The water boiled, splashing around the pot as a Decidueye leaned over to turn the fire off. Maia took the recipient and poured the water on a mug carefully, the sound of the liquid making for a relaxing ambiance amidst the silence of the cozy cottage.
She grabbed a little tea bag and dropped it in the mug, the hot water quickly gaining a greenish color as a sweet scent overtook the Decidueye's nostrils. Then grabbed the mug and took it to the living room, sitting comfortably on a cushion as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
This was the life.
She was enjoying her free day while the kids were busy with their investigation, but she had to admit she missed having a bit more time to spend with them. After all, it had only been a few days since she adopted both Ari and Nimb, and they were still getting used to it, but they certainly looked really happy.
However, her thoughts kept going back to her lost child, wherever she was, and she wished she could be there to play with her new siblings. It would be such a beautiful family scene, but that was just a foolish dream. She had to admit that no happiness brought by her adopted sons would ever make her pain go away. She would never stop searching for her.
But she couldn't focus on that too much. She had someone to take care of now. And speaking of the devil, her thoughts were interrupted as the main door opened, with a familiar warm and soft voice coming over.
"Hi Mom, we're back already!" Ari said, being followed by Nimb as he closed the door behind him.
"Oh, welcome back! Isn't it early? What happened to the investigation?" Maia said as she stood up, approaching the duo with a smile.
"We finished it!" Nimb said, puffing his chest. "It was really easy, actually."
Maia embraced both of them and planted a kiss on the Archen's cheek, then the same with the Riolu. "Well done! I'm so proud of you two."
Ari chuckled as his cheeks flushed. "To be honest, it kinda felt like an insult for any investigator."
"Oh, really? Why don't you come over and tell me how it went?" Maia said as she moved back to her cushion and took her mug once more. "Oh, want some tea?"
"No, thanks," Nimb said, and Ari shook his head. Both of them sat right next to Maia as Ari started recounting the events.
"... So we didn't even get to ask any questions, we found the thief hiding inside a closet right away!"
"Wow, really?"
"Yeah, he literally fell asleep there on the spot," Nimb continued, following with a light chuckle. "It wasn't hard to find him, we just had to follow the slime traces. Apparently, a Sliggo isn't the most suited to be a thief."
Maia lovingly stroked Nimb's head, following with a chuckle of her own. "Well, you never know until you try! But I'd rather you not try being a thief ever. You two are too nice for that."
"Aw, I was considering it, but since you said that I guess my dream of being a criminal will have to wait…" Ari joked, pressing into the soft layer of feathers on Maia's side. "So, leaving that aside… I was thinking, you're both birds, when are you going to teach Nimb how to fly?"
Nimb audibly groaned and Maia only shook her head with an amused smile. "You know well that Archens can't fly. Don't tease him!"
"Sorry, sorry, hehe… But maybe I can help! I can toss him really high!"
Nimb grabbed Ari's cheeks and pressed them, funnily morphing his face. "I'm gonna toss you instead, how does it sound?"
"I luv ywu too," Ari said, muffled. Nimb snorted at that.
The goofiness was interrupted when a beeping sound could be heard coming from Ari's bag. The Riolu jumped, but quickly recomposed and reached for the contents of his bag, pulling his gholdevice from it.
"You still haven't returned your GD?" Maia asked.
Ari shrugged. "I kinda forgot, sorry…" He clicked a button on the gadget and held it in front of the three of them. "Hello, Cora, what's up?"
Cora's voice could be heard on the other side.
"Heyyyy Ari! We kinda need a bit of help with something real quick. We're stuck in our investigation because we found a message that's written in a weird language, I think it's footprint script. Do any of you know that language?"
Maia tilted her head. "Footprint script… That's a really old language. Nowadays there are barely a few pokémon who know that language, it's been lost to time for a while. If there's anyone who knows it, it's probably just a few wild pokémon."
Nimb nodded. "I don't know it either, but I remember my old family mentioned it at some point. Some wild pokémon keep teaching it to others in order to keep their legacy or something."
"Awww, so nobody knows? It could be really helpful right now…"
Ari gasped. "Oh wait! I know of someone who knows footprint script!"
"Really? Could you ask them, pleaseeee?" Cora pleaded.
The Riolu stood up and grabbed his bag, starting to leave. "It'll be just a few minutes! Nimb, you comin'?"
Nimb quickly followed after him. "Ahhh, yes, yes, wait!" He turned to Maia, who watched with a dumbfounded expression. "Is it fine if leave again?"
Maia was a bit sad that they were leaving again, but such was the life of an investigator. "Of course, don't worry about me. I'll probably go see Emeric for a bit, he was surprisingly insistent on getting to spend time with me either way."
Maia knew pretty well what the Noivern was trying, but she decided to keep her theories to herself for now.
"Alright then, see you later!" Ari said, opening the door.
"Goodbye, love you!"
Nimb and Ari blushed and responded in unison. "Love you, mom!"
Mylo and Sanah reunited with Ari and Nimb, not wanting to miss whatever mission Team Riding Star was going through now that they had free time. Brynel had allowed Team Silver to use the questioning room once again to reunite with Ren in decent conditions, so they wouldn't have bars between them, but it was still a crowded space without any sunlight, which wasn't that comfy for any of them.
The dim light of the luminous orb fell on the Weavile's uninterested face as he tapped his claw on the table, his other claw supporting his cheek. At least he wasn't handcuffed now. Ari sat right next to him, holding the gholdevice in hand.
"Just to be clear, I'm only doing this because Ari asked me to," Ren clarified. "I don't really wanna help you."
"Yeah, we figured," Mylo said with venom in his voice as he rested his back on the wall. Ari looked between the two with a frown but decided not to comment on it.
Kyle's voice resonated from the other side of the Gholdevice.
"So, to give you a rundown on the case… There was a robbery in a boutique while it was closed, and all traces were completely gone. Like, hmmm, no fingerprints, fur or scales, not anything. They were pretty careful with that, but not with something else."
"You found the thief in a closet?" Nimb asked innocently.
"No, but we did find a note that the thief left behind, behind a box. Cora already went over this before, Nimb."
Nimb coughed as he looked away. "I was… joking, yeah."
"Anyway, the note seems to be written with footprint runes, which is rare to see nowadays. We think the thief was communicating with someone else, and that might lead to finding our culprit. Or culprits."
"I see…" Ren said, crossing his arms. "So you want me to translate that message? Whatever, I can do that. But how the hell do you expect me to do it from here?"
Cora's voice came jolly as ever. "Oh, that's easy! Just check the gholdevice, I'm sending a picture!"
The gadget played a short beep and Ari pressed a button to display the image of what looked like a paper with several drawings of feet from different kinds of pokémon drawn next to each other. Ren blinked twice, visibly amazed.
"Wow, technology sure has progressed…" He coughed, trying to brush that moment off and putting a serious voice as he read the message. "Let's see… This is what it says."
"One bright spot in the world restrained.
Strength and Pain.
A single strike on the floor.
The natural order born forevermore."
There was silence for a long time as everyone tried to make some sense of what they had just heard. Even Cora had gone silent all of a sudden.
"Is that… a riddle?" Sanah asked, dumbfounded.
"Uhm… Sounds like one, at least. No idea why a criminal would communicate like this," Ari said, casting Ren a confused glance.
