Welcome back, everyone! I officially broke my record for most words in a chapter, I'm hoping to make this the norm going forward. Hell, I might even try and hit 5,000 words next chapter! Today, our favorite Snivy is on the hunt to track down good ol' Axl. Will she prevail? Is he the killer?

...well, we kind of know, but she doesn't yet, so don't spoil it for her or else! XD

Anyway, hope all of you are enjoying- friend and lurker alike! XD But if you're feeling kind enough to drop a review, fav or follow, I'll love you forever! Until then, please enjoy. :P

Chapter 11

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Erin glanced warily around inside the restaurant she had just entered. It seemed surprisingly ordinary in spite of the excitement built up around it by Kameron, with plain pink walls surrounding a dull dining area carrying black tables and chairs, the smell of cheap ice cream sticking in her nose.

Although, to its credit, it did manage to fill all the tables that it did hold, with many Pokemon in the building enjoying the sweet treats that were being delivered from the counter that paralleled the door she had just entered. Behind the counter, multiple Pokemon bustled around, moving quickly in order to serve the plethora of customers that they had.

"I'm assuming you must be Erin." A voice had said from her right, catching her attention. Looking over, a Granbull was walking over. Erin had to stifle a giggle as he would have been intimidating looking, if not for the pink polo, powder blue hat, and blue apron that he adorned.

She couldn't help inwardly snickering at the thought of Axl having to wear the same outfit, hoping even harder now that he was out back working.

Nonetheless, she gave a smile and reached out her hand. "Yes, Erin Winters, nice to meet you." She said politely, a little relieved that she called ahead so she could forewarn him. She doubted she would have been able to get his attention in this madness.

The Granbull wiped his hands on his apron, streaks of ice cream coming off. "Lengel Swift," He replied, shaking her hand. "I'm the proprietor of this establishment." There was an edge of pride to his voice as he set his hands on his hips proudly.

"Thank you for taking time out of your day to talk to me, it's an urgent matter regarding one of your employees." She said quickly, trying to look behind him to find the otter.

Lengel smirked proudly. "Yes, ma'am, the highest selling ice cream shop in Peridot City." He chimed in. "The best run as well, if I may add."

As he said this, a Wartortle bustled from behind the counter, puffing from the fast-paced work. "Uh, Lengel, the ice cream machine is down again." He said, looking a bit annoyed.

Lengel scratched his chin in thought. "Hmm…. have you tried turning it off and on again?" He asked. The Wartortle narrowed his eyes, before turning around and hustling back.

Erin tapped her foot a little impatiently. "It's regarding an Oshawott named Axl-"

"Arceus above, what did he do now!" Lengel cut her off coldly, crossing his arms. "I swear I get more complaints about him than anyone I've ever hired. If he wasn't so damn good at his job, I would have canned his butt years ago."

"Yeah, that seems to be the general consensus." Erin muttered. "I just need to know if he's working today and if not, where I can find him."

Lengel paused for a moment, although he had to think about this for a moment. "Well, he doesn't work the next couple of days and unfortunately I am not permitted to release his address to you."

"Why not?" Erin cried, a little crestfallen. Lengel was going to open his mouth to speak, but before he could, the Wartortle again appeared from behind the counter, with Erin and Lengel silencing in order to acknowledge him. He looked even more frustrated than before, with his apron and face now being coated in a light blue ice cream.

"What happened?" Lengel said sharply, staring past the Wartortle. "Is the ice cream machine okay?"

A vein popped on the side of the Wartortle's head, although he kept his voice level. "Well, I turned it off and back on, it then proceeded to electrocute me, leak some ungodly fluid onto the floor, make a very vulgar comment and proceed to throw a scoop of ice cream directly at my face at what I think was mach speed." He said this through gritted teeth, as though he was moments away from exploding. Lengel power walked to the back for a moment, before coming back around the counter after making a judgment, looking lost in his own thoughts.

He took a second to eye the Wartortle. "Thank Arceus, the machine is okay." He said shortly, causing Erin to sweatdrop. He frowned at his employee. "You're going to need to pay for that scoop before you leave, you know."

The ice cream on the Wartortle almost seemed to evaporate from the heat of his anger as he silently stomped back behind the counter. Erin felt a wave of sympathy for the upset turtle Pokemon, but was quick to return to the matter at hand.

