Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon

I'm not very good at writing emotional moments but I hope this chapter isn't too...can't think of a word for bad drama.

When Logan returned he wasn't shocked to see the old man gone and he didn't feel as disappointed as when Haru left. He tried a new training: have Litten use Growl, switch to Rattata to use Tail Whip, and Stomp from Mudbray finishing the wild Pokémon, usually a Mankey, in one move.

Logan liked all three of his Pokémon getting stronger against just one singular kind of Pokémon but he only got to challenge two before his first two Pokémon were low on health and close to fainting, so he dashed back to the PokéCenter.

At last—three trips back and forth from the glades of grass to the PokéCenter, Logan finally trekked away hoping to be in Route 4 at night.

He had a good head; too bad he couldn't foresee he would be assaulted and robbed right when he was about to finally leave. They came in from the side, slugged him with a right hook to his right cheek, grabbed his now festooned with stickers belt where he kept his PokéBalls and other supplies until the belt was just a vestige outline across his torso. He saw the person turn the other way and run straight getting as fast as he could away.

His brown hair reached all the way down from his cranium to his back, he had the most beguiling black trench coat that made a glossy Mightyena's coat look as grubby as Lickitung's tongue, and he ran in blue jeans and Hansen boots.

Logan let him escape with his belt for now. He didn't want to go after a thief recklessly without any Pokémon to back him up. He found out he was missing Rattata's PokéBall. As for Litten and Mudbray, they were both safe but he didn't know how much help Mudbray would be facing a human...he trembled just at the sight of a Mankey, yet used Stomp nonetheless when he was ordered to.

"Litten, Mudbray, come on out!"

His metallic balls made a metallic sound showing they still worked releasing his courageous starter and his not-so-courageous third Pokémon. He had a plan and they needed to hear it—it was also important he tell them outside their PokéBalls so they wouldn't be taken away as easily as Rattata was. Litten sniffed the ground while Mudbray did his best to look at his trainer despite shaking a little in his legs.

"The bad news is Rattata was taken from me and also from our group. The good news is we are close to a police station so maybe we can—"

Litten already didn't seem like he was paying attention to what his trainer was saying and now he scurried between Logan's legs leaving Logan with an addled brain. He turned around, his tiny four pawed partner was already gone. Logan stared out in the distance before letting out one curse:

"Litten you furball!"

Mudbray trembled seeing how angry his trainer had gotten.

Logan huffed. It was only after he kicked the dirt in rage did he start to find some clarity in this.

"Litten is going after the thief! Maybe the police can use a flying Pokémon to—"

Once again, Logan's Pokémon, Mudbray this time, ran down the road sweating like a Miltank rushing to a grass field. Just like that Logan had to deal with the conundrum of chasing after his two fleeing companions or return to town, without a single Pokémon to protect him, and tell the police what he just found.

This decision was wavering inside his mind, he could almost visualize how he'd go about doing them, and in the end he did a few squats before dashing after Mudbray.

Catching up to Mudbray was pretty easy, it was almost like he was only running on left hooves, but even when he caught up to Mudbray being the reason why he didn't go to the police...he just decided to be more gutso and find the thief himself...or at least he could find Litten and formulate a plan on getting back Rattata.

Until now it seemed Litten and Rattata had boundless amount of energy and stamina but catching up to Litten wasn't so hard mainly because Litten was jumping left and right going all over the road. When he eventually caught up, skipping a little with glee, he picked up Litten by her belly, but squirmed out of his hands and traced back to Logan's shoulder.

"Litten!" He flinched hearing his trainer roared so loud it made him tremble. "DON'T-YOU-EVER-RUN-AWAY-LIKE-THAT-AGAIN!"

Once Litten was trickling tears of being scared and sorry he felt very small "claws" dig into his left ear.

"You'll always be my friend but don't you ever scare me like that, I was worried."

"Liitnn." Litten purred.

"Now, let's go out there and find Rattata together."

Logan picked Litten up and placed him slowly back on the ground. After a gentle kick in the shin he started whiffing the dirt trying to find the thief's scent. And then—he did a happy jump as if to tell Logan to run, so he did and together they reached a new area:

They found what looked like a wooden dais someone would run for president would use instilled to a rock cliff. And there was the thief climbing above that dais with Logan's belt strapped to his right thigh. Seeing this, him using something stolen for something so devious, it made Logan mad.

"Thief...I'm going to take back what's mine!"