Ren shrugged. "Don't look at me, I just said what's in that note, literally."
Mylo hummed as he thought about it. "If they communicate with riddles, then we'll have to solve them. Let's see…"
"No," Ren interrupted. "This is their investigation, we shouldn't intrude on this. Let them solve it."
It was such a simple sentence, but that was enough to change Mylo's mood. He crossed his arms and pierced his gaze on the Weavile, speaking with a challenging tone.
"What's so wrong about helping our friends? You want the criminals to succeed, don't you?"
Ren didn't react at first, a long silence following as the air suddenly felt tense, but the accusation eventually made him grit his teeth. "No, I'm saying this is something they have to do if they wanna be investigators. And nobody asked for your opinion."
Mylo hardened his stare. "They are my classmates, and they care about my opinion, as opposed to you. You're an outsider and you should remain like that."
"As far as I'm concerned, you wanted my help in the first place, so why don't you shut up already?"
Sanah groaned. "Ugghhh, guys, this is definitely not the time for this! Just quit it, you're making Ari upset!"
Mylo and Ren turned to Ari, who flinched from the sudden acknowledgment and spoke with a sheepish smile. "Uhhhh I mean, this is not about me, b-but well… Yeah, could we please be respectful to each other? We're between friends!"
Ren rolled his eyes. "Speak for yourself. You're my only friend."
"And I'm definitely not going to trust a criminal ever, no matter how much they try to act like they're good pokémon," Mylo said as he turned away.
Ari sighed. It was to be expected that Mylo was going to get like that with Ren, or well… both of them with each other. He hoped calling the whole team in a collab investigation would help them get to know each other, but it seemed like they didn't want to do that.
Mylo and Ren were similar in a scary way. If they weren't so focused on finding out who was right, they'd notice that. But it seemed like there always had to be tension between Ari's friends and whenever one relationship was fixed, another toxic one would rise.
"A-anyway… I say we at least stay for the rest of their investigation, who knows if they might need your help again, Ren?" Ari said.
"Fine, I guess…" Ren decided.
"Sssooooo you finished arguing over there?" Cora asked from the gholdevice.
"Yeah, we're done," Mylo said, finally getting closer to the table, and crouching to speak to the gadget. "I'd say the criminals are wild pokémon, just like Ren, since they know footprint script."
Ren shot him a nasty look but otherwise said nothing. This time, it was Velia's voice what they heard coming from the device.
"That makes sense. Wild pokémon are less adapted to modern society, and statistically, they tend to not follow the laws of civilized settlements and thus commit more crimes than civilized pokémon."
Nimb narrowed his eyes. "... What?"
"Yes, it's similar to what I've explained before in class," the Meowstic continued. "Wild pokémon have not developed in the ways we have, so they're prone to more primitive and destructive behaviors."
"Velia, please stop talking," Sanah warned, rubbing her face with one claw.
"Why? I'm just-"
"Velia, come on! You can't say stuff like that!" Cora reprimanded. "You're upsetting them!"
"But it's just a fact! I'm running on actual data!"
Ari's expression morphed into different emotions as he heard the conversation that Cora and Velia were holding on the other side of the line. A glance at his teammates and Ren told him they were not happy at all.
It was like that time when Team Valiant revealed Project Azure to the whole academy. Wild pokémon had such a reputation, but it wasn't just one-sided. Ari wished at least his friends would be neutral to all that, but those were thoughts deeply rooted in society, so that was really hard to change.
"You…" Ren began, his claw clenching, but Ari put his paw on it to try and reassure him.
"Please don't take it personally, Ren, she's just like that! It's not like she has anything against wild pokémon, but she… relies on statistics too much. She's not ill-intended, I promise."
A long moment passed as Ren and Ari stared at each other, the Weavile's frown deepening for a moment until he sighed and relented. He was still not happy about it, but he found no motivation to keep arguing.
Nimb and Sanah exchanged a knowing look. For once, they understood the Weavile. Even if they were dealing with their classmate and friend, it hurt. It might even be more painful just because she was a friend, in fact. And it was really annoying.
Worst of it… There was no point in trying to change Velia's point of view.
The boutique was quite empty at the moment, with just Team Riding Star and a police officer securing the area to make sure nobody messed with whatever evidence was left in there. It was a fancy place, with mostly white walls decorated with wooden shelves and metal bars along the whole ceiling, forming star patterns.
Many clothes were taken, and it was easy to notice the empty shelves, but the biggest loss was all the money in the cash register. The door and windows weren't even broken, as whoever broke in didn't use brute force at all. Strange.
"I'm gonna be honest, I don't know if we should be accepting the help of a criminal," Velia said. "Especially knowing what he's contributed to. But I guess any help is appreciated."
Asher and Cora exchanged an aggravated look, the latter storing her gholdevice back in her satchel.
"Please, Velia, don't start acting like Mylo now. This is not the time for that, and you heard that argument right now," Cora explained, bringing a flipper to her waist. It was a weird sight, considering she needed her flippers to support her body. "Ren is Ari's friend, and he's redeeming himself. Shouldn't we give him the chance?"
"Yeah, besides… You already went a bit too far with those comments about wild pokémon, haha…" The Cyclizar said. It wasn't a genuine laugh.
Velia crossed her arms and huffed. "I don't get why you're all so picky today. It wasn't that important, I'd say. But forget that, we have work to do."
Cora sighed. "Right, right, um… So what could that riddle mean?"
Everyone stood silent as they thought about it, muttering words to themselves trying to remember what was said, though Kyle made sure to take notes on his own GD. Asher eventually raised his claw excitedly.
"Oh, oh, I think I know! It says something about hearing a strike on the floor… Maybe we have to go underground!"
"Uhhh… You think?" Cora said.
Kyle, however, shook his head. "I think the floor was only mentioned so you know it's not out in the open, not because there's anything under it."
"Oh… Right…" Asher lowered his claw, losing his enthusiasm.
Cora closed her eyes, deep in thought. "Hmmmm… Strength and pain… Sounds like those are our keywords here. Some place where you fight or train?"
Kyle perked up. "Hmmm, a… dojo?"
"Oh, that's a good one, Kyle! Maybe the note is pointing to a dojo! We could find something there!" Cora said as she bounced excitedly.
"Aaahhhhh yeah, I guess that makes sense," Asher admitted, now getting on all fours. "Then let's go, to the academy's dojo!"
"Wait," Velia said, bringing a paw to her chin. "I don't think a classroom would make sense in a case like this. There's a bigger dojo in town, one that's not part of a literal school, but an actual business."
"Right, let's go there!" The Brionne said.
Asher's smile weakened for a moment, and he stumbled on his words. "Ah. Uh, hmm… Y-yeah. To the dojo! Hop on!"
The dojo stood imposing in front of the team, not far away from the commercial district. It was a tall building, apparently containing a couple of floors with different terrains for all kinds of pokémon to battle on; a completely different view of what the academy's dojo was.
It had a spiky shell on the roof and green stripes decorating the beige walls around the building, which looked like a certain pokémon. Asher was amused at the ego of certain pokémon with how much they liked making businesses with decorations resembling the owners.
Once they stepped inside, they were already in a big room with two battlefields; one with a dirt floor and the other with several rocks as obstacles. The room had green walls and was surrounded by a few benches, a secluded area with training dummies, and some lockers.
