Chapter 3: Hikui, the master thief.

It was late in the night. Everything was quiet in Baram Town, only the wind blew and made the wheels of the houses spin softly.

The past remaining day Valdis was exploring the town, checking for potential victims. There was an retirement home, but it was constantly under surveillance, and Valdis was not successful finding Pokémon with handicaps living in this town.

She also thought about raiding the Adventurer Guild that rejected her. They seemed to have much wealth. But after interviewing some town folks, it did not seemed to be a bright idea. There was only one entrance, that was hard to break open for only one Pokémon, and even if she managed to get in, she had to deal with 21 angry adventurer at the same time. Thinking what happened when she dealt with just one, it would not look good for her.

After some researching she decided to start with one certain house. A Wihsmur, living by himself in a small house outside of Baram Town. He seemed to be a shy guy with a moderate income. A good start for her.

Vadlis approached his windmill like house and hid behind a bush, checking if other Pokémon were around. This was not the case.

She rushed to the door and pressed her ear against it. Not a sound to be heard. Except ... that Wihsmur sure was a loud snorer.

Now whas the time to remember what she was told by her father in raiding-school, subject: Breaking into houses.

First, checking if the door was locked. Some Pokémon tend to not have a lock or not use it, because of their peacefulness.

Valdis tried to turn the handle, but it was locked. So it was on to step two out of two.

Valdis stepped back a good amount from the house, until she was far enough for her to feel right. She prepared herself mentally, scraped her feet on the ground and fixated onto the door.

As fast as she could, she started running towards it, and just before reaching it, jumped up to tackle her target. With a loud slamming noise, she successfully broke in by breaking through the door, or rather with the door. It broke off it's hinches with Valdis falling with it into the darkness of this Pokémon's home.

She slowly looked up, realising two thing. One, she did it! Second, her arm was hurting, but that did not matter right now.

Slowly standing up, she looked around the room. A round house. On a bed made out of hay laid a still sleeping Wihsmur, his snoring louder than before. That was good.

What was not good was what Valdis saw immediately after. Another cat-like Pokémon standing by a window, the windows wooden bars removed, and held by that Pokémon was a large sack. The other Pokémon looked at Vadlis with a shocked and mostly surprised expression, looking at her with it's large shining eyes.

Valdis quickly looked around more and quickly realised that this home, from all the homes in this huge town, was just robbed moments before her arrival here.

Vadlis looked back at the other feline Pokémon. It pressed one finger against it's mouth to signal to her to stay quiet.

Valdis wasn't having any of this and she shouted in anger.

"Give me that bag!", and she ran towards it.

The Wihsmur woke up in terror as she did it. The other Pokémon hit it's forehead with it's own paw in embarrassment.

Wihsmur looked around in shock and spotted the two intruders.

"BURGLARS! BURGLARS!", the Wihsmur shouted extremely loud. So loud, the whole house began to shake and both Valdis and the other one had to cover their ears in pain.

To make him stop, Vadlis rushed over to him, extended the claws on her right paw shortly after lowering it from her ear and gave the Wihsmur one metal claw attack across his face. Wihsmur slammed against the wall with scratch marks on his face and went quiet as the sagged down to the floor.

Valdis' ears were still ringing of what just happened and looked around to the window were the other Pokémon was. It was gone!

Valdis ran to the window and saw the other feline Pokémon running into the woods behind the house.

"Get back here!", Valdis shouted at it. "That's mine!"

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!", a robotic voice angrily asked behind here.

Valdis turned her head and saw two Magnemite police officers standing by the door, seeing the whole house in chaos, it's owner unconscious on the side, and Valdis in the middle of it all.

Like the cat she was, Valdis leaped out of the window as well to escape the police on one side, and to get the booty that was rightfully hers, at least in her eyes.

She pursued the Pokémon deeper into the woods, the ground getting more and more uneven the further they went into. The weight of the sack was slowly slowing her target down, despite the head start Valdis was about to catch up.

Almost within reach, Valdis extended her claws and prepared to the her first treasures by force. Second later, the other Pokémon quickly turned around and while still running threw a fistful of coins at Valdis, hitting her in her face.

This took Valdis out of nowhere and she flinched for a moment. The moment she opened her eyes again, she saw the other feline coming towards her, holding the bag in one paw and the other paw with claws ready to strike again.

