Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

            Warm afternoon sunlight lit the living room of the Koshou family home. It was a positively perfect spring day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the weather was comfortably cool, and there were no pressing matters that demanded Kieran and Carmine’s attention. There was no world to save, no rampaging Pokemon to stop, and no homework to complete. Well, not anymore at least; both of them had completed the packets their teachers had sent home with them two days ago.

            Kieran rolled over on the tatami-covered floor and sighed.

            He was completely and utterly bored.

            Carmine rolled her eyes. “Kieran, I swear to Arceus if you sigh one more time, I’m gonna throw you outside.”

            “Sorry.” He fluffed the cushion under his head and lay down with a huff.

            “What are you so glum for, anyway?” She turned her attention back to painting her nails a bright cherry red. “You’ve been sleepin’ in every day, and you’re eatin’ real food again. You actually don’t look like a zombie anymore, so I know you’re not sick.”

            Kieran cast a sideways glance at his sister. “Thanks, I guess.” He stared up at the ceiling. “I’m not sick, but I just… don’t know what to do with myself.”

            “Rest. That’s what you can do.”

            “But I don’t wanna just lie around all day, Sis.”

            “Then don’t.” Carmine nodded in the direction of the porch. “Go take a hike or somethin’. Go catch some Pokemon and stay out ‘til it’s dark. No one’s stoppin’ you.”

            “I don’t wanna.” He’d done that two days ago, and had caught one of everything Kitakami had to offer.

            “Ok, then go out in the shop and make something. Grandpa’s out in town today doing errands, so it’s all yours.”

            “I don’t wanna do that either.” He still had a splinter in his hand from a mishap with a chisel yesterday. He’d gotten a little rusty at mask-making since last summer. At this rate, he doubted he’d finish Julie’s mask before she came to visit again this summer.

            “Then what do you want to do?”

            “I dunno.”

            Carmine shut her eyes, barely resisting the urge to throttle her little brother. “Kiki, do you know what the word obstinate means?”

            He thought about it for a moment. “Stubborn, right?”

            Carmine twisted the lid tightly on her bottle of nail polish. “Yep. Stubborn and lacks all common sense. That’s you.”

            He stuck his tongue out at her. “Dummy.”

            “I know you are, but what am I?”

            “A bigger dummy than me.”

            “Nuh-uh!” Carmine shouted.

            “Yuh-huh!” Kieran retorted. “You’re taller than me, so you’re the bigger dummy by default.”

            Carmine was silent. He had her there. She gritted her teeth and turned away.

            Kieran smirked with satisfaction. Victory was sweet, especially when his opponent was his sister.

            She took a moment to inspect her work. Her manicure looked positively perfect. Suddenly, she had an idea, one that would make the most of Kieran’s interests. And if her plan was successful, Kieran would be out of her hair for an hour or so, at least.

            “Maybe you should go write Julie a love letter. I know she’d love to hear from you.” She smiled at him slyly. “You were getting mighty good at writing letters to her before we left.”

            Kieran thought his sister might be on to something. He’d gotten comfortable corresponding with Julie as her mysterious friend S. That felt like yesterday and a lifetime ago all at once. So much had happened since he’d wrote that first letter – the championship match, the trip to Area Zero, a subterranean near-death experience, and an unceremonious breakdown that had led him back home for two weeks.

            He missed Julie, that was for sure. He was keenly aware of the distance between them now: 10,009.2 kilometers, to be precise. He’d looked it up on Carmine’s phone while they waited for Grandma and Grandpa to pick them up at the airport. Now he wished he hadn’t. The realization made his heart ache.

            He wondered what she was doing. Sleeping, he supposed - Julie’s time zone was 7 hours behind his, so he doubted she was awake yet. Their attempts to catch up by phone had been unsuccessful; the phone service in Kitakami was abysmal. Video calls were out of the question, and they’d gotten in no more than a hello on a voice call before the phone completely dropped signal.

            Kieran sat up, feeling a spark of inspiration. A paper and pen didn’t need wi-fi to work, and he had enough stamps to persuade the postal service to overnight a letter across the world. He smiled. Carmine was a genius.

            “Y’know what, Sis, that’s a really good idea.”

            “Good.” Carmine relaxed. Kiki was finally out of his funk. “Now go be sappy and tell Julie how much you want to kiss her.”

            Kieran flushed bright red. “Siiiis!”

            “What?” she smirked. “Don’t you want to?”

            He fidgeted with a lock of hair. “Y-yeah, but…I….”

            “But what?”

            He wrapped himself in the blanket he’d been napping under earlier. She wasn’t wrong exactly, but the idea of actually doing such a thing both frightened and excited him. He’d tried and failed to do so twice already. He wasn’t sure if it was bad luck or some omnipotent force intervening, but he doubted he’d be successful anytime soon.

            “I keep messin’ it up.” Shame settled in his chest. “I can’t do it right.”

            Carmine took a seat beside her brother on the floor. “Kiki, you’re not messin’ anythin’ up. If it hasn’t happened yet, it just isn’t time yet, that’s all.”

            He peeked out from beneath the blanket. “Y’think so?”

            “I know so. You can’t rush stuff like that. It takes time, and you’ll know when the moment is right. You can’t force it.”

            “Yeah.” He felt himself get lost in a memory: a summer festival, walking side by side with candied apples, riding high on first love and unaware of the disaster about to befall them.

            What would have happened if they’d met up at that bench above the plaza like they’d planned? The thought was tempting. Would things have worked out for him to confess his feelings then and there? Would they have started dating right away, or-

            Carmine tugged the blanket from Kieran’s head. “Don’t go gettin’ mopey on me again. That’s in the past and what’s done is done. Y’all made up and started over. You know she doesn’t hold any of that stuff against you, so stop holdin’ it against yourself, ok?”

            He gave his sister a small smile. “Ok.”

            Carmine was right. As far as he could tell, he and Julie had moved forward from zero since that morning on the bridge. Spending the night in the clubroom together hand-in-hand counted for something, didn’t it?

            And, well… there was that kiss on the cheek at the airport. Not that he could ever forget that. Just recalling that moment made him feel all warm and tingly inside.

            Carmine poked his cheek. “Alright, stop daydreamin’ about smoochin’ her and go write about it. I’m gonna go to Peachy’s and get some snacks. You want anythin’?”

            Kieran’s eyes lit up. “A Clefairy Crunch and two marble sodas! A blue one and a strawberry one, please.”

            Carmine raised an eyebrow. “You’re gonna be up all night with that much sugar.”

            “I need fuel to write, don’t I?” He grinned. “Besides, I slept in late today. It’ll even out.”

            “Whatever you say, Kiki.” Carmine stood up to leave. “But remember to brush your teeth after all that. You can’t go getting a cavity again.”

            Kieran gulped. “Right.” He’d had exactly one cavity in his lifetime – he’d been ten years old and had lived in denial about his toothache after a week of binging soda and sweets. Upon returning to school in Unova, Carmine had taken him to the dentist. Even now, the sound of a drill made shivers shoot down his spine.

            He shuddered at the memory. He had no interest in repeating that mistake.

            Carmine took her bag from its place atop the coffee table. “Alright, I’m off. I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”

            “Ok!” Kieran stood up, already drafting his letter in his mind. He ran up the stairs with a smile, eager to put his ideas to paper.

**

            Kieran sat his trusty red pen down on his desk. It had taken three attempts and one lap around his room to calm his nerves, but he’d finally finished the letter. He read it over, hoping its contents wouldn’t convince Julie to toss it in the trash upon reading.

            Dear Julie,

            How are things in Paldea? I hope you’re getting lots of rest. I’m feeling a lot better now. Sis says I look less like a zombie, so I’ll take that as a compliment. She says hello too, by the way.

            It’s been nice to eat Grandma’s cooking again, and hanging out with Grandpa in the shop had kept me busy in the evenings. I’ve been working on a gift for you, but it won’t be ready for a while yet. I should have it done by the time the next Festival of Masks rolls around. I’d love for you to come visit again, if you’d like to come visit.

            It’s quiet here in Kitakami, but it’s not so bad. It’s peaceful, but a little lonely, if I’m being honest.

            I miss you. I know it’s only been a week since we saw each other, but it feels like forever already. I’m looking forward to seeing you again when we get back to school. Maybe we could hang out some time between classes, or grab lunch together.

            I promise I’ll take better care of myself, too. I don’t want to get sick again by pushing myself too hard. I’ve been talking to Sis, and I think I can stick to the schedule we came up with so I don’t forget to eat and sleep again. I also want to talk things out with everybody in the League Club. I need to apologize to everybody for what I’ve done. I don’t expect them to forgive me, but I want to try at least.

            I don’t know what I’ll do from there. I guess I’m not Champion anymore now, since you beat me. Maybe that’s a good thing. I want to take some time to remember what I loved about being a Trainer in the first place. You reminded me that there’s so much more to life than winning. I want to be someone that you’re proud of. I hope I’ll get there someday.

            Well, anyways, I hope you’re doing well and feeling better after our adventure in Area Zero. I’d love to hear back from you. By the time this letter gets to you though, it might be time to go back to the academy. We can catch up in person, if you want to do that instead. Either way, I’m excited to see you again soon. Have fun with your friends back home. I look forward to hearing all about it when I see you again next Sunday.

            Love,

                        Suguri

            Out of habit, he’d nearly signed this letter as S. It felt strange to write out his given name instead of his middle name. Even his own family had gotten in the habit of calling him Kieran, the same way they’d come to call his sister Carmine instead of Zeiyu. As small children, they had both grown tired of their classmates using their names as a source of mockery. Out of desperation, they had turned to going by their more common Galarian middle names to escape the torment.

            But with Julie, he could be himself. It felt good to write to her without hiding behind a secret identity anymore. He could be honest now in a way he couldn’t be as S. And… well, he supposed ending a letter to her with “love” instead of “sincerely” would let her know how he felt about her as clearly as possible, too.

            Satisfied with his work, he placed the letter on his desk and leaned back to stretch. Writing from the heart was tough work.

            Kieran looked over at the alarm clock on his nightstand. He was surprised to see it was well after 2 PM now. It occurred to him that his sister hadn’t barged into his room to throw his snacks at him like she usually did. He drummed his fingers on his desk as he counted up the minutes that had passed. It had been over an hour since Carmine had left.

            That’s weird. Kieran wondered if Ms. Momoko was holding his sister hostage with one of her stories again. The old lady was sweet, but she loved to spin a good yarn. He’d been her captive audience once before, and he’d been politely listening at the stand for almost an hour before his sister swooped in to save him.

            Yeah, that’s probably it, he reassured himself. Sis is fine, and I’m just overthinking things. I better go check on her, just to be safe.

            Kieran made his way downstairs, listening for signs of life. The house was eerily silent. Carmine couldn’t be in her room; her door was shut, and her Rotomphone wasn’t blaring music at the highest volume possible. He peeked in the living room, but she wasn’t there either.

            “Hello?” he called. “Sis, where are you?”

            He stepped into the kitchen. Maybe Carmine had left his snacks in the fridge. But upon further inspection, there were no candy bars or sodas, just the same food and drinks that had been there when he’d woken up this morning.

            He frowned. Something wasn’t right.

            “Siiiiiis!” Kieran called. “Are you ok?”

            The bathroom door was wide open, so she wasn’t in there. He was running out of places to look. He walked back to the living room, chewing at his thumbnail anxiously. Where had she gone?

            I know I shouldn’t worry, but I can’t help it. He ran his fingers through his hair. Maybe I’m not as rested up as I thought I was. I’m getting worked up over nothing. Sis will be home any minute now, and she’ll tell me how Ms. Momoko was telling her whole life story to her. Everything is fine. I just know it.

            A sudden noise caught his attention. He stepped toward the open doors to the porch. Whatever it was, it was making a ruckus. It had to be a Pokemon playing around in the yard or something. The stomping sound was growing closer. He leaned out the doorway to see that his visitor was none other than…

            …Carmine?

            He blinked a few times, wondering if he was imagining things.

            That certainly looked like his sister, but… something was off.

            Carmine’s expression was blank as she stomped aimlessly forward. Her hands were empty, hanging limply by her sides. He watched as she walked past him and rounded the corner towards the front of the house. She hadn’t acknowledged him at all, not even to look his way.

            “Sis?” Kieran called. “Where are you goin’?”

            Silence.

            Then, the sound of stomping feet.

            Carmine had come around to the back of the house once more, still staring blankly ahead as she marched forward.

            “Sis, what are you doin’?” Kieran’s unease grew as his sister drew closer. “This isn’t funny. You’re startin’ to freak me out.”

            But Carmine said nothing.

            Kieran’s unease intensified.

            “Sis, c’mon, I know I said I was bored, but this is too much. If this is a game, I don’t want to play. You’re being creepy.”

            Carmine was now just a few steps away.

            “Carmine, c’mon, snap out of it!”

            One step away. He was starting to lose his patience.

            “Sis…”

            She now stood directly in front of him.

            “Zeiyu, yamete!”

            Carmine froze. Without warning, she turned her head abruptly to face him. Kieran jumped back in fright.

            What’s wrong with her eyes her eyes are wrong they’re all wrong-

            Carmine’s eyes were no longer golden, but an ominous shade of violet.

            He felt cold sweat roll down his neck. This was bad. Very bad.

            “Zeiyu, daijoubu desu ka?” Kieran’s voice shook. She’d responded to him when he spoke Kantonian, so maybe this was the right path to take.

            Carmine turned herself to face him. She stared at him, tilting her head in curiosity.

            “Sis, stop it please,” Kieran pleaded. “You’re scarin’ me.”

            Carmine – or rather, the thing controlling her – grinned a toothy grin. Kieran felt cold fear wash over him. This was worse than any horror movie he’d ever seen.

