"So what were you doing with Ash this morning? You came out of a completely different direction than you normally do."
Leona wondered what exactly Dawn was up to until tomorrow when she and him walked together. Kenny quietly walking next to them listened in on them wanting to know aa well.
"Lie your butt off." Dawn hated this part of the inheritance but knew it was for the best lying against one of her closest friends since childhood.
"I just couldn't wait till school to hear his story. I had a lot of trouble trying to reach him lately so I was relieved to see he's ok." Leona bought the excuse thinking nothing off it.
"Hey Dawn?" Kenny addressed her looking a bit worried. Ever since he walked them he's been looking all around him.
"What is it?"
"Shouldn't you go straight home or to Lila to be safe? I'm just worried they'll try to kidnap you again."
"Thanks for the concern for me as well." Leona feeling left out of it complained with a hint of sarcasm.
"No need to worry. I'm a big girl Kenny. I can take care off myself." Dawn telling him her catchphrase tried to get rid of his anxiety. He clearly wasn't comfortable on the streets right now and she hoped him telling everything is ok by mentioning her special powered friends.
"They'll probably think twice with the people who caught May's assassin. I think it's cool having people with superpowers protecting our city."
"You can say that again! I'd wish one would come over and kick that guy's butt out of our school and town!"
Leona agreeing with her. Despite all the commotion she found herself lucky that people like them were around to help maintain order and that the police have others helping them like the one with ice powers.
"Can't we send Ash and May after him? They know a bit of self defense." Dawn said. Maybe them fighting together and Ash having an advantage with his aura might help. But then at the same time it could risk an international incident.
"From what Ash said they are training their whole lives. It be like our team going up against the All Stars." Kenny saying she shouldn't overthink this. Speaking off sports.
"Hey Dawn? Remember what you said last time?" She had no clue what Kenny was talking about. She said a lot of things lately but she needed help remembering him.
"That after the game is over I can walk you home." Not going with him last time when he asked Dawn was walking with Ash to hear what happened in the museum and footage of him fighting was released. In the mind that she should study it a bit to see how he fights with their bout coming up she did gave him her word and would hate to shoot him down again.
"Sure. After next game you can walk me home. I promise."
Having gotten what he wanted he was more calmer than before. He looked more relieved for such a simple request than he should. He started to show a tiny smile which Dawn and Leona found weird. Kenny couldn't let the rest of team waiting anymore.
"The guys must be wondering where I am. Later girls." Kenny ran away from them going to where the rest of his teammates were waiting for him.
"What was that about?"
Dawn and Leona went to the Veilstone shopping mall. They were just going to hang out a bit and maybe visit a clothing store or two or just take a big sip from the local milkshake bar. They'll just see what the day will bring since there wasn't much to do and Umbreon insisted that her host didn't shunt her friends entirely just because she wanted to train more.
"What do you say about this one?"
Dawn came out from a dressing room wearing a pink white denim jacket that left her stomach exposed. She needed a few new summer outfits for the upcoming season. Normally she would've went for a summer skirt and covering top but with the forming of some abs on her stomach due to the intense workout and diet she puts herself through she might have a new body to try different looks.
"Just go for black. You can't go wrong with black."Her spirit companion giving fashion advice on her favorite color.
"Have you been working out?" Leona wondered how suddenly Dawn seemed so much more athletic compared to before all this madness started in Veilstone City.
"You're in way better shape than I remember. Or is it a new diet you're on?"
"Lila said I should do a shoot for the experience. See what exactly she and my mom went through. But she won't photograph me until I get in a better shape. So next to the internship I'm working out at home using yoga to look better."
"I can tell. You must work out massively. The internship, school, working out. Do you have any time for your normal hobbies anymore?" Leona bought her excuses again.
Dawn suppressing the thought of how unaware her friends are. But it was only now she came to understand the amount of lying and making up stories Ash had to do. You needed a big imagination and she couldn't fathom how her mom juggled the modeling work with this inheritance thing that's been going on longer than her last name exists.
"What would you like sir?"
