9 The Honey Theft

Chapter 9: The Honey Theft

The sun slowly rose, bathing the forest in its warmth. The birds sang happily in the background, creating a sense of peace. Suddenly, the calm was broken by a shrill cry—followed by a small purple mouse flying backwards from something unseen.

The said mouse shook its head clear before turning to glare at its assailant—a plump bird with chestnut feathers, a creamy underbelly, sharp pink talons, and a curved beak.

In response, it charged forward, fangs bared in a feral grin. However, its attack soon fell short when the bird countered with a swift and deadly wind blade. Blood trickled down and the mouse collapsed onto the ground.

The victorious bird chirped softly as it looked upon its fallen opponent, but soon its attention was drawn elsewhere. A young boy emerged and approached the bird, smiling at the sight of its win.

"Excellent work, Pidgey," he said warmly. "You deserve a rest now." Next, red light engulfed the bird and it disappeared into thin air.

Nathan tucked away the pokeball and his gaze fell onto the unconscious Rattata. His eyes flashed for a moment - the telltale sign he was using Observe - before dropping into disappointment. It was quite strong; however, it had already passed its prime age.

He treated the Rattata with a quick spray of potion before moving it to a nearby tree. With one last satisfied glance at his handiwork, he turned to Growlithe to find him busy tormenting a Caterpie of all things.

The poor pokemon looked terrified as Growlithe prodded it relentlessly with his paw. Nathan seemed to have forgotten something, but couldn't quite put a finger on it.

The antennae atop the caterpillar's head suddenly glowed pink, prompting him to shout "No Growlithe!" It was already too late however, for he knew what was coming next - a most terrible smell.

"Arceus save us…"

An unholy stench quickly filled the air, making Nathan feel as if he was about to faint. After some agonizing minutes of the unbearable smell, he finally escaped its range. Growlithe beside him wasn't so lucky; his heightened sense of smell meant he was still affected by the putrid odor.

"Maybe you should try to keep your paws off strange things next time," Nathan chuckled as his loyal companion whimpered in reply.

Once they recovered, they wasted no further time and set out on the road again. They were on their way to Pallet Town - to see Professor Oak after he requested him to come to his lab yesterday.

It was only supposed to take around thirty minutes to get to Pallet Town on foot, but Nathan decided to take a detour and use this time to train. The pleasant weather made the trip more enjoyable, especially after their previous unpleasant experience…

Not long after, they came across a fork in the road. Nathan spread out his map and studied the two paths before them. His finger moved from the right path to the left.

"We'll be taking this one," he declared, pointing to the left route leading "away" from Pallet Town.

The air became more fragrant the farther they walked, with sweet floral scents filling their noses. The path grew wider and was adorned with flowers that swayed in the breeze. Growlithe curiously sniffed around, taking in all the new scents.

Off in the distance, a village emerged from behind a line of trees. People in thick, baggy white clothes with some kind of veils over their heads could be seen entering and leaving.

As they got closer, the duo could make out wooden buildings with peaked roofs built from logs. The air was cool and fresh, calming them after hours of walking outdoors. Upon arriving at the entrance of the village, there was a sign hung above the entrance - Honeycombee Village - its words glistening in the sun.

Everyone turned to take a look at them as they passed through the entrance. The village was filled with life and laughter; children shrieked with glee as they chased each other, while adults sat on benches every now and then conversing with one another.

The houses here looked like something out of Nathan's wildest dreams - wooden cottages with soft yellow walls that gleamed in the sunlight, surrounded by lush gardens full of vibrant flowers, plants and trees.

Nathan marveled at this quaint sight; it seemed like time had actually stood still here. No cars, TVs, or telephones — nothing modern in sight. People here preferred to live a secular life it seems - much like the Amish.

He called over to one of the children and asked for directions to Mrs. Clover's residence. The boy pointed him towards a house at the end of the village, two doors down from the village hall. Nathan gave him some candies before quickly making his way there with Growlithe in tow.

When he arrived at the house, he double-checked that it was the right one before making his way to the front step. Several knocks later, the door swung open to reveal a woman in her early 40s—her dark brown hair tied up into a neat bun.

"Who are you looking for?" the woman asked, her gaze roving over him without a clue of his identity.

"Are you Mrs. Clover?" Nathan enquired, and the woman nodded in affirmation. "I'm Nathan. A week back, you put out a job request at the Pokemon Center looking for somebody to investigate a theft?"

The woman's face lit up with recognition. "So, you're the one who accepted my mission! Please, come inside."

Nathan stepped into her living room, which was sparsely decorated with mismatched furniture and a few scuffed up trinkets on shelves. She guided him to the couch and offered him a cup of her honey-flavored tea.

He accepted it with a polite smile, savoring the flavor for a moment before setting his cup aside and getting down to business. "Could you tell me more about what had happened?"

Mrs. Clover spoke with a hint of frustration in her voice, "Yes, it started about a month ago. I would collect the honey, and then store it in my shed. But when I came back the next day, all of it was gone. We—me and some other villagers had tried to catch whoever had done this, but all our efforts were fruitless!"

Nathan arched his brow as he asked probed further, "Did you notice anything out of the ordinary? Any strange noises or activity?"

She pursed her lips for a moment in thought before answering. "I remember hearing some grunting sounds not too long ago - like someone heaving something heavy but trying to be quiet. Would you like to take a look at the shed?"

