The second week started and our unit was 200% focused on catching that robber. Detective Loneson once again mobilized some SPU (special police unit) members, and I actually got to work together with a real-deal Jenny Junsa for the first time since I started the police phase of my practical year.
Jenny was one of the SPU members who were tasked to cooperate with us, and she ended up joining Detective Monroe and me. Honestly, not having worked together with a true-blue Jenny at least once had been the only real hang-up I had about my police phase so far, and I had started to think that I would end up completing the phase without getting to work together with one.
That would have been really unfortunate, especially since it was not as if there were no female Junsa (Jennys) around. I had seen like 5 or 6 of them during my time at the HQ. I simply did not have the chance to work with one of them so far. Nonetheless, I guess I could now strike that off my list, leaving me with no regrets.
Well, actually, I kinda hated the fact that I still had to deal with the occasional attempt at my life due to that damn bounty, but at least the number of attempts had shrunk drastically due to all the failed tries.
Anyway, our unit scoured Celadon City, and we actually managed to corner the robber on Giratiday. We managed to spot him in one of the underground markets, but he provoked some chaos and used the distraction to escape.
Still, Jenny, I, and a few other officers called out our respective canine Pokemon and had them follow the robber/Steve's tracks. The reason we did not use only one or two canines was that the scene was too crowded, so we had to ensure that the scent/track we were following was the right one.
It was obvious that the thief/robber did not have the option of teleportation, which was good for us. Nonetheless, Steve still had us running in loops, obviously trying to shake us off. Unfortunately, he did not try to fly away. We were keeping an eye on the totality of Celadon City's air space, so if he had tried that, we would have promptly spotted him, which would have made our work easier.
Exactly because he didn't do that, we were stuck with following his tracks on foot like this. We eventually followed him to the outskirts of Celadon City to an abandoned shack that seemed to have served as his hideout. Unsurprisingly, Steve was already gone by the time we made it there, but it was evident that he had cleaned out the place just recently, so we were sure that this was where he had hidden until now.
Considering the traces outside of the shack, it was evident that he had driven away with a motorcycle. He seemed to be heading away from Celadon City, and I was pretty sure that we had lost his trail. We still followed the tracks of his motorcycle, but as I expected we lost his track after roughly 50 km.
The motorcycle tracks just stopped at some point. Seeing how there were no further tracks or any burrowing signs, it was clear that Steve had put away his ride and finally flown away. Well, he could have teleported away as well, but then his actions so far would have made no sense.
The aerial escape theory was swiftly confirmed after a closer inspection of the place. We discovered a pair of talon prints belonging to a Fearow which backed up the flight theory. With no other choice, we returned to the HQ. We first reported the situation to Detective Loneson and then to Chief Junsa.
Since we could not ensure that Steve would remain in Celadon City's immediate area, we shared Steve's information with the Police Stations in the other Major Cities. Obviously, we did the same with the cities and towns around Celadon City, just in case he decided to remain in the area after all.
Naturally, our own investigations resumed as well, though the scope was reduced to the previous level, which meant that most of the recruited SPU members returned to their regular duties. Jenny was not amongst those and still remained with our team. She continued working with Detective Monroe on the case even after I left for my extended weekend at the end of my shift on Palkiday.
As I had promised my Pokemon, I spent the next three days grooming and massaging them. I also did not forget our routine check-up, though nothing out of the ordinary came up during the routine. I managed to finish the grooming session before dinner on Grouday, and we spent the rest of the evening/night putting on performances or one another. An hour-long concert by yours truly finished up the night.
On Arcday, I was happy to hear that they had made some progress, and before the end of my shift, we received news that traces of Steve had been reportedly found in one of the towns, less than 250 km to the north of Celadon City.
Orders were given to keep an eye out for him and to see if they could locate his hiding spot. Furthermore, one of our teams got sent there to support the local police in their investigation. Unfortunately, it was not our unit that received the job.
Well, at least we were amongst those dispatched there the next day since the previously dispatched team had apparently, with the help of the local forces, narrowed down Steve's hiding place to three locations.
After a round of discussions, it was determined that we would split into three groups and strike at each location at the same time. Detective Loneson would lead one group, Detective Monroe would lead another, and the final group would be led by Detective Mercy.
At exactly 1:30 p.m., each team moved out. The agreement was to simultaneously strike at 2 p.m. We had the house surrounded and as soon as it was time, our team stormed the building from all directions, leaving only four officers outside to stop Steve in case he managed to slip past us.
