Hello to all of you guys! Writing this chapter was quite a challenge, I wanted to give the readers the same sensation of confusion and despair that Ash feels now, hope I made it. Once again, thanks for the support and once again…

On with the story!

12 – Investigation of a Thief Under Suspicion

(Song: Private Investigations – Dire Straits)

He could barely remember anything, his mind focused on the task at hand. He tripped over a rock and closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. Luckily for him, Greninja was at his side and stopped the fall.

_ Thanks…

The blue Pokemon was surprised by the fact that his friend didn't use words such as "buddy" or "partner"

_ Nin… Ninja – He simply responded –

From above him, Hawlucha and Talonflame were describing circles over and over again, looking for the missing performer. Night was falling on the Kalos region, and the result was the same as the previous days.

Nothing.

Ash stopped for a second and pressed his back against a tree, all of his body demanding some rest, but he refused at the idea. He needed to find her; he needed to save her from that…

That…

That monster!

A little more than a week ago, on board the Western Express an incident occurred, a huge explosion caused by the impact between two attacks, the sound of his buddy Pikachu falling to the ground, the thief that was not only a thief, but a heartless criminal, the way Ash felt the blood escaping from his arm, his girlfriend crying and extending her hand towards him, but then, it was too late.

A simple command and she was gone.

And that bastard that took her was also gone.

And all those…

"Focus, Ash" he thought, later he could blame himself for everything that happened. But only after the success in his rescue mission.

So, without other alternative, Ash Ketchum started to walk again. To where?

Not even he himself knew.

It's a mystery to me

The game commences

For the usual fee

Plus expenses

Meanwhile, Ash's most loyal friend, Pikachu, looked up into the skies of Lumiose City, sitting in the back of Noivern. The dragon type Pokemon let out a powerful roar as he increased the speed; Ash was counting on them to come back in time.

Pikachu made a signal to Noivern and he started to come down towards the ground. They were close to their destination, a little town beyond the frontier of Clemont and Bonnie´s homeland.

The yellow rodent started to remember what happened only six days ago. He and his friend in a hospital bed (Ash's second time in just a couple of weeks), for him, the pain was bearable, but he couldn't say the same for Ash.

He heard about the investigation lead by Officer Jenny in the area of the crash, he observed as his trainer answered patiently each question, one, two, a millionth times.

He was glad that not only Clemont and Bonnie were there to support Ash, but also Misty, Brock, May… He stopped counting after a few hours, he noticed how Ash simply didn't care about the visitors, the loss of Serena had affected him so much, he was unrecognizable.

Pikachu came back to his senses and whispered something into Noivern's ear. He took ground and Pikachu started running as fast as he could. The lights of the place were all off, probably the woman was still outside, and doing Arceus knows what.

Pikachu observed the Rhyhorn sleeping in the porch and climbed up a tree entering the house without being noticed. He started to sniff the air, trying to locate the item.

Finally, his efforts paid off and he traced the smell, so characteristic of his trainer's girlfriend. He searched under a pillow and there it was. As soon as he grabbed the object, he noticed another thing, something that could be useful. He didn't think twice and took it too, as stealthy as he had entered, Pikachu escaped the house.

He ran for a few minutes until he noticed Noivern sleeping between some trees, both of them were exhausted, but there was no time to waste.

Ash needed them, and they needed the old version of his friend back, as soon as possible.

Confidential information

Contained in a diary

This is my investigation

Not a public inquiry

Talonflame used ember on a pile of logs that Hawlucha gathered deep in the woods, Greninja meanwhile, was helping Ash to recover his strength.

_ Ninja – the Pokemon ordered, handing him a berry –

_ I'm not hungry

_ Nin, nin!

_ I said I'm not hungry, leave me alone! – The Trainer shouted, getting up and leaving the place –

He sought for a refugee between two tree logs, but it was useless. Without Serena, there were no safe place, no happiness, and no home. He tried to think about a solution to his current predicament, but his mind slipped back to the events of the recent past, he couldn't help it.

