Joe awoke to his stomach grumbling. The sun hadn't graced the horizon yet but he'd gone to bed early without food.
There had been a massive Copperajah in the room, but the dream answered it. Joe had a feeling Raikou wouldn't appear again any time soon.
The dream also confirmed that people controlled Raikou. And what was a typical thing criminals did after making themselves known? Lay low. Avoid the police. They didn't want too much attention. It could lead to their capture. If they were smart they'd take it slow, even with a legend under their control.
Joe was grateful for this feeling. He needed time to get stronger. The looming threat of Raikou appearing at any moment would only be a distraction. Joe doubted he'd be ready to face the legend in time. It was at a strength level above regular Pokemon. But Joe was certainly going to try his best. He'd need strategy. A way to cut off the connection between Raikou and those controlling it.
This was too much thinking first thing in the morning. And on an empty stomach no less. Joe got up. Showered. He doubted anywhere would be open at this time. His objective, the local laboratory, was most definitely closed. Might as well go for a run before breakfast. Absol stirred from his movements. Opened an eye and watched. Joe got ready. Watched Absol stretch like a cat. Front legs laid along the ground. Hind legs straight, making Absol's tail the highest point of the Pokemon.
"Want to come for a run?"
Absol let out a sleepy bark. Joe didn't want to bother Sprigatito yet. As far as he knew, Pokeballs put Pokemon into a state of hibernation and fed them good dreams. She had earned a lazy morning and she'd also earned a mighty fine breakfast. He'd buy her whatever she wanted.
Joe and Absol left the hotel. The sun had just started peeking over the horizon, adding an orange tint to Mt. Silver. Joe took a deep breath. Early morning fresh air. Couldn't beat it. The wind coming down the mountain rustled his jacket.
Joe looked back and forth. A run along the sea was fine with him. He did some basic stretches. Started at a jog. Worked up to a run. Absol kept up easily. He was tempted to start a race. See how fast they could both go.
But it wasn't meant to be. A couple of minutes into the exercise, Absol perked up. Slowed down. Turned to a warehouse on the port. Growled. Began walking towards the building. Joe slowed and went with Absol.
The building was twice the size of Jasmine's Gym. It was made of corrugated metal sheets. A wire fence taller than Joe surrounded the structure. There was a single point of entry with a small hut for guards. Tall black lamppost behind it. It was an old post. Six glass panels to let out light in all directions. Reminded Joe of a lantern.
Joe was taken aback by what he saw standing next to the guard hut. A giant of a man, arms crossed. He had to be at least seven feet tall. The guy was taller than the average doorway.
Absol approached the behemoth, still growling. Joe considered it. He remembered the appearance of Absol but nothing else. Given its actions, maybe it could sense trouble. Which meant this behemoth of a man and the warehouse he guarded was a problem. A problem Joe would be happy to solve.
They arrived in front of the behemoth. He was all muscle. Permanent scowl on his face. Joe looked up. Now he understood. This was how people in Olivine felt when dealing with Joe. Joe leaned over. Wrapped arms around Absol's neck to hold it back. The Pokemon was prepared to just walk past the behemoth. To the trouble it must sense. Humans had to deal with problems properly. Laws and all that. So Joe had a different, dumber idea.
"Calm down, Absol." Joe said. Looked up.
"Leave." The behemoth grunted in a booming voice. It almost sounded like he didn't even say a word. His frown deepened.
Here goes nothing. "Man, look at you. What dig site did they excavate you from? You should take better care of yourself. Clean that greasy hair. Better yet, cut it. And that beard."
The man growled, annoyed. All according to plan. As Joe had said, the behemoth had a long, unkempt beard and disgusting hair reaching down his back. He was either a caveman or a metalhead. Caveman had a certain ring to it.
"You know, we're more sophisticated than growls and grunts now. We have a whole language. You should learn it."
Caveman stepped forward. Let his arms go to his side. Absol was confused. It'd stopped trying to march forward which let Joe stand up straight too. That's exactly what Joe needed because his plan was simple. Self defence.
Anger Caveman. Get him to throw the first punch. Draw police here to stop the fight. Caveman had a duty to protect this warehouse. If there was a problem here then Caveman would not be happy to see the police. Joe was hoping Caveman's anger would cloud his judgement.
"What's wrong? Can't reach back to your Pokeballs? Maybe you shouldn't be such a meathead then."
Everyone understood that people settled scores using Pokemon these days. The only way to combat a superpowered animal was another superpowered animal. Humans and Pokemon were codependents in this regard. History reported that the first person to befriend a Pokemon was actually a villain. Someone that wanted power. So good people rose up and befriended their own Pokemon to fight back. Gave those Pokemon good lives in return for security.
