The mystery of the crown of Arceus

Chapter 4

A little detail…

Next morning Darkrai and Cresselia encountered after breakfast in the main Hall of legends.

-Darkrai!- Cresselia exclaimed when she saw the black ghost cross the entrance like a bullet. Cresselia longed to share with Darkrai she had been thinking to start the investigation and had also a list of Pokemon they could interrogate and some clues they could follow.- Darkrai, I was thinking…-

-Thinking? - Darkrai replied without stopping his flight, so Cresselia was forced to float to get him and, once she did, Darkrai continued with insolence -: and what gave you to start experimenting with that, sweetheart?-

As obvious, Darkrai wasn't going to be friendly with Cresselia simply because she had offered her help.

-Come on, let's go- Darkrai continued –we will start interrogating Arceus' bedroom aids-

Cresselia did great efforts for not to linger, at the time they flew to the apparently eternal halls where the dormitories of the legendaries were. They turned in the south-eastern corner and soon arrived to the room 10-A, where Arceus lived.

Darkrai knocked hard the door. When he didn't receive immediate answer, Darkrai knocked impatiently again and harder.

Ariados opened the door and peeked his head to the hall

-ah, it's you, Ariados- Darkrai said, almost pushing him to enter Arceus' living room without waiting to be invited to come in. –what a brave and courageous Ariados you resulted to be yesterday, boy… daring to come to the front and tell you tale to that large and intimidating crowd.- Darkrai continued to say, now exhibiting a sickly and forced smile.- however, we have a few more questions we'd like to make you all. Right, Cresselia?-

Cresselia had just arrived to the opened door. She had never been inside Arceus' apartments and, hovering, from there, she looked the surrounding.

The walls of the living room were painted of a soft metallic silver, there were various lounging sofas and the floor was covered with a carpet with black background and golden dragons. In the bottom the light yellow walls of Arceus' bedroom could be seen and, from where Cresselia stood, she could see one of the corners of a large and high bed with canopy.

The other three bedroom aids, Dusknoir, Drowzee and Sableye, came walking from Arceus' bedroom carrying a pile of bedding made of the finest Ariados silk; they stopped abruptly when they saw Darkrai.

-What's he doing here? – Sableye asked Ariados with a moue of disdain.

Dusknoir and Drowzee also looked at Darkrai with suspicious concern. Obviously, as they were concerned, Darkrai was guilty of the Crown's theft.

Cresselia tried to soften up the tension.

-we only want to make you a few questions about what happened yesterday- Cresselia said a bit to the expectative –so we can prepare Darkrai's defense tomorrow-

-Us?- Ariados said, his eyes wide opened of surprise- Cresselia, are you really helping him?-

Cresselia just nodded

-Yes- she replied- there's no proof that Darkrai took away the crown-

-alright, not yet- Drowzee murmured almost for himself. Turned and led Dusknoir, Sableye and Ariados to a big table In one of the extremes of the room, where they accommodated the blankets and pillowcases and where they well prepared to blend.

-look, buds- Darkrai said, crossing the room to hover over the Pokémon who blended the bed clothes.-all I want to know is when was the last time each one of you saw the crown. It's your duty, as bedroom aids, to take of the Original one's belongings, right? However, isn't it possible, in this case, that something had escaped you, that you don't have registered a little detail? Maybe you don't remember well when you saw the crown for the last time?

But the pride of the bedroom aids fell short to Darkrai's challenge

-of course we remember¡- Dusknoir protested- the last time I saw the crown was the day before yesterday, at night fall. I kept it in the sideboard after Arceus out it for dinner myself-

Sableye nodded

-Correct- he said, placing a new well blended blanket over the pile that was growing- I saw Dusknoir keeping it that night. It was here, in this room, when he did. And that was the last time I saw the crown-

Drowzee, on his part, at the time he shaked a cover to smooth it, added:

-I saw the crown yesterday in the morning, when Ariados took it from the sideboard to make sure it was ready for the celebration. Right, Ariados?

-That's right- Ariados answered- I took the crown and began to polish it… and then I noticed it had a dent-

At that point, Ariados looked at his comrades, one by one, before continuing:

-well, I didn't find appropriate that Arceus had a dent the day his own party was celebrated, so I took the crown to the repair workshop so it was fixed.

The other two Pokémon nodded.

Then, Darkrai hovered swift to be beside Ariados.

-and when was that?- Darkrai asked

-yesterday I the morning- Ariados replied, who proceeded to tell how he had kept the crown in its correspondent black velvet bag and taken it to he workshop where he left it in the hands of Aggron. – I showed him what the damage was and told him we were in a hurry. At last, I asked him to bring it back to Arceus' apartments when he was finished-

-I see- Darkrai said- and he did? Did he bring it back?-

Ariados nodded emphatically

-yes- he said, but then he frowned- I mean, I think he did- he continued, now his back legs began to tremble- well, in effect, I'm not sure-

The other three bedroom aids interrupted their office of blending clothes looking at Ariados carefully.

-Ariados- Drowzee said very concerned – what do you mean that you are not sure?-

-because… this… that… I mean… that… - Ariados stuttered- better said, I told Aiggron that I wouldn't be here probably when he brought it back because I would be going In and out. So I told him to leave it with any of us, the one that was present-

Ariados eyes searched his comrades', and expectant, asked them:

-None of you saw him bring it back?-

Drowzee shook his head

-I didn't- Dusknoir said

-me neither- Sableye said

Then Ariados took his two front legs to his mouth to stifle his cry a bit

-OH, NO!!!-

Cresselia, seeing what was happening, threw Darkrai a glance that meant: "aja, with which these have!" before saying with its entire letters what was next:

-Well, if Ariados took the crown with Aiggron and none of you saw it after that…-

-Come on, Cresselia- Darkrai interrupted her at the time he shot at the door- , come on, because we have to make an urgent visit to a certain Steel-type pokemon.-