With everyone unifying as Vincent joined up with Officer Jenny alongside Ash and his friends, they'd been able to temporarily come up with a solution to call upon the two Vincents contained within the group.
Though Vincent had yet to tell the others of the truth that only he was aware of, his younger self begrudgingly, though he grew to just accept it for now, upheld the temporary abbreviation of his own name for the time being, 'Vinny.'
Vincent, meanwhile, had been able to keep his camera strapped to his hand in case he needed it for this investigation so Officer Jenny could potentially use the footage later.
Jenny and Vincent walked alongside each other, while the others trailed behind them. Though Vincent could detect a sense of intensity, love, and even a mix of superstition & jealousy radiating from Brock's direction, the walk remained mostly silent.
"Hey Vincent…?" Ash spoke up.
"What's on your mind, kid?" Vincent asked faintly, without turning back.
"I was just wondering…you a reporter or something?" Ash asked.
"More or less…in training." Vincent replied, gesturing his hand towards Jenny. "And you can thank her for putting in the good word for me."
"WOW! That's so cool!" Max exclaimed. "Is this like, your first job or something?"
"Yup." Vincent croaked, pulling out his Press Badge from beneath his jacket. "Just got this the other day."
"That's so awesome!" May cried. "I've always wanted to try that!"
"Well, besides being dragged into what's going on right now, after we're done here…I might be shuffling about here and there around the ship trying to find a thing or two to write on." Vincent stated.
"What about Pokémon…?" Vinny asked. "Why don't you have any…?"
"Answer's quite simple really…" Vincent started up. "I'm not a trainer."
"What?! How?!" Vinny gasped.
"Not everyone does, little man." Vincent replied, turning his head back to the group. "One more thing before we carry on with all of this…uhhhhh, May, right?"
"That's me!" May smiled.
"If it's no trouble at all, since I know you're going to be competing…after we get this cup back, mind if I interview you afterwards?" Vincent asked. "It'd really help me out."
"Alright…I'd be happy to help!" May exclaimed.
"Wait, how can you be so sure we're gonna get-" Max abruptly got cut off as everyone stopped in their tracks on cue from Jenny.
"Alright guys! I need you all to focus!" She said as they stared onto the security guards standing at the display room entrance. "We're here. Remember what Vincent and I said earlier."
"Right!" The kids simultaneously chanted.
"You ready to put your theory to the test, Vincent?" Jenny asked.
"Yeah. I'm good to go…" Vincent raised up his camera and hit the record button. "Let's get to work…"
Approaching the guards, Vincent and Jenny simultaneously nodded to one another as they walked within the guards' vicinity. Though the two held an expectation as to what Officer Jenny was approaching them for, since they were aware of what situation was stirring aboard the ship, what threw them off guard was the additional element they were not anticipating.
"Don't mind the camera fellas…I'm only doing this for posterity." Vincent stated, as he leaned slightly in his stance, putting his other hand in his jacket pocket. "Jenny. Do your thing."
"Gentlemen…I'd like to ask if you've seen anything of suspicion during your shifts?" Jenny asked the guard.
"Well, many people come in and out of this room." The first guard answered.
"But if anything, suspicious were happening, we'd have caught it right away." The second guard filled in.
"Tell me how you handle your lunch breaks." Jenny requested.
"We always take it in two shifts m'am." The first guard replied.
"This week we decided I'd go on break first." The second guard continued.
"Anything seem unusual?" Jenny asked.
"Well…" The first guard turned to his co-worker and continued. "The only thing I can think of is, you came back early."
"What?!" The second guard gasped. "I didn't come back early!"
"You don't remember…?" The first guard asked, concern brewing on his face.
"No! I was in the cafeteria!" The second guard insisted.
"Then that means…!" Ash huffed.
"Your hunch was right, Vincent!" Jenny exclaimed. "It's Brodie the Phantom Thief!"
"So, then we just look for somebody that looks like the guard!" May chimed.
"Hmmmm." Vincent croaked, putting down his camera. "But if he was the guard, I doubt he'd still be in the same disguise. Hell, if I was Brodie, I would do the same since I'd most likely want to cover my tracks by changing disguises."
