The Great Bulk Part 7.5: Research

Brainstorming

Getting out of the Great Thirsty was no easy feat, but I was taught by one of the best. As I began to travel out of it and towards the Midlands, my mind began to replay snippets of the struggles I had against that Meditite and her partner – if the newspaper I read about the Shah's downfall was correct, they were “Team Yin-Yang”. It presented them as heroes, but I could read inbetween the lines - they were so callous that they threw multiple dozens of Pokemon into a meat grinder of a fight for a shot at fourty grand. It was only luck that bailed them out of their half-baked plan, but what I seen painted a vivid enough picture: They didn't care whose lives they ruined or lost, as long as they got their payday. It was no wonder they teamed up with a snitch.

I've seen very little of what Makuhita could do, but he seemed to be the straightforward one of the duo. Judging by the injuries both he had before I ended his fight, he was likely as stubborn as my old boss was. By the position they were in, he was either mainly a grappler, or had such techniques in his repitoire.

“Asana”, however, was an anomaly. I remembered the first time I encountered her, before she gained her scar – she knew where I was, without hardly even looking. My suspicions about her abnormality were only confirmed by how she reacted to my shots the second time around. Judging by her reactions, she knew when I was about to fire, before a Bubble Beam was even shot. I'd chalk it up to Detect or a similar move, but it didn't explain how she seen right through my Vanish Seed. I had my doubts she could detect me through hearing me alone, as she wasn't a canine or feline Pokemon, so with the evidence before me, I could only come to one conclusion.

I hated to admit it, but she had a supernatural ability of some sort. It most likely had to do with her sight, although I'd need more data to confirm it. Mere theories weren't enough – we were equally matched in combat, so any information I could procure would be invaluable in tipping the scales. I spent most of my time leaving the Thirsty Desert trying to figure out where I could find it. It was only when I finally left it that an idea came to me.

Magnezone and Magneton were known for their meticulous recordkeeping when it came to both criminals and those that detain them. Breaking into the Sheriff's office wouldn't be an easy feat, but it could provide me with priceless knowledge on my quarry. It'd take a few more days to reach my destination, but it didn't matter. Fortune favors the bold and patient.

A Bold and Unusual Heist

I arrived at the dead of night, when most Pokemon were asleep. I checked my inventory again, to make sure everything was there. My main bag was empty, since I would need to carry as much pilfered documents as I could, but I had a small, secondary satchel with a few items in case I got caught. There were a few Orans, a Vanish Seed, and a Sleep Seed, alongside a Sneak Scarf. I swapped my Mach Ribbon out for it, and snuck inside the building. To my surprise, there weren't any guards. Heck, there was no opposition whatsoever. Did the Pokemon running this place not realize the goldmine of data they were sitting upon?

What if this was a trap? What if the illusion of no officers patrolling was meant to instill a false sense of security? Keeping this in mind, I took note of any potential escape routes and navigated through the facility further, until finally, I reached the jackpot.

I found their archive. I entered it, and was floored by its sheer size. It was easily the largest room in the entire building, filing cabinets covering what felt like every square inch of the area. I looked around, and deciphered a few important details.

There were four main sections – files on those who've worked with Magnezone and his associates, dossiers on criminals, case reports, and paperwork, which was the biggest section of all. However, I wasn't after that.

I walked on over to the area where files pertaining to those who've benefitted the lawbringers, and skimmed through numerous folders. Thankfully, it was sorted alphabetically – Asana's file was towards the beginning of the list, so I grabbed it first. Makuhita was a bit more tricky to find, as he was, to my knowledge, nameless and there were at least three others of his kind who have files. Knowing that he has only been active for at least three months, I picked the folder that felt the lightest, and skimmed it through. My hunch was correct.

Most would've considered their heist completed at this point and have left, but that was a foolish notion. It would take more work to find the case files related to the bounties Team Yin-Yang claimed, but they could provide valuable information for me – their general tactics, how they might act in certain situations, and so on. I made my way to where such documents were stored, and noted that they were sorted by date. That would make things slightly easier.

I knew that time was of the essence. If there were others within the building, they could find me. I stuffed as many folders as I could within my bag. When I was just about done, I heard the door open. I put a hand inside my secondary satchel, as the unwelcome guest came into view.

