Chapter 26 - Quest For The Necklace

"Alright you two, good luck on your mission," I said to Scorbunny and Sneasel just outside of Pachirisu's father's property.

I gave them a wave as did Vulpix and Pachirisu who were standing besides me. Scorbunny was more than happy to return the wave while Sneasel raised a single claw towards me then turned to leave, with Scorbunny following behind her. Was that Sneasel's equivalent of the middle finger?

I shrugged the thought off and turned my focus towards Pachirisu. "So, do you have any words of advice for us like you gave them?" I asked.

Just before we said our goodbye, Pachirisu had gave warning about how the town narrows with building placement, generally more dirt and rougher Pokémon as well as them being less friendly. Especially towards outsiders. She did warn us about something of a gang showing up recently, but wasn't too sure of it herself.

"Hmm," Pachirisu hummed while looking off into the distance. "I guess be polite when asking around. I guess you would have to do some major acting there, Ace, wouldn't you? I would recommend polite Vulpix here to do the talking, but I know how much you love to run your mouth," Pachirisu said with a smirk.

"I'm going to spread rumors about you wetting the bed now."

"That won't stick when Pokémon around have a good conversation with you. Oh, I guess that's another point: take a bath. The cleaner you look, the more likely the Pokémon here will talk with you unlike DownTowners who prefer Pokémon who look dirty. So in short, be polite, look clean, and don't speak 'Ace' to get what you need. Well, I'm heading back inside now, good luck you two!" Pachirisu turned towards the gate to where Eugene the Pangoro was waiting patiently.

"Great. Hey, why don't you come with us? I'm sure you know your way around this place."

Pachirisu thought for a second. "Sorry, but after my time in that place, my father has limited where I can go, and to be honest, I don't really want to leave my house right now. But hey, after the huge amount of support he sent towards your guild, he is now trying to get a guild of our own established."

"He supports our guild?" Vulpix asked.

"Yep! After I was rescued, my father sent a huge amount of money towards your guild as thanks. He now wants to help get this place all cleaned up of crime, as well as the local area around us. Even if he can't get one up and running, he will continue to support your guild. Well, good luck!"

"Thanks! Bye Pachirisu, and, um mister Pangoro."

Once Pachirisu was inside the gates, Eugene started to close them behind her, not before nodding towards Vulpix and myself. Now it was just Vulpix and I by ourselves.

"So, what do we do now?" Vulpix asked.

"We explore while looking for a funny-looking Pokémon, of course," I replied with a small smile.

"Remember, we are here for a mission, not to sight see."

"Hey, chill, we can do both. Maybe even learn a little about this town's rich culture in the meanwhile. Eeeh? Sounds good, doesn't it?"

Vulpix's tails began to wag slowly while she tried to look away to hide her true thoughts. "I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to learn while we work. Knowledge is important, afterall."

"That's the spirit! Come on." I started to walk down the street with Vulpix by my side. "We will find this Pokémon that stands out like a sore vine in no time! We are coming for you, villain!"

"Nothing! Not a damn clue about this ditto at all! It's like he didn't want to get found!" I exclaimed loudly. Vulpix and I were currently heading back towards the tavern after a long afternoon of searching for a ditto-like character. I was excited at first, but the fatigue of everything, my pain from my injuries, and the local's attitude really put a sour tone on it all.

"Calm down, Ace, we will get him tomorrow," Vulpix replied behind me. "We were only searching for a couple of hours at best. Besides, I did get to learn a little about this place, so we will have a better chance next time."

It was only a couple of hours? Guess it was. It sure didn't feel like it, felt like we spent way more time then that.

I let out a sigh. "It's just so annoying. I was looking forward to a good fight."

"Ace, you said it yourself: we shouldn't be picking fights. Look at you, you are still recovering from your last big fight."

"I know, but with how things have been with all the emotions and stuff, I could've used a good scrap. Get rid of that pent up frustration, you know?"

"You are still upset about what that doctor said, aren't you?"

I didn't reply.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Maybe later. I think I need to sleep on it first. This lack of good news from our searches today isn't putting me in a talkative mood."

