well.
Jin turned to the Maria.
"Where's the Director? Is he back from his meeting yet?"
Maria nodded.
"He's waiting for you in his office. He's been expecting you to deliver those stones for quite some time now."
A look of complete horror filled Jin's face. He'd forgotten the schedule for the pick-up of the stones. He looked over at the clock and gasped.
"Oh man! I'm really gonna get it now! Ayden we have to hurry!"
Ayden followed Jin through the lobby, the labyrinth of people, and up the stairs. When they arrived, they saw a burly man waiting for them. He wore a black business suit with a blue tie and black shoes. His mustache extended from one cheek to the other and wiggled whenever he spoke.
"I have been waiting for you, Jin. How are the stones doing?"
Jin took in a deep breath.
"They're doing just fine. They're in pristine condition and ready to be placed on display."
The Director smiled.
"That's wonderful! I knew I could count on you, Jin!"
He looked over Jin's shoulders and saw Ayden standing behind him.
"And who is this young man?"
Jin adjusted his glasses.
"Oh, this is Ayden. We bumped into each other earlier, and he was kind enough to help me carry the stones here."
Ayden extended his hand.
"How are you, Sir?"
The Director filled the room with a gargled laugh and shook Ayden's hand.
"I'm doing just fine, Ayden! My name is Maxwell, but all my friends call me Max! I'm the Director of this museum! Everything in it is under my personal care! I can't thank you enough for helping my boy out! Sometimes I think he has his head so far in the clouds, he doesn't know which way is up!"
Jin turned to him; his face flushed in embarrassment.
"Dad!"
Maxwell twisted his mustache and looked over at Jin. His jovial personality quickly became serious.
"I'm merely speaking pure facts. How can I entrust you with more important tasks if you can't even keep your head on straight? What exactly goes on in that head of yours?"
Jin looked down at the floor. His whole body trembled. He clenched his fists and held his anger in as best he could. No matter how many times he ran the sentences through his head, he couldn't find the right words to say.
Maxwell stared at him for a bit before walking up to him. He placed his hands on his shoulders and looked Jin in the eyes.
"Look, son, you're all I have left. Someday I won't be here, I need someone I can trust to take over my position and keep this museum going. I can only entrust that position to you. Don't let me down, boy. Now on with you. Take Ayden and give him a grand tour of the museum. I need to make some phone calls and get some things straightened out."
They left the office and Jin closed the door behind him. Ayden looked at him as he stood with his hand on the wall. He straightened up and turned to Ayden with a smile.
"So, let's get this tour started."
He led Ayden back down the stairs and explained every display they came across. Despite all he had just witnessed between Jin and Maxwell, Ayden couldn't help but be amazed at all the fossils they had collected. He also noticed the numerous amounts of cameras. Each one had been placed specifically to cover the other's blind spots. Before Ayden realized it, Jin had turned around and faced him.
"Now that's pretty much the first floor, but the really interesting stuff is on the second. That's our famous Space Exhibit. It's there we have our most spectacular attraction. We only let those who purchase a special pass or higher to see it."
They headed back up the stairs when they ran into Maxwell again.
"Ah Jin, Ayden, how are things? Enjoying the museum? I hope Jin here is explaining things and not daydreaming."
Ayden nodded.
"Yeah, you have an excellent museum and Jin is a terrific guide."
Maxwell gave a gargled laugh and slapped Jin on the back.
"What did you expect from a future Director? He knows everything there is to know about this museum and then some!"
Ayden placed his hands in his pocket.
"I also noticed you have a lot of security cameras around. Is there a specific reason for that?"
Maxwell's face immediately turned serious at the question. He crossed his arms and twisted his mustache.
"There is, Ayden. Recently, there have been several reports of robberies within the city. As you may know, our city is known for selling stones, so it's not surprising we sell really rare ones as well. The thief targets stores that sell the rarest and most powerful ones, such as the evolutionary stones. Several stores already have had their prized merchandise swiped."
Ayden stood clenching his fists. He knew the value of the evolutionary stones and the fact that someone would steal them didn't really surprise him, but for some reason, he still felt irritated by it.
"Are there any leads as to who the thief might be?"
Maxwell shook his head.
"Officer Jenny has been on the case around the clock, but even she can't track down the thief. I hate to say it, but this thief is a master. Just comes in, takes whatever, and goes back out without leaving a trace. That's why I've beefed up my security so that the thief won't try to target the fossils we have."
Jin turned to Ayden.
