章 171: EPISODE 171: A Professional Showdown!
A dark and eerie voice called upon me yesterday. "Afíste me apó to domátió mou. Xypníste tin psychí mou" These are the words which the voice uttered to my mind several times. I began to recite these words afterward which caused my consciousness to disappear for a moment.
It instructed me to do something I wasn't sure of. Something about a chamber, something about working together. After Shaymin awakened me two hours after I slept, I couldn't recall the strange alphabets the voice told me. The only word I remember is the chamber.
Shaymin also suspects something flowing through my veins, heart, and mind. She disregarded her senses, knowing that I was a compassionate and loving trainer. Due to fear, I decided to neglect every word the voice said and moved on with my journey.
Now, me and my friends walk through the icy surroundings of route thirty-seven. The closer you get to the city, the harsher and colder the surroundings are. Just from the start of the route, me and my friends already wore our jackets. The chilliness and coldness were too much for us to bear.
The first thing which caught our eyes was the elegant trees filled with snow and hanging ice shards. If only Glaceon was here, she could've seen the marvel of a beautiful icy mirage.
While enjoying the icy sceneries, our attentions were grabbed by a large wooden mansion. Ivy and ferns grew through the crevices of the old winding stone path, which led directly to the colossal structure. The mansion loomed proudly behind creaky iron gates, flanked by rows of skeletal trees crowned in crimson, swaying gently to the chilly autumn wind.
"Please don't be one of those spooky mansions again." Glade beamed sarcastically while looking at the mansion's glamour.
"It seems to me that this mansion is owned by someone. Look!" I pointed at the group of people talking near the mansion's fountain. Five of them looked like they were arguing with each other while one of them looked very familiar to me. The memories came rushing back to me, it was Amirah, a girl I met during one of my father's conventions.
"Ah! Hey Amirah." I beamed with joy while waving outside the gate. The owner allowed us to enter the mansion since we were friends with the girl he somewhat hired.
"So Amirah, what are you doing here?" Camellia squinted her eyes and questioned sarcastically.
"My name is Mr Ox. I see, so you're friends with Amirah. You see, last night one of my jewelry was stolen, so I hired Amirah to solve the case." Mr. Ox, the owner of the mansion introduced and explained.
"Really!? I didn't know that you had detective skills Amirah." I beamed with awe and amazement.
"Oh please. My detective skills are much better than her!" Camellia beamed with frustration.
"Very funny, but I'm pretty sure that I was the one hired and not you!" Amirah beamed with frustration. The two girls glared at each other like two Pokemons fighting for a piece of apple.
"Now calm down... I'm pretty sure that your friends could help out too right Amirah?"
"Oh Mr Ox! Kalem is my friend and the rest? Not so much. Especially this victorian hat girl over here." Amirah explained sarcastically while staring at Camellia.
"Why you!? I'm Kalem's best friend. I'm smarter and more reasonable than you!" Camellia backlashed with her boiling frustrated face.
"Why don't we make a competition instead. The one who solves the mystery is declared the smarter one over the other." I suggested.
"Of course, I agree! If it weren't for your jealous friend over here." Amirah challenged Camellia to a classic stare down. Both eyes of each side stared at each other's soul.
"Great suggestion Kalem! It looks like a detective competition will take place." Mr.Ox beamed with excitement while rubbing my hair.
"Don't worry Kalem, I'm going to prove how smart I am!" Camellia charmed.
"Not if I prove my cleverness first!"
"Well yeah? You lost to me remember?"
"Hey please stop fighting," Glade begged.
"Alright Mr.Ox! Tell us the details and we'll solve the case right away." Camellia and Amirah questioned while trying to push each other.
"These are my five suspects. The maid, the janitor, the chef, the guard, and the gardener.
It all started when I went to the mall to buy some groceries for lunch. I kept my jewelry on top of the shelf, but when I returned, the jewelry was no longer there. These five suspects were the only people within the mansion premises during the time I was gone." Mr. Ox explained.
After the owner's explanation, it was followed up by the statements belonging to the suspects.
