Ink's Notes: [KICKS DOWN THE DOOR] GUESS WHO!? I GOT A CHAPTER HOT OFF THE PRESSES HERE, IT'S ABOUT TIME WE MEET A CERTAIN SOMEONE, DON'T YOU THINK!?

Chapter Ten – Chasing Monkeys

Morning dawned on the town of Old Ashton, and Professor Layton awoke to the sound of Flora and Chopper discussing something. He sat up, stifling a yawn as he did so, and looked over at where the two were standing. They were by the door to their room, and their words were hushed and quiet, likely on account of the fact that he'd only just woken up and Luke was still asleep. Layton got out of bed, which got the two's attention as they turned to face him.

Layton approached the two, keeping his voice low so as not to wake Luke. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked.

"Robin hasn't come back yet," Flora answered, and Layton stiffened slightly at the news. "I wanted to go looking, but Chopper was saying we should wait for you and Luke to wake up before we did."

"Robin is strong, so nothing bad would have happened to her," Chopper reasoned. "If we have safety in numbers, then we'll be able to find her without worrying about ourselves. Right?"

"But she went looking for that thief, and if they caught her off guard…" Flora trailed off.

Layton smiled. "Let's get ourselves ready for the day. We'll wake Luke, and if she hasn't returned by the time he's ready, then we'll go looking. Okay?"

The two seemed to find this to be an acceptable solution, and set about doing just that. Layton hummed to himself, wondering why Chopper seemed to have such faith in Robin. The two did seem to know each other, against all odds. Could it be possible they had a connection that he didn't know about?

The sounds of Flora getting ready broke him out of his thoughts, and he decided to get ready himself. Half an hour later, Luke was awake, the group was ready, and there was still no sign of Robin, so they made their way out into the streets of the town, Luke still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Flora and Chopper led the way towards where the Children's Club was located, reasoning that was the best place for them to start looking since Robin had wanted to use the path they used to remain unnoticed as a basis for their search. On the way over, however, they were nearly knocked over by Aimi.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Aimi apologized, carefully making sure the group was unharmed, even taking the time to straighten Layton's jacket for him. "Sorry, but it's an emergency! Well, not an emergency, but it's important like one anyway!"

"What's important like it's an emergency?" Luke asked.

"It's the thief! Someone spotted him!" she cheered, pointing towards the direction they were heading in. Chopper bristled slightly, looking about ready to take off at a run, but Aimi didn't notice and kept talking. "Someone saw someone from out of town running along the roofs with a bag of things from the general store!"

The group was instantly alert. If they found the thief, they'd likely be able to solve this mystery- and if the thief had seen Robin, they'd know where to look for her as well. This wasn't an opportunity that any of them were willing to let slip by.

"May we help in catching him?" Layton offered.

Aimi nodded so quickly that her entire upper body seemed to bounce along with her head. "Uh-huh! He's about this high," she motioned the appropriate height with one hand, "Wearing a red shirt, and jean shorts, and a yellow sash around his waist, and he's got some kinda straw hat!"

The moment he heard the description, Chopper charged on ahead as if he were on a warpath towards the thief. Luke and Flora yelped and ran after him, barely able to keep pace with the reindeer running at full speed. Layton tilted his hat, thanked Aimi for the information, and began running after his companions.

PUZZLE THIRTEEN
The thief has been spotted! Use your knowledge of the town and the movements of people within it to figure out where he could be hiding, and corner him by directing the townsfolk towards his position!

As he ran, Layton debated corralling people into the effort- in order to make sure that they could block the thief no matter where he went- but he quickly discovered there was no need for him to do so. It seemed like the whole town was on high alert; even Silo and the twins were offering their assistance with trying to track the thief. As Layton moved around the town, Pyrrhos and Indra began appearing from alleys and hidden alcoves, informing him of the last place the thief had been spotted- and then going to the townspeople and giving them different information. The discrepancy in information was confusing- even more so when Layton realized that he hadn't seen Senkou or his family since this whole chase had started.

Layton stopped to catch his breath and ponder the Canera family's absence. Was it possible that there was more to the story, and that was why the kids were giving the townsfolk wrong information? As he thought, he felt a tug on his pants leg. Layton turned to look at Alex, who was looking up at him, one hand on his cane and the other gripping Layton's pants. "You have to find the thief first," he insisted. "Mr. Canera can't be the one to find him."

Layton blinked, then pat Alex on the head and ruffled his hair a little bit. "We will. Senkou is looking for him?"

Alex nodded. "Michi is running interference, and Mrs. Canera is setting up a spot you can talk without him finding you. Please, you have to keep him safe! Him and Chopper both. They- they need to stay safe until they can go home again."

Though Alex's words made little sense, Professor Layton smiled down at him. "You needn't fear. Once I've got my sights set on a puzzle, there's no one out there who can stop me from solving it."

Alex nodded, letting go of his pants to point towards a lonely alleyway. "Pyrrhos and Indra are directing him that way, and making sure that Luke, Flora, and Chopper know to go there. But we of the Children's Club have to keep the other adults from walking in on you guys and seeing him, because they'll tell Mr. Canera."

Layton thought back to Josephine and her comment about Senkou being short sighted, and how most of the people in Old Ashton did what Senkou said without really questioning the man. He nodded at Alex. "Don't let me keep you," he smiled.

The kid nodded, gripping his cane with both hands and taking off in an awkward and clumsy run. He nearly tripped a few times, but steadied himself as he drew the attention of one of the search party to point them in the wrong direction.