Five days ago, his friends organized a brigade to find Serena, he gave Officer Jenny all the data he could about the person who attacked the train that morning, but something was wrong…

_ Look Ash – Jenny said – It's not that I don't believe you, but your story; it doesn't make any sense…

_ What do you mean?

_ My team and I checked the wrecked wagon, according to the experts, the blast that caused it to burst into flames was caused by a clash between two attacks: A thunderbolt and a psybeam.

_ But, the attacker, he… - Ash stopped mid-track, he really didn't wanted to mention it's name – He was there!

_ I don't know what to say to you Ash

_ What about Team Rocket?

_ They're being held in custody, the three members are badly injured, even worse than you, I dare to say. We know that the psybeam involved in the accident came from an Inkay, one of their Pokemon, they also seem to be very convinced about the same story that you told me, about the mysterious thief and how he vanished into thin air

_ It's not a story, Officer Jenny, it's real!

_ Then I'm gonna need at least another clue, a feature, a name, anything to start the investigation, Ash…

The trainer gritted his teeth, defeated, he exclaimed:

_ His name is… Calem.

I go checking out the reports

Digging up the dirt

You get to meet all sorts

In this line of work

Noivern descended slowly between the woods, Pikachu had fallen asleep, Serena's diary slipping from its paws. The flying Pokemon grabbed it and put it under one of wings, while trying to resume flight. He also noticed Serena's cell phone, so he did the same. However, his balance was not very good due to holding the objects.

Quickly, he grabbed some big leafs and wrapped the two items, putting them into his mouth, then, he carefully placed Pikachu in his back, and started to fly again.

The sound wave Pokemon had the images of four days ago still fresh in his mind. He knew Ash and his girlfriend were on a journey and they were gonna be away for a few days more. Despite the absence of his loyal Trainer, he enjoyed the way Bonnie was treating him and the rest of the couple's Pokemon.

Suddenly one morning, he and his partners were called out from his poke balls to contemplate something worrying. Ash was lying in a hospital bed, his body really damaged and his eyes darker than usual. Something was missing, or rather, someone.

That day, Ash has asked for a moment with all of his Pokemon

_ It's over guys, I don't know what to do, I can barely move, I have no idea where Serena is, I… - he broke into tears – I don't know what to do!

_ Lucha! Hawlucha! – The wrestling Pokemon intervened, pleading him to not give up until the very end –

_ What I do next then?

_ You better stay in that bed, young man… And away from my daughter – a woman said, asking the Pokemon to leave her and Ash alone –

The creatures looked with distrust at the women, but obeyed

Noivern stopped to remember suddenly. The signal was there, a fire between the woods; he descended quickly, as his spirit started to flame again with the desire of saving Serena

The treachery and treason

There's always an excuse for it

And when I find a reason

I can't get used to it

The echoes of the police sirens still reverberated throughout Lumiose City empty streets, Officer Jenny was frustrated, three days ago, a Trainer, Ash Ketchum, prime suspect on the attack of the Western Express, was missing from the hospital, alongside all of his Pokemon.

Prime suspect according to who? Naturally, according to Serena's mother, who was in the car with the Pokemon Officer in that precise moment.

Grace remembered for the umpteenth time the warning she had give to that rookie Pokemon Trainer a few hours before his disappearance.

_ Seriously. Stay away from my daughter

_ And why I would do that?

_ Because I got your records, you know? – Grace said, displaying a series of pictures took in different Regions, all with a common factor –

Ash Ketchum was in all of them

_ You faced countless danger, fought against several crime organizations, you stood up to Legendary Pokemon like Latias, Regigigas and even Giratina!

_ And?

_ You seriously have to ask? I don't want that kind of life for my daughter! I want her to be safe!

_ She's safe with me!

_ Then why she's missing?

At the question, Ash froze entirely and Grace continued:

_ I knew there was something wrong with you as soon as Serena started to obsess with that boy from Summer Camp, she imagined you, she wrote about you in her diary, she tried to pretend she was fine, but she wasn't, she was constantly thinking about you! One day, I thought she was over you, she even got herself a boyfriend, he replaced the illusion of meeting you, and everything was fine…

_ Calem, right?

