"Mystery Solvers" - written by Freedom Fighter ****** [Location: Gullible Gulch, Arizona Date: Wednesday, October 23rd, 2002 (Day 1) Time: 12:00 Noon PT] A small, white charter bus had just entered the town of Gullible Gulch. Several curious citizens looked on as they attempted to get a glimpse inside. But their effors were futile after they noticed that all the windows were covered from the inside with black construction paper. There were only two ways to see in or out. Either through the front windshield, or through the small window that was built into the rear emergency exit door. Suddenly, the bus slowed down and stopped in front of an old Western saloon. Of course now, it served as a very small motel for weary travelers. One of only two such places existed today in Gullible Gulch. But for the next few weeks, the place would serve as home for those aboard the bus. The bus doors opened up as the passengers began to get off. The first to disembark was Raye Hino [Sailor Moon]. She glanced left and right as she got her first look at the old Wild West town. As Raye headed into the motel, two more passengers stepped out. They were Mokuba Kaiba [Yu-Gi-Oh!] and Eliza Thornberry [The Wild Thornberrys]. Mokuba looked a bit unsure about being here, but Eliza was totally the opposite as she decided to take a moment to breath in the fresh air. Chang Wufei [Gundam Wing], was the next off. Without hesitation, he headed inside, pushing Mokuba and Eliza aside to get in before them. Bobby Hill [King of the Hill] carefully made his way down the steps and off of the bus. He smiled as the presence of the desert surrounding the town reminded him so much of his home. Right behind him was Penny Proud [The Proud Family], who was so delighted to be away from home that she danced circles around Bobby. Kim Possible [Kim Possible] and Terry McGinnis [Batman Beyond] came off seconds later. Both of them had serious looks on their faces, as if they were getting ready for a battle of some sort. Zoe Orimoto [Digimon Frontier] left the safety and comfort of her seat on the bus and departed. She walked into the inn behind Kim and Terry, a little worried about what everyone would think of her. One person that didn't have that on his mind was Gary Oak [Pokémon: Master Quest], the last person off of the bus. He smirked smugly as he went into the inn. As soon as everyone is inside, Chris Tangera, the host, appears in front of the camera. Chris: Ten kids are about to dip their hands into a mystery that has left the populace of Gullible Gulch stumped for three days. A bank has been robbed, personal items were stolen, and a young woman is missing. There's a reward of $500,000 that will go to whomever can crack the case and bring the criminal to justice. Unfortunately, only one of the ten detectives will succeed in doing so. The game of Mystery Solvers has begun... ====== Mystery Solvers Fanfic Reality Series written by Freedom Fighter Hosted by Christian Tangera Detective Line-up: - Bobby Hill, King of the Hill - Chang Wufei, Gundam Wing - Eliza Thornberry, The Wild Thornberrys - Gary Oak, Pokémon: Master Quest - Kim Possible, Kim Possible - Mokuba Kaiba, Yu-Gi-Oh! - Penny Proud, The Proud Family - Raye Hino, Sailor Moon - Terry McGinnis, Batman Beyond - Zoe Orimoto, Digimon Frontier Symbol Notes: - (CC) means an on-screen confessional - (VO) means an off-screen confessional/dialogue Fanfic Rating: Will be PG throughout most of the duration, but there may be a PG-13 element added later on. Disclaimer: The animated characters that are participating in this fanfic are assigned specific roles that may portray them differently than what you're used to seeing from them. All events are carefully staged and planned out. No one was seriously hurt during the production of this fanfic. Any similarities between real people, places, and things are totally coincidental. The show's host was created by the author himself and may not be used by anyone else without permission from me. None of the characters belong to me; they belong to their respective production companies and shows. ====== Episode One - The Mystery Unfolds (11.19.02) [Time: 12:15 p.m.] After being given time to move their bags from the bus to the motel rooms on the second floor, the ten detectives gathered by the stage on the first floor. Chris stood there as the group found some chairs and sat down in them. Chris: Good afternoon, and welcome to the town of Gullible Gulch. Boys and girls, you have been brought together to help this town solve a mystery. Over the next couple of weeks, you'll be going through the town as you search for clues. Eventually, one of you will obtain enough information to identify the thief and arrest him or her. The one of you who does so will win a nice cash reward of $500,000. Smiles began to form on most of the group's faces. Chris: Before we begin, you all need to get to know each other a little bit. Since you guys met in Phoenix to board the bus that got you here, you have been absolutely quiet. You were unable to talk with anyone. But now, each of you will stand up and introduce yourself to the group. Add whatever you'd like to spice it up. Let's start to the person farthest to my left. Chris pointed at Eliza, who immediately stood up and introduced herself. Eliza: (waving hello) Hi! I'm Eliza Thornberry. My family lives in a house that moves. An RV actually. That's because my dad is the host of his own wildlife documentary series, and my mom films the show. There are six of us altogether: my parents, me, my older sister Debbie, plus Darwin and Donnie, who are two good friends of ours. They live with us and we happen to go exploring a lot together. Eliza got a few genuine glances of interest as she sat down. Bobby: My name's Bobby Hill and I'm from Arlen. It's a city in Texas. I guess my parents aren't as exciting as Eliza's are. My dad works for a propane company and my mom's a substitute teacher. I have a cousin Luanne who practically is like a big sister to me. (shrugs his shoulders) I guess that's it. Gary: I'm Gary Oak from Pallet Town. I'm a Pokémon trainer. One of the best in the world! When something needs to get done, call on me! This thief is probably some loser who thought he could disrupt the peace and tranquility of this small town. But he won't stand a chance with Gary Oak on the case! Mokuba: I'm Mokuba. My older brother is Seto Kaiba. He runs Kaiba Corp., which helps create new technology to enhance the game of Duel Monsters. He's very smart and I hope to grow up and be just like him. Zoe: Ciao! My name is Zoe Orimoto. I live in Japan but was born and raised in Italy. I hope I can make a lot of friends here and solve this mystery at the same time. Raye: I'm Raye. Raye Hino. I'm just hoping to have a lot of fun here, but I do know that business comes before pleasure. I'll make sure that we catch that bad guy no matter what! Terry: My name's Terry McGinnis. I'm afraid I don't have much to say either. I just want to get out there and get this guy before he hurts somebody. Penny: I'm Penny Proud, and let me just tell ya'll somethin'. This is a real culture shock to me because I live in the suburbs. Not some small town in the middle of a barren wasteland! I mean, it's nice to be away from the 'rents and all, but I feel like I'm in the middle of nowhere here! Let's just find this guy and get it over with. Kim: I'm Kim Possible. Yes, THE Kim Possible. You know, I do the whole saving-the-world-as-a-teen-hero thing. I'm sure that this can't be harder than foiling one of Drakken's schemes. I'm looking forward to working with all of you on this case. As Kim sat down, everyone in the room turned their attention to the person sitting on the last seat, a few feet away from the group. Chris: You on the end! Wufei: I have a name! It's Chang Wufei. Chris: Do you have anything you'd like to say to the group? Wufei: We don't have time for this! There's a criminal on the loose! Chris: So, I'll take that as a no. Well then, let's get started. Kim: (CC) What's up with that guy? He SO got up on the wrong side of bed this morning. Bobby: (CC) Everybody seems to be friendly. Except for Wufei. He's so anxious to solve this case. Somebody ought to tell him it's not supposed to be that easy. Chris walked over to an audio/visual cart, where a TV and VCR were set up and ready to go. Chris: The videotape that I'm about to play is from the security camera inside the town's only bank. This is where everything started. The tape will brief you on what has happened at the bank. Keep your eyes open, 'cause this is the only time I'm showing this to you. Chris pressed play on the VCR and stepped back so that everyone could see the screen. ====== [Date: Sunday, October 20th, 2002 Time: 7:45 a.m.] A quick glance to the large glass window to the right of the entrance and instantly Naru catches on as she spotted its shattered remains. A masked man is standing in front of the broken window, which had been destroyed into hundreds of pieces that littered the floor. Naru: (jumping out of her seat) Hey! Don't you know how to use the door? Kou: (shouting from the back) Naru, who's there? A customer? Naru: A very rude customer. The masked man reaches into his left pants pocket and pulls out a six-shooter pistol. He immediately aims it at Naru. Masked Man: This is a hold-up, sister! Naru: I'm not your sister! Look, if you don't leave right now, I'm going to call the sheriff! Masked Man: Do you not understand? Maybe you'll understand this! He unlocks the safety and fires one shot straight in the air. Just the sound of the gun firing is enough to scare the nerves out of Naru. She quickly dives to the ground, holding her magazine over her head. Kou: (coming out from the back) What's all the racket? Masked Man: (turning the gun towards Kou) Okay, not a step further! Kou: (shooting his hands up in the air) What do you want? Masked Man: All of the money in the vault! Now! Kou: (immediately obeying) Yes, sir. Right away. Masked Man: And get 'Little Miss Stupid' over there to help. Upon hearing that, Naru comes out of her hiding place and starts yelling again. Naru: You're calling ME stupid? (rolling up her sleeves) That's it! I don't have to be pushed around by the likes of you! Masked Man: (turning the gun towards Naru) And stubborn too. Expected as much from a city girl. Naru: (laughing nervously) I guess I am stupid, huh? Well, I'd better go get the money out of the vault. Naru walks out from behind the teller's booth and heads for the vault. The robber then turns his gun back towards Kou. Masked Man: I want it all in two large money bags. And if I don't get it in five minutes, this guy here gets it! Naru: (gasps as she stops in her tracks) Mr. Uraki? Kou: Do what he says. The combination is Left 29, Right 4, then Left 32. Naru: Right away. Naru heads off to the vault to unlock it while the robber keeps an eye on