Pokémon: Out of the Woods | A Galar, Unova & Sinnoh Fanfiction

Chapter 47: Evidence

Reira was still awake. Zane, her husband, sat cross-legged beside her on the bed. The pizza they ordered had long gone cold, but Zane kept nibbling at it regardless. She shook her head as she examined a copy of the photo of Volo with his Togepi. She had several more copies that she cut Togepi out of to stack them up beside him.

'No... he's not as little we assumed he is at all. If Togepi were the same height then as they are now – 1'00" – Volo must be about 6'03".'

'He's kinda chonky, too.'

'...Chonky?'

'I don't mean he's fat... he's just... I don't know... I guess he walked a lot. And fought a lot. He's... well-built.'

'I knew what you meant! It just seems...'

She giggled for the first time since Zane arrived.

'It's hilarious to hear a man born in 1786 referred to as "chonky."'

'But he is! I was imagining this really little scrawny dude, but look at that chonky tonk piano!'

Their laughter didn't last long, or at least Reira didn't think it would when her phone rang and she saw Lien's name.

'Reira! I found him! A million police stations later, I found him!'

'Oh?'

'He was arrested in Ecruteak City in 1820!'

'...Well, that blasts my theory out of the water... I was convinced he came straight here after losing to Akari. Does it mention how he escaped?'

'He didn't escape... they only held him overnight until his "companion" paid the P850 fine.'

'He was only fined P850 for almost causing the apocalypse?!'

'Well, it is, like, P85,000 today... but no! No, no! He wasn't arrested for that... he was arrested for kicking over a wedding cake.'

Reira's mouth opened and closed. Zane couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. Once he did, Reira couldn't help it, either.

'Sorry. Sorry! Zane called him "chonky" and I was already trying not to laugh... but now our "chonky boi" has gone and kicked over a wedding cake in 1820.'

'It is kind of ridiculous... but, I mean, I couldn't stop laughing at the Arceus costume when I saw it, but it doesn't matter how stupid he is... he's still super dangerous...'

'What was the actual charge?'

'"Disruption of public order" and "drunk in public."'

Someone knocked on the door. Zane stood to squint through the peephole.

'It's Hilbert.'

'Oh... one moment, Lien.'

'It's OK. I told you everything. It's not that exciting. But it does prove he was still around in 1820. I'll talk to you later.'

'OK. Bai-bai.'

Reira peered around the door to ensure it wasn't someone pretending to be Hilbert, but she knew immediately from his horrified expression that it was indeed him. There was no colour left in his face. He held a piece of Togepi-print paper.

'S-sorry to bother you, Reira... but... Dialga came back... with a letter from Volo...'

Zane looked at his pet Bidoof. They both shook their heads. Hilbert looked even more mortified when Reira dug out a pair of sterile gloves to take the letter.

'Sorry... we already touched it without thinking...'

'Of course. It's no problem. I just don't want even more fingerprints on it.'