Emilia watched Cashe and Lindon as they wandered out of the village and towards the fields in front of the mountain until they disappeared from sight. She sighed, checking her pokedex to make sure everything was in order and turned around, heading back into the motel.

As she entered the Gothorita popped its head up from behind the desk, watching her silently. She marched up to it, the small pokemon making no move to interact with her besides to follow her with its eyes.

“I need to speak with him,” Emilia nodded at the passed out man on the chair. Gothorita only stared at her. Suppressing another sign, Emilia hopped the desk and shook the man on the shoulder.

“Goth.” Gothorita finally spoke. It wasn’t much of a protest, the pokemon’s voice was bored and flat.

Emilia ignored the pokemon, gripping the man firmly on the shoulder and shook. The man’s head lolled to his other shoulder as Emilia shook, but he otherwise did not stir.

“What the hell?” The man didn’t smell drunk. She raised her hand and gently slapped the man across the face a few times. He murmured something in his sleep but did not wake.

“Goth!” Gothorita was giving her an accusatory stare.

Emilia scowled and pulled away from the sleeping man. He wasn’t waking. She would just have to speak to someone else.

She exited the motel once again and entered into the street, staring down the single road that ran through the village. It was still quiet, even in the mid morning. The sun was out, but clouds were gathering around the mountain and the wind was picking up. She could smell rain in the air. She glanced back towards the fields with a small smirk. Lindon and Cashe would be getting soaked. Served them right for going on a ‘boy’s trip’ without her.

She took a deep breath, taking a moment to enjoy the sun on her face and the familiar scent of the ocean air, but found herself unable to relax. She shivered looking back over her shoulder at the motel. The man was still sleeping in his chair, but Gothorita’s eyes bored into her back. Strange.

Emilia pushed the creepy pokemon out of her mind, heading down the street and entering the small diner. The chime on the door rang as she entered.

“Hello?”

The place was empty, not a single person sitting at any of the dozen tables. She walked up to one. Some sort of brown sauce had spilled on the white and red tablecloth, spreading over almost half. It was dry and crusted. Emilia made a face. The diner was not clean. She spotted similar stains at several other tables. A faint odor hung in the air. Her face twisted further.

Something rustled behind her and Emilia nearly jumped out of her skin. She spun around. A woman had snuck up behind her, coming around the bar that led to the kitchen. She was uncomfortably close, only a few inches away.

“Hello,” the woman smiled, “Nice weather we’re having isn’t it?”

“Arceus, you scared me,” Emilia gasped, “I have a-” She paused. The woman was disheveled. Her clothes, an apron, white shirt, and jeans, were torn and dirty, fraying at the edges and stained with the same brown sauce that was on the tables. Her hair was short, hanging just past her ears, unwashed and clumped against her head. She had large, dark circles under her eyes and behind her smile, her teeth were yellow. In her hands was a filthy mug that she was polishing with an equally filthy rag. Emilia took a step back. The smell was coming from her. “Are you alright?”

“Nice weather we’re having, isn’t it?” The woman stepped back into Emilia’s space, wide smile still on her face. She stared at Emilia with wide eyes, pupils dilated so much that the iris was nothing more than a brown sliver around them.

“Yeah,” Emilia swallowed, “Listen, I-”

“You must be new in town,” the woman said, shifting the rag in her hand. She took another step closer to Emilia. The stench of body odor and mold rose up from the woman. There was dirt under her fingernails.

“Yes, listen,” Emilia spoke quickly before the woman could cut her off again, “I’m looking for someone. A man named Wynn and three-”

“Wynn’s not here,” the woman said. Her smile did not twitch, still sitting uncomfortably wide on her face, yellowing teeth on full display. She stepped forward, forcing Emilia further into the diner.

“You’ve seen him?” Emilia said, perking up, “That’s great! No one’s heard from him in a week or so. Do you know where he went? When was the last time you saw him?”

“Wynn’s not here!” The woman raised her voice.

“Okay!” Emilia stepped around the woman, “You can relax! I didn’t mean to upset you.”

The woman did not look upset. Her expression did not change.

“Wynn’s not here!” The woman stepped forward again, coming closer to Emilia. Emilia stepped back, but this time the woman did not stop, backing Emilia up until she stumbled out of the diner, the wind chime ringing on the door.

Emilia scrambled away, dragging herself over the dirt road and back onto her feet. The woman stood at the door, mug and filthy rag in her hand. She was still smiling, watching Emilia as she retreated with unblinking eyes.

“Wynn’s not here!”

“Okay!” Emilia backed away from the woman slowly, crossing the street. The woman stood in the diner’s doorway, watching her. She continued to back away until she was on the opposite side of the street. She shivered. There was something wrong with this town.

Emilia took a moment to collect herself. She was in front of the Pokemon Center. She took a stabilizing breath and headed inside. The center was a welcome departure from the rest of the town. It was clean and bright, with a bored looking Nurse Joy sitting behind the Center’s desk.

