Sanctuary?
Even though it was obvious that remaining nearby the police station was an excellent way to avoid criminals and kidnappings, I knew that we could not remain there too long. However, if we left our recently acquired "sanctuary" we would run the risk of encountering our pursuer again. I began formulating a plan in my head as Amber and Cass stood near the police station, Cass was gasping for breath and Amber looked at her worriedly. Amber was either growing attached to her trainer or she was desperately seeking confident advice and orders from the human girl. As I thought of an escape plan, I walked over toward the two females and smiled. "Thank you Amber for your help." I said, "I am sorry for involving you and Cass in this, I must be the most selfish creature in existence for endangering you two for my own safety." I apologized.
"There is no need to apologize." Amber suddenly spoke up. "You are simply trying to survive and I understand that. From the looks of things, none of this seems to be your fault anyway." Amber said in an assuring tone, making me feel a little better. "I am just so afraid right now and I don't know what to do." She admitted.
After a few additional seconds of thinking, I devised a basic plan, basing it off the fact that I was the enemy's target. I thought about hiding myself in a poke'ball until I remembered that I personally disposed of the device when Cass insisted on containing me inside of it. Additionally, I was already connected with Cass and Amber, which meant that if Cass was sighted, she would certainly be captured for a full body search followed by a detailed interrogation. It was apparent that more in depth thinking was required to escape our enemy. Even as I contemplated the possibilities, I knew that our enemy had most likely already located our position. If that was true, then not even a deceitful disguise could assist us in our escape.
I eventually walked over to Cass slowly and rubbed my chin into her shin softly, trying to calm her a little. Cass giggled softly and I smiled at the image of her own smile. "Chase, you don't have to do that, it's actually kind of awkward now." Cass said, but she soon stopped before she said too much in public.
I immediately stopped rubbing my face into her and looked up at her frightfully the moment she nearly revealed the truth about my predicament. Additionally, I did not like hearing her use my pet name in public considering our pursuer already had knowledge of that name. Fortunately, it was only a name and a rather common one at that for humans. However, one enemy at a time was already bothersome enough; we did not need to attract any more attention with the truth. "I guess it is alright if you want to, it actually makes me feel a little better, especially after everything that has happened." Cass eventually said.
Cass then bent down and scratched my ears and I lifted myself higher to make it easier for her to reach me as she did. I murred softly in comfort at having my tender ears massaged by her fingernails and fingertips. I even closed my eyes just as I noticed Amber looking at me a bit jealously. "Don't look at me like that, oh that's nice." I said with a smile. "Mmm, all you have to do is ask." I told Amber.
Amber did not return the smile; instead, she walked even closer to Cass and followed my pattern by gently nuzzling her face into Cass's right shin. Cass lifted her hand from my head and I felt a little disappointed that the moment ended as quickly as it had. Soon, Amber was enjoying her own treatment from Cass's magic fingers as I looked toward the vulpix with envious eyes. "What am I thinking?" I suddenly thought to myself. "Haven't I degraded myself enough?" I added.
After Cass had scratched at Amber's head and neck for a few minutes, she suddenly stopped and stood back up. "May I help you with something?" An officer suddenly asked from behind.
All three of us turned around to face a member of the Jenny family; the family was renowned for having many of their members heading their own police headquarters. If there was ever an officer trustworthy among the police forces across the region, it was an officer who carried the title "Officer Jenny". "We have no one else to turn to." Cass said, to both Amber, me, and the police officer.
"What do you mean by that?" Officer Jenny asked. "Are you in trouble?" She inquired.
"We recently barely managed to escape a poke'mon thief." Cass revealed. "We don't know who he is, but he wanted to purchase my eevee illegally and when I refused, he resorted to trying to steal him." Cass further explained. "I cannot fight him because he possesses a poke'mon that is much stronger than my own, so we came here in search of refuge, but if we ever try to leave, he will come after us again." Cass finished.
"I see. Why don't you and your poke'mon come inside and tell us everything you can so we can resolve the situation?" Officer Jenny offered kindly.
"Actually, we just wanted to leave the city." Cass said.
I agreed with her decision because I was not sure how much questioning the police would put us through. There was even a strong possibility that they would ask Cass about me. Whether Cass's earlier suspicions about the police were correct or not did not matter, revealing the truth about me to anyone was far too dangerous and we could not run that risk. "My apologies miss, but if there is a criminal loose in this city, then you are legally obligated to fill out a report if you have any helpful information." Officer Jenny replied. "We will also need you to remain within city limits to act as a witness if the criminal should be arrested and sent to court." She added.
"I'm not even a resident of this city." Cass said. "I am a poke'mon trainer and I do not have time for that." Cass explained.
