We continued to walk down the path towards Cyllage City. As we walked, Ash stopped.
"Did you hear that?" he said.
We paused to listen, but all I could hear was the wind rustling.
"I don't hear anything." Clemont said. "Are you sure you heard something?"
"Yeah..." Ash said.
We listened again. The answer came when we heard two low grumblings coming from Ash and Pikachu's stomach.
"Looks like we found the answer." Serena said. Ash laughed and clutched his stomach, his cheeks bright red from embarrassment. His laughter died at the sound of something revving, like a vehicle. "Wait... I hear something now."
We took a couple more steps down the road, and we saw the dirt being picked up into a cloud of dust. A large, black vehicle zoomed out from the hill crest, heading straight toward us. I gasped and shoved my friends out of the way as the vehicle zoomed past us. I caught a glimpse of a large man with a Diggersby in the passenger seat. It seemed as if it would keep driving whether or not we were in the way.
"That was rude!" Serena huffed. She stood up and dusted off her skirt. "What's that guy's problem?"
"Out of the way!" Officer Jenny rode on her scooter, her Manectric in a side seat, past us and after the man.
"If Officer Jenny is chasing that man, something must be wrong." Clemont said. "That man could be a wanted criminal!"
"There could be trouble!" Bonnie said.
"Let's go check it out!" Ash said.
We ran down the path after Jenny and the unknown criminal. We followed the trail of disturbed dirt and tire tracks in the grass. The man had his Diggersby use Mudshot at Officer Jenny. One of them hit a tree, halting her chase. The man swerved on the road, and a crate flew out of the trunk and down the hill. We took a detour and ran towards the crate.
Clemont, on the other hand, staggered hopelessly behind, panting like a large man after climbing ten flights of stairs.
"I... can't... go on!" Clemont wheezed, collapsing to his knees.
"Clemont, get a grip!" Bonnie said, her hands on her hips and a pout on her face.
Something caught my peripheral, and I turned to see something crawling out of the crate. A Scatterbug inched out. As Ash examined its Pokédex entry, Scatterbug emitted a faint, black powder in the air in attempts to scare us off.
"It's okay, Scatterbug. We're not going to hurt you. We're your friends." Ash said.
Half with relief and half with exhaust, Scatterbug collapsed onto the ground. Ash picked up the small Bug-type.
"Scatterbug needs help." Clemont said.
"We better take it to a Pokémon Center!" Bonnie said.
As the kids ran down the path, I paused and glanced back at the empty crate. I scowled and clenched my fists.
Scatterbug was trapped in that crate inside that man's trunk. I thought. A Pokémon smuggler.
"Don't worry, Wigglytuff will take good care of Scatterbug." Nurse Joy said as Wigglytuff rolled Scatterbug away on a cart.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ash said.
"It looks like your Scatterbug doesn't come from around this area."
"You can tell just by looking?"
"Yes. Take a look up at this screen." Nurse Joy pressed a button on her computer, and the screen above us lit up with six Vivillon, the evolved form of Scatterbug. All of their wing patterns were different from each other. "Vivillon have many different patterns, depending on where they come from. In a similar way, Scatterbug have slight differences, too. I'd be very interested to know where you found that Scatterbug."
"Well-" Ash said.
"I've got you!" A lasso shot out and wrapped around Ash's wrist. It yanked back, forcing him to abruptly turn around and face Officer Jenny. Manectric growled at her side, ready to pounce if needed. "Now, don't make a move! You're in a whole lot of trouble, young man!"
"Move?! You've already got me tied up!" Ash said, tugging against the rope.
"Believe me, I know who you are! If you have the stolen Scatterbug, then I know you're working with Dolan, the Pokémon smuggler!"
"Pokémon smuggler?"
"No way!" Serena said.
"We chased after you because we wanted to help!" Clemont said.
"On the way, we saw a big cage that was holding Scatterbug!" Ash said.
Officer Jenny paused and the rope fell out of her hands. "Then that means..."
"The Pokémon smuggler must've dropped the cage." Nurse Joy said.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I'm always jumping to conclusions, and then I mess things up." Officer Jenny said, pulling her cap over her eyes.
"That's okay." Ash said.
The room chimed from the completed process of healing, and Wigglytuff came back out with Scatterbug.
"Officer Jenny, could you tell us more about this Pokémon smuggler?" Clemont said.
"His name is Dolan. He's a Pokémon smuggler, someone who steal and sell Pokémon to unscrupulous people." Officer Jenny said. "He specializes in Vivillon, so he grabs every Scatterbug and Spewpa that he can get his hands on."
"So he must be keeping more at his hideout!" Serena said. "All those poor, helpless Scatterbug and Spewpa..."
"Yes. I hear he's got countless Pokémon. And once they evolve into Vivillon, he sells them at a premium."
"There's no excuse to do something like that. What an awful guy!" Ash said. "We've got to do something about this!"