            “You’re not my sister,” he said quietly. “You’re some kinda ghost, or oni, or demon. You need to go away and let my sister go right now.”

            The grin on his sister’s face faded. Kieran felt his stomach sink to his shoes.

            Great. I made it mad.

            Unexpectedly, Carmine spoke. The movements of her mouth were uncanny and forced.

            “Mo…chi…Mo…chi….”

            Kieran fell backwards into the living room in fright. That wasn’t his sister’s voice at all. It sounded kind of like her, sure, but it didn’t speak like her. It was all wrong.

            Carmine lifted her arms, tucked her clenched fists by her chest, and stomped in place. Whatever had possessed his sister was now making her dance like a puppet on a string. White hot rage boiled up within him. Now this thing had crossed a line.

            “LET GO OF MY SISTER, YOU FREAK!” Kieran screamed. He sprang to his feet, his hands clenched into fists. He’d never fought a ghost before, but he was willing to try today.

            The creepy grin returned to Carmine’s face. It was as if the thing possessing her was taunting him.

            “I MEAN IT!” he shouted. “If you don’t leave her alone, I’ll -“

            But before he could finish his sentence, Carmine took an awkward step up and onto the porch. All of the fighting spirit Kieran had left his body in an instant. He screamed and scrambled backwards into the living room, swinging the sliding door shut behind him.

            Kieran took a moment to collect himself. He forced himself to breathe slowly, but it did little to calm him.

            This is just a bad dream, he thought. I fell asleep at my desk, and I’m having another nightmare. None of this is real, even if it feels like it. I’m gonna wake up any second now. I bet if I look over there, it’s gonna be a whole bunch of nothing waiting for me. It’s just my mind playing tricks on me. Everything’s fine.

            Kieran got back on his feet. But his boost of confidence didn’t last long.

            He looked over his shoulder to see Carmine’s silhouette backlit against the paper door.

            Carmine’s hand extended towards the edge of the door, fumbling for the edge.

            “Mo…chi…Su-gu-riiiii….”

            He clasped his hands against his mouth to stifle a scream.

            Everything was not fine. The evil thing was real. And it knew his name.

            Without a second thought, Kieran bolted for his sister’s room. He had to call for help, and fast. The door could only stop her for so long.

            He flung the door open and grabbed her Rotomphone off the charger. He pressed the power button and waited with shaking hands as the phone flickered to life.

            “C’mon, Rotom,” he begged, “hurry up…”

            Carmine’s lockscreen appeared, followed by Rotom’s cheerful voice.

            “Good afternoon, bzzt! Battery fully charged!”

            “Rotom, call Grandpa!” Kieran shouted.

            Rotom considered this request. “Not enough signal. Please try again.”

            “No!” Kieran was on the verge of tears. “It’s an emergency, Rotom, please!”

            “Calling Emergency Contact!” Rotom said cheerily.

            Kieran sighed in relief. “Oh thank Arceus.”

            “Calling Drayton.”

            He stared at the phone in disbelief. “What?”

            Sure enough, there was Drayton’s smiling face staring back at him onscreen.

It was a nice picture, one that Carmine had likely taken in their early days of dating, but that wasn’t important right now. Kieran’s mind was racing. What on earth could Drayton do to help in this situation? He considered hanging up, but couldn’t bring himself to tap the End Call button. It wasn’t like Drayton could fly across the world to help him right now – it was a school night after all, and he was probably still asleep. But maybe talking to him could give him some ideas on how to solve the problem himself.

            The screen flickered once more. By some miracle, a video feed began. Drayton stared back at him with a worried look. He was in the dark, sitting up in his bed. He fumbled for the light beside his bed. He narrowed his eyes in confusion.

            “Kieran? What are you doing with Carmine’s phone?”

            Kieran could barely hold himself together as he spoke.

            “Drayton, it’s Sis, somethin’s wrong with her! She went to go get snacks and came back wrong. She’s actin’ weird and soundin’ weird and tryin’ to get me…and…” Tears rolled down his cheeks as he fought back a sob. “Drayton, I need help. I’m all alone and I don’t know what to do…I’m scared.”

            Drayton’s screen froze. A distorted sound came through the phone’s speaker.

            “Slooooow…doooowwn…baaad…siiiignaaaal-”

            “Drayton don’t hang up please!” Kieran was frantic. “I need your help! Sis needs you!”

            “I’ll…beeeeeeee…riiiiiight…. -“

            Three beeps sounded. The video closed itself, and two words flashed onscreen: No Signal.

            Kieran stared at the phone in silence. Carmine swore up and down that this thing could solve any problem. That was a lie: all it had done was stress out his sister’s boyfriend. Even if Drayton was really on the way, what was he going to do until he arrived? Sit around and twiddle his thumbs?

            The sound of a door sliding open made Kieran jump. The thing possessing Carmine must have figured out how to get into the house. He listened for its footsteps from behind the heavy oak door.

            One heavy footstep. Then another. Then, a dull thud.

            “Ouch…chi….”

            He stifled his laughter to avoid getting caught. It served that creature right to hit its shin on the coffee table. That’s what it got for possessing his sister.

            The front door swung open, followed by the sound of two familiar voices.

            “We’re back!”

            “Oh Carmine, there you are!”

            Oh no.

            Kieran flung the door open and ran down the hall into the living room.

            “Grandma, Grandpa, watch out!”

            To his surprise, he was greeted with the sight of his grandparents grabbing his sister by her arms. They appeared to have the situation under control.

            “What’s gotten into you?” Hideko demanded. Her brow was furrowed with wrath. “You don’t wear your shoes inside the house and track mud on the floor, young lady!”

            “Kieran, help us get her to her room.” Yukito winced as Carmine wriggled against his grip. “I don’t know what’s happening, but she’s not herself and she needs some rest.”

            Kieran nodded. He held the door to his sister’s room open as his grandparents led her down the hall. It took all three of them to force her inside. Yukito took an end table from the living room and placed it in front of Carmine’s door to barricade her inside.

            “That ought to hold her for now,” he said. He turned his attention to Kieran. “What on earth is happening?”

            “I… I wish I knew.” Kieran wiped the sweat from his face. “She left a while ago goin’ to Peachy’s for snack, and then she came back actin’ all creepy like that.”

            “Well,” huffed Hideko, “I’ll have to have a word with that old hag. Givin’ my granddaughter somethin’ that made her lose her common sense is unforgivable.”

            Yukito put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “I don’t think Momoko is the problem, dear. I think we need to go see the doctor. And maybe pay a visit to the shrine. They ought to have a better solution than her.”

            “I suppose,” Hideko grumbled. “But I still want to give her a piece of my mind.”

            “Kieran, you stay here and watch over your sister,” Yukito commanded. “Make sure she doesn’t leave her room until we come back.”

            Kieran nodded. “Yes sir.”

            Yukito and Hideko left the house and took off towards town. Kieran sat down on a cushion by the coffee table. His mind was whirling, and his body felt like a lead weight. Soft thumps came from within Carmine’s room as the entity learned the layout of its prison.

            Kieran put his head in his hands. What if the doctor and the priest didn’t have an answer? Technology had failed him. There was no one else he could call, and he was ten thousand kilometers away from the person he trusted most to help him solve this situation.

            He sat bolt upright, a manic glint in his eyes.

            He wasn’t out of options after all. He’d just have to do things the old fashioned way.

            He ran up the stairs to his room and slammed the door behind him.

            A few minutes later, he ran out of his room and down the stairs. He clutched an overstuffed envelope covered in stamps to his chest for dear life. He locked the front door behind him, and bolted down the street towards the post office.

            What he held was no ordinary letter. It was his saving grace.

**

Chapter Text

            Julie hummed softly to herself as she took the tray of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. She sat them atop the cooling rack on the counter and admired her work. The cookies had darkened to a lovely caramel color, and the chocolate was slightly melty. By her standards, this batch was absolutely perfect.

            “Oooh, those look fantastic!” said Nemona reverently.

            Arven nodded in agreement. “You’d give Katy a run for her money.”

            Penny pointed at a slightly lopsided cookie. “I call dibs on that one.”

            “Why that one, Penny?” asked Nemona curiously.

            “It’s got character,” she said matter-of-factly.

            Arven looked at the cookie, then back at Penny. “Is that what you call it? I’d say it’s ugly.”

            Julie nudged him. “Be nice.”

            Penny lifted the cookie from the sheet with a napkin. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Arven. I behold it, therefore it’s mine.” She took a bite and winced. “Ow, hothothot-“

            Arven pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’ve got to let it cool first, Pen.”

            Nemona rushed to the fridge. “I’ll get the milk!”

            “Waiting is for the weak.” She took a generous gulp of the glass of milk Nemona had handed her. “Cold cookies just aren’t the same. The hot ones hit different. I’m not letting this window of opportunity close on me.”         

            Nemona nodded vigorously. She’d taken a cookie from the sheet as well and had already eaten half of it.

            Arven sighed heavily. “I’d rather not burn my tongue, but you do you, I guess.”

            Julie giggled at her friends’ antics. She’d missed them dearly. It was good to be home.

            The front door opened and shut with a faint squeak. The lock clicked behind Susanna as she studied the curious letter in her hand. It was addressed to her daughter, but she didn’t recognize the sender or the address. There was a strangely frantic quality to this letter, as well. The handwriting looked rushed, and she’d never seen so many stamps on one envelope in her life. There had to be a dozen attached here, there, and everywhere.

            “Julie!” she called from the living room. “You got a letter!”

            Julie turned to face her mother. “Really? From who?”

            Susanna squinted to read the handwriting. “It’s from Kitakami, I think. Someone named…S. Kieran Koshou?”

            Without a second thought, Julie bolted from the kitchen to the living room. Arven, Nemona, and Penny looked at each other in confusion. What had gotten into her all of a sudden?

            Susanna was surprised at how quickly Julie took the letter from her hands. She watched as her daughter ripped into the envelope with unusual intensity. There was an excited glitter in her eye.

            She then remembered why the sender’s name sounded vaguely familiar.

            “Wait… Isn’t Kieran your friend you met on that trip last summer?”

            Julie nodded. “Mhm.” Her full attention was on the letter in her hand.

            Arven, Nemona, and Penny joined Julie and her mother in the living room.

            Arven took his place by Julie’s side. “That guy, huh?” Arven said sourly.

            He remembered that name, too. He remembered how sad she’d been for so long because of that Kieran guy. Something about a big misunderstanding and a lot of hurt feelings. He glared at the letter. If he ever got to meet him, he’d have some choice words for him. And maybe a freshly knuckle sandwich, made with his own special recipe.

            “Ooo, a long distance boyfriend,” teased Penny. “When were you gonna tell us, huh?” But to her disappointment, Julie didn’t react.

            Nemona studied her friend’s worried face. Something was up. “Julie, are you ok?”

            But Julie had been stunned into silence. She had opened the letter thinking she’d received her very first long-distance love letter. What she’d received was a cry for help.

            Kieran’s handwriting looked strangely sloppy, like he’d written this letter in a rush. She swore she saw a smear of chocolate in the center of the page as well. This was a far cry from his neatly written missives as S.

            Julie,

            Please come to Kitakami as soon as you can. I know we’re supposed to be on break, but it’s really serious. Something is really wrong with Sis. She went to get snacks and came back acting all weird and scary.

            I don’t know what’s wrong. Grandma and Grandpa are taking her to the doctor and the priest, but I don’t think it’ll do any good. I don’t know what to do. I’m scared and so are Grandma and Grandpa. I’m starting to think someone or something has put a curse on her. It sounds weird but it’s the only thing that makes sense.

            You’re the only person I trust to help. Well, you and Drayton. I tried calling him on Sis’s phone but it cut out halfway through. I think he’s on the way, maybe. We’re going to need all the help we can get. Bring your friends from Paldea too, if you can. I sent some cash in this letter that ought to help cover everyone’s tickets. I know it’s expensive but I really need your help. The sooner you can get here the better.

            Text Sis’s phone if you can to let me know you’re on the way. I might get it late but it’s better than nothing. See you soon.

            -Suguri

            Julie felt a lead weight settle in her stomach. This was bad. Very bad.

            “Kieran’s in trouble,” she said quietly. “I need to go to Kitakami right now.”

            This response caused quite the commotion.

            “But you just got home!” protested Susanna.

            “You can’t go!” Nemona cried. “We haven’t got to battle yet!”

            “And we haven’t done our scary movie marathon yet, either!” Penny complained. “You promised me we’d watch all the Fright Night Fights!”

            “Why do you need to go save him, anyway?” huffed Arven.

            Julie held her hands up in surrender. “Alright alright! Maybe not right now, but really soon. He’s in serious trouble.”

            Nemona’s expression became serious. “What kind of trouble?”

            “His sister is really sick, and nobody knows what’s wrong with her.” She could only imagine how he was feeling right now.

            “What’s that got to do with you?” said Arven crossly.

            Julie’s eyes narrowed. “She’s my friend too, Arven. If it were you, I’d cross an ocean to help you, wouldn’t I?”

            “Yeah,” he admitted. “But I wouldn’t if it was him.”

            Penny smacked his arm. “What’s gotten into you?”

            Arven’s expression was stony. “He made you cry, Julie. Why would you drop everything to go help him after he put you through all that?”

            Julie felt her anger reach a boiling point. “Because unlike you, I don’t hold grudges!”

            An awkward silence fell upon the Delgados’ living room. Arven and Julie glared at each other, while Susanna, Nemona, and Penny exchanged worried glances. The two of them bickered like siblings from time to time, but this felt different. A nerve had been struck, and emotions were running high.

            Nemona clasped her hands. She hated it when they fought.

            Penny felt uneasy. She got the sense that if someone said the wrong thing right now, things would get ugly fast.

            Susanna stepped between the children. A fight wasn’t going to happen today, not on her watch.

