Chapter 2: The Tail of a Thief

A few hours after the historic loss, and the end of the ceremony that ushered in Eugene as the new champion, Joshua had stopped crying, but he still had the residual hiccuping and his eyes were still wet. He vigorously whipped his faces with his hands, trying to get rid of the remaining tears.

Joshua hated the fact that Eugene had won. He was looking forwards to facing Leon in the finals, and now, he didn't even have that. Eugene ruined everything… Joshua thought as Sebastian gave his and Lilac a comforting rub on the back.

The loss had shocked Lilac, but she was as inconsolable as Joshua. Lilac wasn't as crushed as he was because she never wanted to be a trainer. She had always wanted to be a teacher and specialize in teaching history like their mom and dad. So, to her, it was a huge shock, but it wasn't something that affected her dreams.

"Joshua, are you feeling any better? Do you want to call your mum?" Sebastian asked in a tranquil tone. Being too distraught to answer, Joshua just nodded while sniffling and whipping his face. He heard the familiar dialing of the phone and the phone began to ring. Taking the Rotophone from Sebastian, Joshua soon heard a click that let him know it was answered.

"Hello?" a sweet, feminine voice answered on the other end. The voice sounded jovial, but Joshua noticed a hint of fatigue in the voice. Mummy probably had a long day at work… Joshua thought sympathetically. He was now a little hesitant to tell her what happened, since she was probably dealing with something big at her job.

"H-hello, m-m-mummy!" he stuttered as his throat closed up. He cursed himself at being unable to hide his emotions. He didn't want his mom to stress out because he was upset.

"Huh, why's my big, strong boy crying? Are you upset that Leon lost?" she asked.

"N-no, I-I'm not. I-I just-" before he could finish, she began talking.

"Joshua, how many times do I need to tell you? It's okay to be sad about these things. I mean, I still get upset when a character in a show I like dies. I might even cry a little if I'm alone. It's very human to cry when something doesn't go the way you want to or expect." his mother said, her light voice sweeping around him like a comforting breeze.

"I'm not s-sad, I'm just… I'm worried t-that y-your work is t-to stressful," Joshua said, trying to change the subject. He took silent deep breaths in an attempt to control his breathing. As his feelings began to overwhelm him, he wiped his wet eyes, frustrated that he couldn't get himself under control.

"Ah, yes. Exploring the submerged ruins of Unova is tiring work. But, it's also rewarding. In fact, I have a secret that might cheer you up a little. You'd be the first to know besides the research team. Do you want to hear it?" his mom asked, a tease at the end of her voice. Smiling a little, Joshua was able to get better control of his hiccup.

"Y-yes, please."

"We've just got through deciphering some ancient text. The Ultra Beast just come from Alola. In fact, they might not have originally come to Alola. They might have originally come to Unova first. So, the working theory is that the people that were reported to live in the Ultra Space were originally from Unova. We don't have all the pieces yet, but the pictographs suggest that the Ultra Beast they saw were Xurkitree, Guzzlord, and Nihilego. Of course, Nihilego is just a guess because it's a fish with a hook on it. We hypothesis that the people used to catch Frillish or Jellicent in mass while fishing, so that symbol might have something to do with that. If it's true that Ultra Beast first came to Unova, we might want to take a look at Kalos and those statues of Reshiram and Zekrom. Unless the two dragons awoke again between the twins and the scuffle with N and the other two legendary trainers, there should be no reason why Kalos and Unova had contact, seeing as they had no trade routes at the time." the tiredness seem to dissipate from his mother's voice as she gabbed about their new discovery. Of course, Joshua didn't follow all of it, but he got the basics.

"S-so, y-you're going t-to Kalos, next?"

"Yes! Once we are done exploring these ruins, we're heading off to Kalos!" her voice sored with the usual jubilation that she always had after a new discovery. Joshua slightly flinched a little bit as he heard his mom give an excited gasp. "Oh, I nearly forgot to ask you! Can you please give my regards to Professor Sonia? Her discovers about the two princes were a very rare treat, especially since I'm in Unova! Comparing and contrasting how the princes from Unova and Galar have been eye opening and especially revealing. If I wasn't so focused on the origins of the Ultra Beasts, I would love to come back and compare notes with her on the royals' methods of rule. Because the Unova reign ended in utter disaster, but the Galar reign was actually pretty peaceful."

