However, Azuma suddenly remembered that the train was about to depart, so he hurried toward the Train Station. He finally boarded the train at the last possible minute.
Meanwhile, at the incident site in front of the Pokémon Center, all the injured Pokémon, including the frenzied Rhyperior and Ursaring, were taken inside for treatment. Officer Jenny brought the two Pokémon's trainers back to the Police Station for questioning.
This was an interrogation room, but it was bright, just like an ordinary room, not gloomy like those seen on television. Officer Jenny asked seriously, "What exactly happened?"
One of the trainers, a flat-headed boy around 15 years old, replied with distress, "I don't know either. Rhyperior suddenly went mad today and was completely out of control."
The other trainer agreed. "It was the same for me."
"Were there any previous signs of this behavior?" Officer Jenny inquired.
"Yes," the flat-headed boy confirmed. "I was with Rhyperior near the Lake of Rage in Mahogany Town. Since then, Rhyperior became somewhat agitated, and today it became like this."
The other trainer concurred, "I had the same experience. When I took Ursaring near the Lake of Rage, it also started acting agitated."
Officer Jenny nodded. "Once you both finish giving your statements, you can leave."
Both trainers nodded, acknowledging the instruction.
***
That night, inside a Surveillance Room, the area was filled with countless electronic screens. The monitors in the front displayed live feeds from various corners of Blackthorn City. Below, at a desk, sat a female staff member, with Officer Jenny standing beside her.
Both women were focused on three screens. Suddenly, Eichi's figure appeared on the center screen and quickly moved past.
"Stop!" Officer Jenny called out, then pointed at the central screen. "Rewind it."
The female staff member pressed a button on the keyboard, and the previous footage was replayed. The footage showed Eichi's face clearly. "Stop!" Officer Jenny commanded. The female staff member immediately hit the stop button. The image paused on the frame where Eichi took out and released his two Pokémon.
"Play it back at one-fifth speed," Officer Jenny instructed.
The footage moved very slowly. The image showed Eichi releasing two Pokémon from his Pokéballs: a Beedrill and a Scizor. Seeing this, Officer Jenny gave another instruction. "Pull up the surveillance footage of Rhyperior and Ursaring being struck, and keep the playback speed at one-fifth."
The female staff member began typing on the keyboard. Moments later, two screens directly above displayed the two Pokémon, Rhyperior and Ursaring. The first screen showed the scene where Rhyperior was about to destroy the building.
As the frames progressed slowly, Officer Jenny watched the screen intently. In the next frame, a Beedrill slowly appeared. The Beedrill swung its twin stingers, plunging one forcefully into Rhyperior's neck. Rhyperior's neck and shoulder, as if made of fragile paper, were pierced by the twin stingers.
The other screen showed a similar scene. A Scizor appeared in the frame, slamming its large claw onto Ursaring's head, causing Ursaring to lose its ability to battle.
The truth was finally revealed: it was a boy of about ten years old who had defeated the two out-of-control Pokémon and rescued everyone. The footage then shifted to Eichi, who silently vanished from the scene after recalling his Pokémon.
After watching the video, Officer Jenny sighed with admiration. "So it was a young boy. Children nowadays are very impressive. Especially that Beedrill; it pierced Rhyperior's body so easily."
Eichi, however, knew none of this. He was currently on the train.
***
Let us rewind the time to a few hours earlier.
In the crowd, Eichi recalled his two Pokémon. Due to the incredible speed of Beedrill and Scizor, few people had seen them. Eichi then suddenly felt someone watching him, so he turned his head and saw a person watching him from a distance. However, he checked his watch. Shoot! The train is leaving in ten minutes.
Eichi quickly left the area and rushed to the Train Station, quickening his pace. He arrived, passed through the security gate, and boarded the train, taking his assigned seat.
After sitting down, Eichi began to ponder the frenzied Pokémon he had just seen. Bloodshot eyes and loss of rationality, that behavior is very similar to one of Team Rocket's research projects.
He couldn't be entirely sure, though, as there were many reasons why a Pokémon might exhibit such behavior.
After a three-hour journey, he finally arrived at Cherrygrove City. As soon as he got off the train, Eichi inquired at the ticket office. There were two trains heading to Violet City tomorrow morning.
He considered his options and bought a ticket for the nine o'clock train. Afterward, he went to the Pokémon Center to rest.
After resting for a while at the Pokémon Center, he went downstairs to eat. Then, he went out for a walk. The streets were still very lively, filled with dazzling, colorful lights. People were laughing, talking, and walking in groups. Eichi, however, was alone.
For some reason, he felt a little homesick, wondering what his father was doing at this moment.
Eichi found a vacant spot and sat down, simply watching everyone enjoy the joyful atmosphere. Suddenly, a Pokémon hopped onto his shoulder. He looked up slightly and saw a Hoothoot. The Hoothoot was reluctant to leave Eichi's shoulder, seeming to enjoy the spot very much.
"Hoothoot!"
A little girl's voice came from the right. A girl dressed in a three-colored Kimono ran up to Eichi.
Seeing that Hoothoot had landed on his shoulder she bowed ninety degrees, apologizing to Eichi. "I'm sorry, Big Brother, our Hoothoot disturbed you." Then, she looked slightly angry at the Hoothoot on Eichi's shoulder. "Hoothoot, get down now!"
Eichi smiled. "It's fine, it didn't disturb me at all. This Hoothoot is quite cute."
Seeing its trainer's slight anger, Hoothoot reluctantly jumped from Eichi's shoulder to the little girl's shoulder. The little girl didn't rush off; she sat down next to Eichi and asked curiously, "Big Brother, why aren't you going to play with everyone?"
"I'm content just watching everyone play," Eichi replied. "By the way, what day is it today? Why is it so lively?"
The little girl smiled brightly. "Today is our Cherrygrove City's traditional festival, Thanksgiving Day. Every year on December 20th, everyone puts on clean clothes and comes out to play and celebrate, giving thanks to the heavens for the happy life they have given us."
Eichi looked up at the starry sky and sighed with emotion. "You're right. We should all be grateful to the heavens."
Just then, a beautiful woman nearby, also dressed in a lovely Kimono, called out, "Sayuri, let's go."
"Coming, Mommy," Sayuri answered. Then, she turned to Eichi. "Big Brother, I have to go now. Happy Thanksgiving! Let's go, Hoothoot!"
With that, she returned to her mother. Eichi watched Sayuri walk away and softly said, "Happy Thanksgiving."