Jewel of the Air | Eight

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Jewel of the Air

Eight
Robbery

Out the window, the sun’s soft rays had only just broken the hazy morning. I walked to the window and looked out at the town. It was a nice town, substantially bigger than Sunset Town, but still small enough to feel like a town. Sapphire had said that since the town had gotten it’s gym, the growth was rapidly increasing, even more so since the gym had its very own Articuno tail.

“Thinking about Sapphire again?” I nodded. I knew which Sapphire Shelly was talking about.

“I wish we hadn’t let him go. He’s so young. He doesn’t know anything about trainers, what if he picked the wrong one? What if he ended up with someone who would shock him unconscious? What if he was...”

“Calm down, Snowfall. It’s okay. He’s a smart bird, a little ignorant, but smart. He’ll be fine. If he did end up with the wrong guy, then he’s got the brains to escape. He knows the sprayed ice beam, he can get out, easy as.”

I sighed. “I know, it’s just...”

A splitting scream shattered the still morning light.

Shelly glanced at me. “Sapphire,” she said simply, and ran for the door. All Sapphire’s other Pokémon were now wide awake. They followed Shelly and me through the door and into the opposite room, where Sapphire slept.

Sapphire was on her bed, weeping. Scarlet already had an arm around her.

“What’s up?” she asked sympathetically.

Sapphire, not raising her head, pointed to her chest of drawers on the other side of the room. We all gasped. On the drawers, in front of the mirror, was a tiny, dark blue velvet box. This was where Sapphire kept her necklace when she wasn’t wearing it, which was almost never, only when she was sleeping.

But this morning, the box was empty. There was no sapphire necklace.

“My... mother gave me... that necklace... just before she... she...” Sapphire fell back on the bed and sobbed.

“Can’t you do anything?” I asked her, “we found our egg, how’s a stone any different?”

Sapphire sniffed and sat up. “I’ll report it to the cops, after that, we can’t do a thing.”

“Then cheer up and let’s get down there!” cried Shelly.

Sapphire sniffed and smiled. “They don’t allow Pokémon in the cop shop, so you guys’ll have to stay here and occupy yourselves. I’ll be back soon. Now if you don’t mind, I need to change.”

So the ten of us exited the room and headed for the training area, which was much bigger than her old one, with more rocks, tree stumps and targets than ever. A thought shot through my mind.

“What about my tail?” I hissed to Glacier.

“What about it? It’s growing very nicely Snowfall,” he replied coolly.

“No, I mean my old tail. What if that’s been stolen too.”

Glacier stopped looking thoughtful and a bit worried. He nodded slowly. “You’ve got a point there, Snowfall, I just hope you’re wrong.”

“So do I. Should I go and check it out now?”

“Go for it. Take Shelly too; she can open doors.”

I could see something was wrong even when I had just cleared the roof of the house. The dusty morning sunlight wasn’t glinting off the glass roof. As I glided closer, I could easily see why. Shelly gasped. The glass was shattered. Shards of glass stuck dangerously out of the walls.

I spilled the air from my wings and dropped slowly into the wreckage of the gym. Glass and rocks lay everywhere. I had no idea as to where the rocks came from, but that was certainly what broke the glass. I looked to the wall where the Articuno was painted, and felt like I was going to faint.

I wasn’t exactly surprised, but it was a shock all the same. Now that Articuno really was me. It was tailess. I dropped to my knees and stared up at the Articuno, gliding proudly over the mountains. Whoever did this, whoever destroyed the gym and stole my tail and Sapphire’s sapphire, was going to pay.

“We need to tell Sapphire,” stated Shelly, digging her heels lightly into my sides, returning me to reality.

I stood up, opened my wings and took off into the crisp morning air, a determined look on my face.

When we arrived back at the house, Sapphire was just getting ready to leave.

”My tail’s been stolen too,” I said simply, no emotion showing in my voice.

Sapphire froze. “You’re not serious.”

Shelly nodded gravely at her. “Deadly.”

Sapphire ran for the door and tore over to the gym, swinging the door open to inspect the damage. I shot after her, Shelly on my back. Her reaction was different to mine. She stood, her white knuckled hand still on the door handle, her teeth bared, brow fully lowered and her deep blue eyes narrowed and stormy. She whisked around, slammed the door and stormed past us.

“Come on guys,” she snarled, “You’re witnesses.”

Seven | Nine