            “Alright. Everyone take a breath and take a step back. No one is making a decision right now. It’s seven o’clock on a Sunday night, and no one is going anywhere.”

            Julie’s expression softened, but only slightly. “Sure.”

            Arven relaxed his shoulders. “She’s right.”

            Susanna let out a sigh of relief. “Now that that’s settled, I need to know exactly what’s going on, but tell me slowly this time, please.”

            Julie held up the letter and envelope. “So, Kieran just told me that his sister Carmine is really sick. No one knows why, but he thinks we might be able to help. ‘We’ meaning me, Arven, Nemona, Penny, and our other friend Drayton.”

            “Wait, he invited us too?” Arven hadn’t expected that.

            “Yeah,” agreed Julie. “It sounds like he needs all the help he can get.”

            Penny crossed her arms. “But how can we help?”

            “Yeah, we’re not doctors or anything like that.” Nemona furrowed her brow. “What can we do?”

            Julie looked down at the letter in her hand, unsure of how to answer that question. “I don’t know exactly. But I want to help him however I can.”

            Arven rolled his eyes. He doubted this guy was worth her time and energy, even if his sister was really sick. But he knew once Julie got her heart set on something, there was nothing he could do to stop her.

            Something fell from the envelope to the floor with a soft thump. The five of them looked down to see an impressive wad of paper bills tied together with a red rubber band. Julie picked up the stack of cash and counted the bills. Kieran wasn’t kidding when he said he’d cover their air fare. This would cover first class seats and then some.

            Penny’s eyes were nearly as wide as her lenses.

            “Julie?”

            “Yeah?”

            “You didn’t tell us your boyfriend was loaded.”

            Julie’s cheeks flushed scarlet. Kieran was just full of surprises.

            Nemona’s eyes glittered with excitement. “So, when do we leave? I’ve never been to Kitakami before.”

            “I’ll look online for flights in the morning,” Susanna said quickly. “But right now, you kids need to focus on resting and relaxing. You have a long journey ahead of you.”

            Penny raised an eyebrow. “How long?”

            “About 18 hours, if we don’t have a layover.” Julie could already feel the jet lag.

            “What?!” exclaimed Arven. “That’s like a whole day on a plane!”

            Susanna nodded. “Three-fourths of one, to be precise. Now, you kids go have fun while you can. Put on a movie, relax, and eat some cookies before they get cold.”

            She watched as her daughter and her friends walked back to the kitchen, talking excitedly now about the voyage ahead of them. She felt a pang of sadness at the thought of Julie leaving again so soon. She had just gotten used to her being home again; this week together had been the longest stretch of time they’d spent together since moving to Paldea nine months ago.

            Susanna supposed it came with the territory when her daughter was the Champion. Her life would never be dull again. Julie had met a cast of colorful characters since she’d begun her studies at Uva Academy. Three of them were raiding her kitchen at the moment. Even more unusual people had entered her daughter’s life since the woman called La Primera christened her as “the Light of Paldea.” This Kieran boy was one of those unusual people.

            She’d met Kieran and his sister briefly at the edge of the Great Crater. He seemed like a nice enough boy - a bit on the nervous side, but she supposed that was expected for someone who’d narrowly escaped Area Zero with his life. Carmine seemed like a spirited young woman; she hoped this strange illness that had befallen her would pass soon.

            Julie and her friends returned to the living room, carrying sodas and plates piled high with snacks. They laughed and settled in on the couch, already discussing their movie choices. Fright Night 2 was a strong contender, but Julie was advocating for an old favorite: Mothi and Ranita versus the Mind Melter.

            Susanna took a long sip of her tea. In a few short hours, her daughter would be boarding a plane to go help her friends in need. It was just like her to do that, putting their needs before her own.

            There was some comfort in knowing Julie wouldn’t be going alone this time, but she worried all the same. Julie would be a world apart from her for several days – a week at the most, she guessed - and she’d be off to Unova again once she returned from Kitakami. It would be three long months before she returned home for the summer. The thought alone made her heart ache.

            She stole a handful of popcorn from her daughter’s plate, eliciting laughter and feigned protests from Julie. The loneliness could wait until later. For now, she chose to live in the moment.

**

            Kieran tapped the screen of Carmine’s Rotomphone. It flickered to life, but displayed no new messages. Now he understood why his sister was constantly checking this thing at school. Texting Julie was addictive. If he had a phone of his own, he’d be glued to it.

            Receiving a message from her without waiting for the mail to arrive was revolutionary. He could talk to her whenever he wanted, and they could carry on conversations for hours at a time. It’d be like having her beside him even if they were a world apart. They could speak in private without anyone listening in to their conversations. They could talk about whatever they wanted, including more romantic things. They could plan lunch dates, talk about their days, and maybe even… flirt.

            He shook his head, feeling heat rush to his face.

            On second thought, maybe it was a good thing he didn’t have a phone yet.

            He scrolled back through their prior messages from this morning.

Hi Kieran! Got your letter. We are on the way

Hi Julie! Oh that’s wonderful! When will you get here?

Should land in Kitakami around dinnertime. The bus to Mossui town should get us there about 7

Good. I’ll have some snacks ready for you when you get here. Did your friends come too?

Yep! Arven, Nemona, and Penny came with me

Great! I look forward to meeting them.

They are excited to meet you too! Nemona is reaaaally eager to battle. She’s the tall one with the big smile. Fair warning, she just might challenge you the moment she sees you

Oh yeah? She sounds fun.

Yeah, don’t let her scare you. She gets kinda… obsessive. Lol

What does Lol mean?

Oh! It means laughing out loud

Oh that’s cool. I learned something new today. Lol.

See, you’re a natural at texting! 😄

Whoa, how did you get a smiley face?

It’s called an emoji. If you tap the button that looks like a happy face, you’ll open up a menu and see all of them.

Wowzers, that is cool!😁💥👽

You’re cool 💕Oh yeah, let me tell you about the other two. Penny is the one with blue and red hair and glasses. She’s quiet, but she’s one of the smartest people I know. She’s a really logical person, so she might be able to figure out what’s wrong with Carmine. She’s kinda addicted to her phone though, so I’m not sure how well she’ll do here in Kitakami

Sounds like she and Sis would get along real well.📱

I bet so lol. And Arven is the big guy. Like really big. He’s a great cook and knows a lot about medicinal herbs and stuff like that. I think he could really help Carmine out of all of us. He looks scary but he means well. He’s my best friend. If I could have a big brother, I’d choose him 💯

He sounds like a really good guy. I can’t wait to meet him. 👍

I hope you two get along. That’d mean a lot to me🥰

I’ll do my best! 😀

Good. I expected nothing less. Gotta go, the plane’s about to take off. See you soon! 💗

See you soon! Bye! ❤️

            Kieran checked the time once more. The phone’s clock read 7:58 PM. He sat the Rotomphone aside and looked up into the evening sky. Julie and her friends would be here any minute. He tapped his foot anxiously. Maybe it’d do him some good if he went on a walk to the bus stop. It wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of him to keep his lady love and her friends waiting.

            The walk to the bus stop seemed oddly quiet. Usually there were workers still in the rice paddies outside of town at this hour. Tonight he walked alone. Stranger still was the fact there weren’t any Pokemon, either – there were no Yanmas hovering above the paddies, nor any Hoothoots soaring on the spring breeze. The world around him was strangely still.

            If he didn’t know any better, he’d think Mossui was a ghost town.

            Kieran couldn’t explain it, but he felt like this phenomenon was connected to his sister’s strange behavior.

            No, not felt like. Knew. The timing was too perfect. But how?

            Kieran sat down on the bus stop bench and sighed. He didn’t have an answer yet, but he had a feeling. That was a start, he supposed. It was better than nothing.

            He sat in silence and watched faint stars begin to appear in the darkening sky. Carmine had been acting strange for three days now. She’d escaped her room several times, but did nothing more than dance in place or walk laps around the house. She hadn’t spoken a word to him in the days following her transformation. That was fine by him; he hated when that thing had used his sister’s voice.

            Judging by the state of the plates in her room, she was eating a little, at least. The sandwiches he’d made for her had a couple of bites taken out of them, and her teacups were always empty when he picked them up. The one thing that convinced him his sister wasn’t in her right mind were the chips – every single bag he’d left had remained untouched.

            He shut his eyes and tried not to let his worries consume him.

            Let go of what you can’t control, his grandpa had said. All you can do is your best.

            He was beginning to wonder if his best would be good enough to save her.

            The sound of squeaky bus brakes startled Kieran awake. He must have been more tired than he thought. He thanked Arceus that Mr. Ito hadn’t gotten those brakes serviced yet; otherwise he might have slept through Julie’s arrival.

            He stood up, scanning the crowd of people filing off the bus for the person he loved most. There was Mrs. Kanno with her shopping bags, Mr. Tajiri with his new bug-catching net, and Mr. Miyamoto with some gadget he’d picked up in the big city.

            And then, there was Julie, in all her sleep-deprived glory. It took all of his restraint not to run up the stairs and sweep her up into his arms. He’d never been so happy to see someone in his whole life.

            Julie looked up to see Kieran waiting for her at the bus stop. Relief flooded her body. He was okay – a bit exhausted, from the looks of it, but otherwise whole. She rushed down the stairs of the bus, eager to reunite with the boy she loved.

            “Kieran!”

            “Julie!”

            The two embraced tightly. It had been a little over a week since they’d last held each other like this. It might as well have been a lifetime.

            “I missed you so much,” said Julie softly. “Sorry we’re late. The bus broke down right outside the airport.”

            “Don’t worry about it. I’m just happy to see you again.” Kieran rested his head on her shoulder. “So much has happened. I’ve got so much to tell you.”

            Someone cleared their throat behind Julie very loudly. Kieran jumped, startled by the sudden noise. He looked up to see three people standing behind Julie.         

The first was a tall, tanned girl with long dark hair swept up in a ponytail. She waved to him with more energy than he’d expected at this hour. Judging by the cheerful grin on her face, he guessed she was Nemona.

            The second was a short, serious-faced girl with red and blue hair. That had to be Penny – she was staring in horror at her Rotomphone, tapping desperately through her settings app in an effort to find some signal. He doubted she’d find any, but applauded her efforts.

            The third person was a young man who looked ready to snap him in half. He probably could do it too. Julie hadn’t exaggerated when she told him Arven was a big guy; he fit the definition in every sense of the word. His pale blue eyes burned a hole in Kieran’s soul. He gulped.

            He remembered what Julie had said in her texts: He looks scary but he means well. Maybe he’d warm up to him if he introduced himself.

            Kieran extended his hand towads Arven. “Hi, I’m Kieran. It’s nice to meet you. Julie’s told me all about you.”

            The young man looked down at Kieran’s hand, then back up at his face. His tone was as cold as his eyes. “Arven. Charmed.”

            The girl with two-toned hair stepped forward and took his hand. “Don’t mind him, he left his manners at home. I’m Penny. Nice to meet you, too.”

            The cheerful girl stepped up to him next. She grasped his hand and shook it with all her strength. “I’m Nemona! Julie told me you’re the top champion at your school! I’d love to battle you, if you’re up to it!”

            “Ah, w-well, that’d be nice later, if that’s alright.” He took a moment to recover from Nemona’s enthusiastic handshake. “I’m afraid we need to take care of somethin’ real important first.”

            Julie was struck by how quickly Kieran’s demeanor changed. The light had vanished from his eyes in an instant. He looked afraid, but of what, she wasn’t sure. She wanted to hold his hand, but judging by the way Arven had greeted Kieran just now, she decided against it.

            “What’s going on, exactly?” Julie asked. “What happened to Carmine?”

            Kieran hesitated for a moment. His theory was pretty out there, but it was the only one that made sense, at least in his mind.

            “I think my sister is possessed.”

Chapter Text

            “That’s a load of Ponyta shit and you know it.”

            “Arven!”

            “What?!”

            Nemona and Penny exchanged uneasy glances. This wasn’t going to end well.

            Julie took in a deep breath and exhaled wearily. She was beginning to lose her patience with her best friend. He’d been nothing but a nuisance to her since she’d gotten Kieran’s letter in the mail. She knew he was a fiercely loyal person, but now he was taking it way too far. There was nothing she could say or do to convince him Kieran wasn’t a bad person. All that Arven knew was that he’d been the reason she’d locked herself in her room for ages after that field trip. They’d made up and started over since then, but in her friend’s mind he was public enemy number one.

            She turned to face Kieran and gave him an apologetic smile. Someone had to do some damage control around here before a fistfight broke out.

            Arven gave the dark-haired boy sitting across from him a withering glare. They’d been sitting on Kieran’s front steps for the past fifteen minutes listening to him explain how his sister had been possessed after going out for a snack run. It all sounded like a lie, and a very elaborate one. He’d probably made it up to get Julie’s attention. That sounded more like the truth to him.

            He glanced over at Julie. She’d turned her back on him to face that Kieran guy. He felt his blood begin to boil. He had a lot of nerve getting Julie worked up like this. She had been hanging onto his every word, and it made him sick. His best friend, his little buddy, had to be smarter than this, wasn’t she? He was beginning to wonder.

            Not a word of this guy’s explanation made any sense in his mind. Possession wasn’t real. Folk tales were nothing but stories, and the paranormal could be easily explained by science. This country bumpkin was selling her a story, and he knew it.

            “I promise you,” Kieran pleaded, “everythin’ I told you is true.”

            Arven crossed his arms. “Right. So, even if that’s the case, you mean to tell me we flew halfway across the world because of some old ghost story?”

            Kieran drummed his fingers against his thigh. “Well, no, not exactly. The Pokemon isn’t dead, so it’s not a ghost. It might be a ghost-type, but that’s neither here nor there. What is important is that it’s using its abilities to control Carmine. It’s more like a puppeteer than anythin’ else, really.”

