Chapter 4: Thievery

NIGHT OF THE SECOND DAY

-36 HOURS REMAIN-

After asking someone to help put the book on Legendary pokemon away, Medli decided to linger in the library for a while longer, just to pass the time. The Swablu quietly fluttered through the aisles, her thoughts wandering a bit as she skimmed her eyes across the various books on display.

She briefly considered trying to look for a book on training techniques, given the time she’d spent at the dojo lately. But she quickly dismissed that thought. Ultimately, she ended up going through the fiction section, and picked out the first interesting-looking book that she could easily pull free from the shelf.

The book seemed enjoyable enough, from what Medli got to read of it. It felt a bit good to just rest and take her mind off things for a moment, after everything she’d been through all day.

Even as she tried to read, though, Medli’s thoughts kept coming back to the oddities with the moon. A part of her couldn’t help but feel like… like she was just wasting time here, when there were more important things to be focused on. There had to be something she’d overlooked earlier. With all of these books around here, there had to be one that could explain what was going on. If she could just figure out what to look for…

Medli blinked. She gazed blankly down at her book, realizing that she’d zoned out through at least a couple of pages without a single word getting through. She flipped back a bit, trying to find a spot she properly recognized. Even when she started reading again, however, she found it hard to concentrate on the book.

The Swablu let out a sigh. Why was she so focused on this? She hadn’t even been able to properly help fix Great Bay’s problems, when that was the reason she’d come to Clock Town in the first place. Yet somehow, she’d gotten it into her head to try and stop the moon from falling. Even if something really was happening, what was she even supposed to do about it? There had to be countless other pokemon better suited to deal with it than her. She was just… she was getting in way, way over her head.

With a shake of her head, Medli gently flipped the book closed and fluttered towards the library’s exit. In the moment, it slipped her mind to even try and put the book back.

On the bright side, the storm seemed to have finally moved on by the time Medli left the library. That was a bit of a relief to see – Medli really preferred not to fly in the rain any more than she had to. The fluff on her wings did not handle water well at all.

She turned to look up at the sky. The thick layer of clouds overhead had mostly thinned out, allowing a clearer view of the evening sky. Sunset was already well underway, the last hints of daylight slowly fading from the orange sky as night started to take its place.

Medli shuddered as her gaze landed on the full moon that loomed high above. Sure enough, it had drawn even closer than the last time she’d seen it. It had to be… at least twice as big as it normally appeared in the sky. Maybe even more than that. If it continued approaching at that sort of pace… Medli shook her head. She didn’t dare to finish that thought.

Trying her best not to focus on the moon, Medli began to fly her way around Clock Town. She still didn’t have any proper destination in mind. Mostly, she just wandered the town’s streets, taking in the sights. She hadn’t yet taken the chance to simply look around Clock Town for the sake of it.

It was all quite different from how things were back home. The loose, sandy terrain of Great Bay didn’t lend itself well to these sorts of buildings, so the pokemon of the area had to adapt accordingly. The water-types mostly built their homes on or under the water, with their primary settlement being a harmonious split between the two. The flying-types like Medli, meanwhile, tended to simply live up on the cliffs a bit farther from shore.

With dusk slowly overtaking Clock Town’s streets, a Monferno had begun hurrying about to light the lamps along the streets. That was a bit more familiar to Medli. Some pokemon down by the bay preferred to rely on luminous stones to provide light during the evening instead, but their dim glow likely wouldn’t cut it for a larger settlement like this.

Medli also noticed a few of the strange shining glass orbs that she’d seen outside the observatory last night. Though only one or two buildings here seemed to sport them nearby. Medli supposed they had to be a newer invention, whatever they were.

As the Swablu continued to look around, she happened to spot a sign pointing out a ‘Stock Pot Inn’. She recalled what Kafei had said last night about himself and an ‘Anju’ running an inn here in town. She supposed there might potentially be more than one inn here in Clock Town, but the odds were still pretty decent that this was the same place.

For a moment, Medli considered going inside. She wouldn’t mind getting to talk with Kafei again, at least for a little while, and it would also be nice to have a roof over her head tonight just in case the weather took a turn again. But Medli decided to wait. Even as tiring as today had been, it seemed a little early to be settling down for the night.

A soft rumble from her stomach also reminded Medli that she hadn’t stopped to eat since shortly before she dropped by the library. After getting a simple meal from one of the many merchants still out and about, Medli continued to wander the various parts of Clock Town.

Eventually, as she passed through a quiet section near the edge of South Clock Town, Medli perked up a bit at the faint sound of music in the distance. Curious, she started to follow the noise.

After passing through an alleyway, she found herself in a secluded part of town that she hadn’t seen yet. It was similar to the park she’d found on the northern edge of town, a small pocket of peaceful nature amid the rest of the settlement. Different from the other park Medli had found, though, a sizable lake sat right in the center of the area. Grass and flowers covered most of the ground on this side of the lake, interspersed with several tall pine trees.

She quickly found the source of the music she’d heard. Off in one corner of the park, a Wartortle sat alone on a bench, with a rather strange looking contraption held in his hands. The base of the device was a simple box. The Wartortle continually spun a small crank on one side, causing a brass funnel on the top to spin around and around as the music echoed forth from within.

It was a lively, energetic sort of tune, but with an odd air of melancholy to it. Now that she could hear it more clearly, Medli realized the song actually sounded somewhat familiar. It took a few moments for her to place where she’d heard it, but she eventually recognized it: ‘Lost in a Stormy Sea’. One of the more popular works from a band in Great Bay called The Wind Fish.