Vulpix seemingly respected my privacy and didn't pursue that subject anymore, which I was both grateful for and felt a little bad about not telling her about it. It's not that I didn't trust her, I literally trusted her with my life, but I didn't like the idea of having PTSD. Guess I'm hoping that it will just magically go away after a sleep. Wishful thinking at its finest.

After Vulpix and I made our way back towards where our inn should be, I couldn't help but notice a large crowd gathered around something. "What's going on over there?" Vulpix asked.

"Dunno. Wanna take a look?"

"Sure. Who knows, maybe this Ditto is there?"

"Oh, good point. See, that's why you are the brains of our group."

With Vulpix now smiling from my compliment, we headed over towards the crowd. The crowd was completely jam packed making it hard to squeeze past them. With some grunts from squeezing past the onlookers, Vulpix and I were able to see what all the fuss was all about.

Turns out all the fuss was about one single Pokémon: an Eevee. The small little ball of fluff was seemingly enjoying all the attention it was getting as it did various small poses from eyelash flickering, to puffing out her chest fluff, to hugging her own tail with a wink towards the audience. Gotta admit it, it was really cute.

"Yes, yes, it's me," she declared. "I will grace you all with my glorious presence." Her cuteness was instantly lost on me from her attitude. The little Eevee then started to give a couple more poses involving her forelegs and paws while the crowd gave some 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' for each different pose she gave them.

"How cute!" "I want to touch her fur!" "Can I play with her, mommy?" "Can you be my friend?" different Pokémon from the crowd said.

"Ah, sorry, no, but I will permit you to keep wanting to be my friend."

I frowned, bored at this whole ordeal.

"Oh my! I didn't know she was here!" Vulpix shouted with excitement.

"Hmm? You know that Eevee?" I asked.

"Of course! She's the daughter of a famous celebrity couple for fur care! They do other things, but that is what they are well-known for and have revolutionized the world of fur care at an affordable price. I even have some of their products back at the guild!" Vulpix explained with a huge smile.

"She's so cute! She's the splitting image of her parents!" an onlooker shouted with glee.

That comment must have hit a sore spot for the Eevee for just a moment; she seemed to show a slight amount of annoyance.

"Let's keep my wonderful parents out of this and focus on me." The Eevee then did an over the shoulder pose with a smile, making the crowd go wild with cheers.

"Wow! So cute!" Vulpix said, adorning the little ball of fluff. I felt a wave of fatigue hit me. I was done with today and wanted nothing more than bed.

"That's nice. You can get an autograph later. Let's head back to the tavern. I'm thirsty and tired," I declared.

"Uh-huh, yeah, sure," Vulpix said while her eyes were still glued to the little celebrity. I rolled my eyes and with my vines nudged Vulpix away from the crowd.

And onwards to the tavern we went.

You know what helps to find a place which you have never been to before? Very descriptive details, something Sneasel decided to be minimalist on. She described the building as 'two stories with a lightning bolt on the roof,' it turned out to be a lot harder than we thought since there were multiple buildings with that description.

It was only when we recalled an off-handed comment from Scorbunny about two small Pokémon holding hands on the sign, did we find our tavern.

The two Pokémon by the way were a Plusle and Minun holding hands with big smiles with some scribbles underneath them.

"What does that say, Vulpix?"

"Huh? Sorry, what was that?" She replied from a daze.

"What is with you? You have been out of it for a while now. If you had helped then we would have found our tavern ages ago."

"Sorry, I was thinking about Eevee. Also, it's not my fault you have a bad sense of direction."

"True, but it is your fault for leaving directions to a person- Pokémon with a bad sense of direction."

"I… alright, fair point. What was your question? Oh! Ace, this is our tavern: The Happy Rodents. See, it took me two seconds to find this place. You really should learn how to read." Vulpix then made her way towards the doors.

I just stood there, and took in a deep breath, cleared my mind of the frustration that was building, then followed behind Vulpix.

The tavern was nice, a bit busy with how many Pokémon were there but I admit, the sounds of the collected Pokémon helped to build the atmosphere of the place. The room was dimly lit from candles that helped give the oak wood that the place was made from a nice golden glow to it.

Tables were placed around a counter with Pokémon of the smaller sizes like myself crowding them. I spied a Pickachu, a Pachirisu- not the one I know, a pair of Tandemaus at the same table, a Zigzagoon killing the electricity theme here, and an Emolga spread out from table to table with other Pokémon here that I didn't quite get a good look at.