"Woah, I can't believe this place was here all along…" Asher said, mouth agape. "I've never been here before!"
"Well, you didn't exactly have reasons to visit a dojo before," Velia said. Her gaze was fixed on a spar that was taking place in the middle of the battlefield between a Dewott and an Eevee.
"True. So, now what? We just search for clues or what?"
Cora pulled her GD from her satchel and raised it over her head. "Yay! Let's get to it!"
Before anyone could comment on that, a hearty laugh made them jump. From behind them, a Chesnaught approached them with a wide grin.
"HAHAHAHA, hello there you lads! If you came looking for some training, this is your place! If not, then I'm sorry but I have nothing else to offer! HAHAHA!"
As he laughed, he gave Kyle a strong pat on the back, making the Scrafty stagger as he tried to keep his balance.
"Hi thereee!" Cora greeted. "We're actually here for other reasons! We're investigators and we're following a clue that led us to this dojo!"
The Chesnaught didn't change his expression, but he did raise both arms like someone was pointing a gun at him. "Woah, investigators! Don't arrest me, I swear I didn't do anything! HAHAHAHAH!"
Asher and Cora snickered at that, but Kyle only stared with narrowed eyes, trying to resist the urge to take some steps back. He cleared his throat and asked. "Hmmm, did you see anyone suspicious recently? Leaving notes or something?"
Chesnaught brought his hand to his chin and hummed. "I don't think I did, but then again, I don't usually judge too much by appearances, otherwise you four would look suspicious to me! HAHAHA!"
"I don't think this pokémon is going to be of any help," Velia whispered so only her team could hear it.
"Right, umm… Would you mind if we take a look around the dojo?" Cora asked.
"Yeah, go ahead! Just don't interrupt the training and don't steal anything! If you ever want some training, let me know!" Chesnaught finished that with another strong pat on Kyle's back, grinning widely.
"Ugh… Not for now, but thanks," Kyle said, falling into a coughing fit right after.
The Chesnaught returned to coach the battling duo and Team Riding Star was left staring as they thought of how to even start. They hoped they wouldn't have to check the second floor as well.
"He's really nice, I like him," Asher said in a cheery tone. The Brionne nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, let's separate and look for any clues. Remember to use the Gholdevice for better results," Velia advised, pulling out her own GD and starting to walk away.
"Oh, right…" Asher took his GD and tapped some buttons. "Let's see… I wonder if we could find some suspicious movement with the kinetic ray."
As the Cyclizar looked up, he noticed his teammates had already left him to go investigate separately. It seemed he was already talking to himself. He sighed and started doing his part.
The place was, at first sight, pretty empty. As much as everyone searched, there was not a single note left behind, neither on the floor nor on benches or behind the lockers. The dummies were just full of foam and traces of blood from whoever was punching them too hard. Asher grimaced at the sight, being the one checking that area.
Kyle was searching near the walls in case there was something out of plain sight, but he had no luck either. And Velia was scanning the area where the benches stood, also finding nothing interesting. It looked like the second floor wasn't completely out of the question now. She sighed and moved to check where the lockers stood, holding the personal belongings of whoever decided to train there.
The Meowstic checked the open lockers, in case someone forgot to retrieve anything, but they were empty as expected. Just to make sure, she turned the UV light on and checked the empty lockers for traces, but she got what she expected: many traces of fur, scales, and feathers from the pokémon that trained there before. That didn't mean any of them were thieves, in the end.
It seemed like blindly looking for traces was useless, but she already suspected it. There might not even be anything in that dojo, and they went to the wrong place in the end. Or maybe the riddle was just a sick joke to make them waste time. But she was willing to go through with it until the end.
Right as she motioned to leave for the second floor, the UV light caught something. From the corner of her eyes, she could see something appearing on the side of the lockers. Velia stopped, blinked twice, and took two steps back, pointing the light to the leftmost locker, on the side.
And there it was. A bunch of symbols resembling footprints, placed one after the other, only visible through the UV light. Another message.
"Team! I found something!" She called.
Cora, Asher and Kyle turned to her and immediately ran to her side with curiosity. Cora panted, being the one who had the most uncomfortable body type for walking.
"What is it?" Asher asked.
Velia pointed once more her ultraviolet light, and the message appeared. "Invisible ink. We found our clue."
"Invisible ink? That's a thing?" Cora asked with a tilt of her head. "Doesn't sound really useful to me."
"It is when you're trying to hide a message," Kyle said. "And it seems it's written in footprint script again. We'll have to ask Ren for help."
The questioning room was a bit too silent for Nimb's liking now. Ari had been talking to Ren for a while, but they reached a point where they just fell into the kind of silence of just 'enjoying each other's company', which worked for Ari and Ren, but not for Nimb. He was just bored.
Sanah and Mylo had left to get some air and they were likely talking outside, probably since Mylo wasn't too comfortable talking in front of Ren. At least the Toxtricity was getting along quite nicely with Sanah now, so not everything was bad. But Nimb wished he had brought some tabletop game to spend the time.
The sounds of claws tapping the table were mixed with the sounds of buttons being pressed on the Gholdevice, with Ari being busy checking the gadget to test some of its functions. He rarely got the chance to toy with it since he could only use it during investigations.
Nimb knew why that was an uncomfortable silence for him. It wasn't just that he was bored, it had to do with the Weavile. He knew he was important to Ari, but knowing he was so distrustful of everyone except the Riolu made him feel uneasy. Maybe he had to try and get to know him better. That might help.
"S-so, ummm… Ren, how is it that you know footprint script?" Nimb asked, fidgeting nervously with his claws.
Ren's left ear flickered at that, and he turned his gaze on him, eyeing him silently for a moment. A long moment, actually. Nimb couldn't read his expression at all, but at least he thought he didn't look angry. Unless he did. Whatever the case, the long silence was getting on his nerves.
Who was he kidding? Ren wasn't going to answer him, he might as well just give up. Even Ari looked concerned, so there was a high chance this was a bad idea in the first place.
"S-sorry, I know you probably don't like me… Y-you don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Nimb turned his gaze to the floor and rubbed his wing with a frown, letting out a silent sigh. Another moment passed while Ren opened his mouth as he gathered his thoughts, and his silence was finally broken.
"Honestly, from all of Ari's friends, you're the one that bothers me the least."
That made Nimb perk up, his eyes widening. "Huh? Wait, what?"
Ren shrugged. "I don't have any bad feelings towards you, even if you attacked me before. I just don't mind."
Even Ari was surprised at that, but he chose to wait and see how this conversation played. Nimb was still caught off guard with it, and he tilted his head cutely.
"Why? I thought I was…"
"I just don't," Ren concluded, his tone being serene. "You're not that bad, that's it. Besides… You remind me of Ari when I first met him. Young, innocent, and shy… You two have a lot in common." Nimb also used to be a wild pokémon, which helped as well, but Ren chose not to mention that.
Ari and Nimb exchanged amused looks, and that turned into knowing smiles. They were meant to be brothers, in the end. Everyone thought the same.
As for Ren, Nimb was glad he wasn't so distrustful of him now. He felt the tension fading slowly, and he let out a deep sigh that he didn't notice he was holding. He really wanted to get along with the Weavile, knowing how important he was to his brother.
