Chapter 38
It was another sunny, cheerful day as Owen and I made our way to Fuscia City. Owen let Poliwag out of his pokeball and let him sit up on his shoulder. The tiny pokemon looked around astounded by the wonders of the atmosphere of the blank, dirt trail that we walked on.
Suddenly, ending our peaceful and quiet stroll along the path, a young trainer was on his hands and knees sobbing as the dirt from the road covered his clothes.
"Are you all right?" I asked the young boy as he began to collect himself to his feet that were bare.
"A big bully stole all my badges," he whaled.
"What?!" I gasped in shock. "What kind of jerk would do that!?"
"He bet that he could win against me for all my badges, and he did," the boy started to calm down but still had trouble getting his words out through the continuous tears rolling down his filthy cheeks.
"Well, first off, I don't think you should have agreed to that bet," I told the little boy sternly, and he nodded his head in agreement and shame.
"What did the guy look like?" Owen asked while petting Poliwag's head.
"No worries everyone!" a sudden voice said from behind. We all turned around swiftly to see a teenage boy standing on a tall rock. The sun shined from behind him making him look like a glorious hero. But he looked like a total nerd, he wore a lime green T-shirt and jeans. The thing that was the most odd about him wasn't the fact that he had a random camera hanging around his neck, but it was the fact that he had a dark blue tie wrapped around his forehead.
"Who are you?" I asked raising a brow and tried not bursting out in laughter at the sight of the strange boy.
"I am Theodore Ace! Wherever there is an unsolved mystery, Ace is on the case!" he exclaimed proudly then leaped down from the tall rock. "Now where precisely did the stranger steal the badges? What time of day was it at? Do you just happen to know his blood type!?" the boy interrogated, asking the questions rapidly one after another.
The little boy whimpered in fear.
"Listen, 'Ace', you aren't ganna get any answers out of the kid if you petrify him," I said gently pushing the wanna-bee detective out of my way.
"Nothing is going to get done if we don't start asking MORE questions!" Ace emphasized.
"Don't worry, we'll help you," I assured the boy and placed my hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "What's your name?"
"Marcus," the boy sniffled.
"Marcus, it is my job as a junior detective and volunteer assistant to the assistant of the assistant's assistant at the official pokemon court, to solve this mystery!" Ace said profoundly.
When all of us heard the sound of an engine we turned our heads to see an Officer Jenny driving in a police van. She looked serious and solemn as she grew near. A loud screech echoed through out as the police officer slammed on the brakes.
"What's all this gathering for? Move it along people! Don't cause traffic in the roads! SOME people are in a hurry and trying to get through!" she ordered at us sternly with the window rolled down.
"We're sorry Officer Jenny, but someone stole this boy's badges," I explained to her.
"What!?" she gasped. "That is just terrible! I am so sorry for alarming you all with my unnecessary shouting!" she apologized as she hopped out of the large, white van.
"No need for extra assistance since Ace is here!" Ace continued to speak in third person, sounding like an idiot.
"This is a matter for the police! Not some over confident teenage boy with a tie around his head!" she told him without caring that she could've hurt his feelings.
The boy frowned.
"Everyone get in the van and we'll find this thief!" Officer Jenny guaranteed us. We all climbed into the van one by one with Marcus sitting in the front seat, wiping away the dirt and tears from his face. He finally stopped crying once Officer Jenny arrived.
All of the sudden, Officer Jenny stepped onto the gas pedal with great force causing all of our backs to get glued to the back of our seats. We all searched for any walking civilian that could be the badge thief. The surroundings of the outdoors flew by as we continued to drive quickly on the dirt road. Without any warning, the earth bellow gave out and the back half of the van fell into a giant pot hole. We all screamed as the sudden accident occurred and steam from the car engine floated out from under the hood.
"Everyone get out quickly!" Officer Jenny commanded.
When we all got out of the van safely then stood around and starred at the damage, not knowing what to do. The badge stealer was out on the loose with that kid's badges and could get away with it! I couldn't stand the thought of that.
"I need a tow truck and back up out here on Route 17, stat!" Officer Jenny yelled clearly into her walky-talky. "I'm sorry everyone but it might be a while until we get a ride into town," she broke the news to us then we all moaned in frustration.
"Hmmm…" Ace thought to himself as he knelt down and examined the hole that the van had fallen into. "This hole is far too big to have been created by Mother Nature herself!" Ace proclaimed.
"Who would waste their time to make a stupid hole?" I asked.
"Someone trying to catch something, or trying to stop someone," Owen guessed.