Behind the counter was a Plusle who was smiling brightly. It spied me and pointed towards me. "Min-Min, there's a customer!" she shouted. From behind the counter where the kitchen doos hung, skidded a Plusle who also had a wide-eyed expression.

"Another customer! Lets go, Plu-Plu!"

The two Pokémon both jumped on the counter at the same time, jumped into the air and landed just in front of us holding hands. "I'm Plusle!" she said while raising her free arm in the air.

"And I'm Minun!" he said while mirroring her action.

Then at the same time they spoke, "and welcome to 'The Happy Rodents!'" And with one final motion, they both raised their held hands into the air.

"What?"I blurted out, but I was beaten by Vulpix.

"That was so cute!" she shouted. "Thank you for the warm welcome."

"No, no, thank you for the compliment and choosing to come to our tavern. Are you staying here with us?" Plusle asked, moving slightly ahead of Minun.

"Getting some food?" Minun asked, pushing slightly in front of Plusle.

"Or just exploring?" they both said at the same time next to each other again.

"We are just leaving," I said as I slowly backed away towards the door.

"Oh no you don't, mister." Vulpix ran around, cutting me off from the door and pushed me back to where I was. I was about to say something, but a deranged look accompanied with a eyebrow raise from Vulpix killed that attempt entirely. So, I just sat down and frowned.

"Is he okay?"

"Did we do something wrong?"

"Oh, no, please ignore him! You two are the cutest and warmest welcomers I've ever seen. He is just a big, grumpy gus."

"A grumpy Gus?" Plusle leaned over towards me. "Oh! I know you!"

"No you don't," I replied.

"Yes I do! You're the strange Pokémon who likes to save others. Your friend was telling me about you the other day."

Confused as to what she meant, I looked around once more. After looking past the Zigzagoon that was stealing looks towards us, I managed to spy the orange tips from Scorunny's ears.

"Oh, so Scorbunny and Sneasel are here?"

"Scorbunny and Sneasel… Oh! I remember them. They sure are here, just getting some dinner over there." Plusle and Minun both turned towards a table where a bunch of Pokémon were sitting, towards where I thought I spied Scorbunny's ears. "Behind that table just over there. Do you know them?"

"But weren't you talking about them? You know what, forget it. I'm glad to know that they are here. I'm going to bed."

"Oh no you aren't, mister. Remember you promised that you would eat at least a minimum of one proper meal per day? And I know for a fact that you didn't eat much for lunch," Vulpix said with a frown.

"I'm Minun," Minun astutely pointed out.

"Not Minun, minimum," Vulpix said with a smile.

"Ohhh! I thought you said my name, haha." Minum laughed.

"I thought she said your name, too! Hahaha!" Plusle followed up with an even louder laugh making Vulpix join in.

I just stared at the three for a second then left.

I am not in the mood for this. Hopefully this night ends quickly.

It did not.

The next morning finally arrived and Vulpix and I quickly left the tavern not too long ago. Minun offered us some breakfast before we left the tavern, to which Vulpix accepted, but I refused. I was surprised Vulpix did not press on, but I'm glad she didn't because she made me eat so much food the night before that a grandmother would be proud.

"Alright! Where do you want to search today? What about that fancy-looking market we didn't get to explore yesterday?" Vulpix asked with a pep to her step, a smile on her face and a wag of her tails.

I leered at her chipper mood, really wishing that I had an entire truck's worth of coffee or even the sunlight right now. "I don't care," I replied with a pout.

"What? Ace, are you okay? You were so excited about discussing this last night before we went to bed that- Wait," She eyed me suspiciously, to which I tried to look away from her gaze. "Are you still upset because of Scorbunny and Sneasel?"

"...No."

"You are! I mean of course you are. I should've known from how competitive you are. Ace, just because Sneasel and Scorbunny have a lead already for their investigation doesn't mean you should pout over it. They are your friends and It just means we have to do better! I mean, we only investigated for an afternoon, plus you were exhausted."

"I know, but come on! It's Scorbunny! Even if Sneasel is with him, I expected them to get captured before getting a head on us."

"Oh, Ace."

"I know. Just leave me alone for a bit okay? I'm still waking up and there is no sun."

