I sat crisscrossed on my bed in the Pokémon Center. Ivy was curled up next to me and Slinky was sitting in my lap. I absentmindedly stroked her, twirling her sleek fur between my fingers. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice that time had flown by. I asked Ivy and Slinky if they wanted to sleep in their Poké Balls, but they shook their heads. I took off my visor, flung my shoes and socks down to the floor and undid my hair, freeing my overly long brown hair. I then lay my head on the pillow, eventually drifting off with Ivy and Slinky on either side of me.

I was suddenly awoken by a loud knock on the door. For a second I didn't know where I was, thinking I was in my room back at home. But then I remembered where I really was. Ivy and Slinky were sprawled out across the bed, fast asleep. I woke them up before I put them back in their Poké Balls. Then I heard the knocking again.

"Rosa, you up yet?" Nate's voice called.

Glancing at my Xtransceiver's clock revealed that it was around eleven in the morning. We must've needed to meet Alder soon.

"I'm awake! Give me five minutes!" I called back.

"We'll be waiting in the Center's lobby."

I then heard footsteps walking away down the hall. I hurried to get ready, messily putting my hair back up into its usual "twin-bun" style and almost forgetting to tie my shoes in my haste.

Nate and Hugh were waiting for me in the
lobby. I called to them and Nate turned to me.

"Rosa, catch!"

Nate tossed me a muffin. I caught it and asked him where he got it from. Apparently, Trainers that stay overnight at Pokémon Centers were given something small for breakfast the next morning. Between bites of Oran berry muffin, I asked Nate when we were supposed to meet with Alder. He shrugged, saying he had no idea. I glanced at Hugh and he shrugged too.

"Great..." I sighed. "What do we do? Should we just wait?"

"I say we go check out the town," Hugh suggested. "Who knows? Maybe we'll find Alder's house while we're out."

There was really no reason to object, neither Nate or I could come up with any other ideas. Except you know... wait around, but that would've been boring.

Our little self-given tour of Floccesy Town brought us the entrance of Route 20. It was a pretty route. Crystal clear river, different shaded leaves littering the path, and the equally beautiful trees the leaves had fallen from. The picturesque definition of a forest in autumn. Near the entrance to Route 20 was a old wooden sign. It read: "Floccesy Ranch ahead."

   "Excuse me?"

I looked away from the sign and saw a woman dressed in farming clothes. Overalls, boots, etc. She had a dog-like Pokémon with her. I took out my Pokédex and used its scan feature to get a description of the Pokémon.

"Herdier, the Loyal Dog Pokémon, and the evolved form of Lillipup. This very loyal Pokémon helps Trainers, and it also takes care of other Pokémon," the device spoke in a metallic-sounding voice.

"Have you kids seen a Herdier around here? My husband had our other Herdier with him. He turned away for a minute, and she had vanished. Oh Silky, I hope you're okay," she said worriedly.

"What?!" Hugh cried. "You just let your Pokémon wander off?! Your Herdier could be lost forever!"

The woman looked startled by Hugh's outburst. "O-our Herdier wander off all the time, I'm only worried because she's been gone for over two hours," she stammered. "I'm sure Silky's playing in the forest around here."

"We haven't seen a Herdier, but we can help you look," I offered. The look Hugh was giving me made me think he would've killed me if I told her we wouldn't help.

"Does she respond to her nickname?" Nate asked.

"Yes she does. Silky and Sod have been taught to pay attention when their names are called."

"Okay, we'll find Silky for you. I promise," I said, adding the "I promise" part so it sounded better. Hugh had already vanished into the trees, so Nate and I ran to catch up with him.

The forest alongside the route's path was very dense. Barely any light was able to filter through the trees, and whatever light was able to dappled the ground in patches amidst the leaves. Deep shadows extended from almost everything and it gave the woods a dark vibe.

"It's kinda creepy in here," Nate said, his voice trembling slightly from fear. For being twins, I sometimes forgot he was the younger one and thought it was my job to make sure he was okay, though he never really wanted the help I offered.