Kou. ====== A few minutes later, Naru returns from the vault. She's dragging two sacks of money on the floor towards the robber and Kou. Masked Man: I'm impressed. You did that pretty quickly. For a city girl, anyway. He motions for Naru to step back as he leans forward to pick up the sacks. He slings them both over his left shoulder before slowly stepping backwards, towards the exit. Masked Man: Well, it's been fun. But I've got to go now. And with that, the robber turns and runs out of the bank, this time kicking the entrance door open. He sprints down the street, which only a few people are currently traversing. He quickly disappears from sight as Kou and Naru come running out of the bank. ====== [Date: Wednesday, October 23rd, 2002 Time: 12:19 p.m.] Chris: (pushing stop on the VCR) There you have it. Three days ago, the town's only bank was robbed. That's where this whole mess started, and that's where the investigation will begin for two of you. Chris reached for a small box he had hidden behind the stage. Out of it he pulled out small pocket-sized journals and black ballpoint pens. Chris: These are your journals. You may use these however you wish. You don't have to use them at all, though I would recommend against that. Each of you gets your own journal, which means that each of you can decide for yourselves whether anything you write in them gets shared with anyone else. Besides, you may be all working together to solve this case, but only one of you will get to catch the guy or gal behind it. The journals and pens are distributed among the detectives. Chris: Two of you will head down to the bank to search for clues there. Going there gives you an advantage because you'll get to see the crime scene first hand. But if you do go, you will miss the rest of my introductory briefing. And there is a lot that I still have to show you. So, any volunteers? Wufei immediately stood up and walked to the door, taking his notebook with him. Terry: (jumping up) I'll go with him. Terry also departed hastily, not wanting to lose track of Wufei. The other detectives muttered amongst themselves about Wufei's attitude. Bobby: (whispering to Eliza) That guy looks dangerous. We'd better stay away from him. Eliza: (whispering back) I agree. He's not going to be easy to work with. Chris reached into the small box again and pulled out a stack of manila folders, all of which were held together by a rubber band. He slid the band off and began to give the folders to the eight remaining detectives. Chris: Each of the folders contains dossiers of the 20 people that I believe should be examined carefully. All of them are capable of committing the bank robbery in one way or another. But there's more to this case than just that robbery. He took three pictures out of one of the spare folders. The pictures happen to be of Bart, Kizuna, and Hercule. Chris: Less than half an hour after the robbery, these three and a fourth individual had an item of great value stolen from each of them. Your job will be to talk to each of them and find out what they know. Raye: Why are you only showing us three pictures if four people had stuff stolen? Chris: That's because the fourth is currently sitting in the town jail and the sheriff is not allowing us to talk to her at this point. Kim: We're here to help him. Why won't he let us talk to her? Chris: Because the sheriff has his theories about her and he wishes to prove them true or false on his own, without any help. Gary: So, how are we going to do this? Chris: You will split up into three teams. Two teams of three, and a third team of two. Each team will pick a victim to interview. Once you have all decided on your teams, you may head off to begin the case. The older detectives take charge as they appointed themselves team leaders. Gary picked Eliza and Bobby, seeing as those two seemed to be getting along already. They were going to meet with Bart. Kim decided on having Penny and Mokuba by her side as she wanted to meet with Kizuna. That left Raye with Zoe, as the two girls were to talk to Hercule. ====== [Location: Gullible Gulch Bank Time: 12:24 p.m.] Wufei and Terry arrived at the bank, only to find it closed for lunch. Wufei: What a waste of time. No one's even here. Terry knelt down on the ground and began to search carefully for something. Wufei: What are you doing? Terry: Searching for glass fragments. It might help us figure out how the guy broke in. Wufei: It's been three days since the robbery. The fragments have probably been sweeped away already. Besides, anything you might find would be too small to analyze. Terry: Would you rather sit here for half an hour doing nothing? Terry had a point. Wufei hated to sit around and let things happen on their own. So he got down on his knees and searched for glass pieces on the other side of the entrance door, in front of the window pane that had been left intact during the robbery. Wufei: This better be worth it. ====== [Location: Hercule's House Time: 12:32 p.m.] It hadn't taken Raye and Zoe to find out where Hercule lived. His house was located just off the town's main street, so getting to it was a breeze. Raye: This looks like the right address. Zoe: Then we'd better go and knock on his door. The two girls walked up to the front door and knocked on it. Hercule: (from the other side) Coming! Seconds later, the door opened to reveal the muscle-bound Hercule Satan, the town's resident Olympic wrestling hero. Hercule: Yes? Zoe: We're here to ask you a few questions... Hercule: Sorry, I don't do personal interviews. Unless you're a member of my fan club. That's a different story. Zoe: Fan club? You have a fan club? Hercule: Of course I do! Don't you know who I am? Zoe shook her head. She then glanced at her partner, hoping to catch the same look on her face as well. But instead, she saw nothing but the bright red blush on Raye's cheeks. Raye was already in daydream mode as her eyes examined every contour of Hercule's muscular body from top to bottom. Hercule: I am the great Hercule! I'm the reigning Olympic silver medalist in wrestling! Ha! There's no one on this planet as strong as I am! Zoe: But you just said you won silver! That means somebody had to be stronger than... Raye: (interrupting) Excuse me Mr. Hercule, but could I have an autograph? Raye presented her journal to Hercule, as Zoe looks on, stunned. Hercule: (smiles) I guess one autograph wouldn't hurt. Raye: (dreamily) Oh thank you! You don't know how much this means to me. I've heard so much about your exploits! Even all the way from Tokyo we hear about them. Hercule: Tokyo? I grew up in Tokyo! Heck, I was the Japanese Wrestling Champion for three years running before I moved here. Yep, there are a bunch of great wrestlers from Japan that I know about. Of course, none of them can lay a finger on me. Zoe: (snapping out of her stunned trance) Are you actually flirting with him? Hercule looked a bit surprised at this sudden outburst, but Raye quickly played it off. Raye: Forget about her. She's a couple years younger than I am, so she doesn't understand the whole 'being a fan' thing. Hercule: Oh yeah, sure. Hercule took the journal and the pen from Raye and opened it to the first page, where he began to sign it. Raye: I want to know so much more about you! Maybe we should go inside and have a little talk! Hercule: Sure thing! Right this way! He stepped aside as he let Raye walk past him and into the house. He then closed the front door, leaving Zoe all alone. Zoe: Hey! What am I, chopped liver? ====== [Time: 12:36 p.m.] Gary, Bobby, and Eliza wandered about another part of town, searching for where Bart Simpson's house was. But so far, they have been unsuccessful. Gary: That house has got to be around here somewhere! It's not like it can get up and walk away every time we get close. Bobby: (trotting along slowly) I hope we find it soon, because I won't be able to walk for a long time out here in this sun. Eliza: Maybe we should find some shade and rest for a minute. Eliza glanced around and immediately spotted a small porch which they could sit under for awhile. She and Bobby went over and took a seat on the wooden floor. Eliza: (shouting) Come on Gary! Let's take a short break. Gary: (turning around) We don't have time to rest! We're supposed to be out here looking for where this Bart kid lives. I didn't choose you two to slack off! We've gotta a job to do. Unknown to any of them, someone had perched himself or herself on top of a nearby roof. With a slingshot in hand, the mysterious figure pulled the sling back and aimed right at Gary's head. ****** Gary: Are you guys coming or what? Eliza turned to look at Bobby and then back at Gary. Then she got to her feet and started walking over to Gary. Bobby: What about our break? Eliza: Gary's right. The game just began. It wouldn't look good for any of us if we slacked off from the start. Bobby: (sighs, defeated) I guess you've got a point. Eliza: (as Bobby got up) Alright Gary, lead the way! But Gary wasn't even listening to Eliza. He had been standing perfectly still for the last few moments for some odd reason. Eliza: Look, we agree with you wholeheartedly! No need to be snooty about it. Bobby: (stopping beside Eliza) Gary? Is something wrong? Up on the roof, the unknown assailant released the sling, sending a small rock directly at Gary's head. No one among the trio knew what was coming, and the assailant had to be happy for that. But that wasn't the case, as at the very last moment Gary sidestepped to his right. Eliza and Bobby didn't even have time to question Gary's movement as they heard the pebble projectile make contact with a floorboard on a nearby house's porch. Bobby: Where did THAT come from? Eliza: I think it came... Gary: (already ahead of her) From that roof! Gary had turned around to look up at the assailant as Eliza and Bobby join his gaze. On top of the roof, they spot Bart Simpson lying on his stomach and armed with a slingshot. Eliza: (gasps) It's him! Gary, still one step ahead of Eliza, had already started running to the next street over. Bart was also gone, seeking to escape before they could catch him. Eliza and Bobby ran after Gary, hoping to help him if needed. But when they arrived on the other side of the building, they saw that Gary had Bart already cornered. Gary: What's the big idea? Bart: It was all in good fun, man! I do stuff like that all the time. Gary: Unless you want me to find the sheriff and tell him what you're up to, you'd better tell us what you know. Bart: Know about what? Eliza: About the mysterious thefts that have been taking place. Bart: Look, I had nothing to do with those! The guy stole my disguise kit! Bobby: Your disguise kit? Bart: (crossing his arms over his chest) Yeah! I'm always in disguise when I pull my pranks so that I never get caught! Eliza: And why aren't you in disguise today? Gary: Yeah! Explain