In the dimly lit interrogation room.
The skinny poacher woke up once again to find himself cuffed to the table.
!!!
He jolted awake, eyes squinting against the bright light shining directly on his face.
Before Officer Jenny could say a word, the poacher suddenly blurted out in panic:
"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! My name is Bussy, 32 years old, single, born and raised in Sinnoh, I live in Unit 2, Room 1001, Veilstone Community. There are five people in my family—my parents and two older sisters. I graduated from Sandgem Town No.2 Senior High School..."
His voice began to tremble, edging toward sobs, as he continued:
"When I was 29, I was introduced into the Hunter Association. I currently work under Hunter J. A few days ago, she got wind of a rare shiny Vulpix appearing in the Alola region and ordered me and Fatty to steal it... Officer, that's all I know, really."
Listening to this confession—which sounded more like a report—Officer Jenny and the investigator beside her were left speechless.
They hadn't even asked anything yet, and he'd already confessed everything. Could he be any less dignified?
...
After finishing up the interrogation, Jenny walked out with a thick stack of files in her arms.
This was by far the most cooperative criminal she'd ever encountered. Basically, whatever they asked, he answered.
She arrived at another room. All electronic devices had been confiscated here. Caleb, clearly bored, was stretching and molding Haunter's large purple face like it was silly putty.
He had just discovered for the first time that Haunter's face could stretch that much.
Seeing Officer Jenny approaching, Caleb immediately put on a different face: "Officer, I've told you everything. Can I go now?"
"No problem, once the record's complete, you're free to go." After saying this, Jenny recalled a meeting from a few days ago.
It was a town-wide gathering, with many big shots from both the town and the city. Though she was just a junior officer, her family background in the Jenny clan had earned her a seat.
At the time, the mayor addressed all the officials: "Caleb is a real talent—we absolutely must keep him here."
The secretary then projected a prepared PowerPoint slide onto the screen. The mayor pointed excitedly to a line graph on it and said:
"Look, ever since Caleb became popular, our town's GDP has skyrocketed like a rocket!"
"Given these outstanding results and huge potential, I propose that from today forward, our town should fully embrace tourism—make full use of existing resources, create unique attractions, and draw more visitors..."
The deputy mayor nodded in agreement, fully supporting the mayor's proposal, and added:
"Everyone, spread the word. The whole town must support Caleb. We absolutely can't let him just walk away!"
Mmm... A talent? Well, in some ways, Caleb was indeed a talent.
Looking at the bright, sunshiney Caleb smiling before her, Jenny was silent.
Mayor, are you sure this decision won't doom the future of Wutong Town?
...
Pokémon Center.
Not long after Jenny arrived, the center's ambulance pulled in.
Caleb handed the Pokémon—now glued into a ball—to Nurse Fiona Joy, who had been on duty.
Ten minutes earlier, she had called to report that the little guy had been rescued, but there had been a slight complication.
Just as he stepped into the center, a teasing voice rang out behind him:
"Well, if it isn't our town's own gym leader, here to visit Fiona again, huh? Tsk tsk~"
Caleb turned to see Lola not far away, watching him with a smirk.
Lola was one of Fiona Joy's coworkers. Every time they met, she'd put on this passive-aggressive attitude.
To Caleb, she was probably gay, and the reason she picked on him was pure jealousy over how close he was with Fiona.
Still, jealousy aside, she was serious and professional during work, and she led Caleb straight to Fiona's examination room.
As the door opened, Caleb saw the little Pokémon lying still under a white cloth.
White cloth... was it dead?!
Caleb glanced at Fiona with a look that said everything. So the "slight complication" meant it died, huh?
Fiona rolled her eyes. "It's sleeping, obviously."
Upon closer inspection, Caleb saw that underneath the soft white cloth was a snowy, frost-colored little Pokémon. It had six crystal-clear, fluffy tails, its eyes closed in peaceful slumber.
But as it picked up the noise around it, the little creature snapped awake, opening a pair of vivid sapphire-blue eyes.
This was... Alolan Vulpix—and a shiny one at that!
Though the visual cues weren't overly obvious, the fur color gave it away.
Just as Caleb was about to approach, the little guy suddenly raised its six tails in a defensive arc, tightly shielding its small body. It even let out a low growl from its mouth.
Fiona explained, "Even though it's been rescued, those poachers used way too much glue. There's still residue under its fur that can't be cleaned out."
"So..." Caleb seemed to realize where this was going.
"We've got no choice. The only way to completely remove the glue is to shave the fur and let it regrow," Fiona said firmly.
At the word shave, Vulpix puffed up like a startled cat, glaring at everyone in the room with hostility.
Shave? That's like you humans running around naked!
It let out a series of urgent, protesting yelps at the two of them.
Seeing its fierce yet adorable posture, Caleb's eyes practically sparkled.
Too cute~
But if the fur wasn't shaved, life could get a lot harder later. Caleb frowned in thought.
Judging by its guarded stance, it definitely wouldn't cooperate willingly. Then, a lightbulb went off in his head—he reached into his bag and pulled out a family-secret Pokéblock, intending to bribe it.
So far, he hadn't met a single Pokémon that could resist the allure of his Pokéblocks.
But just as he held the block out in front of the Alolan Vulpix, the little guy abruptly swiped at his hand—smacking it away.
Smack!!
The blocks scattered all over the floor.
If Pachirisu were here, it'd be screaming its head off, furious at the waste of food.
"You've got guts!"
Caleb blinked, muttering under his breath.
This was the first Pokémon he'd ever seen that wasn't tempted by Pokéblocks.
It had officially piqued his interest.
But when it came to charming (scratch that), bribing (scratch that), befriending Pokémon... well, he'd never lost a round.
Take Pachirisu, who couldn't walk past food, or Haunter's obsession with collecting Diantha pin-ups, or Litten's catnip addiction—what mattered most was knowing what each one loved.
As for this vain little beauty...
"If you behave and let us shave your fur, I'll buy you the most expensive regrowth serum. I guarantee your fur will grow back in three days flat.
And once it does, I'll take you to that top-tier grooming salon run by the last Kalos beauty pageant champion—how's that sound?" Caleb leaned in, lowering his voice.
!!!
Hearing this, a barely detectable flicker of interest and hesitation appeared in the icy Vulpix's previously guarded eyes.