"When I get back from my journey, will you be back?" Joshua's hiccuping and sniffling had finally died down. Although he still felt a little heavy from sadness, he wanted to talk to his mum.

"No, dear… As a mum, I'm disappointed that I keep missing big events in your life. I'm grateful to Raihan for taking you in so you could finish primary school, but I wish I was around for it. I wish I was around for your first Pokemon, and I wish I could be around to see you off as you begin your journey. And now, since we have to stay here to collect more evidence, and then head to Kalos, I won't be back for at least seven months. I know it's unfair to you to have an absent mother."

"No, mum! It's okay! I know that if you were here, you'd cheer me on! I love you dearly mum and I'll never think any less of you if you and daddy aren't here! Raihan takes really good care of me, and Sebastian is the best babysitter, right next to Melissa. You're the best mummy anyone on Earth- no, the universe! You're the best mummy anyone in the whole entire universe can have! So, please, don't worry!"

"Heh, I was supposed to be consoling you, but now you're trying to console me. Thanks, Joshua. I'm sure that you'll do well during the Gym Challenge. Just remember to stay safe."

"Don't worry! My teacher taught me all the basics of survival and I have my Rotophone in case of emergencies. And when I join the Gym Challenge, I'll get the Flying Taxi's number, so I won't ever be alone without a way to get help. I'll be fine."

"Yes, you will, sweetie. I trust in you. Oh, can I talk to Lilac for a minute, please?"

"Sure!" Joshua handed the phone to his little sister who was listening with a small frown. Taking the phone, she began to talk to their mom.

"Do you feel any better?" Sebastian asked, rubbing Joshua's head.

"Yeah, and I have one mission now! I'm going to complete my Gym Challenge and beat that Eugene! No one takes down my idol and gets away with it!" Joshua declared. His red eyes burned brightly with determination. Starting today, he would research all of Joshua's team and create the perfect counter for it.

A week later, Raihan was taking him on the train with his sister to visit Wedgehurst. Joshua was busy looking up information on his Rotophone to see what partner he would want. If he wanted a starter Pokemon, Scorbunny would counter his Rillaboom. Sobble would be great against his Centiscorch, but honestly, Drednaw would be better. Grookey would be good against none of his Pokemon since Dracovish was a Dragon-Type and resisted its attacks. The wise choice would be Scorbunny, and he decided that Scorbunny would be his starter. Putting his phone down, he looked up expectantly at Raihan, who was sitting across from him.

"I've got it! I want a Scorbunny!" Joshua announced. Raihan gave a good-natured, but cautious smile.

"Hmmm, maybe you'll want to be a little open-minded? Not all Pokemon are the same, and this Scrobunny might prove a little too difficult for you to handle. Plus, what if you like Sobble or Grookey more?" Raihan suggested.

"Nuts to that. Scorbunny is the only one that offers me a clear advantage against Eugene! Sobble and Grookey are useless when it comes to fighting his team." Joshua slunk into his chair and grumbled a little. He wanted to beat Eugene no matter what.

"Dreeeee..." Dreepy popped its head through the bag Joshua was carrying, thanks to its Ghost-typing. The bag was a dragon sports bag that Raihan had bought for Joshua as a birthday gift.

"I think Dreepy disagrees with you." Raihan chuckled. "He seemed just about ready to go to his forever home. Am I right, Dreepy?"

Dreepy simply nodded before yawning and flying over to Lilac's lap to sleep. Instinctively, Lilac began to pet the little creature. Giving a little purr, Dreepy closed its pupils to get a little shut eye.

"Hey, Raihan, you never told me what Dreepy is. Does it evolve from Applin?" Joshua inquired.

"Hmmm, does it?" Raihan gave a playful grin. "Ah, you have to learn some things on your journey! It's no fun if I just give you all the answers!"

Rolling his eyes, Joshua just looked at Dreepy to see what he could observe. Its face was shaped like Dragapult, but its body totally could fit inside an apple! Even the tail looked like Applin with those two spikes at the end. Joshua could imagine those leafy eyes turning into an arrow shaped head.

Before Joshua could settle on an answer, the train came to a stop. Dreepy grumbled and levitated off of Lilac's lap and back into Joshua's bag again.