that! Bart: I heard that whomever robbed the bank and stole everyone's stuff was in a disguise of some sort. Don't you think I know better than to dress up when the guy's still on the loose? Bobby: He's got a point, guys. Eliza: He may be right, but that doesn't eliminate him as a suspect. Bart: Whoa! I'm a suspect? Gary: You just tried to knock me off, and you have a disguise kit. If that doesn't make you a prime suspect, I don't know what else will. Bart: Look man, I didn't do it! You can't pin this on me! Eliza: We aren't pinning it on you just yet. Just tell us what you know and we'll let you go. Bart: All I know is that I woke up Sunday morning hearing someone outside my window yelling. I got up to see what all the commotion was about, but when I glanced at my closet, I saw that my disguise kit was gone! Gary: Was the closet open when you went to sleep the night before? Bart: No. I could have sworn that I closed it. Gary: If that's the case, how could the thief sneak into your room that morning without waking you up? Bart shrugged his shoulders. Eliza: That doesn't make any sense! You mean someone snuck in, opened the closet, stole your disguise kit, and snuck back out? Bart: I'm not making this up! Bobby: Wait a minute! What time did you go to sleep the night before? Bart: What? What does that have to do with anything? Eliza: It has plenty to do with everything! Not answering the question means that you're hiding something from us. Gary: You must be guilty after all. Bart: I said I'm not the one! Look, I went to sleep around ten. Eliza: And was the disguise kit still in your closet? Bart: I don't know. Gary: Answer the question yes or no! Bart: I don't know, really. The last time I saw it in there was when I put it in there the afternoon before it was stolen. As far as I know, it was in there until I found it gone Tuesday morning. Eliza: Just one more question. There were four people who had items stolen from them that day. What can you tell us about the one that's sitting in the town jail? Bart: All I know is that she had something stolen from her and I don't remember what. Gary: You SURE you don't remember? Bart: I'm SURE! Now, let me go already! Eliza stepped aside, giving Bart a clear escape route. Bart walked past her and Bobby, shooting the latter an ominous glare as he departed. Bobby: Gee, what's up with him? Eliza: I don't trust him one bit. Gary: Me neither, but we'd better get all the facts before we start pointing fingers at people. ====== [Location: Hercule's House] Zoe sat cross-legged on the couch as she glared angrily at her partner. Raye was openly flirting with Hercule. She could tell Raye was doing it just to get some information out of their suspect, but she didn't like where this was going. Raye: (sitting on Hercule's right leg) So, what else can you tell me about this thief? Hercule: (happily) Well, I don't know who this person thinks he is, but no one steals from the great Hercule! (clenches his fist) Wait until I get my hands on him... Raye: (stroking his face gently with her hands) Why don't you leave this to me? (seductively) A man of your stature shouldn't have to strain himself so much. That's all Zoe could take as she jumped up from the couch and pulled Raye off of Hercule's leg. Raye: Hey! What are you doing? Zoe: You're supposed to be questioning him! Raye: What does it look like I'm doing? Zoe: You're getting attached to him! Raye: I know what I'm doing, Zoe. Zoe: I'm sorry Raye, but I don't think what you're doing is right. Raye: Hey, I'm older than you! Zoe: And I'm more mature! Raye: Says who? Zoe: I do! I think we should come straight out and ask him questions about the thefts instead of beating around the bush and playing to his whims! Hercule: (interrupting) Um... excuse me girls, but... Raye: As long as we get what we need, it doesn't matter how we get it! Zoe: But subjecting yourself to flirting with a muscle-bound freak? Hercule: Now wait a... Raye: That's all we're doing! Flirting! And if he even thought of taking it a step further, I would've called it quits right there and then! Hercule: So for the past five minutes, you've just been playing with me? Raye realized that she had given away her plan and now she was desperately trying to cover up her mistake. Raye: Come on Mr. Hercule, I'm just joking! Zoe: (smirks) If you're not joking, then prove it! Give him a kiss! Raye: What? Hercule: What? Zoe: If you haven't just been playing him the past five minutes, then show him how much you care about him! Give him a kiss! Raye: I'm not going to kiss him! Zoe: Then you really aren't in love with him after all, are you? Hercule: Ha! I knew it the whole time! Raye: (to Hercule) No you didn't! You were putty in my hands and I could've gotten anything I wanted out of you. She then glares at Zoe. Raye: But thanks to you, that's not going to happen! With that, Raye went to the front door and opened it, leaving the house. Zoe sighed before turning to face Hercule. Zoe: Don't worry about her. She's desperate enough to try something like that. I, on the other hand, will get straight to the point! Hercule: (points out the door and shouts) Out! Out now! Zoe: (turning to leave) Gee, you don't have to yell! You're such a grouch! Zoe left the house as Hercule shouted after her. Hercule: And don't either of you try to pull the wool over my eyes like that again! ====== Zoe quickly caught up with Raye as they walked back to headquarters. Raye: I can't believe you'd sabotage my plan like that! Zoe: Well, you could have at least told me what you were going to do! Raye: He didn't even get to show us around the house! I was hoping that he'd show us where he kept the silver medal that was stolen from him. You know, to check to see if there were any clues that the thief could have left? Zoe: Then why you didn't you just tell him why we were there so that he could have shown us that in the first place? I'm sure he would've shown us the room if we had asked. Raye: We weren't guaranteed that! Besides, do you think he's going to let two young girls like us into our house so easily? Think of what could happen to his reputation if even one person saw him letting us in! Zoe: The rumors would spread and people would start thinking he's making out with girls like us. Raye: Exactly! We had to convince him that we had a reason to be let in the house. Zoe: I don't call proclaiming 'we're members of his fan club' being a good enough reason. Raye: It got us in! And if you would've kept your big mouth shut for just a few more minutes, we would have gotten what we wanted! Zoe: It probably wouldn't have happened if you told me what you were up to in the first place! Raye: Only to have you reject my plan? That's exactly why I DIDN'T tell you! Zoe: And what has it gotten us? Absolutely nothing! Raye: Obviously you weren't paying attention. We found out what was stolen from him. Zoe: His Olympic medal. That's it. We didn't get anything else! Raye: Like I said, if you had given me a few minutes. (sighs) Everyone's gonna blame us for not doing our job. Especially you. Zoe: Hey, it wasn't my plan that backfired! Raye: And I wasn't the one that made it backfire! Zoe: (looking downtrodden) Face it. We both screwed up. Raye: (sighing again) You're right about that. Everyone will point the finger at me as much as they will at you. Zoe: We can't let that happen! There's gotta be a way out of this! Raye: Why not make something up? Zoe: Are you sure that will work? Raye: Of course! I used to make stuff up everytime Serena asked if I was going out with her boyfriend. Zoe: Serena? Going out with her boyfriend? Raye: (slapping herself in the forehead) Crap, I did it again! ====== [Location: A movie set just outside of Gullible Gulch Time: 12:50 p.m.] On the outskirts of town, Kim, Penny, and Mokuba had arrived at a makeshift trailer park that had been set up not far from what looked to be a movie set. It wasn't what they expected to see there, but maybe when they met this girl they were supposed to interrogate, they could ask her about the site too. Penny: You'd think movie stars would be able to have more than this! Kim: They probably did it to keep from raising any suspicion. If one of the actors is a major movie star, they'd want to keep everything low profile. To keep people from bursting on the set. Penny: I wonder if there are any famous movie stars here. Mokuba: With this setup? I doubt it. Voice: (VO) Hold it right there! The three quickly turn around, with Kim instinctively getting into a 'battle ready' pose. But all they found was a teenage girl dressed in a mechanic's uniform with the sleeves ripped off. Even more surprising was that this girl had ears and a tail like those of a cat. This happened to be Kizuna Towyrk, the one they were looking for... though they didn't know that. Kizuna: This is a closed set. No unauthorized personnel allowed! Mokuba: Wow! She looks like a human-sized cat! Penny: That's one sweet costume! You must have one of those world-famous costume designers on staff, huh? Mokuba: I'll say! Those ears look so real! Penny: (pointing at Kizuna's tail) So does that tail! Kim: I have to admit, I'm impressed myself. Where did you find someone able to make cat ears and tails so easily? Kizuna: (blinking her eyes, confused) What are you talking about? I'm not wearing a costume! Kim: (surprised) You mean... Kizuna: (nods) Yep. Penny: Hold up! You mean you're some kinda cat creature? For real? Kizuna: (laughs) For real. Mokuba: Cool! Kim: But how? Kizuna: I was born this way. I've always been this way. Kim: I see. (coughs) Anyway, we're looking for someone named Kizuna. Kizuna: I'm her. What do you need? And please, don't tell me it's an autograph. Penny took Kizuna's picture out of her blouse pocket and examined it thoroughly, looking back and forth between it and the girl in front of her. Penny: You don't look a thing like the girl in this picture. Kizuna: May I see it? Penny handed the picture to Kizuna, who laughed upon seeing it. Kim: What's so funny? Kizuna: (calming down as she gathered herself) I'm sorry. You see, this picture was taken from my last acting role. I was playing the female half of a brother-sister spy duo. I had to wear a brown wig. They also had to hide my ears and tail at all times, seeing as it was a live-action movie about two human kids. It was called "The Kids Who Spied on Me," by the way. Penny: How come I haven't heard of it? Kizuna: It's not out for another two months. Besides, it was made by a small film company, so probably not too many people will see it anyway. Kim: You mind if we ask you a few questions about the recent thefts in town? Kizuna: I guess. Let's go to my trailer before someone spots us out here. ====== There was nothing special inside Kizuna's trailer except for it having a few of the comforts of home, such as a kitchen, bathroom, a comfy bed, and her own TV set. There