"Sir, please-"

However, Lengel held up a paw in order to silence her. "Sorry, miss, I cannot help you. As a proud serving manager of this restaurant, I must uphold the rights to my employee's privacy to every non-customer. It is my duty."

"I know, but-" However, it was Erin herself that cut herself off as she paused at the Granbull's words. Taking them in, she sweatdropped. "...'non-customer'?"

Lengel nodded. "Yes ma'am, the customer always comes first." He replied rather bluntly.

Erin was torn at what he was insinuating at. While normally she was absolutely against such an amoral act, she couldn't help but consider the situation at hand. With every second she wasted, it was a second longer to find Karl.

She sighed. "Fine….one ice cream waffle." She said in exasperation, peering past Lengel to read the menu that was lit up between two screens. Most of it was listing the many different, and admittedly impressively long, flavors that they served. However, on the second screen, it listed the other ice cream related products that they served in the restaurant.

Almost instantly, Lengel was behind the counter at a register, as though they weren't just having a talk. "That'll be 700 Poke." He said, staring hungrily at the money Erin started to pull out of her satchel. "And Axl's house is located at 222 Tamamushi Street, on the far side of town." Smiling gratefully, Erin prepared to hand him the money before a scream from behind Lengel startled both of them.

The ice cream machine was on fire. Pokemon both customer and employee alike raced around the store, screaming in fear at the flaming object which was setting off alarms like crazy. Erin was almost lost in the chaos as panicking Pokemon ran without direction around her.

Lengel put his hands on his face in distress. "What the hell happened?" He shouted, disarrayed.

The Wartortle tentatively pressed himself against a wall, a bead of sweat coming down his face. "I told you we should've paid to have this thing fixed." He muttered, looking more exasperated than afraid.

A Numel in a pink apron jumped up, looking determined. "Flamethrower!" He shouted, spewing a stream of flames at the machine. Instantly, the fire spread even further, causing the employees standing by to back up even further.

Lengel grabbed him by the shoulders. "What made you think that was a good idea?" There were tears streaming down his face as he shook the young Numel.

The Numel had his own tears as well. "Well, you know the old saying 'fight fire with fire'..." He trailed off stupidly and the others could only look at him in stunned silence, forgetting for a moment that their lives were in danger over the sheer stupidity of their coworker.

Lengel pointed at the Wartortle. "Wait, you're a water type, put out the fire." He demanded.

The Wartortle put up his hands. "Uh, Lengel, that may not be a wise idea…"

"I am your boss, and you will do as I say!"

"But Lengel…"

Erin had started to slowly back out of the madness, having gotten what she needed. Silently, she walked out the front door, leaving the disaster that was only getting worse in front of her. Sure, she wanted to help… but Guildmaster Finnegan was very specific on her only bringing Axl back to the Guild.

Swiftly walking out, she only turned back at the sound of a loud WOOSH and saw a wave of black smoke violently shoot out of every window and door of the parlor. Worry washed over momentarily, only to vanish as she heard Lengel's wail.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"
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Huh, this is kind of a cute area…

Multiple houses were lined up, all connected but separated by individual numbers on the doors that were on the front. Each individual house also had its own yard, some very well kept while others… not so much.

She glanced to her left, one of the better-looking gardens catching her eye. It was filled with colorful flowers, well-trimmed bushes and a nice white fence that lined the edge. Its caretaker, a Mareep, was pushing a lawnmower around his yard, making the grass pop out even more. Erin would have loved to see it when it was sunny out again, cursing the weather for bringing a light rain once again.

Her eyes wandered to the door of the Mareep's house and squinted to find the small number.

221..

Blinking in surprise, she whipped her head to the house across the street and immediately cringed at the sight in front of her. A stark contrast to the yard across the street, this lawn was coated in dying grass with patches paving way to brown splotches. The bushes looked like they had been dead for years and…. Was there barbed wire on the fence?

She felt a little disappointed when she saw the 222 etched on the front door, a little put off by the garden out front. However, she shook her head out of her thoughts and marched up to the door, trying to ignore the desecrated garden.

You're here for info on Karl, not to judge his garden…

Walking up the gray concrete path, she reached her hand to knock on the door. She only got one knock out before the door burst open and Erin felt the wind leave her body as she was heaved backwards and pinned to the ground by a Pokemon much larger than her. Trying to scrabble, she tried to free herself from her attacker's grip, but it was strong. A clawed paw placed itself on her throat, cutting off her air much to her horror.

