Pokemon (Detective Pikachu)

A Legendary Search

32. Important Points

Tim's next break in the case came a week after he'd heard about it. Despite Absol and a few other Pokemon staking out the administrator's window, they weren't able to glean any useful information at all, and Tim had not seen Tiffany or had a chance to speak with Jane about her partner Pokemon. However, that Thursday, the school administrators finally made an announcement about what was going on over the loudspeaker during first period, declaring there had been five thefts so far. Tim put down his pencil upon hearing it; when had the fifth one happened?

"Five thefts?" Tyler drawled from his seat next to Tim. "Why, in that case why not ask the supposed "great detective" in the school to handle it? They've only covered him on TV like a thousand times."

Tim sighed.

"I think it would be a good idea for all of us to be vigilant and report anything unusual to the administrator." His teacher said mildly, and Tim smiled at his desk a little. His Law Enforcement teacher, Terrance Rhodes (though he'd introduced himself to the class by saying, "please, call me Terry,") hadn't batted an eye when he'd first seen Tim. Tim had to think that it was likely because the man himself had some fame to his name; Tim had been excited himself upon realizing that his Law Enforcement class was being taught by a rather well- known mystery novel author. He hadn't bothered the man about it, of course, but it was pretty cool… plus, he seemed like a pretty cool guy even without that fact.

"In fact, maybe we should all look into things. I'm a mystery fan myself, as you all know." The man grinned, and a few ripples of laughter could be heard around the room. "Sometimes when the unexpected happens, it takes the unexpected to fix it. Perhaps it just needs a go- getter to go get it, you know? But, now's not the time for that. Now's the time for class! So everyone, eyes up front."

Tim put the fifth theft out of his head and focused on Terry. He couldn't do anything now; he would have to ask Absol if he'd heard anything at lunch.

When his schedule opened for lunch, Tim found he didn't have to ask Absol. Once he'd left the building and was approaching the Disaster Pokemon, someone else called his name. When he turned, he found Tiffany approaching, with two others trailing her.

"Oh, hello, Tiffany. Is everything alright?"

"Yes… I mean, no… well, the locker thefts. These two also had their lockers broken into." Tiffany gestured to them.

"Huh? Really?" Tim reached into his back pocket for his notebook.

"Yes. I asked around my study group, and Melissa had her locker broken into a few weeks ago. Geoffrey here had his broken into yesterday!"

The fifth theft, Tim realized. Opening his notebook, he was about to ask if he could ask the two some questions when Geoffrey spoke up.

"Is it true you're looking into the thefts?"

"Yes." Tim told him. "I've been trying to find out more about what's going on with them. I'm going to see if I can find the thief. Would you be able to answer some questions, both of you? Anything you might know could help."

Melissa nodded; Geoffrey said, "Yeah, sure."

"Okay, first questions then- what exactly was taken from your lockers, and when? If you can describe what was taken and narrow down the time frame in which it went missing as much as you can, that would help. Melissa, you first."

"Oh… my necklace was stolen. It was a gift from my grandmother for my birthday last year… it had amethysts set in it, my favourite stone, and the chain… well, I think the chain was probably just nickel or steel. MeMa knew I loved amethysts but she lives on a pretty small pension."

"I see. Was anything else taken?"

"No. Just the necklace from MeMa. And… I'm afraid I can't narrow the time down too much. I know it happened three weeks ago yesterday, but as for the time… I put my necklace in there before going to one of the recreation rooms during an empty period, and I packed my bag for the next two classes at that time, so… it could have gone missing any time between ten am and a little before three, when I came back to change my books after lunch."

"Okay, and your locker number? What locker was yours?"

"Oh, I had locker 4906."

That had been the locker Tim had had trouble finding before. Tim quickly noted everything down.

"Alright. And how about you, Geoffrey?" Tim asked, quickly turning to a new page in his notebook. His script still wasn't quite as neat as he would like, but he could write a lot faster with his left hand than he used to, which was the more important thing right now.