"We have arrived at Wedgehurst. We hope that you've enjoyed the ride and have a great day." the announcer said. As soon as the announcement came on, the people around them were shuffling their luggage from the containers above them. People of all kinds of were coming to visit Wedgehurst. He spotted kids hugging Pokemon like Caterpie and Nincada close. There was a young woman that was holding a rather timid looking Sneasel's paw as she slung her purse over her shoulder. And he even manages to catch a glimpse of a girl with an Eevee riding in a big duffel bag. The Eevee looked around with a weary look, seemingly unsure of its new surroundings.

"It's close to the Star Festival, so everyone is here to spend it with their family. Hey, Raihan, Altair and Vega will be meeting again soon! That means that everyone will get to make a wish!" Lilac exclaimed, before pouting. "Although… it'll be a little lonely since Joshua will already be on his big journey already. Not having mum and dad is one thing… but, not having my big brother around will make it the hardest Star Festival yet..."

"Well, we can do something for it before I leave. Hey, maybe we can make some special treats in the shape of Pokemon before I leave. Would that be okay?" Joshua asked as he got up from his sear. Lilac nodded as she picked up her pink backpack from the ground. It had a generic cute girl with Liepard ears and a Liepard tail, and a magic wand.

The three exited the train, only to be greeted by a scene that Joshua was hoping to avoid. Hop and Eugene had arrived in the town before them, and a crowd had already formed in front of them. As per usual, Eugene was showing off by holding his cap down while pointing to the sky in an over dramatic fashion.

"Wow, Eugene is here in person! We should totally go meet him! Please, can we Raihan? Can we?" Lilac begged as she hopped up and down in excitement.

"Please, why do we need to meet a little showoff. Look, he's just going to lose soon, so he's irrelevant." Joshua grumbled as he tried to walk away. But, he soon noticed that Raihan and Lilac weren't following behind him. Looking back, he spotted Raihan and Lilac were making their way through the crowd to talk to Eugene. Giving a huff of annoyance, Joshua followed after them. Slipping through the people, Joshua made his way to where his family was. To his dismay, they had already reached Eugene.

"Long time no see, Raihan! And you must be his beautiful cousin, Lilac." Eugene said as he put his hands in his pockets. Lilac gave a shy giggle before hiding behind her cousin and peeking out from behind him. Lilac was only a year younger than Eugene, so she didn't expect him to be able to look her in the eye. Usually, her heroes could look over her with relative ease.

"Hey, Eugene! Your battle against Leon was really awe inspiring. You two had me on the edge of my seat as you exchanged blows! If I was up there, I would take a thousand selfies with just how many cool moments you pulled off." Raihan said as his Rotophone floated out in front of him. Its eyes showed it was exasperated with his antics, but the sentient phone seemed to enjoy them none the less. "Right, you should show him the pictures I took of the battle! Thanks, Rotom. You always know just what I want."

"I would love to see them another time, but there's something more important than that? Perhaps, there's a birthday boy who wishes to get his first partner?" Eugene said he glanced over at Joshua. Joshua frowned as he heard Eugene was supposed to give him his first Pokemon. No way in the Ghost World am I accepting a Pokemon from him. Joshua thought.

"Right, Josh, is here for his first Pokemon. Sobble, Grookey, and Scorbunny, right?"

Joshua suddenly didn't want any of those Pokemon. Growing more annoyed with each passing second, Joshua just stood their patiently and tried to hide it. He knew he shouldn't be ungrateful, but still. Joshua took a deep breath and put on a smile. His infant year 1 teacher had said that being sad was just a state of mine and smiling would fix it. Then again, this was also the same teacher who he had overheard tell another teacher that his favorite teacher, Ms. Williams, shouldn't be a teacher because she had depression. So, he didn't know how much he could trust her advice about emotions because he never saw Ms. Williams sad.

"Right, I'm sure he's super excited to get his Pokemon from the new Champion! After all, that match was truly something awe-inspiring. I hope that it got you to see what a real battle is like and inspired you! And I'm sure that you'll enjoy the collection of starter Pokemon I've acquired." Eugene said. Hop just facepalmed as the words exited Eugene's mouth. Joshua's rage finally boiled over, and he had enough of trying to contain his emotions. So, instead, he simply stormed off from where Eugene was, much to the older boy's confusion. He just didn't seem to understand why Joshua wasn't grateful to him. Joshua could hear Hop say something, but he could make it out.