Caveman flexed his hands. Balled them into fists. Joe was seriously getting on Caveman's nerves. Caveman just wanted to punch Joe. Shut him up. Teach him a lesson. The contents of Joe's comments didn't matter. The problem was that he just wouldn't stop.
Joe tightened his body. Prepared himself for a fight. He was ready to duck back as soon as a fist came his way.
"There you are!"
Before a fight could start, an angelic voice rang through the area. Joe turned his head. Caveman looked out the corner of his eyes. A woman stood nearby, camera dangling from her neck. She had an athletic body. A little thicker than Jasmine. Not exactly hard to achieve. She seemed a little out of breath. Wavy ginger hair reached the middle of her back. She wore a simple white shirt with a blue blazer. Canvas trousers were a bit short, revealing her ankles.
She approached. Looked at Joe. "I told you, we're meant to be reporting on the ferry being cancelled. It's the next dock over." She grabbed Joe by the arm and looked up at Caveman. Smiled. "Sorry sir. We'll be on our way."
The woman dragged Joe along until they were a few streets away, out of sight. Absol followed and looked over its shoulder a few times on the way. It detected a problem, but it understood that Trainer and Pokemon acted together. Absol was reluctant but stuck with Joe.
The woman let go of Joe at some point but ushered him along still. When they were clear, she spoke. "That was risky. What were you doing?"
"Absol found a problem. We were going to deal with it."
"Deal with it?" She looked Joe up and down with her green eyes. He was a big guy. "Maybe you stood a chance, but I wouldn't bet on you."
Joe shrugged. "I can fight." Joe believed he had the strength to back up his words, although it would admittedly be a tough fight. He thought about what she'd said. "Are you actually a reporter or was that a cover?"
"I'm actually a reporter. That warehouse is my current target." She ran a hand through her fringe and into her ginger hair. "You're lucky I was awake. I swear I've never gotten dressed so fast in my life."
"So you have a problem with the warehouse for the same reason Absol doesn't like it." He looked down at Absol. The Pokemon nodded.
"...Straight to the point, huh? Yeah, I'm working for a detective. He received a tip that a gang was working in New Bark and wanted me to check it out. I tracked them to that warehouse. I'm close to having evidence against them." She saw Joe raise an eyebrow so continued. "It's time sensitive. Do you know the laws around humanely transporting pets when Pokeballs aren't involved?" Joe shook his head. "Pokemon are moved in cages. It's the only way to handle them. In return for not having much space, animals are only allowed to be in transport cages for twenty-four hours."
Joe understood. No crime had been committed yet so their hands were tied. "Okay. When does the timer run out?"
The woman looked at her watch. "Tonight, a bit after the sun sets."
So that meant the problem started after Joe went to the hotel. Explained why it only bothered Absol now. "Are you planning on raiding the place? Where do I sign up?" Joe's personality got him into a lot of trouble, but he couldn't switch it off. If someone needed him, he'd be there.
"A man of action. I like that. All right." She reached a hand out. They shook. "I'm Amelia."
"Joe."
"Well, Joe, I'll give you my number." They both reached into pockets. "I'll send you a location later."
"Roger that, boss."
Amelia grinned. "As your boss, maybe I should teach you how to better pick your fights."
Joe thought Amelia had a charming smile. He returned it. They parted for the day. Joe was glad that teaming up with Absol had already paid off. There was a potential problem he wouldn't have known about if not for Absol.
Joe explained the situation to an antsy Absol. Human society worked a certain way. There had been no crime yet. There was a chance Amelia was wrong. That the Pokemon were being transported properly. He doubted it because both her and Absol had a problem with the warehouse, but he had to accept it for now. If Joe decided to barge in and 'save' the Pokemon right this second, he could be seen as trespassing, destroying property, and stealing owned Pokemon. Joe would be the one to end up behind bars. Actions had consequences regardless of whether Joe thought he was doing the right thing.
Absol begrudgingly accepted waiting. Absol had run afoul of humans and their laws before. It had learned to assess and gather information first when dealing with people. Sometimes a situation wasn't what it seemed at first glance. Absol had sensed distress, but that was it. A general feeling of discomfort. Might just be a particularly whiny Pokemon that complained every time it moved from one country to another.
Joe went back to running. Needed more than a few minutes of exercise. Absol moved in alongside him. Joe opted to move away from the sea since Amelia had led him further into town. The roads were lighting up as the sun continued to rise.
Joe took the chance to consider the implications of criminals moving Pokemon illegally. It had to be to sell them. His blood boiled. He looked forward to tonight.
Joe watched a truck pull into a store. A road later he noticed a PokeCenter. Perfect. He slowed down. He'd learnt a lot of specifics from Jasmine. Pokemon couldn't fight endlessly, all day every day. They needed rest. Absol fought a legend yesterday. It needed to recover. A night's rest was a good start, but they were probably going to be fighting again tonight. It took a couple of days for Pokemon to recover naturally.
