"Squirtle, Squirtle!" At that moment, the leader—a Squirtle wearing triangular sunglasses—suddenly shouted at its companions. The group immediately burst into an anxious argument.
"What are they saying?" Officer Jenny couldn't understand their Pokémon language at all.
[The lead Squirtle's telling the others to leave, saying it'll take the blame alone], Ray Chu translated, holding up a sign. [But its companions are refusing, insisting they stick together through thick and thin].
"So it really was you who broke into the concert hall!" Officer Jenny declared firmly, connecting all the clues. These Squirtle were undeniably the kidnappers behind Lala's disappearance.
"Where are you hiding Miss Lala?" Now that the kidnappers had been identified, all that remained was rescuing the hostage and wrapping up the case.
As an officer sworn to justice, it was Jenny's responsibility to keep citizens safe!
"Arcanine, use [TAKE DOWN]!" To avoid further complications, she decided to apprehend them immediately.
With a fierce roar, Arcanine launched itself forward. Boasting extraordinary agility and power, its attack instantly sent all six Squirtle tumbling through the air.
Their shells spun wildly on the ground, and except for the leader, the rest collapsed in a dizzy heap, eyes spinning helplessly.
Seeing its comrades defeated, the sunglasses-wearing Squirtle cried out defiantly, "Squirtle!" A powerful stream of water erupted from its mouth, directly striking Arcanine, whose Fire-typing left it severely weakened by the Water Gun.
"Hang in there, Arcanine! Use [EMBER]!" Jenny shouted. Arcanine howled and shot forth a scorching ball of flames. Fire clashed with water in midair, sending a surge of steam rising into the sky.
As the seconds ticked by, Ember gradually overpowered the weakening Water Gun. Sweat poured down the Squirtle's forehead as the flames closed in dangerously.
At that crucial instant, a pink figure leaped forward, shielding Squirtle with its body.
"Oh no! Arcanine, stop the attack!" Officer Jenny cried desperately upon seeing Lala appear, but it was already too late!
Just as the flames were about to strike Lala head-on, a blur flashed onto the scene. A small paw swatted down fiercely, snuffing out the blazing fire in a single motion.
"Puff?" Lala, bracing herself for the burn, cautiously opened her eyes, surprised and overjoyed upon recognizing the familiar yellow figure before her.
Jenny released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She would have never forgiven herself if innocents had gotten hurt during the arrest. Thankfully, she'd brought along this capable Pikachu.
However… there was still a critical matter to clarify.
"Miss Lala, why are you here? And why protect this criminal Squirtle?" Officer Jenny demanded, pointing at the sunglasses-wearing Pokémon. Arcanine stayed wary—after all, the situation remained unclear.
Lala peeked timidly from behind Ray Chu, her round face bobbing anxiously as she softly explained, "Puff puff, puff-puff puff…"
Jenny didn't understand a word, turning expectantly toward Ray Chu.
After nodding thoughtfully, Ray Chu raised another sign: [These Squirtle are innocent. Don't hurt them!]
Following a quick round of translations and explanations, Jenny finally grasped the full picture. It turned out Lala had personally reached out to these Squirtle, hiring—or rather, requesting—their help to "kidnap" her from the concert venue so she could escape.
That explained why Lala protected the Squirtle leader; they were friends she deeply trusted.
Officer Jenny nodded slowly. That makes sense. Seems these Squirtle aren't criminals after all. "Good job, Arcanine. Take a rest."
"But Miss Lala, if you wanted to leave, why not simply walk away? Why go to these lengths?" Jenny pressed gently after recalling Arcanine.
Lala hesitated briefly, then explained with visible sadness:
Despite being the company's most famous star, the world-renowned Pink Diva, she lacked basic freedom. Pokémon, unlike human performers, had no legal rights protecting their autonomy. The company would never willingly release her, so staging a kidnapping had seemed her only escape.
"You're far too selfish, even trying to deceive our tracking team. Miss Lala, come back with us at once."
An icy voice cut through the scene. A sudden flash of light pierced the air as the bespectacled woman and her entourage appeared from nowhere.
Teleport—an advanced Psychic-type move. Clearly, they had an immensely powerful Pokémon hidden nearby.
A stunned Fearow was tossed roughly onto the ground, a crescent hairpin still clipped to its head. The woman's eyes narrowed sharply. "When exactly did you figure out this was a tracker?"
Earlier, they'd followed the tracking signal only to discover this decoy Fearow. Realizing the deception, they'd rushed back, grateful to have informants within the police department. Receiving immediate word of the current location, they'd arrived just in time to corner Lala, the runaway diva.
Lala trembled in fear at their sudden arrival, but still summoned the courage to denounce their despicable surveillance, declaring fiercely she would never go back.
"That's not for you to decide. Grab her!"
A Kadabra and a Tentacruel advanced menacingly toward Lala, ready to seize her by force.
"Stop! Miss Lala clearly doesn't want to go back with you. Cease your actions immediately!" Officer Jenny shouted urgently.
"Mind your position, Officer. Your job is simply to apprehend the criminals responsible for kidnapping Miss Lala, our valued performer," the woman said coldly, her glasses glinting ominously.
Lala angrily protested, insisting again that the Squirtle were her allies, not criminals.
"My duty is protecting innocent citizens from harm. Stop at once, or I'll have no choice but to take action!" Jenny's righteous voice thundered, releasing Arcanine again. The Pokémon growled fiercely, stepping forward protectively.
"Keh keh keh!"
At that instant, sinister laughter echoed chillingly through the air. A shadowy figure erupted from Officer Jenny's own shadow, and a blood-red tongue darted out, licking her cheek.
[LICK]
The attacker, a dark-purple Gengar, paralyzed Jenny instantly with a single deft strike.
Seeing its Trainer in danger, Arcanine roared, lunging at Gengar. The ghostly Pokémon merely sneered, conjuring two Shadow Balls in its claws and hurling them forward.
A deafening explosion shook the ground as both projectiles struck Arcanine head-on, flinging it violently backward to collapse in a crumpled heap.
---
T/N: HOW DARE THEY! MISS LALA IS NOT JUST AN OBJECT FOR YOU TO USE!!! RAHHHHHH!!!
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