Vulpix, respecting my wishes, walked next to me in silence, even though she clearly wanted to press me further.

The morning in this large town was bustling but not as one might think. While the morning birds- in some cases literally, were getting ready with cargo, setting up their shops or just leaving the house for reasons, some nocturnal Pokémon were only just closing up their shops. We recently passed a shop with a Gengar behind the counter with a chef's hat who looked tired and was packing up. I now had a location to go on my bucket list.

"Hmm," Vulpix hummed. "You know what, Ace?" she asked, breaking the silence.

I took in a small breath. "What is it, Vulpix?"

"Even though Scorbunny and Sneasel have a lead, it doesn't mean that it's a good one. Maybe they just heard some whispers and are going to investigate nothing. I bet Scorbunny misheard something and convinced Sneasel otherwise."

I looked at Vulpix who was looking at me from the corner of her eyes. "Are you trying to make me feel better?"

"What? No," she replied with a slightly shocked expression. "… Is it working?"

"...A little." The more I thought about the possibility of them falling flat and us getting an edge on them, the better I felt. "You know what? You're right! It's a new day, we are freshly rested and we are going to have better luck today, I can feel it!"

"That's the spirit!"

"And I know what our battle plan for today is: we are going to that snobbish market you mentioned before, and we are going to put the hurt on those pricks until we get what we need!"

"Okay, a little too much spirit, but I'm glad we have a destination," Vulpix said with a determined smile. "Remember what Pachirisu said, for me to be doing the talking-"

"Oh, but that's not all of my brilliant plan. Are you familiar with good cop, bad cop?" I interrupted.

"No?"

"Well you are going to be. Prepare, Scorbunny, for I will annihilate you!"

"What? Is he involved? What is going on?"

"Never mind that, pretty lady. Just follow my lead."

Arriving at the posher side of town, it was clear as to why it was regarded as such. More Pokémon dawned bits of clothing, the streets were pristinely cleaned and the stores all looked very expensive. While walking past some of the stores, Vulpix pointed out some of the prices and from a -probably terrible- estimate, you could buy a new car from some of the prices of the merchandise here.

Like, how could a fedora like hat be that expensive! This world truly is a sin.

"Ah, this looks like a good target," I announced at the more modest size of the stores. Everything on the window was still extremely expensive, but they lacked precious gems compared to the others, so I'm hoping that this place has seen more of a well-rounded set of customers from rich to wanna-be-rich. A Geodude with a top hat was exiting the building who gave his best nod towards us as he floated off.

"I don't like how you call it a target. Can you tell me your plan? I still don't know what a cop is."

"Wait, you don't? Actually, I think that will be to our benefit. Don't worry, just do what comes naturally to you," I replied. I walked over towards the store, opened the door that rung a hung bell and walked inside.

"Ace- woah, wait up!"

The store now that I was inside it, was clearly a hat only store. Hats of various sizes from small bowler hats, cloches, tophats, to even some sun hats. With how high the prices have been, still so for even a hat, I'm guessing this is a new thing. Pachirisu's dad did mention that this town had a huge change over the past couple of years.

Walking past an Ampharos, I made my way towards the counter to where a wrinkly, old Raichu was sitting on a stool. He eyed me up and down then gave a glare that he may have not intended because his eyes lifted slightly when he spied Vulpix behind me.

When I arrived at the counter, the old Raichu seemed to snap out of his thoughts and gave a small cough. "Greetings, strangers. Welcome to my shop. Can I help you?" the older Raichu asked.

"Nothing beats the welcoming glare of a shopkeeper. Makes me really want to spend all my hard earned coins, you know?" I snarkily replied.

"Ah, sorry about that. I thought you were a DownTowner at first, but with a lass that pretty behind you, I realized my mistake. You should get yourself cleaned up, lad."

"I don't need cleaning tips from a blind old fool."

The elderly Raichu reeled back as if stung by a bee. Small amounts of sparks shot out of his cheeks as he frowned.

"Ah! Sorry about him! It's been a long trip from the guild and we tried and tried to get him cleaned up. Please don't be mad," Vulpix said with big old puppy dog eyes towards the Raichu, trying to defuse the situation as I had hoped she would.

"O-oh, you are from a guild?" Raichu asked.