Officer Jenny nodded. Scatterbug chattered and ran around in circles. It stopped, and it was consumed with a glowing blue light. It evolved into Spewpa.
"Wow! I've never seen a Pokémon evolve right before my eyes!" Bonnie gushed. "Hey, Ash, could you teach me about evolution?"
"Yeah, I can do that, no problem!" Ash said. I stifled a laugh. "Evolution is when a Pokémon starts to glow super bright and transform, like BAM! And that's when everyone goes, 'Wow, that's awesome!' And that's about all there is to it."
"Okay, that made no sense at all..."
"I guess that's my cue to take over!" Clemont said, the light catching his glasses. "There are some kinds of Pokémon that change their shapes after certain criteria are met, and this is called evolution. For example, Scatterbug evolves into Spewpa, and Spewpa evolves into Vivillon. There are several ways to make Pokémon evolve, but the most common way is, like with Vivillon, when they reach a certain level and evolve. An alternative way is by using an evolution stone. For example, for a Pikachu to evolve into Raichu, it needs a Thunder Stone."
"It's so amazing how they evolve!" Serena said.
"I'm not sure which explanation made more sense to me..." Zoroark said.
"Clemont was saying what I was saying in a different way!" Ash said.
"What? The smart way?"
"All right, enough of your sass." I rolled my eyes.
"You know I'm right."
"Hey, what's that on Spewpa's fur?" Officer Jenny said.
"Let me see..." Clemont said, pulling out a magnifying glass and examining Spewpa's fur. "It looks some sort of chip that's used for transmitting signals."
"A signal? For what?" Serena said.
"I know! Dolan must've implanted that chip as a tracking device so he can hunted down any Pokémon that might get away!" Officer Jenny said.
I gripped Clemont's shoulder. "Destroy it." I said.
Clemont nodded, and he carefully plucked the chip from Spewpa's fur. He set it down on the table, then pounded it with the tip of his magnifying glass, shattering it.
"There. That should help." Clemont said.
"But Dolan might still be around here somewhere." Serena said.
Ash scowled. "He's not going to get Spewpa. I'll see to that."
"But... what about my friends? Where are they?" Spewpa said.
"Dolan might be holding Spewpa's friends captive, too!" Bonnie said.
"I know!" Clemont said. "We'll use Spewpa to find the others. We'll have Dolan capture it, then follow him back to his hideout."
"How will be able to keep up with him? You broke the tracking device..."
Clemont adjusted his glasses. "I have something even better to use!" He patted his chest, covertly patting my fingers. "Just leave this to me!"
"I don't know how I feel about this, though... It seems dangerous to use Spewpa as bait." Serena said.
"We can use my Chespin and disguise it as Spewpa." Clemont said. He called out Chespin, and Serena decorated it with a Spewpa disguise.
"Perfect!" Serena said, clapping her hands together.
We headed back to the place where Spewpa's cage was and put Chespin inside. The children hid in a bush a ways away, and Officer Jenny hid in the shadows of a tree next to it.
"Dolan should be showing up any minute." Serena said.
"Unless he makes an appearance, the whole plan will be rendered useless." Clemont said.
"Dolan's a very greedy man. He'll definitely come back, or he won't make all that money." Officer Jenny said.
"Once he makes his pickup, we'll follow." Serena said.
"Then we can track him down to his hideout." Ash said. "So, Clemont, where's your device that can track Dolan?"
"Um... Well, it's right next to us! You can't see it though; I made it invisible!" Clemont said, oversmiling. "I call it... My Invisible Signal Tracker!"
"Now I'm a device? Thanks." I crossed my arms and glared at Clemont. He felt it and chuckled uncomfortably.
We heard the revving of an engine, and Dolan's vehicle zoomed down the path. It took a detour down the hill towards the crate and stopped.
"There you are! Is my precious merchandise safe and sound?" Dolan said, picking up the cage with Spewpa-Chespin inside. "You evolved into a Spewpa. That's good. Maybe now you'll evolve into a huge Vivillon!"
I clenched my fist as Dolan tossed the cage into the trunk and drove off.
"All right! Activating my Invisible Signal Tracker!" Clemont said.
I sighed, and Zoroark and I ran down the path after Dolan. When we were a safe distance away, I summoned a platform of Protect and hopped on. We hurried after Dolan into the forest, careful to avoid being seen; I think he'd be weirded out by a platform of Protect chasing after him. We followed him up a rocky cliff and to a large, worn down warehouse.
"There it is." I said, dispelling the Protect and hiding behind a large rock. "Zoroark, go back and bring the others here."
"What, am I the tracker Clemont was talking about?" Zoroark said.
"I guess so. Now, go!"
Her weight was lifted off my shoulder, and I heard her footsteps fade down the path. I crept into the warehouse, careful to keep my footsteps quiet.
I gasped at the sight of countless glass cages. Each was filled with Spewpa.