"If that is the case, then I have no legal jurisdiction over you, please present me with your identification and I will only request that you give us any information you have on this criminal." Officer Jenny replied with a smile.
"My what?" Cass asked in a confused tone, not realizing that her poke'dex was her identification.
"If you are a trainer then you must have a poke'dex." Officer Jenny replied.
"Oh, of course." Cass said, blushing a little from embarrassment as she rummaged through her pockets until she pulled out a flat and rectangular red device. "Here you go." Cass said as she handed the poke'dex over to the officer.
Officer Jenny examined it for a few moments and flipped it open; the default image of Cassandra Follie was displayed on the screen along with her date of birth, height, weight, hair color, and eye color. "You've only been a trainer for a day" Officer Jenny stated. "You seem like a rather impressive one though, having already captured your first poke'mon and you managed to have an eevee as your starter." She remarked.
"Thank you, but I am not as good as you make me sound." Cass admitted and it was true that she was poor at commanding her poke'mon, but she was inexperienced and could not be blamed for early mistakes. Besides, she already compensated for her minimal experience with compassion, understanding, and above all, self-sacrifice. "I guess it is time for me to tell you what I know, but it isn't much beyond what I have already told you." Cass said.
"I am certain any accurate information you have will be most helpful." The police officer said as she nearly emphasized the word "accurate" in her statement.
"Our pursuer nearly attacked us with his wartortle, but he possesses more than a poke'mon for a weapon." Cass began.
"Did he have a bold red letter "R" anywhere on him?" Officer Jenny asked and I realized she suspected our attacker was a member of Team Rocket.
"No, he didn't, so if you are thinking that he is a member of Team Rocket, you might be mistaken." Cass replied before she began describing the man's appearance with as much detail as possible.
Officer Jenny took out a small notebook and a pen from her left pants pocket and flipped open the notebook. She almost immediately began scribbling on a sheet of paper as Cass described the man. Cass eventually fell silent, but the officer continued etching ink into the notebook paper until she finished nearly one minute later. The officer then became wide eyed and her mouth gaped open when she finished. "Is this what he looks like?" She asked, rotating the notebook around.
Cass leaned forward and stared at the small image. "Yes, that's him." She replied. "Do you know him?" Cass asked curiously.
"His name is Jerry Thompson and he became a member of Team Rocket five years ago and within a year, he was known as their most accomplished member. No finance he requested from his superiors went wasted as he efficiently stole rare and powerful poke'mon from some of the most experienced trainers in the region. His patience is said to be unlimited and he never gives up on a target until he has it in his possession or his employers lose interest. He has never failed and he continues to elude the police." Officer Jenny began, the news becoming rather disheartening.
"We learned that he left Team Rocket three years ago for reasons unknown, probably because he doesn't want to share the profits of poke'mon thievery with anyone else. He was arrested one year ago, but he used the wealth he acquired to negotiate a bail and was released from prison six months after his arrest. We thought he permanently retired from stealing poke'mon, but apparently someone is offering a large sum of money for your eevee." Officer Jenny continued. "Do you know why anyone would want your eevee?" She asked.
"No, I do not." Cass stuttered as her expression revealed nothing except fear.
"You must be very careful, he is a very dangerous man and there have been unconfirmed reports that he has killed someone in order to complete a mission for one of his past employers. While those reports are unconfirmed, I would not put murder past Jerry Thompson." Officer Jenny warned.
I took in a big gulp from the recent information and I was so afraid during that moment that I was completely uncertain of what should be done. Even though I wanted to avoid captivation, I felt horrible for hiding behind Cass and Amber every time I was faced with mortal danger. I continuously used them as shields to protect myself, forcing them to face the danger instead of me. I could not do it anymore, while it might have been an instinct as Amber indicated, it was awful for me to continue surrendering to that instinct. I was not an animal or a poke'mon, I was a human in origin and I had a will that enabled me to decide for myself what I wanted to do with my life even if it meant throwing it away for the sake of others.
I eventually made my decision, as I wanted to stop involving Cass and Amber selfishly for my own survival. I had only known Cass for a short period of time and I already owed her a lot for everything she gave me in a single day. I turned toward the direction that we came from and I began running, willing to turn myself in, in hopes that Cass would not be brought to harm. Was I in lover with her? I was not sure, but it certainly felt like it. "Chase stop!" I heard Cass cry out from behind, but I refused to listen to her, instead, I continued running
I suddenly heard an explosive noise from behind that sounded exactly like a poke'mon being released from a poke'ball. "Growlithe, use takedown!" I heard Officer Jenny shout.