"Yes, sir! Sure are! We are from 'The Benevolent Heroes.'"

"Oh? My grandson is from that guild."

"Grandson? Oh! You mean hero Raichu?"

"Hero Raichu… so he really did get that big old promotion he was trying to get for years. Wish he would come around to tell me, but I know how busy he usually is. Could have mentioned it in his letters."

"That's so cool! I'm talking with a hero's relative!"

While the two talked for a bit about Raichu's grandson, I pondered about when to make my next move.

"... and that's how he nearly blew up my store hunting a bad guy!" the old geezer broke into a laugh which Vulpix followed suit.

Once their laughter seemingly got close to its end, I spoke, interrupting it. "That's nice and all, but we are here on official guild business and we want your cooperation. We are looking for a Ditto- pink blob that transforms into other Pokémon, and if you aren't familiar with their tells when they transform, they have very strange eyes. So out with it: have you seen a strange Pokémon like that?" I said with a touch of aggression and annoyance. All an act, of course.

"I don't like your attitude, mister. Why should I tell you?"

I looked over towards Vulpix who was frowning at me. I gestured with my eyes at her towards Raichu. She seemed to get the picture, but still seemed annoyed at me.

"Please, our friend lost her mother's necklace and we believe it could've been stolen by a Ditto. Could you tell us anything? Please?" Vulpix once again turned the puppy dog eyes on. I had to turn away to resist her adorableness.

"Well… I did see a shady-looking fella heading to another of the stores here. I think it was madam Girafarig's potter store, now that I think about it. Had strange eyes about it," the older Raichu said.

"Madam Girafarig? Thank you, sir! I really appreciate it."

The older Raichu looked away bashfully while scratching his cheek. "It's nothing."

"Alright, let's move!" I shouted. I turned to the exit and headed towards it.

"Ah! Thanks again, mister!"

Back outside, I was looking around for both a chance that Ditto would happen by and a pottery store.

"What was that about?" asked Vulpix. "I know you tend to be on the fritter side, but it seemed like you were trying to antagonize that store clerk.

"It's all a part of the plan, my partner. Just saying, you are doing a fantastic job."

"Hmm, I still don't understand what your plan is."

"I'll tell you after we do it again at madam giraffes' pottery."

"Do you mean Girafarig?"

"Isn't that what I said?"

"No, you said giraffe."

"Oh, weird. Anyway, enough talk, let's go!" I looked towards a set of shops and set off with no real sense of where I was going.

"Do you plan to tell me anything today?!" Vulpix shouted out from behind me.

Not looking back at her, I replied. "Later! Let's go!"

"...how rude!" a posh voice called out from behind me as I left the Girafarig pottery store. Turns out that it was the same Girafarig I saw earlier, who also called me rude. Made playing as the 'bad cop' much easier.

So, I played a jerk who wanted her to spill the beans, Vulpix showed her kindness and patience, I was then kicked out for acting a bit too energetic about justice while throwing some insults, and Vulpix has a connection with the Giriafarig. All according to plan.

While pottery normally bores me, I have to admit, the craftsmanship of some of those pots was mastery. I could not see any blemishes on any that I looked at before I got kicked out. Like, some even had gemstones embedded into them that somehow brought out their natural glow.

While I moved away from the store to let Vulpix work her magic- something I found was very effective so far- I spied a nice looking bench near a fountain. It was simple in design, made of a marble material with a Pachirisu and a Eevee fist bumping.

I took my seat, in sight of the double-story store with pottery lining the windows, while enjoying the still rising sun that was just able to hit my bulb. Some of the shoppers and locals were giving me dirty and strange looks. Did I really stand out just because I had some left over grime and some bandages on? Guess I should get some soap… eh, who cares.

I shut my eyes and just enjoyed the sounds of the market. Pokémon selling things, the clottering of hard-hooved Pokémon on the road, and the gentle breeze. It was nice.

So, while Vulpix chatted up our witness in the store, I had some time to think about what had been happening with my life here so far, but my mind quickly stopped when the subject matter turned dark. So I thought about old games I used to play back home.

I thought about town building sims and how I enjoyed those when I actually had time to play them. That then led me to reminisce about playing card games with my old friend when it hit me: what if I bring some of those games to this world? Like, imagine monopoly, but Pokémon themed! Am I onto something here?