            Arven rolled his eyes. “Sure. And I can talk to my Mabosstiff.”

            “You’re doing it again,” said Penny drily.

            “Doing what?” Arven snapped. “Being honest?”

            “Being an ass.”

            “Am not,” he huffed.

            “You are, actually,” said Julie curtly. “And you need to stop. Now.”

            Arven lowered his eyes. “Sorry. It just… I dunno, it sounds like something out of a scary movie, that’s all. It can’t be real, right?”

            Kieran was taken aback at how differently Julie acted with her friends, especially Arven. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d said she considered him as her brother. They fought like siblings, that much was clear. He got the feeling that Arven would protect her like a big brother too, if push came to shove. He hoped he’d never be on the receiving end of that onslaught. He knew that would be a fight he couldn’t win.

            “Please excuse my friend, Kieran,” Julie shot Arven a cold look. “Arven can get carried away sometimes.”

            “It’s fine, really,” he assured them. “It sounds crazy, I know, but something like this has happened here before.”

            Nemona sat up. “Really?”

            Kieran nodded. “Really. It happened a long time ago, and the story’s been passed down for generations. The story goes that there was once a Pokemon here in Kitakami that had the ability to make people do its biddin’. One day, it paid a visit to Mossui Town and went explorin’. It must have been bored, because it decided it’d be fun to make everyone in town do what it wanted. Somehow it put the whole town under its spell. People woke up days later in all kinds of weird situations – there were people on top of their houses, people dancing in the street, and even people who’d been fightin’ for days.”

            Nemona’s eyes lit up. “Wait, so they were battling even when they were being mind controlled? That sounds awesome!”

            “Not that kind of fightin’,” Kieran corrected. “Fistfightin’. Black eyes and all that.”

            Penny’s eyes were wide. “Whoa… this sounds serious. What did they do next?”

            “Well that’s the thing,” Kieran continued, “that Pokemon was gone by then. There wasn’t anythin’ they could do. They just went back to whatever they were doin’ before the Pokemon showed up.”

            “Aw, no epic battles?” Nemona pouted. “I was hoping there would be a big showdown with the Pokemon and a brave trainer.”

            “Nope,” Kieran said apologetically. “Just one weird Pokemon that got away, and a town full of real confused people.”

            Julie looked up into the endless night sky above. It was a small comfort to know they weren’t the only people who had been through this situation. Unlike the townspeople of yore, however, she was determined to find a more permanent solution to their problem. There was no way she was going to sit back and let some creepy Pokemon play puppet-master with her friend. She was determined to find this thing and defeat it tonight. Maybe even catch it.

            “So, where might we find this Pokemon, Kieran?” Julie asked. “Was there any clue in the story about where it lived?”

            Kieran shook his head. “Not exactly. Rumor has it that an old couple in town adopted it some time later, but it ran away from home shortly after.” He stopped himself before he started rambling about its theoretical connection to Ogerpon. It was getting late, and they needed to get moving. “My guess is that it’s off livin’ in the woods or somethin’.”

            Penny stretched and yawned. “Well, if we’re gonna go hunting for some weird Pokemon tonight, we’re gonna need some fuel. That meal we had on the plane wore off a long time ago. I’m starving.”

            “There’s a snack stand called Peachy’s down the hill and to the left, if you wanna go get somethin’ to eat.” Kieran thought for a moment. “It might be good if we all go together. That’s were Carmine was goin’ before she came back actin’ all weird.”

            “She probably got food poisoning,” muttered Arven under his breath.

            Julie nudged him in the ribs with considerable force. He grunted in pain, but said nothing more. It was clear he’d said enough for one night.

            “Sounds good to me!” said Nemona cheerfully. She sprang to her feet, an enthusiastic spark burning brightly in her eyes. “And if that weird Pokemon shows up, I’m gonna challenge it! And I’ll win!”

            With that bold proclamation, Nemona dashed away towards Peachy’s.

            Penny sighed. “Look at her go. Guess I’ll follow her.”

            Arven extended his hand in the direction of the gate. “After you.”

            The two of them walked away, and Julie followed behind them. She was already making a shopping list. A Clefairy Crunch sounded amazing right now, and a strawberry marble soda would go with it perfectly. Oh, and a bag of Enfuego chips too, extra spicy.

            Kieran reached out and touched Julie’s shoulder. “Hang on a sec, Julie.”

            She turned to face him. “Yeah?”

            He shoved both hands in his pockets and stared at the ground shyly. “You… you look good.”

            Julie felt her face flush at the statement. Kieran had certainly gotten bolder since last week. She hadn’t expected him to flirt with her directly like this, but she wasn’t mad about it. She fidgeted with the end of her braid.

            “I…uh, well, thank you. I’m sure I look like a mess after being on a plane all day, but I appreciate it.”

            “Nonono, that’s not what I meant!” Kieran stammered. “N-not that you aren’t pretty all the time, but that’s not-“ He hid his face in his hands and sighed. He really could put his foot in his mouth sometimes. “I meant to say that… you look a lot better than when we were at school. Like you got some rest and you feel better now.”

            Julie smiled. “I do. Thank you for noticing. And for the record, you look good too.”

            Kieran felt his cheeks begin to burn. “R-really?”

            “Yeah. Your dark circles are gone, and you look a lot happier, too.”

            He smiled shyly at her. “Thank you. I am.”

            “You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re feeling like yourself again.” Suddenly she found it difficult to look him in the eye. “I missed you a whole lot.”

            “Me too.” He played with a lock of his hair. “It feels like it’s been forever. If you don’t have to go back right away, maybe you could stay a day or two? Once we get all this mess with Sis sorted out, of course.”

            Before Julie could reply, she was interrupted by a series of shouts from the bottom of the hill.

            “Are you two coming or what?”

            “We’re gonna eat all the snacks if you don’t hurry up!”

            “You better not be doing anything funny up there!”

            Julie sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. My friends can be… a lot sometimes.” 

            Kieran laughed. “It’s alright. I like them already.”

            Julie was surprised. “Even Arven?”

            “Well…” Kieran said hesitantly. “I don’t think he likes me too much, but I want to be his friend. If he’ll let me, that is.”

            “Give him some time,” Julie assured him. “It took him awhile to warm up to me, too. Once he likes you, though, he’ll be your friend for life.”

            Kieran liked the sound of that. Maybe with a little patience he could win over Arven after all.

            Julie extended her hand. “Ready to get going?”

            He took her hand in his. “Yep, all set.” He felt his body relax at her touch. It was a small thing to hold hands, but the gesture brought him peace. It was a welcome source of comfort amidst all the chaos.

            Kieran found himself humming softly as they walked down the hill together. Julie and her friends were here; he wasn’t facing this crazy situation alone anymore. Together, they just might have a fighting chance against the thing holding his sister hostage.

            Julie listened with a smile. It made her happy to see him happy. Sure, they were about to go into battle against yet another strange Pokemon, and who knew what sort of mayhem was about to befall them. But for the moment, they were just two kids in love enjoying each other’s company.

            Arven narrowed his eyes. If his eyes didn’t deceive him, that guy was holding Julie’s hand. And she looked happy about it. He gritted his teeth. Kieran had some nerve being her loverboy in front of him. If he didn’t back off right now, he’d-

            Nemona looped her arm with Arven’s and pulled him forward. “Hurry up! Penny’s gonna eat everything if we don’t get going!”

            Arven grumbled, but allowed himself to be led along. He’d learned the hard way that what Nemona wanted, she got, whether it was food or a battle.

            His eyes never left Julie and Kieran as he stomped towards the snack stand. They were just a few steps behind him, but speaking softly enough to be out of earshot. That guy was probably flirting with her, making all kinds of promises he couldn’t keep. Even worse, Julie seemed to be enjoying it. She was eating up his lies like candy. It made his blood boil all over again.

            Arven felt his jealousy become something more akin to anger.

            That guy’s not gonna take her away from me. Not on my watch.

**        

            Peachy’s Snack Stand was a humble establishment, if one could even call it that. It was nothing more than three wooden walls, a tin roof, and a counter filled with an impressive selection of snacks. But to the residents of Mossui Town, Peachy’s was so much more - it was a cornerstone of the community.

            Ms. Momoko had kept the same schedule since she’d first built the stand. She would open up shop at sunrise and settle in with a novel and a cup of tea until the patrons began to trickle in. Old folks would gather at the counter to shoot the breeze over bags of chips and sweets. Workers from the rice paddies would drop by on lunch break, happily spending their paychecks on cold drinks and candy. The few children of the town paid their visits before dinner, stuffing their pockets with sugary delights that would be gone before they returned home. It was a predictable routine, but one that brought the old woman comfort. Much had changed in the past fifty years, but the habits of the townspeople remained consistent.

            Ms. Momoko always closed up shop at sunset, but she left her inventory notebook and pen beside a slotted box on the counter in case someone had a case of the late-night munchies. Patrons would select their snack, write their name and the item purchased in the book, and drop their cash in the box. The old lady didn’t have to worry about anyone in town slighting her; she knew everyone, and was one of the few people who did not fear confrontation. She’d paid a visit to many a home to collect a payment with a smile. The residents of Mossui Town, both young and old, knew better than to cross Anno Momoko. No ill-gotten good was worth inciting her wrath, or worse, being banned for life from the snack stand. Now that would be a fate worse than death.

            Kieran had paid many a late-night visit to Peachy’s in his life. He credited the old woman’s snack stand for his love of anything sweet, especially chocolate. But tonight, he wasn’t interested in his usual Clefairy Crunch and marble soda. What he needed most from the snack stand now was evidence.

            Unfortunately, everything seemed to be in its place. The bags of chips were neatly arranged in a box on the left side of the counter, while the box of chocolates and sweets sat untouched on the right side of the counter. The silence that had fallen on the town made the hum of the fridge behind the counter seem strangely loud. The notebook lay open in the center, and the pen lay between the pages as it always did. It was the very picture of perfection.

            He sighed in frustration. Of course Ms. Momoko would have cleaned up since the weekend; she had a business to run, after all. He flipped through the pages of the notebook until he found the date when his sister got possessed. Maybe his sister’s purchases would give him some kind of clue.

            Julie leaned against the counter to examine the shopkeeper’s ledger. She recognized the numerical amounts as dates, times, and prices, but couldn’t decipher anything else. Kantonian was a language she had little experience with. Aside from Kieran’s given name and the phrases Jacq had taught her before the field trip to Kitakami, she knew next to nothing.

            A fleeting thought crossed her mind: Kieran could teach me.

            Warmth flooded her cheeks at the boldness of the thought. It would be nice to learn more about his native language and culture. And yes, it’d be a perfect opportunity to bond with him and get to know him better. Privately, just the two of them, with no interruptions and no prying eyes. That sounded absolutely perfect.

            She took a sip of her strawberry marble soda to cool herself off. Now wasn’t the time to think romantic thoughts. They needed to help Carmine first - they could have fun later.

            “Any luck?” she asked Kieran, hoping desperately he wouldn’t notice how red her cheeks were.

            Kieran drummed his fingers on the counter. “Well, since Sis came by in the afternoon, I thought Ms. Momoko would have written her order down. She must have been on her lunch break, because Sis wrote down her order herself.” His finger landed on a name in the middle of the page. “She paid for her snacks, but I know she didn’t come home with anythin’.”

            “What did she buy?”

            “A bag of Enfuego chips, a lemon marble soda, and…” He trailed off, looking utterly confused.

            Julie raised an eyebrow. Something had caught his attention. “And what?”

            He read the line again, still not believing his eyes. “It looks like she bought… ube mochi?”

            Arven leaned over Kieran, munching loudly on his garlic butter chips. “Sounds tasty to me. I’d eat that.”

            “I’ve had a mochi donut before,” offered Nemona between bites of trail mix. “Is that the same as mochi?”

            “Not quite.” Kieran considered how to explain the difference succinctly. “A piece of mochi is chewy kinda like a mochi donut, but it’s not fried or cakey.”

            Penny chugged the last of her lychee marble soda. “What’s an oo-bay?”

            “It’s a type of sweet potato,” Kieran explained. “It’s purple, and only sorta kinda sweet compared to the orange ones. We use them in a lot of meals here. I’ve never had an ube mochi before, though.”

            “That sounds pretty good.” Julie wondered if there were any more mochis behind the counter. All she could see was an empty plate tucked behind the cash register. She pouted. Maybe she could buy one in the morning.

            “So it’s a vegetable, then.” Penny looked unamused. “Hard pass.”

            Arven rolled his eyes. “It’s a vegetable-flavored dessert, Pen. You’d eat it if I told you it was artificially colored.”

            “I would,” agreed Penny, “but then I’d never forgive you for lying to me.”

            Arven sighed heavily. “You’re insufferable.”

            Penny grinned smugly. “Why thank you.”

            Julie pointed at the empty plate. Something about it was bothering her. “Does the shopkeeper usually leave out that plate on display?”

            Kieran shook his head. “No. I’ve never seen that plate before. Ms. Momoko packages her mochis in little boxes, never just out on a plate.”

            “And you said the mochi wasn’t something she normally sells, right?” Julie considered the connection between these facts. “Do you think the mochi might have something to do with Carmine acting strangely?”

            Kieran chewed at his thumbnail. “Maybe. But how?”

            “Food poisoning,” Arven said matter-of-factly. “Old lady botched the batch. That has to be it.”

            “You think everything is food poisoning,” Penny said tiredly. “Last time I checked, mind control wasn’t one of the symptoms.”

            “Got any better ideas, oh wise one?”

            Penny pursed her lips, deep in thought. “Maybe…an allergic reaction?”

            “Sis isn’t allergic to anythin’, as far as I know.” Kieran tapped his foot anxiously. “At least, I don’t think she is. If she was, she would have told me and Grandma and Grandpa. The doctor didn’t say anythin’ about that when we went, either.”

