Naturally, the police arrived once again after the events of the night, unfortunately well after the culprit had made their escape. Instead of a single officer, though, this time it was a trio of serious-looking guys that all looked like they wanted to be the one to play 'bad cop' in the stereotypical movie interrogation room scene. I mean, really, every last one was a buff guy that looked like he wrestled Graveller for fun and spent weekends brooding in dimly lit corners of dive bars daring someone to make a wrong move. Alright, that could just be me letting my imagination run wild, I'm sure they were very normal police officers that just happened to look like irate bodybuilders.

Still being held in Mable's arms, which I was honestly quite grateful for as I hadn't really calmed down properly even by the time the police arrived, I had a front-row seat to the goings on of the aftermath. Pictures were taken of the broken out windows, the talon marks on the ground, the... fragments of Pokéball that lay scattered around the area. Well, shoot, I hope that doesn't lead to any pointed questions. I couldn't even begin to explain my way out of that one. For once, my inability to talk to humans might be a bit of a boon. I'd never been a very good liar, and I doubted that had changed with my transformation into a Ditto.

"And you're sure you've never seen this Trainer before today? It seems a little odd that someone would immediately escalate from something as small as a fine and a mandatory series of lectures about the importance of not disrupting Pokémon breeding cycles and nesting habitats then going straight into breaking-and-entering and attempted Pokémon kidnapping." One of the officers was speaking with Mable around the back of the house, in sight of the scene of the crime, while the second took pictures of everything and the third escorted a Growlithe on patrol around the area. The Growlithe seemed to be sniffing the ground, the air, trying to catch a scent of the intruder.

Mable shook her head emphatically, "Not before today, no. I admit, I went off on him a little bit because of the danger he brought to my little Pokémon sanctuary, but aside from that I've got no idea why they would turn around and go to such extreme lengths." As much as Mable wanted to look calm and serious, I knew she was rattled from the experience. It was hard to hide the fact you were trembling from someone you were holding. She put on a strong face about it, though. "Nothing like this has ever happened around here before."

The police officer wrote down something in a little flip-open notepad, before tapping his pen against it and taking on an expression of being lost in thought. "It's no big secret to tell you, especially as you've been rather directly affected by it, but we've been seeing a very strange increase in crime all over the Kalos region, recently. In almost every case, the perpetrators will make a move, and then make an escape on a flying-type Pokémon. Now, that in and of itself isn't too unusual, flying away is one of the better ways to try and avoid leaving a trail, obviously. The issue is that multiple fights have broken out in the middle of these crimes, and every time it has involved not a single non-flying-type Pokémon. We're worried this may be some form of organized crime ring, a division of one of the... 'Teams', or worse. A completely new organization."

The police officer had laced the word 'teams' with so much disdain that it at least told me that Team Rocket and their ilk were still around in this world. Lovely. "Regardless, it's merely speculation for the time being, as the crimes have been almost randomly spread around the region. The only thing that really hints at coordination is just how evenly spread the instances have been. Never two in the same area on the same day, and the lack of a coincidental overlap grows more and more suspicious by the day." Shaking his head, the man let out a heavy sigh. "Anyway, I'm sorry that this is taking up so much of your time. I'm sure you just want to be able to get back to sleep. Just a last thing to go over, and I won't keep you any longer. Oh, and don't worry, we'll be keeping an officer on-scene tonight- with your permission, of course- in order to ensure that fellow really stays gone."

Tension eased out of Mable's figure at that remark, and she hurriedly professed both her agreement and her thanks, which the officer waived away readily. "Just doing the job, Ma'am. Now unfortunately the only witness we have on hand is a Pokémon, however given that the Pokémon in question is a Ditto, there's more room for taking them into consideration as evidence. Could you please instruct your Ditto to transform into a mimic of the thief? You said earlier that your Ditto indicated it was a man with goggles who broke in and that you strongly believed it to be the same man as earlier today. It's not hard to believe, however it still could be an entirely different man who happened to use bird Pokémon and wear goggles. They aren't an uncommon accessory for fliers. Having Ditto transform into the thief will let us compare what the results are to the information we have on the man earlier. With a strong enough resemblance, it can be a good piece of evidence."

Wait, what? He was asking me to transform into a person? … Wait, I can do that!? I had been so focused on my future hopes of travelling and battling that I hadn't considered transforming into anything but Pokémon at all! And... shoot, how good of a look did I get at that guy? If he got away because I hadn't been taking in the details, I'd be furious with myself. Mable set me down on the ground, and nodded in my direction. "Go on, Ditto, give it your best shot, alright?" She flashed me a smile, as if trying to take the pressure of the moment away, but even then I knew she wanted to see me get this guy in proper trouble too.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Taking a deep breath, I focused. A little taller than Mable, but shorter than the police officer. Hard to pin down. Maybe like six-foot-tall even? That felt about right. Goggles, plain brown leather and clear lenses, that stood out the most. Green eyes behind the goggles, and short, but not quite buzz-cut brown hair. Slightly tanned skin, with a clear beginnings of sunburn on his face, like he spent too much time flying around in direct sunlight. Lanky build, seemingly not very muscular. A black shirt and brown leather vest, a single big glove on the left hand that reminded me of a falconer, and denim jeans.

