Sixteenth Flight. [audio/action for travel party.]

[newberktown]

[Among the background bustle--familiar sounds for anyone who's set foot in a Pokemon Center--there's a small whine from an Eevee, almost like a prompt for Hiccup to speak. After another second or so, he does.]

Uh... Has anyone ever, uhmm. [There's another pause. How should he put this...] Lost...half their pokemon? [He clears his throat before continuing, quicker this time like an excuse.] I still have all their pokeballs, and those are registered to all of them still, according to the people at the Center. But I can't find them anywhere...

[Hiccup sighs, and there's a subtle clunk as he moves his hand to the 'gear to shut it off. Before he does, though, there's one last mumble.]

I can't believe this is happening again...

Comments

[trickyoutwice]

Wow, do I really hafta spell it out for you? S-T-O-L-E-N. Looks like someone came and ripped you off.

[Honestly, he's starting to feel a little bad for this guy.]

[newberktown]

[He...actually hadn't considered that, if the silence is anything to go by. But there is a flaw in that theory.]

If someone was out to steal pokemon, why wouldn't they just take them when they were in the pokeballs? And why not take all of them? Not that I'm, uh, complaining.

[trickyoutwice]

[He shrugs, not particularly concerned that there may be holes in this theory. Worrying about that would be too much like actually being helpful.]

Worked pretty well to get you to think it wasn't theft, didn't it? Not that I did it or anything, but if I was gonna, I'd sure as hell try not to make it obvious.

[newberktown]

[Okay, he's pretty sure he doesn't trust this guy.]

So just how would you take fourteen creatures against their will without leaving a trace?

[trickyoutwice]

[How sad, when Niou's actually innocent. Of course, it's entirely possible that he's been aiming to build up a not-so-innocent reputation from the start.]

That'd be telling, now wouldn't it? Although I've gotta say, if it was me, I'd have left something behind so you really wouldn't notice. Maybe a couple of those whatchamacallits, the ones that can change shape.

[newberktown]

What...? [That actually throws him off a little.] You mean a Ditto?

[Though if he couldn't remember the name of a Ditto while suggesting they were left behind...

This guy is weird and confusing.]

[trickyoutwice]

Sure, that thing.

[But weird and confusing is his specialty, sorry dude.]

Leave 'em out in your room looking like whatever a guy took, and you wouldn't notice the difference for ages, right?

[newberktown]

I guess, if you didn't know your pokemon that well.

[But Hiccup was pretty confident he could spot a fake, if it came to that... For most of his pokemon, at least.]

[trickyoutwice]

Look at it this way. You're the kind of guy who'd think they were sick or something before you thought maybe they weren't actually your critters, right? How long d'you think it'd take you to come to the conclusion that something nefarious was goin' down?