Valdis had no time to think, so she instinctively tackled her opponent. Both Pokémon lost their balance this moment, fell to the ground and while Valdis was still holding on to it, they both rolled down a hill. Down, deeper into the woods, through the grass and dirt they rolled. At one point, teh other Pokémon let go of it's back and coins and other objects rolled down with them, laying tracks behind them.

They rolling finally came to an end, as they rolled off a small cliff and onto the sand of a beach near the woods. Valdis laying on top of the other burglar and rests of the booty scattering around them in the sand.

Valdis was still dizzy, while the other one moaned in pain. They stood like this for a short while.

"Dude, have you lost you mind?!", the other Pokémon argued at her.

In anger, Valdis grabbed the other felines throat with one paw, forcing it down to the ground, while raising her other paw and extending her claws, ready to strike and finish this one off. "There could be only one!"

This thought of her was shattered the same moment, as she noticed something extraordinary. The other Pokémon, a cat with gray, soft fur and silvery eyes had a medallion on it's forehead, just like she had, just in shining gold instead of steel black.

While she did not took the moment, the other one did and kicked Valdis in her stomach and thou managed to free itself from her grab.

While Valdis held her just hit tummy, the other cat Pokémon stood up and first brushed the sand of it's fur.

"What are you?", Valdis asked her opposite.

The other Pokémon brushed itself over it's head and did a pose, stomping one foot into the sand. She just now also saw the other Pokémon was wearing a black and white striped fabric belt, bound together, and a small golden smoking pipe was hanging out on the side.

"My name is Hikui, King of Thief!", it answered, or more declared itself. A male with a spiteful sounding voice. Valdis was not impressed at all.

"I don't care about your name or your title! What kind of Pokémon are you supposed to be?!"

The other Pokémon seemed upset and took another, more comfortable and sassy pose.

"I'm a Meowth, of course!", he answered and stroke across his cheek.

Valdis examined the other Meowth with her eyes.

"No, you're not!", she told him. "Meowth don't look that way!"

"And what are they supposed to look like?!", Hikui argued. "And don't you dare say a Meowth should have yellow fur!"

"Yellow ...? I'M a Meowth! That's how we look like!", she argued back.

Hikui was confused and looked at Valdis while she was doing the same to him.

"Did you shaved your beard?", she asked. "Why would you shave your beard off?!"

Hikui slowly stepped closer to her. He wetted two of his fingers in his mouth.

"May I?", he asked as he stood right in front of her. He rubbed his wet wingers over Valdis medallion, trying to get off what he thought might just was dirt. But it was black by nature.

He proceeded to go behind her and examined her backside.

"I can't deny it, you are a Meowth as well, but the most UGLIEST and filthiest I have ever seen!"

"And you are too soft for a real Meowth!", Valdis answered back.

"I BELIEVE HE WENT THIS WAY! BEEP!", a robotic voice called out of the forest.

Valdis and Hikui looked back were the voice came from. A visible trace of coins lead them to the spot were they stood.

Hikui looked back at Valdis.

"Well, this is were our ways depart! Farewell!", he said and began to ran across the beach past north.

Valdis quickly picked up some of the coins that he left n the sand at followed him, trying to catch up with him again. The other Meowth of course noticed she followed him, and it didn't seemed to bother him.

They both ran along the beach, Valdis following Hikui. Later running became walking.

They came past by a part of this beach that was covered with many different sized rocks, some sharp shaped, some dull, but all in a deep black colour. Hikui decided to sit down on one of the smaller, dull rocks.

"I guess we shook them off.", Hikui said, then sat down on the rock, took the pipe out of his belt and put it in his mouth. "Do we have unfinished business, or why did you follow me?"

Tired, Valdis sat down in the sand next to him.

"I find you interesting.", Valdis answered. "You are not like the Meowth I know. Where do you come from?"

Hikui smiled and put down his pipe.

"Well ... if a mommy Meowth and a daddy Meowth love each other very, very much -!"

"I'm aware where baby's come from!", Valdis interrupted. She put down the coins she carried next to her.

"That was a joke.", Hikui said. "I come from the Sand Continent. And you? What place in this world do your kind originate?"

"Sand Continent?", Valdis asked. "You mean this land where there is no snow? Where it's always summer?"

"We DO have snow, but not much. Mostly savannah. And you did not answered my question. Do you come out of holes in the ground? Because that's how you look like."

"I'm from around here.", Valdis answered.

Hikui took a long look at her.

"I told you the truth, and now I want you to do the same thing! I've never seen a Meowth like you!"