"What do you want filthy vermin? Did the Mareep send you?" An accusatory voice sounded from atop of her. It had a twang very similar to Clay's and Erin maybe would've thought it was him if not for it being very feminine.

Squirming, she jostled in the grip. "U-um what?"

"Them Mareep get craftier by the day I tell you, sending innocent children to my front door in order to lower my guard. I ain't falling for your tricks, do you hear me!" She shouted, shaking the poor Snivy underneath her grip.

Erin was starting to panic. "Wait, wait, you got it wrong. I'm with the Justice Guild, I'm just here to see Axl." She said quickly, trying to sound calm.

"Oh, so you can recruit my son in your terrorist group? I don't think so." She growled, grabbing at the satchel attached to Erin. "What type of weapons do you got on you?"

Ripping the bag off Erin, she dumped the contents on the ground to sift through them. A few berries, teleportation stone and, luckily, Erin's Guild badge fell out on the ground with a clatter. There was an awkward pause as realization hit.

The Pokemon grunted. "Give me a second." She simply said, releasing her grip on Erin. Scrambling to her feet, Erin stood straight up in time to see a Linoone bumble back into the house. Unlike most slender Linoone, however, this was round with a couple of dog tags hanging around her neck. Erin watched her disappear in the house before her words hit her.

Wait…son?

She didn't get time to contemplate this information, though, as the Linoone sprang surprisingly quickly out of the house.

"Come in now before they spot us. Them Mareep are very crafty critters, one false step and they'll snatch you like a berry off a tree." As she ranted, she glared over at her neighbors who gave her a friendly wave, oblivious to the Linoone's suspicions of them. Giving them a 'I'm watching you' gesture, she pulled Erin into the house roughly, making her squeak in surprise. Blinking in the new surroundings, she was met with a living room that was covered in papers with illegible writing on it and books that lay half open on the ground. Her eyes caught one that had a photo of a Mareep with devil horns on the cover of it.

If not for the sea of conspiracy pages, the room would have looked rather nice, with light blue furniture decorating the inside and a rather large TV.

Erin cleared her throat. "So… you're Axl's mother?" She asked.

The Linoone had taken a pair of binoculars out and was staring out the window at her Mareep neighbors in concentration. "Frankie Muldoon is the name." She told her. "And yes, Axl is my son. He's grabbing his scarf right now, if you want to take him with you, he won't leave without it."

Erin cocked her head. "He always wears the scarf?" She asked curiously.

Frankie didn't break her gaze. "It was a gift from his real mother a long time ago. If you couldn't tell by looking, he's adopted." She sighed. "An ol' warthog like me wouldn't have birthed such a beautiful child."

"Oh hush, ma. You're as beautiful as the sunrise on the ocean and you know it." Erin whipped her head to see said otter entering the room from a hallway, tightening the scarf around his neck with a lazy smirk headed in Frankie's direction.

Frankie's face lightened in a bashful smile. "I did get lucky with him though." She said sweetly, turning her head to give her son a warm look.

Axl grinned back. "That you did." He said with a wink before turning to Erin. "And what do we have here? Maybe you were right about the beautiful comment, because now I got girls just showing up at my doorstep to see me." He said this with a playful sigh.

Erin blushed. "Er, not quite. I came because I needed your help on a mission." She told him, realizing she wasn't mentally prepared for the sarcastic otter.

Axl gave a fake taken aback look. "Peridot City's finest needs MY help?" He gasped. "My, my, surely someone of your stature has no use of a simple Oshawott such as myself. Hell, I bet you've taken down twenty Pokemon at once by now."

Erin sweatdropped as the memories of the Passimian resurfaced. "Uh….no. I need your help-"

Axl cocked his head. "How did you even find my house anyway?" He cut her off.

"Uh…your boss Lengel told me." She admitted, her face reddening as she realized how creepy that actually sounded out loud.

Axl didn't seemed bothered, however. "Ah that cheapskate. I'm guessing you bribed him?" Erin's silence answered his question and he chuckled. "Knew it, man can't resist making a quick buck. How did you like the place, quite fancy, eh?"

"Well it was on fire when I left."

"Wait, what?"

Erin tapped her foot impatiently. "This is serious, Axl." She said sternly, crossing her arms.

"I get it, and I would love to help, but I am just so busy today. I've got big plans today, I tell you. Loitering, pickleball and I've got to cook a beautiful meal for the two of us later. I'm afraid the mental strain would be too much, right ma?"

