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In case you haven't figured it out yet for those that actually read the story, we've been delving a little more into the secondary characters in the past few chapters. First, there was Lillian and Pearl, then Monte and Wily...so naturally we get to Jean and Rattler and find out what they're up to. There's more learning and perspective in this chapter, as we find out a few things from Jean...
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Chapter 6 Snakes in the Grass

"Human male, mid 40s, light jacket, carrying camera around neck..."

"Sev..."

"Human female, early 60s, sunhat and pearls..."

"...Seeev...."

"Human female, late 30s, with human boy under 10, accompanied by a Lillipup..."

"Sev..."

"...wait, have something.

"Ipe?"

"...human male, somewhere in the 20s, red and white jacket, hat, appears to have Pokeballs secured to belt. Suspected Trainer, initiating further obser---"

"Wow, you ARE snooping."

"WHAT!?"

"SEVIPE!?"

Jean ducked behind the log with overgrowth over it, not snatching his binoculars from the leveling-cloth bundle he had used to keep his wrists from getting scratched up, with Rattler following suit by going into a tight coil that was accompanied by some slight hissing from him, in two versions of that term I should say, partly squeezing a black box within his scaly body.

"Wh-what? How did you get THERE?" Jean exclaimed at us, bewildered.

"Viper!" Rattler said in equal tone.

"Ssasasaassaasa!"

"I just...tried not to be noisy?" I offered with a scratch to my neck as my lizard laughed upon my shoulders, a hand to his face.

I hadn't come out to the Gates in...well...a long time. While there were a lot of them in Berryton, and all secure thanks to the 'Haxorus Force', they were the gateway between Berryton and the surrounding forest, the rest of island, then the harbor that went to the rest of the world.

I...hadn't ever had the need to leave my hometown to be honest. Everything I think I needed was here.

But, I was interested to see what Jean was doing, since Monte had mentioned it, and also the pleasure of surprising him and Rattler---successfully I might add. Honestly, when we came upon the two, they were SO focused on what they were doing.

I held a finger to Sol's mouth, and he eventually did it himself as if to show he understood---or to indicate the same to me---and we just kind of stood a few feet away as they talked between each other, with Jean looking through the binoculars and Rattler partly coiled beside him, a laptop open on his body that Jean was typing on with his other hand...without even looking at the screen. Apparently, Rattler was checking his work as he typed to confirm the data they were getting, twisting his head over the top rim of the laptop to see the various entries.

"Honestly, as bad as a Haunter," Jean remarked, shaking his head and pulling leaves off his outfit as Rattler uncoiled beside him to equal height.

"Sorry," I said, partly sincere. Sol, on the other hand, was still snickering, getting a narrow look from Rattler. "Monte mentioned you were up here doing something...sounded interesting...but it just seems like you're spying on the people coming in heh."

"It's not spying," Jean replied, taking the black box---the laptop---from Rattler and checking to make sure it was working. With the bulk on that thing, surprised if a drop from a mountain would destroy it. Jean must have connections beyond just TMs...

"I'm running reconnaissance," he explained, tapping a few keys on the laptop.

"Sev," Rattler repeated.

Me and Sol looked at each other. We've heard that word before in our mystery movie marathons. Intriguing.

"For what?" I asked, for clarification, Sol raising a suspicious brow at the two before us.

"Every year, the crowds for the Mew celebration grow, even if just a little bit," Jean told us, bringing up a few windows on his laptop and gesturing for Rattler to turn it toward us. It looked like some kind of comparison graph with the lines rising. "Those who visit and actually see Mew start passing the idea of visiting to friends, family, and acquaintances, and even to people they may not know. Suffice to say, the chance of troublemakers climbs every year as well."

Me and Sol leaned in and looked as Jean tapped up a different set of windows, this showing some kind of chart. "Most are just people who want to find if the rumors of our town are true, out of curiosity," Jean explained, folding his arms and looking to the charts. "That's the highest one on there. Though, they take to our security and requirements with Pokemon in equal parts acceptance and distaste, the later of which can spawn troublemakers of various instances..."

Me and Sol looked to each other for a moment at that, remembering the tourists at the MMB.

"I'm sure you can remember the Wartortle incident?" he asked, looking at us now.

Sol made a confused face at that, looking to me for clarification. I actually had to think on that one for a few seconds. "Oh, right," I mumbled. Right, I wasn't THERE for the actual thing, but I did catch it on the news...that a tourist who came to a Pokemon-Center to have his Pokemon healed, had their Wartortle come out perfectly fine...albeit with a diaper taped on. The human it was with was pretty mad at this, ripping the diaper off and his Pokemon water-blasting police and a few street Pokemon.