            Julie put a hand on his shoulder. “I think we can rule that out. Let’s not stress anymore than we have to, ok?”

            He nodded, but silently wondered if there was something he’d missed. Mochi was one of his sister’s favorite snacks, and one of the few sweets she had a taste for. This wasn’t just a case of food disagreeing with her. This was a full on curse.

            The old folktale came to his mind once more. The strange Pokemon from long ago had cursed the townsfolk somehow, but the specifics had been lost to time. What if this had been the method? Everyone had to eat, and mochi was a local specialty. What if the curse had been transferred through the food? Given the evidence, it seemed like a plausible option to him.

            Now, he just needed to prove it.

            Nemona leaned against the counter, facing the empty town square. She chewed another handful of trail mix and studied the silent town around her. There wasn’t a soul in sight. She’d never seen such a quiet town before. Cabo Poco was peaceful, but Mossui Town seemed strangely dormant. It was barely ten o’clock, but everyone and everything had gone to bed already. Maybe things were different here in the country. She sighed with disappointment. It seemed like she’d have to wait until daybreak for her epic faceoff.

            …Or maybe not.

            “Hey Kieran?”

            “Yeah?”

            “Is your sister really tall with long dark hair?”

            “Yeah, why?”

            Nemona pointed straight ahead. “Is that her?”

            Kieran and the others turned to face the town square. A lone figure stood right behind them, standing eerily still. The dim light cast by the snack stand’s lamp made Carmine’s features look hollow and haunted. She appeared to be staring straight ahead at them, but made no move to approach them. Julie wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but it seemed like Carmine’s eyes were… glowing.

            Penny screamed in fright, clasping her hands to her face.

            “Carmine!” Julie called. “Are you ok?”

            Arven leapt in front of the group. “Get behind me!”

            “Sis!” shouted Kieran. “How did you get out?”

            Arven stared at him incredulously. “Get out? What do you mean get out?!”

            Kieran winced. “Long story. She kept runnin’ around and we didn’t want her to get hurt, so we just kinda… locked her in her room.”

            “Great plan,” spat Arven. “Whole lot of good that did.”

            “Well, what would you do?” Kieran shot back. “You got any better ideas?”

            Arven huffed, then turned away. He had him there.

            “There’s got to be a logical explanation for this,” Penny said quietly, shutting her eyes. “There just has to be.”

            Julie reached for Kieran’s hand. “Kieran, why isn’t she saying anything?”

            He felt a shiver shoot down his back at the memory of that thing using his sister as its mouthpiece.

            “Trust me. You don’t want her to.”

            Carmine turned her head side to side, as if she was sizing up the group. The five teens held their breath as she lifted both hands to shoulder height. Slowly, she extended her fingers and moved both hands first inward, then out. She repeated the motion a second time, then a third. The movement was awkward, but Kieran recognized it right away. She – or rather, that thing ­– was waving at them.

            That was enough to make him terribly, horribly angry.

            Kieran pushed Arven aside and stomped towards his sister.

            “Let my sister go, you- you- whatever you are!” he screamed. He reached for Hydrapple’s Pokeball from his belt and brandished it at his sister. “If you really are a Pokemon, come on out and fight me! Koiyo!”

            Carmine’s head tilted to the right, and her attention focused on the Pokeball in her brother’s hand. The corners of her mouth tilted up, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Suddenly, she spoke.

            “Mo…chii-iiya. Not…yet.”

            Julie felt her skin crawl. That was definitely not how Carmine spoke. It sounded like an alien trying to sound human. Or rather, like a Pokemon trying to sound human.

            Julie ran up to take her place beside Kieran. If history was repeating itself, she wasn’t going to let him face this threat alone. She drew her Meowscarada’s Pokeball from her belt.

            “How about now?” she shouted. “We’re not scared of you.”

            Arven, Penny, and Nemona followed suit and put on their best brave faces.

            “Yeah, if you want a fight, you’ve got it!”

            “Yeah! I-I’m not scared, I’m just… shaking with anticipation!”

            “Woohoo! Finally, some action!”

            Without warning, a dark object flew from a nearby tree and launched itself at them. The teenagers screamed as the thing orbited them in ever-tightening circles, forcing them to huddle together. It flew closer with each revolution, but it was sure to stay just out of arm’s reach.

            Julie caught a glimpse of the thing as it passed by her face. It was a sickly magenta color, and about the size of a large Pecha berry. It was hard to tell, but there seemed to be dark spot in the center of its body. Whether it was a bruise or a part of its face, she didn’t know. What she was certain of was that it had eyes. Two eerily blank white eyes. It stared back at her for a split second, then continued on its mad orbit.

            That’s got to be it, she thought. That’s the Pokemon Kieran was talking about from the story.

            As quickly as it appeared, the creature flew away into the night, bolting in the direction of Festival Plaza.

            Julie was the first to collect herself. “Is everyone ok?”

            Arven rubbed the cold sweat from his brow. “Yeah, just spooked.”

            Penny clung to Nemona’s arm, still shaking with adrenaline. “What on earth was that?!”

            Nemona squinted, but saw no sign of her opponent. “Dunno, but it sure knows how to make a speedy exit.”

            Kieran spun around to face the town square. The creature wasn’t the only one who’d disappeared. His sister was nowhere to be found.

            “Carmine!” he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Sis, where are you?!”

            His voice echoed faintly in the silence, but he received no reply.

            Kieran felt panic threaten to overwhelm him. First his sister had broken out of her room, and now she’d disappeared. He put his hands on either side of his head and forced himself to breathe slowly. Now was not the time to lose it. Carmine couldn’t have gone far, and Mossui Town was small; chances were that she was within walking distance and they’d find her in no time. But if they didn’t have a clue where she’d ran off to, where would they even begin to start looking?

            Arven glared at Kieran. “Alright, so you were right about the weird Pokemon. I’ll give you that. Now what? How do we beat something that possesses people and dive bombs us when we try to fight back?”

            Kieran swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He could cry later when nobody was around to see him fall apart.

            “I don’t know. But we’ve got to think of somethin’.”

            “We’ve got to find that Pokemon before it gets anyone else,” Julie said. Her confidence was waning, but she had to keep up the façade for now. “If it’s got Carmine under its spell, who knows what else it’s got planned.”

            “But how?” protested Penny. “Where do we even start?”

            “We need to find Carmine first, and fast.” Julie took a moment to look around the town square. “If we all search one part of town, we can cover a lot more ground. Let’s split up.”

            “I’m not leaving you alone,” growled Arven. “Not with that thing on the loose.”

            “Five minutes, Arven,” Julie said firmly. “That’s all I’m asking.”

            “That sounds reasonable to me.” Nemona pointed in the direction of Festival Plaza. “I call dibs on that way.”

            Arven crossed his arms. “Fine. I’ll check in town around the visitor’s center. No way am I getting lost in the woods tonight.”

            “I’ll stay with Arven,” Penny said, her voice wavering slightly. “Two sets of eyes are better than one, right?”

            “I’ll check back at the house and see if Grandma and Grandpa saw anythin’ weird,” Kieran offered. It made him uneasy to think about being alone right now, but it was the only way they’d make any headway finding his sister.

            “I’ll take Apple Hills, then,” Julie concluded. “That ought to cover our bases.”

            Arven, Penny, Julie, and Nemona withdrew their Rotomphones and opened their timer apps. Kieran dug in his pocket for the old watch his grandfather had given him as a little kid. It was a relic, but it was still accurate down to the second.

            Julie held up her phone. “Alright, it’s 9:00 right now. We have five minutes to do a quick sweep of our assigned areas. If you find Carmine, make some noise. Call someone, yell, scream, whatever you need to do. No matter what happens, we meet back here at 9:05 sharp. Understood?”

            The others nodded.

            Julie set her timer for five minutes, then tapped the start button. The clock began to count down. The search was on.

            “Alright. Let’s get going.”

Chapter Text

            Nemona wasn’t sure how long it had been since she’d arrived at the shrine.

            All she knew is that she’d followed a Jangmo-o down the path here, softened it up in a fierce battle with her Ribombee, and then she’d caught it in an Ultra Ball on the first try. Now she was standing before the Mossui Town shrine with a dead Rotom Phone and no clue what time it was anymore.

            I’m pretty sure I’m over my five minutes now. Julie’s gonna be so mad at me.

            She sighed. She had lost track of time so quickly. That was a common occurrence in her life – she’d get her mind set on one thing and one thing only until it got done. Her mother had told her that habit would get her in trouble one day. And now, it finally had.

            She’d eaten all her snacks from Peachy’s, and she’d forgotten to pack extra granola bars in her bag. It was a long walk back to the snack stand from here, and she’d burned through her energy during that fight. If she didn’t get some food soon, she’d be useless when the time came to fight that weird old Pokemon again.

            Which was why she had been so delighted to see a plate of mochi sitting on a pedestal outside of the shrine. Sure, it might be a bit sacrilegious to eat something that might be an offering to a local deity, but she was desperate. She was sure she’d be forgiven for her impulsiveness… eventually. She needed the energy to do good deeds, after all, so that had to count for something.

            She supposed she could ask Kieran which god to beg forgiveness from later. Right now, it was snack time.

            She took a single mochi from the plate. It looked delicious, in her opinion. It was an unusual purplish color that she’d never seen before; this had to be that ube mochi that Kieran’s sister had tried.

            She hesitated for a moment, recalling Arven’s comment about food poisoning. Something that looked this good couldn’t be bad for her…right?

            Oh well. Arven had always told her she had an iron stomach. Now she had the chance to prove it.

            Nemona bit into the poisoned mochi, savoring the subtly sweet flavor.

            Within seconds, her world went black.

**

            “So, do you wanna talk about what happened back there, or do you want to keep sulking?”

            Arven muttered under his breath. Penny was getting on his last nerve tonight.

            Penny cupped a hand to her ear. “What’s that? That almost sounded like Galarian that time.”

            “I said I don’t want to talk about it.” Arven strode ahead, disappearing into the darkness between the streetlights.

            Penny broke into a jog. She cursed her short stature and gritted her teeth. “Slow down, dammit, you know I can’t keep up with you.”

            Arven stopped in his tracks. He stood just outside the pool of light the streetlight cast upon the sidewalk.

            “Sorry, Pen.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m just… in my head really bad right now.”

            Penny stood beside him, shoving her own hands into her hoodie pockets. “Yeah, clearly. You’ve been like this since Julie got that letter. You jealous of this Kieran guy or something?”

            Arven’s gaze never left the sidewalk. “It’s not like that.”

            Penny raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious? You’re practically green with envy. You’ve been an asshole to the guy since we got off the bus.”

            He said nothing. She was right. He was being a jerk, and he knew it. But he knew why he was acting like this, and in his heart, his actions were justified. He didn’t have to explain himself to anyone.

            Penny frowned. Arven was a man of few words, but this brooding emo act was getting annoying.

            “So ok, you’re jealous of a guy that Julie met on a trip. We all knew she liked him. She told us that much herself. Why are you acting like it’s a surprise all of a sudden?”

            “It’s not like that, Penny.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You wouldn’t get it.”

            “Try me.” She pushed her glasses up her nose defiantly.

            Arven turned his face away from her. “Penny-“

            “Penny nothing. Start talking.”

            He took a step away from her into the light. “There’s nothing to talk about. I told you-“

            “Arven, if you don’t talk now, you’re gonna do something stupid. You’re gonna be a big macho man about it and either run your mouth or fight him. And if you do, Julie will never forgive you.”

            At those words, Arven felt something deep inside of him break in two. He turned on his heel to face Penny.

            “You want me to talk? Alright, then I’ll talk.”

            Penny was taken aback. She’d seen Arven get angry plenty of times, but she’d never seen him cry before.

            Arven clenched his fists, feeling the emotion he’d bottled up for so long break free of its prison.

            “I’m being an asshole, yeah, but you know what? I don’t regret it. I’m watching my best friend in the whole world fall in love with someone that made her cry. I’m scared to death she’s gonna get hurt again. I don’t want her to get depressed like that again, Penny. It scared me. I don’t want her to think everything’s gonna be ok and then he breaks her heart again. If he does that, I’d fly all the way out here again just to kick his ass.”

            Penny nodded. “You and me both. I don’t think that’s gonna happen, though. That whole fight they had was a misunderstanding. They talked it out, started over, and they seem to be doing fine now. He seems like a nice enough guy, now that he doesn’t think she’s out to crush his dreams.”

            “But what if he isn’t?”

            “But what if he is?!” Penny flung her arms out in frustration. “What if he’s a perfectly decent guy and they’re happy together? Why is that such a threat to you?”

            Arven’s voice was raw and harsh.

            “Because I’m gonna get forgotten again!”

            Penny winced as the sound echoed in the silent streets of Mossui Town. To her surprise, not a single light turned on within the buildings around them. She supposed the people around here must sleep deeper than the folks in Mezagoza.

            She watched in uncomfortable silence as Arven broke down. His shoulders shook with every sob. The sorrow he’d carried so long threatened to bring him to his knees, yet somehow he remained standing. It made her very soul hurt to see her friend in such a state. But what, if anything, could she do to give him comfort? What could she say to make his burden a little less heavy?

            Finally, hesitantly, Penny spoke.

            “Arven, that’s not going to happen.”

            “Yeah? Really now?” He laughed coldly. “How many times have I heard that crap now? Dad said that to me before he went missing. He still up and fucking died in that crater. All those people from the government said that to me when I asked if I’d have to live alone. Guess what? They gave up when no one would take me in and I lived in that damn lighthouse for years all by myself! Hell, even Clavell fed me that line and… well, he hasn’t screwed up yet, but I know it’s gonna happen. And Julie-“

            His voice broke. The wave of emotion threatened to drown him. Still, he kept going.

