"Honestly, Jessie—"
Meowth burped as he touched the totem pole and arrived at the farm. "Don't take on requests if you don't want to do them, meow!!!"
"Indeedee?"
Indeedee, who was standing in front of the totem pole, looked at Meowth in confusion.
"Oh, it's you, Indeedee." Meowth waved the photo in his paw and said to her, "This is the photo I got from Granny Birdie! She said she wants help finding her husband's memento, meow."
"Indeedee, Indee?" Indeedee leaned in to take a look, but didn't have any clues.
"Should we go ask Ron, meow?" Meowth stared at the photo. "He's probably really busy these days, meow. It's fine, Meowth will go to the Saloon to ask when everyone is there, meow."
"Indeedee, Indee."
Thinking about why Ron was busy, Indeedee, who originally wanted to persuade him otherwise, immediately agreed. She patted Meowth, signaling him to go do his thing.
"—Then Meowth is heading out, meow." Meowth held up the photo and strutted out of the farm.
Ron glanced at Meowth from afar, not understanding what he was doing. But Meowth hadn't signed an indentured servitude contract to him, plus he wasn't Meowth's trainer, so naturally he had no reason to question it. As long as the farm work was done honestly, he had no complaints, so he buried his head and continued working.
"Meowth Detective, meow!" Meowth stared at the photo, thinking hard. He pulled out a casual outfit he had prepared in his pocket, put on a massive detective hat, and analyzed the situation with a serious face.
"Based on Meowth's observation, this is clearly—a photo, meow!"
"—" Indeedee, who had followed him out because she was worried, fell into silence. "Indeedee?"
Meowth and Indeedee entered the Saloon one after the other.
Gus was still busy in the back kitchen. Emily had just arrived for work not long ago and was stacking washed cups one by one onto the shelf.
No one noticed the two Pokémon walk in. So, Meowth looked around and eventually stopped right in front of Snorlax.
"Meowth is asking you, meow." Meowth held out the photo in his paw. "Do you have any clues about this photo, Snorlax?"
"Snorlax—" It was exactly mealtime, so Snorlax scrambled up and took the photo. "Snorlax—"
Snorlax sniffed the photo, then opened its mouth.
In the instant Meowth turned pale with fright, Indeedee used her psychic powers to snatch the photo out of Snorlax's mouth.
"—Indeedee."
"What happened, what happened?" Hearing Meowth's scream, Gus ran out of the back kitchen in a panic.
"Nothing, meow," Meowth said, "It's just that the photo was almost eaten by Snorlax, meow."
"A photo?" Gus took the photo from Meowth's paw, examined it seriously for a moment, and said, "—Hmm, wearing a military uniform. Why don't you go ask Kent?"
"Who's Kent, meow?" Meowth pondered for a moment.
"Vincent's father." Gus pointed Meowth in a direction, then dumped the kitchen scraps he had brought into Snorlax's mouth. "Snorlax—" Snorlax sucked it all up in a whirlwind, then collapsed and went back to sleep.
So, Meowth and Indeedee set off toward Kent's house.
"The clues are gradually becoming clear, meow!"
"Indeedee—" Indeedee stared warily at the photo in Meowth's paw, deeply afraid that another accident would happen to it.
"This is all the credit of Detective Meowth, meow!"
Kent was currently sitting under the big tree behind the house with a vacant expression. Due to the shadows the war had left on him, Kent mostly just sat silently behind the house.
Paras lay quietly beside Kent, enjoying the sunshine.
Because Kent sat quietly here most of the time, Paras especially liked to stay close to him.
Kent stared at the mushroom crab sunbathing its cap in front of him, and reached out to pet its head.
"Paras!" Paras cried out comfortably a few times.
"—" Meowth peeked at Kent, hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Kent holding the photo.
"—And you are?" Kent asked.
"I'm the farm's Meowth, meow," Meowth introduced himself seriously. He then held out the photo in his paw. "Do you have any clues about this photo, meow?"
Kent hesitated as he took the photo from Meowth's paw and took a look.
"Where did you get this—?"
"An old lady named Birdie gave it to Meowth, meow," Meowth said. "Do you have any clues, meow?"
"—Can you give this to me?" Kent didn't answer, but instead said, "I'll trade you something I've treasured for it."
Saying this, Kent turned and went into the house. He brought out a Gourmet Tomato Salt and handed it to Meowth's paw, then picked up Paras and went back inside.
"This guy's a bandit, meow." Meowth stared at the tomato salt in his paw, turning his head to say to Indeedee, "Meowth never agreed to this, meow!"
"Indeedee."
But Meowth seemed to have heard some kind of fable about someone who started with a single straw and eventually traded their way up to a mansion.
So, holding this jar of tomato salt, he decided to test his luck everywhere.
"If you notice anyone who needs this, tell Meowth, meow." Meowth then hugged the jar of salt and searched all over town with Indeedee.
After being gently shown the door by Caroline once again, Meowth returned to the Saloon with Indeedee, completely dejected.
"Meowth! You're finally here!" The crowd in the room was sitting around together. Seeing Meowth enter, they started cheering, "What story are you going to tell—" The person leading the crowd swallowed their words when they saw Indeedee following behind Meowth.
"Indeedee?"
"Meowth has no idea, meow. That's just a rumor, meow," Meowth's gaze drifted. "There's no gossip today, meow! Meowth has money now, meow! Meowth can buy his own food, meow!"
It definitely wasn't because Indeedee was right behind him, meow!
"Then what would you like to order?" Emily greeted him and was just about to take Meowth's order when she noticed the jar of salt Meowth was holding. So she turned her head and yelled into the kitchen, "Gus! Weren't you looking for tomato salt?"
"What?" Gus poked his head out of the kitchen, took a look outside, and said, "Ah—ah! Meowth, can you give that to me?"
"—" Meowth shook the salt in his paw. "You have to trade something for it, meow."
"—Then how about this bouquet of flowers?" Gus pointed to the roses placed in a vase nearby.
"What would Meowth do with roses, meow?" Meowth said, "Meowth isn't Sai—I mean, uh, haha, Meowth just happens to need these!"
Saying this, under Indeedee's gaze, Meowth traded the salt in his paw for the bouquet of roses and fled as if running for his life.
"Indeedee—" Indeedee tried to clarify, but because she couldn't speak human language, she had no choice but to leave the Saloon with a heavy face under everyone's gaze.
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