Oh, apparently I can also manage to do clothes when I'm turning into a human? Well, that's useful to know, but then why couldn't I make a leek when I transformed into Farfetch'd? Man, Ditto are weirdly inconsistent. Or had I just gotten better at transforming? The end result of my efforts were rather plain-looking, honestly. If I had seen him in a crowd instead of him being one of the like, roughly a dozen or so humans I'd ever met since coming to this world, I might not even be able to remember him at all. I stood there, an open expression of amazement on my face as I stared down at my hands. The thief's hands? No, this is going to get confusing. For the sake of my sanity, I transformed and they're my hands while I'm transformed. Gosh it felt so good to have fingers again. I just stood there flexing my hands, looking over myself, until the officer politely cleared his throat to get me to look at him, so he could evaluate the transformation.

"Yeah. That matches the man who was causing trouble here earlier. A man by the name of Tristan Hawke, and he has been a licensed trainer for several years now, but never made any moves to take on the professional circuit or gym challenges. That's usually one of the first signs we look for, when we keep an eye out for trainers engaged in criminal activity. A lack of willingness to show their team and tricks in the public eye, where it could be traced back to them. It's likely that this isn't the first time he's done something like this... just the first time he's been caught." The officer jotted down a few more short notes on his notepad, then flipped it closed and tucked it into his pocket. "While I won't get into the details, I can assure you that we will be putting forth every effort into tracking him down. We won't leave a trainer who acts in such a fashion remain a potential danger to the public. Is there anything else to add?"

"Can you tell me if you find him?" I asked, with my eyes narrowing into an angry glare. Or... tried to. 'Ditto Dit-dit To Ditto!' Arceus, you really had to make things difficult on me, didn't you? I can turn into a human, but I still can't talk? I wanted to scream in frustration. The officer struggled not to let a smile ease onto his features at my antics, or possibly at the sight of the would-be criminal spouting the callings of a Ditto like a deranged madman. "You, ah. Want to translate that for me, Ma'am?" He joked, likely trying to lighten the mood.

Mable too had a quirk of upturn to her lips, so at least some good came from my inability to communicate properly. "Oh, I have no idea, but likely something along the lines of thanking you for your help, officer." She lifted a hand as if to pat me atop the head by reflex, but then realized I was currently both taller than her, and transformed into a human. "Erm, Ditto, you can stop now?" Frustrated, I agreed, there was little point to keeping this transformation going for the time being. I'd experiment more with transforming into a human later. Once I turned back to normal, the officer tore off a slip of paper and handed it to Mable. A report of some kind, probably?

The other officers reconvened on our location, the Growlithe bounding forward and sniffing at me inquisitively. I rather liked the fiery puppy-dog Pokémon, so I didn't mind, until I got a face full of dog drool smeared over me as it began to lick at my face. All I could do was ineffectually bat at it with my short arms before one of the officers let out a sharp whistle. The Growlithe stepped back and sat down alongside their left leg, attentive and serious again. I eyeballed the Growlithe, and decided it wasn't worth making a fuss. I did make sure to give them a rather thorough examination, though. This was my chance to get access to a fire-type Pokémon and given how most of the world wasn't spontaneously breaking out into wildfires, I had to imagine they were rather rare.

I lost myself in my own thoughts as Mable wrapped up dealing with the police. The only thing that really stuck out to me was that the officer with the Growlithe was going to be the one remaining on guard for the time being. I was busy pondering the implications of realizing I could transform into a human. Could I... could I transform into what I had looked like in my last life? Play my cards right, and maybe I could have at least glimpses of the life I used to have here in the Pokémon world? If I turned into anyone else, there was always a risk of getting caught as an impersonator, but turning into who I used to be, well... there was no 'other side' to get me caught. A blank slate.

Could I register as a trainer and simply pretend that I couldn't talk? The whole strong, silent protagonist always seemed to work for Red. Actions could speak louder than words, and I could simply write down anything of particular importance or handle the appropriate paperwork. Maybe I could learn telepathy from a psychic-type Pokémon and try to pass myself off as a psychic trainer, like Sabrina? There would be risks if I was ever caught, in either sense of the word, but I was hopeful I could fabricate a reasonable-sounding cover story... and who goes around throwing Pokéballs at other trainers, anyway? I'd have to get a whole lot better at transforming, to the point where I could spend most of the day in my 'disguised' state, but...

The idea wouldn't leave my head, even after Mable beckoned me to follow her into the house. We moved the fluffy bed-spot from the kitchen and into the corner of Mable's room, which I found out had been tucked away in a far corner from the break-in. Bibarel already had another bed in there, so we both collapsed into our respective spots as Mable got back in her own bed. The company of others went a long way to feeling comfortable after a stressful night. I drifted off into a slumber of adventure and action, the thought of being the very best, like no one ever was, drifting through my dreams. Hopefully this time I'd be able to sleep until the sun came up.