"Oh…" May frowned.
"So, where could he even be?" Max wondered.
"I…don't necessarily have a brilliant idea now. But, potentially thinking in Brodie's shoes again, maybe I'd be on the hunt for something else valuable other than the Ribbon Cup." Vincent pondered. "Double down on stealing more valuable, rare items to possibly double or even triple the profit then what I'd come for."
"No, that's brilliant, Vincent!" Jenny complimented. "As a matter of fact, I've got just the idea that'll lure Brodie out from wherever he's hiding."
Finding themselves isolated to a room to keep their conversations and their plans private as they took into account blocking out Brodie potentially hearing their plan, Jenny had a Poké Ball placed down on a rag, and sprayed on a bright, shiny, golden texture, making it appear to look more valuable than it already is.
On the side, Vincent continued to gather more shots on his camera as he kept an eye on the ball continuously transforming every second, through the camera's display screen.
"I present to you, the world's first golden Poké Ball." Jenny proclaimed, holding up the ball in her hand.
"So pretty…" Vinny gasped.
"Stay focused, buddy." Vincent snapped lightly, putting the camera down again. "So, what's the plan?" He asked, crossing his arms.
"We're going to put this on display and say it's second prize in the Grand Festival." Jenny responded.
"Right…" Vincent nodded. "Everyone? I'm gonna need you all to…" He paused for just a moment, letting his voice crackle and fade.
"To what?" Ash asked.
"Put your game faces on." Vincent continued. "We're gonna have to promote this thing as best as we can around the ship. But be subtle about it. Don't give yourselves away too much but cover enough of the area to make sure that people start talking so it'll eventually reach Brodie's ears."
"Alright! I can roll with that idea!" Brock approved.
"Let's all split up." Vincent insisted. "Vince…go with Ash and Pikachu."
"RIGHT!" The two boys exclaimed in sync.
"PIKA!"
"May, go with your brother. And Brock? You'll be tagging along with me while Jenny gets the Golden Poké Ball display ready, if that's alright."
"Sure! I'd absolutely love to!" Brock approved.
"Thanks so much, everyone!" Jenny exclaimed.
"Of course!" Brock bellowed, kneeling down swiftly towards Jenny. "Oh, my sweet, Jenny! My love will not fail you! I prom-ARGH."
"Alright, we can't waste any time here." Vincent scolded, pulling Brock up to his feet from the back of his vest.
"OW! OW! EASY!"
"We all know what to do. Let's get it done."
Everything continued under Vincent's quick and assertive guidance as the rest of the kids all headed in the directions they'd been told to focus on. Vincent, meanwhile, accompanied Brock down a hallway near the vicinity of the arcade/game area of the ship.
Though he kept many ecstatic & nostalgic thoughts to himself as Brock was still one of many childhood characters he remembered very fondly, he maintained his concentration throughout and pushed forward normally.
"Hey um…" Vincent murmured as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Sorry for being a little bit aggressive back there."
"Oh no, it's fine…" Brock chimed. "What you did back there is typically Max's job."
"Heh, heh…" Vincent smirked as he held back his laughter. "That little man always gets in your way, eh? You're a player, I get that. Everyone's gotta take a shot even if they miss sometimes since you always miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take…anyway, Max seems like a good kid. Though I get the feeling that he didn't learn that on his own."
"Oh, he didn't." Brock huffed. "I think ever since the gang and I ran into my old friend, Misty, he saw her tug at my ear and ever since then…"
"I see…" Vincent pondered for a moment. "Misty…Cerulean City's Gym Leader back in the Kanto region if I'm not mistaken? I've heard she's got a reputation for harnessing the power of Water Types? Hell, your name is ringing a bell too. You were a Gym Leader before, right?"
"You would be correct." Brock nodded. "I used to be Pewter City's Gym Leader, where I specialized in battling with Rock Pokémon, but I came all the way out here to travel because truth be told, I'm more interested in being a Pokémon Breeder. But as for Misty, her, myself, and Ash, used to travel together some time ago throughout the Kanto and Johto regions long before we met up with May, Max, and the…other Vincent in our group."