"My locker number is 3415, and my watch got stolen out of it. It was a big one, silver backing. Analog, not digital. I took it off and locked it up because I knew we were going to be, ah, doing some lab work with cadavers in my last class, and when I came back from it, it was gone. So, it went missing between four and five pm yesterday."

"Okay… and did either of you notice anything else that seemed strange or out of place before or after you came back?"

"No… nothing. Nobody acting weird… I recognized most of the people in the hall as people that were normally in the hall when I was putting everything away, and when I came back the hall was actually empty. I was in a hurry then, because I was running a little late, so it's possible I might have missed something, but I can't think of anything at all that was different, except for my locker being open." Melissa told him.

"My locker was completely trashed." Geoffrey told him. "I got permission to use my own lock, because I don't trust school locks with who knows who've used them before, so I got my own lock and put it on. Mine was a combo lock. When I got back, that lock was right on the floor, the hook part taken off like something had sheared clean through it, and there were claw marks in my locker door. I had a crowd staring at it before I even got there."

Tim rapidly scribbled that down. "Anything else?"

"Um… I don't think so. I got the school admin before I went into my locker, and we both went through it to see if anything else was missing, but nothing else was. Not even my wallet that I'd left in there… everything was still in my wallet, too. I didn't notice anything else strange." The boy fell silent for a moment, then, before his forehead creased in thought. "Wait… actually… there was one thing. When I was leaving my watch in my locker."

"What was that? Anything might help."

"I'd just taken my watch off… when I was putting it in my locker, I felt a breeze go by me."

"A breeze?"

"Yeah… I thought it was weird, because I could only feel it from like, the waist down. The door was opening and closing a lot as people went in and out, but it's on the fourth floor, so it's the stairwell. And the hallways don't have windows, so… I thought it was really weird. But I didn't see anything."

Tim noted it down.

"Okay. Last question then. The three of you have all had things taken… two others did as well. Do any of you know who else had their things taken?"

All three people answered with "no's" and shaking heads.

"Okay. Well, thank you for speaking with me. If you can think of anything else or find out anything else, please let me know."

"Sure."

"Of course."

Melissa nodded her head as the other two spoke. As they were about to leave, Tim had a thought.

"Oh, and Geoffrey? Do you mind if I quickly look at your locker today?"

"Go ahead. Don't think you'll find anything, though."

"Thank you. I'll take a look, just in case."

As they left, Tim dug out the food he'd brought for Absol. Whenever grocery shopping was done, Tim made sure to purchase Pokemon food that Absol liked, but he also sometimes just made his partner a sandwich like Tim's own for lunch. They'd both had sandwiches yesterday; today, Tim had brought the Pokemon food. Filling the bowl he'd brought for Absol, he gave it to his friend, then headed back inside after letting Absol know that he was going to take a look at Geoffrey's locker.

Along the way, he dug out his notebook, turning to a fresh page to keep track of each locker and what was taken. Geoffrey's watch from 3415, Melissa's necklace from 4906, and Tiffany's hairbrush from 4286. The other two lockers were 3414 and 3427… Tim frowned. A lot of lockers in the same area. Three of them. The other two were further apart, but… still connected, in a way. Tiffany, Geoffrey, and Melissa were all in the same study group. Tim noted down the connection as well. Maybe it was a coincidence… or maybe there was something important there.

After taking a look at Geoffrey's locker, which was just as totaled as the boy had said, Tim went for lunch, thinking about the damage. It was more extensive than the others by far. The ruined lock had been removed from the scene, but there was a chunk missing from the door where the lock normally connected to it, not to mention two gashes that split right through the middle of the metal door. The slashes looked clean; whatever had made them was very sharp. That fit with the other lockers, but the damage was so much worse… what had changed?

The lock had, Tim remembered. Geoffrey had used his own combination lock. Did that mean something? He noted the different lock and increase in damage on the separate page, and added the note about a breeze going by him. These seemed to feel like the important points.