Nobody was hurt, thankfully, though there were plenty of wet diapers that needed changing...

"Well that's benign to what could happen," Jean said in regard to my comment, pointing to the smaller block on the graph. "That's where the Trainers come in."

"Right, they have more Pokemon than normal people do," I agreed, nodding as I leaned back up.

Huh, that must feel strange to some people, that having six or more Pokemon at once wasn't really 'normal' here. As I said it, Sol slipped mostly out of my pack to drape around my shoulders, his diaper rustling against the back of my head. It felt kind of nice, having a cushion there.

Yep buddy, you're the only one I need.

"In one definition, yes," Jean shrugged, closing the laptop for a moment and setting it on the log. This allowed Rattler to uncoil a bit more, his partly hidden diaper rustling along with the grass.

"From what me and Rattler have seen, most Trainers have 'rules' they follow in some ways or another, but there are also those who are more..." Jean started, looking off to the side to find the right word.

"Sevipe?" Rattler offered, looking to him.

"Yes, malicious, thank you Rattler, in their...objectives."

"And what's that?" I asked, shifting a bit uncomfortably, though the feeling of Sol's warm body against me was halting the tingle of my spine in concern.

"Hard to say for them personally," Jean mumbled, shaking his head. "Though, I suspect the most obvious reason is to capture Mew."

I felt Sol's tail flick beside me, and I looked to his face. He didn't seem...happy about that concept, neither was I. Of course, duh, Trainers would want to capture Mew, given how mythical he was. How could I forget? Well...lot on the mind...I don't...think like a trainer.

"I mean, obviously, THAT isn't something to worry so much about," Jean remarked, crouching down to his binoculars again. Rattler watched him for a moment, then decided to peer toward the Gate with his own eyes.

"Shouldn't it though?" I asked.

"Not with the security our town has against Trainers and their Pokeballs," Jean said, waving us over. I looked over to Sol, seeing his cheeks twitch into a facial shrug. I guess it's ok then. I walked over and crouched beside him, Sol sliding off my shoulders and onto the log. Rattler lowered himself to his level, as if not trying to be a show off at being the tallest reptile here.

Jean handed me the binoculars and gestured for me to look at the Gate. I started to do so, glanced to my lizard, and gestured for him to come over. Shrugging with the shoulders this time, he slinked down to the forest floor and crouched in from of me, his tail against my chest as we both peered through one lens at a time.

With a little adjustment from Jean, I saw the line of people at the Gate. Boy, there were a bunch of them, and some with Pokemon out too. "See there, most of those people are coming in for the Mew celebration," Jean explained out of our focused range. "But, of course, most come under the assumption they can do whatever they want, so naturally there will be those who stir up issues one way or another."

Me and Sol watched as there was, obviously, some arguments breaking out among tourists, travelers, and the like with the Gate personnel. Most of the time, we watched as one of the Haxorus broke up a fight, like one that may have broken out with a foreigner's Heracross. Naturally, the bug-Pokemon didn't take the diapered-dragon seriously, until they towered over it, displaying QUITE a Scary Face that put the Heracross in it's place, as well as the people traveling with it.

Me and Sol both snickered a bit at that. To me, it was another display of newcomers not taking our official personnel seriously. To him, it was the show of a diapered dragon, to which he sometimes thought of himself as, albeit a smaller one, bringing a troublemaker down a peg.

Jean cut into my lens to see what we were laughing about, but quickly gave it back to me and adjusted it so we were looking at something else. Aww, I wanted to see our Haxorus Force in action more. This was like live, unfiltered television right here heh heh.

Our next observation was at the Center located among the Gate's welcome area. There was one at every Gate for the obvious reason of healing Pokemon, and humans if need be, but it was also mostly used for travelers leaving the town for a complimentary 'last check up' as it were. For instance, those who actually took to the 'Diaper Pokemon Lifestyle', as some may refer to it as, it was a good place to get some info on proper care for specific Pokemon before they left.

I paused in my observation, even as Sol moved the binoculars slightly to look.

A Pokemon Center at every Gate...wait, that wasn't true was it? The one I went through when I...ran away...where I found Sol...I would have brought him to that one if there was one there right? Huh...guess it must have been one of the lesser-used Gates, where the Center was un-staffed or empty. Then again, was I closer or farther from one...and would I have known where I would have been going...?

I...couldn't remember.

My other eye glanced Sol's way, who had his narrowed with interest at this new activity of...well, snooping.

I guess it didn't matter. I'm ok, Sol's ok, things worked out.

"...where they do it..."