Even though Raihan called out for Joshua to come back, Joshua ignored him and walked through the crowed and headed towards Route 1.

Settling down under a tree, Joshua gave a sigh as he let himself cool off after that huge explosion. The heat of his anger was still radiating inside of him, and he just wanted some space from everyone. He knew that once had cleared his head, he had to go see Raihan and Eugene to apologize to both. He already knew that he acted in an immature manner, but he was just so consumed with his emotions that he couldn't be bothered to stop himself. Joshua turned his head towards the calm blue sky and watched as the fluffy clouds rolled by.

The hot day was filled with the bleating of Wooloo as they grazed nearby. Sharp hooves click against the dirt road as the Wooloo milled about, their only concern being the fresh green grass that grew on the road. Joshua sighed and wished he could be a Wooloo. All they needed was some comfy grass, a clear sky, plenty of space to roam, and they would be happy. The sparsely wooded area was perfect for them, since they had plenty of space to roam. Wooloo were notoriously easy to please and their constant bleating reminded Joshua of something his mom used to say whenever he was upset.

"Let your troubles roll away, like a Wooloo."

Blinking, Joshua decided to watch the Wooloo as they meandered around the road.

Some Wooloo were rolling through the fields of golden hay as a Yamper chased after them without a care in the world, while other grazed without fear or worry. The earthy scent of nature filled the air, and the refreshing scent began to clear Joshua's mind. I did overreact a little… I guess I do owe Eugene an apologize since he didn't know I was a little sore about Leon losing. Joshua thought and let out a sigh.

As he was about to get up, a Nickit with a brown bag dangling loosely from its jaws crossed in front of him and looked at him. The Pokemon's eyes grew wide and is suddenly darted off in the other direction with the sandwich in its mouth.. It took refuge in the tall hay, as it watched him wearily. Joshua kept a close eye on where Nickit was, and made sure that as he got up, he also slowly back away from the frightened Pokemon. He didn't want to spook the Pokemon so bad that it ran away and accidently knocked into another Pokemon. Whenever he startled a Pokemon, he would always walk as far away as possible from it, so it didn't bolt in fear.

It watched him with shifty eyes, trying to size him up from the tall hay. Joshua didn't even bother as he walked away. He wasn't going to disturb it, because a spooked Pokemon could potentially be deadly to itself. Joshua paused as he heard the shuffling from a little down the road. In response, the Nickit completely disappeared into the thick bundle of hay.

"I can't believe that this keeps happening… What is this? The second time this week that Nickit has stolen our food?"

"If mum ever finds out about this, we're going to be in really big trouble…"

"Mum is already annoyed that we're hanging out with the supposed 'town thief', as she calls her. She'll blow her lid if she finds out we keep losing our lunch to the same "town thief" ..."

Turing his attention towards the voice, Joshua spotted three kids, two boys and one girl, that seemed to be in second year junior, walking down the desolate road. The girl had on a pretty pink pleated dress while the boys were dressed in a brown shirt and overalls. All three were covered in some form of dirt and muck.

I wonder if that Nickit I saw was the one who took their sandwiches. If so, I should probably help them. Joshua thought as he walked over to the kids.

"Hey, I just saw a Nickit with a sandwich earlier. Is that the thief you were talking about?" Joshua called out, making the kids stop and their tracks and look towards Joshua.

"Yeah, that's Nickit alright! It has been causing a ton of problems lately. People used to feed it, and it even used to be a part of our group, but now it's gone rogue… It steals our sandwiches and avoids us whenever we try to get close." one of the boys explained.

"Group?" Joshua echoed.

"Yeah! We belonged to a secret group where us and a group of wild Pokemon patrol the area, stopping bad guys from entering! Eugene used to lead us, but he left to go become Champion," the girl said.

"So, when did this behavior start?" Joshua inquired.

"When Eugene left, Nickit began to steal things that didn't belong to it. We tried to stop it, but it avoided us and began to steal our food too. Although, Nickit wasn't close to Eugene, so this change seems a little weird. Thinking back on it, even before Eugene left, it seemed a little skittish around the other wild Pokemon and would often use Quick Attack on them if they got too close." the other boy said.