"To answer your question," Ren said eventually, drawing Nimb's attention back. "My community had the tradition of teaching footprint script to the kids so the language wouldn't be forgotten."
"But you don't use that language for anything, right? What's the point then?" Nimb asked.
"We don't, that's true, but it's still a part of our history. A legacy that's worth preserving, even if civilized pokémon… no, even if most pokémon nowadays don't care about it."
"I see… I guess it's a shame, then."
"Well, at least some historians do study that language, so I don't think it will be completely lost," Ari said, giving a reassuring smile to the Weavile. "And as long as some communities like yours keep teaching footprint script, it won't be forgotten."
Ren stared for a long moment at the Riolu, until he frowned. "That's if wild communities don't disappear at this rate…"
Ari knew what he meant with that. His whole hatred was precisely caused by civilized pokémon taking all resources away from wild pokémon, and treating them like monsters. Even if Ren hated others in general, not just civilized ones, they were still the main problem for him.
But what could Ari say? He didn't want Ren to dwell on that again, he just wanted to have some nice time with his friends, but all that kept coming back, it always did. Wouldn't there be a single day where they could enjoy some time without thinking about the horrible world they live in?
He had to stay strong. For Ren, for everyone. He rested his paw on Ren's shoulder and smiled.
"They won't disappear. And, if they do… it won't be how you think." Ari clenched his fist encouragingly. "Wild pokémon will join the civilized instead, but they'll keep their own traditions. I'm sure."
Something about that made Ren's blood run cold for a moment. It was spoken with such innocence, but what it actually meant... it wasn't right. But Ren had to focus on the good part, right? At least... it was better than total oblivion. He snorted weakly and put his claw on top of the paw that was resting on his shoulder. "I wish I could be as positive as you are…"
The conversation was interrupted as the duo of Mylo and Sanah appeared from the door, making Ren frown and avert his gaze like he wasn't interested in them. More specifically, in the Toxtricity. Ari perked up at them.
"Oh, you're back!"
Sanah waved. "Yeah. So how's the investigation? Any news on Team Mounting Moon?"
"Nope. It's been a while, maybe they don't actually need our-"
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Everyone flinched as the GD emitted, once again, the well-known ringtone that meant someone was calling. Nimb was literally panting from the jumpscare, but everyone chose to pretend they didn't notice. Ari held the device in front of the group and pressed the button.
"Heyaaa, any news?" He asked.
Cora's voice came from the other side.
"Ariiiiii, we got a new message to translate! Check the chat!"
And there, as the Brionne announced, was a picture of another message written in footprint script. It was a little blurry, but it was readable enough for Ren to translate. There was also what seemed to be a drawing of a… Primarina's head, right next to the message. He stared at the picture for a long moment until he spoke up.
"Okay, this is what it says…"
"Two centuries, much is the same.
Free, restrained, obscured or famed...
...rest always comes, heralded by tears.
Let me sleep. Face your fears."
"Huh… So it is another riddle. Feels like whoever is doing this is playing with you guys," Sanah commented, crossing her arms.
"Maybe, but it's the only lead they have, so… Better take it," Ari suggested. "But I don't get why there's a drawing of a Primarina in there too."
"I'm not entirely sure about that, but for the rest, it sounds like it's talking about some historical place or something related to the past," Kyle said.
"That would make sense," Mylo said and then cast a serious look at the Weavile. "So. Are we going to help, or you're still committed to letting them down?"
Ren considered that for a moment, but he was tired of arguing at this point, so he let out a deep sigh and shrugged. "Whatever. If you're going to get like this, I guess we can help. For now, the best we can do is brainstorm different options, and then vote for what we think fits the description best."
"Hmmmm… The first that comes to my mind is a library," Ari said. "There are history books there, and since it mentioned two centuries..."
"That makes sense… And if we're thinking of books, there are plenty of those in the academy as well," Sanah proposed. She smiled sheepishly as she got confused looks. "I… don't know if that makes much sense, but the 'tears' are something you'd see a lot in the academy, especially after getting the results of an exam."
Everyone blinked at that. They felt bad thinking of whatever experiences the Zangoose had had as a student in the past. Ari actually already had a glimpse of that once, and it wasn't pretty.
"If we're talking about historic places and the past, a museum could also be it," Mylo said, drawing attention from everyone. "There's only one in Bismuth Town. But I'm not too sure, there's the part about 'sleep' that doesn't make sense."
Nimb nodded. "Yeah, unless you fall asleep out of boredom. But… what about the part of 'face your fears'?"
Ren brought a claw to his chin and pondered that for a moment. "I don't think a library fits that unless there's something else we're missing. And not just that, there's also the Primarina drawing."
Velia spoke through the Gholdevice. "Forget about the drawing, let's just focus on a more simple approach. It can't be too complicated. After all, it was a wild pokémon who made these, right?"
"Oh my god, please…" Ari groaned, bringing his paw to cover his face.
Sanah clenched her fist as she felt her anger rising from her throat, but before she could say anything, Nimb approached the GD and spoke with a dark voice.
"I think you should just stop talking. Let others give their ideas before you say anything else, you've said enough."
Everyone looked at Nimb with surprise. The tension felt really heavy, like something could explode at any moment. Nimb's frown only deepened as Velia's voice could be heard again.
"But… What's that supposed to mean? I'm just stating the obvious, and I get the feeling that you're mad at me, for some reason."
"Just leave it! Every time you say something, it only gets worse! Please!" Nimb insisted.
Velia's breathing could be heard cutting through the dense silence that lasted for too long, until she finally responded.
"... Okay."
Another tense silence. The mood was completely ruined by this point, and Ari wished he could reach out to everyone and comfort them, but he only had two paws, so at least he put one of them on Nimb's back and gently stroked it. It didn't do much, but it was something.
How was he going to fix that? He felt like his friend group was going to break at that rate. Nimb was mad at Velia, Sanah too, then Ren… Well, that wasn't new. But how were things going with Team Riding Star? Were they okay with Velia acting like that? He didn't want them to break off!
Everything was going fine just that morning! How could have everything gone downhill so quickly?
Ren rubbed his claw between his eyes as he tried to brush that moment off his memory. "Whatever… Uh… Let's see, we have 'face your fears' and a Primarina drawing. We still have to think of whatever that could mean. Any ideas?"
"Actually… I think I might know what that means." Cora's voice came a bit shaky through the GD."Two centuries... Let me sleep... Face your fears… And that drawing. It might be a bit of a stretch, but I think I know where to go."
Ren perked up. "Really? What is it?"
"W-well, the thing is… If my theory is correct, going to that place wouldn't be the only thing to be afraid of."
There they were again. Asher carried his teammates in an awkward silence as they traversed the familiar place, and Cora slowly started getting anxious. It wasn't the comfiest of places to go hang out with friends, but she was sure that was where the riddle was pointing at.
The cemetery.
The cold wind howled softly as it zigzagged around the tombstones as if pushing the guests further inside, welcoming them to their future home. A thought nobody, especially Cora, wanted to pay too much attention to.
Eventually, Asher stopped in front of a tombstone and everyone hopped off. The air was more tense than ever as Velia, Kyle and Asher turned to a hesitant Cora, who watched silently, gathering the courage to step closer.