"I know, it is a tad bit confusing with the two of us around…" Vincent creaked as he cleared his throat. "Anyway, continue?"
"Right, yeah." Brock then cleared his own throat. "The three of us went our separate ways after the Johto League Silver Conference ended. My buddy, Ash, came pretty close, but only managed to make it to the top 8."
"Hmm…" Vincent pondered once again, crossing his arms as they stopped at a small lineup near a vending machine. "I think I heard about it briefly. Can't say that I was there myself for the event in person, but I'd heard that the end of the battle was an extensive overtime of Fire Type attacks between his Charizard and a Blaziken from someone named…Harrison, I think?" He turned to Brock inquisitively for reassurance, to which Brock responded with a firm nod.
"How'd he take the loss?"
"He was pretty bummed out for a bit, but he always bounces back by looking for new opportunities, which is part of the reason why he came to Hoenn in the first place." Brock explained as they slowly moved forward. "And I'm here to support him while I'm able to get more opportunities to study some more aspects of my own field."
"I hope you find what you're looking for in life, man." Vincent said, approaching the vending machine as he inserted two coins, selecting a few soft drinks. "And I hope he does too…but, in the meantime, hey…" He nudged Brock's shoulder with his elbow and handed him the soft drink. "You wanna check out the Golden Poké Ball later? You know, the thing that's just recently been put on display for the Grand Festival's second prize?"
"Uh-uh, oh y-yeah! Yeah! I'd LOVE to!" Brock forcefully and awkwardly expressed his enthusiasm in an attempt to sell the act, accepting the can. "I heard it's quite Golden!"
"Alright, let's go!" Vincent gestured with his head as the pair started off into a light jog. "Close enough…I'm sure we got the message out there. I just hope everyone else was successful too." He said, cracking open the can carefully as the familiar sound of two fizzy pops simultaneously erupted.
"Cheers." Brock proclaimed.
"Back at ya." Vincent said, accepting the gesture as he thrust his can forward, gently colliding with Brock's, taking a sip shortly afterwards. "Mmm…not bad. A little sugary but…not bad. It's a bit Fruitopia-like, almost."
With plans set and the proper bait in place ready to pull up that criminal from underneath whatever surface he was hiding, everyone stood idly by as they awaited an encounter with Brodie the Phantom Thief.
To pass the time, Vincent's thoughts continued to run rampant as he found solitude in the privacy of his own words being written down in his journal, even if on occasion he exercised extreme caution without the others seeing what he was writing.
Things are going off without a hitch. It took a little convincing but, after some fussing around, I had Ash and May helping me let…myself, temporarily use 'Vinny' because of there being two of us in the picture.
They're convinced that means one thing, but I pray that when and if I break the news to them, that things go smoothly. After all, who the hell would believe in an older man telling a bunch of kids that one of their best friends is indeed that older man…?
According to Brock, everything that I remember watching over and over again on my Gameboy Advanced back in the day using a few cartridges that contained Pokémon episodes, happened.
Back to back, 'Playing with Fire' & 'Johto Photo Finish' showed that final battle between Ash and Harrison…it was a loss that I remember being bummed out about back then too, but it is what it is. And I do remember that shortly afterwards, in this show, May and Max began to travel with Ash, with Brock joining up later, which is the present I'm facing right now.
I didn't have the heart to fully press Brock on how my younger self found himself amidst the group of some of Pokémon's memorable Hoenn cast, but one way or another…the inevitable will have to be confronted and answers will shoot back up to the surface.
"QUICK! Vincent! HIDE"
The momentum of his writing apparatus grinded to a violent halt as he felt an aggressive tug on his arm. Though Vincent groaned at the dim pain of being unprepared for his arm being pulled, he still followed along and hid with Jenny and the rest of the kids behind a couch, while simultaneously skirmishing to put his journal away.
While he sat down on the ground, he heard a very familiar sing across the room.
"Did somebody order room service in here?"
"Oh no…not Jessie." Vincent murmured to himself.
"STOP RIGH THERE, BRODIE!" Ash exclaimed as everyone stood up alongside everyone else.