Hmmm… So, it started a little over six months ago? Well, since I'm here, I might as well help as a way to clear my own mind. Now, when solving a mystery, you're supposed to rule out the impossible. I can rule out Eugene's leaving being a cause since the problems were already manifesting. But, I can't rule out that his presence was preventing the problem from getting worse. Next step should be to gather eyewitness accounts. So, that means asking around town. Joshua nodded towards the kids as he decided on the next course of action.

"Right, let's see what other people have to say. And then we'll form a hypothesis and check to see if it's right."

The second boy gasped in delight at the word 'hypothesis'. An ear-to-ear smile stretched across his face.

"Oh! I know what a hypothesis is! We're currently using one for our science project! So, we're expects in that already!" the second boy proclaimed proudly. Joshua couldn't help but be infected by his delight and gave a rather boyish smile. "But, can you even use hypothesizes outside of science?"

"Yes, it's common to have a hypothesis in things like, um, law! A working hypothesis always narrows down the options. But, before we can make one, we need to talk to the other people in the village. Gathering eyewitness accounts is very important."

Right, here's one time my obsession with the telly actually might pay off. I'll solve this case like how Detective Sherlock Holmes, or Kogoro Akechi solve their cases with the Baker Street Irregulars or the Boy Detective Club. Joshua began to walk towards Postwick with a smug smile. And mum said that the telly was a waste of time and I should reduce my screen time.

The little children scuttled behind him as they strolled down the road. As they walked down the road, there were no wild Pokemon around that Joshua could spot.

Most of the time, the wild Pokemon didn't take this path. The amount of human foot traffic and the lack of food or shelter made it an unideal spot for Wild Pokemon. Occasionally they would drift over to the road, but that was usually an accident, or they were looking for something that a human drop. Either way, the Pokemon would soon find themselves back in the undergrowth.

Within ten minutes, the group of children reached the small town of Postwick. What greeted Joshua was a scene of Wooloo rolling all over the place. No wonder Hop's first Pokemon was a Wooloo! This place is absolutely flooded with them. Joshua thought as two Wooloo bumped into each other and rolled away in separate directions. A sea of Wooloo blanketed the small town as they meandered around. Some were walking, while other paused to graze on the luscious grass.

The town itself was only made up of a few houses and a rickety old inn. From the entrance, Joshua could see no nearby stores, so he assumed that they were at the city's square. It would make sense, seeing as that's where the most people would congregate in small towns like these.

"We should go see Ms. Savage. She might know something since Nickit visited her house every day and used to sleep under it." the girl offered. Before any of the boys could offer a rebuttal, she began to walk further into town. Suppressing a sigh, Joshua and the other two boys followed after her.

"Since we're going to be working together to solve this mystery, I should know your names, at the very least." Joshua said.

"I'm Stacey!" the girl answered.

"Billy Bob!" the little boy with messy hair said.

"And I'm Greg!" the other boy announced.

"Along with Nickit, and Skwovet, we'd make The Quirky Quintet!" Greg said.

"Quirky, huh? That's a big word..." Joshua said as he continued to follow the girl. "Oh, by the way, the name is Joshua."

"It's nice to meet you, Joshua! And our dad taught us that 'quirky' means unique, so we decided to use it!" Stacey exclaimed.

Oh, so that's what that word meant. I had heard it, but I was always too lazy to look it up.

They soon came to a white picket fence where a sign that read 'Beware of unleashed Pokemon' hung on the gate. Undeterred, Billy Bob open the gate and walked into the yard, with his two siblings following behind him. Hesitating for moment, Joshua soon decided to follow after them since they possibly knew the person who lived here.

The group walked over to a middle-aged lady who was tending to a flowerbed of petunias and daffodils. The lady glanced up at the group and gave a welcoming smile.

"Hey, it's terrible trio! What can I do for ya today?" she asked as she placed her gardening tools down. As she looked up fully from her work, her eyes rested on Joshua. "Oh, it seems you dragged another kid into your mess. Is this the Affray that the towns' people have been making such a big fuss about?"

"No, we haven't even seen Affray yet, Ms. Savage. This boy is named Joshua and he's trying to help us figure out why Nickit keeps stealing!" Greg explained.

"Ah, that little rascal has been causing all sorts of trouble lately! The adults have had it up to here with the little thief, and I wouldn't be surprise if they decided to re-home it to the Wild Area," Ms. Savage said. The little kids' faces began to grow red as they balled up their fist.