The Wartortle took a minute or two to notice Medli’s arrival, since his eyes were closed as he focused solely on turning the crank. But eventually, he started to wind down. He gave a small start as he finally opened his eyes and spotted Medli. “Ah, hello there. Overheard my music, I take it?”

Medli nodded. “Y-Yes. I was trying to figure out where I’d heard it before. It sounds… different, l-like this.”

Wartortle let out a chuckle as he grinned down at the odd-looking music box. “Aye, that’s for certain. Despite my best efforts, this little thing can’t really hold a candle to ol’ Lulu’s singing.” He looked up at Medli again, curiosity in his eyes. “I take it you’ve heard them perform, then.” Medli gave another nod. “Then you must be from down by Great Bay. Hard to find anyone from out that way that isn’t at least somewhat familiar with The Wind Fish. Least, it was that way when I lived out there.”

He wasn’t really wrong. Medli rarely went out of her way to try and listen to the group, but they were a big enough name around the bay that she’d decided to give them a listen once or twice. From what she’d gotten to hear, she could understand why they were popular.

The Wartortle let out a wistful sigh. “Ah… you know, I miss Great Bay, sometimes. Only really moved up here in the first place so I could have better resources to try and work on things like this little beauty here.” He tapped the side of the device in his hands for emphasis. “Not that there aren’t things to like here too, o’course. But nothing compares to living by the ocean.”

“I… can agree with that,” Medli said quietly. Clock Town seemed like a fine place, as far as she could tell, but it was a little too busy, for her liking. And besides, Great Bay was just… home. She looked forward to going back once her business here was finished. At least, assuming things worked out by then.

After a couple seconds of tinkering with the device in his hands, the Wartortle seemed to perk up as a thought struck him. “Say… d’you know if they ever managed to put a stop to those blasted pirates? Last I heard, they were causing all sorts of trouble back home.”

Medli winced slightly at the question. “N-No. They’re… still l-looking for a way to deal with them.”

“Ah. A shame.” The Wartortle shook his head. “Well, I’m sure someone’ll put those scoundrels in their place soon enough. The ‘mon of Great Bay are a tough lot. We’ve made it through far worse.”

Medli nodded absently, trying to hold back a sigh. She turned back to face the path she’d come from, suddenly not feeling much like continuing the conversation. “I’ll, um… I-I think I’ll just leave you to your work, n-now.”

Wartortle tilted his head in slight confusion, but nodded back. “Alright. Have a nice evening, missy,” he called out. “Was nice getting to talk with another mon from the bay again.”

“Y-You too,” Medli replied, before quietly fluttering away down the path.

The Swablu let out a soft yawn, her eyelids drooping slightly as everything she’d gone through today fully caught up with her. Between the rude awakening she’d received from the rain this morning, and the training she’d attempted at the dojo… not to mention stressing out over the moon… she felt exhausted.

Not bothering to look around town any more, Medli made her way back to the inn she’d found earlier. It took a few minutes to remember exactly where to go, but thankfully the building was easy enough to spot once she got close.

As she quietly fluttered inside, Medli was a little surprised to see a Snowshrew standing behind the short counter up front, a bored look on her face as she flicked a coin back and forth across the counter. Medli didn’t think this could be Anju, based on what Kafei had said before. Another member of the inn’s staff, then?

After a couple moments, the ice-type finally noticed Medli’s arrival. The Snowshrew quickly perked up, standing up straighter as she energetically raised a paw in greeting. “Oh! Hey there!” she called out energetically. “And welcome to the Stock Pot Inn!”

“Er… h-hi,” Medli hesitantly replied. “I, um…”

“You’re here for a room, right?” the Snowshrew naturally assumed. She started looking through a small notebook laid out on the counter in front of her. “Do you have a reservation, miss…?”

“M-Medli. A-And no, I don’t have a reservation.”

The Snowshrew abruptly stopped at that, a slight wince on her face. “That’s… a bit of a problem, actually. See, we don’t actually have any open rooms left at this point. They’re all reserved already, thanks to the festival coming up.”

“Oh…” In hindsight, Medli supposed she should have seen that coming. Kafei had even said that this was a busy time of year for the inn.

“Sorry,” the Snowshrew said. “I could… try to talk with Anju when she gets back from dinner, if you want? I dunno if she’d be able to make any sort of arrangements for you, but…”

Medli shook her head. “I-It’s fine.” She appreciated the offer, but she didn’t want to cause any sort of trouble if the inn was already busy. “I can just roost down on a roof again. As long as it doesn’t r-rain again tomorrow, it’s no bother.”

The Snowshrew opened her mouth as if to argue, but ultimately just shrugged. “Alright. If you’re sure.” She raised a paw to wave goodbye as the Swablu turned to leave. “You have a good evening though, Medli! Hope you enjoy the festival!”

Despite her current mood, Medli couldn’t help but give a halfhearted chuckle at that. “…Y-You too,” she called out softly, before turning to flutter out of the inn.

The next several hours were uneventful for Runia. Most pokemon who had reserved rooms for the festival had already come to claim them over the last few days, so aside from Medli, only a couple other pokemon showed up that evening.

After taking a break to eat supper, and getting to listen to a couple more stories from Opal about some of the interesting items on her shelf, Runia set about the last remaining chores that still needed done around the inn for the evening. It wasn’t exactly exciting work, but it needed to be done. And, truth be told, Runia would gladly take cleaning duty over standing behind the front desk. At least this gave her something to focus on.

She also got to overhear a bit of conversation at one point, due to a couple of the inn’s more chatty guests deciding to talk out in the halls while Runia cleaned nearby. Most of what they talked about seemed to just be idle gossip, or was about pokemon that Runia didn’t know.