_ Right. However, she never told me why, but she left him, and then you appeared again! I'm glad you helped her in this journey of her, but if you think I'm gonna let…

_ I'll do it

_ What?

_ Once Serena is found, I'll leave this place if that is what you want.

_ I repeat you, all I want for her is to be safe – grace said, as she got out of the room –

Hours later, she regretted that decision, Ash was nowhere to be found, and she was convinced he was keeping Serena somewhere, somehow.

After all, if he wasn't the responsible for this nightmare, then who was it?

And what have you got

At the end of the day?

What have you got

To take away?

Serena tried to move again, but to no avail, Alakazam's telekinetic powers were stronger as ever, and she couldn't even say anything

"Ash, please… find me… save me" – she pleaded in her mind –

Unbeknownst to her, the Psi Pokemon picked up her thoughts and sent them directly to her master

_ I'm counting on it, you know? – Calem declared, sitting in the edge of a rock, right in front Serena, a small candle barely illuminating the place where they were – After all, I've done all of this for him… and for you, of course

_ "What… do you mean" – Serena thought, Alakazam repeated his previous action and Calem laughed –

_ After you left me, (a decision I'm sure you'll regret later), I was lost, I have noweher to go and nothing to do. But someone contacted me, someone who knew of my true potential. I started doing some errands, battling some weak foes, stealing a little bit of this, a little bit of that…

_ "Stealing? Team Rocket contacted you?"

_ Think of something closer, honey… Team Flare, not that bunch of incompetents! Our mission was to reshape Kalos, to make a new, better and more beauty world!

_ "But you lost…"

_ Thank to you and your pathetic boyfriend, yes, we failed. When I found out everything was over, I escape, I didn't want to be associated with a team who failed in his mission, so I started to dig up and I found you

_ "And Ash"

_ Exactly, that pesky little trainer took everything from me! He took my team, my pride, my destiny! And after I saw those team rocket's goons were also involved, I planned my revenge, I stole some Pokemon from the family of one of them, I waited patiently to cross paths with you and Ash again, and then… BOOM!

Serena froze, Calem continued:

_ Luckily for me, all of you were in the same place, which made things extremely easy for me. Anyway, the two of us will wait here for your boyfriend, and once he shows up, I'll do to him the same he did to me! I will take everything from him!

Calem blew up the candle and the whole place went dark, Serena started to cry, but there was no one close to help her.

A bottle of whisky

And a new set of lies

Blinds on the windows

And a pain behind the eyes

Pikachu gathered as much energy as he could and shocked Ash, angry at him

_ Why was that? – He asked, without moving from his place –

_ Pi… Pika pi pika, pika pi, pikachu!

He got up from the log and took Serena's diary, after what Grace said to him, he knew maybe he could find something in it about the place where Calem was keeping his girlfriend. He ordered Pikachu and Noivern to retrieve it, and they did it.

_ Pikachu!

_ I know… - Ash said, looking at Greninja – I was so mad that I lost control earlier, could you forgive me, buddy?

_ Nin... Ninja

All the Pokemon smiled at the sight. The old flame was back in Ash's eyes and, despite he was still injured, he started to walk again, now confident in his destination and with all his friends by its side. Before he could walk one more step, Noivern handed him something else.

_ Is this… Serena's cellphone? The one that the police recover from the wreckage?

_ Pika!

_ What do you want me to do with it?

_ Pi… Pika? – Pikachu said, touching the screen and revealing Clemont's picture –

_ You want me to ask for help?

_ Pika!

_ Sorry buddy, I have to do this by my own… There's no time to waste… We have to save Serena, we cannot wait for anyone else

Knowing that his partner was right, the yellow rodent started to walk with him…

Scarred for life

No compensation

Private…

Investigations

A few hours later, Alakazam detected a presence

_ He's here – Calem assured to Serena – but first…

He looked up and around him; they were in the place where he and Serena had their first date, the place Ash knew they were as soon as he read it on her diary. Calem smiled, it was gonna be a long walk until Ash could reach the deepest corners of Terminus Cave

_ First, he has to find us…

TO BE CONTINUED…