I blinked, realizing I was lost in confused thought as Jean was talking. "S-sorry Jean, what was that? I was still thinking on the...Wartortle thing."

"Oh," I heard Jean grunt, before clearing his throat. "Well, as I was saying...after the visitors are cleared initially, they follow procedure to the Center for information and, of course, precautionary measures."

"You can just say diapers Jean, we know what they are," I chuckled with a smile. As for emphasis, Sol looked up from the binoculars and pointed back with his thumb claw at his amply padded bottom with a look that said 'duh'. I nearly giggled at that, though Rattler did snake his head down and comment to Sol that made him swipe once at the fellow reptile. I guess he was aware Sol's was wet heh.

Then again Rattler, pretty sure yours isn't in prime condition itself heh.

"Yes, diapers," Jean replied, rolling his eyes. "Trying to be professional in my reports."

"Diapers aren't professional?" I inquired, with a bit of snark that I got from Sol on occasion.

"Just---moving on," Jean muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose before pointing off again. "They follow procedure at the Center, and any Pokemon they wish to bring, in general or out of their Pokeballs receive, yes, Poke-Poof services."

"That's gonna be a hefty amount of complimentary diapers," I commented, not even aiming for the word to get at Jean again, just going by fact.

"Well, it's a goodwill gesture," I heard Jean say, which made sense. "Naturally they'll need more from various Poke-Poof distributors, but the point to get to is when Pokeballs, or rather, Trainers are involved."

"I did kind of wonder," I mused, looking up from the binoculars, watching Sol temporarily take possession and swatting Rattler away when he seemed to want to get in on viewing through it. "It's not like we take their Pokeballs away do we? Wouldn't that kind of be...stealing or something?"

"Think more 'confiscated'," Jean told me with a slight smile, but looking off in the direction of the gate. "Technically, actual Pokeballs are illegal in town. When travelers come who have them, they have really two choices. One, release the Pokemon to bring with them, in which case, follow the procedure of, yes, diapers. Two, they use the Network Center to store them in their PSS---Pokemon Storage System."

"Isn't that the thing they use to...?"

"Store all those Pokemon they can't and don't want to have tag along," Jean answered, shaking his head. I sighed at the confirmation. Trainers, capturing so many Pokemon...how can they even manage a partnership if they just keep changing out a 'favorite' on a constant basis?

"That's one of those 'rules' you mentioned right? I think when me and Sol watched a battle on tv once---" I started, looking over to see Rattler and Sol tugging the binoculars between them. "---and no challenger had more than six Pokemon."

"That's the limit, yes. Don't know why, just is," Jean confirmed nodding and bringing the side of an index finger to his lips. "Anyway, since we don't use it ourselves, I can only guess that it is like a global Pokeball network, with virtual vaults keyed to each trainer. Apparently, in my research, Pokeballs 'mark' the Pokemon they contain, refusing attempts at theft, essentially showing ownership."

"So...it's like a bank of Pokemon," I offered, my face scrunching at the concept. You bank money and stuff but...that's like banking PEOPLE. Owning...people.

"That's actually a very astute way of putting it, I'm impressed," Jean told me, his face appearing to simulate that statement.

"Gee, thanks..."

"I meant it as a compliment," he assured me, putting a hand to his hip and looking off again. "I admit, I do find it fascinating that, with how Pokeballs and their Network operates...that Pokemon can be converted from matter to energy and back again."

"You're gonna lose me here," I warned. "I really don't like thinking of our friends here as 'just energy'."

Jean shot me a look, like he was annoyed at me for insinuating, then he looked past me, presumably at his Seviper partner. Then his expression fell with a sigh. "You're right, I'm sorry," he said, much to my surprise. Don't think I've heard Jean apologize often...or at all when it's just us.

Wait, was this the first time it was just him and no other humans?

Uh, well, besides me I meant.

"So...I guess you and Rattler are doing your own recon of people coming in that could...cause problems?" I ventured, looking over as Rattler and Sol froze in position looking at us. Rattler had hooked the binocular strap and Sol had looped himself through it, using his own weight against the snake Pokemon's grip to see who would win in taking it.

"Community service," Jean replied, shrugging. "Well, preemptive anyway, in case something comes up."

"Another fight in the future?" I asked, plucking my lizard from the entanglement, him hissing at Rattler and the snake Pokemon doing a teasing snake dance of victory side-to-side before slithering to set beside Jean.

"Perhaps," he replied noncommittally, turning to look off fully. "This is good practice for the Global Police. Observation---"

"---Sev!" Rattler repeated, pointing to his eyes with his saber-tail.

"---memorization---"

"---vip!" This time, tail went ot the head.