            “Julie’s been the closest thing I’ve ever had to family, Penny. She and her mom have been so good to me since we met. When I met her, I finally felt like I had a friend that wasn’t gonna abandon me when things got real. When Boss was sick, she saw the good in me even when I was being an asshole to her. She made sure we got all the Herba Mystica we needed to make him better, even when I couldn’t help her out.”

            “You did your best.” Penny chewed her lip. “That’s all you could do.”

            “But it wasn’t enough. If she hadn’t helped me, he’d be dead. She never gave up on our mission, even when I’d lost hope. She never gave up on me either. You don’t just find a friend like that every day.”

            She nodded. “You’re right. She’s really special.”

            “And that’s why I don’t want to lose her. I don’t want to be alone again, Penny. I don’t want to know what a family was supposed to be like just to have it all taken away when she falls in love with some guy. I don’t want her to forget me because of him.” He rubbed at the tears streaming down his cheeks. “I don’t want to lose my family all over again because of him.”

            Arven sniffled wetly, desperately trying to collect himself. He’d need a lot more than five minutes to put himself back together.

            Penny took a step forward into the light. For once, she was out of words.

            There was a lot in her life that she’d taken for granted: her annoying big sister, her overzealous dad, her home that wasn’t a dorm room… these were all things she had expected to always be there. It was easy to forget that her friends didn’t have those constants. Nemona’s parents were never home, Julie and her mom had fled Galar to get away from her dad, and Arven… he had lost everyone and everything he’d ever loved. Except for his friends.        

            Last school year, she’d only known Arven by his reputation. He was “the Professor’s kid,” a big gruff brute of a guy that spent all his time in the Culinary classroom and never smiled. Now, he was one of her dearest friends and someone she truly admired. She might not ever understand what it was like to walk in his shoes, but she considered it an honor to walk beside him.

            Penny wasn’t the affectionate type, but she would make an exception tonight.

            Arven raised an eyebrow at his friend’s strange pose. Penny was standing in front of him now, both arms outstretched. It looked as if she was holding an invisible box at arm’s length. He wasn’t sure what she was doing exactly, but it certainly looked uncomfortable.

            “What are you doing?”

            “I’m offering you a hug, dumbass. You gonna take it or not?”

            He laughed. “Sure.”

            Penny grunted as Arven lifted her off the ground and hugged her tightly. She was sure he could snap her in half if he wanted to, and he was dangerously close to doing so.

            “Easy, big guy,” she wheezed. “I can’t breathe.”

            He sat her down and let go. “Sorry. I don’t know my own strength.”

            “Clearly.” She craned her neck up to look him in the eye. “But in all seriousness, thank you for talking to me. I… I get why you’re so upset now. It makes sense. All I can say is, you’ve gotta have a little more faith in Julie. We all love her and we don’t want to see her get hurt again, but I’ve got a feeling things are gonna be ok. Even if they’re not, we can’t make up her mind for her. All we can do is trust her.”

            Arven nodded. “Yeah. You’re right.”

            “I know,” Penny said smugly. “Glad I finally convinced you.”

            Arven rolled his eyes. “There’s the Penny I know and love.”

            “Aw, I love you too, big guy.” She went to pat his back, then decided against it. She’d shown enough affection for one night. “Let’s not do this again anytime soon. Sound good to you?”

            “Fine by me.” Arven chuckled. “Thanks for listening, Pen. I appreciate it.”

            “You’re welcome.” She elbowed him gently. “Alright, now that we got all that out of your system, you wanna head back to Peachy’s?”

            “Yeah.” Arven took one last look around the empty streets. “I don’t think we’re gonna find anything here. This place is dead.”

            The pair turned back towards the snack stand, chatting amicably as they walked together. The mood had lightened and conversation flowed easily once more. For a moment, they forgot that they had been on a mission to find a missing person. But the serious things in life could wait for just a minute longer.

            A streetlight flickered off behind them, but neither Arven nor Penny took notice. In the darkness, something moved.

            The strange magenta Pokemon watched silently from its perch atop the streetlight as the two bantered playfully on their walk back to town. They would make for amusing playthings later, it thought. The tricky thing would be subduing them. These two had spirit. Not as much as the girl near the shrine, but even she had taken the bait without a fight. They would be easy in comparison.

            The humans rounded the corner and disappeared from its sight. Only then did the creature leave its post.

            It floated soundlessly in the direction of town, hiding in the shadows mere meters behind the children.

**

            The front door of the Koshou home opened with an impressive squeak. Kieran winced at the sound. If his grandparents had gone to bed already, they weren’t sleeping now.

            He was surprised to see that the lights were still on at this hour. He frowned. That was weird; Grandma and Grandpa always turned the lights off before they went to sleep. That was the one thing they’d get on to him about if he stayed up late. He could hear Grandma going on about it already: electricity cost money, the bill would come out of his allowance, and so on and so forth.

            If they hadn’t turned off the lights, he thought, something bad must have happened to them…

            Or not. It wasn’t that late, he reminded himself. Grandma was probably watching a movie on full blast while Grandpa toiled away in his workshop. He’d ask them if they’d seen anything suspicious around the house, and then run back to Peachy’s with time to spare. If he was lucky, maybe he’d get to talk to Julie for a bit before Arven came back to scowl at him.

            He smiled, feeling ever so slightly relieved. That sounded like a solid plan to him. Now he just had to put it into action.

            Kieran stepped through the doorway and kicked off his shoes.

            “Grandma?” he called. “Grandpa?”

            The house was eerily silent. He took a few steps forward into the living room. The room was empty and the television was off. So much for his original theory. There must not have been anything worth watching on tonight.

            “Grandma?” he said, a bit louder this time. Maybe she was in the kitchen. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d gotten a hankering for tea after dinner.

            He walked to the kitchen, but found it empty too. There were no dishes on the counter or the sink. It was perfectly tidy, just the way his grandmother liked it.

            He sighed in frustration. Great. Just great. Where could she be?

            Kieran checked the clock above the stove, hoping he hadn’t wasted too much time. Unfortunately, he had - it read 9:03 PM.

            Crap. I gotta get moving.

            He ran to the back door and out towards his grandfather’s workshop. He stopped in his tracks mere steps away from the door. The lights were off and the door was shut. Wherever his grandparents were, they weren’t at home.

            Kieran felt a weight settle into his stomach. This was not normal, not in the slightest. His grandparents never went out this late, and even if they did, they always left a note telling him where they were going. But as far as he could tell, they’d vanished without a trace.

            He chewed at his thumbnail. Where on earth could they have gone?

            He didn’t have time to stand around worrying about it anymore. Time was ticking, and Julie was depending on him. He ran back inside the house, put his shoes back on, and bolted down the hill towards Peachy’s. He hoped his friends had been more successful in their searches than he had.

            All he had now were more questions.

**

            Julie felt a little guilty for choosing Apple Hills to search tonight. It seemed like a cop-out in hindsight. There were no workers for her to interview, nor any townspeople out for a late-night stroll. She was more likely to encounter a Pokemon in the orchards than a person.

            But in truth, that was exactly what she was hoping for.

            In all honesty, she had a good reason for coming here… even if it was a bit selfish.

            She aimed her Rotomphone’s flashlight up at the branches of an apple tree. No luck with this one, either. She’d searched half a dozen trees so far, but there wasn’t an Applin in sight.

            She pouted. Her secret mission wasn’t going so well.

            Lacey had been the one to tell her about the end-of-the-year trading tradition. On the last day of the spring semester, the students would gather in the Terarrium for Trade Day. Friends would trade Pokemon and take pictures together before they went home for summer break. It sounded like a fun way to make memories, but in her mind, it had the potential to mean something more.

            Where Julie was from, trading Applins with someone you cared about was seen as a love confession. It was an old tradition tracing back to the time of knights and royalty. She’d grown up with fairy tales of princes offering Applins to their one true loves, and those stories always ended happily ever after.

            If she was lucky, maybe she and Kieran could write a love story of their own.

            It felt like fate - Kieran’s ace was a Hydrapple, after all. What were the odds that he’d trade her an Applin on Trade Day? Pretty high, by her calculations; he loved Applin and all of its forms. Given that fact, though, he might offer up an Applin to anyone who wanted to trade with him. If that was the case… well, she just knew the Applin he’d give her would be special, somehow.

            Maybe Kieran knew about the Applin myth, too. It wouldn’t be that surprising. His grandparents had probably read the same stories to him and Carmine as bedtime stories. And if he didn’t, well, she’d have an opportunity to share a bit of her culture with him. It was a win-win situation.

            At the very least, she was certain he’d be appreciative if she gave him an Applin in return. She knew he’d cherish any Pokemon she traded him, really, but an Applin would be especially loved. Thus why she was running around an orchard in the dark, hoping neither he nor her friends would catch on to what she was really doing: something that was only important to her.

            …That was being selfish, wasn’t it?

            The guilt of that realization weighed heavy upon her heart.

            Yes, she should be more focused on finding Carmine right now. She had been looking for her… for the first two minutes. But there were no clues here. Why not make the most of her five minutes in Apple Hills and find the Pokemon she wanted – no, needed to capture?

            And yes, she knew this could goal could wait. But the opportunity had presented itself so perfectly. No one had to know she’d spent the majority of her time here hunting Applins. She’d report back to Peachy’s in a few minutes with a smile, and everyone else would be none the wiser.

            She sighed. Sometimes she didn’t want to be everybody’s hero. Sometimes she just wanted to be Julie.

            A soft squeak caught her attention. She shone her flashlight up at the tree closest to her. Lo and behold, there was a lone Applin staring down at her curiously from atop a low-hanging branch.

            Julie retrieved a Pokeball from her bag, grinning from ear to ear.

            Now was her chance.

            Before the Applin could react, she lobbed a Pokeball at it with impressive force. The capture beam surrounded the tiny Pokemon and withdrew it into the capsule. The pink Pokeball wiggled once…twice… a third time…

            Click!

            A shower of star-shaped sparks emitted from the Love Ball.

            The Applin had been caught.

            Julie stepped forward and picked up the pink capsule. Mission accomplished, she thought. She was finally prepared for the most important trade of her life.

            She turned back towards Mossui Town with a confident smile on her face. Now, I just need to get back to-

            Squish!

            She grimaced, feeling her shoe sink into something soft. She took a step back and aimed her phone’s light down, expecting to see the remains of a rotten apple splayed out upon the ground.

            But her phone revealed something more curious. Her shoeprint had been perfectly preserved in the dough of some strange purple pastry.

            Wait…purple? Isn’t that-

            Julie felt her blood run cold. Ube mochi. Just like the one Carmine had eaten.

            She lifted her phone to get a better look at the ground around her feet.

            Dozens more littered the ground beneath the apple trees.

            Julie ran as fast as her legs could carry her back to Mossui Town, leaving the smashed remains of the mochi in her wake.

**

            Arven and Penny were the first to arrive back at the snack stand. Kieran arrived shortly after, red-faced from running.

            “Did you find anything?” asked Penny.

            “No, that’s the problem.” Kieran looked worried. “Grandma and Grandpa are gone.”

            Arven furrowed his brow. “Where do you think they went off to? No offense, but there’s not much to do here at night.”

            “I dunno. There’s no note, no nothin’. All the lights were on too, so-“

            At that moment, Julie came running up to them, wide-eyed with fear. Her voice shook almost as much as her body.

            “It’s been out there. It was in Apple Hills. There were purple mochi all over the ground. Lots of them. You were right, Kieran, something’s wrong with the mochi.”

            “Slow down,” Kieran urged. He didn’t like the wild look in her eye one bit. “Did you see Sis or that thing out there?”

            She shook her head. “No, there was nobody else.”

            “We didn’t see anyone either,” added Arven.

            Kieran sighed. “Aw man.”

            “Don’t give up just yet,” Penny assured him. “Nemona might have seen something.”

            Arven checked his phone. “Speaking of Nemona, where is she? She’s late.”

            Penny shrugged. “You know her, she probably got distracted or something. She’s-“

            Arven watched as Penny’s expression changed from one of annoyance to horror. Even in the dim light of the streetlights, he could tell the color had drained from her face.

            “What?” he asked, feeling his stomach already tying itself in knots.

            Penny pointed a shaking hand at the space above the snack stand’s roof.

            “It’s back, that thing is back!”

            The four spun to face the stand, Pokeballs drawn and ready for a fight. The orb-like creature hovered above them, its eerie blank eyes staring back at them with cold fascination.

            This show of bravado amused the old Pokemon.

            All of these children were spirited, indeed.

            Breaking that spirit would be quite entertaining.

Chapter Text

            The first surprise from the strange purple Pokemon was that it could transform. Its brightly colored shell split in half to reveal a ghostly being at its center. It looked like a peach pit with a face, in Kieran’s opinion. And an ugly one, at that. Its beady white eyes and downturned mouth made it look just plain mean. A long plume of ectoplasm rose from the top of its head, resembling a ponytail. In a weird way, it reminded him of Momotaro, the hero from the old stories Grandpa used to tell him before bed.

            Maybe this is how that guy would have looked if he’d been the villain of the story, Kieran thought as the creature floated closer. He grimaced. That was a face only a mother Pokemon could love.

            The second surprise was how aggressively the monster attacked the children. And how it did so using an… unusual method.

            “Would you cut that out already?!” Kieran shouted. After enduring three barrages, his patience was wearing thin.

            The creature cackled and shot another stream of purple mochi from the halves of its split shell. Kieran winced as a stray sweet struck him right in the center of his forehead. He rubbed at the spot and grumbled. For a squishy food, mochi really packed a punch.

            Julie brushed the bits of mochi and jelly filling from her clothes. Sticky crumbs clung to her hair and refused to move. “Ugh… gross.”

            “You ok?” Kieran asked, dusting off what he guessed was cornstarch from his shirt. He tried his best not to breathe in any of the dubious purple powder.