was also a makeup drawer set. And on it were three gray mannequin heads, each with a wig on it, and each being a different shade of red. Kizuna took the darkest shaded wig of the three, which was brownish-red, and brought it over to the others. Kizuna: If you three are investigating the thefts... Kim: Oh, it's not just us three. There are about ten of us. Penny: Though some of us are more enthusiastic about it than others. Kizuna: I see. Anyway, if you are investigating the thefts, then I think you need to see what was stolen from me. Penny: (pointing at the wig) The thief stole that? Kizuna: I know what you're thinking. Why would the thief steal a wig? Kim: To disguise himself or herself so that he or she would be recognized. Kizuna: I thought so too. But the director doesn't think that's what happened. Kim: And this director is... Kizuna: Judith Funnie. She's an aspiring film director hired by an independent film company to produce the film we're shooting, "The Princess and the Pirate." Penny: Aren't pirates a bit too old school? Kizuna: Not at all. Pirates in movies are just like fads. They go away for awhile and then come back stronger than ever. Kim: I can attest to that. The same thing happens with a certain evil genius that I know. Mokuba: Are you in it? Kizuna: Only as a stunt double. A stunt double! I didn't become an actress just to be someone else's double! Kim: I guess that explains all of the wigs you have. Kizuna: (nods) The woman I double for has red hair. This one here is the one that most resembles hers. Of course, I have to hide my ears and tail whenever I'm on the set. Kim: Any idea when the wig was stolen? Kizuna: (nods again) Definitely. I was assigned 'coffee run' duty the morning everything happened. I was gone for about ten minutes, but when I returned, the wig was gone! Of course, no one on the set believed me and thought that I was deliberately trying to hold up filming. So, I was forced to go the sheriff's office. That's when I found out about the bank robbery and the other items that were stolen. Penny: And when was that? Kizuna: Just before eight. (wavering her hands) Maybe seven forty-five, seven fifty-ish. Kim: Who do you think took it? Kizuna: Beats me. I can't think of anyone who had any reason to do so. Penny: You sure? Kizuna: Positive. Kim: How did you get the wig back? Kizuna: Oh, Botan found a sack in a cave south of town. It had all of the stolen items in it. Penny: Botan? Kizuna: She's the one-woman camera crew for our shoot. Kim: Do you think she'd mind if we asked her a few questions? Kizuna: (shook her head) You're not even supposed to be talking to me. If I took you to her, she'd tell Judy. And if Judy finds out, she'll kick you out and have me fired! Mokuba: That's terrible! Kizuna: It's the life of bit actresses like myself. One mistake and you're out. Penny: I guess we'd better leave. We don't want you to lose your job on account of us snoopin'. Kim: Good idea, Penny. (stands up) It was nice to talk to you, Kizuna. Kizuna: It was a pleasure to meet you three as well. If you need anything else, just let me know. When I'm off the set, of course. Kim: Of course. Kim, Penny, and Mokuba then left to head back into town. ====== [Location: Gullible Gulch Bank Time: 12:55 p.m.] Terry and Wufei had already finished their inspection of the bank's exterior, but hadn't found anything at all. They had been sitting in front of the bank for the last 15 minutes, waiting for someone to come and reopen the bank. Their waiting ended when Naru walked out of a restaurant with a pair of keys grasped in her right hand. As she approached the duo, Wufei scoffed and turned away. Naru: (noticing Terry and Wufei) Oh. Do you need to make a transaction? Terry: Not really. You see, we're here as part of a team that's investigating the bank robbery. Wufei: Enough with the chit-chat! Wufei turned around and placed himself right in front of Naru. He looked into her eyes, which began to shake nervously as he shot her an ominous look. Wufei: Are you the bank manager? Naru: (hesitating) N-n-no. That's Mr. Uraki. Wufei: (narrowing his eyes) Where is he? Naru: (pointing back at the restaurant) Inside the restaurant. He's making an important business call. Wufei: What are you waiting for? Take me to him! Naru: I told you he's in the restaurant! You don't need me to find him for you! Wufei: (grabbing her by the shoulders) I said take me to him, NOW! Terry: (running up) Hey, stop that! Terry managed to get Wufei to lose his grip on Naru's shoulders, but he didn't account for Naru retaliating with a roundhouse kick. Which sent Terry flying right through the bank's entrance. Immediately realizing what she did, Naru runs over to check on Terry. Naru: Are you alright? Wufei gave Naru another ominous glance before he walked off to the restaurant. Wufei: Pathetic woman... Naru helped Terry to his feet as he groaned loudly. Terry: You've got a pretty powerful kick there... um... Naru: Naru. Naru Narusegawa. Terry: (rubbing his sore back) Ouch. Where did you learn to kick like that? Naru: Self-defense classes. You can never be too sure when you live in a world with perverts. Or jerks like that guy. Terry: What's the deal with him anyway? Naru: You mean you don't know him? Terry: Well, not personally. We only met a few hours ago. Trust me, if I knew he was going to do that to you... Naru: Forget it. I'm sure he'll get what's coming to him. Terry stopped for a minute to process that last statement. Terry: He'll get what's coming to him? Naru: (waving it off) Don't worry about it! I'm just rambling on. Silly me! Now, what do you need to know about the bank robbery? ****** [Location: Tumbleweed Terrace - a restaurant close to the bank] Wufei entered the restaurant, which in reality was a simple brunch and coffee house, and immediately noted the scarce population inside. He only saw two people inside: Peter, who was sitting at a table while he examined a bunch of photographs, and Kou, who was sitting at the counter while talking on a cell phone and leafing through a bunch of documents. Wufei knew which one he was looking for. Wufei: (sitting down next to Kou) You the guy who runs the town bank? Kou: (talking on the phone) Nina, can you hold on for a minute? (putting the phone down) What was that? Wufei: Are you the guy who runs the bank? Kou: Yes, that's me. But as you can see, I'm a bit busy because the insurance company in Tempe doesn't want to pay for the damages to the bank. Wufei took the cell phone from Kou and immediately pressed the 'end call' button. Kou: (freaking out) Hey! What are you doing? Wufei: That won't be necessary. Kou: What? Do you realize what you've just done? Wufei: (smirks) You don't need to worry about insurance. You can have the person who wrecked your bank pay off of the damage. Kou: But how? Nobody knows who he or she is! Wufei: That's where you can help me. Tell me everything you know. ====== [Location: Gullible Gulch Bank] Naru was showing Terry the vault, where the broken door laid against the side and the vault was empty save for a few bags of coins here and there. Terry: So, you were counting money in the vault when you heard the window shatter? Naru: Yes, that's what I said. The robber cornered me and threatened to shoot me if I didn't do what he said. Terry: What did he tell you? Naru: He told me to fill two large money bags. Terry: And why is there still money in the vault? Naru: He said to fill the bags. What's left in here couldn't fit in the bags. Terry: So he left that behind and didn't return? Highly uncharacteristic of a bank robber. Naru: He probably knew that we would have called the sheriff and that he would have been caught if he returned for such chump change. Terry: Good point. Hold on... did you say it was a he? Naru: I think it was. The robber did have a mask on, but it clearly sounded like a man. Anyway, only a guy would do something like this! Terry: (nods) Uh huh. (looking at the vault door) Did he rip the vault door out too? Naru: (shook her head) No. The sheriff did that. He wanted to examine it for fingerprints. Like it would've helped! I'm the only one who touched the vault door! And he didn't even try to repair the door! Terry: I guess I need to talk to the sheriff too. ====== [Location: Tumbleweed Terrace] Wufei: So, you have no idea who could have done this? Kou: If I knew that, I would have gone after the guy. He threatened to kill me! Wufei: What about the girl you work with? Is she trustworthy? Kou: Who, Naru? Of course! She took this job only because she needs money to go to college. Wufei: Which would give her a perfect alibi to rob the bank! Kou: How? She was in the bank with me when it was robbed! The robber forced her to empty the vault! How can she have been the crook? Wufei: She probably has a resource or two that she tapped into. (getting up) Now, if you'll excuse me. Wufei walked out of the restaurant, leaving Kou to think about what Wufei had said. ====== [Location: Gullible Gulch Bank] Terry: (waving goodbye as he leaves) Thanks for your help! Naru: (smiling) You're welcome! And don't forget to tell your friends about the Gullible Gulch Bank! You don't need to bury your savings! Leave them with us! Terry walked off in the direction of headquarters, meeting Wufei as he left the restaurant. Wufei: Learn anything from her? Terry: Nothing that we didn't see on the videotape. Wufei: I knew interviewing her would be a waste of time! Terry: What did you find out? Wufei: The manager told me that the girl you interviewed is trying to earn enough money to get into college. Doesn't it seem weird that she's working in a bank? Terry: You suspect her of being the robber? Wufei: Not the robber, but I think she is involved somehow. Terry: Should we tell the others? Wufei: They'll figure it out eventually. The two continued their walk back. Terry: (CC) After Wufei did earlier, I'm not willing to share any information with him. Still, his theory about Naru might have some truth to it. Unlike Naru, who I thought strayed far from it when I interrogated her. How can she lie about what she was doing when there was a camera taping the entire robbery? Wufei: (CC) This Naru girl is the prime suspect. If she's involved in all this, I'll make sure she goes down. Along with whomever she's working with. ====== [Location: Team Headquarters Time: 2:00 p.m.] Once everyone had returned just after one, the whole group had decided to go out to lunch together to interact more with each other. They all returned afterwards to see Chris waiting for them. Chris: I have some good news for all of you. If you'd all follow me to the lobby. Everyone in the group looked at each other before following Chris inside. They all took their seats as Chris began to brief them on new events. Chris: Well, hopefully all of your interviews went well. You've had some time to get to know each other better and you've