She sighed and finally stood in front of the grave, one too familiar to her: her grandma's. She really didn't want to come back here again, but she had a theory to prove. A picture of a Primarina, the line about facing your fears… It felt as if whoever wrote that message knew Cora was the one following it. And that would imply that they weren't exactly following the clues to find a thief, since it was staged, but they were committed to solving this either way.
Cora's trembling suddenly stopped as she felt Kyle's hand grasping her flipper, and she turned to the Scrafty with surprise. He didn't say anything, he just nodded with a serene expression. It was his way of letting her know she wasn't alone, and that it was going to be fine. Cora smiled subtly, silently thanking him for being there for her, and finally turned back to the grave.
Now that she was more focused, she could see something that wasn't there the last time she came. Some yellow flowers were resting against the tombstone.
"That's strange… My parents usually bring blue flowers for my grandma. What are these doing here…?"
"Hey, look there," Kyle said, pointing at the flowers. "I think there's something hidden between the flowers."
Cora squinted her eyes and leaned closer to inspect them. And, in fact, there was a piece of folded paper poking in between the layer of yellow. She extended a flipper and took the paper, unfolding it and taking a close look.
"... This is another message. Same script."
Asher and Velia exchanged confused looks, even if Velia quickly looked away. Cora decided to explain her point.
"Towns and cities started being build two centuries ago, and the burial rituals carried from wild pokémon's traditions, staying the same. The part about sleep and tears is self-explanatory, as well as the Primarina drawing."
"That's so strange… Why would the thief be leaving clues for us specifically to find?" Kyle asked.
"I don't know, but this is really creepy," Asher admitted, a shiver running down his spine. "They somehow know about us, or at least about Cora. If we're following their clues left behind on purpose for us to find, that means we might be following a fake lead, or… it might even be a trap!"
Velia hummed. "We can't discard either possibility, but for now it's the best we have. I'm curious to see what they're trying to do by making us play their ridiculous games."
Cora was already ahead of them, as he had contacted Team Silver with her GD and sent the picture of the message already.
"There you have it! Could you tell us what it says, Ren?"
From the other side, Ren cleared his throat and responded.
"This is starting to get a bit stupid… But anyway, here's what it says."
"The boy's neck spins and spins, what fun it should be
to be born and made to ride wild and free.
But go not to plains, no, now go to his box!
His cage! His cell! Sealed with gold-painted locks!"
"Uhhhh… When is this game going to end?" Cora asked, following with a sigh. She was starting to grow tired of it.
"This is our job, in the end," Velia said. She then approached Cora and leaned closer to the GD. "Okay, this might be-"
Asher stopped her, putting a claw on her shoulder. "Wait, Velia. Please, think carefully what you're about to say."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Cora rubbed her face with a flipper, unable to suppress an annoyed groan. Then, she covered the speaker on the Gholdevice and turned to the Meowstic. "Velia, you've been talking about wild pokémon like they're stupid, knowing Nimb, Sanah and Ren are wild pokémon. Don't you think you're going too far?"
Velia crossed her arms and frowned. "I'm not saying anything wrong! I'm just speaking statistics and proven facts, that's all."
"Well, it's not okay! You're making them feel bad!" Cora reprimanded. Meanwhile, Asher and Kyle only watched the argument with uneasiness.
"So you want me to lie?" Velia retorted.
Cora was done with the conversation. "Okay, forget it. Just don't say anything, don't talk about wild pokémon in general! Ugggh, for Arceus' sake, you're too much!" She rolled her eyes.
Velia flinched at her tone. Flashbacks from her previous years in the academy popped up in her mind, ones that weren't precisely pleasant. Pokémon getting mad at her like she had done something wrong. Why? Was the truth a bad thing? Why did everyone hate the truth so much?
… Why did everyone hate her so much? It was happening again. She was one of the smartest pokémon around, and yet there was only one puzzle she was unable to solve... If you count social relationships as a puzzle. It never made any sense.
She was just right, it was unfair! They were wrong! … Weren't they?
"Whatever. I'll stay quiet, I suppose," Velia eventually resolved. Asher could see a hint of something in her expression, something unusual. She was always serious and collected, but now… she almost looked tired. Like, for the first time, she's not completely invulnerable to whatever the others say.
"Okay. Okay, um… Ugh. Let's see…" Cora closed her eyes and tried to get back into investigator mode. "Something about a boy… And running free? What could that riddle mean now?"
Asher was still a bit tense from the atmosphere, and he could tell Cora was now more bothered about what had just happened than about the place they were still at. But he needed to stay focused and prove himself useful for the investigation for once.
"Hey, u-um… Oh, I think that could be referring to the prison! It mentions a cage, and the prisoners would love to run free, right?" He said, puffing his chest proudly.
Cora gasped. "Actually, that makes sense! But… What about the boy? And why would a criminal hide anything in the very place they try to avoid?"
"Oh, then it's… It's, uh…" Asher scratched his head hard, trying to come up with something. "What if the gold-painted locks are… The bank?"
Cora brightened. "That makes se-"
"No."
Everyone turned to Kyle with confused looks.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Asher asked, deflating slightly.
"If we're dealing with someone that knows us," Kyle explained, "I think there might be another option that fits that description perfectly. And I'm a bit scared of being right about this, actually."
"Oh… So where do we try first?" Cora asked, glancing between the Cyclizar and the Scrafty.
Asher shook his head and waved dismissively with a sheepish smile. "Ah, it's fine, we can… we can try his idea first, haha…"
Kyle eyed Asher for a moment, feeling something off on him, but he didn't have time to comment on it since Cora spoke first.
"Alright! We'll follow you then, Kyle!"
The next stop for Team Riding Star was yet another familiar place, but one that left Asher more confused than ever.
"Wait, but this… this is my apartment!"
At the end of one of the residential streets stood Asher's house, close to Velia's. It was a cozy district, not far from the commercial area but at enough distance to be quiet enough. The trees lined up in front of the small buildings, covering a bit of the view of the orange-colored walls of Asher's apartment. Pastel-colored cobblestone connected the buildings with the main street.
"It is your apartment, yeah. I feel like the mention of a boy with a spinning neck was refering to you and your wheel," Kyle explained. "And the cage with gold-painted locks is your apartment. A wild pokémon would run free, but you're a species of pokémon that wasn't meant to live in such a small place that you also have to pay money for. The money could be the gold-painted locks."
"But why me?" Asher asked, starting to get nervous. He vibrated in a way that almost made his teammates fall from his back.
Cora rested a flipper on the Cyclizar's head. "Just don't think too much about it… but it makes sense considering they knew me and my grandma as well."
Cora, Velia and Kyle stepped down from Asher's back and looked around with a bit of unease. Even if the description matched Asher, nothing seemed out of the ordinary around there. Checking the apartment would be an option, but it didn't seem logical to think whoever did all that also broke inside the building.
"But now what? Are we just going to search for random clues again? In the middle of the street?" Asher asked, standing on his hind legs and pulling his GD from his bag.
"Well, duh," Velia said, finally breaking her strangely long silence. "It's not like our thief is going to show up right in front of-"
Before she could finish her sentence, a figure turned around the corner of the building and stood in front of Velia. It was a bit taller than her, with a similar appearance, and the same colors but… inverted.
"Hello, Team Riding Star. I see you've solved my riddles."
"DAD?" Velia asked in shock, her eyes widened unusually for the Meowstic.
