[center][color=wheat][h3]Aedre Charbonnet[/h3][/color][hr]— Mesalon City Gym —[/center]
Aedre slapped her forehead. [color=wheat]“Of course! Arceus, it completely slipped my mind!”[/color] Her journey from Pokemart to gym had been completely normal except for one, glaring thing: she’d smacked into someone on the way. The encounter had completely slipped her mind since she’d been focused on getting to the gym, but now that the facts and proofs were laid out in front of her, it was as plain as day—or as dark as the Sneasel’s fur. 

[color=wheat]“On my way to the gym, I ended up bumping into someone—physically—and falling. Right at, um, that corner.”[/color] Aedre pointed at the spot where it happened, which was a mere five meters or so from the footprint. [color=wheat]“The woman I smacked into helped me up, and when she was leaving I saw a Sneasel run to her side. Smirking, I think.”[/color] Aedre paused. Was that evidence though? Or was it just her reading too much into the situation? [color=wheat]“But the Sneasel… if it used Thief…”[/color]

Aedre trailed off, mind whirling. If the Sneasel was the culprit like what the clues seemed to suggest, and if she wasn’t reading too much into everything that was happening, then that meant—

[color=wheat]“Someone stole the package,”[/color] Aedre whispered, eyes wide. The possibility hadn’t even crossed her mind, considering that she’d just received the parcel herself, but it was a definite possibility. A likely possibility, even, considering that the package had been important enough for her research lab back home to refuse to tell her anything about it. Pick it up, they’d said, and bring it back to Hoenn with her. No other instructions. 

But why would anyone want to steal the package? What did it contain for it to be so valuable, so desirable that someone had tracked her down? This question, Aedre supposed, could be answered quite simply: the package was exactly what it appeared to be—a box containing a Pokeball—and it held exactly what it was supposed to—a Pokemon.

[color=wheat]“I think,”[/color] Aedre said, inhaling to calm her frayed nerves, [color=wheat]“I think the package was a Pokeball with a Pokemon inside, and whoever it was that stole the package wanted that Pokemon.”[/color]

Aedre swallowed, her mouth dry. If she was right—and she was fairly sure she was—then her lack of caution had put a Pokemon in danger. And, unfortunately, the weight of that mistake was even heavier than the responsibility of losing a package because unlike objects, Pokemon were living creatures, and living creatures weren’t so easily replaced.

A flutter at her ear had her glance up at her Fletchling, again perched on her shoulder, and she tried for a small smile. [color=wheat]“I really messed up this time, huh, Little?”[/color]

[hr][hr][hider=Notes][u][b][color=wheat]     Team:          [/color][/b][/u]
[list][*] Pasithea “Thea” ♀ — Togepi (12) 
[list][*][b]Attacks:[/b] [i]Growl, Charm, Metronome, Sweet Kiss[/i]
[*][b]Ability:[/b] [i]Serene Grace[/i][/list]
[*] Alitis “Little” ♂ — Fletchling (12) 
[list][*][b]Attacks:[/b] [i]Tackle, Growl, Quick Attack[/i]
[*][b]Ability:[/b] [i]Gale Wings[/i][/list]
[*] Decus “Dee” ♂ — Honedge (6) 
[list][*][b]Attacks:[/b] [i]Tackle, Swords Dance, Fury Cutter[/i]
[*][b]Ability:[/b] [i]No Guard[/i][/list]
[/list]
[u][b][color=wheat]     Bag Items:          [/color][/b][/u]
[list][*]Pokedex (with Kosei Region Map)
[*]Smart Phone
[*]Credit Card linked to a private account that houses a decent amount of money
[*]Poke Radar
[*]Collapsable Bike with two gears (third for bike ramps, fourth for muddy slopes)
[*]Laptop & Charger for formal work and note-keeping
[*]5 Pokeballs
[*]Water Stone
[*]Dusk Stone
[/list][/hider]
[@luckyblackcat]