In a jewelry store a helpful worker tried to sell some accessories by being polite. It was only a small store with a few shiny expensive watches and necklaces adorned with some jewels ranging in a multitude of prizes ranging from a couple hundred bucks to some forcing you to make a loan. The main branch of the store was located in the expensive part of town with dreams of making it big. This was just to lure in smaller customers or getting engagement rings at a reasonable budget for the common man.
"Hungry." A man with purple hair and blue wearing a dark purple jacket and pants he murmured that he was starving.
"Excuse me sir, we are a jewelry store. Not a food stand. I can direct you to a proper one to satisfy your needs." The worker polite to him as company protocol describes was a bit creeped out by the shine of the jewels that mirrored in the customers eyes.
"I'm hungry for jewels."
"Pardon me then. Which one would you like? We have a wide assortment ranging from small pearls to entire necklaces. Feel free to look around and you can ask for more information about them if you want." Thinking the customer had a strange sense of humor the shopkeeper laughed it off. The clerk thought he must have more money than common sense. With a large grin the customer made his choice.
"All of them."
"Pardon me?"
The customer raised an arm and smashing in the glass case with ease the alarm started to sound. The worker flew backwards into a stand multiple boxes landed on top of him and he swept them away seeing the thief grabbing everything in sight that shined.
"WHAT THE HELL!?"
The worker seeing the display case shattered easily was shocked. Those casings are supposed to resist hits with a crowbar and minor firearms yet he smashed through it like cardboard. Seeing him scoop up all the jewelry and stuff it in his pockets the thief ran out of the store clutching a string of pearls in his hand.
"Thief!" The clerk yelled to stop him and two security guards who were at all times near the store grabbed him and worked him down to the ground forcefully. All the mall guards and police patrolling the area all carried their batons in their hands waiting for the thief to come near them.
Dawn and Leona who were still looking for outfits heard the alarm go off. The workers ran to the door and sealed it off. The shutters rolled down in a hurry trapp8ng everyone inside.
"What's going on!?" Everyone confused at about the mass hysteria demanded to know screaming at each other for information. The announcement speaker ran and a message was played out explaining the situation.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Please stay inside the store till further notice! Currently there's a situation in the mall that can escalate! To protect our customers we shut the hatches and doors temporarily! We hope this situation calms down soon enough!"
"Well. We better stay here for now." Leona angry and frustrated about being in the middle again of something. Dawn reached for her phone and contemplated something.
"Should I call Ash?" Not having her disguise with her and trapped inside the store there wasn't much to do but wait. Her finger scrolling to his number she was about to press it.
"No. Let's hear how this plays out." Umbreon stopped her. She wanted to know what the crime is about before calling reinforcements. It might just be an overreaction on the publics part thanks to all the events taking place but getting an aura guardian for a shoplifter was overkill.
"Drop the gems!"
A standoff was taking place. The thief had ran into a corner with his hands filled with his loot. Police with guns actually came thanks to the severity of the crime. The shoplifter had nowhere to go and multiple handguns were shown.
"Drop the jewels and get down on the ground!" Pointing their handguns at him the police got their safeties off and readied their guns.
"Mine. Mine. Mine." He murmured slowly with a gruff voice. He wasn't going to settle for this.
They'd pay for getting in the way of his means to survive. Flashing a smile the thief's teeth were pearl white. Removing his sleeves his hands were dark purple with razor sharp claws. His skin turning dark purple too his eyes starting to pop out of his head and turn into diamonds. His ears grew more pointy making him look a real life troll. Grabbing some gems from his pocket he shoved them in his mouth. The officers not looking forward of getting the jewels back cleanly to their disbelief saw the man chewing them.
A gnashing sound unlike they ever heard before the police saw the diamonds reduce into even smaller ones. Unsure how to proceed they warned him a final time or they will shoot.
"Delicious." Rubbing his stomach feeling filled up he eyed the police. Seeing the fear in the officers he paid no mind to it and started devouring the rest he stole seemingly unaware people were watching.