"Wait, huh? That's your dad?" Cora asked, mouth agape.
Kyle and Asher equally gasped in surprise. That explained why the riddles were like that; it was in fact someone who knew at least one of the members of the team.
Velia failed to hide her disbelief. "You're the thief?"
The male Meowstic crossed his arms, almost offended. "What? No! I was just testing you. I wanted to know if my daughter could be my worthy successor, and I was also interested in your teammates as well, that's why I investigated a bit about them. You've proven to be great investigators since you've solved my riddles."
Realization slowly downed on Asher as he brightened. "Wait, you used to be a famous detective, weren't you? And we've passed your test, you say?"
The Meowstic smirked. "Well, you're well informed, aren't you? You can call me Simon, and yes, I used to be a detective. Since my daughter is following a similar path as mine, I had to make sure she was on the right track. But the test… it's still not finished."
Velia sighed. "We don't have time for more riddles, Dad, we were supposed to be investigating a robbery, and you made us waste our time with your games. Besides, those were just riddles for kids, how is that a test?"
Simon didn't bat an eye on that, instead looking ever-so-confident. "Well you see, that's where your final test comes in. But why don't we get somewhere private where we can talk about it in detail?"
The team exchanged confused looks. They've been following fake traces left behind only to test them that weren't even related to their case, and now Velia's dad apparently knew something about it. That day was getting weirder with each passing minute.
In the end, they decided to get inside Asher's apartment for some privacy, since Velia's house had the rest of the family and they didn't want to disturb them. Asher offered some snacks he had already made for situations like these, as always, while they discussed the matter at hand, sitting on the red-colored cushions.
Cora nibbled at one of the muffins served by Asher with immense pleasure, tasting the glazing while the sugar went to her head, giving her chills. Even Kyle found it hard not to moan from how delicious those muffins were. Velia, however, didn't take a single bite, being more focused on her dad.
"So what about the thief, then? Was there actually any clue left behind, or not?" She asked, tapping her foot impatiently.
"That's where I'm getting at," Simon responded, engulfing the rest of his muffin and rubbing his hands to remove the sugar. He then showed them a piece of paper, which Velia took curiously. "This was the actual clue left behind at the boutique."
"Huh…? So the one we found…?"
Simon nodded. "Even if I'm not a detective anymore, I happened to be nearby when the robbery was discovered. I found this note and decided it could be a perfect opportunity to test you. So, I left behind a few riddles to guide you here and give you the actual clue myself."
Velia narrowed her eyes, processing all. Eventually, she groaned. "What a waste of time… Using riddles to test… investigators."
"Hey, stop complaining already!" Simon retorted, and everyone could notice the tone he was using for a usual daughter scolding. "I went through all the effort just for you, you know?"
"... Yes, Dad." She didn't want to argue with that. "But... Then how is it that you know footprint script?"
"Well, I was raised as a wild pokémon, didn't I tell you that? ... Hm, guess I forgot."
"You WHAT? All this time, you actually were...?" Velia was dumbfounded. She tried to makes sense of all of it, thinking of possible signs that might have pointed towards him being wild, but she never saw anything. He just looked like a normal civilized pokémon to her. "I don't get it, but you're... like me."
Simon tilted his head. "So? How did you expect me to be?"
Velia hesitated. This completely shattered her whole view of... everything. "I don't know. It just... confused me, that's all. It doesn't matter."
"You're quite the kid..." Simon sighed, trying to brush that moment off. "Back on topic, don't worry; if you had taken too long to solve my riddles, I would have given this paper to you either way, since we're actually on a bit of a time limit."
"Huh? A time limit for what?" Cora asked.
Simon pointed at the piece of paper on Velia's paws. "There. This message here is mostly written in a weird numeric code I can't decipher, but there's a part of it that's using our usual Unown script. A date and time: tomorrow in the morning."
Velia frowned. "That's… right. So maybe they're planning on doing something else tomorrow?"
"That's what we have to find out. And this will be your final test, Velia. I know you're an expert in numbers and codes, so this is your chance to prove you're a real investigator," Simon concluded.
"I suppose so… It's what I do best, yes." Velia stared at the paper for a long moment, but she was hesitating. She muttered to herself. "So the real clue wasn't written in footprint script, which means it's not as likely that the thief is a wild pokémon… Hmm…"
"Anything wrong, Velia?" Simon asked with a tilt of his head.
'He's just like me,' she repeated in her mind.
The female meowstic stood silent for a long moment, feeling the stares of her teammates and father, and then shook her head. "It's just… I don't think it's a good idea for me to solve this. Whenever I use my knowledge in numbers and data or I try to analyze anything, everyone… seems to get mad at me."
Kyle, Asher and Cora exchanged concerned looks. Simon just frowned, raising both arms in disbelief.
"What nonsense is that? Who else better to solve this than you?"
"I… I'm not sure of what's right anymore. I can't trust my knowledge. I can't… do this."
Simon stared at her for a long moment, then at her teammates, who just shrugged. Nobody knew what to say. But eventually, Simon let out a deep sigh and decided to leave his scolding tone aside just this once.
"Velia… Of course you can trust your knowledge. You're really smart and reliable, the problem is that you need to know the correct time and place to use that knowledge. Not everything will always work."
"... But that doesn't make sense, does it?" She asked.
"It might feel like that your trusty data contradicts itself sometimes, but that's just how life works. I don't know the context of whatever happened to you to be like this, but… Even if you're smart, you struggle with social interactions. You've always had issues knowing how to act with other people, so that's something you still have to learn about. It takes time, maybe you'll take longer than common pokémon do, but you'll get it eventually."
Everyone else just stood silent. They've tried explaining everything to Velia, but maybe she just needed a talk with her dad. For now, it was the best they could do; just listen and support Velia whenever she actually tried to change.
Velia stared at the paper. Not at her dad. Not at anyone else. Looking at them directly in the eyes felt like an uncomfortable task for her. It made her feel like she was being judged at all moments, like they could read her soul by looking into her eyes and see what was wrong. It always made her feel weak. Vulnerable.
"... I always wondered why talking to people felt like a puzzle I needed to solve," she finally said, her expression unreadable. "But puzzles are easy. This isn't. I can analyze a puzzle and eventually get results, but feelings are… complex and unpredictable. No analysis is ever giving me a straight answer on what to do or say."
Simon's expression softened, and he leaned closer to hug her daughter. She tensed for a moment, not used to that level of affection from her dad, but eventually, she relaxed and hesitantly returned the hug.
"It's alright. What matters is that you never give up. Try to think of all the options you have and act considering past experiences. Eventually, you'll get a right answer. Remember: place and time."
Simon let go of the hug, and Velia thought deeply about it. She mumbled something to herself that nobody else could hear, but said nothing else otherwise. Cora thought that was a good moment to end the conversation and rested a flipper on Velia's shoulder, which made her snap back into reality.
"So… What are you going to do now?" Cora asked.
Velia turned to her and finally looked her in the eyes. She noticed how vibrant the pink in her pupils was, something she never thought about before. They reflected Velia's face in a way that made her look funny. It almost made her forget about how tense she was at the moment, her shoulders finally relaxing.
"There's just one thing I want to do before we solve this."
"Why are you even defending her?" Ren spat, shooting an annoyed glare at the Toxtricity. "Have you even listened to the kind of stuff she was saying?"