"Dad's been frantic ever since the news of the thief surfaced. He's determined to catch him no matter what. That's why he's so busy on the phone and going to meetings these days. He keeps getting the latest systems to help with the security."
Maxwell nodded.
"You can never be too safe. If the thief tries to come here, I'll be ready for him. Come, Ayden, I want to show you the museum's prized possession. This will conclude the tour."
They walked to the second floor then down a long narrow hallway. At the end, a blue and purple orb with tiny stars in it sat on a red pillow inside a glass case. The orb looked like a miniature galaxy. Maxwell turned to face Jin and Ayden.
"This is our most prized exhibit, the Soul Dew. Legend says it contains the powers of the two legendary eon pokémon, Latios and Latias."
Ayden gazed strongly at the orb. He couldn't take his eyes off it. As if some irresistible force drew him to it. When Maxwell called to him, Ayden snapped back to reality.
"Are you okay, Ayden? You looked like you were in some sort of trace or something."
Ayden looked at him, nodded, and then turned to Jin.
"Thanks for the tour, it was amazing."
Jin grinned.
"Glad you enjoyed it. Please feel free to come by any time. I'll make sure you get in for free again."
They waved goodbye to Ayden as he and Piik made their way down the street. As they walked, Ayden couldn't help think about the thief. His mind flooded with questions. How could a thief come into any of the stores and not leave any clues? What is the thief's main goal?"
He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.
"Well, there's only one thing to do. Come on, Piik, we need to investigate a couple of places."
Mendy and Nami sat in the lobby continuing their game of Shogi. Nami stared long and hard at the board. She had to figure a way out of Mendy's game play. Finally deciding on a move, she slowly picked up her piece and placed it back down, confident Mendy couldn't take her out with her next move. Mendy grinned, quickly picked up her piece, and then slammed it back on the board.
"Checkmate!"
Nami stared at the board in disbelief then fell backward onto the couch.
"Okay, I'm done, you've beaten me five times already."
Mendy held up the peace sign with her fingers.
"That's because this is my special Shogi set. No one can beat me when I play on it."
Nami stared at Mendy as she placed the game back in her bag. She couldn't remember a time when she ever beat her. She played so well, she always thought she existed solely to play the game.
Mendy finished placing the set away when she looked up at the clock. They had been playing for a few hours and the silver-haired boy still hadn't checked in. Nami slammed her hand on the table.
"So, when is that jerk coming in anyway?"
Mendy sat back in her seat.
"Don't worry. He's got to come by sooner or later."
Nami sat up and looked at Mendy.
"What are you gonna do when he does?"
Mendy stared at the table and clenched her fists.
"I'm not sure."
Ayden and Piik walked around the town looking for any signs that the thief had been by. However, everyone went about their day as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. No one looked worried or even looked to have anything on their minds except selling their merchandise.
They approached one store after the owner just got through talking with a customer. The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man with short black hair, a wrinkled face, and a white headband, eyed Ayden and immediately walked up to him.
"Hey there, young trainer! Looks like you have a right keen Pikachu there! And a rare-looking one at that. I've never seen a Pikachu with blue cheeks before. I have just the thing for you, a Thunder Stone!"
He held the stone in front of them and Piik's eyes widened in horror. The moment she laid eyes on it, memories of her time as Team Chaos' experiment resurfaced. Her heart raced and she could barely breathe. Her body trembled as she continued to stare at the stone, unable to tear her eyes away from it.
The shopkeeper continued to try and impress Ayden with his knowledge of the stone.
"Use this on your Pikachu, and it'll evolve into a Raichu. Its power will double or even triple. You'll be winning matches before you even know it!"
Ayden looked at him with an emotionless expression.
"Thanks, but I'm not interested at the moment."
The shopkeeper scratched his head.
"Not interested? Son, I don't know if you fully grasp the situation. If you ever want to be a Pokémon Master, you're gonna need to upgrade your pokémon with the best of the best. Your Pikachu won't evolve unless it's given the Thunder Stone. How else are you gonna draw out its full potential if you don't evolve it?"
Ayden's expression hadn't changed as he placed his hands in his pockets. He wanted to walk away from the merchant, but he knew he had to start somewhere with his investigation.
"I'm not interested in evolving Piik. She doesn't need it. She's powerful enough without that anyway. If there ever comes a day where she wants to evolve, then maybe, but until that day comes, I refuse to do anything she doesn't want to do." Piik smiled. Relief flowed throughout her body as she gazed at Ayden. She felt like the luckiest Pikachu in the entire world. The shopkeeper looked at him with irritation and stuffed the stone back into his jacket pocket. "The real reason I wanted to talk to you was to ask you a few questions. Has your store ever been robbed?"
