It didn’t take as long as I had expected for Officer Jenny to return from the raid. Which I suppose was a good thing, or at least better than her taking longer than expected. As much confidence as I had in Officer Jenny’s capabilities as a trainer and officer of the law, I would prefer Team Rocket to escape than see Officer Jenny and her compatriots injured in a battle.

She came in fast, riding an extremely cool-looking fusion of absol and arcanine, hopping off and returning the massive doggo before she even touched the ground. She first checked in with those officers manning the temporary headquarters, spending ten minutes speaking with different people and then talking into a radio. But after that, she turned my way with a wave and a smile.

“How was it? Did you find it?” I asked.

“Yeah, followed your directions no problem. Had to widen the path connecting their caverns to the mine to get everyone through, but we had the pokemon for the job.”

“Was anyone still there? Did you catch them?”

She gave me a calculating look. “Do you really want to know? You aren’t involved in this anymore, and it’s not something you should have to worry about.”

I swallowed, considering for a moment before firming my resolve. “I’d like to know, if that’s okay. Even if there’s nothing I can do, and knowing makes me lose some sleep…ignorance would be even worse.”

Jenny looked at me for another second before giving a sharp nod. “We weren’t able to catch them. By the time we got there, everyone and everything was gone — though they left more behind than I’m used to seeing in an abandoned Rocket hideout. They must have packed in a hurry, so I’m hopeful we’ll find some clues to track them down. But enough about that! It looks like you had some success of your own while we were gone,” she said with a pointed glance to where I had three pokeballs hanging from my belt.

I returned her smile. “Yep! Sableye decided to join me, along with another guy I met outside of town. Want to meet them?”

“Of course! Though I will say, I’m a bit surprised you chose to keep the sableye. They’re not the easiest pokemon to raise.”

“Nah, I’m from Lavender Town and my starter is a mimikyu. Ghost pokemon don’t bother me.”

Officer Jenny stared at me for a moment before releasing a ladylike giggle, followed by a very un-ladylike snort. “I’m sorry. That’s an admirable attitude to have, and I wish more younger people weren’t as prejudiced against certain types. It’s just…I was talking about sableye’s diet, not his typing.”

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

I paused before releasing the pokemon on my belt, deciding to hear out Officer Jenny first. “…his diet?”

“Oh, you don’t know?” she asked, and then winced when I shook my head. “Well, sableye is one of the more expensive pokemon to keep properly fed. Many of their nutrients can come from normal pokechow, but they’ve got a unique requirement of crystals as well.”

“Crystals?”

“Yeah. Any type of crystals will keep them healthy, so even salt is good enough for a pet sableye. The problem is that the ingested crystals increase their defenses, so for a battling sableye, the harder the crystals they eat, the better.”

“…and the hardest crystals…”

“Are diamonds, yes. Which is why so few battlers use sableyes, aside from their rarity. A sableye’s optimal diet is not cheap.”

I drooped in place, suddenly aware of my practically non-existent savings.

“Hey, don’t worry,” Officer Jenny said consolingly, patting me on the shoulder. “There are cheaper options too that are almost as good. Quartz is plenty hard, if I’m remembering right. And it’s not like he has to eat the expensive or fancy stuff, either; uncut and rough crystals will work just as well, so maybe you’ll be able to strike a deal with a jeweler or some mining operations or something. Plus, it’s not like you’re starting from scratch. You’ve got that pocket full of diamonds; with some rationing, that’ll last you at least a week.”

I looked up at her with surprise. “I get to keep them? I assumed you would confiscate them…aren’t they evidence or something?”

She winked at me. “Consider it a reward for reporting a Team Rocket hideout. A finder’s fee. We’ve already found more than what’s in your pocket left behind in the caves, so it’s not like we’ll miss it.”

“Thanks!” I said enthusiastically. My future financial issues weren’t solved, not by a long shot, but an extra week before I’d need to start draining my bank account to feed sableye was a huge help. Before setting out on my journey, I’d allocated a portion of my saved funds for food and supplies for any pokemon I might catch along the way, but I hadn’t factored in one of my pokemon needing literal diamonds as part of their optimal diet.

“Oh, before I forget,” Officer Jenny said. “Officer Bragg will be leaving for Fuschia with the Tropius in a few minutes. You’re welcome to join them, or there will be some others making the trip over the next few days, too. Or you can make your own way, of course, if you like.”

“I’ll take you up on that. The ride today, that is,” I said. The Merraga doctor had reported that, despite sableye’s extensive smaller injuries that he’d healed, his biggest issue was malnutrition. But he’d failed to mention any of sableye’s special dietary needs — which made me wonder what else he might have missed or forgotten. The sooner I could get my pokemon checked out at a full pokemon center, the better.

“Well, then I’ll leave you with Officer Bragg. And, once again, thank you for your help against Team Rocket today.”

“I didn’t exactly do much…”

“I disagree. You would be surprised by how many people wouldn’t even take the time to give us a call after stumbling across Rocket activity, much less stick around to make sure the investigating officer believes your account. If more people acted like you, maybe we could save more of the pokemon Team Rocket abuses…” she shook her head before smiling at me one last time. “Not that I expect you to get any further involved with Team Rocket. If I hear from you again, I want it to be because you’ve qualified for the pokemon championships, not because of any more criminal shenanigans.”

“I’ll do my best.”