Silence.

"There is a small island up in the north of this continent.", Valdis explained. "We have villages and settlements scattered in the whole area."

"North-Wind-Field?!", Hikui asked back, surprised.

"There is an area that is called like this, yes.", Valdis answered.

"That explains a lot!", Hikui concluded. "No Pokémon can live there that is not either an ice-type or has thick fur."

Silence. Hikui took his pipe back in his mouth and took a sip.

"Do your kind rob others, too?", Valdis asked.

"In the eyes of my family, I'm a black Wooloo. So, no.", Hikui calmly answered.

This found Valdis weird.

"My family, my friends and all the others in my home does raiding and robbing and stealing for a living! What else is there?!", Valdis asked in her surprise.

Hikui put his pipe back down. He seemed sad.

"I rather don't talk about it.", he said.

Valdis knew she understood why.

Silence.

She stood back up.

"Now that we now so much about each other!", she put one paw on Hikui's lap and looked deep into his eyes. Hikui was not comfortable with what she was doing. "You said before you are a master thief?"

Hikui put his pipe back in his belt and carefully removed Valdis' paw from his lap.

"How about we work together? You and me?", Valdis offered him.

"No freaking way!", Hikui loudly said and stood up as well.

"Why?", Valdis asked upset.

"We know each other for less than an hour and in the first two minutes you ruined one of my operations!", Hikui told her. "And I believe that you carry who knows how many diseases with you! Did you ever wash yourself?!"

"Meowth do not need to wash, because Meowth do not do well in water.", Valdis defended herself. "And today was my first day and my first house! You said your are a master in thieving! I want to learn how to steal. I already know how to raid and to fight."

Silence. Valdis and Hikui were looking at each other.

"Do you have partners? Someone you work with?", she asked.

Hikui silently shook his head.

"A long time ago, our clans were fighting each other. Endless rivalry. Until five leaders came together and realised: Meowth strong, but Meowth stronger together.", she said and smiled grimly. "Your are a thief, a robber. I am a raider, a warrior. There will be nothing that is save from our paws."

Hikui began to think.

"You haven't even told me your name.", Hikui pointed out.

"Because you did not asked.", Valdis answered. "Valdis."

"Valdis you say?", Hikui answered. "Don't mind me if I don't want to shake your paw."

"So, are we partners now or not?", Valdis asked out.

Hikui crossed his arms.

"Let's say I'm your boss. You do what I say and in exchange you get some of what we get."

Hikui smiled.

"My own, personal sidekick."

Valdis smiled as well.

"I'm not calling you boss!"

Hikui began to laugh, Valdis soon joined in as well.

Without warning, Hikui grabbed Valdis' beard and dragged her close to him, looking her deep in the eyes with an angry stare.

"If I asks you to do something, you must do it. Because I'm Hikui Ishikawa, and I'm the boss. And if you dare to defy me ...", he said and then pushed Valdis back to the ground.

"You don't need to call me boss, by the way.", Hikui informed her as she angrily got back up. "You got your own place you can stay?"

Valdis negated.

"In that case ... come with me.", Hikui said, jumped over some of the rocks and up the small cliff that separated the woods and the beach.

Valdis picked up the few coins she took with her and followed him.

They were not walking through the woods from quiet some time already and instead of going back to town the went in deeper and deeper.

"Are we there yet?", Valdis asked fitfully.

"We're almost there.", Hikui answered.

"That's what you said half an hour ago!", Valdis told him upset.

"Half an hour ago I lied, because I guessed how upset you would be if I told you otherwise.", Hikui explained.

"And now?!"

"Now we are almost there. For real this time."

"Why do you live so far away from everyone else anyway?", Vadlis asked. No answer from Hikui. "Nevermind!"

"Over there!", Hikui finally said. Vadlis could not see anything around. They were in the middle of nowhere and Hikui headed towards a hill with a large, round boulder placed on the side.

"Where?", Valdis asked, looking around and expecting a house, similar to what she saw in Baram Town.

Hikui leaned against the boulder and patted in proudly.

"Your house is a rock?", Valdis asked and hoped it was not. She felt she was overestimating Hikui and his abilities.

"It's what's behind it!", he proudly told her.

Hikui tried to roll away the large boulder, it seemed to be hard for him to do it.

"Need help with that?", Valdis asked him.

"No! I'm used to it! A piece of cake!", Hikui answered. Vadlis was not sure if this was supposed to be ironic or not.