"Open fire!" The sound of gunshots echoed through the mall with screams of panic everywhere. The sounds stopped and the who laid motionless. One officer got closer while still holding his gun out. Seeing no motion he didn't bother to check a pulse. The amount of bullets around his body and holes in his clothes were evidence enough of a kill confirmed. Reaching for his radio he relayed to station.
"Somebody get a coroner. We have a dead sus…"
Suddenly the corpse lunged up and slashed at the cop cutting his chest wide open. Blood started to spill everywhere and he screamed in pain and his body fell like a lump to the floor.
"NO!" More shots were fired at the thief and he rolled out if the way. Using his razor sharp claws he started to chip away at the floor that was made of tiles. They shattered and he continued digging further and further until his body was underground.
The remaining officer grabbed his radio and called the situation. Seemed they have another of these freaks in town.
"Suspect is on the run! Repeat! Suspect is on the run! Officer down! Requesting an ambulance! Bleeding profusely! Get a move on! Search the city and inform the owners of the store! And give out a warrant to shoot on sight for assaulting an officer!"
Ash had already introduced May and Glaceon to Riley. The two started talking about how exactly she got her powers and how they can form a collaboration together to keep Veilstone City a safer place. They all hit it off pretty well especially with the promise that if May ever told her dad who he and Ash were and took them in she'd turn herself over.
With a mutual partnership established they can now exchange secrets which might help solve the biggest case they ever worked on.
"Can you teach me how to make them out of thin air now?"
May reminding the aura guardians about the help she needed from them. With their mental crafting skills and mastery of their own weapons compared to herself they're going to be a massive help in her advancement as a hero. Her phone going off she checked who it is.
"It's dad. He only contacts me by text if there's something big is going on and he needs Glaceon."
"What's it say?" Riley thinking it can't be any good.
"Robbery jewelry store. Witnesses say culprit disappeared by digging through the floor. Eating diamonds." All humans raised an eyebrow over the description.
"Are you sure his spellcheck isn't ruining the message?" Ash asked May.
"Eating diamonds? The crime sounded familiar to Glaceon since she dealt with this before.
"So he's still out there."
"You know that thing?" Riley unsure what to call it asked the oldest among them.
"We ran into him before. Tried to eat us once upon a time."
"He tried eating you? How?" The aura guardians and May getting their explanation from the ancient spirit.
"There was a man who wanted jewels and wanted them so much he was ready to sell his soul for them. He got his hand on a jewel similar to ours that grants him abilities like I do with May. But there was a prize for that power. The wearer's metabolism changes so much that eating regular food becomes impossible plus his skin is as hard as the stuff he eats. His diet is jewelry and he needs to eat them to survive. Also with his body changed like that he's eternally young."
"Please tell me I'm not going to eat rocks later with you." May didn't want to be the same as the robber breaking her teeth over something as hard as diamonds. She loved food to much to start chewing precious stones.
"The only way for you to eat rocks is if you land face first on them. He must've been starving. Usually he only comes out at night. That must've been an appetizer."
"Then lets get him." May eager to jump in and deal with him.
"I'd rather have you two go. You know. To prevent getting chewed on like a jawbreaker." Her partner hesitant would look at the men if she could.
"Leave it to us Glaceon! We'll get him for you and what he tried to do to your sisters!"
Ash ready to repay the favor to Glaceon for granting him and Riley names and telling what the deal is between them. He's been wanting to try a few techniques he came up with to increase his effectiveness in battle. He had to get stronger since he couldn't purely rely on his aura anymore to win fights for him.
"You go and find Dawn like we discussed." Riley more calm reminded of the deal they made earlier relating to her and May. It be a good step in increasing his ability to perform in high stress situation. Any experience he can gather against people with unnatural abilities would be a gain in his mind.
"Here's what you need to know about him. First of all his name. Sableye."
A bit more expanding on what the villains are. I kind of was missing a few but my quota should filled for a while.
And that Inteleon Sniping meme is a good way to start 2020 I'd say.
Paid DLC for a Pokémon game not so much.
See you around.