[Janitor: I was sweeping the backyard so I couldn't possibly be inside the mansion. Mr. Ox keeps is right, he keeps the jewelry on a shelf inside one of the rooms, but I couldn't be the one who stole it since I was cleaning the backyard.]
[Chef: I was cooking for Mr. Ox in the kitchen. I didn't even know that Mr.Ox had a jewelry. Even if I knew, I would never steal such priceless jewel.]
[Gardener: I was watering the plants because I was afraid that Mr. Ox's flower could soon wither. It hasn't rained for almost a month now.]
[Maid: If the janitor was cleaning outside, I was cleaning the halls and corridors of the mansion. I never stumbled upon Mr. Ox's jewelry.]
[Guard: Me? I was patrolling the house in case intruders come. I walked around the mansion and through the backyard, but never did I patrol the halls and corridors of the mansion.]
Camellia and Amirah thought deeply for a minute while the rest of us waited for results.
"It's evaluation time! I was able to make a hypothesis first hehe!" Amirah boasted and giggled towards Camellia.
"Hmph! I already have a hypothesis but I didn't boast like you!" Camellia teased.
"Alright, let's start with Amirah since she raised her hand first. Tell us Amirah, who stole my jewelry?" Mr. Ox questioned.
"It's a simple case Mr. Ox. It is obvious to me that the robber is no other than the chef! How could he cook if there were no ingredients? That's the purpose why you went to the grocery right Mr.Ox?"
"Well yes, I went out to buy ingredients. So this means that the robber is actually the chef." Mr. Ox concluded.
"But Mr. Ox! I was cooking breakfast, but you went out to buy groceries for lunch. There were still ingredients on the shelf to cook breakfast." The Chef excused.
"Oh right. I came out to buy ingredients for lunch since I knew that the ingredients will only fit for breakfast." Mr. Ox recalled.
"Then, if it's not the chef, it's obviously the maid. She's the one lurking around the house since she was cleaning the halls. It was certain that she stumbled across your room, saw the jewelry, and took it!" Amirah pointed at the maid as she explained her hypothesis.
"Me!? I don't steal things. I promise, I was only cleaning the room. Check my pockets, I don't have anything." The maid explained with a cold sweat.
"If it's not in your pockets, it is obvious to me that you placed the jewelry on either your wallet or bag before Mr. Ox arrived. Plus, it is impossible for you not to stumble across the jewelry since you were cleaning remember? If you were really cleaning, wouldn't you check every corner of the room for dust? Wipe every shelf and portrait? or even clean the windows thoroughly, hmm!?" Amirah leaned to the Maid while squinting her eyes.
"Mr. Ox, you have to believe me! I didn't steal your jewelry. Look at my bag and wallet, nothing's there." The maid excused as sweat fell off her face. She kept on begging with a sincere look on her face.
"I gotta say, you're great at making hypotheses Amirah." I complimented.
"Thanks, Kalem, I did my best, and evaluated everything thoroughly!" Amirah's cheeks turned slightly red as her spirit leaped with joy and happiness.
"Hmph! Just you wait, I'll prove you wrong." Camellia uttered to her mind while glaring at the pleased Amirah.
"Wait, let's hear what Camellia has to say first," Glade uttered and reminded Mr. Ox that Camellia's hypothesis hasn't been heard yet.
"Oh right, Camellia tell us your hypothesis please." Mr. Ox instructed respectfully.
"Hehe!" Amirah smiled while glaring at Camellia.
"Thank you, Mr. Ox, before I state my hypothesis, I want to ask the janitor what he was cleaning on the backyard."
[Janitor: Dry and brown leaves were piling up. So I decided to gather them at one spot. Afterward? I placed them inside the rubbish bag and that's all I did.]
"Hehe... Here is my hypothesis Mr. Ox. Let's start with the janitor. As we all know, it's an icy and cold day today. Meaning, there wouldn't be dry and brown leaves, they would instead be frozen and white due to the ice.