Layton watched him go, then a thump from the alley Alex had pointed to drew his attention. It seemed that it was time to meet the thief these children were protecting, and hopefully get to the bottom of this. He maneuvered into the alley, seeing the strange man dressed as Aimi had described, holding a bag of things that were no doubt stolen with one hand and dusting himself off and shaking dirt out of his sandals with the other. The man- or maybe child, because he didn't look like he could be older than 20- looked up at the roofs above him before pausing and turning to meet Layton's gaze. He adjusted his straw hat, staring quietly for a few moments, then his face brightened in a grin and he sat down on the ground, leaning against the wall.

"Naa, this is a peaceful place, isn't it?" he greeted.

"It is," Layton agreed, moving into the alleyway and leaning against the wall across from the stranger. "Though some strange things have been happening as of late. It seems you're responsible, if only on part."

The man looked at the bag of things that he was holding, then laughed out loud. "Shishishishi! I'm a pirate, and pirates gotta steal. That's how it goes! Besides, my money isn't good here."

Layton frowned, noting that the man's accent was oddly familiar. "Pirates, you say? I didn't think I'd meet three in the same week."

"Three?" he asked, suddenly on guard in a way that made Layton stiffen his posture. Still, he pressed onwards with his observation.

"Yourself, and if my deductions are correct, Brook and Chopper. Though you add a peculiar piece to a different puzzle." The stranger seemed to tense up, and Layton lifted his hands in a pacifying gesture. "I mean you no harm. In fact, I was specifically asked to help keep you safe."

"You talk funny, old man," the stranger said. He looked like he was about to say something else, before he turned to look at the mouth of the alleyway. As he did, Chopper came charging in- and Layton's eyes widened as the reindeer suddenly shrunk down, becoming smaller and more like a stuffed toy than a deer. The smaller Chopper hopped into the stranger's arms, hugging him tightly, and then began looking him over, unbuttoning his shirt just enough that Layton could see some bandages on the man's chest.

"Are you hurt?" Layton asked, and the man shook his head.

"I was, but not anymore. Chopper's been treating me. He's the best doctor ever!" he grinned.

"Shut up!" Chopper yelled, wiggling back and forth in some approximation of a happy dance. "I'm not happy that you praised me, you jerk!" The man just laughed, and Chopper hopped off of him, transforming back into a proper reindeer.

No sooner than he had, Luke and Flora caught up with him, taking a moment to catch their breaths in the mouth of the alleyway before entering properly. "We… we made it," Luke gasped out. "Didn't know Chopper could run that fast…"

The stranger stood up and grinned, patting Chopper on the head. "Pyrrhos is on his way to show us where to go. In the meantime, let's meet for the first time!" He grinned, standing proud and placing a hand atop his hat. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

PUZZLES SOLVED – THIRTEEN

CURRENT MYSTERIES:

The White Specter (Solved!) – As it turns out, the White Specter is an animated skeleton who goes by the name of "Soul King" Brook. He has been staying in the graveyard so as not to scare the residents, with a moderate degree of success. Brook is friendly, a little eccentric, and a talented swordsman to boot. The music that was associated with the specter was his singing, and he is friends with Chopper.

Missing Food – According to Aimi, food that is about to go off has been going missing. There may be some connection to Michi in regards to this, but the residents find it unlikely that she would steal anything. Felix admits to having given Michi food that's about to go off, but is hesitant to link her to anything else. Whoever stole the food is living in Senkou's barn, likely without his knowledge, and has been for the past week or so.

Missing Supplies – According to Aimi, some supplies from the hospital and the general store have gone missing. Zdeslav and Tzidkiyahu report that two sets of footprints – one sandaled and one barefoot – have been found in the vicinity of the store. Tamrat believes that a skilled doctor is behind the thefts at the hospital, and Felix says that there's no real link when it comes to things that are stolen from the store aside from them being easy to spot. The supplies were found in Senkou's barn, and it seems Luffy was at least partially responsible for the thefts.

Robin Nico – A woman with an air of mystery around herself who is working as the Professor's assistant. She has experience working with children and is very good at moving silently and quickly despite her footwear of choice being high heels. She also seems very comfortable around Chopper, to the point that they act as if they're close friends despite having just met. She claims to be from a small island off the coast of Japan, and is oddly certain that the specter is friendly. She also reacted strangely to the mention of the ruins outside of town.

Michi – Mayor Senkou's daughter, whom he notes has been growing more distant lately, as if she's hiding something, although he's not sure what or why. Silo suspects an animal, as she's been requesting leftover food from him and Felix at the general store. The residents don't seem to believe she's behind the other thefts, though, as she's only been asking after food. She's responsible for Chopper's presence in Old Ashton, and no one's really sure where she got him from. Like the rest of the Children's Club, she knows how to navigate the streets without getting caught, and dislikes her father's tendency to try and shelter her.

Nephele and Hanuel (Solved!) – Two fiercely protective residents of Old Ashton who have lived there longer than the other residents. Nephele had an encounter with the specter that resulted in an injury to her arm, and Hanuel telling Senkou about this is what led the populace to know about the specter to begin with. Their opinion of the specter was soured because of this, and they have been acting hostile to try and keep people out of danger and away from the graveyard. Once the matter was cleared up, they were actually surprisingly pleasant individuals.

Pirates – A crew of pirates seems to be gathering in Old Ashton. The members we know about thus far are Luffy, Brook, and Chopper. Chopper can apparently change shape, and Brook is a living skeleton, leading to further questions about the strange crew.

Senkou – Mayor of Old Ashton, and evidently somehow involved in the goings-on in town. While most residents trust him implicitly, there are a few who question his judgement and short-sighted nature. The kids in town are rather determined to keep him away from the pirates for reasons unknown.