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''If you are, the police will have no trouble in knowing that.'' Steph remarked. He should have been gagged from all his yelling. She wandered around further towards where she thought the police station was, Ariados scuttling along and leading the thug behind her. It was probably an unusual sight for any persons that might be watching, and she hoped it would not disturb them.

Finally finding the police station, Steph continued toward it.

(This is where the police officer innocently points out how criminal it is to have Ariados.)

''Ariados, please gag him.''
Ariados shot a glob of webbing at the thug's mouth, reducing his futile and rather annoying assertions to muffled mumbles. Steph felt relief at the quietude. ''Thanks, Ariados.''

Steph entered the police station, the immobilized and previously talkative thug being dragged behind her. ''Officer?'' Steph called out. Soon, a police officer approached from behind a desk.

Steph was about to point out that the Ariados was actually hers, but once the officer pointed out what a serious offense possessing a 'corrupted' Pokémon was, she restrained herself from commenting. It did not look corrupted at all; it was special, powerful, and an asset to her team, but.....a scuffle with the law was not something she needed. It even seemed to Steph now that the officer was implying he already knew, even if he did not, but maybe if she simply complied with his request, this little mishap would slip unknown and out of the records.

Fear and trepidation tinged her mind. The raw firepower she needed was being taken away from her, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Nothing that would not place her in trouble anyway.

''Return, Ariados.'' Steph's commanding recall quivered with a tiny vein of sadness. Steph handed the Poké Ball to the officer, as well as the mumbling, web-tangled criminal.

''Goodbye.'' Steph muttered quietly, as the officer walked away with the thug behind him, a bitter sense of being slighted by the officer, or the forceful incidence in general, giving her voice a spice of defiance she hoped no persons would detect.

-_-_-_-

Steph could restrain herself. Her tears were few and obediently did not stray from her eyes, but still there was that airy, cold soreness in her throat that came from sadness or the feeling of injustice. She wished it would stop cluttering her throat, but imagining the soreness going away only reminded her of the loss of Ariados. Steph clenched her fist momentarily, but tried calming herself. Striking out against the law was incredibly foolish. No matter how much she tried breathing slowly and deeply as she walked mindlessly away from the station, the soreness remained, a bane remnant of the incident. All I liked about Ariados will be removed. All that made it special will be removed. It's just another Ariados now, no more important or better than the next.

I should forget about it. Ariados are not a favorite kind of Pokémon, and they scare me anyway.

Swinging from the overhang, agile like nothing she ever saw before, slamming into that Mankey.....making that thug finally quiet. Steph smiled slightly, remembering how relieving that was for him to finally stop yelling. Lost in thought, she fondly replayed her memories of Ariados.

She kept a weakened, slightly manic sort of smile now, the smile of the prisoner that has been beaten so many times that keeping a negative outlook simply hurts too much.

(Goodbye, Ariados.)

''Yes.'' Steph replied. The airy cold soreness in her throat was a little better now. ''But there is nothing I can do.'' Steph wondered why she was telling this to a stranger, but she was not in the most observant of states at the moment. The boy might be helpful to her, through. ''Do you know where the Gym is? I am lost.'' Steph added in a redundant fashion.

(ShinE---or other Staff member---is this feasible? It is only once a day, it is informal, not too many Trainers, and could always be dissolved for some profit reason or another.)

''No, I suppose not....'' Steph replied. She wondered how she did not notice the nearby Gym before; maybe she was too lost in thought to notice or looking the wrong way.

''Er, can I help?'' a passing man in a grey smock-like shirt awkwardly asked. ''I heard of a place that might suit your needs. Bibarel Pancake House. I go there sometimes on off days for poached Barboach, but...they are trying to attract the Pokémon Trainer crowd, so there are having this new special. 'After-dinner duels,' I think. They host some informal battles in the back to occupy those impatient Trainers while their food is being cooked.'' Not staying around---and hoping he was not being bothersome to the two Trainers---the man inconspicuously entered the Gym.

''I guess that could suit your needs...'' Steph started to say to the boy before she realized he never told her his name.

Spoon, Steph thought, amused. She was not sure what a Waspoon was---it was probably a native Pokémon of Bombur---but its name certainly was humorous. ''No reason not to, I suppose. Particularly since Calleo has been distracted by something lately.''

''Where should we battle? Here, in front of the Gym?''

''That was not the case in the Elite Four...but I suppose their walls are not ordinary steel.'' Steph remarked in a mumbling manner. ''I will check if Calleo has come to battle his challengers yet. If he is not yet here, I will follow you to Route B.'' Steph paused, turning around towards the Gym. ''Follow, because I have difficulty in navigating this city....''

Steph skipped towards the Gym, for walking might stress Seth's patience and because Steph found running on average outdoor terrain unpleasant. Steph opened the door and skipped into the Gym, her skip-steps making an echoing sort of thud on the floor as she approached Lumin and Cyrus. Calleo still was not there.

''I was distracted by something earlier.'' she explained shortly. ''Maybe Calleo is having an off day? If the wait has been this long, it might be longer, so I will be battling with a Trainer named Seth at Route B.'' she stopped briefly, waiting for a reply, but, with none coming swiftly, she skipped away and outside.

Fortunately Seth was still where he was earlier, or close enough. ''Calleo is still not there. I hope Route B is not far away.''

(Remember, I think R/S/E came before GPS's.)
''Steph. What is a GPS? Is it like a map function? The map on the Pokédex is only minimal, without listings for street names, which is why I became lost.'' Steph asked, following Seth towards Route B.

Steph was a little reluctant to give Seth her Pokédex---after all, she barely knew him for fifteen minutes---but then again, if he were a disguised thief, she could always command Sableye to catch him. ''It's not a Bombur Pokédex. It's an upgraded version of a Pokédex from a different region.'' Steph explained as she left Seth to examine the device. ''I might not have noticed that Global Positioning System function, or forgot if it was mentioned.'' Reasonable to assume I forgot. Cramming so much data on the variety of Pokémon species was sure to push out something.