One bit had stuck out to her, though: an odd rumor spreading through town, claiming that the moon was going to fall. It sounded so crazy that Runia almost laughed out loud at hearing it, and neither of the pokemon discussing it seemed to know what to make of it either. One of them speculated the moon’s odd appearance was just “Lunala’s way of blessing the festival.” Runia wasn’t sure that made sense to her either, but it seemed a little more believable at least.

Still, crazy or not, the rumor was apparently causing a bit of stir in town today. It almost made Runia want to go outside and take a look at the moon for herself. But by the time she’d finished with her tasks around the inn, the idea had already slipped her mind.

Eventually, with everything done for the day and no more new pokemon likely to arrive, Runia and Anju stood together by the front desk, waiting for the clock to strike the hour so they could close up and go to bed for the night.

The Snowshrew leaned gently on the wall behind her, fidgeting slightly as she stared at the clock. A part of Runia wanted to try and strike up a conversation with Anju just to help pass the time. But when she glanced over at the Eevee and noticed her silently gazing at the blue gem Kafei had given her, Runia figured it was better to leave Anju to her thoughts for now.

Maybe she should have asked to borrow one of Opal’s books, she supposed. Though Runia had never really been much of a reader. She liked listening to stories, but she’d never had the patience to sit and read through pages and pages of text.

A quiet set of footsteps on the stairway nearby drew Runia’s attention. She turned to look, perking up a bit when she noticed it was Dandelion. “Oh! Hey, Dan,” she called out, keeping her voice down a bit due to the late hour. “You want to talk about something? I’m all ears!”

The Mareep shook his head. “Not really. Just… wanted to step outside fer a minute. Ah… could use some fresh air.”

“Oh.” Runia tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She probably should have figured he wasn’t just here for a late night chat. Even if the company would have been nice. “I getcha. It’s probably a nice night out there.”

After Dan stepped outside, Runia tried her best not to give in to her boredom. But there really just wasn’t anything else to focus on down here in the lobby. Not aside from the slow, constant ticking of the clock, anyway. There really wasn’t that much time left before they could just close the front desk for the night, but still.

Eventually, Runia let out a quiet sigh and turned to look at Anju again. Maybe… maybe giving Anju something else to think about would do her some good, too. Yeah, that sounded nice. They could both benefit from a little chat.

“So, um… What do you plan to do for the festival?” Runia asked. Anju didn’t seem to hear her, however, an absent look in her eyes as she stared down at her little blue gem. Runia tried again, slightly louder. “Anju?”

The Eevee blinked, silently lifting her head to meet Runia’s gaze. “H-Huh?” She blushed a little, folding down her ears slightly in embarrassment. “Er, sorry. Was just… thinking about Kafei.”

Runia gave an understanding smile. “That’s fair. I’m sure you’re looking forward to finally seeing him again. Especially since tomorrow’s also the eve of the festival.”

Anju nodded. “Y-Yes. Though our, um… o-our festival plans have been… derailed a bit. But I… I-I’m sure we’ll still be able to figure something out.”

Runia cocked her head slightly in curiosity. “What were your festival plans, then? If it’s not too private?”

From the way Anju appeared to hesitate a bit, Runia guessed it probably was a little private. But after a moment, Anju spoke up regardless. “Y-You… You’ve probably noticed that small box I have in my room?”

“The one next to your bed?” Runia asked. “Yeah, I saw that.”

“I um… I have a fire stone set aside in there. Kafei and I are… w-were supposed to exchange stones and evolve together, on the night of the festival.”

“Oh! So you two are going to be mates, then!” Runia surmised, a wide grin on her face. It was a fairly common custom among pokemon that evolved using items, though other species tended to use different tokens to mark such an engagement. “Congratulations!” Then Runia finally processed the switch to past-tense in Anju’s words, and her smile faltered a bit. “Or, uh… ‘were’?”

Anju gave a sad nod. “According to Kafei’s letter… the stone meant for me ended up getting stolen. So… until we can manage to find a replacement, those plans will have to wait.”

Runia frowned. So that’s what had happened, then. She couldn’t say she agreed with Kafei choosing to just up and vanish without a word over that… but she could somewhat understand what he must have been feeling. “Man, what kind of jerk goes around stealing that kind of thing?” Runia shook her head. “Well, I’m sure you two will manage to figure something out. You’ll be evolving together like you planned before you know it. You’ll see!”

“I certainly hope so,” Anju said quietly. “It’s… something Kafei and I have been looking forward to for quite some time.”

“For what it’s worth,” Runia said, “if it was an ice stone you needed, I’d totally have tried to put in a good word for you whenever I got back to Snowhead. There’s bound to be somebody back home who’d have been able to spare one for you.”

Anju’s expression lightened a bit at that. “T-Thank you. It’s nice of you to offer.”

The two continued talking for a little while longer, with Runia carrying the bulk of the conversation. Eventually, their chat started to die down, and the lobby fell into relative silence once again. Though at least the silence felt a little more comfortable than it had earlier.

Despite Kafei’s best efforts, and nearly a full day spent tracking down every merchant he could find around town, none of it had amounted to much. He still hadn’t been able to find any pokemon selling another water stone for a manageable price.

He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. He’d known it was a long shot when he’d started searching. But he had to try. It’d been his last shot at trying to salvage his and Anju’s festival plans.

As Kafei continued along the dusky streets of East Clock Town, he spared a passing glance at the town’s bar. He generally didn’t drink very often, but with the way things had been going for him lately, it was a little tempting tonight. He knew it wasn’t worth it, though. Not when he’d want to be up bright and early to go talk to Anju tomorrow.