It was not long before I heard a set of four heavy paws chasing after me along the sidewalk and as I turned around to see the growlithe that had been released, it leaped into the air. Not even a second passed before its full weight collided into my form at top speed. I heard my body crunch from the tackle and wondered if my bones had been broken by the attack as intense pain filled my entire body. "Chase!" Cass screamed from behind as she raced toward me, but my eyes were already closing, darkness began surrounded me, consciousness was leaving me.
"There is no need to apologize." Amber suddenly spoke up. "You are simply trying to survive and I understand that. From the looks of things, none of this seems to be your fault anyway." Amber said in an assuring tone, making me feel a little better. "I am just so afraid right now and I don't know what to do." She admitted.
After a few additional seconds of thinking, I devised a basic plan, basing it off the fact that I was the enemy's target. I thought about hiding myself in a poke'ball until I remembered that I personally disposed of the device when Cass insisted on containing me inside of it. Additionally, I was already connected with Cass and Amber, which meant that if Cass was sighted, she would certainly be captured for a full body search followed by a detailed interrogation. It was apparent that more in depth thinking was required to escape our enemy. Even as I contemplated the possibilities, I knew that our enemy had most likely already located our position. If that was true, then not even a deceitful disguise could assist us in our escape.
I eventually walked over to Cass slowly and rubbed my chin into her shin softly, trying to calm her a little. Cass giggled softly and I smiled at the image of her own smile. "Chase, you don't have to do that, it's actually kind of awkward now." Cass said, but she soon stopped before she said too much in public.
I immediately stopped rubbing my face into her and looked up at her frightfully the moment she nearly revealed the truth about my predicament. Additionally, I did not like hearing her use my pet name in public considering our pursuer already had knowledge of that name. Fortunately, it was only a name and a rather common one at that for humans. However, one enemy at a time was already bothersome enough; we did not need to attract any more attention with the truth. "I guess it is alright if you want to, it actually makes me feel a little better, especially after everything that has happened." Cass eventually said.
Cass then bent down and scratched my ears and I lifted myself higher to make it easier for her to reach me as she did. I murred softly in comfort at having my tender ears massaged by her fingernails and fingertips. I even closed my eyes just as I noticed Amber looking at me a bit jealously. "Don't look at me like that, oh that's nice." I said with a smile. "Mmm, all you have to do is ask." I told Amber.
Amber did not return the smile; instead, she walked even closer to Cass and followed my pattern by gently nuzzling her face into Cass's right shin. Cass lifted her hand from my head and I felt a little disappointed that the moment ended as quickly as it had. Soon, Amber was enjoying her own treatment from Cass's magic fingers as I looked toward the vulpix with envious eyes. "What am I thinking?" I suddenly thought to myself. "Haven't I degraded myself enough?" I added.
After Cass had scratched at Amber's head and neck for a few minutes, she suddenly stopped and stood back up. "May I help you with something?" An officer suddenly asked from behind.
All three of us turned around to face a member of the Jenny family; the family was renowned for having many of their members heading their own police headquarters. If there was ever an officer trustworthy among the police forces across the region, it was an officer who carried the title "Officer Jenny". "We have no one else to turn to." Cass said, to both Amber, me, and the police officer.
"What do you mean by that?" Officer Jenny asked. "Are you in trouble?" She inquired.
"We recently barely managed to escape a poke'mon thief." Cass revealed. "We don't know who he is, but he wanted to purchase my eevee illegally and when I refused, he resorted to trying to steal him." Cass further explained. "I cannot fight him because he possesses a poke'mon that is much stronger than my own, so we came here in search of refuge, but if we ever try to leave, he will come after us again." Cass finished.
"I see. Why don't you and your poke'mon come inside and tell us everything you can so we can resolve the situation?" Officer Jenny offered kindly.
"Actually, we just wanted to leave the city." Cass said.
I agreed with her decision because I was not sure how much questioning the police would put us through. There was even a strong possibility that they would ask Cass about me. Whether Cass's earlier suspicions about the police were correct or not did not matter, revealing the truth about me to anyone was far too dangerous and we could not run that risk. "My apologies miss, but if there is a criminal loose in this city, then you are legally obligated to fill out a report if you have any helpful information." Officer Jenny replied. "We will also need you to remain within city limits to act as a witness if the criminal should be arrested and sent to court." She added.
"I'm not even a resident of this city." Cass said. "I am a poke'mon trainer and I do not have time for that." Cass explained.
"If that is the case, then I have no legal jurisdiction over you, please present me with your identification and I will only request that you give us any information you have on this criminal." Officer Jenny replied with a smile.
"My what?" Cass asked in a confused tone, not realizing that her poke'dex was her identification.
"If you are a trainer then you must have a poke'dex." Officer Jenny replied.