The shopkeeper looked at him for a bit and crossed his arms.
"Yeah, I've been robbed. Twice as a matter of fact. That lowlife punk swiped some of my best stuff and took off without leaving a single piece of evidence behind."
Ayden took his hands out of his pockets.
"You said you were robbed twice?"
"Yeah, the second time came after I bought a new security system. I called Maxwell and asked which system he uses for the museum. He said he used several, but I didn't have the means to afford all those systems like he does, so I asked for one of them. But that still wasn't enough. That sneaky bastard still stole from me!"
Ayden put his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. All the cameras in the museum each had a different brand. Maxwell definitely spared no expense when it came to security.
"Do you know of anyone else who uses the same or different system you do?"
The shopkeeper thought for a second.
"Yeah, we all have a different system we use. I'm sure some of us use the same, but I couldn't tell ya who at the top of my head."
Ayden nodded.
"Thank you for your time."
He and Piik went to another shop down the street. The shopkeeper, a slightly plump woman of late thirties, had curly light blue hair, wore jeans and a white apron over a yellow shirt. Many different types of jewelry had been displayed in cases throughout the store. The jewelry each had a piece of an evolutionary stone imbedded into it and sparkled heavenly. She stood on a stool rearranging some of her stock when she noticed Ayden enter the store. She got off the stool and walked over to the front counter.
"Welcome, young trainer! What can I do for you? Looking for something for a special someone?"
Ayden looked at her and shook his head.
"No, actually I was wondering has your store been robbed before; and if it has, what security system do you use?"
The woman stared at him for a second and placed her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, I got robbed. Not too long ago actually. Punk made off with some of my best jewelry. I had heard other stores had been robbed before me, so I went ahead and got one of those security systems. Even then, it wasn't enough to stop the thief. He came in, took what he wanted, and left without a single trace of evidence."
"What kind of system did you buy?"
The shopkeeper crossed her arms.
"Well, I wanted my shop to be secure, so I went for the best I could afford. I asked Maxwell up at the museum for some advice and he suggested this particular brand. He has all sorts of brands installed at the museum. So, I figured he'd be the perfect person to ask."
Ayden looked down at the floor. His eyes darted back and forth as he thought about everything he'd heard up till now. He looked back up at the shopkeeper and bowed.
"Thank you for your time."
He went around a couple more stores and asked the owners the same questions and each one gave him the same answers. They had all purchased different systems under the recommendation of Maxwell. After leaving the last store, Ayden turned to Piik.
"Looks like we'll be visiting Maxwell a bit sooner than anticipated. Let's go, Piik."
Piik nodded and they made their way toward the museum.
The sun began to set and all the shopkeepers closed up their stores. The museum closed its doors to the public and Jin bade a goodnight to his co-workers. He walked around the empty museum with a clipboard making his final rounds. When everything checked out, he heard a knock at the door. He opened it and smiled when he found Ayden waiting for him.
"Back so soon, huh? Sorry, man, you'll have to wait until tomorrow. We just finished closing the place down."
Ayden walked up to Jin and shook his head.
"I wanted to speak to you and your father. I've been talking to several of the shopkeepers and they all said they've still been robbed even after they installed their new security systems; the systems your father recommended to them."
Jin's eyes widened.
"What? Really? I never knew anything about it. I knew Dad was talking to a lot of people, but I just thought it was just to get more security."
Ayden crossed his arms.
"Mind if I speak with him?"
Jin shrugged.
"Sure, go ahead. I want some clarification myself. If there's a bug in the systems, he needs to know about it."
They made their way up to the second floor where they found Maxwell busy talking on the phone. He noticed both boys and waved for them to come in.
"Mm-hm, mm-hm, yeah, yeah, that's sounds perfect. Thank you for your time. Yes, I look forward to this new system. Yes, thank you again. Goodbye."
He hung up the phone and walked toward the boys.
"Ayden! What brings you here? Still haven't had your fill of the museum?"
Ayden shook his head. He explained the situation to Maxwell leaving a horrified look on his face.
"What? How can that be? I research each and every system before I make a purchase. I recommended only the top brands to them and you're saying they still got robbed?"
Ayden nodded.
"Yes, and they still don't know how the thief does it either. They say it's like the systems shut down for a moment and then turn back on again."
