Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

            Luka Andersen held still in the frozen chamber. The only indication he still breathed was the occasional puff of air that turned the barest white as it escaped his lips. Metal chains frosted over cut into scars from years prior. His chest felt heavy as his feet remained suspended.

            A purr came from the swaying froslass in the corner, ever watching him with cold blue eyes. He chanced a glance, daring only to spot the vibrant pink of the ribbon around its waist that bounced with its draping arms. Confirming it just seemed to try to get a reaction from him and was not heralding the appearance of his captor, he lowered his gaze again to the blue ice covering the stone floor.

            A crown clip. He stared at the crown clip, laying cast aside on the ice, that his daughter had made for him and his chest tightened while a lump formed in his throat. His daughter, at least, was far from this wicked place. Hattie was safe and would be with his partner. She had someone watching over her and she was resourceful. She would be okay.

            A tear slipped despite his reassurances to himself and the froslass cooed. A cold breeze cut into him, but he hadn’t the energy to shiver. The froslass gently lifted its small fingers to his cheek and wiped away the tear. The trail it left froze against his skin with a bite.

            “Lass!” The froslass gave a cheerful twirl. It just wanted to help him feel better, he assumed, but if it really wanted to be of use it would let him out.

            He swallowed back his frustrations, knowing that getting worked up and trying to fight wouldn’t do any good. The froslass would just get angry if he snapped at it and he knew from experience how much colder this cage could be.

            By Arceus, could it get colder.

            Holding back his tears, he tried to not think about how he had gotten here; it would just fill him with rage that would leave him screaming and kicking until he passed out from exhaustion or the froslass knocked him out. He couldn’t think about Hattie; that would cleave his heart further apart until there was nothing but frozen tears left. No, it was best to empty his thoughts and remain numb. Conserve energy. He had no idea how long he would be there.

            Footsteps came from outside the room and it was then that his weakened body trembled. A key clinked against metal. The froslass fluttered over to the door with a merry twirl.

            Creaking open, the door revealed his captor in her light green dress. He looked up from behind a curtain of chestnut bangs, catching the grinning figure of his ex-wife.

            “Ready to go, my prince?”

Chapter Text

            Hattie rolled over in the pillow pile with a huff as the commercial flickered across the screen. Bria looked up from her dinner of a bowl of cereal and a click came from the cracked tea pot resting nearby as Polteageist lifted its head.

            “You alright—” Bria began.

            “I’m going to go check again.” Hattie scrambled out from under the blanket they used as a tent for their fort and darted over to the window.

            Pressing her nose against the chilled pane, Hattie gazed out into the rainy town. Distant thunder rumbled like low calls from a wailord and the streetlamps barely shone through the heavy pitter-patters of rain. Even the light from the clock tower in the middle of the town was obscured. She squinted, her bright blue eyes searching for the familiar silhouette of her dad trudging down the cobblestone path with his briefcase in hand.

            Polteageist hovered over, followed by Bria’s soft footsteps. The purple Pokémon leaned out of the top of its pot and nuzzled its slightly goopy cheek against Hattie, trilling encouragingly.

            “Your dad is late sometimes, right?” Bria offered. “Especially if he had work in Mafia Town?”

            “Yeah,” Hattie muttered automatically. “He had a few cases defending clients against Pokémon thieves and settling contracts with a small business owner or something.” Still he wasn’t usually days late, especially right before her birthday and when they had super important plans.

            “See, I’m sure everything’s okay!” Bria encouraged, joining Hattie by the window. “It’s probably just work and maybe even unexpected cases.” She knit her brows with concern. “You know how scary Mafia Town can be.”

            Hattie nodded, the bridge of her nose crinkling further as she glanced towards Polteageist, who hovered with a golden frown and a droop in its spiral eyes. Polteageist was her father’s most trusted partner and therefore the one he most wanted to be with Hattie in case of an emergency. He sometimes borrowed Pokémon from his cousin, MJ, when going on longer trips, but Hattie couldn’t remember if he had taken any Pokémon before leaving for the short trip to the town further up the coast. She had no idea if he had any protection, and she could tell Polteageist was also worried about its trainer.