            “Yeah, just messy.” Julie turned to face Arven and Penny. “Are you guys alright?”

            Arven nodded. He appeared to chew something, then swallow it. “I’m fine. I didn’t expect that stuff to be sweet, though.”

            Penny rubbed her mouth. “Yeah, me either. Not gonna lie, that candy was kinda good.”

            Julie’s hands flew to her mouth. “You ate it?!”

            “Yeah,” Arven replied. “Why?”

            “Me too,” Penny said. “That stuff was edible, wasn’t it?”

            Kieran’s eyes widened with horror. “Oh no...“

            Arven and Penny exchanged worried glances.

            The sinister creature laughed, its voice unexpectedly high and squeaky.

            Everything was going according to plan.

            Within seconds, the poison began to take effect. Arven doubled over in pain, clutching his midsection. His arms and legs felt as heavy as lead. Penny began to cough as her mouth filled with a bitter taste. A strange violet fog clouded her vision until she saw no more.

            “No!” Julie screamed. She ran towards them, but Kieran grabbed her arm.

            “Don’t!” he shouted. “They might hurt you!”

            “They’re my friends!” she protested. “They’d never hurt me!”

            Kieran shook his head. “That thing doesn’t care about that. You saw what it did to Sis. It’s about to do the same thing to them.”

            “But-“ The words stuck in Julie’s throat. Even if Penny and Arven were under the control of that weird Pokemon, they’d never turn against her. Their bond was stronger than any mind control magic.

            …Right?

            The purple Pokemon loomed over Penny and Arven. It watched the humans struggle with a mischievous twinkle in its eyes. These two had not been its intended targets, but they would do for now. The other two would bow before it, in time.

            All of a sudden, Arven shuddered and bowed his head. Penny did the same, falling limp and silent.

            Julie took a step back, horrified. Kieran put his arm out in front of her protectively. As awful as the sight was, they couldn’t avert their eyes.

            In perfect sync, Penny and Arven raised their heads. Their eyes were glazed over with an odd magenta sheen. In the light of the streetlights, they almost seemed to glow.

            The purple Pokemon wiggled its tiny hands above their heads, as if pulling invisible strings. Their bodies sprung to life with surprising vigor. They danced in place like oversized puppets as the creature swayed from side to side, laughing maniacally.

            Julie fought back the urge to scream.

            Kieran clenched his fists. “Stop it! They’re not your toys, you creep!”

            The Pokemon laughed harder. As far as it was concerned, that was exactly what these humans were. Once upon a time, it had been treated like a plaything too. Day in and day out, it would exhaust itself granting the wishes of its masters. Those days were long and thankless. It had broken free of those bonds long ago, and it had known true freedom ever since.

            Never again would it be a slave to beings who knew no end to greed and gluttony. Now it was its turn to play puppet-master.

            It raised its hands to eye level, and its new toys did the same. They held out their Pokeballs towards Kieran and Julie. Arven and Penny delivered the same message in eerily perfect unison.

            “Fight me.”

            A shiver shot down Julie’s spine. She didn’t believe in evil Pokemon, but this thing was dangerously close to changing her mind.

            Kieran took his Hydrapple’s Pokeball from his belt. “You want a fight? Alright, you’ll get one.”

            Julie shook her head. “I can’t… I won’t…Not them.”

            “I know you don’t want to, but we’re gonna have to.” Kieran hoped he sounded reassuring, but her expression told him otherwise.

            “Kieran, I can’t,” she pleaded. “I don’t want to hurt them.”

            “You won’t.” An idea occurred to him. “If anythin’, you might break that curse. Maybe if we beat them, that thing will let them go.”

            She considered this thought. It sounded logical to her, in a storybook sort of way. The whole situation reminded her of a fairy tale: an evil creature had cast a spell over her friends, and it was their job to save them. Even if she didn’t feel very brave right now, she had to play the part. She was the Light of Paldea after all; she might as well act like it.

            Hesitantly, she took Clover’s Pokeball from her belt. “Alright.”

            Kieran smiled. “Don’t worry, ok? I’ve got your back.”

            She nodded. “Same here.” Ever so slightly, she felt her confidence return. Together, they might have a fighting chance to break the curse.

            The two stepped forward and sent out their Pokemon.

            “Go, Hydrapple!”

            “Go, Clover!”

            The bursts of light from the Pokeballs startled the creature. It had been some time since it had seen a capture device in action. They looked much different now than the wood and metal contraptions it remembered. It blinked rapidly and rubbed at its eyes. This was no time to be dazzled. It held out its hands and took control of its toys once more.

            Penny and Arven threw their Pokeballs with robotic stiffness. They didn’t announce their choices, but Julie had a hunch she knew exactly which Pokemon they – or the creature – had chosen.

            In a flash of light, Sylveon and Mabosstiff appeared before Hydrapple and Meowscarada, looking utterly confused. The pair looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, then at each other. Where were they, and what in the world was going on?

            Mabosstiff turned to face his friend and woofed softly. Arven stared blankly ahead at his opponent, not even acknowledging his partner. The Pokemon whined and nudged his master’s limp hand. The boy was acting strangely. He barked again loudly, but Arven didn’t flinch. A flicker of movement caught his attention. Something round and Pecha Berry-scented hovered above Arven’s head. It stared down at him with cold, cruel eyes.

            Mabosstiff growled. He didn’t like this thing, not one bit.

            Sylveon extended her ribbons towards Penny’s hand. She squeaked in surprise; the girl’s hands were cold to the touch. The look on her trainer’s face worried her, too. Penny’s eyes were lifeless, and her glasses were too far down her nose. She used one ribbon to push them back into place. She waved the other ribbon in front of her face for good measure. Penny didn’t blink.

           Sylveon whined uneasily. Something was very wrong with her trainer.

            The purple Pokemon turned its attention to Mabosstiff and Sylveon. There was no place for rebellion in its plans.

            Mabosstiff bore his teeth at the enemy and snarled. Sylveon arched her back and hissed. The creature wasn’t shaken by their bravado in the slightest.

            In the blink of an eye, it launched two mochi into their mouths with expert precision. Kieran and Julie watched in horror as the two Pokemon underwent the same transformation as their trainers.

            Mabosstiff and Sylveon turned to face their opponents. Their eyes now glowed with an eerie magenta hue. In tandem, they snarled at the opposing Pokemon and leapt into action.

            Startled out of her shock, Julie yelled out a command. “Clover, use your Flower Bomb on Sylveon!”

            “Hydrapple, Fickle Beam on Mabosstiff!” Kieran shouted.

            Clover tossed a pink and green ball of energy towards Penny’s Sylveon. Pink petals of energy trailed behind it as it hurtled towards its opponent. Sylveon braced for impact. The energy bomb collided with its target, exploding into a shower of pink sparkles. Sylveon sailed through the air and landed at her master’s feet with a whine.

            All seven of Hydrapple’s heads opened their mouths wide. Golden pearls of light formed between their jaws, growing larger by the second. They aimed their attacks at the charging Mabosstiff and fired. The seven beams braided into one shining pillar of light. Kieran winced at the sound Arven’s Pokemon made when the attack landed. For once, he regretted landing a critical hit.

            The silence was tense. Arven and Penny slowly moved their heads to examine their Pokemon. Their expressions remained emotionless, but there was a strange flicker of contempt in their eyes. Whether that anger was meant for their Pokemon or their opponents was unclear.

            “Did we win?” Kieran whispered. He felt a bead of sweat drip down his neck.

            “I think so,” Julie said uneasily. “They haven’t withdrawn their Pokemon, though. They’re just standing there. It looks like they’re… waiting.”

            Kieran didn’t like the sound of that. “Waiting for what, exactly?”

            “I dunno, but we need to be ready.” Julie glared at the floating menace above her friends. She took her Tera Orb from her belt. “I don’t trust that thing to fight fair.”

            Kieran reached for his Tera Orb, but suddenly froze. “Wait, what’s that sound?”

            Julie listened carefully. It was soft and rhythmic, and it grew louder by the second. It sounded strangely like footsteps… lots of them.

            The ancient Pokemon grinned. Reinforcements had arrived.

            Small points of purple light pierced the darkness around them. They grew closer, and the sound of footsteps grew louder. Kieran, Julie, and their Pokemon looked around to see shadowy forms drawing closer. The trainers and their partners stood back to back, ready to take on the threat.

            The shadows stepped forward into the light.

            Kieran felt dread seep into his bones. He recognized every face in the crowd. The entire village had been put under that monster’s spell.

            High, squeaky laughter echoed throughout the town square. The fun wasn’t over yet. A purple glow surrounded Mabosstiff and Sylveon. Slowly, the Pokemon struggled back to their feet. The glow faded, as did their injuries. The malevolent light burned anew in their eyes. The pair snarled, pawing at the ground in anticipation of the next fight.

            They were not the only ones. The population of Mossui Town raised their Pokeballs towards Julie and Kieran. The entire village had come out to fight.

            “Crap,” muttered Julie. There had to be at least fifty people in the crowd surrounding them. “We’re outnumbered.”

            Kieran gripped his Tera Orb, hoping to steady his shaking hand. “What do we do now?”

            “The only thing we can do.” Julie’s Tera Orb sparked to life. The brilliant energy reflected in her eyes. “We fight.”

            Kieran braced against the pulse of energy as his own Tera Orb activated. There was no running away from this fight.

            A loud voice suddenly rang out through the town square.

            “Archaludon, use Electro Shot!”

            Kieran and Julie turned to face it in time to see a bolt of electricity fly above their heads. The beam split into two and struck Sylveon and Mabostiff with impressive force. The trainers shielded their eyes as dirt and pebbles exploded into the air.

            The villagers turned to face the new threat in scarily perfect sync.

            The dust cleared long enough to reveal a young man with clenched fists and sharp golden eyes. His metallic Pokemon growled angrily; the sound made the ancient Pokemon shudder. These new challengers were not to be underestimated.

            Drayton glared stonily at his opponents. He hadn’t been in Mossui Town long, but he’d seen enough to know something was up. His jaw was firmly clenched in anger. Few things in life made him angry, but an unfair fight was one of them.

            “What kind of cowards gang up on a couple of kids?” he said coldly. “You’ve got some nerve picking on my friends.”

            Archaludon roared loudly, sending sparks flying into the air. He’d never fought more than two opponents at once before. There was a first time for everything.

            Kieran’s jaw dropped. “Drayton?! Y-you’re here! You actually came!”

            “Sure did.” He smirked. “Sorry I’m late. I took the first flight I could get.”

            Relief flooded Julie’s body. “Good to see you. I think we have a fighting chance now.”

            Drayton tossed his Tera Orb into the air and caught it. The crystal within glowed with a brilliant light. “I’d say so.”

            The enemy Pokemon huffed in frustration. It was time to make a hasty retreat.

            Penny, Arven, and the villagers watched as the creature floated away from the fight. It stopped at the bridge leading out of town, and then turned to face the crowd expectantly. Slowly, the villagers moved to join it, walking in step with one another. The crowd began to form two straight lines in front of the bridge.

            “What is this, some kind of parade?” Drayton said.

            “I think it’s runnin’ away,” Kieran said. “And it’s takin’ the whole town with it.”

            Julie scanned the crowd to find her friends. Surely Drayton had knocked some sense into them after that attack. She spotted them at the back of the line, standing side by side with heads bowed.

            She ran towards them. “Arven! Penny!”

            Kieran chased after her. “Julie, no!”

            Julie grasped her friends’ sleeves and tugged hard. “Guys, let’s go! We need to regroup and rest before we fight that thing again.”

            Her words fell on deaf ears. The line moved, and Penny and Arven moved with it. Julie dug in her heels.

            “Stop!” she cried. “Don’t go with that thing!”

            Penny and Arven paused long enough to face Julie. In unison, they tugged their arms from her grasp, turned away, and marched on.

            Kieran grabbed Julie by her waist, using all his strength to hold her back. She struggled against his grasp, straining to break free.

            “Let me go!” she shouted. “I’ve got to save them!”

            “No!” Kieran gritted his teeth. “That thing might get you too. I’m not gonna let that happen.”         

            Julie took a step forward, dragging Kieran with her. “I need to help them!”

            He pulled her backwards, holding her tight against his body. “You can’t! There’s nothing else we can do!”

            Drayton watched the procession make their way across the bridge. “He’s right, Julie. If all that didn’t snap them out of it, I don’t know what will.”

            She sobbed. That couldn’t be right. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing them. She had to save them – she just had to.

            The creature led the crowd further down the path towards the shrine. Penny and Arven were the last to cross the bridge. Julie felt her knees buckle beneath her.

            “Wait! Don’t go!” She felt hot tears fill her eyes. “Come back!”

            Kieran shut his eyes and bowed his head.

            Drayton shoved his hands in his pockets.

            Their victory had been a hollow one.

            The sound of footsteps faded away once more as the crowd disappeared into the forest. Julie stared ahead, straining to spot Arven and Penny in the dark.

            They’re gone, she thought. That thing got them. You couldn’t stop it.

            Her thoughts began to race at a dizzying speed.

            You weren’t strong enough.

            You couldn’t defeat them.

            It won and it took your friends with it.

            Some Champion you are.

            This is all your fault.

            Julie felt her body go limp and her vision begun to blur.

            “Julie?”

            “Oh shit, catch her!”

            “JULIE!”

            Sound faded into silence, and her world went black.

Chapter Text

            Drayton wasn’t sure what surprised him more: the fact that Kieran had caught Julie in time, or that he then lifted and carried her on uphill without a second thought. He’d taken off with her before Drayton could offer his help, running full speed toward his grandparents’ house.

            Drayton stared with mouth agape at the sight. Nobody would believe him if he simply just told them about it later. He had to record this momentous occasion for posterity. He hit record on his Rotomphone and took off running behind his friend. He struggled to keep up with him, huffing and puffing the whole way. For a scrawny guy, Kieran had a surprising amount of strength. This break from school had done wonders for him. Maybe he’d sign up for a leave of absence next.