Maxwell gripped his chest as though he had a heart attack. He took several steps back and leaned against his desk.
"No, this can't be happening. What if my systems shut down and the thief makes off with the Soul Dew or any other priceless artifacts in the museum?"
Jin stepped up.
"We can ask Officer Jenny if she and her department can lend more officers."
Maxwell shook his head.
"No, I already asked. She said her department was stretched thin enough as it is. Oh, what am I going to do? Each item in the museum is absolutely priceless! If anything is taken, the reputation of this museum will be shattered! I'll be a complete laughingstock!"
Ayden looked at them both.
"How about I help stand guard?" Both of them looked at him in shock. "My pokémon and I can help guard your museum."
Jin adjusted his glasses in disbelief.
"You'd really do that, Ayden?"
Ayden nodded.
"Yeah, it's the least I can do after you showed me such a rare item. You'll help too, right Piik?"
Piik pumped her tiny fists into the air and cheered. Tears welled up in Maxwell's eyes and he gave Ayden a hug.
"I can't thank you enough, Ayden! Please help protect my museum!"
Mendy and Nami sat in the lobby, waiting on Ayden to arrive. They looked up at the clock and it read 21:29. Nami heaved a sigh and yawned.
"You know, I don't think this plan of yours is working. If my beauty sleep gets ruined because of him, he'll be paying for more than just the bike."
Mendy shook her head. She even had to admit her plan had failed. However, she couldn't risk the chance of missing him coming into the Center. She had to confront him for what he did and make him pay for it.
"You can go to sleep if you want. I'm staying up. There's no way I'm letting him off the hook that easily. He's going to pay for it one way or another. I… won't let him… get away with this."
Nami looked at her as Mendy tried to keep her tears from falling. She sat next to her, wrapped her arm around her shoulder and pulled her in.
"Then I'm staying up too. You're my best friend, Mendy. No matter what you're going through, I'll always be there for you."
Nami's words calmed her down and she nodded. Even though her best friend comforted her, she still couldn't help the tears. All she could think about was the day she received the bike and how precious it was to her. She dug her face into Nami's shirt and cried.
"My… bike! I want it back! I want my bike back!"
Ayden and Piik walked around the museum surveying the area on the first floor. Everything looked to be in place with nothing suspicious going on in Ayden's eyes. Piik helped out as well keeping her ears focused for anything out of the ordinary. Jin surveyed the second floor and Maxwell sat in his office studying each monitor with upmost worry. Every few seconds he would glance up at the monitor that focused on the Soul Dew.
After a bit, Jin came down the stairs carrying a tray of sodas and snacks. He found Ayden sitting on a couch with Piik lying down next to him. Ayden seemed to be deep in thought as he sat perfectly still as though he were a statue.
"Want a break?"
Ayden turned to Jin and eyed the tray of food.
"Yeah, thanks."
They finished over half the tray before Ayden broke the silence.
"Doesn't look like the thief's coming. It's already three in the morning. Maybe we should call it a night."
Jin yawned and stretched.
"Yeah, point taken. At least we prevented anything from being stolen. Maybe the thief gave up."
Ayden took another sip of soda.
"So, what's the deal with you and your dad? I thought you liked working at the museum." Jin avoided eye contact. Holding his anger in, he crushed the empty soda can in his hand. "Unless, working at the museum isn't what you really want to do. What do you want to do?"
Jin looked at Ayden then changed his gaze over to Piik sleeping soundly on the couch. A smile spread on his face as he gazed at how comfortable and relaxed she seemed.
"I want to be a Pokémon Watcher. I love pokémon. I want to study them in their natural habitats, travel the world, and maybe even be able to study a legendary pokémon. There's just so much we don't know about them."
Ayden saw how Jin's face lit up just from talking about pokémon. He had a very strong passion about becoming a Pokémon Watcher.
"Why don't you just tell your dad that?"
Jin shook his head.
"What difference would it make? It doesn't matter what I want. All he cares about is keeping the museum running. Anything else wouldn't matter to him. No matter what I do, he just tells me to forget about it and focus on the museum. Says I'm daydreaming and I need to stay focused on what's in front of me. Museum this and museum that! That's all he ever thinks about!" He looked over at Ayden and realized he'd said too much. All the anger he had for his dad just slipped out. "I'm sorry about that, Ayden. I let my emotions get the better of me. I'm heading for bed. I'll see you in the morning."
Jin retreated back upstairs and Ayden shifted his gaze from him to Piik. He decided to stay up a little longer and stare up at the moon.