"---theorize."

"---iper!" Now to the mouth.

"...that a...motto?" I asked, helping Sol drape around me again as I got up. He seemed to like doing it, and I didn't mind the warmth and cushioning. Still, gotta get some shoulder pads or something, he can get heavy over time.

"Personal one," Jean answered, nodding. "They are skills any agent needs in the organization, and me and Rattler have been honing them for some time now."

"Sevi," Rattler agreed, looking down in a not-so-humble way and brushing a leave from his scaly chest with his tail.

"And you do that by checking out the people coming in to see which ones are the bad apples huh?"

"Exactly," he answered, glancing in the direction of town. "It's a precautionary task, but our skills still receive experience. I mean, even if a trainer DID manage to get Pokeballs past the Gates, they won't be able to use them."

"What? Why's that?" I asked, curious. I don't recall seeing anybody with a real Pokeball before in town, much less people sneaking them in.

"Ah," Jean breathed, getting a smug look on his face, Rattler following suit. "Well, in our observations, we noticed that Trainers who get past the Gates are unable to use their Pokeballs. We suspect it's a jammer of some sort, highly sophisticated."

"Sev ev ipe," Rattler repeated with a flick of his tail.

"A jammer? Didn't know we had those," I said, genuinely surprised.

"It's not that common, but for a place like Berryton, it makes sense," Jean remarked, gesturing about. "Don't want errant Trainers to come in trying to battle everyone or snatch up their partners because they aren't 'Marked' like theirs are."

"Right," I agreed, nodding, looking at Sol to see him with a claw to his chin, as if he was considering that prospect. The grimace and the click of his tongue told me he didn't like it one bit.

"Sallland!" he told me, the Jean, flicking his tail away from me and giving a few minor waves of flame to it for a second.

"Yes, I'm certain there are Pokemon here that are not common from wherever they come from," Jean agreed, looking to Rattler, who lowered himself for a slight pat on the head from his partner.

That was a scary thought...that Trainers could 'steal' people's Pokemon. I mean, sure, me and Sol have seen the occasional film about 'criminal trainers'...but I thought that was just some kind of fiction, either maturely handled or directed by somebody with bias. But...did that stuff actually happen?

"...oh, right, and I guess so not everybody's coming for Mew," I realized. Duh, of course, if anybody could sneak a Pokeball in here, they would take a shot at the mythical Pokemon that...technically wasn't partnered or 'Marked' by anybody.

"Of course. But, I should say it's best we keep THAT little detail to ourselves," Jean told me, putting a finger to his lips, Rattler doing the same.

"Heh, well I guess in our 'camaraderie' for our community, we will," I said, putting a finger to mine, and looking at Sol. He was doing it already...though with his middle claw instead of index but...I think he knew that with the grin on his face.

After that, Jean and Rattler exchanged positions with us, seeming ready to get back into their observations. I admit, it was a little fun seeing stuff going on that I never really looked into before, and being made aware of some new things too.

"You know," Jean started, looking up at us as we were readying to go. "You two may have a talent for stealth...sure you have no interest in becoming a fellow GP agent?"

I blinked, looking over to Sol, who was looking at me with a raised brow, as if turning to me for whatever consideration there was to be made. A Global Police agent? I dunno...I mean, honestly, seeing the world is something a lot of people want to do in their life...and why not, the world is SO much bigger than our little town.

But...I don't know if I'm one of those people. I liked it here...why would I want to leave? Erm...I dunno...maybe when I got older I might see into it...heh, that is if I can drag Sol out of the bed in the morning heh. That, and carry PLENTY of diapers for wherever we go...

"Might have to rain-check that one Jean," I told him, shrugging. "Honestly, I think me and Sol fit being PIs more than police heh. Think we're more loose-cannons heh."

"Andit," Sol seemed to agree with a chuckle and tail flick, scrunching his face and giving a 'claw gun'. Kind of figured he would, we enjoyed those film noir movies. The mystery, the chases, the clues and investigation.

"Fine with us," Jean said, turning to look back through his binoculars. "As GP, we would outrank you in disputes."

"Sesesesesese," Rattler laughed, tail tittering.

Me and Sol rolled our eyes as we turned to head off, but I kept a smile on my face. I knew a tease when I heard it, and I inwardly wished the two well on their endeavor. I mean, it was technically snooping...but they were doing it for the sake of the town. The Haxorus Force and the Gate guards could probably do well enough, but I think Jean and Rattler are smart enough to be considered a second opinion. I really could see them as future GPAs...

Huh...that was fun. I'm starting to like these engagements...maybe I am getting better after all.