“Welcome!” Nurse Joy said as Emilia approached. Emilia relaxed a bit. The pink hair of the joy family was a welcome sight.

“Hey,” Emilia stopped in front of the desk. She bit her lip.

“Do your pokemon need healing?” Nurse Joy said when Emilia did not speak immediately, “Or are you here for an appointment?”

“Does this village seem weird to you?” Emilia blurted out.

“That depends, where are we again?” Nurse Joy said.

Emilia blinked, frayed nerves tingling as she stared at the nurse, “What?”

“Oh!” The nurse laughed, placing a hand over her chest, “You look so worried for me! That’s sweet, but I’m fine.” Nurse Joy chuckled to herself, “Sorry, I forgot. I’m fine. Thank you for worrying, though!”

“What are you talking about?” Emilia said.

“Most people don’t know because they are in cities all the time,” Nurse Joy said, “But remote locations like this don’t have dedicated employees,” she stood and walked to the door behind the desk, pushing it open. A Blissey was holding a large egg in her stubby arms, scrutinizing it closely, “Most Blissey and Clefable can learn teleport, so some of us rotate around for our shifts, since these places see so few trainers.”

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“Oh,” Emilia relaxed.

“I didn’t actually forget where we are, either,” Nurse Joy continued, sitting back down at the desk and giving Emilia a small smile, “I was making a little joke. I’ve only been here in Tapu Village for about an hour.”

“I see,” Emilia said, sighing, “I think there’s something wrong with the village.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Nurse Joy said with a quick wave of her hand, “In my experience, small villages like this always have a couple strange people around. It’s part of the charm.”

“Right, charm,” Emilia said.

“So did you need any help, or did you just come to talk?” Nurse Joy said.

“I wanted to know about the village.”

“Can’t help you there, unfortunately,” the nurse shrugged.

“Yeah.” Emilia bit her lip again. She dug into her pocket and pulled out the photo of Wynn, “If you see this guy before the end of your shift, can you have him call Gym Leader Kev? He’s one of the gym’s trainers, and no one’s heard from him in a few days.”

“That’s not good,” Nurse Joy said, taking the photo for a moment before handing it back, “If I see him, I’ll make sure to pass the message on.”

“Thanks,” Emilia smiled, “His name’s Wynn.”

Emilia left the Pokemon Center with a wave of her hand and entered the street. Across the road, the woman from the diner was still staring. The uncomfortable smile on her face had disappeared, replaced with a perfectly flat expression. Emilia almost returned to the Pokemon Center to wait until the woman returned to her diner, but as she moved she realized the woman was not staring at her. She was staring at nothing, eyes gazing into the distance, without focus, as if the woman was no longer seeing anything at all.

Emilia moved quickly into the general store beside the Pokemon Center, getting away from the woman before she came back to herself. The door to the general store was dirty, like almost everything else in the town. The closed sign was now flipped to open, so she entered. The door creaked as she opened it, the hinges in need of oil.

The store was small and dusty, looking like a convenience store from times before technology. The aisles were lined with wooden shelves and a thin layer of dust gathered over the products. They were mostly non perishables, beans and other canned foods that could last on the routes, but there was some fresh produce on display. Or “fresh”. The produce was old and many vegetables looked withered and dried.

“Hello?” Emilia called. She stood in the doorway, refusing to enter further.

“Nice weather we’re having isn’t it?” The head of a smiling young man popped out from behind a shelf.

Emilia jumped in place.

“Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” the young man said. His eyes widened as he got a better look at Emilia and quickly looked away, ducking his head to go back to whatever he was doing behind the shelves.

Emilia let out a breath. Talking and recognizing her were good signs. “It’s fine, I’ve just had a bit of a weird morning.”

“Oh?”

“The woman in the diner scared me,” Emilia said, “And the man at the motel wouldn’t wake up.”

“I wouldn’t try to wake up Todo if I were you,” the young man said, “It’s fruitless. I think he has his pokemon keep him asleep until he wakes up naturally.”

Emilia frowned. Was that what that Gothorita was doing?

“And Betty has been a little funny for a while now. One of these days, someone is going to have to get her to a Pokemon Center,” the young man finished.

“Oh,” Emilia let herself relax further, “Have you seen a man named Wynn? Or a three professional pokemon catchers around lately. I need to talk with both.”

The young man looked up from behind the shelves for a second before ducking back down, “Uh no. Well I didn’t get his name, but there was a gym trainer here a while ago. Don’t know if he’s still in town. As for the catchers, I think they should be in town um,” he paused for a second, whispering to himself, “tomorrow maybe?”

“Great, thanks.” Emilia said, “Do you know where I can meet them?”

“They normally come by here?” The man said, “If I see them, I’ll tell them you're looking for them. They should be staying at the motel as well.”