"Looks like it worked too!" a mysterious and surprising voice said from behind. We all turned around to see a chubby teenage boy with green, long, spiky hair that dangled in front of his round face. He wore a dark blue hoodie khaki, cargo shorts.
"He's the bully that stole my badges!" Marcus cried.
"I demand you to give these little boy's badges back right this instant!" Officer Jenny ordered.
"No can do!" the thief refused.
"I am a police officer and I am telling you to give the badges back!" Officer Jenny shouted getting aggervated.
"No way! I won these badges with skill!" the young criminal boasted.
"Skill of breaking the law!" Officer Jenny remarked.
"Burnnnn!" Owen added in jokingly.
"You'll have to win them from me in a pokemon battle!" he challenged with a confident smirk.
"No problem!" I stepped forward.
"I was thinking more of a real challenge, like that guy!" he said ignorantly and pointed at Owen.
"I'LL SHOW YOUR SEXEST FAT ASS THAT GIRLS CAN BATTLE JUST AS GOOD AS GUYS CAN!!!" I admonished and screamed extremly angry. How dare he turn me down because I'm a girl!
"Go Nidorino!" the evil boy chucked a pokeball that contained a large, purple pokemon that looked like a rat with a long, poisonous horn on its forehead.
"Go Charmander!" I threw his pokeball out in between us and he popped out with a determined and fiery look just like the one I had.
"Go Growlithe!" Officer Jenny then tossed a pokeball with a Growilthe in it that looked almost like mine.
"Want to battle Poliwag?" Owen asked his small, water pokemon. The little toddler, pokemon squealed in excitement then launched off Owen's shoulder and landed next to Charmander and the Growlithe ready to battle.
"Three against one is not fair!" the boy complained.
"If you aren't ganna play by the rules," Owen started.
"Neither are we!" I finished and made a fist with my hand.
"Like I care, I'm still not giving back the badges I won!" the bully decreed.
"Charmander flamethrower!" I told him.
"Growlithe fire spin!" Officer Jenny pointed at the target confidently.
"Poliwag bubblebeam!" Owen shouted.
All at once, the three attacks swirled into one rope-like band and hit the theif and his Nidorino with great force making them both shreik for mercy. His clothes turned charcoal black from the instant heat from the two fire attacks then the combination of the water cooled it down but still created a painful strike.
The badge bully and his Nidorino turn and ran away in fear and tossed a random bag up into the air. As they ran off into the distance whalling for their mommies, Marcus slowly yet happily walked over to the fallen bag that sat plump on the dirt ground. He picked up the bag taking his time untying the knot that pulled the cloth together. Marcus's eyes widened and glistened brightly at the sight of the badges that sat in the grey-green fabric. He snuggled the eight badges up against his chin and closed his eyes grateful that he had gotten them back after all the hard work he had accomplished to get them.
"Look they're all here!" the boy turned with a tear of joy running down his cheek.
"That's great Marcus!" I smiled.
"I'd just like to thank everyone for helping me get them back! I worked so hard to get them!" Marcus explained and thanked us.
"No problem, just make sure you don't run into that boy again, Marcus," Officer Jenny joked.
"Anytime!" I assured him giving him a friendly wink.
"Now let me just take these in for a few finger print tests and them maybe I could…" Ace stole the bag from the boy's hands and examined them with a magnifine glass.
"Well, I'm pretty sure he won't be stealing badges ever again!" I interrupted and gave surety as I took the bag away from Ace and handed them back to Marcus.
A sudden beep from Officer Jenny's pager made us jump in sudden shock of the noise.
"Sorry everyone, that's my pager and I must be going, there's been an accident in town!" Officer Jenny scratched her forehead from the hassle and then in the nick of time the tow truck showed up and hauled Officer Jenny and the broken van away.
"Hey, where did Ace go?" I asked looking around for him.
"Were you hoping he'd tag along?" Owen chuckled.
"Heck no, that kid was weird!" I pulled back in disgust.
"Well I'm ganna head the other way and visit my grandma in the town near by," Marcus said and started our good-byes.
"I hope to see you in the Pokemon League," I told him.
"Don't give up Kylie, I know you can collect all your badges in time for the competition!" he reassured.
"Um, thanks," my spirit sunk when I thought about the fact that a little ten year old boy had already collected all his badges, and I only have five.
"See ya!" Marcus turned and waved.
"Bye!" Owen and I began walking the other way and waved back.
So I did learn one thing today, no matter what age, shape, or size, you can always do anything imaginable.