Nathan nodded, wanting to get a better sense of the situation. "Yes, if it's alright with you."

Mrs. Clover nodded and rose from her seat, saying, "Follow me." They made their way to a clearing near the back of her house, where a small cabin was situated amongst several stacked honeycomb frames.

"Wow, those are Combee!" Nathan exclaimed as he noticed several groups of three-faced bees with hexagonal bodies buzzing around the area, collecting nectar from the nearby flowers before returning their hives. "Are they yours?"

Mrs. Clover nodded energetically and began to share the tale of how the village came to be. "A few Sinnoh natives moved to Kanto about ten years ago. They started selling honey from Combee after noticing the locals' fondness for it. And from there, our beloved village was born!"

She then went on to unlock the cabin. "Have a look around," she said and invited him inside.

He spied several jars of honey lined up on a rack and he made a mental note to buy some later. Right now though, he had a case to solve. Mrs. Clover, seeing the look of concentration on his face, left him alone to give him space to do his work.

Nathan spent the next few minutes in the shed, searching for any clues that could help him figure out who had stolen Mrs. Clover's honey. He inspected every nook and cranny; he even asked Growlithe to sniff around with his sensitive nose to see if he picked up anything unusual. But unfortunately, they didn't find anything useful.

He thanked Mrs. Clover for her hospitality before heading back to the village center. There, he interviewed other villagers in search of further information about the mysterious thief. People had varying accounts of what happened—some claimed to have heard suspicious noises coming from the neighboring woods while others thought it was one of their own neighbors who had taken it.

Nathan listened attentively, asking follow-up questions to try and clarify each story before moving on to the next person. However, after an hour of unsuccessful interviews, Nathan still hadn't found any valuable leads or clues about the culprit's identity; just more rumors and speculation.

He was about to go search somewhere else when he overheard a few kids talking about how one of their parents had their orchard broken into the night before. His interest piqued, Nathan went over and asked them more about it.

One of them revealed that his dad had gone out to inspect his apple trees this morning only to find that someone had not only stolen all the apples but had destroyed the fences as well.

Acknowledging their help, Nathan set off in the direction of the orchard with haste. By the time he arrived, the sun was blazing overhead. He scoured the ground as he walked, noting every broken fencepost, bent wire, and patch of trampled grass.

His gaze shifted and he noticed something caught on a wire. He leaned in closer and pulled the fur from its prickly grasp—it was a tuft of orange-brown matted fur, undoubtedly from a wild pokemon.

"Oh boy, I hope it's not who I think it is," Nathan prayed, crossing his fingers tightly. Then he passed the fur to Growlithe beside him, saying, "I'll leave it to you Growlithe."

Growlithe sniffed it a few times and let out a resounding bark before bounding off into the woods, leading Nathan to follow.

The two of them soon found themselves deep in the forest, where trees were scattered sparsely between patches of tall grass and shrubs. Every now and then, Growlithe would pause to sniff around before continuing on his path.

They arrived at a clearing where a large boulder stood surrounded by several smaller rocks. Nathan noticed several footprints around the area—the same ones that he had seen earlier at the orchard.

Growlithe yelped excitedly as he picked up whatever scent was lingering among the rocks. Their trail ended at the entrance of a cave where they peered inside only to find it empty yet littered with several empty jars.

Nathan had his suspicions that the pokemon who had stolen the honey from Mrs. Clover was the same one responsible for ransacking the orchard, so he decided to set a trap here in an attempt to catch the culprit.

Taking out a large net from his Inventory, he spread it on the ground and secured its edges with heavy stones. He then scattered several fruits he had on him as bait before retreating into hiding, hoping the thief would return.

Time dragged by until finally, Nathan heard rustling in the bushes nearby. Two shapes emerged from shadows — one of them being an orange-brown creature with a pale crescent moon marking on its face, while the other was larger and rounder with teal fur.

They approached cautiously before finally giving into their curiosity and walking right into the trap. In an instant, Nathan sprang the trap and watched as the net quickly wrapped itself around the unsuspecting pair, trapping them securely.

Growlithe stepped in and bared his teeth at them, causing them to cower in submission. This was Nathan's cue to come out of his hiding spot, although he still kept his telekinesis powers ready in case any sudden surprises occurred.

A broad grin spread across Nathan's face when his eyes caught sight of the pokemon tangled in the nets. "Looks like we've found our thief," he said to Growlithe.

To his relief, it wasn't the fierce Ursaring he had expected, but a cute little Teddiursa and a chubby Munchlax.

He grabbed two brand new pokeballs and hurled them at the pair, watching as they disappeared inside with a distinct click - signifying the success of his capture. He bent over to retrieve them from the ground, then stored them safely away. His decision was made; he would keep both pokemon.

When Nathan arrived back in the village, he presented the two pokemon he had caught to Mrs. Clover, telling that he had solved the theft. Mrs. Clover was overjoyed. She thanked him over and over again, and handed the money owed to him along with a jar of honey as a bonus.

Nathan thanked her for the gift and said his farewells before taking to the road again. Next destination: Pallet Town.

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I think I should remove the level-cap. What do you guys think?

Info Card:

Pokemon Center is a place where people go to seek medical care for their pokemon. The facility also provides food and lodging services, making it a popular spot amongst trainers when they need to take a break from their adventures. Additionally, there is a mission board set up so that trainers can take on jobs in exchange for payment.