Mylo clenched his fists. "She's just really analytic, but at least she's a good pokémon. Stop talking like that about our friend."
"Ugh, she's literally insulting two of her friends! Doesn't that tell you anything?"
"You're no one to judge. May I remind you where you're coming from?"
Ren rolled his eyes and pinched his claw between his eyes. "Oh my Arceus… Are you still dwelling on that? When are you going to let that go?"
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Everyone jumped as the argument was interrupted with Ari's Gholdevice ringing once again. Ari, Nimb and Sanah looked relieved to have something that would make those two argue for another hour.
Ari pressed the button.
"Velia! Any news?" He asked.
"Yes. We have one last code, but this one isn't written in footprint script. I've already deciphered it, and it's in fact a message written from the thief to their partner."
Ren arched an eyebrow. "Then you don't need my help."
"We still appreciate any help. But there's just one thing I want to say before we get to it."
Sanah groaned, expecting something stupid. "Alright, what the hell do you want now…?"
There was a long silence, but everyone could hear Velia's breathing on the other side of the call. She was gathering her thoughts.
"... It appears I've made a miscalculation."
Ari frowned. "What? What do you mean by that?"
"I've always been guided by numbers and statistics, because I felt like numbers never lied, unlike pokémon. They were a fact, something you couldn't argue against. They… made me feel confident of what I do or say, so I just said those things, but… maybe that's why I never had friends before."
Everyone perked up, surprised by the sudden deep talk. Ari and Nimb looked at each other for a moment, trying to see if the other had any explanation for it, but they were the same.
"Friends? What is this about?" Nimb asked, confused.
Another silence. Then, a response.
"Forget about that. What I mean is that I always use numbers and data to predict how people are going to react to what I say. But I forgot that pokémon aren't mere numbers… but beings with emotions. And emotions are complex. Not everything can be explained with numbers, especially not pokémon."
Ari's eyes widened. "Velia…"
"Even if there are more possibilities of things being a certain way with wild pokémon, I can't assume that's going to be the case. Because… data is constantly changing. What I know now can be already outdated as I'm talking. We live in a world in constant change, and that scares me, I won't lie."
Nimb unconsciously inched closer to the Gholdevice. Ari grasped his wing on reflex, and they listened intently. Ren and Sanah were not frowning anymore, her expressions softening a bit. And Mylo looked as usual, but he was also listening.
"What I'm trying to say is that… I shouldn't have said all that. I'm sorry. I never intended to hurt your feelings, not to any of you. You're all really intelligent and I wouldn't have made it so far without your help, wild pokémon or not."
That was that. Ren closed his eyes deep in thought while Ari couldn't help but smile. However, he still wasn't sure how the others were going to take that apology. A look at his brother suggested he still wasn't sure, judging by his serious look.
Then, Nimb reached for the GD and grabbed it, leaning to speak closer to it. He took a deep breath, holding it for a moment, and then finally spoke.
"Velia… It's alright. We forgive you." Nimb then looked at Ren and Sanah and smiled. "Right?"
Ren looked surprised, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he shrugged with a neutral expression, but Ari knew that it meant he was satisfied with the apology. He was just too proud to show it.
Sanah, on the other hand, rubbed her face and groaned.
"Huffff, Velia, what are we going to do with you… Alright, I forgive you, I guess."
But she was subtly smiling. It was obvious she was relieved to be on good terms with her, for as much as the Zangoose liked being mad at people sometimes.
"Everything's fine now, Velia. Thanks for apologizing," Ari eventually declared in the name of everyone. He wrapped an arm around Nimb and pressed him closer, both smiling fondly.
"Great. Thank you all. And thank you, Ren, for helping us. It's… really appreciated." Ren closed his eyes and nodded as he heard that. Then, Velia cleared her throat. "Now, back on business: I know where there's going to be another robbery. It's going to take place in a jewelry store."
Everyone perked up.
"Another robbery? Then we have to stop it!" Sanah said, approaching the group. "We should go there and prevent it from happening!"
"No."
Mylo and Ren had responded at the same time, and they looked at each other with a hint of surprise.
Mylo coughed. "If we go before the robbery takes place, we won't be able to catch the thieves, since they likely won't show up if they see us. There's also the possibility that they know we might know their movements since they left the note there on accident."
Ren nodded. "Yeah, we should actually hide and ambush them when they're right at it. We, or Team Riding Star, actually. We also have to elaborate a plan to minimize the damages to pokémon and property, not before evaluating the risks, taking into account the opening hours and the times when there are more customers."
Mylo was surprised at the audacity of the Weavile, not expecting him to think of so many possibilities. He nodded. "Yes… Then we'd have to warn the police about the robbery and establish a fast response protocol."
"That's right," Ren said, his stare relaxing a bit. "We can monitor the area with those devices you've been using. That would also help with communication. Also, in these cases, the best thing would be to perform a drill, but I doubt we have enough time for that."
"Wow… I didn't think we needed so many measures to prevent a robbery…" Ari said, smiling sheepishly.
The more Ren talked about the plan, the more Mylo's expression softened. He didn't look so wary at the Weavile now, somehow. In fact, he looked like he was surprised by what he was learning about him now.
"And… what will happen with the employees that will be there at the time?" Mylo asked, his arms crossed, but this time not in annoyance.
Ren put a claw to his chin. "Hmmm… We can establish an evacuation protocol, and most importantly, ask the employees not to try and confront the robbers, since they could get seriously damaged."
"... I'm actually surprised that you've bothered to think about all that," Mylo declared, uncrossing his arms and relaxing.
"What do you take me for?" Ren responded. "I'm no monster. And I'm really obsessed with things being well organized and planned. I couldn't let this be taken as a normal walk in the park." He then looked away, his eyes narrowing as he lowered his voice. "Also… I don't wanna let anyone get harmed. I won't make the same mistake again…"
The Toxtricity stared at him for a long moment, and his intense gaze slowly morphed into a frown once again. "Then… Why did you let pokémon get harmed when you were part of the Rising Bandits?"
Even Sanah winced at that. The air felt tense again, and everyone watched the Weavile as anger slowly overtook his face. And then, right when it looked like he was about to yell at him, to respond with some angry remark… All that heat vanished.
Ren looked down, taking a deep breath and clawing at the table as he pondered that. The only sound that could be heard was the creaking of the wooden chairs and Ren's breath.
Finally, he responded.
"When you lose all hope… You stop caring. About everything." He raised his head and looked at the Riolu. "About the well-being of everyone around you. Nothing matters anymore. It's painful, but at that point, you don't know better."
Ari returned a sad look.
Mylo approached, finally sitting down on one of the chairs, opposite to where Ren was. He interlaced his fingers and focused on the Weavile.
"Are you still thinking that way now?"
Ren blinked. Another look at his friend, Ari. He looked concerned for whatever he was going to say next.
"... No. Not anymore."
Ari, Nimb and Sanah smiled at that. Mylo, however, only watched. Silent, judging, studying him. No one could tell what he was thinking, an unreadable spirit of justice that always surprised everyone with his own view of things. Good guys, bad guys. A simple concept he had harnessed like the most obvious answer to everything since he was a kid.
And yet, his black-and-white filter was different now. It wasn't the same as that of his friends, but it wasn't so clear anymore. Many new possibilities were now roaming his mind as he watched the ex-criminal fidgeting in front of him. He always had a clear answer for times like these, but he never had a chance to talk with someone like this before.
