[Note: This was a winning entry in the first sidequest contest, written by Akehoshi. You must have at least one elemental guardian to do this sidequest.]

You calmly make your way down the street, having just made it into town. You're in a particularily good mood, as you can allow your Pokémon to have a well-deserved rest at the Pokémon Center, and then you can go to stock up on supplies for your next departure at the Pokémart... Right? Well, you get to do the first, at least.

As you make your way towards the Pokémart, you hear the wail of sirens. It isn't long before you turn the corner to see the Pokémart, but to see a few police cars and an ambulance in front of it! A few other people are already gathered around as you approach the scene. You see a man being lifted into the ambulance as you join the crowd around the police tape.

"But sir!" you hear, it's the voice of a girl and she sounds somewhat frustrated. "If we don't track them down now, more people might get hurt!"

Looking over, you see a girl in police uniform, probably only 18 or 19, talking to a senior officer as a couple more officers are already examining the scene.

"You know we need to investigate the scene first, Clara. We can't go chasing after anyone until we have proof to suspect them," the older officer said.

"But Houndour can track down whoe-"

"No buts, Clara," he said. "Your Houndour could end up tracking down anyone who's been here recently. We can't pick out any suspects until we have some proof!"

The girl named Clara let out a frustrated sigh and turned away from him. Taking a few steps away, she drew a Pokéball, and allowed the Pokémon inside to escape. The big, black dog known as Houndour let out a howl as it appeared before her. The officer from before eyed her... He must've known her well enough to know she was going to go anyways. She went to go see one of her fellow officers to find something to get a scent off of... It seemed to be an easy task, as Houndour soon walked out of the shop again and looked to his trainer, ready.

The two run over and duck under the police tape, making their way by you. Houndour gets to work sniffing along the ground to pick up on the culprit's trail, though you turn and walk up to her.

"Excuse me, is there anything I can do to help?" you ask.

She looks you up and down, and thinks. She sees the Pokéballs you carry, and nods. "I see you're a trainer."

"Yes, that's right," you say.

She thinks a few moments longer. "Alright... Sure, you can help!" she says.

As you two begin following Houndour, she explains the situation to you. "Well, you see, not too long ago the shopkeeper was attacked and the shop robbed of all the money in the till and some of the stock. I can't say about the Chief, but I have reason to believe that our criminal is a Pokémon trainer or has ties to some other Pokémon trainers, and we could run into some trouble. That's why I agreed to allow you to help," she said. "By the way, my name is Clara, and I'm pleased to have a fellow trainer like yourself working with me."

The two of you follow Houndour, who soon enough leads you into a maze of dark alleyways. You could see Clara looking around, tense, on a constant basis. "This isn't exactly the safest place to be..." she explained when you asked her. "Way down here is where drug dealers and dishonest Pokémon trainers tend to hang out... We'd better be careful." The two of you continue following Houndour as it follows the trail of the suspect... You two will have to fight together and watch out for the trainers who'll surely get in your way for a fight!