Realizing he was now almost out of time, Tim inhaled his lunch and got ready for his next class. He was sure he had most of what he needed to solve the case… he felt like the answer was close, and he only needed one or two pieces of the puzzle left to finish it. He just wasn't sure what they were.

When Tim left his last class for the day and met with Absol, the Disaster Pokemon looked exasperated.

"It's a good thing you ride me." Absol told him. "Two of the parking lots collapsed due to tunnels dug under them, courtesy of Tyler's Sandshrew. It's chaos."

"Whaaat? Can't that thing stay out of trouble?"

"I was speaking to him today. It seems Tyler never brings him lunch, Sandshrew is expected to find it for himself. So that's what he does… he digs for his food."

Tim shook his head. "What? Why wouldn't Tyler bring him anything to eat? That's… pretty mean. No wonder Sandshrew keeps digging all those holes. No one was hurt, I hope?"

"No, thank goodness. I felt it coming and was able to get a little help from others in chasing people away."

"Really? Great job, then. It sounds like there's not really anything we can help with now?"

"No, at this point they're calling in professionals to pull the cars out of the hole. I saw some Braviary arrive earlier, actually; they're probably the ones being sent in for the job."

"Alright. We might as well go, then, if there's nothing we can do."

"The Hi Hat Café?"

"Yeah.

The next day at school, Tim brought a bag of Pokemon food that he'd been recommended for a Sandshrew. During the period he ate lunch, he and Absol looked around for Tyler's Sandshrew, asking a few of the other Pokemon (Tim didn't dare ask any people, given that it would be awkward to explain why he was looking for the partner of a person who openly didn't like him and the situation would get even worse if Tyler were to hear about it) until they finally found the Sandshrew standing not too far away from one of the collapsed parking lots. Absol got to him first and flopped down next to him.

"Hey. Admiring your handiwork?"

The Sandshrew balked. "I didn't mean to cause trouble like this… my owner expects me to find my own lunch."

"I know." Absol soothed. "But I do think it's terrible that he won't feed you."

"Well, at home it's always normal." Sandshrew told him. "I mean, there's lots of food in the ground around home and lots of room. I like looking for food at lunch at home, it's better than the storebought food and it never seems to cause any problems. But here, things keep happening that I don't want! I don't know what to do… I don't want to just be hungry!"

"Well, then, let's make a deal." Tim said, sitting down next to Sandshrew. "I know you said the storebought food isn't as good, but I have some here. If I bring you some each day, and leave it under this tree when I have lunch, then how about you eat what I bring and stop digging out the ground around here?"

The Sandshrew brightened. "R-really? You will! Then… then I promise! I won't do it again! Thank you- thank you!"

Tim set the extra dish he'd brought and filled it with the food the store clerk had recommended for a Sandshrew, and the Mouse Pokemon began eating immediately, expression bright and happy.

"Hmm… mph! Ish dere anyfing elsh I can do fr ou?" the Pokemon mumbled out.

"Don't worry about it." Tim assured him. "If there is no more need to worry about holes or collapsing parking lots, that will go a long way to making everyone happy."

"We're doing quite well, anyway. The only thing we need is to catch that thief. It's been over a week now that we've been looking for him." Absol murmured.

"Fief? Like da one dat shtole deh brashlesh?"

Tim looked at the Sandshrew. "Yeah… and a few other things. Do you know anything about the stolen bracelets?"

"Taken frm my friensh." The Sandshrew nodded.

"You know the people they were taken from? Those are the two people we haven't been able to get testimony from yet. Is there any way you can tell us who they are?"

The Sandshrew gave a massive, noisy swallow. "I can do better than that! They always get together under the same tree after their last class. They're nice, sometimes they'll give me a candy! I'll introduce you to them!"

Tim smiled. "That would be awesome! Um… your partner wouldn't be coming, would he? I don't think he likes me much."

The Sandshrew frowned. "No, he doesn't. He's said a lot of mean things. But I've heard others say lots of good things about you, so I don't know why. But my partner has a really late class on the fifth weekday, so no, he won't be coming with us."

