Pewter City wasn't well known for its gang activity, or for any criminal activity at all. But the influence of Team Rocket stretched from Kanto to Sinnoh and beyond. If there's anything that's universal, it's the existence of selfish, greedy people. The Rockets are infamous for their usually over-the-top and far-fetched schemes to steal Pokémon. The motives vary. Occasionally a kid will stray from the path of Pokémon trainer, too intent to on "catching" them all and forgetting about the training part or the fact that it's meant to be a journey, not a heist. Other times, usually with older members of the organization, with the plan is based on profit alone.
Viola and Ivan considered themselves lucky to live in Pewter City, a place rarely harassed by thieves. The majority of the residents were children too young to own their own Pokémon and embark on their journeys, or their retired parents. Whoever had written the ransom note had been aware that despite the apparent lack of Pokémon within the town, the mayor possessed the ability to gather quite a large number of them. There were hundreds of breeders living in the vicinity of Pewter City, and even those who weren't under the political jurisdiction of the mayor would be hard-pressed to refuse his request for Pokémon. The mayor was the wealthiest man for miles.
Viola and Ivan wasted no time in their journey to downtown, motivated by a combination of knowing that the clock was ticking, and the fact that it was very cold out. Eddies of snow continued to blow through the streets although there was a lull in the constant precipitation that had begun the previous evening. When the two detectives stepped onto the main street they were not surprised to find the sidewalks (which were completely covered by snow and invisible to the eye) were void of the usual shoppers. Normally on Christmas business would continue as usual, lessened slightly but still bolstered by the town members who did not celebrate the holiday. Today citizens of Pewter City seemed to have opted for a warmer, cozier plan of action.
The detectives knew without speaking which store they both thought they should start their inquiry at. A sure-fire sign of Team Rocket presence in any area was people buying large amounts of Pokéballs and other supplies - or, just as often, these supplies being stolen. The bell at the top of the door jingled as Ivan and Viola entered the Pokémart. The clerk looked up, surprised, when they came in. Apparently it had been a particularly slow morning. He was even more surprised when he recognized his two customers.
"Good afternoon, detectives!" He said, stuck halfway between cheerful and cautious. "What could possibly bring you here on Christmas Day? It looks like you're on business, huh?" He fiddled nervously with the display beside the cash register as if he thought the detectives were there to investigate him. Viola smiled reassuring, while Ivan fell back slightly to let her handle the situation. It was a simple fact that men were more likely to talk to Viola.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Raider. How's business?" The clerk nodded and reported that everything was going well, although it was clear from his body language that he wanted to skip the small talk and get to the point. Viola didn't make him wait. "We've got a pretty big case going on right now - well, obviously it's important, or Detective Csaba and I would be safe at home right now," she said dryly. The clerk laughed. He seemed to pick up on Viola's friendly demeanor and reflect it. "So we're trying to get this over with as quickly as possible. We just need to know if you've noticed any unfamiliar faces around. We're especially interested in unsavory types, as the police always are. You haven't had any gangs hanging around here, have you? Has anyone been buying up large amounts of Pokéballs or the like? There been any attempts at shoplifting that have gone unreported?"
Viola had taken out her notepad and pen as she spoke, although her eyes hadn't left the shopkeeper. She was on the look-out for any telling reactions to her questions. The shopkeeper seemed completely calm, however. He shook his head slightly as Viola finished her list.
"No, I'm sorry, Detective Isaacs. I would have alerted someone if there had been shoplifting attempts, and any large shipments would have been entered in the logbook. I was just checking the log this morning, and nobody's authorized any large purchases since last month. I can't say I've seen anyone who's stuck out to me over the last few weeks. The last new arrivals I can think of who've stuck around were three folks who arrived almost a month or two ago. Nothing special about them. They weren't friendly, but they weren't engaging in rampant criminal activity, I can tell you that. Anyway, I still see 'em around from time to time. They eat at Mike's diner down the street a lot. He sees a lot more strangers than I do, he'll probably know more than I do."
Viola scribbled frantically in shorthand as she attempted to catch every detail the clerk offered. After she finished writing, she nodded. "That's helpful, Mr. Raider. Just one last thing then, and that's a brief description of the people you're talking about."
The shopkeeper bobbed his head eagerly. "Of course, of course. Well, like I said, there's three of them. A girl, medium height with orange hair she always wears in two pig tails. Then there's one guy, who's got brown skin and dark brown hair and eyes. He's the tallest of them, but I'd say he was only around 5'10. They look like they're just kids. The third one's the most memorable. He's one of those trend followers, dressed up as a Psychic with black hair and a black hood and white make-up on his face. I hear he's got ghost Pokémon. It doesn't surprise me at all." Mr. Raider nodded his head definitively at the end of his description. He didn't seem very impressed by the "Psychic" fashion.