Then for the gardener. Why would you water frozen trees, plants, and shrubs? That wouldn't make sense since the plants are frozen with ice, while the soil is filled with snow.
Now, for the chef who was cooking breakfast, you said that you were cooking breakfast for Mr. Ox right? You also knew that he was going to the grocery because your statement was: 'I was cooking breakfast, but you went out to buy groceries for lunch. There were still ingredients on the shelf to cook breakfast.' If you knew that he was going, why did you cook him breakfast? Mr. Ox and you knew that the ingredients were for breakfast but Mr. Ox never mentioned that he ate breakfast here since he went to buy ingredients for lunch.
I have to agree with Amirah about her hypothesis towards the maid. If you were cleaning, it was impossible to not stumble upon the shelf the jewelry was placed in. Your job as a maid is to clean every shelf right?
Lastly, for the guard. If you patrolled around the area, then this means that you could've seen the gardener and the janitor right? Since both the gardener and the janitor were lying, this means that you lied to protect them. You literally said that you saw the janitor cleaning, but I have proven that the janitor was lying. You supported the janitor's lie.
Therefore I conclude that the jewelry was stolen by the five of them Mr. Ox! They helped each other to steal the jewelry starting from the maid.
The maid was cleaning the house and therefore saw the jewelry. She took the jewelry from the shelf and passed it to the Chef.
The guard was not patrolling the premises, he was waiting for the chef. How? The chef gave the jewelry to the guard through a window when the guarded acted that he was patrolling the area when in fact, he was just moving to the window the chef was in.
The Guard dropped the jewelry in the backyard. The janitor acted like he was cleaning in front of the CCTV, when actually he was sweeping the jewelry. He placed the jewelry on the rubbish bag and walked to the front yard. From there, the janitor was probably acting that he was separating the trash when actually he was placing the jewelry on a tall pot.
In order for the Gardener to look like she's gardening the plants in front of the CCTV, the janitor placed the jewelry on a pot that no hand could reach.
Then, the gardener comes in with a jug of water and poured it into the deep pot. As the pot filled with water, the jewelry rose up due to buoyancy. That's when the Gardener took it.
Everybody acted like doing their jobs in front of the CCTV, when actually, they were just passing the jewelry around." Camellia explained with certainty.
"Woah, you were able to think out of the box Camellia! I never thought of that." I complimented.
"Hehe, thank you Kalem." Camellia smiled as her cheeks turned slightly red.
"Fine we give up... the second girl was right, we stole your jewelry sir." The Gardener uttered with guilt and gave back the jewelry which was in her pocket all this time.
The other suspects also felt guilty about what they did. They apologized in front of the owner, hoping that he would forgive them.
"Alright the five of you, I accept your apology, but you will have a decrease in your salary for two months as a punishment of what you did!"
"Yes Mr. Ox, we promise not to steal anything again." The five suspects accepted their punishment and beamed with joy after Mr.Ox accepted their repentance.
"This means, that Camellia is the winner of this match!" Glade proclaimed and beamed loudly.
"Well, I guess you won! Congratulations Camellia." Amirah accepted her defeat and ought to shake hands with Camellia.
"Thanks, Amirah, your instincts were not bad as well." Camellia smiled back as the two of them shook each other's hands
.
"Just between you and me, I think Kalem is impressed with your detective skills." Amirah smiled and whispered.
"Really!?"
"Of course! The way he complimented was explicit. I think you really deserve each other!" Amirah giggled and whispered.
"Alright Mr. Ox, I'll be going now! I still need to continue my journey." Amirah greeted.
"Us too Mr Ox! We're kinda in a rush to reach Glacevelt city. The league is on four months time!" Me and my friends greeted as well.
"Oh Camellia! When we become professors, I want you to become my colleague!" Amirah halted for a while and turned her head back.
"That'll be great Amirah! I'll be pleased to be your colleague!" Camellia beamed with excitement and determination.
Since the case is finally closed. It's time to move on to Glacevelt city. Four months remain before the Pokemon League will commence. It's on to new heights as the journey continues!
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