His gaze drifted skyward, taking in a bit of the night sky. In particular, the bright and conspicuously large full moon that hung overhead. Kafei had heard… some odd rumors, during his search today. He generally wouldn’t put much stock in such things, especially as absurd as the claims were. But… there was definitely something off with the moon tonight. That much was hard to deny.

Eventually as he neared the Stock Pot Inn, a strange light stood out to Kafei’s eye from a distance. Once he got a bit closer, he realized the light was coming from a Mareep’s tail. The electric-type appeared to be looking for someone, his gaze slowly drifting from one side to the other as he stood near the inn’s door.

Kafei would have simply continued walking by without saying a word. But it seemed the Mareep had other ideas. “…Wait. Aren’t you… Kafei?” the electric-type asked.

Kafei winced a little, and let out a sigh. Why was this the third time in two days he’d managed to get recognized by someone he didn’t know?

As he turned to face the Mareep and got a better look at him, though, he realized that wasn’t quite true. “Oh,” Kafei muttered, recognition clicking in his eyes. “You’re… Willow’s brother, I think?” Kafei and Anju had known Willow for some years now, having sparked something of a friendship during the Flaaffy’s frequent visits to Clock Town. Kafei hadn’t really encountered her brother very much, though, only having seen him around occasionally and heard about him through Willow. If Kafei recalled correctly, his name was… “Dan, right?”

The Mareep nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.” He tilted his head in surprise as he looked at Kafei. “But ah thought… haven’t you been missin’, lately? What’re you doin’ out here, this time of night?”

Kafei let out a groan. “It’s… a long story,” he muttered. “I already let Anju know I’m coming back tomorrow morning. And as far as why I’m out here this late, I could ask you the same thing. I didn’t think your family were night owls.”

Dan frowned at that, fidgeting in place as he glanced back at the inn’s front door. “Sis… Ah don’t know where she is. She an’ Epona went back to the ranch early yesterday fer one last cargo run. They never got back.”

Kafei perked an ear in surprise at that. Gone for a day and a half on a routine errand like that… It didn’t necessarily mean anything dire had happened, but it certainly didn’t bode well. “And you haven’t heard anything back from them?”

“Not a word,” Dan said. “Guards down at the south gate didn’t know anything either. Ah… Ah’ve just kept waitin’, tellin’ mahself they’ll be back any time now, but…”

A heavy silence followed. Kafei was almost surprised Dan hadn’t tried to head for the ranch to check on them directly; Kafei doubted he would have the restraint to simply stand around and wait if he’d been in the Mareep’s place. But then, he supposed the Mareep had probably never had to make a trip across Termina Field like that on his own before. And if Willow and Epona really were just slow getting back, perhaps he feared he would miss them on the way.

Kafei didn’t feel like he knew Dan well enough to know what to say, but he felt the need to say something. “It can be… easy to fixate on worst-case scenarios,” he eventually said. “But your sister and Epona are both strong, competent pokemon from what I’ve seen. They’ll be alright.”

“Ah know,” Dan muttered. “Ah’ve been tellin’ mahself that too. Ah just…” He shook his head with a sigh. “Wish ah knew what happened. But ah suppose there’s nothin’ ah can really do about it tonight, at this point.”

Kafei gave a weary nod. “Best thing you can do for now is probably just to get some sleep, and see how things go in the morning. Staying up all night worrying about what-ifs won’t accomplish much.”

Of course, he knew it was hardly that easy. He’d had his own share of trouble sleeping the last several nights with everything he’d been stressing over. And this news probably wouldn’t help matters any; he wasn’t incredibly close with Willow or Epona, but he still wouldn’t want to see anything happen to them. Kafei found himself hoping that Anju hadn’t heard about this yet. She had enough on her plate right now as it was.

After letting out a soft yawn, Dan turned back towards the inn’s entrance. Just as he raised a hoof to push open the door, he paused. “G’night, ah guess,” he said, glancing back at Kafei again. “Hope whatever you an’ Anju are dealin’ with works itself out.”

“Same to you,” Kafei replied. “With any luck, Willow and Epona will be back tomorrow morning.” He wasn’t truly sure how likely that was, but there was no reason to quash the Mareep’s hope.

With that, Dan headed inside the inn. Kafei lingered there near the doorway for a few seconds longer. A part of him was still tempted to go talk to Anju right now. But as drained as he felt at the moment, he wouldn’t know the first thing to say. He let out a quiet sigh. At this point, it was probably better to just stick to his plan of coming back in the morning.

He was about to start walking away when a loud crash like shattering glass suddenly cut through the air. Kafei jolted a bit at the noise, and looked around from side to side in an attempt to figure out where exactly the sound had come from.

His heart skipped a beat as he heard what sounded like Anju’s grandmother crying out from the same direction, around the back of the Stock Pot Inn.

Without a moment’s thought, Kafei rushed towards the noise.

The sudden commotion startled both Runia and Anju out of their thoughts. The shattering glass had been somewhat faint from out in the lobby, and the duo exchanged a brief look as if to ask if the other had heard the same thing. But when Opal’s voice rang out a second later, both of them quickly started dashing for her room.

As Anju worriedly pushed open the door, they found Opal laying on the floor and holding a paw to her head. The window had been smashed clean open, leaving glass fragments scattered on the floor next to it, and several books from one of the bookshelves had also been knocked off.

Ignoring the rest of the room, Anju rushed to Opal’s side. “G-Grandma? A-Are you alright?”