            Kieran stopped long enough for Drayton to open the door for him. He bolted inside towards the living room, ignoring his friend’s shouts to slow down. They didn’t have time to stand around and chat; he needed to work fast.

           He knelt down and gave his first round of orders. “Help me get her comfortable. Hold her a sec and I’ll get the pillow and blankets.”

            Drayton did as he was told. He watched Kieran throw together a makeshift futon on the living room floor. He helped him lift Julie onto the blanket, and Kieran placed a cozy-looking quilt atop her.

            It was fascinating how much had changed in such a short time, Drayton mused. Kieran thought this girl hated his guts a couple of weeks ago. Now here he was, watching over her like an attentive husband. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear they’d been dating for years. The way he looked at her told him Kieran wished that were the case.

            “Can you run get me a washcloth?” Kieran asked quietly. “The bathroom’s down the hall to the right. They’re in the cabinet by the shower. Run some warm water on it and wring it out.”

            Drayton nodded. “Can do.” He stood up, grumbled about his aching knees, and sauntered off towards the bathroom.

            Kieran tucked the quilt around Julie. He was glad he’d left it down here this morning; it saved him a trip upstairs to his room. His grandma had made it for him long ago, and it was still his blanket of choice to curl up in on cold mornings and rough nights. Hopefully it would bring her some comfort tonight as she rested.

            He studied her face as she slept. She’d scared him to death passing out like that. She seemed to be resting peacefully now, thankfully. Her breathing was steady and her expression seemed calm. The dark circles forming under her eyes worried him, though. Exhaustion was doing a number on her. It made his heart ache.

            This must’ve been how she felt when she saw me back then, he thought. She looked so worn out. To be fair, she probably was; she’d been on a plane for most of the day, and she’d spend the night running around Mossui Town. She’d more than earned a proper rest. They could afford to rest and regroup for an hour or so before they set out towards the shrine. It wouldn’t be much time, but it would be better than running on empty.

            What if she could stay here a while? The thought was tempting. He wondered what it would be like to spend another week together. Once they dispatched that weird Pokemon and rescued Carmine, the possibilities were endless. They could go on a hike together down the mountain trails. He could show her around the places he and his sister explored as kids. They could have another picnic, and he could teach her a few words in Kantonian for fun: ringo, yama, kawa, suki da yo, or maybe daisuki da yo…

            He felt his cheeks catch fire. That last one might be a little too potent. As much as he wanted to go full speed ahead with their relationship, he needed to take things slow. He’d learned his lesson about rushing into things; he didn’t dare make that mistake again.

            Drayton knelt down beside Kieran, a damp washcloth in hand. “Here ya go.”

            “Thanks.” He rubbed the cloth gently against her cheek. The crumbs of mochi and sticky jelly came off easily. “That thing really made a mess of her.”

            “Yeah, looks like it.” Drayton plucked a blob of purple mochi from Kieran’s hair. “And you too, unless you’re saving this for later.”

            “I’m fine, I promise.” Kieran was too focused on Julie to care about himself. He rubbed at a stubborn bit of jelly in her hair until it melted away on the cloth. “I’m more worried about her, to be honest. I’ve never seen anybody pass out like that.”

            “Me either. She really needs some rest.” Drayton sat down and stretched his legs. “Speaking of worrying, that brings me to my next question: Where’s Carmine?”

            “I wish I knew,” Kieran sighed. “I didn’t see her in the crowd. I’ve only seen her once since I called you. She was here one second, and gone the next. I guess she’s out there in the woods with the rest of them now.”

            “Why did that thing take her?”

            “No clue. My best guess is that she was the first person it saw.”

            “What’s it been doing to her, exactly?”

            “It’s usin’ her like some sort of mouthpiece. It…talks to us through her.” Kieran felt his skin crawl recalling that uncanny voice. Iiya…not yet.

            Drayton’s eyes flickered with silent anger. “Any clue how we beat it?”

            “In a battle, I reckon.” Kieran sat the cloth in his lap. “It keeps usin’ people like shields, though. We’re gonna have to go through the whole town before we get a chance to fight it.”

            “Then we’ll keep fighting until we get there.” Drayton stretched and rolled his shoulders. “I could use a little exercise after that plane ride.”

            “You want to exercise?” Kieran couldn’t believe his ears. “Who are you, and what have you done with Drayton?”

            Drayton grinned slyly. “Kicking ass counts as a workout, right?”

            Kieran laughed. “Yeah, I guess it does.”

            The sound of a door opening and shutting made the boys freeze. The sound of footsteps from the kitchen made them spring to their feet, Pokeballs drawn and expressions tense. They listened as the intruder moved closer.

            Unexpectedly, the invader spoke.

            “Hideko, where have you gone off to now?”

            Kieran returned Hydrapple’s Pokeball to his belt. He’d know that voice anywhere. “Grandpa?”

            Yukito stepped forward into the living room. Mud and grass caked his shoes and pants, and a twig stuck out from his hair. “Kieran?”

            Relieved, Kieran ran to his grandfather and wrapped him in a hug. “You’re safe! I thought that thing got you for sure!”

            Yukito patted his grandson’s back. “I got lucky, but I’m not so sure about your grandmother.”

            “What happened to her?” Kieran asked worriedly.

            “I’m not exactly sure.” Yukito crossed his arms. “I was in my shop workin’ on the ceremonial mask for this year’s festival. I got finished up earlier than I thought, so I thought I’d go in and grab a snack. I knew somethin’ was wrong when I stepped outside and saw the back door was wide open. I caught sight of her walkin’ off into the woods and I ran off after her. I lost track of her quick though – it’s like she disappeared into thin air. I’ve been all over those woods lookin’ for her for hours.”

            Drayton and Kieran exchanged worried glances. That didn’t bode well at all.

            Drayton stepped forward. “Mr. Koshou, you didn’t happen to see Carmine while you were out, did you?”

            Yukito shook his head. “No. I haven’t see a soul. The whole town has up and left, it seems.”

            Kieran’s shoulders slumped. “Aw man...”

            “Now what do we do?” Drayton asked. “The longer we sit here, the longer that thing has control of her. Who knows what it’s up to now…”

            A soft voice interrupted their conversation.

            “We need to get moving.”

            The men turned to see Julie sitting up. She was dazed, but functional now, at least. She rubbed at her eyes. The last thing she remembered was blacking out after Penny and Arven walked away. Somehow they’d ended up back at Kieran’s grandparents house.

            How long have I been asleep? Where did all those people go? Are Arven and Penny ok? And where’s Nemona? Why didn’t they snap out of it when we won?         

            She pulled the quilt up around her shoulders. Her head was spinning with thoughts, but she didn’t have the energy to articulate them.

            Kieran ran to her side. “Julie! You’re up!” He knelt down beside her. “How are you feeling?”

            She shrugged. “I’m here.”

            “You’re the last person who needs to talk about getting moving,” Drayton said firmly. “You need to rest.”

            “I’m fine, I promise,” Julie said quickly. “I…I guess the jet lag caught up with me back there, that’s all.”

            Kieran placed his hand atop hers. He knew she was lying, but he knew better than to challenge her. That was a fight he was bound to lose. “If you need a few more minutes, you can rest a little longer.”

            “No.” A determined spark flickered in her eyes. “I want to take that thing down before it hurts anybody else.”

            Yukito knew that look in Julie’s eyes all too well. He’d seen it firsthand in the early days of his and Hideko’s relationship. He’d made the mistake of underestimating her in a battle exactly once. In the fifty years since, he’d been sure to never make that mistake again.

            He patted Drayton’s shoulder. “Help me with the tea and snacks, won’t you, Drayton? I think we have some things to discuss.”

            Yukito led the young man into the kitchen, sparing a glance towards his grandson and the young lady from Paldea. He knew the look in Kieran’s eyes quite well, too. He’d given Hideko that same look many times in their long marriage, especially when she got herself worked up over ornery tourists. Judging by the girl’s smile, she didn’t mind the attention one bit.

            He smiled. Kieran had done a lot of growing up since the summertime.

**

            For the second time this month, Kieran found himself on the losing side of a battle with Julie.

            “But really, we don’t have to go right now.“

            “Yes we do. We need to go after Pecharunt before it gets us.”

            “But Julie-“

            “If we wait, who knows what it might do?”

            “But-“

            “But nothing.” She squeezed Kieran’s hands gently and smiled. “I’m fine, Kieran, really. I feel a lot better now. Don’t worry about me, ok?”

            He winced. “Alright. I believe you.”

            Now it was Julie’s turn to be concerned. “Did I hurt you?”

            He waved off her concern. “Nonono, you didn’t do anythin’ wrong. I’m fine.”

            Julie reached for Kieran’s right hand. A large bruise covered the center of his palm. Judging by the yellowing edges of the injury, it was at least a week old.

            She frowned. “What happened to you?”

            Kieran averted his eyes. “W-well… y’know when we were down in Area Zero? When the Masterball exploded, it hurt my hand pretty badly. It’s a lot better now, though.”

            Julie looked alarmed. “You didn’t tell me that!”

            “I didn’t want you to worry!” he protested.

            “Well, I’m worried now, aren’t I?!”

            Kieran faltered. “Well, yeah, but-“

            “But nothing!” She inspected the bruise with a frown. “You need to put some ice on this before we go back out there.”

            “Julie, I’m fine, I promise-“

            She pouted. “You’re over here telling me to slow down, why can’t I tell you the same thing?”

            “Well…I…” Kieran realized she had him there. “You’re right. I’ll go get some in a little bit.”

            Julie’s expression softened. She hadn’t expected him to agree with her so quickly. She’d grown used to Arven’s loud whining at the mere mention of self-care that she’d expected it from Kieran, too. She was discovering that he was a much different person than her best friend. In a way, that was refreshing. It was nice not to have to fight her way through a conversation with him.

            She lowered her eyes. On the other hand, she’d probably stressed him out by reacting like that. With his sister gone and his hometown under attack, the last thing he needed was her yelling at him. He deserved an apology.

            “I guess I have no room to complain, do I?” she said quietly. She relaxed her grip on his hand. “I’m sorry.”

            Kieran smiled. “I forgive you. So, does that mean you’ll rest a little while longer, then?”

            “Yeah. And you’ll take care of your hand too?”

            He nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

            She glanced once more at the bruise on his hand. Without a second thought, she kissed the palm of his hand gently.

            Kieran’s cheeks burned furiously. His mouth opened and shut as he struggled to string together a coherent sentence. “Wh- h-hey-uh-“

            She gave him a sly smile. “There. Something to make you feel better.”

            He felt the heat spread from his face to his ears. Oh, he felt better, alright. Better than he had ever felt in his entire life. And maybe just a bit lightheaded.

            “Alright, you two,” Drayton shouted from the kitchen, “I hope you’re hungry. We’ve got plenty of snacks coming your way.”

            “Do you have any preferences for tea?” called Yukito. “I’ve got all sorts.”

            “No sir,” Kieran managed weakly. He cleared his throat, hoping no one else had heard his voice crack just now.

            “Anything is fine!” Julie said brightly. She folded her hands in her lap and smiled.

            All of a sudden, she was feeling a lot more confident.

**

            Yukito sat his cup of tea on the living room table. “Alright. So from what you’re tellin’ me, the Pokemon from the stories is very much alive?”

            “Yes sir,” Kieran said.

            “And this creature has kidnapped your friends, my wife and granddaughter, and the entire town?”

            “Yes sir,” confirmed Julie.

            “And if I’m understandin’ you, the only way to free them is to defeat it in battle?”

            Drayton nodded. “Yes sir.”

            Yukito’s expression was stern. “So, what I’m hearin’ is that the three of you want me to go with you out in the woods in the middle of the night to chase after this thing and fight the entire town in the process?”

            The trio bowed their heads with embarrassment. It sounded a little reckless when he put it that way.

            Yukito crossed his arms, staring down at his cup in silence. Finally, he smiled. “That’s a worthy cause if I’ve ever heard it. I’m happy to help you however I can. I’ll gather my team and we can all head out together.”

            The children let out a collective sigh of relief.

            “Thank you, Grandpa,” Kieran said. “You’re the best.”

            “You’re most welcome.” Yukito took another sip of his tea. “I have to admit, I would have never guessed that Momowarou was real, much less still alive.”

            “Momowarou?” Julie asked. “Is that what that Pokemon is called?”

            “Sometimes. It’s one of its earliest names from the myths.” Yukito counted off on his fingers. “Its other names are the Poison Puppeteer, the Trickster, or the Pecharunt.”

            Drayton snorted. “I like that last one. It suits it.”

            “Yeah,” agreed Kieran. “It looks like a rotten old Pecha Berry up close.”

            “In any case, it’s an absolute menace.” Yukito’s expression turned serious. “Don’t underestimate it. You’ve seen what it can do to your friends. We have to stay alert. If we all stay together, we ought to stand a chance of defeating it. No wandering off and no splitting up. Do you understand?”

            The children nodded. “Yes sir.”

            The quartet planned their next steps over onigiri and piping hot tea. By the time the clock struck eleven, they had formed their plan of attack. By eleven thirty, they set out for the shrine with restored energy and renewed determination.

            The creature called Pecharunt surveyed its army. It had assembled quite the force tonight – fifty or so fighters in all. One in particular had deemed herself worthy to be called its champion. He’d stationed her before the graves of its fallen comrades from days gone by. She would fell the humans who dared to challenge her, much like its loyal companions had done so long ago. Then the fun could truly begin.

            Pecharunt waved its hands, and Nemona’s body sprang to life. She danced before the grave of the Loyal Three, arms flailing ungracefully to and fro.

            It laughed. Humans were such amusing toys.