shared some information. It's time that I provided you with a little more. Chris handed folders to Terry and Wufei, who weren't present when he gave them out earlier. Chris: I don't know if anyone found this out through their interrogations, but one of these suspects is missing. Has been missing since Sunday evening. Nobody knows her whereabouts or if she's alive or not. He reaches into the spare dossier folder and pulls out a picture of Sally. Chris: Sally Acorn. She's the lead actress in the film that's being taped just outside of town. Kim: You mean "The Princess and the Pirate?" Chris: Yes, I believe that's the name of the film. You see, during a break in taping, Miss Acorn disappeared. A collective gasp can be heard from everyone... well, almost everyone. Chris: No one on the set knows where she went. But she wasn't the only thing missing. Two items were also missing at the time of her disappearance. The items that were stolen have been returned since, but neither the sheriff nor the people who had items stolen are willing to tell us what said items were. Eliza: Don't they trust us? Chris: Not one bit. You see, this is one town that's small enough that everybody knows everybody. They trust each other way too much here. If someone does know something about any of the crimes or Sally's disappearance, no one's willing to come forward and say so. Wufei: Well, we'll just go door-to-door and search houses until we find what we need. Chris: We can't do that without a search warrant. Besides, the sheriff has already inquiried the town twice since the robbery. He's gotten nothing from them. Mokuba: So what now? Penny: Are we just gonna wait around and wait for something else to get swiped? Chris: Our best option is to get all of our suspects in one place in order to see if anyone has anything to hide. That's why the mayor has called a town meeting for five o'clock today. We should be able to see most, if not all, of the suspects present. Gary: If that crook's gonna be there, we'll find him! Kim: Or her. We shouldn't limit it by gender just yet. Terry: I agree. We need to eliminate suspects based on what we know, not on blind assumptions. Chris: Good reasoning there, Terry. Maybe you guys can figure out a plan of action before you head for the meeting. So until then, you guys can work on that. Or decide on who shares rooms. Whichever you prefer. ====== Naturally, the group decided to try and figure out who would be rooming with whom. Kim: Okay, we've got six rooms and ten people. So two people can get a room to themselves. Wufei: I claim one of the solo rooms for myself. Terry: We should probably give the other solo to one of you girls. Of course, unless anyone wants to share a room with someone of the opposite sex. Raye: That's not happening! Terry: It was just a suggestion. Zoe: Does any of the other girls want the solo room besides me? Zoe glanced at Kim, Raye, Penny, and Eliza. None of them responded. Kim: I guess Zoe gets the other solo room. I'll room with Eliza, if that's okay with her. Eliza: Sure. Raye: (sighs) I guess that just leaves you and me, Penny. Penny: Like I expected any different. Gary: Well, I'm not sharing a room with the kids. I pick Terry as my roommate. Terry: (shrugs his shoulders) Fine, I guess. Bobby and Mokuba can room with each other. Bobby: No problem. Mokuba: As long as I have a place to sleep, I'm fine with anything. ====== [Location: Room 2 - Raye & Penny Time: 2:35 p.m.] Raye and Penny had gotten settled in their new room pretty easily. But they didn't let that deter them from discussing the case. Raye: So, what did you learn about Kizuna? Penny: She thinks she's the scapegoat for everything that goes wrong on that set. When her wig got stolen, they blamed her for wasting time! If she makes a mistake, she loses her job! She's just a hard-working girl trying to become a big time actress! They're not givin' her a chance! Raye: You said she was the stunt double for the missing actress? Penny: Yeah. Though she didn't mention anything about her being missing. Raye: She might be looking out for herself. After all, if the kidnapper is one of the members of the film crew, she might not want him or her to catch on. Penny: What about you? Have much luck with that Hercule guy? Raye: The guy had his Olympic medal taken from him. He wouldn't let us see the room that it was stolen from. He was afraid Zoe and I might steal one of his precious trophies. Penny: Dead end, huh? That figures. Raye: Don't worry about it! We're bound to find this thief sooner or later. Penny: I just hope Kizuna's not thief. After hearing about Sally's disappearance and the two items stolen from the set, fingers might start to point at her. Raye: If she's as nice as you say, I'm sure she's innocent. Penny: No one had better mess with her, 'cause if they do, I'm gonna protect my homegirl to the bitter end! Raye: (CC) Penny's already attached herself to one of our suspects and immediately claims she innocent. Does she know something already? Penny: (CC) I think it's pathetic Raye and Zoe couldn't convince their suspect to show them the theft site. You'd think two girls like them would have enough brains between them to figure out what to do. ====== [Location: Room 6 - Bobby & Mokuba] Bobby and Mokuba were also discussing what they had learned thus far. Bobby: That Bart kid kept saying 'I didn't do it, I didn't do it!' If he thinks that's going to throw me off, then he doesn't know Bobby Hill very well. Mokuba: Kizuna was kinda suspicious too, even though she was friendly. I mean, she could have lied to me, Penny, and Kim the whole time and we wouldn't know it. Bobby: (sifting through the photos) I guess we can't rule anyone out yet, can we? Mokuba: I guess not. Maybe we should ask the others for help. Bobby: We don't need any help. Did you see how Gary didn't want to share a room with us? He doesn't like us! Mokuba: Neither does that Wufei guy. Then again, he doesn't like anybody. Bobby: If we're going to get anywhere in this game, we need to figure out this stuff on our own. I'm sure some of them are already keeping information from us. Mokuba: So you're suggesting that we keep information from them? Bobby: Yep. It's the only way. Mokuba: But we're all in teams. What's to keep anyone on my team from saying something and vice versa? Bobby: Just because there are several people on a team doesn't mean that they all see things the same way. Or see everything, for that matter. Mokuba: I guess you're right. ====== [Location: Gullible Gulch City Hall Time: 5:00 p.m.] The entire detective team was sitting in the back of the meeting hall, which was filled with about eighty to ninety people. The group immediately began to search for their suspects among the crowd. They found two easy ones sitting on stage... Velma, the town mayor, and Buzz, the sheriff. They also noticed that Bart, Hercule, and Naru were all present, but both Kizuna and Kou were absent. Off to the side, they spotted Lois and Peter, who were billed as staff for the local newspaper. The only other person they can find was Ed, who was sitting by the center aisle in the third row to their right. He seemed to be goofing off with his friends, who were sitting next to him. Altogether, that made only eight. There were twenty pictures in the dossier. Everyone was realizing that more than half of their suspects were not there. Make it nine, as a black-haired mustachioed man ran in and sat in an empty seat in the back row. This happened to be Mario, listed as a local plumber. As Mayor Velma Dinkley stepped up to the podium to begin the town meeting, the group of detectives were already thinking about where all of the missing suspects are. Velma: Good afternoon, citizens of Gullible Gulch. The light of a flashbulb fills the air as Peter takes a picture of the mayor. Velma: For the past three days, our town has been gripped with fear. Six items of valuable worth have been stolen. Our town's only bank was robbed. And there is a young woman who has been missing for 72 hours now. Although the stolen items have been returned, the bank money is still missing, the young woman has not been found, and the person responsible is still out there. In fact, that person may be in this very room! The silent room quickly filled with murmurs as the townspeople began to point fingers at each other. Velma: At the very least, someone in this room knows who did it. We need to find out who did this. And that is why I have hired outside help. She points out the team sitting in the back... which is where all of the eyes in the room turn towards. Velma: These ten young detectives have what it takes to find this criminal and bring him or her to justice. We know that we're a town that trusts each other. Maybe a little too much. In my three years as mayor, I have never seen such a disrespect for the law. Sheriff Lightyear would like to strike that point home. Velma stepped aside as Buzz got up and moved up to the podium. Buzz: Listen up, people! We may have a reputation of trusting each other and not wanting to squeal. In a situation like this, we cannot tolerate or condone such actions any further. The missing young woman, Sally Acorn, could be in serious danger. I fear the worst if this case is not solved immediately! That's why these young rookies have been brought in to assist me and Deputy Spiegel. We will find this kidnapper, this robber, this thief. But we need your help. If he is not stopped, more items may be stolen. More people might suddenly disappear. If you care about your lives, forget about not coming forward because what you think may only be a hunch. Anything that could bring this case to an end would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Velma: (stepping up again) Sheriff Lightyear is right! The panic and fear that we've been living with the past few days will continue to live with us until this case is solved! If you know anything about the case, you must come forward! It's the only way to bring peace to our fair town again! With that, the mayor ends her speech. She heads for the door, with Buzz acting as her bodyguard. Lois tries to get in between them and ask Velma a few questions, but Buzz doesn't allow it. Lois can only watch with everyone else as Velma and Buzz walked out and Peter snapped pictures of the whole thing. ====== [Location: Team Headquarters Time: 5:23 p.m.] The group returned to headquarters, disappointed at the suspect turnout. Gary: (sarcastically) Well, that helped much. Wufei: The mayor and the sheriff obviously have no idea what they're doing. Zoe: That barely lasted five minutes! That's a town meeting? Eliza: There's obviously a lot even they don't want to tell us. Kim: Obviously! The other two missing items, other crime scenes. It's like they don't completely trust us! Terry: That's exactly what they think, Kim. And things just got harder because no one in town's