"Oh, of course." Cass said, blushing a little from embarrassment as she rummaged through her pockets until she pulled out a flat and rectangular red device. "Here you go." Cass said as she handed the poke'dex over to the officer.
Officer Jenny examined it for a few moments and flipped it open; the default image of Cassandra Follie was displayed on the screen along with her date of birth, height, weight, hair color, and eye color. "You've only been a trainer for a day" Officer Jenny stated. "You seem like a rather impressive one though, having already captured your first poke'mon and you managed to have an eevee as your starter." She remarked.
"Thank you, but I am not as good as you make me sound." Cass admitted and it was true that she was poor at commanding her poke'mon, but she was inexperienced and could not be blamed for early mistakes. Besides, she already compensated for her minimal experience with compassion, understanding, and above all, self-sacrifice. "I guess it is time for me to tell you what I know, but it isn't much beyond what I have already told you." Cass said.
"I am certain any accurate information you have will be most helpful." The police officer said as she nearly emphasized the word "accurate" in her statement.
"Our pursuer nearly attacked us with his wartortle, but he possesses more than a poke'mon for a weapon." Cass began.
"Did he have a bold red letter "R" anywhere on him?" Officer Jenny asked and I realized she suspected our attacker was a member of Team Rocket.
"No, he didn't, so if you are thinking that he is a member of Team Rocket, you might be mistaken." Cass replied before she began describing the man's appearance with as much detail as possible.
Officer Jenny took out a small notebook and a pen from her left pants pocket and flipped open the notebook. She almost immediately began scribbling on a sheet of paper as Cass described the man. Cass eventually fell silent, but the officer continued etching ink into the notebook paper until she finished nearly one minute later. The officer then became wide eyed and her mouth gaped open when she finished. "Is this what he looks like?" She asked, rotating the notebook around.
Cass leaned forward and stared at the small image. "Yes, that's him." She replied. "Do you know him?" Cass asked curiously.
"His name is Jerry Thompson and he became a member of Team Rocket five years ago and within a year, he was known as their most accomplished member. No finance he requested from his superiors went wasted as he efficiently stole rare and powerful poke'mon from some of the most experienced trainers in the region. His patience is said to be unlimited and he never gives up on a target until he has it in his possession or his employers lose interest. He has never failed and he continues to elude the police." Officer Jenny began, the news becoming rather disheartening.
"We learned that he left Team Rocket three years ago for reasons unknown, probably because he doesn't want to share the profits of poke'mon thievery with anyone else. He was arrested one year ago, but he used the wealth he acquired to negotiate a bail and was released from prison six months after his arrest. We thought he permanently retired from stealing poke'mon, but apparently someone is offering a large sum of money for your eevee." Officer Jenny continued. "Do you know why anyone would want your eevee?" She asked.
"No, I do not." Cass stuttered as her expression revealed nothing except fear.
"You must be very careful, he is a very dangerous man and there have been unconfirmed reports that he has killed someone in order to complete a mission for one of his past employers. While those reports are unconfirmed, I would not put murder past Jerry Thompson." Officer Jenny warned.
I took in a big gulp from the recent information and I was so afraid during that moment that I was completely uncertain of what should be done. Even though I wanted to avoid captivation, I felt horrible for hiding behind Cass and Amber every time I was faced with mortal danger. I continuously used them as shields to protect myself, forcing them to face the danger instead of me. I could not do it anymore, while it might have been an instinct as Amber indicated, it was awful for me to continue surrendering to that instinct. I was not an animal or a poke'mon, I was a human in origin and I had a will that enabled me to decide for myself what I wanted to do with my life even if it meant throwing it away for the sake of others.
I eventually made my decision, as I wanted to stop involving Cass and Amber selfishly for my own survival. I had only known Cass for a short period of time and I already owed her a lot for everything she gave me in a single day. I turned toward the direction that we came from and I began running, willing to turn myself in, in hopes that Cass would not be brought to harm. Was I in lover with her? I was not sure, but it certainly felt like it. "Chase stop!" I heard Cass cry out from behind, but I refused to listen to her, instead, I continued running
I suddenly heard an explosive noise from behind that sounded exactly like a poke'mon being released from a poke'ball. "Growlithe, use takedown!" I heard Officer Jenny shout.
It was not long before I heard a set of four heavy paws chasing after me along the sidewalk and as I turned around to see the growlithe that had been released, it leaped into the air. Not even a second passed before its full weight collided into my form at top speed. I heard my body crunch from the tackle and wondered if my bones had been broken by the attack as intense pain filled my entire body. "Chase!" Cass screamed from behind as she raced toward me, but my eyes were already closing, darkness began surrounded me, consciousness was leaving me.