"That's not true," Billy Bob yelled. He glared at the ground as he tried to contain his emotions. "Nickit is innocent, and Joshua is going to prove it!"

"Yeah, he'll find out why Nickit is behaving so badly! Then we'll show the adults that Nickit is just fine here!" Stacey declared.

"Right, we believe in Nickit! If something is wrong, then something must have happened to make it change! We're going to prove Nickit is a good Pokemon!" Greg said.

This is more dire than I thought. If I don't do something soon, these three might lose Nickit. Joshua gave the trio a look of pity. I suspect that Nickit is just preparing for evolution, and if it is, the adults might know more and should do what they see is right with Nickit. But, if there is an actual problem, the adults might be too busy to see something is wrong.

"Ms. Savage, did anything different happen about six months ago? The Quirky Quintet say that Nickit slept under your house, so I was wondering if you noticed something. It doesn't have to be something big, or even seemingly connected." Joshua inquired.

"Well, yeah. Eight months ago, my prized Wooloo evolved and seven months ago, I sold the three offspring she had with a roving Linoone. My Dubwool is a prized Pokemon who has won may festivals thanks to her soft wool and huge size. Her pedigree is worth a hefty quid, and people would pay good money for children of pedigree with good parentage. But, those offspring were next to worthless to me, so I gave them away to lonely Mr. Barker. I thought that having some company would make him a little less sad." Ms. Savage said.

Joshua blinked in genuine surprise. He had never heard something so callous come out of a person's mouth. Nor had he ever heard newborn Pokemon being called worthless. Where he came from, Pokemon all had some sort of worth. But, it seemed as if the Wooloo also had some worth. Even though Ms. Savage's words were cruel, her intentions were pure. She had tried to alleviate the loneliness of a neighbor.

"Okay… so, what about Nickit? Did you notice anything strange?" Joshua asked.

Ms. Savage thought for a minute before she nodded. "Yes, I actually did! When I sent the Wooloo away, Nickit became more reluctant to come into my yard. Which is understandable. My Dubwool was wreaking havoc all over the yard. But, the next month, she calmed down significantly, and the Nickit would only sneak in when she was asleep. I guess to sleep."

"Nickit was acting skittish a little after Wooloo evolved. During patrols, she would run off occasionally and joined back up near the end. Do you think that there's something there?" Stacey asked.

"As my hero from Case Study always says, 'correlation does not equal causation'! It means-" Greg cut Joshua off.

"It means that just because things seem connected doesn't mean they are!" as his siblings and Joshua began to stare at him, Greg blushed and twiddled his fingers. "Sorry, but I just love to watch Case Study! It teaches me so much about how wonderful Pokemon are!"

"Right, well, that's exactly what that means. So, we need to investigate this some more. Let see if we can gather any information on the situation by questioning those who it stole from." Joshua said.

"Alright, but I don't think it'll do you any good. It's probably just close to evolving and is deciding to go feral. Only a good trainer can help the poor soul if it wants to live close to humans. Otherwise, it needs to go back to the Wild Area to live." Ms. Savage remarked, going back to her gardening.

Stacey, Billy Bob, and Greg gave each other a determined look and walked off. Joshua followed after them. Adults really are clueless sometimes. They see everything as a threat and only one way, even when there are more ways to look at anything. Without even bothering to confirm their theories, they think they know everything. Well, I'll show them that they don't know everything. Something changed, and this is causing Nickit to act out. I'm sure of it now. Joshua found his conviction to find out what actually happened.

The group passed by a Breeder who was busy shoveling some hay. Looking out of the corner of his eyes, he turned and smiled at the kids. "Hey," he called, "what'cha three doing today?"

"Oh, Claude, we're trying to find people who Nickit stole from to see when it started and if they noticed something." Billy Bob answered.

"Now, that's some dedication and love for Pokemon. You three never cease to amaze me. But, just so you know, that mate nicked some berries from me seven months ago. I was given' it to my Linoone who just had a cluster of eggs hatch, and Nickit right and stole it from me. I didn't mind though 'cause she was lookin' mighty thin. I thought she got a clutch of her own, so I let it slide. Pokemon mothers always look for the good stuff when their young'uns are just born." Claude said.