going to want to help us. Zoe: So, what now? Gary: We've got nothing to do. We can't go around and ask people what they know? They probably won't even talk to us. Mokuba: I guess we're stuck until something new comes up. ====== [Time: 9:00 p.m.] Several hours had passed and nothing new had developed for the team to check into. The girls were making the best of their down time to get to know each other even more. A 'girl talk' of sorts. Penny: I took pity on the guy because he was in a wheelchair. But that changed when he started acting like an insensitive jerk. He disrespected me and my family! That's when I sent the guy packing! Raye: Serves him right! That bad boy got what was coming to him! Eliza: Not that it mattered. You weren't in love with him anyway. Penny: Well yeah, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings. But when I found out how crued and obnoxious he was, I didn't hesitate to speak my mind! Zoe: You go girl! Kim: At least you had someone who likes you. The guy I like... well, I don't know if he knows I exist. I mean, I know he knows I exist because of my reputation as world saver and all, but he doesn't know I exist exist. Raye: Have you tried telling him how you feel? Kim: How can I? I can't even say a sentence in front of him without stuttering! Or embarrassing myself. Gary and Terry had their door open and could hear the girls chatting the night away. Gary: (sighs) This feels just like the old days. Terry: You have sisters? Gary: No. But I used to have cheerleaders travel with me. Terry: Cheerleaders? You're kidding! Gary: Nope. Terry: What was that like? Gary: Can't complain. To have six frisky women cheering you on during every single battle... Terry: It's what any guy would wish for. Gary: Yeah. Only we all had to live and travel together. Which meant tons and tons of their campfire chats like the girls out there are having. Terry: Got tired of it? Gary: That, plus I thought they were affecting my performance. I spent too much time showing off and not enough time training my Pokémon. Once I dumped them and got my priorites straightened out, things improved. Terry: Good to hear it. Gary: I just hope those five don't chat themselves out. We might need them all if we have to go out on another interrogation run in the morning. ====== [Date: Thursday, October 24th, 2002 Time: 11:00 a.m.] The group was gathered down by the stage again the following morning to get a briefing on the day's events from Chris. Chris: Good morning to you all. I hope you all had a good first night of sleep, because we've got a few things to take care of today. Chris took out the pictures of Buzz and Spike. Chris: Sheriff Buzz Lightyear and his deputy, Spike Spiegel. I have managed to get them to help us out and share what they know about the case. They have promised to meet with two of you at one o'clock this afternoon. Any volunteers to go? Raye and Terry immediately raise their hands. Chris: Okay, Raye and Terry will go to the sheriff's at one. Next, I will need four people to head to the movie set. Those of you who go will need to find out about the other two stolen items and how Sally disappeared. Who wants to take that one? Kim, Penny, and Mokuba, who had all gone to the set yesterday, volunteered to go. Gary also decided to go with them, just so that they had another pair of eyes to scope things out. Chris: They won't allow you on the set 'til two, so you're stuck here 'til then. As for the rest of you, you'll stay here and try to see if there's any suspects you can eliminate. You can use any evidence you got yesterday. Bobby, Eliza, Wufei, and Zoe all agreed as they began to set up a table to work at. Chris: No one is allowed to help them, but you may provide them with new evidence if you find any today. The whole group nods as they walk off to prepare for the day's actions. Chris: Oh, one more thing. To make sure that this case is moving along as fast as it should be, I will require you every few days to take a quiz to show what you know about the case and what you should know. I will explain more about the quiz later today, but if you haven't been paying attention to the case as of yet, I suggest you get on the ball. Penny: (CC) A quiz? I thought I'd get away from those here! Bobby: (CC) I just hope we have enough evidence so that I can figure out who the bad guy is. ****** [Location: Sheriff's Office Time: 1:00 p.m.] Raye and Terry went to the sheriff's office as scheduled. They were greeted upon their arrival by the sheriff's deputy, Spike Spiegel. Spike: You must be the two detectives. Come on in. He led the two of them inside, where they found Buzz filling out paperwork on his desk. Spike: Sir, the two detectives are here. Buzz: Ah yes, come in and have a seat. Raye and Terry sat down in chairs just in front of Buzz's desk. Spike then saluted as he walked off towards the back. Terry: Where's he going? Buzz: To guard the criminals in the jail cells, but that's not important. Raye: Isn't there someone in there who had something stolen from her the other day? Buzz: Yes. Terry: Can we speak with her? Buzz: Absolutely not! She's being held until her trial on Monday. Raye: What for? Buzz: Well, another young girl found her flipping through a stack of cash. Thinking that the latter was the robber, the former... well, proceeded to enact some justice of her own. Terry: Any truth to it? Buzz: Can't say one way or the other. There's no evidence proving she is the thief. Then again, there's nothing saying that she isn't. Raye: And the other girl? The one who beat up the one you said might be the thief? Buzz: Being held for assault. Terry: But didn't the second girl have something stolen from her? Raye: Wouldn't that prove her innocence? Buzz: Maybe, but in a case like this, we have to check every lead. Even those that might prove false. Buzz produced a folder and handed it to Terry for him and Raye to look at. Buzz: Sakura Kinomoto. Placed in the top three in the Arizona state junior cheerleading competition a few months ago. On Tuesday, she had her pom poms stolen from her. She claims the theft took place sometime between zero seven fifty and zero eight oh five hours. Terry: She looks innocent enough to me. Raye: Yeah. I mean, look at that face! You're telling me you think a girl like her could be responsible for all of the thefts? Buzz: Like I said, we're checking every lead no matter how much truth there may be to it or not. Terry: What about the other items that were stolen? Do you mind if we look at the reports for those too? Buzz: I guess it couldn't hurt. Buzz reached into the file cabinet behind him and pulled out five more folders. He put them onto his desk, describing each of the cases as Terry and Raye flipped through the folders. Buzz: Bart Simpson had his disguise kit stolen from him. No specific time of theft was established since he wasn't sure when it was stolen. Hercule Satan had his Olympic silver medal stolen just before oh eight hundred Tuesday. Forced entry was not a factor in any of these first three thefts. Raye: And the others? Buzz: The other three were on the movie set. A red-haired wig stolen in the morning, then the director's pair of sunglasses and a reel of film that evening. Sally Acorn was also reported missing at that time. Terry: Why do all the reports say the items were returned? Buzz: They were all found in a sack in a cave south of town. We returned the goods to their rightful owners. Terry: What about the bank money? Raye: And this Sally... where was she? Buzz: Both still missing at the time, and still are at this point of the investigation. Raye: Shouldn't you form a search party? Buzz: Spike and I couldn't do it, for leaving the town could inspire the evil invader to strike again. And the townspeople are reluctant to help as well, for whatever their reasons may be. Terry: We should probably ask Chris to form one. Buzz: I wouldn't do that if I were you! Terry: But sheriff, with all due respect... Buzz: I can't risk any of your crew endangering your lives. Terry/Raye: We do it all the time. Terry and Raye then look at each other, surprised that they said the same thing. Buzz: That's what scares me. Look, just take this back to your group and share it with them. That's all I can give you right now. But I am the sheriff in this town, and I ask that you not interfere in my investigation. Terry: You have our word. Raye: We'll stay out of your way. Buzz: Very good then. You may go. The two of them gathered up the folders and departed. ====== [Location: The movie set Time: 2:10 p.m.] As the quartet arrived on the set, they immediately noticed a weird quirk among the five individuals present. All but one of them were female. Judy: You must be the detectives. (melodramatically) The show cannot go on without the star! You must find her! Kim, Penny, Gary, and Mokuba analyzed the situation as they looked at Judy, Kizuna, Ryoko, Botan, and Ken... all of whom were not at the town meeting last night. Ryoko: Is this some kinda joke? You kids think you can really find Sally? Kim: It's just a matter of piecing everything together. Ryoko: Ha! You've got to be kidding me! It's hopeless! Kizuna: Don't say that! We'll find her! Botan: We should never give up hope! Mokuba: That's right! We'll never give up hope! Gary: Calm down, Mokuba. I'll figure out what's going on. Kim: (looking at Gary) As if. I'm the one with experience here. I'll find her. Gary: Not if I find her first. Penny: Okay, break it up! Can we NOT fall apart this early in the game? Kim: You're right. We have to work together if we hope to get anything done. Gary: Whatever you say. Mokuba: Let's just start questioning people, okay? Kim: Fine. (to Kizuna) We talked to you yesterday Kizuna, so you can go. Gary: (butting in) But I didn't. I want to question her. Kim: (sighs) Fine. If you want to do that, be my guest. Gary: (smiles) I knew you'd see it my way. Kim: Could you interview Botan too? Botan: I'd be glad to answer anything you like. Gary: The more the merrier. You're only helping me out more. Penny: (pointing at Ken) I'll take him. Mokuba: (looking at Ryoko) I guess I've got her. Judy: (to Kim) I guess that just leaves me with you. Kim: No big. That's how I wanted it to work out anyway. The group goes their separate ways to begin their interrogations. ====== Checking in first with Mokuba and Ryoko, who were chatting right on the set. Mokuba: So, you're glad she's gone? Ryoko: Hell yeah! She acts like such a spoiled brat. Whining about how she deserves to be in bigger pictures. Mokuba: Do you feel the same way? Ryoko: Of course! These pictures are way too small for someone with my acting abilities. Though I have to admit, I don't mind playing the villain in this picture. Mokuba: What do you know about the bank robbery? Ryoko: What about it? You're not accusing me of being the robber, are you? Mokuba: No, of course not! I just want