            The movie began again after the commercial break, but Bria remained by Hattie’s side, waiting patiently for her friend. When no figure could be seen through the rain, Hattie sighed and reluctantly returned to the pillow fort they made for their sleepover.

            “We can also go visit Professor MJ and Prim tomorrow,” Bria suggested as she sat back down on a pillow and returned to her meal. Hattie’s own bowl of cereal remained untouched and increasingly soggy. “I have to open the store in the morning, but after that, maybe?”

            “Yeah.” Hattie hugged her knees to her chest. Absentmindedly, she checked her C-Gear on her wrist for any new messages or calls, but it still remained blank.

            “Did you want to try and give him a call again?” Bria read her mind.

            “I shouldn’t,” Hattie hesitated. “It wouldn’t do any good if he has it on silent anyway. He’ll see my messages. It’s just weird he’s working so late—”

            A scratching sound caused her to pause. She and Bria gave each other a surprised look as they listened. The scratching sound came from the door again and Polteageist leapt into the air with an excited trill.

            “Dad?” Hattie scrambled back up and ran over to the front door. She swung it open, looking up with a smile, but only the drum of rain greeted her. Her smile fell.

            “Move it kid! It’s freezing out here!”

            “What?” She glanced down, looking straight into the gaze of a grumpy, drenched Eevee. A familiar clip the shape of a crown pinned back his bangs, causing Hattie’s heart to leap to her throat.

            “Oh, for crying out loud!” The small Pokémon shoved past her and into the living room, his tail dragging on the carpet and leaving a trail of water.

            “Hattie?” Bria peeked out from the tent, raising an eyebrow at the shivering Eevee who was currently shaking himself off.

            Hattie ducked her head out the doorway, looking around for anyone accompanying the Eevee, but the Pokémon was on his own. She slowly closed the door before confronting the now puff ball in her living room.

            “Tea!” Polteageist was the first to fly up to the Eevee, lifting a small purple hand to its lid and tipping it like it were a hat. The Eevee hissed in response, jumping back with his hackles raising and still-wet tail puffing out to make himself look bigger. The sudden movement must have hurt because the Eevee winced and whined, lifting a paw to his head and rubbing at a spot below a twitching ear. He hit something tender and squeaked.

            “Oh no, is it hurt?” Bria crawled out from under the tent and over to the Eevee, who immediately backed away with a pained snarl.

            “Don’t come closer!” He hissed, tail flicking. Bria continued to edge closer, cooing at him gently as he pinned himself against the wall beneath the window.

            “Stop!” Hattie darted over and held Bria back. “He doesn’t want anyone to get close.”

            “Yeah! So back off!” the Eevee growled. When Polteageist floated over to him, the Eevee pinned his ears back and swiped. “And that includes you, you dumb pot!”

            “Don’t be mean!” Hattie put her hands on her hips as Polteageist shrunk back, chirping apologies. “You’re the one who barged in here!”

            “Barged in here?” The Eevee bristled. “You’re the one in my house!”

            “What do you mean your house?” Hattie demanded, earning surprised looks from Polteageist and Bria. “I live here with my dad—”

            “With—” the Eevee’s tail lowered as his ears twitched. Realization dawned on him. “You understand me?”

            “Huh?” Hattie blinked in confusion. She glanced towards Bria who was watching her and the Eevee with growing awe. Hattie raised an eyebrow. “You can hear him too, right?”

            “I hear him saying ‘ee’ or ‘vee’ a few times.” Bria shrugged, her lavender eyes wide. “But you can hear him, hear him? Like understand him?”

            Hattie glanced back at the Eevee; whose golden gaze scanned her curiously.

            “If this is your dad’s house,” the Eevee began, back still arched but with his agitated fur deflating, “is your dad named Luka?”

            “Yes!” Hattie dropped on the floor, so she was looking straight into his gold irises. He shrunk back as she demanded, “Where is he? Where’s my dad? What happened?”

            “Whoa, whoa, Kid.” The Eevee bristled again. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know anything, but that Luka was my partner and I could find him here.” When her gaze hardened into a glare, he gave an exaggerated eyeroll and tilted his head back. “Check the clip if you don’t believe me!”

