Inspector Nakamura blinked a couple of times as Ralts stepped out of David's arms. His eyes widened in surprise. "Well, I'll be… it really is a Shiny Ralts!"
He stared at the Pokémon in disbelief, clearly trying to process the situation. Nakamura had read about the rare Shiny Ralts in reports, but he had his doubts. Could something this rare really end up in the hands of some random kid like David? He half-expected the thing to be covered in mud or have some weird stain on it.
I mean, a Shiny Pokémon was that rare. Most Trainers would only see one maybe once in their whole life—if they were lucky. And yet here he was, staring at it like he'd just been handed a winning lottery ticket.
For Inspector Nakamura, who had been in the business for over two decades, this was a big deal. He had never seen a Shiny Ralts in person, and now, here it was. After a few seconds of just staring, he shook his head as if waking up from a trance, cleared his throat, and then addressed Ralts, as though speaking to the Pokémon might make this all less surreal.
"Alright, Ralts, listen up. You've been through a lot, being illegally kept in that shampoo shop or whatever." He raised an eyebrow, glancing at David and then back at the little Ralts.
"Now, you have some options. First, you can stay with the Alliance. We'll hook you up with all the best resources—like, top-tier food, a personal trainer, and a sweet spot to nap. But here's the thing: It's not free. You'll have to work for us. Think of it like a little internship with full benefits.
And when you're strong enough to defend yourself, you can go do whatever you want. But we'll need to talk about the 'breeding fees'... yeah, those aren't free either."
David raised his eyebrows, thinking that maybe that was the worst sales pitch ever. "Breeding fees?" he muttered under his breath.
Nakamura ignored him and went on. "The other option is that you follow the Trainer who saved you—my guess would be... David here," he gestured toward the kid like he was presenting him on a game show.
"Or, you can go back to your secret little Pokémon group in the wild. Your choice, little buddy."
David leaned forward, holding his breath. He was hoping, praying, that Ralts would pick him. Not out of some saintly sense of duty, but because he really wanted that rare Pokémon on his team. He wasn't about to risk his neck saving it only for it to choose someone else.
That's not how the hero's journey worked.
Meanwhile, Pikachu—who had been quietly observing—was just as tense. It knew Ralts didn't trust humans much. Heck, Ralts had only just teleported them out of danger. But there was hope, right?
Maybe Ralts would stay with them. That way, Pikachu wouldn't have to suffer David's shenanigans alone every day. The thought of having another Pokémon around to witness the chaos and help out was... oddly comforting.
"Lalu!" Ralts suddenly tugged at David's sleeve, pointing directly at him with its tiny finger.
The look on David's face was priceless. Ralts was definitely not choosing Nakamura or going back to the wild. It was choosing him. Ralts trusted him more than anything. David couldn't help but grin.
"I guess I'm not that bad of a guy, huh?" David muttered, eyes sparkling with pride.
Pikachu hopped up onto David's shoulder and let out a happy little "Pika!" It was a solid choice. Ralts might not trust all humans, but David was someone it could rely on, and the fact that it had chosen him? Well, that was like a major win in the "David's Life is Slowly Getting Better" column.
Nakamura looked at David, then back at Ralts, blinking in surprise. "Well, that's settled then. Looks like you two are a team now."
David nodded smugly, feeling like he just got a legendary Pokémon as a bonus in a video game. "Yeah, guess so. Nice to meet you, Ralts."
Ralts nodded back, looking at David like he was now the most trustworthy human it had ever encountered.
Nakamura sighed and scribbled some notes on his notepad. "Alright, alright. I guess we'll process this... but remember, kid, this is a serious Pokémon. You better not mess it up. No pressure."
David just flashed a grin, carefully tucking Ralts back into his arms, feeling like the luckiest kid on the planet. "No pressure at all," he said, walking out of the room with a brand-new Pokémon companion and a confidence boost that only comes from saving a rare Shiny Pokémon.
