The group settled down for a good meal, their thoughts far away from the towns that they passed. Even the notion of consuming wild Pokemon no longer seemed so taboo. It was one thing to eat one's own Pokemon, as trainers considered the creatures to be akin to family members. It was another to eat prepared Pokemon--creatures raised on farms as a food source. And while hunting was not considered an option until recently, when one was presented with a slain Pokemon as a meal, one does not question its origins. Eat the creature and do not let its sacrifice go to waste.
Meanwhile, in Viridian City, Giovanni was sitting down to a meal of his own. Grilled Whiscash steak on ratatouille, and a wide glass of a golden ale. His agents had procured a list of consumers in Saffron City who have purchased the local litter brand in the past month, which was thankfully rather small. That list was cross-referenced with a list of owners who had Meowths, Persians, Skitties, Delcatties, Glameows, Puruglies, Purrloins, and Liepards, which shortened the list even more. So much more that only a single name remained; that of a local restaurant owner. However, a background check on that owner revealed that she did not possess any Pokemon. So, why would she buy litter? It was not as if Saffron City dealt with much in the way of climate change. It remained relatively temperate all year.
Another check revealed that the owner had also left town recently, presumably on business. Giovanni chewed a morsel of Whiscash as he considered this. So, a local restaurant owner frequently buys a local brand of Pokemon litter. For what? Is she stockpiling in case some freakish ice storm suddenly hits? Does she fill the litterboxes of stray Pokemon? Does she use it to resurface her driveway? An attractive mulch? Composting?
Giovanni rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and then took a sip of his ale. He sat back in his chair and ate some more of his meal as one of his agents, Domino, walked into his office without knocking. Granted, the woman had quite possibly the highest level of authority next to himself, but she should still learn some proper decorum. Giovanni signs her paychecks, after all.
Domino clicked her heals as she straightened, and then shut the door behind her. She walked over to the desk, pulled up a chair, and sat down, her voice low. "I just heard a very... interesting conversation down at the Pokemon Center today. It may be of some interest."
Giovanni put down his fork. "Go on."
"Several trainers had confronted some kid outside of town for reasons I'm still unsure of," Domino leaned forward. "They were set to battle this kid, and they described a group of trainers that were with this kid. And here's the interesting part..." She leaned in closer, her voice dropping lower, a sneer curling the corner of her mouth. "Apparently, that group had this 'unknown' Pokemon with them, and their PokeDexes had no data on it."
Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "Did they describe it?"
"They didn't at first, but I heard another trainer mention it to their friend, who apparently wasn't involved in that incident," Domino nodded. "They said it was tall, had pointed ears, a long tail, and--get this--was psychic."
"Where did they see this and how long ago?!"
"The day before, outside of town," Domino nodded again. She sat back. "I had already sent agents out to that area to investigate, and I am looking for more eyewitnesses. If anything else comes up, I'll let you know." She stood to leave.
"What direction were they traveling?"
"Excuse me?"
"The group," Giovanni reiterated, "what direction were they traveling?"
Domino paused. "I wasn't able to get an exact location, but apparently the group had come from the direction of Saffron City."
Giovanni slapped the surface of his desk, which made Domino jump. No, this was far too easy. The beast wasn't this brazen. He shook his head. "Go find out what you can. Report back as soon as you're able."
"Yes sir," Domino gave a nod and left the room.
Giovanni stared at his lunch as he mulled the information over in his head. Suddenly, he lost his appetite.