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Ken had a plan. After a few more minutes of watching the ladies, he quietly scooted back away from where he had been concealed and crawled until he could stand without being seen. Then he went further into the tropical forest that was near the beach.

He gathered whatever debris he could find and set it up with the logs leaning on each other and all the light, flammable stuff underneath. He made similar but smaller piles at other locations. Then he returned to the big pile. With a lighter he had in his pouch, he set the pile on fire. The flame rose up steadily from the kindling, but then grew rapidly. Ken fanned it with a palm leaf until the fire had engulfed the whole pile. Then he threw the palm leaf on there as well as some other green leaves so that they would send a plume of obvious smoke up into the air. He was hoping that the two ladies on the beach would see and smell the smoke and come investigate. Or someone else might come investigate, and that was fine, too. Aim for the moon but land among the stars if you miss, so the saying went.

He scurried off into the forest nearby to hide, making sure he had an escape route in case the fire got out of control. He let Zubat and Rattata out of their Pokeballs and quietly told them what their parts of the plan would be. Once the instructions were given, Rattata ran off toward the beach while Zubat alighted in a nearby tree top.

As Ken watched from his hiding place, he heard someone approaching. Then a young girl and her Glaceon appeared through the haze! This was not one of the girls who had been at the beach but someone else entirely. Maybe this was for the better, because this girl would have no idea Ken was even around! The girl and Glaceon soon became busy with trying and failing to put out one of the fires. She did not even use any additional Pokemon; was it that none of her other Pokemon were suited to extinguishing a fire, or could it be that she had no other Pokemon? It would be strange for her to have journeyed enough to have a Glaceon and nothing else, but Ken had heard of some people leaving behind all but their main Pokemon when traveling to a new region so as to make space to capture new Pokemon; perhaps that was what was going on here.

Zubat acted according to the plan. While he could not see the girl and the Glaceon, his large ears and his echolocation more than made up for that. This even meant he was suited to traveling through the smoke when most other Pokemon would be blinded. He dropped out of the tree where he had been perched and flapped quickly at the girl. He passed by her face, turned, passed by again, turned, passed by another time. He continued to swarm her like this, bumping her or brushing her with his wing or coming so close that she could hear him whooshing by her ear. She cried out and began to bat the air, trying to strike him down, but she missed. Her Glaceon even attempted an Icy Wind on him but missed because she did not wish to hit her trainer, and Zubat would not move far enough away to make a target of himself. Zubat had been fluttering around the girl not only to unsettle her, but because he was scoping out what she was carrying. It seemed she did not have her Pokeballs on a belt like most trainers did, but he discovered a Pokeball loose in her pocket and so he landed momentarily on her hip and stole the Pokeball out of her pocket by grabbing it in his teeth. He then flew off, narrowly dodging another Icy Wind used by Glaceon.

Rattata had been watching the girls on the beach, but her rounded ears twitched upon hearing yelling and screaming from the direction of the fire and she abandoned her watch to scurry back over and see what was going on. She arrived in time to see her comrade, Zubat, worrying a young trainer. Rattata wanted in on that! Mostly because she was intrigued by what snacks that trainer might be carrying. She ran over and, just as Zubat fled with the Pokeball, Rattata scampered up the girl's leg and ran into her shirt. The girl screeched and patted herself hurriedly. Rattata emerged from the collar of the neck and then unzipped the girl's backpack. She rummaged quickly inside and was rewarded with a granola bar! She snatched it up and then launched from the trainer's back and ran away into the woods.

Zubat had brought the Pokeball to Ken, who had come out of hiding now in case he would have to take the Pokeball from that trainer himself, but his Pokemon had actually behaved competently. Against orders Rattata had returned, but it was making itself useful by distracting that trainer and so it was acceptable in this case. Ken took the Pokeball from Zubat and then used it to return Glaceon. The trainer whipped her head around and noticed him and both of them just started at each other for a startled moment. "This is mine now! Don't even try to follow me, or you'll be sorry!" Ken exclaimed. "Rattata, return! Zubat, cover me!" Ken commanded, putting Rattata back in its Pokeball. He then whirled and dashed off into the forest. Zubat flew just below the canopy and hung back a bit to make sure that the trainer he had just stolen from did not pursue or have another of her Pokemon pursue. It seemed she had no other Pokemon though or did not think to use them; Zubat figured it to be the former, because he had found no other Pokeballs on her person. The girl cried out and tried to run after them but she was not having an easy time navigating the dense jungle foliage and they soon left her far behind.

As Ruby relaxed again her cousin started talking about the show in question. She seemed to have everything planned out, this was confirmed by her quickly. She brought out everything she had on it finding out she planned it to a rather obsessive point. Pretty much everything was planned out. Still, it all seemed like a good idea. It ended with a small demonstration. She honestly liked everything she saw. "Well cousin, you seemed to have everything planned. It would be mean for me to say no. Let's do it!"
All of a sudden they noticed some smoke. She motioned for Kitsune to get ready as she was sure she would need to help deal with it. Sapphire already got her Pokemon ready to go. She grabbed Siren's Pokeball but did not send her just yet. "I am right behind you." She said as she followed. She let out Tiamat. "Follow Echo and help them. Gloves are off if you see anyone up to no good..." She commanded thinking she might run into whoever started this. The large dragon nodded and flew after her.

Ken heard the girl try to chase him but he had very quickly put enough distance between them that her footfalls faded away and he heard nothing more from her. Still, he would continue running just to be sure, and to get far from the scene of the crime so as to limit the likelihood of his being connected with it. Also, he wanted to escape the smoke. He had stayed upwind of it and he mostly avoided inhaling it, but he'd had to breathe in some when approaching to get the Pokeball. Now he would be worried for days about developing lung cancer, but that worry was presently washed out by the much stronger worry of being caught in his crime. There was also the exhilaration of what he had just done, and a weird joy about possibly being chased even though that was also a terrifying thought. Sometimes emotions just got mixed up in one's head.

Zubat was aware that they were being followed. He committed an abrupt aerial loop and went toward their pursuers. He could detect a Noivern and, further behind that, a Salamence. Coming from the thick of the smoke for cover, Zubat used Supersonic on Noivern.

Ruby ran behind her. Pokemon ran past them as they got deeper in. She covered her mouth and nose as the smoke started to get worst. Kitsune went low to the ground to keep away from the smoke as best as she could and followed her trainer. They soon got to a girl and Sapphire went to care for her. Deciding to deal with the fire Ruby drew a Pokeball. "Let's go, Siren!"
A lovely Seal like Pokemon came out and looked around. "Siren! Put out the fires!" She nodded and started singing. As they did aqua orbs came out and burst over the flames dousing them with water.
Kitsune was addressed by its elder half. Sadly it would not get a good answer. "Sorry to say but with a fire like this our thief would be free to go any direction they wish and it would be hard to track them. Too many Pokemon are panicking and the scent would be lost to the smoke. Perhaps more that away, away from the beach though." They responded as they pointed.
Tiamat noticed something seemed to try to attack the Wyvern like Pokemon. Whatever it was it failed but now she was angry. She let out a roar and took higher to the sky. She looked around from where it came from to see if the thief was around. She would not be hindered.

Zubat had failed to confused his opponent, and his efforts were met with a Boomburst. Zubat took a glancing blow from the move but that was still enough to knock him out given the power difference between him and the Noivern. He screeched in pain and fell straight out of the sky, landing on the jungle floor below.

Ken was unaware of what was happening with Zubat as he was entirely focused on running and on dodging and jumping around the obstacles of the jungle. He was breathing hard but pushed himself to keep running.