Maybe it was because of his experience thinking he was a murderer for so many years, or maybe it was the fact that he knew Ren was Ari's friend and they deeply cared for each other. Whatever the reason, Mylo finally nodded.
"Even if I condemn what you did in the past… I prefer that you work hard to compensate for your mistakes instead of just being punished or locked up forever. It would be completely pointless to do so." Mylo closed his eyes and hummed. "Maybe then I will be able to look past all this and… accept you the way you are."
Ren only stared with a dumbfounded expression. He didn't think that guy could ever be reasonable, but here they were.
"I… Well…" Ren crossed his arms dismissively. "Meh, it's not like I need your approval."
Everyone could tell. His tone wasn't harsh anymore. He was genuinely hopeful, in fact.
"Alright. You do you," Mylo decided, his expression now softer.
Ari leaned into Ren and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, reassuringly. The Riolu was proud of him, and he was letting him know. Ren almost smiled at him, but his gaze turned back to the floor as a thought crossed his mind.
"It's not like any of this matters. Once the Forest Guardians decide to attack, everything will be… gone. Including us. We're not safe, but here we are, solving mysteries and chatting like nothing is going to happen."
That brought the mood down. Sanah looked sad now, as well as Nimb and Ari, who only hummed as they tried to find anything to say. The silence, however, was broken by the Toxtricity.
"No, we'll be okay."
Ren perked up. "Huh?"
"We'll stop them. Whatever it takes."
Ren's eyes widened. How could he be so sure? He was just one pokémon, there was nothing he could do. Or, well, he also had his team. And the other team. Maybe the friends they met… And since they were investigators, the police were also involved.
Slowly, it started making sense to him. The way they fought to protect all that they cared for… It worked because they weren't alone. Meanwhile, he had been alone for a long time, and that's why he didn't have any hope. But now… he wasn't alone anymore.
Maybe… It wasn't that bad to have hope.
"Hmm…"
That was all that Ren could say.
Eventually, Nimb decided the silence had gone on for too long, especially after he realized Team Riding Star had been silently listening to the whole conversation through the Gholdevice.
"So, what are we going to do about this case? What are… our friends going to do?" Nimb asked.
Ren nodded. "Right, we should focus on that." He leaned closer to the GD. "Okay, here's what we'll need to do…"
The jewelry store was mostly quiet. A customer was eyeing the display cases with rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. It wasn't that common for pokémon to wear those, but it was always an option to get fancy. The place was gorgeous, with decorative golden patterns adorning the white walls and some luxurious plush chairs that barely anyone used to sit on. It felt like a sacrilege doing so.
A Cinderace and a Farfetch'd stood on the other side of the counter with the display cases, waiting patiently for the customer to check all the products. It was a bit funny to see the Farfetch'd standing on a high stool to reach the counter, but at least it helped make him visible from the other side.
It was calm, nothing to report. Just a normal day at a normal place, with everything going normal. Until it wasn't.
A Mr. Mime and a Galvantula entered the shop, apparently taking a look at the jewels exposed around like any normal customer. But then, after a long moment, the Mr. Mime suddenly extended his arms and locked the employees in a psychic grip, and the Galvantula shot a spider web at the customer, who couldn't react in time to even see what was going on.
"Alright, we don't want any funny business! Stay there while we take everything and nobody will be harmed…" Galvantula said.
"Give us the money too!" Mr. Mime yelled. "... Oh wait, you can't move, right."
However, they didn't count on a whole army of pokémon waiting deeper inside the shop. From behind a curtain, a couple of Magneton appeared and shot a dual thundershock at the duo of criminals, making the Mr. Mime drop the psychic grip on the employees and yelp in pain.
Right after, a Sawk and a Palafin in their hero form emerged as well and jumped at the criminals, punching them hard and knocking them off in just a few hits. They couldn't even say anything before they were already K.O. It was the most pathetic robbery one could ever see.
Team Riding Star also emerged from behind the curtain and looked at the scene.
"Well, that was fast," Asher commented. "I'm glad it all went well!"
"Haha, these evil-doers didn't stand a chance against us!" Palafin said proudly, holding the Mr. Mime under their arm. "You guessed right in the end, they did attempt a robbery here!"
Cora beamed and pointed at Velia. "It's no problem! It was actually thanks to our friend here, she managed to decipher a note left behind by the thieves!"
The Sawk nodded as he untied the scared customer from the spider web. "I see, that was really impressive. How did you actually do it?"
Velia rubbed her nose. "Well, it was pretty simple, actually. The note left behind in that previous robbery was a message left by one of the thieves for the other to see, but it was written in a special code called 'duplicode'. It's a cipher consisting of giving a numeric value to each letter, typeface, directionality and capitalization, and those values are joined into a four-digit number. Each group of four numbers translates into one letter or sign."
"Wow… I see," Sawk said, stunned.
Velia continued with her explanation. "The message explained the plan of robbing this jewelry, and the date and time were the only thing that wasn't written with that cipher."
"Haha, that's impressive! You're a really smart Meowstic!" The Palafin congratulated them while they handed the fainted criminals to the Magnetons, who held them in a magnetic field.
"Thanks, but…" Velia shook her head and turned to her teammates. "Even if I deciphered that message, it was thanks to the effort of all of us that we could do all this. Especially with the riddles we had to solve earlier."
Cora was surprised at that, and even Kyle smiled subtly at that. Asher… didn't look too excited, for some reason.
"Yeah! Thanks, Velia! We're a great team, aren't we?" Cora said, her cheery tone echoing through the shop.
Velia looked at her and thought about it for a moment. Then, he subtly smiled, which surprised Cora. The Meowstic suddenly raised one arm, pointing at whatever was in the air, probably the sky, even if they were inside a building. And she posed, proudly.
"We're Team Riding Star! Together, we'll become the greatest investigation team and solve the biggest mysteries of this ever-changing world! Fame and fortune awaits us!"
Kyle snorted. "Heh, show-off…"
"I think we deserve it!" Cora said with a chuckle. "We've all solved yet another mystery together!"
"All? Together…?" Asher mumbled, but nobody could hear that.
Things started moving. The police officers took the criminals with them and left the shop, after being thanked by the employees and ensuring everyone was okay. Team Riding Star celebrated, even if it wasn't such a big mission like the other times. It was still a team success.
They had also Ren and Team Silver to thank for their help. After all, it was a team effort where everyone could contribute with a bit of their own. Everyone except…
Asher watched as his teammates talked, walking together as they exited the shop. He lagged behind, frowning as he thought about all he did during that investigation.
"... Nothing. I did nothing," he muttered to himself. "All I've said was wrong. You guys have carried the whole investigation."
The Cyclizar let out a deep sigh and stared at his own claws, the sounds of chatter muffled to his ears now.
"As always."
Racism: the chapter. Okay, I hope you won't hate Velia for the way she acted in this chapter. She didn't hate wild pokémon at all, and she didn't see herself as superior to them, but she relied too much on data and too little on what her heart told her. It's funny how the main plot of this chapter is so dumb compared to the side plots going on with Velia, Mylo and Ren's development. I hope you enjoyed all that!
Next time: Nimb and Asher team up on a dangerous mission.