"Hey! Watch it! Those bags are worth more than you ever will be!" a shrill, spoiled-sounding voice of a girl shouted not too far from me.

"S-sorry! It's just that there are too many bags for me to carry. I've only got two arms," a meek voice replied.

"What do I pay you for?"

"But, you aren't paying me?"

"And I still feel cheated. Urgh. Fine. Guess I have to do everything myself." The sounds of soft footsteps could be heard approaching towards me. "Excuse me, you look capable, would you be able to help out a cutie such as myself?" the girl asked me. Well, I assume so since I still had my eyes closed.

I continued to keep them closed and lied motionless.

"Uh, I think he's sleeping, mistress."

"Did I ask you? No. I know you're not asleep, Bulbasaur. I saw you lie down there earlier, and not too long ago you were moving your head around as if in thought. So, could you please stop being rude and address me?"

My eyebrows furrowed from the annoying voice. I begrudgingly opened my eyes to see the source of the voice: it was an Eevee who wore a not too impressed expression.

"What do you want?" I asked with a hint of annoyance and curiosity.

The Eevee at first seemed to yell or something with how she quickly wore an angry scowl, but she quickly shook that off. She instead sat down, tilted her head slightly, then closed her eyes. When she reopened them, I couldn't help but feel my heart sink from how extremely adorable she was. The world around me seemingly disappeared as if it didn't matter.

"Please, mister, but I really need your help. See my poor volunteer there?" With a slight head tilt, she gestured to her left to where a Timburr was standing.

The little guy stood there, holding up a long block of wood that was being used as a rack to hold a bunch of bags that looked very expensive over his shoulder, while his free hand was holding a large, wrapped box. It didn't look like he was struggling weight wise, but more so that if a slight breeze might knock him off balance.

"He is being such a kind-hearted Pokémon and is helping me with my shopping, and I was hoping that maybe you with your long and useful vines would be able to assist him?" Her eyes then widened with the cutest pair of eyes that just sparkled in the most hypnotically cutest way possible. "Please?"

Once more the world around me vanished. I felt my heart yank as if I was smitten by this pure cuteness of an Eevee. I got down from my seat, and walked up to the Eevee who continued with the cutest look ever.

Once infront of her, I leaned in closer to her. She wore an adorable smile and tiled her ear towards me, anticipating my response.

"No."

"Thank you. Now can you- wait, what was that?"

I tilted my head and gave a smile of my own. "No. I'm busy."

The look on Eevee's face was priceless. She just sat there, confused about what to do or say. Even her henchmen looked completely baffled about what was happening. While their brains reseted, I turned around and jumped back up to my spot.

After rebooted, she realized that I denied her request and she was not happy about that. "What do you mean 'no?'"

"No, nay, ain't gonna do it."

"I'm sorry, but maybe you don't truly understand who you are talking to, DownTowner. I am the daughter of the founder of this town. You know, that one you are in, right now? You ought to show me some respect since if it was not for my father then you would be living in mud and dirt. So get down here and help me with my shopping already."

"I thought that Albert was one of the founders of this town?"

"Tah! That hack!? Sure he may have helped invent the ZapRocks, but he is nothing more than a rich fool who is hell-bent on helping those who should help themselves. He is so pathetic that he even lost his own daughter once! My father would have this town brought to its knees if I went missing, unlike that pathetic loser who just went to the guild in a foreign town! How pathetic is that?"

While she rambled on, I couldn't help but remember a conversation I had with Nigel earlier today. When the others were exploring the mansion with Pachirisu, Nigel asked me to stay behind so that we could chat, a man-to-man chat as if it were- I think he excluded Scorbunny since he was a bit immature, something that I don't blame him for thinking.

You see Nigel told me in lengths about how close he was to giving away everything he had. His property, his fortune, his title, his company, and even himself if it meant saving his daughter. I wasn't sure how much it was worth, but he told me how much money he was willing to spend to get the best heroes from our guild to help. Not that he needed to spend that much since Gardevoir tried to refuse most of it, saying that it's not about that money. He said that the donation is the majority she rejected plus much, much more.

So while this spoiled brat went on and on about how much of a terrible father Nigel was, nothing like my own who liked to burn me with his cigars, I couldn't help but get a bit angry.