            Hattie reached out for the hair clip and as soon as she removed it, the Eevee’s wet bangs dropped, slapping over his eyes. He sputtered and tossed his hair back as Hattie turned the crown clip over in her palm.

            If lost, return to Luka. Read her handwriting, followed by a tiny print of their address in Rift Town. It was the clip she had made him; the one he never left home without and always kept close. Fear flooded her thoughts and Polteageist trilled soothingly, floating over and poking out of its lid as it patted her cheek.

            “Where,” Hattie began in a low voice to keep her words from cracking, “did you get this?”

            “It was with me when I woke up!” The Eevee growled as his brows furrowed. He lifted a paw to brush back his bangs so he could look her in the eye. “Look, I don’t remember anything. I woke up with a bump on my head and only this clip! I figured I could find clues here. But… you don’t recognize me?”

            “Dad doesn’t have an eevee.”

            “That’s impossible!” The Eevee growled, volume rising before he winced and groaned, moving a paw to the same spot as earlier.

            “Do you need help?” Hattie offered as Polteageist hovered anxiously.

            “I can grab some towels!” Bria headed upstairs.

            “And I’ll grab something for your head.” Hattie pushed off the floor, turning the clip around in her hands as she crossed over to the kitchen.

            “Tea!” Polteageist cheered as it followed after Hattie.

            In the kitchen, Polteageist set a kettle on the stove, using a little ghostly levitation to help it support the weight. Then, it floated over to Luka’s tea drawer that was stuffed with canisters and boxes of bags. Hattie was a little surprised that Polteageist pulled out a black tea with cinnamon and clove, a combination that her dad loved but she couldn’t imagine a Pokémon liking, but she forced herself to stop worrying about it and focused on getting out some ice.

            Since the Eevee was small, she figured one ice cube would be enough to start and put it in a little baggy. As an added touch of comfort, she shuffled over to the drawer with miscellaneous objects and located a small, stuffed buneary that had an indent that was the perfect size to hold an ice cube. While it had been a long time since her dad needed to apply what they affectionately dubbed “the boo boo buneary” to a bump from a rough tumble, she remembered how much holding the cute buneary to her head made her feel worlds better. Tucking the ice cube into the indent, she hoped the soft little friend would also cheer up the grumpy, amnesiac Eevee that waited in the living room.

            Polteageist remained by the stove as the kettle heated. The Pokémon twittered merrily as it set up a tray with a pot of sugar cubes and got out a carton of cream to pour into a small milk jug that matched the pale blue and gold design of Polteageist’s pot. Hattie shook her head slightly, finding the scene bittersweet. Usually, it didn’t get so excited about making tea unless Luka was around.

            She gripped the crown clip in her palm as she returned to the living room, where Bria was already drying the grumbling Eevee off.

            “Stop, Kid! It’s fine!” The Eevee tried to scamper away only to get caught in Bria’s towel embrace again as she smooshed his face.

            “You’re such a pretty Eevee!” Bria cooed. “The fluffiest Eevee in all the region!”

            She removed the towel and the cream-colored mane around his neck fluffed out. He huffed and his bangs fluttered in his eyes. Giving himself one final shake as he stepped away from Bria, his still damp and curling fur dispelled the last of the droplets. Shaking his head seemed to aggravate his bump, however, and he lifted his paw to his head with another whine.

            “I got some ice, hold on.” Hattie hurried over and plopped down next to him. He recoiled slightly, moving his bangs aside as he warily eyed the boo boo buneary in her hands.

            “What is that?” He asked as she placed the clip on her lap and gently pressed her hand against his head. He tensed at the touch and his ears pinned back while his tail puffed, but he held still as she petted his mottled fur, searching for the bump.

            She found it and he yelped, pulling back.

            “Sorry,” she said without sympathy, raising the ice to the lump. She caught the back of his head in her hand to keep him in place while she gently lowered the ice against the tender bump. He hissed and tried to recoil but she held him firmly. “And, to answer your question, it’s a boo boo buneary.”

            “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard,” the Eevee grumbled, stilling as she supported the ice.

            “Is the ice helping?” Bria asked, walking over and tucking in her skirt before lowering next to them.