The tires screeched and the car slammed into the guardrail flipping it over. It tumbled several times before landing in the water. The moment the car hit the surface, Ayden woke up. The sun glared into his eyes as he sat up in the sofa. Outside, he heard police sirens and ran outside to see what happened.
Police cars sped down the road toward a shop a couple of streets from the museum. Piik woke up and ran toward Ayden climbing her way to his shoulder. Jin and Maxwell appeared a moment later and joined Ayden at the door. Jin's eyes widened in shock at the spectacle in front of them.
"You don't think the thief…"
Ayden nodded.
"Yeah, looks like his target wasn't the museum this time. Let's go see what happened."
The three made their way toward all the police cars. Officer Jenny spoke to the store owner while her subordinates worked crowd control. The owner, a fairly young woman of late twenties, looked distraught as she sobbed uncontrollably. She had auburn hair and wore a T-shirt and jeans.
Officer Jenny tried her best to get her to calm down.
"Miss, please, everything is going to be all right. I just need you to tell me all that you know."
The woman choked back some tears and took in some deep breaths.
"Well, I just purchased a security system not too long ago. My family has collected amberite for generations. It's a very rare stone. I felt safe with the new system installed, but when I opened the store this morning, everything was gone! Every stone my family had collected over the years was taken! What am I gonna do? I'll never be able to face them now!"
She dug her face into her hands and sobbed harder. Officer Jenny tried to comfort her, but yielded little results. After a bit, one of Jenny's subordinates came out of the store.
"Ma'am, we've just finished searching the store, there are no leads or clues."
Jenny clicked her tongue.
"Damn, just who are we up against? No matter what, there're never any clues to go on."
The woman looked up at her.
"Wait… what does that mean?"
Jenny looked away from her gaze.
"It means we're back to square one. We don't have any leads to try and catch the thief. I'm sorry, but we can't help you get your stones back as of this moment."
The woman's eyes widened and she grabbed Jenny's shoulders.
"You can't be serious! You have to do something! Those were the stones my family had been collecting for over eighty years! You have to get them back! Please, I'm begging you!"
Jenny tried to loosen her grip, but her fingers clamped onto her shoulders.
"Miss, we're trying everything we can, but there's only so much we can do."
The woman's grip tightened. She shook Jenny and pinned her to the ground.
"That's not good enough! Why can't you people do your jobs? What's the point of a police force if they can't catch one lousy thief! How do you think we feel knowing we can't do anything against someone the police can't even find?"
Soon, Jenny's subordinates came around and restrained the woman. She flailed around and tried to pull out of their grip. They applied cuffs on her and led her to one of the cars.
"Get your hands off me! You're supposed to arrest the thief, not me! Get my stones back! You have to get them back!"
One of the cops went over to Jenny.
"Ma'am, are you all right?"
Jenny sat up and massaged her shoulders.
"Yeah, I'm good. She's got a point though. What good are we, if we can't even capture one thief?"
She stood up and dusted herself off.
"Come on! We're heading back to the station! There's nothing more we can do here!"
Soon, they all returned to their cars and drove away. The crowd soon dispersed leaving Ayden, Maxwell, and Jin behind. Maxwell stood shaking uncontrollably.
"I know that woman. She came to the museum wanting to speak with me. She asked about my security systems. I recommended one of my favorites. It's a top of the line system. And yet, even so, she was still robbed. Oh this is just terrible! What am I gonna do if the thief decides to target the museum?"
He ran back toward the museum, flailing his arms frantically while Ayden and Jin stood watching his large body dodge the oncoming crowd of people. Jin dropped his shoulders and breathed a sigh as he adjusted his glasses.
"Now what? The thief's still at large and continues to prove he can bypass any security system. This is more troublesome than I thought."
Ayden nodded.
"Agreed. You go ahead and check on your dad. I need to get my pokémon over to the Center. I'll meet back up with you at the museum in a couple of hours."
Jin nodded and gave him a thumbs up.
"Okay, sounds good. See you in a bit."
He took off down the street toward the museum and Ayden breathed a heavy sigh and turned toward Piik.
"Come on. There's nothing much we can do here."
Piik solemnly agreed and they made their way toward the Center. Jin ran down the streets when his cell phone went off. He paused, took out his phone and made his way to a nearby alley. He looked over his shoulders several times before answering. A voice came through the other end.
"When do Clefairy dance?"
Jin straightened up and adjusted his glasses.
"When the moonlight reflects off the Moon Stone."