"Okay. That's probably a good thing. Thank you very much." Tim said, relieved. Once he was able to speak with the other two people, maybe he would get the information he needed to solve the case. It had a simple answer, he could just feel it. But he couldn't yet tell what it was.

The day passed at a crawl. Tim couldn't wait to get back to Tyler's Sandshrew… and the irony wasn't lost on him. It seemed that he had been wrong when he'd assumed that Pokemon were like their trainers.

When at last his final class was over, Tim raced out, met with Absol, and tracked down the little Sandshrew named Dustin, who was waiting for them under the same tree that they'd sat under for lunch. The Mouse Pokemon perked up when he saw them.

"This way!" he cried.

Tim and Absol followed Sandshrew at a trot, around the parking lot that was being filled in, across a field, to a tree that was on the other side of the school building that all the thefts had happened inside. Tim had seen a lot of people gather at this tree before; it was a popular spot at lunch. The branches were wide and low, making it perfect for people to climb in and sit on, and that's just what several people did while they ate.

"They gather here." Dustin announced. "They won't be here yet today, though. They get out later then this on the fifth day of the week."

"So we can wait here for them." Tim determined, and the Sandshrew nodded.

"Yeah, yeah! They're really nice!"

Tim smiled at the little Pokemon, then sat down on the grass and looked at his own partner. "Absol, can you give me a nudge when they come? I'm going to get started on my notes while we're waiting."

"Of course." Absol nodded, and Tim pulled out his recorder, put the earphones in, and started copying notes from the day's recorded class, getting some work done while he waited.

Tim was alerted when the two he was waiting for were here by both Absol, who nudged his knee with a paw, and Dustin the Sandshrew, who jumped into his lap. Tim pulled out his earphones, and Dustin squeaked,

"They're coming! I'll go get them!"

The Sandshrew jumped off his lap and ran towards two girls who were approaching the tree. They were close enough that Tim could hear them speaking once Sandshrew ran up to them.

"Oh, you again, huh? You came to see us?" the brunette and darker skinned of the pair asked, while the other girl, blond hair with some red and green dye in her bangs, knelt to put a hand out.

"Yeah!" The Sandshrew cried. "I've got a couple new friends that wanted to talk to you! Can you come meet them? They're over here, this way!" Dustin reached his little paws toward the two girls as he spoke, looking a little like a small child asking to be picked up, then ran back towards Tim when he finished speaking. Tim quickly put his books and recorder away so he could stand up.

"Oh, are you Sandshrew's trainer?" the girl with the dyed hair asked.

Tim shook his head. "No. We were just keeping each other company while we waited. Looks like we were waiting for the same people, actually."

Both girls looked confused. "You were waiting for us? Why?" the brunette asked, an odd look on her face.

"I've been looking into the thefts around the school a little bit to try and find out who's behind them. I was told that both of you had things stolen from your lockers?"

"Oh… you're looking into that? Good! Someone needs to catch them, I want my bracelet back!" the dyed girl said.

"Yeah, I am. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions. Anything you can tell me might help."

"Sure, if it helps I'll tell you whatever I can." The dyed girl told him, and the brunette nodded.

"Alright. Before we start, can I get your names?"

"Oh, of course. My name is Elaine." The dyed girl told him, while the brunette said,

"I'm Camille."

"Perfect. It sounds like both of you had bracelets taken? Could you describe when they looked like?"

"Mine was sterling silver, about two fingers wide, with a sapphire on it. It was expensive." Elaine complained. "I got that as a gift for getting into the university. It was my birthstone."

"Mine was more like a chain, with some yellow and purple stones on it… nothing expensive at all. The stones were just paste. The metal was stainless steel. It's not real important a thing to go missing, really, but… I liked it. And it's one of the few things I've found I can wear, because of the steel. Nickel jewelry makes me break out in hives." Camille admitted, looking a little embarrassed.