Nakamura, however, couldn't help but let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Well, I didn't see that coming. A rare Pokémon like Shiny Ralts, and you—of all people—end up with it."
David just grinned, a bit too proud of himself. Nakamura, however, wasn't really surprised by Ralts' choice. He had seen stranger things.
"But still, kid," Nakamura said, scratching his head, "you somehow convinced this Pokémon to trust you. It's like you have some sort of weird Pokémon magnetism."
David shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? I've got that... charm." He paused, eyeing Ralts with a playful smirk. "Just wait until you see what I can do with it. We'll be unstoppable."
Nakamura rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Since Ralts has chosen you, I need to tell you something." He looked around, making sure no one was eavesdropping, and then leaned in, his voice lowering.
"Alright, so here's the deal. The shop owner? Not exactly a part of some grand poaching ring like we thought."
David tilted his head, confused. "What?"
Nakamura continued, pacing back and forth. "The guy's just a professional trainer who got a little too... lucky on his last trip. He found Gardevoir during an expedition in a low-level secret realm—Gardevoir was busted up—and he decided to... well, do what any good trainer would do: make some money off it."
David raised an eyebrow. "Wait. So he wasn't a criminal mastermind?"
"Nope. Just a guy who got some bad luck and made some questionable choices. He found Gardevoir and thought, 'Hey, why not try to sell it and make a few bucks?' Classic mistake."
"So, no evil mastermind capture reward?" David asked, half-disappointed.
"Nope. The whole thing with Ralts is that it was bought off the black market too. The owner's not dumb—he knows the value of a Shiny Ralts," Nakamura said, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
"And as for Ralts, the guy didn't abuse it. He just kept it locked up. Which, I mean, not ideal, but hey, it could be worse, right?"
David nodded slowly. "Okay, so, what, this guy just... buys rare Pokémon and then keeps them in a weird underground market?"
"Basically," Nakamura said. "And that collar? Yeah, that's a black market special too. But, here's the kicker: the boss didn't actually want to let Ralts get involved with humans so soon. He knew Ralts was valuable."
David squinted. "So, what, he just kept Ralts in a cage for a while?"
"Yep. And while the guy's an idiot, he's not completely clueless. The food he's feeding Ralts? Top-tier stuff. More expensive than your average meal, by the way."
David's jaw dropped. "Wait—seriously? Fifty thousand coins for one meal? That's insane!"
Nakamura just shrugged. "I guess when you have a rare Pokémon, you can afford to be a little fancy. The guy was trying to treat Ralts like some kind of... I don't know, high-end celebrity."
David paused, processing the information. "So, this guy wasn't really evil. Just, kinda dumb?"
"Exactly. He's not a villain, just a clueless trainer who thought he could make some money off Ralts' shiny little charms."
"And that's why Ralts chose to escape with me, huh?" David muttered to himself. "It could sense the good in me?"
Nakamura raised an eyebrow. "Look, I'm no Pokémon psychologist, but yeah, maybe it can sense a little something. The guy wanted to sell it, or worse, force it into 'special services.' I'm guessing Ralts didn't want to stick around for that, so it picked you."
David winced at the last part. "Yeah, that's a bit much."
Nakamura nodded gravely. "You might be the lucky one, but remember, Ralts made its choice for a reason. It saw something in you. Not bad for a kid who just got his hands on a Pokémon like this."
David looked down at Ralts, who was now snuggled contentedly in his arms. "Well, I'm not gonna screw this up. I swear it. We're in this together, Ralts."
Nakamura gave him a sidelong glance. "Just don't go getting any wild ideas. Keep it clean, kid. And keep your real trainer skills sharp. Ralts didn't pick you for nothing."
David nodded enthusiastically. "No worries. I've got this." He looked at Ralts, who gave him a little nod in return, as if agreeing. "We're going places, Ralts."
Nakamura let out a sigh. "Yeah, let's just hope 'places' doesn't involve me bailing you out of more weird situations."
David grinned. "No promises."
***
David was still trying to collect his thoughts when Nakamura eyed him suspiciously.