"We'll be fine," I reassured him. "Just stay close to me." I got why he thought that, it was pretty eerie being so far into the woods.

"I'm not scared!" he lied. I shushed him. I could faintly hear the sound of a Pidove or some other bird Pokémon chirping deeper into the forest. Then I heard something else.

"Hey! Who are you?!"

It was Hugh. Was he able to find Silky? "Did you hear that?" I whispered to Nate, trying to keep my voice down in case Hugh yelled again.

"Hear what?" Nate said back, glancing between the trees.

"What do you mean? I know that Herdier isn't yours!"

"That!" I hissed to Nate. "It sounds like Hugh found Silky. Come on! We need to find out where they are!"

Nate and I ran almost blindly through the forest, calling Hugh and Silky's names. Over our shouting, I heard Hugh's voice steadily get louder and closer.

"Hugh, where are you?" I yelled.

"Rosa?" Hugh yelled back. "Follow my voice! Silky's here, but you need to hurry!"

"No, there's others with you?" An unfamiliar voice said. There was someone else there besides Hugh and Silky?! Just to be safe, I sent out Ivy and carried her in my arms. I caught a glimpse of a large clearing to the left of us a little ways away. That must've been where they were. Just as Nate and I arrived in the clearing, I saw someone trying to run from the clearing.

"Ivy, Vine Whip!" I pointed to the fleeing figure. Ivy flung her vines towards the person, one of them snagging their ankle. I ordered Ivy to drag them back here. She nodded and began reeling her vines in.

The person Ivy caught was a young adult, maybe twenty or so. How he was dressed immediately weirded me out. Gray shirt and pants, black boots, vest, hat and gloves. He also was wearing a mask of sorts that covered his face from the nose down, hiding most of his face. He looked up at us with frightened eyes. "Let me go," he cried in a muffled voice. "I let that stupid Herdier go, so leave me alone!"

I continued examining the stranger as Nate and Hugh berated him with questions and insults. It was very peculiar, why did something about this guy seem so... familiar? My eyes narrowed when I noticed the emblem stitched onto the guy's vest. Though I couldn't place it, I'd seen that emblem somewhere.

"Why don't we let him go?" I muttered. "Ivy, let him go." Ivy seemed confused for a moment but she released him regardless, much to Nate and Hugh's protests.

"Y-yeah! You're lucky that I don't have my Pokémon on me! We would've destroyed all three of you!" the stranger pathetically retaliated. He scrambled to his feet and ran away into the forest.

   Wait, you try to steal a Pokémon... by yourself? I thought. Do you know how many biting moves Herdier can learn?

Nate turned to me, a mixture of confusion and anger on his face. "Why did you let him—"

"You're insane, Rosa!" Hugh cut Nate off. "He clearly stole Silky. Anyone who steals Pokémon deserves to be punished!" he fumed.

"I know. Believe me, they're not nice. That doesn't exactly mean they deserve the death penalty," I said, still mulling over what I had seen and the resulting questions I didn't want to ask aloud. "He said that he didn't have any Pokémon on him, so he didn't really pose too much of a threat. When did you develop such a vendetta against Pokémon stealers anyway?"

"You... you have no idea!" Hugh growled through clenched teeth. He pressed on his eyes with the heels of his palms, taking deep shaky breaths. "G-give me a sec to calm down," he stammered. I was worried about Hugh, he seemed to be losing his temper a lot more these days.

We made our way back to Route 20's main path, making sure Silky was practically glued to us. When we found her owner, she thanked us and gave us each some Oran and Pecha berries for our Pokémon. It was a nice thing for her to do, and I would've been fine if she hadn't given us anything at all. Nate and Hugh disagreed with me though.

I checked my Xtransceiver and saw it was past one. Yikes, if we were supposed to meet Alder earlier, it must've come off to him that we blew him off. With a somewhat guilty conscience, I led the way back to Floccesy Town.