The festival officially began, and the bustling crowds that went with it began to flow through the streets. The constant fanfare of drums and horns served as the city's heartbeat for the day, the energy seeming to burst through the yellow bricks that lined the streets. There was much to see, and plenty to do, but the pair of detectives had a specific mission that they were determine to succeed. Upon reaching their post, they passed the time, all the while scouting for the expected dangers. As time went on, Clive began to question if Sabrina's abilities really had any merit. It was too early to prove or disprove their effectiveness. After all, the Little Cup had not even started.
Upon being motioned by his partner, Clive directed his attention to the suspicious man wearing gold and yellow, who was then accompanied by a woman dressed in a similar pattern. The distance made it difficult to be sure that the pair was the same duo at the warehouse and captured in the surveillance footage, but Clive was leaning towards the affirmative. He hummed in response to Yulia's statement, turning his head to try to get a better look at the pair. "Odd. Almost seems too obvious, the way their dressed. Don't think I would have even recognized them from this far away otherwise. It's not like an ugly wardrobe is a crime though, so just keep an eye on them for now."
The Little Cup carried on while the detectives minded their mission. The suspicious duo also stayed nearby, not much further than a few strides from the battlefield outlined in white paint on the ground. It was not until the last few rounds of the Little Cup approached, leaving only the final four contestants, that the black and gold pair decided to wander away from the event. "So after sitting through all those boring little kid battles, they decide to step away when only the best trainers are left?" Clive wondered aloud, quietly enough to keep his thoughts between him and Yulia. As tempting as it was to split up and keep an eye on both the suspicious pair and the Little Cup, it was unwise to do so after the uncertainty left from the morning's events. Clive noted as much to his partner. "We can just radio the others to watch out for those two. We can't risk leaving our post unattended."
The semi-finals of the Little Cup began, the match squaring off a young girl in a red dress and her Litleo against a boy and his Spearow. Although they made some tactical errors, both trainers made their commands with a confidence that surpassed what was offered by most of the young trainers until that point. Clive wondered if these kids were naturally talented, or if maybe they had parents that were strong trainers. He was suddenly hyperaware of the damaged Pokeball that nested inside of his coat, its weight pressing against his chest. Would he have had the same encouragement to battle, or even take on a Gym challenge, if his parents were there? There was no way to know for sure.
The battle concluded when a well-timed Aerial Ace landed, knocking out Litleo. The small crowd applauded when the victorious trainer offered his opponent a handshake, praising her and her Pokemon for a fun battle. The female trained looked apprehensive at first, before smiling and shaking the boy's hand. "That leaves only two more battles," Clive said to Yulia, as he scanned the area. With a couple taps of his fingers, he summoned his Rotom from where it rested in his pocket. "This is Clive," he said, speaking into Rotom to transmit over the radio. "Two more battles of the Little Cup. Anyone see our black and gold friends in a while?"
After a long moment of silence, Clive clenched his phone angrily. "Were you even transmitting? I knew I should have just taken the radio," he grumbled as he shook the device, the Rotom inside shouting in surprise. He stopped when a response came.
"I thought I saw them both go inside the Mr. Mime Maze. Must have gotten lost in there. It's been a bit."
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