Frankie hadn't taken her eyes from her binoculars. "What are you devils up to?" She muttered, fixated on the Mareep.

Axl nodded. "What she said. So I'm so sorry, but I-"

"Karl never came home last night." Erin broke in, making Axl's lazy demeanor drop for the first time as concern lightly coated his eyes. Even Frankie looked over with a look on her face, forgetting about her neighbors. Relieved she had his attention, she continued, "His mom came into the Guild this morning for our help to find him."

Axl looked thoughtfully way before closing his eyes. "I'm guessing that it's more than questions you want to ask me if the Guild accepted the job, then, huh?" He deduced, shocking Erin. He sighed, his demeanor from earlier returning. "Frankly, I'm quite hurt you'd suspect me. After we just became besties, too."

Frankie bumbled over. "There's no way Filip is accusing my boy of kidnapping Karl, Axl and him are like brothers. We've had him over our house more times than I can count." She said incredulously.

Erin looked down at the ground. "We don't think Axl did it either… we just couldn't take the mission without a suspect." Her face heated up as she herself felt embarrassed about the situation. She understood Frankie's anger, as it probably wasn't nice having her son being accused of something he probably didn't do.

Axl didn't look bothered though. "I wonder how many stars he'll give me?" He pondered out loud, putting his finger to his chin, making Erin sweatdrop at his lack of seriousness. However, he continued. "You check the woods by his house yet? That kid will play in them for hours at a time into the night. There's also a scouting house nearby that may have spotted him."

Erin blinked, once again surprised by his thinking. "I haven't.." She admitted.

"What in tarnation is a scout?" Frankie asked them, invested in their conversation.

Erin spoke up. "Well, because every city is surrounded by multiple towns, wilderness and all of that, it's hard for us to keep tabs on everything. Scouts are in charge of patrolling specific areas to let us know of anything that may require us- either new or a wanted criminal."

Axl nodded, crossing his arms. "My friend Nolan runs a Scouting House near the area Karl usually plays in. It's possible he or the others that use it saw something, Karl isn't the type to get kidnapped quietly. If anything, I feel bad for the kidnapper that has to endure his wrath." He said this with a smirk, as though envisioning Karl beating up a Pokemon twice his size with his wooden sword.

Erin took in this info. "That's actually a really good idea. Do you think you could tell the Guildmaster this?" She asked him.

Axl cocked his head. "I can one up that, how about I take you to see him myself. I don't think the walk should be too much hassle for someone as powerful as yourself. Plus, I think I can squeeze it into my very busy schedule." He said, turning to Frankie. "Sorry, ma, it might be a pizza night tonight."

However, no sooner had Axl started to say the 'p' sound had Frankie run to the hallway to a different room to order her food, making her son chuckle.

He turned back to Erin and frowned when her saw her looking hesitant. "What's wrong? Oh no," He said with fake sympathy. "You think I'm going to kidnap you and add you to my collection, don't you?"

Erin shook her head. "No, it's just…. I was told very specifically to bring you to the Guild, nothing else. Guildmaster Finnegan was beyond adamant about it." She said nervously.

Axl sighed, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Erin, Erin, take this from me-"

"The ice cream guy?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

Axl blinked, taken aback, before smirking. "Well, former, apparently." He said, before continuing. "I know he gave you your 'orders' and your 'rules's, but you need to think about your priorities here. Karl is out there somewhere in danger and every second we waste is a second he's not found. Do you think he would be mad if this info led to us finding Karl?"

Erin looked away, remembering Guildmaster Finnegan's threat. "I know, it's just…" She trailed off in worry.

Axl patted her. "You find him, and you'll be his shining star. Who knows, he might even take you under his wing himself. Besides, don't you think he wants you to try and solve this on your own? Think about how dependable this will make you look." Erin couldn't shake the feeling that she was being gaslit, but staring into Axl's eyes she could see the deep worry he was secretly holding in, masking it with his normally aloof attitude.

Finding herself unable to say no to those eyes, she took a breath. "Well….maybe asking them if they saw anything would't be the worst idea…"

Axl brightened further. "Of course it wouldn't, so let's go! He said cheerfully, walking out to the world that just started to rain. Erin watched him go, her thoughts torn at the idea. Fear of being kicked out of the clan for disobeying Guildmaster Finnegan gnawed at her heart in anxious waves, but if she was able to find the Munchlax as a result of this plan, there's no way he'd kick her out of the Guild….

Right?