1. Prelude

At the Cianwood City Police Station, a sense of anticipation hung over two officers, although one would only know if he or she was one of them. The latest tool in the war on crime was about to be delivered.

Officer Jenny, not one to let her emotions become unnecessarily apparent, was doing the Cianwood Times crossword puzzle. She was stuck on a five-letter-word for "animal copy." She probably would have gotten it long ago, but the prospects for the day were preventing her from fully concentrating. Of course, her partner, Sergeant Mark Carruthers, wasn't helping.

"Need some help?" He asked.

Jenny replied, "No, Mark."

"That's just like you women. Refusing any help you didn't ask for."

"At least we can bring ourselves to ask. Men just keep going at it like an enraged Primeape."

Mark and Jenny had been like this ever since Jenny joined the police force. Things intensified once Mike was promoted, but everyone knew the two were good friends, although making them say it was so would be difficult.

The argument would probably gotten worse, except that Frank Peters chimed in, "Guys, it's here!" Frank Peters was the department's chief forensic scientist, and had been pivotal in breaking many cases and was known for being dogged and determined in his work. Off duty, he was very easy to get along with, although he could win just about any debate, which is why the department Christmas party always included a dash of Kwanzaa.

The three walked into one of the station's briefing rooms. Such rooms were generally quite plain, with just a table, chairs, and strategically placed video monitors. At this point, the three of them were fixated on the table. There, two boxes marked Silph Co. were on the table. Frank explained, "Police work as we know it will never be the same, and this time, that's a good thing." The last time he said that, planes had just crashed into the World Trade Center's twin towers. Jenny remembered this and frowned. Her cousin in the NYPD lost several coworkers when the buildings collapsed.

Mark asked, "So this is the ALEP?"

"It is." Frank replied.

The ALEP, or Advanced Law Enforcement Pokédex, was far more than just a collection of information on Pokémon. It included a variety of instruments designed to collect audio, video, and other information that could be used as evidence. Since it needed a good deal of space to hold its mechanisms, it was slightly thicker than the normal Pokédex design developed in the mid 1990s.

Mark wondered, "How do you turn it on?"

"You push this button here." Jenny pointed and answered.

"How did you know?" Mark would have known had he bothered to look at Jenny.

"It's called a manual Mark, another thing you men seem to not care about." Jenny mockingly waved the book in front of Mark.

"Yeah, well-"

Frank interrupted, "Please, children, or do I have to give you two a time out."

Jenny and Mark grimaced, causing Frank to smile. He continued. The information you collect is sent wirelessly to our computer."

Mark asked, "How about a test?"

Jenny took out her Pokéball. "Growlithe, I choose you!" This phrase was not so much for the trainer as it was for the Pokémon inside. Little was known about what it was actually like inside a Pokéball (or why some Pokémon refused to go in them), but it was known that it was better for the Pokémon if it came out of its enclosure on its own. The Pokémon could be forced out either by depressing the button on the outside, or automatically under certain circumstances (such as when the battery was about to fail), but such actions could prove harmful, possibly even vertigo-inducing to the occupant of the sheltering sphere. Still, it was a small price to pay for a waterproof, lightweight, Pokémon carrier.

A beam was emitted by the ball, which formed into the dog Pokémon. Mark pointed the device at it. Causing a circle to appear around it with "#58 Growlithe" written by it.

Mark, slightly disappointed, wanted to know "Is that it?"

"Try pressing the button marked 'i.'" Jenny instructed while reading the manual.

Mark pressed the button. "Growlithe. The Puppy Pokémon. This Pokémon is very protective of its territory. It will bark and bite to repel intruders from its space." It chimed in the standard "Dexter" voice.

Mark quipped, "I could have told it that, and the voice certainately isn't advanced."

Jenny ignored Mark's disappointment and read the next instruction, "press the 'i' button again."

Mark complied. "Searching for ID chip," it stated. All police Pokémon and many trainer's Pokémon contained a microchip that identified who the Pokémon belonged to. The main problems were that they had to be replaced when the Pokémon evolved, and that if Team Rocket stole it they would usually remove the chip (although they usually left a scar that could be found upon close examination).

After a brief pause, the ALEP continued, "Pokémon registered to Cianwood City police Department."

"Wow." This was all Mark could say.

"From what I understand, the central computer does most of the work. The ALEP uses a high-bandwidth connection to send data back and forth." Frank explained. "It can do people, too."

"Really?" Mark asked. He pointed the sensor towards Frank and pressed 'i.' The ALEP took considerably longer to do this. "Why's it taking so long?"

"Well, for one, we don't have ID chips in us." Frank stated. "The computer has to take a series of computations and compare them to the faces of over a half billion people in the central database. I know that sounds like a lot, but it can sort through them very quickly. In fact-"

The ALEP interrupted him, "Peters, Franklin M.. Employee of the Cianwood City Police Department."

Everyone was amazed. Mark wondered, "Why don't we put it to the ultimate test?" He pointed the ALEP at Jenny and pressed "i." "Now we'll see if this thing is really worth the money."

Seconds passed, and then, "Hearldson, Jennifer T. the second. Employee of the Cianwood City Police Department."

"Wow," was the only thing that came out of Jenny's mouth.

"Even seemingly identical people like the Officer Jennys have subtle differences that can be picked up on." Frank explained.

Jenny "What about privacy issues?"

"Silph Co.'s legal department couldn't give us guarantees." Frank stated regretfully. "Since we're in uncharted territory, it's likely that we'll find ourselves in situations where evidence could be thrown out. Unfortunately, we won't know what those are until cases go to trial."

"Courts don't deal with hypothetical cases." Mark stated.

Jenny observed, "We're not so lucky."