The Espeon let out a quiet groan as she shakily tried to get to her feet. “I-I’m fine. But that ruffian… he stole my flute…”

Runia’s eyes widened a bit at that. She glanced up at the bookshelf for a moment, spotting the now empty spot where the time flute used to be, before turning her gaze to the shattered window.

Kafei rounded the corner of the building, and quickly found the window that had been smashed. Before he could try to take a look inside, an agile figure leapt back out and landed smoothly on the street in front of Kafei.

As soon as Kafei laid eyes on the pokemon, he felt his breath catch in his throat. “You…”

The Weavile perked up an ear at Kafei’s voice as he dusted himself off. “Hm?” He adjusted his hold on the time flute as he glanced up at Kafei, a complete lack of concern on his face as he looked the Eevee in the eye. “Oh, now this is interesting.”

For a long moment, Kafei and the Weavile silently stared each other down. Kafei could practically feel his blood boiling. This was the same stupid thief who’d stolen the water stone from him. And now the thug had the unrestrained gall to try and swipe something from Anju and her grandmother, too!?

“Well. Fancy meeting you again,” the Weavile spoke up, an obnoxiously affable tone in his voice as he idly spun the pink flute in his claws. Ever so slowly, the thief began to back away, his eyes remaining fixed straight on Kafei the entire time.

“…Going to make you wish we hadn’t met at all,” Kafei growled, slowly following the thief down the dimly lit street.

The Weavile let out a laugh, a wide grin splitting his face. “Tough words. I’m afraid I’m in a hurry, however. Perhaps we can catch up some other time, when-”

Kafei attempted to cut the dark-type’s words short, lunging forward to attack him… only to find himself biting down on a Substitute doll instead, as the Weavile vanished in a puff of smoke. Realizing he’d been tricked, Kafei angrily flung away the doll and hastily looked around for the thief again.

“Now that was uncalled for.” Kafei jolted as the Weavile’s voice suddenly came from behind him. He spun around, finding the dark-type smirking at him from a couple feet away. “Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt someone when they’re talking?”

Kafei lunged for the Weavile a second time. This time, however, the thief simply disappeared altogether, causing Kafei to stumble a bit as he failed to impact anything. There was no Substitute, no smoke… the Weavile had simply vanished like a mirage.

The dark-type’s mocking laughter rang out once again, this time from a nearby alleyway. “My goodness, were you this slow the last time? No wonder you couldn’t keep up with me.”

It took a great deal of self-control for Kafei to not fall for the taunt. He wasn’t sure how this punk had done that… but he could tell the Weavile was just toying with him now. If he kept trying to attack these fakes, the thief was going to get away again. If he hadn’t already.

A thought occurred to Kafei. Taking a deep, calming breath, he pictured the Weavile in his mind as he started to focus his energy. A second later, a shimmering star began to orbit around Kafei. Not wanting to hesitate long enough for the thief to catch on, Kefei flicked his head and let the star fly.

To Kafei’s surprise, the Swift immediately swerved almost straight up. Following the star with his eyes, Kafei saw it arc up to a spot on one of the nearby rooftops… where another Weavile appeared to stand, eyes widened in shock as the star homed right in on his face.

“Agh!”

As soon as the star connected, the Weavile’s body seemed to flicker and distort, revealing a different pokemon in his place. His illusion shattered, the Zoroark stumbled down from the roof and landed on the street in front of Kafei.

Caught somewhat off-guard by the thief’s true species, Kafei wound up simply watching in surprise as the Zoroark climbed to his feet. The dark-type raised a claw in front of his face as if to inspect it, before shaking his head and letting out a groan. “Well. This is inconvenient.”

He turned to glare at Kafei, though he appeared more annoyed than truly angry. “You know, you’re the first pokemon in a while who’s actually managed to peel away one of my illusions,” the Zoroark said. “I take pride in concealing my identity, but I suppose I have to hand it to you for catching me off-guard.” His lips slowly curved into a faint, taunting smirk. “Savor that small victory. You won’t get another.”

With one swift motion, the Zoroark adjusted his hold on the time flute before slamming his free paw against the ground. An intense dark shockwave spread out all around him, causing Kafei to flinch slightly as the Dark Pulse washed over him. By the time Kafei had opened his eyes again, the thief had started running away. Kafei spat a curse under his breath as he began to give chase.

Even sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him, Kafei was only barely able to keep pace with the Zoroark as they wove through the streets. And even then, with as dark as it was this late at night, it was a small miracle Kafei managed to not lose sight of the Zoroark. One wrong turn, and Kafei would never catch him.

Refusing to let the thief get away again, Kafei started preparing another Swift. It took several moments to gather enough energy, distracted as he was by running at full speed, but eventually, a small star popped into existence next to Kafei. He launched it forward, aiming for the Zoroark’s leg this time.

Zoroark let out a growl and nearly tripped as the star found its target, giving Kafei an opportunity to close the distance slightly. It didn’t slow the dark-type down as much as Kafei had hoped, however.

For just a brief instant, the thief turned his head to the side so he could glare back at Kafei. “You are beginning to annoy me, Eevee. Don’t push your luck.” The Zoroark kicked over a trash can as he passed by, forcing Kafei to leap over the scattered debris to avoid slowing down.

Before long, the pair’s chase led them all the way up to the park in the northern sector of town. Kafei shuddered a bit as he noticed the north gate out of town coming up in the distance. If the Zoroark managed to slip past the guards, there would probably be no chance left to catch him.

Gathering up what energy he could, Kafei readied one last Swift, directing this one towards the arm the Zoroark held the flute in.