Tim noted down the descriptions.

"Okay, and when did they go missing?"

"At the same time, actually. We both put our bracelets in our lockers before an afternoon free period almost… umm…" Elaine trailed off, and Camille stepped in.

"Almost four weeks ago now. We met up with some other friends to play tennis in one of the rec centers. We met with our friends at about three. When we came back about an hour later, both of our lockers were open and our bracelets were gone."

"Okay, and what numbers are your lockers?"

"Mine is 3414, Elaine's is 3427." Camille told him.

"Okay, perfect. And did either of you notice anything strange at all? People who shouldn't have been there, or that looked nervous… anything that strikes you as out of place or unusual?"

Both girls thought hard.

"No… I didn't see anything except my locker hanging open." Elaine said.

"Um… well, it's probably nothing…" Camille muttered.

"What?" Tim asked. "Anything might help, no matter how small."

"Well… there was a tuft of short black hair in the bottom of my locker. I saw it when I was cleaning out the rest of my stuff. I assumed it was from my own Houndour, her fur really gets everywhere, but… it felt a little different when I picked it up. Or at least, I thought it did. I'm still not sure if it was my imagination."

Tim noted down the tuft of fur. "I don't suppose you still have it?"

"No, I just threw it out… like I said, it probably came from my Houndour."

"Maybe. But I'll remember that, just in case. Thank you. Is there anything else?"

"No, that's everything."

"Okay. Thank you. If either of you think of anything, could you please let me know?"

"Of course. And if you find anything, you'll let us know?"

"If I find out who the thief is, I'll definitely make sure to tell you." Tim promised.

After exchanging a couple more words, Tim and Absol left, Tim flipping over to his separate page of important points to note down whose things had been taken from the other two lockers and about the dark tuft of fur.

"Maybe it's a Pokemon breaking in?" Tim mused aloud, and Absol said,

"Could be. But any Pokemon able to open a lock would have no need for a hairbrush or a watch that I could think of. Jewelry, maybe, some Pokemon like that, and I guess the watch could be mistaken for it but there would be no need to take a hairbrush at all. And any Pokemon I could think of that would take anything that took their fancy as toys, like Lillipup for example, wouldn't be able to get in the locker."

"That's true…"

"The tuft of fur could have come off a person who keeps a dark-furred Pokemon. But then, I don't know why a person would take a hairbrush, either."

"That is the biggest mystery." Tim admitted. They approached the side of the school building. "Who would take a hairbrush? Some of the other things taken weren't all that valuable, either… but the hairbrush is the really odd one. I feel like if we could figure out why the thief wanted that, we could probably figure out everything else."

As Tim finished speaking, the door they were about to pass banged open, and Tyler stepped out. He glared at Tim.

"Talking to yourself? You know how much of a loser that makes you look like, right?"

Tim let out a silent breath, brushing off the other boy's anger.

"Talking to Absol, actually. Even if he can't answer me, it still helps me think to bounce my ideas off of someone."

Tyler snorted. "Definitely a loser. Well, "Great Detective," it's too bad you've gotten lowered to looking into a mere school klepto case. Good luck with it."

The boy stormed off. Tim had a feeling that if Absol hadn't been with him- and snarling at him- then Tyler probably would have deliberately rammed Tim with his shoulder again. Tim sighed.

Feeling his right hand start trembling again- thank goodness it didn't start doing that when he was gathering testimony- Tim tucked it into his sweater pocket.

"Well, let's go. Don't worry about him, Absol. Come on, we'll get your caramel hot chocolate."

A/N: Just in case someone has been waiting for this since the more usual time of day that I post chapters, I do apologize. Last Tuesday I ended up having something arranged on Sundays; I will now be busy every Sunday for most of the day. I will still update my stories on that date, but it will be later in the day, rather than in the early afternoon.

And as for the story, Tim inches closer to tracking down the school thief. Some of the burglaries, though, don't make any sense, and one of them has gotten plain violent on the locker. The biggest question still remains unanswered.