to make sure. Ryoko: I'd have no reason to do that! Besides, if I did do something like that, I would've left the country already! Only a complete fool would try to go into hiding here. ====== Over to Judy's trailer (which looks just like Kizuna's), where she was being interrogated by Kim. Kim: What was on that stolen film reel? Judy: Footage from our first shooting site in Phoenix last month. Part of the film takes place inside the city. Kim: Do you think someone followed you here from there and stole the film? Judy: That's impossible! No one outside of this town or our crew knows that we're filming the rest of the film here. Kim: Couldn't it have leaked through the Internet? Judy: I suppose it's possible. Still, I doubt anyone who did would follow us just to steal stuff from this middle-of-nowhere wasteland. Kim: But if the thief's a fan of your films, getting a souvenir like your sunglasses or the film reel to make a bootleg of is not out of the question. Judy: Like I said, possible but highly unlikely. Besides, it's not like we have Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, or someone else like that in the movie. There's no one on the set Hollywood-style famous enough to garner that much attention. ====== Ken was showing off a set of real-time trigger explosives to Penny. She seemed to be off-topic, as she was focusing her questioning on the set itself rather than the case. Ken: You see, Ryoko's character has a bunch of henchmen that don't have powers like she does, so they have to resort to using grenades. Of course, we can't afford to have about fifty to hundred extras who might make a mistake and accidentally blow up Kizuna. Penny: Dang! Kizuna actually has to go through all of that? Ken: There's only about twenty to twenty-five explosives total. I had to train Kizuna perfectly on how and where to step. I've planted small charges into the ground on our desert set, which you see in front of us. And on this setboard, I just run a wire by all of these triggers. The instant the wire touches one of the detonation triggers, that respective bomb immediately goes off. Penny: (gulps) So if she makes a misstep, she gets... Ken: Yeah. But I'm an expert at stopping on a dime. If she trips up or accidentally walks onto the spot where the explosive is planted, I make sure that it doesn't go off. Luckily, the charges are small enough that it won't cause injury unless she's right above it. Penny: Thank goodness. I wonder if she gets paid good money for this gig. Ken: That's not my department, kid. The company is responsible for that. Penny: If it wasn't for the fear of getting blown up, I might try something like this. Ken: Not unless you've got a death wish. Kizuna and I are trained pros at this. Things could go horribly wrong with an inexperienced amateur. Penny: Kizuna deserves a lot of credit for risking her life like that. Ken: She probably does, but she won't get it. She's not going to get the star treatment. The star is. Penny: I wish things were different. Ken: They could be... if we could convince Judy otherwise. Penny: (smiles) I'll think about it. ====== Inside Kizuna's trailer, Gary was talking with both Kizuna and Botan. Kizuna: It still stumps me as to why the thief would steal all of that stuff. None of it goes together. Botan: Except for the movie props, Kizuna. Your wig, the reel of film, and Judy's sunglasses were all stolen from here. Kizuna: Not to mention Sally's gone. Bless her soul... I hope she's okay. Gary: I'm sure I can find her. You've just got to tell me everything you know. Kizuna: I told you everything I know. The same thing I told Kim and the others yesterday. Botan: I can't tell you more than the fact that I was the one that found the stolen items. Gary: You were? Botan: (nods) About a half a mile or so south of town, in a small cave. All of the stolen items were there, except for the bank money. Gary: About what time was this? Botan: Around ten thirty Monday morning. I was just wandering out there when I found it in there. Gary: You just found it? Botan: Yes, I did. I pass by that cave every time I go jogging around the cliffs three times a week. I went by Monday and just saw the sack just sitting there. Kizuna: Good thing you found it there, otherwise we'd still be missing everything. Imagine having to go back to Phoenix and film all of that again. Botan: Three weeks of retaping? No one would be happy about that. Gary: Did you talk to the sheriff when you found it? Botan: Of course. If anyone saw me carry the sack back into town, people would immediately suspect me of being the thief. Gary: It could happen to anyone. Kizuna: I hope you guys find the thief before he or she pulls something else. Gary: That's not going to happen with Gary Oak around! Never fear ladies! I'll catch this criminal and bring him to justice. Botan: That's the spirit! I'm glad there's someone like you around! Kizuna: It makes me feel more confident that Sally will be found safe and sound. ====== [Time: 2:45 p.m.] The foursome began to trot back to headquarters, having learned a lot from their interrogations. Kim: Okay, from what Judy told me, it has to be someone on the set. No one else would have a reason to stop the filming of their movie. Penny: Ken could definitely be the thief. If that bank window was shattered using explosives, only he could set it up so delicately. Gary: Both Botan and Kizuna could be suspects. After all, Kizuna is sore about being the stunt double and Botan was the one who recovered the stolen items. Mokuba: And to add to that, Ryoko doesn't like Sally at all. She has a grudge against her because Sally thinks she should be treated like an A-class actress. Kim: So in other words, there's no one from the set we can eliminate from our investigation. Gary: If anything, we should focus our investigation there. Mokuba: How about in the town? There could be someone that doesn't want them filming out here. Penny: If that's the case, then there's still a lot of people we need to talk with. Definitely. ====== The group arrived at headquarters to see Chris and the other six waiting for them. Chris was about to give them another briefing. Chris: Well, since the rest of the crew is back, I need to explain to all of you what's going on tonight. The foursome sat down with the others as Chris continued with his speech. Chris: As I mentioned this morning, every few days I'll quiz you all on what you know of the case so far. The questions on each quiz will test both how much you know about each other as well as what you should know about the case. So I would suggest that you all start comparing notes from today's interrogation sessions and prepare for those quizzes. Chris then sighed before resuming. Chris: Oh, and one more thing. After each quiz, the person who does the worst is obviously not doing his or her job, and so, that person will be sent home. That grabbed everyone's attention, as going home now was an option not one of them had thought about so far. Chris: (smiles) The quiz will be given after dinner at city hall. I would suggest you have all of your things packed and ready to go before then. Chris then left the room, leaving the ten detectives worried about tonight. ====== [Time: 3:30 p.m.] Wufei watched from afar as many of the detectives were running around, trying to compare notes and such. He especially had his eye on both Terry and Kim, whom he both already had developed a grudge against. Wufei: (VO) Watching Terry and Kim run around helping everyone is pathetic. Terry has to learn that you have to force information out of people. You shouldn't be giving it out for free. And as for Kim, she's too into this. She thinks she's got everything under control. But she's got no idea. Kim was currently sharing notes with Penny, one of the few she had already gotten attached to. Penny: Bobby thinks Bart is doing nothing but denying everything he and the others accused him of yesterday. Kim: Bart is a likely target, but I doubt he'd be smart enough to pull something like this off. Penny: And you know how? You didn't exactly meet the guy. Kim: Do you really think it would be that obvious that he's the one? I think we should keep our efforts focused on the movie set. Everything we have so far points to someone there. Penny: We haven't even questioned all of our suspects yet! Kim: At this point, we just have to go with what we have. Penny: You're right. We really don't have that much as of yet. I don't even know where to begin when it comes to fingering the thief. Kim: Something tells me that this is going to be more complicated than any of us ever thought. The two teenage girls glanced around and saw Terry and Gary sharing some information as well. Kim: Especially at the rate we're going. ====== [Time: 3:50 p.m.] Bobby, Eliza, and Mokuba, the three youngest detectives, have gotten together outside of headquarters. But they don't seem to be too concerned about the upcoming quiz. They were satisfied with relaxing for the moment. Eliza: It's too bad there's not that many kids around here to play with. Bobby: Yeah. But what else do you expect from a small town like this? Mokuba: I think it's a great town! Most of the people around here seem friendly enough. Bobby: Not all of them. Eliza: Yeah. Bart likes to joke around a lot, it seems. Bobby: I don't think he was taking us seriously. He could've been lying to us. Eliza: Maybe, but I'm not ready to pin him as the bad guy yet. Bobby: I think we should. Mokuba: Why can't we forget about that for now? Everyone's becoming all serious about the case. It's not like we're going to learn anything new. Let's just relax. I mean, whatever happens on the quiz happens. Eliza: Are you sure? Mokuba: Yeah. Besides, no one seriously expects us to be the ones who solve the case. Bobby: Hey! We're as capable as the rest of them are. Eliza: I guess we need to prove to everyone tonight how on top of this case we really are. I think we should swear to all pass the quiz tonight. Bobby: That'll show the older kids how useful we can be. Mokuba: If the others can do it, we can too! Bobby, Eliza, and Mokuba extended their right arms to meet in the center. Then, with one quick jump... Bobby/Eliza/Mokuba: Go us! ====== [Location: Gullible Gulch City Hall - Lobby Time: 7:30 p.m.] Chris was alone in the lobby as he set the stage for the first quiz. Chris: Ten detectives from different parts of the world, different shows, and different backgrounds have come together to solve a mystery that the citizens of Gullible Gulch have refused to help solve. It's been almost 32 hours since the group first arrived in town. They've met and interrogated a good number of the suspects, but they are many that they still have to meet. Tonight, the journey comes to an early and abrupt end for one of our faithful detectives. In this game, every hour, every minute, and every second counts. Somebody's been wasting