That ended up being unnecessary since we surprisingly managed to capture him without any difficulties. Steve actually surrendered after seeing we had him surrounded. Jenny patted him down but did not find the Ampharosite on him, so we questioned him on where he had stored/hid it.
It first appeared as if he wanted to stay mum, but after he was told that I was a certified telepath, and I actually pulled out my certificate to prove that it was true, he spilled the beans. I was the first to react and swiftly went to the spot he mentioned.
After dealing with the cover for a few moments, I found the Ampharosite, but instead of directly pulling it out and showing that I had found it, I moved it inside Utopia as soon as I touched it. Utopia took a few moments to analyze the Mega Stone and once the analysis was complete I brought it out again disregarding the result of the analysis for now.
I then handed the Ampharosite over to Detective Monroe, who placed it inside an evidence bag and put it away. Afterward, we escorted Steve to the Police HQ and contacted the owner of the Ampharosite to inform him about the successful retrieval of his object.
Since the Ampharosite had already been retrieved and Steve had been caught pretty much red-handed there was no need for me or Detective Monore in the follow-up. The next step was to convict him, so for us, the case was pretty much closed.
Our next step was to write a report, and while I did that, I finally had one of my other thought streams focus on the things I had learned during the analysis of the Ampharosite. There was some bad news and some good news in that regard.
The bad news was that Utopia could not upgrade the Ampharosite or any Mega Stones really. Furthermore, Utopia was also unable to replicate Mega Stones straight up. The good news was that now that Utopia had analyzed an Ampharosite, it could produce some as well, as long as a certain level of energy naturally released by members of the Ampharos line was available.
The speed of the production of an Ampharosite depended on the amount, evolutionary stage, and strength/stage of the Ampharos line members. The same principle applied to the other Mega Stones as well once I managed to get my hands on another one. This was pretty much an oversimplification of the process that resulted in the creation of Mega Stones.
The "over" here was important since what Utopia did was not simply a simplification. Still, it was what the matter boiled down to. Ultimately, what this meant for me was that if I wanted an Ampharosite, then I would have to get a batch of Ampharos, and its prevolutions inside Utopia. Coming to that conclusion, I felt a pang of regret due to remembering the Ampharos tribe I had to give up on during my military phase.
Nonetheless, extra condition or not, I, or rather Utopia now possessed the means to produce Ampharosite, which was great. Moreover, I knew that Utopia could do the same for the other Mega Stones as well. Heck, from what I was suspecting, Utopia might even be able to do the same for other species once it had analyzed enough Mega Stone samples, though I had no idea how many different samples that would take.
Anyway, I finished the report and Detective Loneson said that the chief had given us the rest of the day off, so I said my goodbyes to everyone before leaving the HQ. Following the events on Mewday, Giratiday, and Palkiday passed by rather smoothly. Detective Monroe and I were assigned a murder case on Giratiday and managed to locate as well as capture the culprit on Palkiday.
It was a revenge murder case, where the "victim" was not an innocent individual as well, and it appeared that the murderer did not care all that much about hiding after getting his revenge. Sure, he went ahead and hid after he killed his target, but from the traces he left behind, I could say he was not truly worried about being captured.
Anyway, regardless of whether the victim was bad or not, we did our job and brought the murderer in. The guy did not struggle at all and directly admitted to the murder as well. He went so far as to explain everything, leaving no need for me to "interrogate" him.
At the end of my shift, something I did not expect to happen at this point actually happened. I was called into Chief Junsa's office, and he told me that I would be transferred to the SPU, so I would be reporting in with the special police unit on Arcday. I had not expected to be transferred on my final week, so this sudden transfer caught me off guard.
Seeing my surprised look, Chief Junsa chuckled and told me that the Jenny Junsa I had worked with in the Ampharosite case put forward the suggestion. She seemed to have said that it would be a shame to not let me get a feel for the SPU before I left, and Chief Junsa granted her request.
I certainly did not mind the reassignment and thanked him before leaving the HQ for my extended weekend. I headed to the local "Aldini's" and casually took care of an ambush on the way there.
At least this bunch was considerate enough to attack me before I ate, and they even chose a somewhat deserted spot to do it, meaning that no civilians were in danger. Due to that, I was less hard on them, so they were not a groaning mess when the officers came to pick them up. I did not encounter any further attacks that day.
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