Eichi suddenly asked very seriously, "Officer Jenny, do you know what kind of people those three are?"
"They are just local thieves," Officer Jenny replied.
"Is it really as simple as just being thieves?" Eichi questioned.
Officer Jenny glanced toward Akira and said, "You're right. They don't just steal personal property; they also steal Pokémon to sell for massive profits."
"And? Is that all? Nothing else?" Eichi pressed.
"That is all," Officer Jenny stated. She then turned to an officer behind her and commanded, "Take Akira to the room next door."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Akira cast a worried look at Eichi before being led away. Once he had left, Eichi smiled slightly and began his account.
"Last night, I noticed the moment they stole my wallet. I didn't make a scene; I just secretly followed them. Later, Akira followed as well. His tracking skills were terrible, so he was spotted immediately, whereas I remained undetected the entire time. They lured Akira into a corner—a very secluded alleyway with no cameras—where his two accomplices were waiting."
Eichi's narrative was significantly more detailed than Akira's. Akira had only given a rough outline: seeing a theft, following, getting caught, losing a battle, being saved by Eichi, and then the police arriving. Eichi, however, laid out every detail. Officer Jenny listened intently while an officer behind her recorded everything Eichi said.
Eichi continued to recount the events of the previous night in a steady voice. "Those three forced Akira out, intending to harm him, and then the battle began. However, Akira's Cyndaquil was far too weak and was defeated quickly. By the way, I forgot to mention that only one of them was actually fighting; the other two were just chatting. Do you know what they were talking about?"
Eichi suddenly lowered his voice. "They were discussing selling the Cyndaquil after they killed Akira."
As soon as Eichi finished speaking, the expressions of all the officers in the room changed.
"Do you realize," Eichi continued, "that when they were discussing this, they spoke as if it were a trivial matter? That implies this wasn't their first time doing such a thing. So, when you ask me why I struck so hard, that is the reason. Their Pokémon have very likely killed people before."
Eichi remained perfectly calm while saying this. Such words coming from a ten-year-old child felt incredibly out of place; it was unsettling, even hair-raising. Officer Jenny and the other police officers suddenly felt as if the light in the room had dimmed and the temperature had dropped.
It felt cold!
"The rest you can probably guess," Eichi added. "Akira was no match for them, and his Cyndaquil lost its ability to battle. He had no other Pokémon. At the most critical moment, I stepped in and defeated their three Pokémon. Furthermore, when I asked for my wallet back, they attacked me with lethal intent. Fortunately, I've practiced some martial arts; otherwise, I would be the one dead right now. My actions were strictly self-defense."
Having finished, Eichi looked out the window before turning back to Officer Jenny. Jenny found herself at a loss for words; she had never met anyone like Eichi. Despite being only ten years old, he was as mature as an adult and seemed completely unfazed by the concept of death.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Jenny called out.
An officer entered and handed two files to Officer Jenny. She opened the top one. Since Eichi was sitting directly across from her, he could see part of the contents. It appeared to be a report on a murder case from a few days ago, though he couldn't see the rest.
After finishing the first file, Jenny opened the second one, which contained Eichi's background information. When she saw that he came from an ordinary family but was a student at Silver Academy, her eyes widened. The final page listed three commendations: the Poaching Group Incident, the Blackthorn City Incident, and the Cherrygrove City Incident.
She hadn't expected someone so young to have been involved in so many major events. These three incidents proved that Eichi was not a bad person. Although Officer Jenny's expression remained unchanged, she was deeply shocked. She set the files down and looked at Eichi.
Suddenly, a smile broke across her serious face. "Alright, we have the full story now. You are free to go."
The rapid change in Jenny's demeanor was somewhat unexpected, but looking at the files on the desk, Eichi had a faint idea why.
The hotel where Silver Academy stayed was called the Suicune Hotel. Any owner brave enough to name their establishment after a Legendary Pokémon was certainly no ordinary person.
At the hotel entrance, Professor Kant was waiting anxiously. An hour had passed, and he had already decided that if Eichi didn't return soon, he would use his personal connections to get him out. He finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the police car pull up and Eichi step out.
"Professor Kant, I told you I'd be back soon," Eichi joked. "There was no need for you to wait at the door."
"You were taken to the police station without a word; how could I not be worried?" Kant replied reproachfully. Seeing other curious students gathering around, he added, "Fine, come to my room and tell me exactly what happened."
In Kant's room, Eichi gave a general account of the previous night. Naturally, it wasn't the same version he gave at the station; it was a censored version. Some things were better left unsaid. Professor Kant was both pleased by Eichi's bravery and worried for his safety. He warned Eichi that next time he should leave such matters to the police instead of taking matters into his own hands.
Eichi agreed readily, though he didn't truly take the warning to heart; he would do the same thing again if the situation arose. After chatting with Professor Kant for a while, he returned to his own room. Officer Jenny hadn't pursued the issue of his heavy-handedness; in fact, both he and Akira had received commendations.
There was also a small cash reward, though it wasn't much. Akira had been pestering him with questions, which Eichi found quite annoying. It wasn't until the police forcibly escorted Eichi back to the hotel that Akira finally stopped. However, Eichi did exchange phone numbers with him, thinking they might meet again. He was quite curious to see how much the boy would grow.
Back at the police station, in a private office, Officer Jenny was still looking through Eichi's files. Suddenly, she thought of something. She put the files down, picked up the phone on her desk, and dialed a number.
After a moment, the call connected, and a woman's voice came from the other end: "Hello..."