The star found its mark. The Zoroark flinched in surprise, his grip loosening for just a moment as the flute tumbled into the grass by his feet. Both pokemon quickly ground to a halt. Zoroark turned back to try and reclaim the fallen instrument, but Kafei beat him to it, placing a paw on the flute and slowly inching it back towards himself. For a brief moment, the two pokemon glared daggers at each other, silently waiting for one to make the next move.

A stern, cold voice suddenly cut through the tension. “Hey! What’s going on here!?” Both pokemon snapped their gazes towards the north gate, and the surly-looking Zangoose guard who was slowly approaching

Zoroark’s gaze darted back and forth between the advancing guard and Kafei. After a moment, he let out a frustrated groan, before suddenly slamming his arms on the ground and releasing another Dark Pulse. The wave of malice caught the guard by surprise, giving the thief just enough opening to shove past him and make a break for the gate.

“Hey!” the Zangoose called out indignantly. He tried to take a swing at the fleeing Zoroark, but whiffed. He turned towards the north gate, where one other guard, a Seviper, was still watching the situation warily. “Don’t let ‘im get away!”

The poison-type nodded, baring his fangs and raising his bladed tail threateningly. Zoroark didn’t seem to back down, still rushing straight ahead. But when the Seviper swung his tail at the thief, the Zoroark’s body simply poofed away in a cloud of smoke again, and the Poison Tail only caught a Substitute doll. The Seviper blinked in surprise, before glaring all around himself. “What happened? Where did he sssneak off to?”

Kafei quickly tried to use another Swift to help pin down the Zoroark’s location. But due to still being tired from sprinting after the thief for so long, it took a second or two for him to conjure the star. When he finally fired it off, it simply flew straight forward and thunked uselessly against a tree. The Zoroark was already out of range.

“Blast it!” Kafei spat. He’d let the stupid thief get away again. This could have been a perfect chance to bring that lousy Zoroark to justice – and possibly even get the water stone back, assuming he hadn’t sold it yet.

The Eevee glanced down at the flute under his paw. At least this time he’d stopped the thief from stealing anything. He supposed that was something, at least.

After leaning down to pick the flute up in his mouth, Kafei noticed that the two guards seemed to have also accepted that the Zoroark had escaped. The Seviper had returned to silently watching over the gate, a frustrated glare fixed on his face. The Zangoose, meanwhile, had remained where he was. Upon seeing that Kafei’s attention had turned to him again, the guard let out a quiet sigh. “Alright. Mind telling me what in Termina was going on between you and that mon?”

Kafei mirrored the Zangoose’s sigh and settled in for a long explanation.

Several minutes later, Kafei had finished recounting everything he knew about the thief. The guards were vaguely aware that a Weavile bandit had been reported in town recently, however this was the first they’d heard that the culprit was actually a Zoroark in disguise. They assured Kafei that they would make sure the listings were updated. Kafei wondered how much it would actually help in practice, though, when the Zoroark could just as easily start using a new guise for his crimes instead.

Once Kafei was done answering questions, he immediately started heading back towards the inn. He hadn’t planned on trying to talk to Anju again until tomorrow morning, especially given how late it had gotten. But this had changed things. Anju and her grandmother both deserved to know that the flute was safe and sound… and Kafei knew he wouldn’t sleep well until he knew they hadn’t been harmed either.

“If that scum laid a single claw on Anju…” he muttered under his breath, before shaking his head. There was no point getting himself worked up like this until he actually saw them for himself.

Soon enough, Kafei had made his way back to the inn. He tried to peek in through Opal’s shattered window as he passed by, but he couldn’t see anyone inside from here.

When he came to the inn’s front entrance, he found the door already wide open. And oddly, a very familiar Swablu was hovering just outside and peeking in through the doorway. Before Kafei could question her, Medli noticed him approaching. She seemed slightly abashed, as if she felt she shouldn’t have been staring at whatever was going on. After a hastily muttered “S-Sorry,” she fluttered up towards the building’s roof, leaving Kafei standing there befuddled.

Kafei blinked, let out a sigh, and shook his head. He had more important things to focus on.

He stepped inside the inn, and quickly spotted Anju, Opal, and the Snowshrew he’d bumped into earlier today all talking with another one of the town’s guards. A little farther back, he could also see Dan lingering near the stairway, along with what Kafei assumed were another couple of guests who had been woken up by all the noise.

Anju quickly took notice of Kafei as soon as he entered the inn. A rapid flurry of emotions flashed across her face as she stared straight at him, as well as the priceless relic he held in his mouth. “K-Kafei! You… But…” Her words failing her, she abruptly dashed across the lobby, nearly tackling Kafei as she buried her face in his side.

Kafei grunted slightly at the impact, careful not to drop the flute or let it get damaged. He turned to look at Anju, feeling tears start to well up in his own eyes after weeks of not seeing her. Once he had carefully placed the flute down on the floor, he finally whispered a reply. “…Hey, Anju. Sorry for the wait.”

She didn’t speak again for a few moments, too busy crying into the fur on his side. When she finally pulled away, she glanced down at the flute and pulled it closer to herself. “H-How…?”

Kafei let out a sigh. “I happened to be nearby when I heard the window get shattered. Wasn’t about to let that stupid thief get away with stealing another thing from us.”

“A-Another…?” Realization quickly settled on her face. “…Oh.”

Before Kafei could reply to that, a different pokemon suddenly cleared his throat to draw the couple’s attention. “…Sorry to intrude,” the Xatu guard said, before gesturing down at the flute. “But I take it that is the item that had been stolen?”

Anju shakily nodded. “Y-Yes, it is.”

