Loyalties (My Hero Academia x Pokémon Go book 2)

12 - Footprints

"... I have made progress."

Tokoyami pulled Tsu off the busy main sidewalk and into a small grove of trees where they wouldn't be seen. They squatted behind a bush.
"What's going on?" asked Tsu, "What did you find?"
"I was walking through the trees to meet up with you when I heard a rustling in the canopy. Dark Shadow went up to investigate, and that caused the thing to scare and go flying. I think this Pokémon was what we have been looking for."
"Really?" said Tsu, "Did you get a good look at it?"
"No," said Tokoyami, "but I did get this."
He showed Tsu the photo with the golden wing.
"Interesting, ribbit. That could be it," said Tsu.
"And," said Tokoyami, "after it flew away, this came drifting down from the trees."
He held up the shiny red tipped gold feather.
"Ooo," said Tsu, taking the feather and touching the edge with a finger, "did you compare it to the other one we found? It looks very similar. It even has the same feel."
She ran her finger along the edge again. Tokoyami pulled the other feather out of his backpack and held it up next to the one Tsu was holding. They looked exactly the same, except for the red tipping on one.
"Yep, it's definitely the same," said Tsu.
"Yes," said Tokoyami, "and that Pokémon was in the city. It can't have gotten too far without being spotted. Unless it has a way to move around for large distances without being seen. It's already very illusive as it is."
"That would make sense," said Tsu, "especially with how big it looked. But that still doesn't mean it left the city. It could still be here."
"Yes," said Tokoyami, "I believe the best course of action is to keep investigating. This Pokémon has stayed here this long, and based on the gossip you heard, it's been spotted before, so I'm not too worried. We can still find it."
"Yea!" said Tsu, "Let's go ribbit!"
So they got up from behind the bush and went back to the path to continue their investigation.

***

A bit later, they had walked a good deal, and somehow made it to the koi pond without realizing where they were going. They walked along the bank, careful not to step in the spots of soft mud, and watched the fish. Mudkip hopped along the bank, and Tsu even caught a shiny. As they were taking their much needed breather, Tsu spotted someone they knew.
"Look!" she cried, "There's Momo and Jiro! Let's go say hi!"
Tokoyami nodded and they walked over to the bench where their friends were sitting.
"Momo, Jiro, hello kero," greeted Tsu.
The girls looked up.
"Oh, hey you guys!" said Momo, smiling.
Tsu smiled back, and Tokoyami gave a friendly nod.
"So, what have you guys been up to?" asked Jiro, patting the bench beside her.
They sat down and the four chatted for a little while about various things, Tsu and Tokoyami being careful to keep their little quest a secret for the time being. Jiro had begun to talk about a pesky Natu that had chased her around the park the week before when a familiar voice cut in.
"Hey guys!! Whatcha up to?"
They looked up to see Mina Ashido standing there with a bright smile on her face and her Goomy on her shoulder. She was holding her backpack strap with one hand, the other hand clamped tightly around the wrist of none other than Shoto Todoroki, who was staring distractedly at a lady try to put a leash on her Lillipup. Mina had a strange bond to the red and white haired boy that none of them quite understood. All they knew was that they were together a lot.
"Hello Mina, kero," said Tsu, smiling at her.
The others greeted her as well.
"Hold on, I'll be right back to talk, just a second, Come ON Todoroki!"
"I'm coming I'm coming," said Todoroki, allowing himself to be dragged towards the nearest Pokéstop, which they then spun and knelt to extract their items from the slot while the others watched.
Once they were back they joined in the chatter, Todoroki's distracted commentary making them all laugh. Eventually Tsu tugged on the edge of Tokoyami's poncho and give him a look signifying that they should go and keep investigating. They bid farewell to their friends and walked away from the koi pond. They were walking along when Tsu spotted something to the side of the path and gasped. There, in the mud in on a little path between the trees, was a large footprint. It appeared to be that of a bird Pokémon, but one bigger than most others they had seen. Big enough to be a Legendary's. The print had three long toes forking out from it the front and one pointing straight out in the back. Claw marks were pierced deep into the mud at the tip of each toe. The thing must have had huge claws that sank in and made holes in the mud with each step. Scattered in the mud next to the footprint were two feathers. One gold, one red with gold at the base. Both teens jumped into action. This was it! More evidence. Today had really gotten the ball rolling on their investigation. Tsu knelt down to pick up the feathers, wiping the mud of as best she could, while Tokoyami took photos of the print from every possible angle. Once they were done, they used a stick to smear the mud, destroying the print, and the evidence. Until they knew more, this would remain their big secret.

Sorry chapters have been a bit short. Tomorrow's will be longer! Thank you for reading. <3