"Now that I think about it, she was hanging out with that Arcanine who visited for about a week with its trainer. They were near inseparable and she would skip patrolling to hang out with him and walk around town." Stacey said.

"Let's see… so we theorize she might have a clutch, huh? I think we have enough for a hypothesis." Joshua said. "I hypothesize that Nickit was stealing the food for her litter. Her being so thin was proof that she was struggling to eat at the same time. Earlier in that time frame, she met an Arcanine that seemed to like to play with. But, we're still missing a vital piece of information. Why was Nickit acting weird around Dubwool?"

"Ah, Skwovet might know! He is Nickit's best friend and is always the first one to run to her aid! Plus, he's the one who was supposed to fetch her when it was time to patrol the area!" Billy Bob offered.

"Alright, let's go see what he has to say. We should hopefully get a complete answer after that." Joshua said as the trio lead him down the path, waving goodbye to Claude. They continued onto an abandoned barn deep within the town where wild Pokemon took refuge. A group of Wooloo milled about, as per usual in this town, a few Nickit played with a stick, while Blipbug luxuriated on the barn roof, and a Purrloin laid about, taking in the sun. No one seemed lived around here, so it made sense why Pokemon would want to take up residency here.

As the children arrived, the wild Pokemon seemed to notice their presence, but they continued to longue about without a care in the world. Instead, they continued to mill about, and some Purrloin even gave a little greeting to the trio by waving their tails slowly.

The trio stopped in front of the tree and Billy Bob cupped his hands over his mouth before yelling. "Hey, Skwovet, we need you!" he shouted, startling a family of Rookidee and causing them to flutter out of the tree. Their heavy wing beats filled the air as they moved to a nearby tree. Joshua noticed one hovering above the group, but he didn't think much of it.

For a moment, there was no answer, but soon, a cute little Skwovet popped its head out of the tree.

"Skwo?" it asked as it jumped from one limb to a lower limb and cupped its swollen cheeks cutely.

"We want to know why Nickit has been acting so strange. Do you know anything?" Stacey asked.

"Vet! Skwo!" it cried as it leaped from the tree and landed in front of the trio and Joshua. It briefly tilted his head at Joshua. It seemed to be in a little bit of a daze as it smiled at him cutely. But, it soon widened its eyes as if it realized something, squeaked, and rushed off.

It seems a little slow on the uptake… I wonder if we can really trust thing… Joshua noted as he broke into a heavy jog to follow after it. The trio also raced behind him to follow their friend

They rushed back down the path, passed Claude, and all the way back to Ms. Savage's yard. Without skipping a beat, Skwovet dashed passed the gate and made a sharp turn to go further back in her garden.

Screeching to a sudden halt, the little Pokemon stopped in front of a rotten fence pane. The pane was slanted, and it created a hole big enough for a small Pokemon like Nickit to enter. Lifting the fence pane with its paw, the rodent shoved itself through the hole, easily slipping through the gap.

As three friends and Joshua caught up, they stopped in front of the fence to catch their breath. Joshua's legs wobbled underneath him, and he leaned up against the white fence to catch his breath. Every inch of his body felt like it was burning, and his chest felt like it was going to give in on him. Placing his shaky hands on his pounding chest, he tried to steady his breathing, which only made his mouth feel as if he had just swallowed some sand. The trio weren't in any better shape, and they also were paused, trying to catch their breath.

Skwovet poked its head out of the fence in confusion, seemingly wonder what was taking them so long. It tilted its head, and just as it was about to say something, a low roar shook the air. Everyone froze as the sound sent a primal shock of fear through them.

"Woooooo!" it cried again. Skwovet's fur arched and its ears became erect as even the dim-witted creature had enough instinct to be afraid.

In a sudden flurry of panic, the little creature scrambled out of the hole. It tripped onto the ground as it placed its tail over its face and used its paws to cover its eyes. A loud, dull thud emitted from the paling as a very solid Pokemon hit it, and the children screamed as it dislodged tiny wooden shards from the fence.

"Woooo!" the Pokemon cried again, headbutting the wood and causing the rotten pane to tumble to the ground with a low thump. Through the hole, a Dubwool was lowering its head, and bleating threateningly as it slowly shook its head. Raking its hoof against the ground, it prepared to charge forward again.