“Alright,” Emilia walked into the store and the man jumped up from behind the shelves, “Stop! What are you doing?”

Emilia froze, “Looking to see what you have.”

“Oh, ah, none of this is for sale,” the man said, glancing down at his feet once again. Emilia tried to follow his eyes but was blocked by a shelf. “It’s all gone bad. I have to restock everything.”

Emilia frowned, “Wouldn’t you do that before it all went bad?”

“It’s not my store,” the man said with a humorless laugh, “I’m just helping out since the owner is not feeling well.”

Emilia looked around the dusty store, “Okay?”

“You should go,” the man gave her a wane smile, “I probably shouldn't have opened the store until I was done.”

Emilia frowned at the man. He was sweating underneath his smile and glancing nervously at the door. Emilia sighed. “Fine. Thanks for the help.”

She left, door creaking as she entered the street again. She spent the next few hours moving through the town, searching for any signs of Wynn or the pro catchers, but she found none. She didn’t even see another person, human or pokemon. Even the houses at the edge of town were cold and dark. She spent a few fruitless minutes banging on the front door of one. She thought she saw a shadow or two flickering in the window as she knocked, but when she turned her head, nothing was there.

The sun had disappeared behind a thick layer of clouds that were gathering in the sky. The expected rain looked to be turning into a storm. Emilia felt a pang of worry for Cashe and Lindon. Being caught in a storm was dangerous, especially in an unfamiliar area. Just as she took out her pokedex to contact them, her pokedex buzzed in her hands. Cashe was calling her.

“Hello, Cashe? Is everything all right?”

“Looks like a storm is brewing,” Cashe said. His voice was muffled by the wind in the background. Things must have been getting bad there. “We’re heading to the mountain to try and find a place to huddle up and let the storm pass.”

“Okay,” Emilia said, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. “Be careful. Any signs of Wynn or dangerous pokemon?”

“None,” Cashe said, “Barely any signs of pokemon at all. Any luck there?”

“I’ve barely seen anyone. I tried to talk with the man at the motel, but he is in the deepest sleep I’ve ever seen, and that Gothorita is no help at all. I’ll call you back if I find something out. Dee and his group are supposed to be back down from the mountain tomorrow, so we can talk to them then.”

“Depending on how long this storm lasts,” Cashe said. Emilia gazed up at the mountains. The clouds were darkening visibly, even in the short time she spent on the call. “We might be out here overnight if it doesn’t pass before sundown. Don’t want to make the journey in the dark.”

Emilia bit her lip. She didn’t want to spend the night in the strange village alone. She didn’t say it aloud, though. Better not to worry them. They had their own trouble to deal with. “Okay. Good luck.”

“You too. I’ll let you know if we aren’t able to make it back.”

The call ended and Emilia put the pokedex away, heading back to her hotel room to take shelter from the storm.

The man in the chair was still asleep, his Gothorita watching her as Emilia entered the foyer again. Emilia returned to her room and sat on the bed. Even though it was only late afternoon, the sky was already dark from the storm rolling in and she felt exhausted. She kicked off her clothes and went to lay down. She paused, remembering something from earlier in the day.

She bent over, checking under her bed.

“Huh.” There were a small number of stones there, laying in an odd pattern, just like Lindon said. She took one in her hand, knocking several others away as she did so. The stone looked like it came from a river or the ocean, smooth and round, all its edges worn down from years of erosion. She frowned at it and tossed it on the shelf beside her bed, and lay down to get some rest.

***

The rain was pouring as Cashe and Lindon huddled together in his tent. The sound of it pounding against the fabric of the tent was both overwhelming and comforting. Every once in a while a sound rose up from the crack in the mountain, breaking through the deluge of rain, some pokemon chittering or moving around deep inside.

The storm was picking up instead of dying down. Cashe put in a call to Emilia but didn’t get a response. He frowned.

“Worried about Emilia?” Lindon said.

“Strange that she’s not answering,” Cashe shrugged, “I wouldn’t say worried.”

“You look worried.”

“I might be a little worried.”

“Are you worried because you love her?” Lindon said, elongating the word ‘love’ like a kid teasing his friend.

Cashe turned to look at the boy, “Where is this coming from?”

“You said this was a boys’ day out and we were supposed to talk about girls?” Lindon said, “We haven’t talked about girls at all.”

Cashe laughed, “Okay, let’s talk about girls. Have you heard from Dalia lately?”

Lindon blanched, “N-no?”

“That didn’t sound like the truth.”

“We were talking about Emilia!”

“Of course I’m worried about her because I love her.” Cashe said, “Just like I would worry about you if you were in a strange town, by yourself, overnight in a storm. Because you're my friend and I love you.” Cashe grinned, “But the real question is, do you love Dalia?” Cashe emphasized the word ‘love’ just as Lindon had seconds ago.

Lindon blushed and looked away from Cashe. “I don’t want to talk about girls anymore.”

*****