“I barely managed to get it back from the thief before he slipped away,” Kafei said. “I already told the guards up by the north gate everything I can, so I’d… appreciate if you could just ask them. Not in much of a mood to repeat the whole thing again.”

“Understandable,” the Xatu said. “I believe I am just about done asking questions here anyway. If there’s nothing else you need…?” He turned to look at both Anju and Opal. After receiving a silent head shake from both of them, the Xatu nodded. “Very well. I will be on my way then.”

As the Xatu guard left the inn, most of the other pokemon watching from the sidelines quietly left for their rooms. Before long, the only ones left in the lobby with Kafei were Anju and her grandmother, as well as that odd Snowshrew.

Opal gently lifted the time flute up to her face using her telekinesis, closely examining it for any damage. A moment later, she smiled warmly at Kafei. “Thank you very much for getting this back for me,” the Espeon said. “This little heirloom means quite a lot to me.”

Kafei returned her smile with a tired grin of his own. “You’re welcome.” He turned to face Anju. Now that she’d had a short while to calm down, her face had taken on a more complicated expression. Kafei held back a sigh. “…I know,” he said quietly. “We need to have a talk. And I owe you a more proper apology for running off like I did. But… it might be best to wait until the morning, when we’re not both ready to collapse.”

Anju stared at him for a long moment, before shakily nodding. “Y-You’re probably right.” As if on cue, she let out a yawn, her ears drooping tiredly as she started to turn towards the stairs.

When she noticed the Snowshrew still standing there, however, she jolted slightly in place as a realization struck her. The Snowshrew seemed to be thinking the same thing, and let out a sheepish chuckle. “So, uh… guess I’m sleeping outside tonight after all, huh?”

Anju frowned. “Runia… I-I’m sorry. I really do appreciate the help-”

“It’s alright,” Runia replied, not appearing too bothered. “I’m glad you two are together again! And like I told you when I first came here, a little night-time chill isn’t gonna bother someone like me.” She glanced back at the stairway. “You mind if I stay out on the balcony? The view’s pretty nice, and there’s enough of an overhang to probably keep me dry in case it rains again.”

“T-That’s fine,” Anju said. “And you’re still more than welcome to eat here as well until the festival’s over. I’m sure Grandma wouldn’t mind making more of that stew you enjoyed.” Opal gave a small nod at that, a kind smile fixed on her face.

Kafei didn’t know the full context of how this Snowshrew had started helping out around here, or exactly what arrangement she and Anju had made. But if she’d made things easier for Anju over these last few days, that was all he needed to know. It still didn’t completely assuage his guilt over running off like he had, but he was at least glad that someone had wound up picking up his slack. He’d have to personally thank the Snowshrew at some point before she left.

For the moment, though, none of the gathered pokemon felt like staying to chat much longer. With how late it had gotten, and after the stress of the last hour or two, most of them felt just about ready to collapse. So with a final exchange of ‘goodnight’s, the group dispersed.

Once Kafei and Anju got back to their room, Kafei took a moment to simply let it all soak in. There would still be more to do to get things fully back to how they’d been… but right now, after over a week away, it just felt good to finally be home again.

He turned to meet Anju’s gaze. There were a thousand words he wanted to say to her, but none of them could quite manage to find their way out in that moment. Instead, Anju was the one to break the silence. “I-I’m… glad you’re finally back.” She leaned in to nuzzle Kafei’s side, and he reciprocated a moment later.

“…So am I.”

Long after midnight, as the full moon loomed ominously overhead, a Zoroark slowly trekked along through the eastern region of Ikana. His face attempted to maintain a mask of cool and calm, but the faint tic in his tired eyes betrayed the anger seething underneath.

Calling the ground he walked a ‘path’ would be somewhat generous. On one side, the ground abruptly dropped off into a winding river below. On the other, a sheer cliffside rose up as a daunting wall. Large stones littered the rough, uneven terrain in between, threatening to trip any who failed to pay attention, and countless cracks and indents marred both the stone underfoot and the adjacent cliffside.

The Zoroark carried a large backpack, having retrieved the satchel from a secure hiding spot after making his escape. His pace had slowed somewhat, both due to his heavy load and his increasing tiredness. But even encumbered as he was, he still navigated the hostile terrain with practiced ease.

A dim purple glow lit up a patch of the cliffside ahead. A Duskull emerged from the spot a moment later, an empty malice in its eye as it moved to block the Zoroark’s way. It raised its empty sleeves, letting out a dull groan as a ball of shadowy energy began to gather between them.

“Tch.” The Zoroark barely even paid the ghost any mind, running it straight through with a darkness-infused stab of his claws without breaking his stride. The Duskull dissipated almost instantly, leaving its empty cloak to drift in the Zoroark’s wake.

Eventually, after following the winding trail for a few more minutes, the Zoroark arrived at a particular spot along the cliffside. It looked wholly unremarkable, at a glance… but upon closer inspection, one could notice a faint seam running through the stone, which carved out a large, semicircular chunk of the otherwise plain rocky wall.

The Zoroark paused, glancing around warily for a moment. Once he was satisfied he was alone, he leaned down beside the wall and pressed a paw against a tiny crack in the stone. He released a small pulse of dark energy into the crack.

A quiet click sounded from a mechanism on the other side, and the Zoroark backed up a few steps as the whole slab of stone slowly swung out like a door. After taking one more look around to ensure no one had followed him, he quietly slunk inside. A moment later, the stone began to swing back, replacing itself amid the cliffside as if nothing had changed.