Viola smiled brightly at him. "Thanks very much, you've been a big help," she said, snapping her notebook closed. She and Ivan turned and stepped out of the shop. As soon as her back was turned, she let the smile drop off her face. "I don't think that was helpful at all," she muttered to Ivan doubtfully. Her partner nodded in agreement.
"If they've been around for two months and haven't caused any trouble, they probably aren't going to. Especially if they're young. I hate to say it, but we may be at yet another dead end."
Viola shook her head with a frown. "No, we can't let that discourage us. It was our first stop. He's right, Mike sees more strangers. He also gets a better sense of what's going on around town. He hears a lot of gossip. He should be our next stop." The diner was only two blocks away. Crossing the street carefully (although, to be honest, with the lack of traffic they probably could have afforded to be a little reckless), the two detectives entered the diner. The place was pretty empty, although a family of four with two young kids were making enough noise to fill the whole restaurant.
The owner of the restaurant, Mike himself, was leaning against the counter chatting to his waitress Lilah. When the detectives walked in, the two looked up. They both smiled at the officers, and Mike called out, "Good afternoon! Are you two fine people here for lunch?" Viola and Ivan smiled back. They took seats on the stools at the counter, and Viola ordered milkshakes for the two of them. They'd just had lunch, sure, but you just don't go to Mike's Diner and not get a milkshake. It's unheard of. (Rumour has it even Zaida Garrard gets milkshakes at Mike's Diner. She won't confirm it, though.)
"We're here on business, unfortunately Mike," Viola said, once the waitress had left to make the milkshakes. Mike nodded sagely as if he'd known all along. "It's a bit of a mess really, is what it is, although I can't get more specific than that. I'm sure you understand. We're asking around about any unusual activity. You haven't noticed any troublemakers? People out of the ordinary? We can't be very specific, unfortunately." The waitress arrived with two milkshakes on a tray and Viola and Ivan eagerly dug in.
Mike hummed thoughtfully and tapped the counter. "There haven't been many new people around here lately. Travelers come and go. The only people who've stuck around are this group of kids. Three of them, a girl and two guys. Two of them come here a lot. The three used to, but I haven't seen one of the guys, a really pale kid who wears a black hood, in two weeks. They always take an away bag full of food, which I'm sure is for him. I don't know if he's sick or what, but it's weird. I've heard the other two talking. They give off bad vibes, detectives. That won't hold up in a courtroom, but it's been enough reason for me to keep away from them. And to warn my staff to, as well."
The waitress, who was listening from nearby, nodded her head eagerly. "Yeah, we always stay away from them. But that doesn't mean we haven't heard anything." She looked up at Mike for a moment, as if expecting him to cut her off. But her audience was listening intently. "They keep on talking about the third guy working on something - his name is Bertrand." She blushed, as if she had done something that she's ashamed of. "Ever since I first heard that he was working on something I started listening in on their conversations on purpose. I was just curious. They're always talking about their plan. A lot of the time they argue about whether it's going to work or not. And I heard the guy asking the girl if she was sure they could trust "the old lady." At first I didn't have any idea who the old lady was, but then she came in the other night and sat with them!"
Viola nodded eagerly, her pen flying over the lines of her notebook. Ivan butted into the interrogation. "Did you hear them mention anything specific? And can you give us a description of the woman who met with them?"
The waitress fidgeted under the attention. "Well, I didn't exactly figure out what they were up to. But they were talking a lot about Bertrand's Alakazam. They were worried about whether it would be strong enough. But I don't think they were talking about a Pokémon battle. I don't know. I think they knew someone was eavesdropping because they were always so vague." She paused, fidgeting once again. She looked up and met Viola's eyes, and the detective nodded encouragingly. The waitress took a deep breath and continued. "The old lady was... Well, she was old. She was tall and skinny with grey hair and blues eyes. She was wearing a black dress. I don't know, there wasn't anything really distinctive about her."
Ivan made a small irritated sound, closing his eyes as if he was in deep thought. Then suddenly his eyes snapped open and he burst out, "This woman, did she have a scar on her lip?" The restaurant went quiet as the family across the room all turned and stared. Ivan was staring too intently at the waitress to notice. Viola caught on to where Ivan was going with this question, and they shared a significant look.
The waitress was alarmed by the outburst. "Well... I don't know if I remember that well..." Looking at the eager face of Detective Csaba, who was now leaning over the counter in excitement, she bit her lip. "I think she did. I... Yeah, she definitely did. I remember because her lipstick was uneven around the scar."
Viola and Ivan both nodded in satisfaction and got to their feet. "Thanks a lot, you two. You've helped us out a lot." The two detectives left, their milkshakes half empty. Mike called out behind them, "I'm still billing you for those!" but the detectives had already rushed out the door and back into the winter weather.