his or her time here the past day and a half. And that person will go home tonight. ====== [Location: Gullible Gulch City Hall - Assorted Offices on 1st & 2nd Floors] Chris: (VO) Every few days, each of the detectives will be required to take the quiz. Ten questions about what they know of their fellow partners and of the suspects they are investigating. The questions are all multiple choice, but none of them have easy answers. (Author's Note: Please answer the questions in e-mail ONLY. Do not leave any answers in the reviews, or it will be removed and you will be taken out of the Fantasy League competition if you are currently participating in it.) One by one, each of the detectives were shown in separate rooms. Each had a laptop computer booted up with the quiz questions appearing on the monitor. Gary: (CC) This ought to be a piece of cake. I've gotten everyone to tell me everything about the case so far. Mokuba: (CC) Bobby, Eliza, and I all made a promise. We will pass this quiz. Chris: (VO) Question One: If you put the last names of all the detectives in alphabetical order, who would be fourth in the list? (Choices: 1 - Bobby 2 - Eliza 3 - Gary 4 - Kim 5 - Mokuba 6 - Penny 7 - Raye 8 - Terry 9 - Wufei 10 - Zoe) Raye: (VO) Didn't Wufei mention his name as Chang Wufei? Does that mean that it's backwards because he refers to himself as Wufei? Penny was thinking as she silently counted off the names on her fingers. Chris: (VO) Question Two: Which of the following is a secret that none of the detectives have? (Choices: 1 - Has had soul stolen and later returned 2 - Is a member of a royal family 3 - Dresses up as the futuristic version of a classic superhero 4 - Has a crush on the school's resident hottie 5 - Accidentally saw older female cousin naked in the shower 6 - Was born and raised in Italy 7 - Has a mutual dislike for women and how weak they are 8 - Can communicate with wildlife in plain English 9 - Used to date best friend's current love interest 10 - Has a father who owns a snack company 11 - Used to travel with a group of cheerleaders twice as old) Kim: (VO) No one has admitted to being a superhero other than me, so maybe that's a secret that none of the others have. Terry: (VO) After Wufei looked like he was about to hurt Naru, it made me think about what he thinks of the opposite sex. Wufei: (VO) There's gotta be something in here that sounds so unrealistic that it's gotta be the right answer. Chris: (VO) Question Three: Which pair of detectives can honestly claim that they've traveled the world? (Choices: 1 - Eliza and Kim 2 - Gary and Wufei 3 - Eliza and Zoe 4 - Raye and Wufei 5 - Gary and Kim 6 - Mokuba and Terry) Eliza grabbed her mouse and moved the pointer between two of the options, both bearing her name in them. Chris: (VO) Question Four: What was Naru, the teller, claiming to be doing at the time of the bank robbery? (Choices: 1 - Counting the money in the vault 2 - Having her nails painted 3 - Singing a song to her boss 4 - Reading a fashion magazine 5 - Studying for her college entrance exams) Bobby: (VO) We saw what she was doing on the videotape. The answer's obvious. Mokuba: (VO) Terry said that she lied through the whole conversation. But what's there to say that he didn't lie about that? Chris: (VO) Question Five: Which of these items was reported missing first? (Choices: 1 - A reel of film 2 - A pair of sunglasses 3 - An Olympic silver medal 4 - A disguise kit 5 - Pom Poms 6 - A red-haired wig) Gary: (VO) Bart wasn't sure about when his was stolen. Although it might have been stolen the night before. Zoe: (VO) Raye and I didn't get anything from Hercule, which bothers me. We didn't get to ask him much, and now we're paying for it. Chris: (VO) Question Six: Was the item that was reported stolen first, the first one stolen? (Choices: 1 - Yes 2 - No) Terry debated with himself for a second before answering the question. Chris: (VO) Question Seven: What was the name of the movie that was being filmed? (Choices: 1 - The Warrior Princess 2 - The Princess and the Street Rat 3 - The Princess and the Pirate 4 - The Jolly Princess 5 - Crouching Princess, Hidden Demon) Wufei looked the choices over carefully, not knowing what to pick. Zoe: (VO) Kim told me what it was, but I've forgotten already! Now I have to pick completely at random! Chris: (VO) Question Eight: Mayor Dinkley has been mayor of Gullible Gulch for how many years? (Choices: 1 - 3 2 - 5 3 - 7 4 - 9) Bobby: (VO) Mayor Dinkley could be smart enough to rob so many people and keep under the radar. The glasses she wears means she's smart. Penny: (VO) Did she even mention that? She never said how many years she's been mayor here. Gary: (VO) That speech of hers was so unconvicing. She's hiding something, that's for sure. She can't fool me, no matter how long she's been in office. Chris: (VO) Question Nine: Was the thief present at the town meeting? (Choices: 1 - Yes 2 - No) Eliza: (VO) Kim has me believing that someone at the movie set is the robber. She just has no concrete way of proving it. I'm not surprised at all. Kim seemed confident as she answered the question quickly. Raye did as well. Mokuba: (VO) There were so many of our suspects missing from the town meeting. A lot of them we haven't met yet. There's no way of knowing if my guess will be good enough to keep me in. Chris: (VO) Question Ten: Who is the thief? (Choices: 1 - Bart 2 - Botan 3 - Bubbles 4 - Buzz 5 - Ed 6 - Hercule 7 - Jack 8 - Judy 9 - Ken 10 - Kizuna 11 - Kou 12 - Lois 13 - Mario 14 - Naru 15 - Peter 16 - Ryoko 17 - Sakura 18 - Sally 19 - Spike 20 - Velma) ====== [Location: Gullible Gulch City Hall -- Meeting Hall Time: 8:09 p.m.] The ten detectives have taken a seat in the meeting hall, where the town meeting had been held the day before. All of their bags are piled up in a nearby corner. The lights come up as Chris enters the room with a large manila envelope in hand. Chris: So guys, how was the quiz? Wufei: What was that supposed to be? Some of those questions made no sense! Penny: Yeah. Some of them had nothing to do with the case. Chris: Remember that I mentioned that the quizzes include questions not only about the case, but also about your fellow detectives around here. You will discover that in some parts of this case that the only way you will succeed is to work together. And that's hard to do if you don't know your partners inside and out. Tonight, it looks like that's going to cost one of you. Chris smiled as he took a seat on stage, next to the podium. Chris: I'm going to start by announcing the lowest scorers on this particular quiz. I need those people to come up here. They will say some final words, then I will announce which of them is going home tonight. He glanced at the back of the envelope, where he had scribbled in small print the names of the lowest scorers. Chris: I will usually pick three, but to include all ties, I had to pick four tonight. Would Penny, Bobby, Raye, and Mokuba please come up? The four aforementioned detectives stepped onto the stage, all of them visibly nervous. Chris: Tonight, for one of you, your stay here in Gullible Gulch is over. Inside this envelope is an index card with the name of the person who scored the lowest on tonight's quiz. Tonight, in our first quiz, we have a tie for the lowest score. And in that case, the person who finishes, among those tied, the slowest IS the one that is sent home. Chris turned to face the doomed foursome as the others look on. Chris: Does anyone want to say anything before I announce who's going home? This is your last chance to speak your peace. Penny: I just want to say it's been a blast here, and I'd like to stay here longer. I'm kicking myself now for going on a whole bunch of guesses. I just hope I'm not going home tonight. Raye: I find it surprising that I'm up here instead of Zoe since we both messed up our part of the investigation yesterday, but... it's my fault I did so bad. I hope this isn't the end for me. A couple of the detectives looked at Zoe, wondering what Raye was talking about. Chris: Bobby? Mokuba? Any last words? Both of them shook their heads. Chris nodded and began to open the envelope. Chris: Once I read the name of the detective on the card, he or she must grab their bags and follow me out immediately. Do you all understand? Penny, Bobby, Raye, and Mokuba all nodded once more. They looked on nervously as Chris pulled out the index card from the envelope. Chris: The first detective to leave the game of "Mystery Solvers" is... Chris slowly turned the card around for all to see as he announced the name that was on it. Chris: Bobby Hill. Bobby bowed his head before turning and shaking hands with Mokuba. He waved goodbye to Penny, Raye, and everyone else as he stepped off the stage, got his bags, and with Chris helping him, the two left the room and the building. Eliza: Bobby was an okay guy. He was kinda quiet and playful. I don't think he really got into the spirit of being a detective though. Terry: We haven't been here that long and so most of us didn't get a chance to know Bobby better. It must be terrible for him to be the first one gone. Zoe: I feel bad for the little guy. It was our responsibility to look after him, but I guess that's the nature of this game. We were too busy trying to solve the case and save ourselves that we didn't hear his cries for help. ====== Outside, Bobby and Chris put Bobby's bags into the back of a taxi cab. Chris: So, what did you think of your experience here? Bobby: (sighs) I wish I could've stayed longer. This place feels just like home. Maybe too much like home. Chris: Anything you've regretted? Bobby: Yeah. I made a promise a few hours ago to Eliza and Mokuba. We're the youngest of the bunch and we promised each other that we would make it at least through tonight. I guess I let them down. Chris: I hate having to force people out of the case. It's my least favorite part of the job. Bobby: Don't worry about it. The moment I saw who was up against, I figured I wasn't going to last that long anyway. Bobby gave Chris a hug before stepping into the taxi's back seat. Chris closed the door and then instructed the driver to go. Bobby waved goodbye as the taxi slowly pulled away from City Hall and the town of Gullible Gulch. ****** 9 detectives and 20 suspects remain... Whew... the first episode is finally done! Thank goodness. Young Bobby Hill is the first to be eliminated from the game. He may have felt like he was home, but in terms of the game, he played like the away team. ****** On the next episode of "Mystery Solvers": - Someone is chosen to take charge of the team... but will everyone agree with the decision? - Does Wufei's theory about the females of Gullible Gulch hold some truth? - And a startling development scares two detectives to the point where they might quit. Episode 2 is coming on Tuesday, December 3rd! Until then, folks!