A PokeCenter sped up the process. An energy transfer from one of a few Pokemon. Typically the rotund Chansey or Blissey, but there were other healers like Audino too. These species were picked to work in PokeCenters because they had an absurd amount of spare energy and also had the ability to share it. It helped that they liked caring for others.
Joe went inside. Saw a Chansey. Pre-evolution of Blissey. It lost the white frills but otherwise looked similar. He approached the nurse behind the counter that looked like the one in Olivine. Told her Absol needed to be taken care of. Absol's head darted between Trainer and nurse. Growled.
"Hey, don't be like that. Are we fighting tonight? Yes? Then get yourself looked after."
Absol slumped. Grumbled. Walked with the nurse after a few seconds. Came back ten minutes later. They picked up where they left off. Ran again. Absol had never been to a hospital before so was shy about it. It dreaded what this place could be, but Absol wasn't against visiting in the future. Absol felt further refreshed. Ready for tonight. This was extremely helpful.
An hour after they first set out, they returned to the hotel. Joe freshened up. Put on a black t-shirt and black jacket. Looked up a place for food. A place nearby just opened. He headed there. Sat down. Brought Sprigatito out. She yawned and stretched on a cloth that covered a wooden table. Her eyes shot open. Arched her back. Looked around Joe's right. Hissed.
Absol sat on Joe's left, so the new Pokemon wasn't the problem. Joe looked over his right shoulder. Saw nothing.
"What's wrong, buddy?" He went to reach out to the cat. See if stroking her would calm her. But he heard movement. Absol moved around Joe's chair. It tapped his shadow. Barked gently a few times, first at Joe's shadow, then up at the cat. Sprigatito calmed down. Tilted her head in confusion.
Joe was confused too. But the problem was solved so he let it go for now. Not like he could ask Absol what had happened. He was headed to Professor Elm next. Maybe the scientist would have an answer.
Joe grabbed the menu. Put it in front of Sprigatito. "As thanks for your help yesterday, pick whatever you want."
Sprigatito lit up. Looked intensely at the images of food next to words she couldn't read. Saw cake. Tapped that furiously.
Joe froze. This was a family. That made him the father and Sprigatito the daughter. He couldn't let his child eat cake for breakfast. He needed to teach her to be responsible. He looked at her. He was going to refuse. But those pleading eyes…
"…O- Okay, but just this once. Do you understand? Cake is not a healthy breakfast." He watched Sprigatito nod and decided it really was fine just this once. Absol rolled its eyes. Apparently it had a pushover for a Trainer. Joe grabbed the menu. Dangled it in front of Absol. "And what do you want?"
Absol eyed some meat. Tapped the board with a claw. Joe ordered. The trio ate.
Sprigatito thought back to yesterday. She was scared just thinking about Raikou. Something told her deep down not to mess with it. That was her experience with all conflict though. She never wanted to fight. Yesterday was the one and only time. If Joe wanted to fight then he'd have to use the new team member. Sprigatito assumed that's what Absol was for. It radiated power. It seemed suited for combat. Sprigatito just wanted to enjoy life. Enjoy this holiday with her Trainer.
They left with full bellies. Sprigatito was on Joe's shoulder. Absol walked by his side. They were off to see the professor. Joe grabbed his phone. Looked at a map. Saw where the laboratory was. Got a bad feeling. Followed the directions. His heart sank. Sure enough, it was the log cabin with Feraligatr. He should've known. Maybe that woman in the window wasn't here today.
Joe approached the door. Cleared his throat. Fidgeted. Acting like a boy about to ask a girl on a date. Absol poked him. That was right. He needed to pull himself together. He knocked on the door. A woman answered. Brown eyes behind smart glasses, framed on the sides and bottom. Long brown hair tied up in a ponytail. An oval amber necklace. Open lab coat over a white and blue shirt.
"I'm here to see Professor Elm, if he's available." Joe eyed a silver nameplate. The woman was called Nia.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No."
Nia nodded. Opened the door all the way to let Joe in. "You might have to kill some time." She directed Joe with a hand, palm raised. "This way." After Nia used her hands, they went back into the pockets of her lab coat.
The cabin opened straight into a lounge area. Even scientists relax. Shelves full of books, plants, and a television facing a long couch. He walked into a hallway. Heard the clacking of keyboards through a door as he passed by. Nia opened the second door on the right. Joe walked inside. Four black leather chairs around a coffee table. He sat down facing the door. Rectangle tables lined the wall. Some had papers on them. Chairs tucked into them. When it wasn't a meeting room, this was just another place for scientists to work.
"I'll go and inform Professor Elm that someone is here to see him. Sit tight, Flex."
The door closed. Joe exhaled deeply. Heard a chuckle on the other side of the door. It faded alongside footsteps. Nia was the woman in the window. How embarrassing.