Logan walked with Joey and Bill to the Pokemon Center in relative silence. Bill had bright blue eyes and black hair that fell into his face, which he kept brushing away, and Joey had brown hair that stuck up every which way, with brown eyes to match. Joey pulled a face at aer when he caught aer looking. "What?"
"Nothing," ae said. "Just thinking."
Bill nudged Joey. "Be nice. Please. They could still take our Pokemon, you know."
"I wouldn't," Logan was quick to assure. "But I just might make you walk to the Pokemon center by yourself next time."
Joey huffed. "Well, I don't like you! And if you ever try something like that again, I'll report you right away to Officer Jenny!"
Logan nodded. "Fair enough. I'm surprised you haven't called for a police officer already, to be perfectly honest."
Bill looked at aer belt. "You only have one Pokemon?"
Logan automatically reached for Scyther. "Yeah, kid. What about it?"
"Why are you stealing Pokemon but not keeping any for your troubles? Don'tcha think you should be getting more Pokemon the more you turn in?"
"It's complicated," Logan said, pulling aer cap over aer eyes. "And that's that."
Bill wasn't deterred though. "Why don't you catch your own Pokemon, though? You obviously have the space!"
Logan froze in the street. Come to think of it..."Mux? I didn't say something bad, did I?" Bill asked, his blue eyes shining with worry.
A chuckle escaped from aer lips. "Not at all, Bill. In fact, you just gave me a brilliant idea to get out of stealing Pokemon."
Bill smiled. "Really?"
"Yeah. I think, rather than stealing Pokemon, I'll catch them," Logan said, pulling out an empty Pokeball and holding it up so they could see through the translucent top. "Yeah, I'll never have to steal Pokemon again."
"You better not," Joey snapped. "'Cause our Gym Leader would mess you up if she found out you were here!"
Logan bit back a retort. "How about you guys ask Erika if you can practice in her Gym? My partner and I will be back out on Route 7 tonight, and I don't want to run into you boys again, and not just because you would have your Pokemon back completely healthy."
Joey squinted. "Oh yeah? What's the other reason?"
"Because my partner will know I lied and likely force me to take your Pokemon again, this time for good," Logan said, serious. "And I don't want that any more than you."
Joey scoffed. "Why don't I believe you?"
Logan shrugged. "How'm I supposed to know? I'm not a mind reader, kid."
Bill pointed ahead. "There's the Pokemon Center, dead ahead. You don't have to keep going, we can handle it from here."
Logan nodded, and stuck out aer hand. "Well, I wish we could have met under different circumstances. I'm glad you two are okay, though."
Joey just ran off without another word. Bill took aer hand and shook it once. "I'll make sure Joey doesn't go out for a day or two without someone having his back."
"Good to know," Logan said. "Take care, Bill."
Bill smiled and walked to the Pokemon Center, but before he went in, he turned around and waved. Logan chuckled and waved back. Then ae turned to look at the Game Corner, and sighed. Ae knew Wilder would be waiting for aer outside the doors, and ae would get scolded for being careless. Plus, the two of them would be staying up half the night.
Logan rolled aer eyes and skulked to the came corner, making sure to look appropriately sullen. Wilder glanced over when he saw aer, and glowered when he saw the look on aer face. "Don't tell me you didn't find them?!"
"'Kay. I won't," Logan said, the corner of aer lips twitching up momentarily.
Wilder groaned. "Right. We're going inside to get sleeping bags, night-vision goggles, and appropriate snacks and beverages."
"What about Pokeballs?" Logan asked.
Wilder looked at aer like ae had gone crazy. "What?"
"You know, in case we don't find a Trainer, we could at least catch something?"
"It'd be something hopelessly low-level, though, with your Scyther being weak as he is."
"A little time in our base brawling and they'd strengthen up in no time," Logan dismissed. "You get it? It's a back-up. Not something we have to do."
"Or something we even want to do," Wilder pointed out. "I'd much prefer stealing Pokemon."
"Yeah I know," Logan said, clipped. Wilder ignored aer tone. "But seriously, they could be useful. Besides, you just have Ratticate. Wouldn't you feel a little better having a second Pokemon, just in case she is incapacitated?"
Wilder chewed on his lip. "That means finding at least 3 Pokemon, kid. Are you sure you're up for that?"
Logan nodded. "Yeah. I wouldn't have offered if I weren't up for the job."
Wilder sighed. "Right. If you can snag the Pokeballs, then I'll get everything else we'll need."
Ae nodded seriously. "Leave it to me."
They walked in and nodded to the man in the back of the Game Corner who was guarding the Employees Only section of the building. Once downstairs they separated. Logan knew exactly where Giovanni had ordered the Pokeballs be kept, and glided through the halls to aer destination. Ae was lucky. Ae caught the room between guard shifts.
Logan walked in the room like ae belonged there and flicked on the lights. Rows upon rows of Pokeballs lined the shelves in this tiny room, of all different types. Ae grabbed 4 basic Pokeballs and walked out, turned off the lights, and closed the door, storing the Pokeballs on aer belt. No one would think to rifle through another person's stash of stolen Pokemon.
Wilder ran into them, quite literally, as the two of them approached the steps from opposite directions. "Watch it!" Wilder snapped.
"You watch it!" Logan snarled. "I'm the one with the more important items that the boss would kill us for if we broke!"
Wilder blinked at aer as he picked up their stuff. "You been practicing your evil face, kid?"
Logan smirked. "Since I can remember."
Wilder chuckled. "Come on, let's go. I can give you a few pointers on the way."
ns 15.158.61.20da2