"Wait a minute…who's that?" May said in a daze of confusion.
"Two Brodies?" Brock wondered, staring at the two individuals dresses as staff members, wheeling along a trolly with a serving tray at the top of it.
"NO! BROCK!" The two Vincents exclaimed at the same time. "IT'S TEAM ROCKET!"
"Thank you!" Jessie shrieked with joy.
"Hey, YOU!" James pointed towards Vincent's direction. "I saw you trailing us!"
"And I heard you talking about supposedly 'took out' Team Aqua & Team Magma…bravo." Vincent dryly responded.
"AH! Finally, some recognition!" James cried.
"Hey!" Meowth popped out from his hiding place from inside the serving tray. "That's right!"
Vincent watched on as the Team Rocket trio performed their signature action of pulling off their disguises in an instant, immediately exposing their white Team Rocket uniforms from underneath. While Vincent watched on, his younger self and Ash alongside his Pikachu seemed quite ready for action.
"Ready Pikachu…? Thunderbolt!" Ash whispered as his partner obliged with the command, sending the trio flying out the window in a shocking display.
"But I wanted to help…!" Vinny pouted.
"You'll get your chance! But right now we've got bigger problems!" Vincent shouted.
"Officer Jenny!" A decorated & eloquently dressed elderly man exclaimed, entering the room.
"Captain? What's wrong, now?" Jenny turned to ask.
"At this moment, Brodie the Phantom Thief is stealing all of the Pokémon from the Pokémon Center!"
The rest of the gang gasped as they recalled that May had left her Pokémon behind at that exact same Pokémon Center, which immediately caused everyone to exit the room under the Captain's desperate words…all but one anyway.
"Captain…" Vincent stood aimlessly alone as he held up his camera. "You sail enough in your life to see all there is out at sea?"
The tension in the room ran high as the 'Captain' stood firmly and rigidly in his stance as he slowly took steps alongside the walls, taking slow steps as the gaze of his eyes never left the Golden Poké Ball display.
"Yes, my boy…" He replied. "Matter of fact, I'd love to ask yourself the same thing."
"Hmph. Can't say I have." Vincent shrugged as he eyed the 'Captain's' movements and the display case. "I've been on boats but the sights and sounds of the sea are a few far in between."
"Well how about I throw you overboard and then you can see what's out at sea up close and personal!"
"NOT SO FAST!" Jenny's voice boomed as everyone returned else returned to the room. "You're not the Captain!"
"Well, well…" The 'Captain' smirked. "You're not as fast as that smart lad here but," He pulled off his disguise, revealing himself as his voice began to change, and his noticeable dark purple outfit became visible, along with his cape and spiky purple hair. "Funny how your eyes can play tricks on you!"
"You won't get away with this!" Ash proclaimed.
"Brodie the Phantom Thief. You are under arrest. Come with me." Jenny demanded.
With a wide smirk forming across his face and a huff of annoyance, he summoned a Pokémon to his side, a Golbat, ordering it to cover the room with its Haze attack. Encased in a tense, hard to see through smoke, it gave Brodie enough time to escape, the Golden Poké Ball disappearing alongside with him.
Kneeling down to a weak sounding Vincent coughing tensely, Jenny tended to him immediately as she kneeled down to place her palm gently over his shoulder.
"Vincent! You okay?" She asked.
"I'm okay…" Vincent wheezed, grabbing Jenny's hand as he was pulled back up to his feet. "That guy sounded really serious he wanted to throw me overboard. I don't doubt for a second he'd have done that…I'm glad he didn't. I mean, with the stuff I'm wearing, I'd have probably drowned under the weight." He sighed, pinching the top of his nose. "I really do need a Pokémon, don't I? I'm really sorry I let him get away guys…"
"Hey, don't beat yourself up!" Ash insisted.
"You're okay and that's all that matters!" Jenny encouraged. "And don't worry, we're not out yet." She announced, turning to the rest of the group, taking out a radio shaped device. "I hid a transmitter inside of the ball. We can still catch him!"
"Oh…" Vincent sighed. "That's a relief. I'm ready to keep going. Let's go find this guy!"