Inside, the cavern was almost completely pitch black. Only a few scattered pieces of luminous stone provided any amount of light, and even then, they couldn’t illuminate nearly the entire chamber. The Zoroark’s eyes were well suited to the dark environment and could make out the surroundings well enough, but any non-dark-type would be left to stumble about aimlessly in here.

With a heavy thump, the Zoroark’s backpack dropped to the cavern floor and slumped in place. For a long moment, the dark-type silently glared at the bag, his eye twitching slightly.

A dark glow enveloped the Zoroark’s body. In an instant, his body seemed to shift, taking on the appearance of a hulking Ursaring. He let out a loud roar, and whirled around with a claw to carve a deep set of gashes into the nearest wall.

“To think that I could fail such a simple heist!” he snarled. “Me! And with such a valuable prize on the line, no less!” He lashed out with his other arm, slashing another set of grooves into the wall. “I should be better than this.” Another slash. “I can’t even remember the last time I failed to acquire something I’d set my sights on.”

With another flash of darkness, his body appeared to suddenly shrink, and he took the shape of an Eevee. He glanced down at a paw, a furious growl rumbling in his throat. “Of course someone had to be right there, right when I made my move. And a previous mark with a grudge, no less. Of all the rotten…”

He trailed off, and his grumbling slowly faded into a weary sigh. He closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. After a long pause, he allowed his illusion to fall away, returning him to his original Zoroark appearance as he opened his eyes once again.

“No, I suppose I cannot blame this failure on luck, can I?” he muttered, a tired acceptance in his tone. “I allowed myself to become careless. Sloppy. I should have made my escape as soon as I had the chance, rather than continuing to toy with that Eevee like I did. It was all… most unprofessional of me.”

His appearance shifted again, taking on the Weavile form he’d used earlier that night. He frowned down at the form’s long, icy claws. “And now, due to that carelessness, I will likely need to retire this particular illusion soon,” he remarked with a sigh. “A pity. I’d grown quite fond of this disguise. But I suppose even the most finely crafted mask starts to show cracks sooner or later.”

With another shake of his head, he dismissed the illusion. He hefted his pack once again, a satisfied smirk crossing his face at the weight of its contents. “At least my trip to Clock Town wasn’t a complete waste, I suppose,” he muttered. His little side craft had turned a tidy little profit while he was biding his time there in town. Not to mention all of the careless tourists he’d managed to pickpocket along the way.

He turned to head deeper into the cave, careful to step around the handful of traps he’d set for intruders. “I will simply have to ensure there are no mistakes next time. Perhaps I should wait another couple nights before I try for that flute again, so those pokemon at the inn start to let their guards down again.”

He scowled, picturing the night sky in his mind as he glanced up at the cavern ceiling. “…Just have to hope that moon doesn’t keep going like this.”

Soon enough, after making his way down a couple of corridors, the Zoroark reached his treasure vault. Nearly every corner of the chamber was filled with stolen loot of various kinds. Despite appearing somewhat cluttered at first glance, however, he made sure to keep it well sorted. One section for coins, another for gems, one for jewelry and other interesting trinkets…

After setting his bag back down again, the Zoroark reached into one of the bag’s many pockets and pulled out a small glass orb that he’d recently stolen from one of the lamp posts outside the observatory. He gave the luminous orb’s surface a couple of firm taps, and it quickly responded, providing enough light to easily illuminate the entire chamber.

Zoroark nodded in satisfaction. He set the orb down on the floor, and began picking through some of the various items he had stored away here. After only a couple of seconds, he’d found what he was after.

A small green flute, with a pair of blue gear patterns adorning either side. Aside from the color, it was a perfect mirror to the one he’d tried to steal.

The Zoroark held the flute up to his face. He’d found this one a couple of weeks ago, after daring to try his luck by venturing into the Stone Tower near the highest point in Ikana. The dungeon there turned out to be significantly tougher than the one he’d previously gone through here, and he’d ultimately been forced to flee before he could come close to the end. This flute was the only thing of interest he’d managed to swipe from inside the tower.

But, if the flutes were truly capable of what the inscriptions had claimed… the potential behind such a thing was nearly limitless. He could scarcely even imagine the things he could do with the power to manipulate time itself.

“I just have to get the blasted thing to work,” he whispered, frowning down at the priceless relic. He’d hoped that bringing both of the flutes together might have been the key he was missing. But it seemed he wouldn’t get the chance to test that theory just yet.

Instead, all he could do was raise the flute to his lips and begin to play. No matter how hard he tried to mimic the melody he’d seen inscribed in the tower, however, the flute didn’t respond. He tried playing slow, he tried playing fast… nothing seemed to work. Just like every other time he’d tried.

After multiple minutes of unsuccessful playing, the Zoroark finally gave up, letting out a tired growl as he lowered the flute. He stepped back over to his bag and tucked the ancient instrument away in one of its many pockets. He could give it another look when he was more rested. Right now, he wasn’t even in the mood to sort through his newest loot.

The Zoroark stalked out of the room, his annoyed footsteps slowly fading out as he marched down the hall, leaving the treasure chamber in total silence.

In his frustration, he didn’t even remember to turn off the luminous orb.

“…”

Amid one of the piles of treasure, half-buried by an assortment of other glittering jewels, sat a small black crystal. The diamond-shaped gem sparkled in the light from the nearby luminous orb, allowing a faint pattern on the crystal’s surface to shine through.

As the gem continued to soak in the light, it started to move just the smallest bit on its own. After a few seconds, the crystal tumbled away from the rest of the pile, landing right next to where the luminous orb still lay. The small black gem let out a faint, almost triumphant sounding hum as it hungrily drank in all of the light that it could.