Joshua lost all feeling of tiredness, as he quickly focused on finding a way out of this situation before the Dubwool came charging through the whole fence. Scanning the area, he decided that the nearby trees were their best escape route, since the vegetation would slow the charging Dubwool down. As he prepared to bolt into the wooded area, he noticed the kids were frozen in place. Their eyes were glued to the fence, and they were shivering.

"Come on! Head for the trees!" Joshua ordered, startling the kids out of their daze. Without having to be told a second time, the trio dashed into the safety of the trees as the fence creaked under the weight of the beast bowling into it again. Joshua made sure the kids were far enough away before he grabbed the cowering Skwovet. As the beast slammed itself against the wooden paling again, Joshua rushed off, leaving the crazed Pokemon behind.

The beast let out one last bellow before everything quieted down. Joshua stopped his mad dash when he was sure that the beast had calmed down from its frenzy. Slowing down to a light jaunt, Joshua found the children sitting next to a tree, rather winded from their second run.

"Skwovet, why did you take us to Dubwool? Does Dubwool have something to do with Nickit?" Greg asked. With a nod, Skwovet shimmied out of Joshua hands and waddled close to the kids with a serious look on his face. Meanwhile, Joshua leaned against a tree to steady himself after such a scare. He had no idea that Dubwool could be so fierce!

"Vet!" Skwovet cried as it puffed its fur up, giving it a rather fluffy appearance. Joshua blinked, and unsure of what the Pokemon was doing, but the children seemed to know. They seemed to concentrate on the Skovet.

"Dubwool!" Stacey guessed, getting an affirmative nod from Skwovet. Ah, they're using charades to communicate. That make sense. Joshua deduced as he watched. With a twitchy, jerky movement, Skwovet picked up a stick, quickly checking both directions, before diving into a nearby bramble. Poking its head of the vegetation, it looked over at the kids expectantly. Joshua narrowed his eyes in confusion as he tried to guess what it was, but Billy Bob beat him to it.

"Steal?" Billy Bob offered, with Skwovet giving another nod. Hopping out of the undergrowth, Skwovet stood on four legs and turned its ears to the side before slowly creeping forward. It slowly swept its tail across the ground, kicking a huge cloud of dirt up.

"Nickit!" the children all called out. The kids seemed to have a delighted face, maybe because they already knew what this certain action meant. Skwovet squeaked in joy and bounced up and down, celebrating the kids' victory. Standing straight up, Skwovet placed his paws over his head and swept his tail inward. To Joshua, he looked sort of like he was imitating the sun, but if that was the case, Joshua figured that it was place its tail along its back.

"Circle?" Stacey predicted. Skwovet rapidly shook its head.

"Ummm, berry!" Billy Bob called out. Again, Skwovet shook it head.

"Maybe he wants us to catch Dubwool, since he's imitating a Pokeball?" Greg suggested, only for Skwovet to squeak in annoyance. Sighing in disaster, Skovet tried a different approach. It slowly opened its paws and poked its head out with wide eyes, while clutching onto its own tail. Joshua couldn't help but think how cute it was. Putting the fact, it had apparently come out of something, and was looking cute, Joshua assumed that it was pretending to be a baby Pokemon. Which meant, the previous word had to be the thing newborn Pokemon came from.

"Egg?" Joshua guessed, and Skwovet vigorously nodded. "Wait, so Dubwool stole Nickit's eggs?!"

"That must be why Dubwool was so aggressive and why it didn't want us in the yard. It must be hiding Nickit's baby. We've got to save them!" Greg blurted out. Joshua had calmed down a little and surveyed the kids. Even thought they were still tired from all that running; they all had a determined look in their eyes. Since he was the oldest among them, not by much, he was the one responsible for helping them.

"Alright, I think I've got a-" before Joshua could even finish getting the words out of his mouth, a screech of pain erupted from where they came. A heartbeat afterwards, the Dubwool gave its now infamous charging bleat and a woman screaming in shock.

Addition tidbit: The Star Festival is here because the tale of Jirachi is so prevalent in this universe. Due to Jirachi's presence in the universe, the festival honoring the love story of Vega and Altair was easier to adapt into multiple cultures. And as such, the Star Festival is a much bigger deal in this universe than ours. Which is why Galar, a region based off Europe, celebrates a festival that is only really in Asia. In Galar, it is celebrated on July 7, which is a little after the opening ceremonies.