"Oh, no..." I whispered. I turned visible and approached the cages. The Spewpa saw me and scurried to the corner of their cages. "Please, don't be afraid. I'm here to help you. My friends and I are going to free you all."
But the Spewpa didn't move. Each trembled so greatly with fright, I was surprised the glass didn't shatter from the collective force.
"I know you're scared. I can't imagine what you've been through. I'll get you out of here, I promise." I said.
"B-b-behind you!" one of the Spewpa said.
"Huh?" I tried to turn around, but a bag was forced over my head. I screamed and thrashed around, but a pair of large hands held my arms and kept me in place.
"Well, well, well. A little girl snuck her way into my warehouse." The slimy voice could only belong to someone as dirty as Dolan. "What's a pretty lady like you doing in a dangerous place like this?"
"Get your hands off me." I growled. I shoved my elbow back as hard as I could, nailing Dolan right in the stomach. He grunted in pain and released me. I summoned a shield of Protect and rammed it into Dolan, making him stumble back. I reached up and tore the bag off my head. "We'll see how dangerous this place really is compared to being behind bars."
"Oh, so you're with Officer Jenny!" Dolan sneered. "But your reinforcements ain't gonna get here in time."
Dolan grabbed a nearby pipe and charged at me. I jumped in the air, performing a full twisting layout, and shoved my feet into Dolan's back. I landed in a backflip and stood up straight. He stumbled forward, but quickly regained himself and whirled back around, his nostrils breathing hot air like a bull. He charged again.
"Honedge!" I cried, raising my arm up. One of the PokéBalls clipped to my shorts opened, and my Aegislash emerged from it. It glowed blue and reverted back to its first stage, Honedge. I grabbed its handle and struck it down, blocking Dolan's swing. Light swirled around me, starting from my feet and making its way up to the top of my head. My regular clothes disappeared, replaced by my Pokémon Guardian armor.
"What... what are you?!" Dolan said.
"The wrong person to mess with." I said. "I'm taking these Pokémon back. You and your smuggling days are over!"
"I don't think so. A Pokémon that can revert to its previous evolution states and a girl who can used Pokémon moves? I can make a lot of money off of that." Dolan's yellow-toothed grin sent shivers down my spine. He shoved me back and pulled out a PokéBall. "Let's collect our treasure, Diggersby! Use Mudshot!"
Diggersby emerged from its PokéBall and shot balls of mud at me.
"Aegislash!" I said, throwing Honedge into the air. It glowed and evolved back into its final state. I looped my arm through the shield and brought it up, blocking the Mudshots.
"Double Slap!" Diggersby's ears glowed, and it lunged at me. It swung once, but I brought up Aegislash and blocked it. Diggersby brought its other ear around towards my legs. It swept me off my feet. "Hammer Arm!" Diggersby flexed its ears and smacked them hard into my torso. I flew back out of the warehouse and I crashed into a rock. I gasped at the sickening crack I heard, and I collapsed onto the ground. Pain stretched through my body, and it was unbearable for me to move.
"My tracker says it's right up here!" I heard Clemont's voice. I used a weak burst of strength to transform myself into a Scatterbug.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Ash called.
"Well, well, looks like the back-up did come after all. But you're just a bunch of kids!" Dolan laughed.
"You're not getting away with this!"
Footsteps approached me, and I was turned over and gently lifted into the air.
"Rylee? Is that you?" Clemont examined my face. I groaned. "Are you okay?"
"Not really..." I said.
"Don't worry. We'll take care of things, now." Clemont smiled. "You just rest, okay?"
I closed my eyes, succumbing to unconsciousness.
I awoke to quiet, continuous beeping. I opened my eyes to all-white walls. I shifted slightly in the bed I rested in, which felt like the most comfortable thing in the world.
"How are you feeling?" I looked over and saw Clemont standing at my bedside.
"Better." I said. "What happened to Dolan and the Pokémon?"
"Officer Jenny arrested Dolan, and we freed the Spewpa. They all evolved into Vivillon and flew away. It was an incredible sight!"
"That's great. Thank you, Clemont."
"Did Dolan... really hurt you?"
I sighed. "I was careless, and I got caught. I managed to put up a good fight for the time being. I guess I'm still learning. I wish my mistakes weren't so life-or-death..."
"I'm just glad you're okay and that we got there before something really bad happened to you..."
Clemont kept his eyes to the floor. I smiled and changed into my human form. I opened my arms and, after a few moments, Clemont rushed into them.
"Thanks for your concern, Clemont. I really appreciate having a friend like you around." I pulled away, resting my hands on his shoulders, and studied his face. My smile slowly faded. "And as my friend... I'll tell you the truth."
"About...?" Clemont said.
Am I really about to do this? I thought. The overbearing pressure in my chest had the answer, and I knew if I didn't say something at some point, it might crush me. I gulped. Yes. I am.
I took a deep breath. "About... Cilan."