"-So no he is not the founder, but a… what is with that look?"

I got down from the bench and slowly approached Eevee.

"What are you-? Stop it with that look! you-you aren't going to s-scare me that easily." Her fluffy tail and ears sank to the ground. "I mean it, my dad is powerful and I will-"

I continued getting closer and closer to her. Her once proud demeanor was now reduced to trembling. She continued to try to threaten me, even looking towards her follower who was also trembling. When she looked back, I was basically right in her face. She tried to shuffle away, but she was frozen with fear.

I whispered into her ear. "If it wasn't for my friend, I would strangle you with my vines right here, right now. You don't know what you are talking about, so shut up." I backed away from her so that I was looking her dead in the eyes. "Get lost."

After stumbling over herself, she sprinted away so fast that I was honestly surprised. I know I have been told I have a mean glare before, but I never really believed that it was that bad. Guess it's true then. This could be useful.

I glanced to the Timburr, who was still shaking in his metaphorical boots. "Boo." Dropping all the bags in a mess, he quickly picked them all up into a large ball of bags and ran off towards where Eevee had scampered off to.

"Heh. That was fun." A wet sensation began to pool around my foot. I realized quickly as to where that came from and what it was. "Ew." I turned back around towards the bench, shaking off that liquid. "Now back to thinking about how to port my millions into this world."

After a short time, I quickly got bored thinking about the logistics and legal things I would have to get set up to make sure no one could copy my game of 'Go Magikarp' without getting sued to kingdom come. I was about to have a nap, or best thing to a nap since I don't really sleep that well, especially when daybreak has happened, when I spied Vulpix saying her goodbye to the Girafarig as the pair wore a friendly smile.

Vulpix looked around for me and eventually spied my vines I was flailing to help her. She walked up, then jumped up onto the bench I was on.

"So, how did it go? Was my plan a success?" I asked expectantly.

"Miss Girafarig was really sweet and was actually very helpful. I still don't understand why you were so rude to her, Ace. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something? Well, I guess for you it would be the worst side of the bed. Or maybe the floor."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll explain soon, but did you get the information about the Ditto? C'mon, out with it!" I stood up in anticipation.

"No, explain what a 'cop' is and why we were acting as a good-cop, bad-cop."

"Wait, you don't have cops here? Police officers?"

"No. At least I have never heard of one before."

"Oh. Well basically they are like the guards in a way. They keep the peace, arrest those who break the law and don't really fight in wars unless that person is drafted into the army. So good cop, bad cop is a way to interrogate. I act as a mean person, then you act nice and an ally to the perpetrator against me to gain their trust so that we can get information easier. And so far it seems to be working nicely."

"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense. Why couldn't I know that before?"

"So that your reactions were genuine."

"Right, okay. At least you didn't get up to any trouble whilst I was busy 'interrogating' the nice store clerks." My expression fell flat. "Wait, what did you do?"

"I didn't say anything though."

"Yeah but your face says it all. Out with it, mister."

"I'm not saying that I did, but I may have scared the crap out of a Pokémon for trying to get me to work for nothing. Just… don't smell that puddle. It's not water."

"Ace…" she sighed. "I can't leave you alone, can I?"

"Eh, probably not. Anyways, out with it: what did the giraffe wanna-be say?"

"Miss, Girafarig had a lot to say about a rude and impatient Pokémon. Sound familiar?" I just rolled my eyes. "Anyways, when she wasn't talking about him, she told me about a suspicious Pokémon who tried to give her a necklace that she described similarly as the one that was stolen. She also said that she was flattered by the gesture, but his eyes were so strange that it was off putting; little dots she described them as."

"Ah-ha! That's our Ditto criminal." I then continued with a grizzly voice. "Did she say where to find the scumbag? Gah, the thoughts of his crimes are making me si-i-i-ick."

"Yes, but we shouldn't rush to conclusions. So no beating up the criminal if we find him."

"Fine. Unless he retaliates with violence, I won't either. "

"Good. Miss Girafarig said we can find the strange eyed Pokémon- hopeful the Ditto- near the ZapRock facility. She said that the strange eyed Girafarig said that he works there. So that is our best shot for now."

"Excellent. Let's get going."

End Chapter - 26