The rock began to move aside, slowly, revealing a cave hidden behind it. It was going, but still taking too long for Valdis.

"Step aside, boss! I'm do it for you!", Valdis decided, grabber the Meowth by the arm and dragged him aside. She put her coins on the ground, spat in her paws and rubbed them against each other. "Why even such a hard to open hideout?"

"Security. I don't want other to take stuff from me. Closed like a tomb.", Hikui explained.

Instead of pushing the boulder, like Hikui tried to, Valdis grabbed it with both of her paws and tried to lift it up.

"What are you doing?", Hikui asked. That moment, Valdis actually managed to lift up the boulder, holding it with not only her paws but also her whole body.

Holding the boulder in a way that caused her intense back pain, Valdis took a few steps forward and let the boulder fall to the ground again, causing the ground to shake for a moment.

Valdis turned, trying not to show how much her back was still hurting from this.

"Your welcome!", she said.

Hikui stood where she left him, frozen in a weird pose, with as shocked expression of what he just say. A Meowth the same size as himself, lifting up a boulder, not for long, but still lifted it off the ground.

Valdis looked inside the cave. At the entrance was only a single torch, lighting it up. Behind that was only darkness. On the other side of the boulder was a grip, chiseled into it. Around it, a strong rope was attached.

"You mocked me by saying I live in a hole in the ground, but you are the one that actually lives in a hole?!", Valdis exclaimed towards Hikui.

"It's ...", Hikui needed to focus first to properly explain. "It's a cave, and I meant a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with worms or a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it.

"And what's the difference?"

"THIS is MY cave, so it has comfort and lots of style!"

While Valdis was picking up her coins again, Hikui took the lead and the torch off the wall.

"Would you be so kind and close the door behind us?", Hikui told her. "Use the rope, Valdis."

By pulling on the rope, sounding easier than done, but still effective to keep this cave safe and hidden, Valdis dragged the boulder back to it's original place and thus closing the cave.

Holding the torch, Hikui lead the way. It was awfully cold but dry in his cave. No vegetation around. Hikui lead her down a long dark path.

"I hope you don't mind, I only have one bed and I'm not willing to share.", Hikui informed her.

Valdis made a complying but bothered grunting sound.

Reaching the end of the path Valdis and Hikui entered a large room. On one side was a large hey bed, covered in a purple silk blanked, next to it ceramic jars filled with fruits, water and wine, the walls of this room stabilised with wood. In the other corner a specially constructed shelf with ropes, various kinds of seeds and orbs inside and next to it a pile of firewood. In the middle of it, a simple , unlit campfire place.

Hikui turned around to Valdis and smiled with pride all over his face.

"Welcome, in Hikui's Master Thief Hideout!"

With the torch he then lit the campfire, brightening up the room.

That moment, Valdis noticed something behind the fire, between the bed and the shelf. Something she first thought was a part of the cave wall. Filling the rest of the room was a huge pile of treasures. Coins, gemstones, accessories made out of gold, silver or platinum, candleholders, CD shaped TMs, Valdis began to lose count of what she saw.

Valdis stood frozen in place, her eyes shimmering in happiness, mouth open, starring at the mountain of could coins. She let her own few coins fall to the ground.

"Pretty nice, isn't it?", Hikui exclaimed proudly.

For Valdis, a large part of her journey to wealth and fame was already this close to her. She began to laugh quietly, and what started quietly and sounding almost like sobbing slowly turned insane and loud.

"That's the spirit!", Hikui said. "Starting tomorrow, we'll be a team!"

Ignoring Hikui, Valdis pushed him aside and headed straight towards the gold pile.

"YES!", she exclaimed as she jumped up and prepared to dive into the pile like it was made out of leaves.

What she had to learn the hard way, literally, was that piles and pools consisting out of coins are still incredibly solid. Instead of diving and sinking into it, she crashed head first onto it. Coins slid off the pile to the ground, followed by Valdis, now having strong pain in her face and neck, additional to her back.

"Valdis? You alright?", Hikui asked who watched this whole scene happening in just a few seconds. He waked over to her and poked her with his foot.

"Is this all yours?", Valdis said muffled, with her face still on that pile.

"Yes, and only mine. You need to get your own loot during the time be will spent from now one.", he told her.

Valdis turned herself around, she had a black eye but was still smiling, harder than ever before.

"Will you marry me?", she asked.

Disgusted, Hikui turned her back around.