It was Deputy Magneton, hauling a metal case filled with documents on one of his magnets. He promptly dropped it, looking perplexed. ”WHY IN THE WORLD IS SOMEONE ROBBING MY BOSS'S ARCHIVES?” He asked, his three eyes examining further. ”TARGET IDENTIFIED. LOMBRE OF TEAM VERDANT, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS INTRUSION?” He sounded more confused than hostile, but I knew he was ready to fight – I could see sparks beginning to build up around him.

“I'm sorry for the intrusion, officer, but you had a few files I need for feature endeavours,” I began to explain. “I admire how well-organized these documents all are – it made my job easy. I won't wreck this place with a battle, I assure you. I've got something far more efficient in mind.” I retrieved a Sleep Seed from my satchel and threw it at Magneton, causing the Deputy to fall asleep. Knowing how overworked Magnezone and his cronies were, he probably needed the nap.

I ate the Vanish Seed I had stored, and made my way out of the building, the knowledge I gleaned of the building's layout having come in handy. As it turned out, they hardly guarded their files at all – they most likely thought criminals wouldn't be interested in stealing something they saw as “worthless”, but then again, I recalled what Cacturne told me.

“You're not like any other bandit I seen,” he said during our time together. ”The loot's only secondary to ya. You care more about plannin', and seein' your work come to fruition. Ya do it because ya see the craft as the most important thing above all; above fame and riches.”

He was right. I couldn't care less about what a Pokemon had. I had actual power now, and I could use it to become something more than a cowering salesman. I don't know what I'd do after I avenge Cacturne, but the sky was the limit. However, now was not the time for self-reflection. I fled to a safe place, and began to look through the files I pilfered.

Findings

I started my research by looking through Makuhita's file. There was a great void of data in regards to him. I might've beaten him with a single Energy Ball the first time, but that was only when he didn't expect it. If he was always travelling with Asana, I needed to know any weak points he may have.

There was data mentioning the outlaws he captured with Asana and their team's formation, but there was a distinct void when it came to his background. A few lines in the document only raised more questions:

”Subject was found by Asana on a caravan route that ran through the Thirsty Desert. Subject claims to have amnesia, but when pressed, gives multiple conflicting accounts as to how such an event took place. Deputy Magneton has attempted to confront the subject on at least three occasions regarding these discrepencies, only for him to change his story mid-argument. While this would normally be a cause for alarm, the subject has only done stellar work and is otherwise a model citizen.”

Makuhita clearly had something to hide, and was terrible at it. I would have said he was using Asana, if not for the fact that he was the one who outed them as being hired by Merry. He was either too dim-witted or rash to be a mastermind.

That brought naturally brought me to Asana's file. She had more data than her partner – she had been working the caravans for a few years and quit at a time I recognized as shortly after my first encounter with her. She was a particularly well-liked asset due to her ability to sense “Aura”, allowing her to detect danger from afar. Was this it? Was this her secret?

I do recall the term “Aura” being thrown around once or twice in my life, but purely as an ability that Riolu and Lucario were capable of. I had no idea that a Meditite could use it as well. I decided to look through the numerous case folders in an attempt to find more details regarding her capabilities.

I skimmed through them all, and disgarded the ones where I saw no mention of Makuhita or Asana. I then examined the papers about their cases more thoroughly, and began to notice a few details. Makuhita seemed to flip-flop from being an idiot to a decent strategist, although Asana was the brains as I had suspected. One detail in particular in a certain case caught my eye, though.

Team Yin-Yang had gone to a town named Redkiln to capture Thievul. I knew that particular outlaw's name – he was even more of a veteran in the business than Cacturne was, and I was surprised he was actually caught. Asana had apparently caught him trying to break into the house of an elderly couple, but had difficulty in detecting his “Aura” due to the Sneak Scarf he wore. This told me two important things.

The first is that “Aura” isn't an ability, but a thing; a force perhaps, that can be detected. The second was that Sneak Scarves could muffle whatever Asana uses to detect the presence of others, although it doesn't eradicate all traces outright. It wasn't foolproof, but it was better than having no countermeasures at all.

I also gleaned the identities of a number of allies she had. There were the two whose home Asana had guarded, a few former co-workers of hers, and most notably, Team Masquerade. They were moderately well-known, and I was surprised they even worked with them.

Perhaps I could use one of these Pokemon as leverage against her and her comrade. I jotted down all of my findings in my notebook and discarded all of the unneeded files. I had a job to do, and I was going to do it right.