"So, David," Nakamura began, raising an eyebrow, "you're telling me, a high school student, walked into a place like that... and you still had that with you? Durex? What, were you planning to start a new career as a diamond miner?" Nakamura's face was full of confusion.
David blinked, momentarily stunned by Nakamura's bluntness. "Eh? What?! (???)" He rubbed his forehead, trying to figure out how to explain himself without sounding like a lunatic. "Look, it's not like that! I—uh, well, I have a system?" He threw his hands up defensively.
Nakamura stared at him blankly, clearly waiting for something more... coherent.
David felt his shoulders slump. "Okay, okay. But nobody would believe me if I started talking about my 'system.' I mean, what do you think would happen if I said, 'Hey, I've got this magical thing that helps me spot rare Pokémon and now I've gotta go break into places'?" He made air quotes as he spoke. "They'd probably throw me in a padded room or something!"
Nakamura let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples. "Yeah, alright, whatever you say, kid." He paused, thinking for a moment before shaking his head. "But how in the world did you even end up in a place like that?"
David, wiping sweat from his brow, quickly tried to save face. "Well... listen up! I'm an aspiring young man, right? A future champion of justice!" He said with a confident grin, straightening up as if he were preparing for a speech. "I've always hated illegal activities! Like, from a young age, I could smell crime a mile away." He crossed his arms dramatically. "So, when I found out about this shady operation? I couldn't just stand by!"
Nakamura raised an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting for David to continue.
David pushed on, undeterred. "I went in there to save the day! Rescue the Ralts! And, of course, I evacuated everyone else too—safety first, right? I didn't want anyone getting hurt in the Pokémon battles, so I made sure to get the crowd out of there before anything bad could happen. Real hero stuff, you know?"
David struck a heroic pose and saluted Nakamura. "Mission accomplished, right?"
Nakamura didn't say anything at first, his eyes narrowing as he stared at David. There was something about the whole thing that didn't sit right with him. But then again, what else was new with David?
"Uh-huh," Nakamura muttered skeptically. "That's... nice and all, kid. But something about your story doesn't add up." He gave David a long, suspicious stare, his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sure you're not leaving out... details?"
David, sensing the growing doubt in Nakamura's gaze, suddenly found himself on the defensive. He scratched the back of his head nervously and then, in a quick attempt to make things right, added, "Oh! Investigator Uncle!"
Nakamura blinked. "What?"
David beamed, clearly pleased with his sudden inspiration. "I remember the names of the people who were there! The ones who came to wash their hair and stuff!" David's voice was full of pride. "I could write the names down for you! Proof that I'm innocent!" He nodded enthusiastically.
Nakamura raised an eyebrow. "You... you can write it down?"
David nodded dramatically. "Of course! I'm not just some random kid, y'know? I pay attention to things." He grinned as if he'd just come up with the most brilliant idea ever.
Nakamura looked at him, his eyes narrowing with doubt. "Alright, then. Write it down." He handed David a pen and paper. "If you can actually write a list of these people, I might just believe you for once."
David grabbed the pen with a flourish and started scribbling down names. He looked momentarily guilty, as though apologizing to the unsuspecting customers. "Sorry, uncles, but I gotta be a good guy now, okay? No hard feelings." He mumbled this under his breath, finishing the list in record time.
"Done!" David said triumphantly, handing Nakamura the paper, who glanced at the list, clearly impressed. "Huh. Not bad. I guess this could work."
David smiled smugly. "Told you. I'm not just a pretty face."
Nakamura stared at the list, still not entirely convinced. "Alright. I'm walking out with this," he said, shaking his head. "Let's see if this is enough to track these guys down. But if this list checks out, David... you might just have earned yourself a bit of respect today."
David gave him a thumbs-up. "Respect? From you? Heck yeah! I'm on a roll!"
And with that, Nakamura left the room, holding the list, while David sat back with a self-satisfied grin, knowing he'd pulled one over on the veteran investigator—again.