            The Eevee muttered something that Hattie couldn’t pick up. She glanced at Bria and shrugged while the Eevee remained tense.

            “So… where did you come from?” Hattie asked, half hoping to distract the increasingly on-edge Pokémon and half hoping to get more information about her dad’s whereabouts.

            If it were any other night, where her dad wasn’t super late in coming home from a business trip, and if the Eevee hadn’t had the clip that her dad carried with him always, then she would be perfectly content to write the Eevee’s claims that he was her dad’s Pokémon off as lump-induced ramblings. But her dad was late and not responding to her messages and the Eevee did have the clip. It was getting harder and harder for her to not let her rising anxiety get the better of her.

            “I don’t know,” the Eevee snapped, crinkling his nose. “It was already dark, and I couldn’t see well, and something was following me.”

            “Is it still following you?” Hattie deadpanned.

            “What? No,” Eevee growled, raising his head indignantly and bumping into the ice. He whined and Hattie pulled it back a bit.

            “Bria, can you help hold the ice?” Hattie turned away from the Eevee and handed over the buneary. Bria nodded and mimicked Hattie’s position of holding his head and the ice while Hattie grabbed the clip. She brushed back the Eevee’s bangs towards the side and used the crown clip to pin back his fur. He squinted, blinking slowly up at her.

            “Is that better?” Hattie leaned back and crossed her arms.

            “It’s fine,” he grumbled.

            “So, you got really hurt and don’t know anything about yourself or where my dad is?” Hattie surmised, both for herself and so Bria could have a better sense of the conversation.

            “I don’t,” the Eevee huffed. “And you don’t know anything about me?”

            “No,” Hattie sighed. “Dad never had an eevee. But he sometimes borrowed Pokémon from Uncle MJ. We can ask him a little bit more.”

            “Maybe we should call the professor now?” Bria suggested. “He can give Eevee a check-up?”

            “What time is it?” Hattie checked her C-Gear. MJ might have been in bed already, but it didn’t hurt to call. She pulled up his number and the screen on her watch flashed a dial animation.

            “Hmm?” MJ’s sleepy features appeared with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. His camera jostled and he disappeared out of frame as the sound of him spitting into the sink rang out. He returned, wiping his mouth with a towel and scrunching up his nose as he squinted at the screen. “Hattie? Sweetie, is everything okay?”

            “Bria and I need help with a hurt Pokémon.” Hattie turned the watch’s camera towards the Eevee. “He has Dad’s hair clip and has amnesia.”

            “I’ll be right there.” He sounded more alert before he paused. “I’m sorry, did you say amnesia? Like the move?”

            “Like he can’t remember anything.”

            “And you can tell this, how?” MJ slipped his glasses on and blinked a few times as his sight adjusted.

            “Oh, I can understand him? Like I can hear him talk.”

            MJ gave her a slightly confused look before clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

            “Okay. Nevertheless, I’ll be right there. Give me five minutes.” He hung up and Hattie lowered her arm.

            “Hat—” Bria began as Hattie pushed back to her feet.

            “I’m just going to clean up a bit,” Hattie explained, picking up her full bowl of uneaten cereal and Bria’s empty one. She passed Polteageist floating over with a levitated tray of tea and teacups for everyone on the way to the kitchen. She heard Bria start to whisper to the Eevee, something about how hard it was for Hattie right now without her dad.

            Groaning, Hattie tried to swallow back her feelings. She knew Bria was just trying to help and she knew the Eevee was just probably lost and scared underneath all his nasty behavior, but the young girl was ready to just pack a bag and pick a direction and go out into the storm and not stop walking until she found her dad.

            A smart idea? No. Especially since she didn’t have a Pokémon yet. Was she still tempted to try? Absolutely. At the very least, she might beg MJ to let her borrow a Pokémon so she could travel the route to Mafia Town safely.

            While she sluggishly cleaned, purposefully dawdling in the kitchen because she didn’t think she could handle being able to understand the Eevee but him not being able to supply any substantial answers to her questions any longer, she listened to Polteageist’s lightly bullying of both Bria and the Eevee into using proper tea etiquette and the clinks of the teacups against their saucers. It wasn’t until the knock at the front door came that Hattie rushed away from the sink, dropping sudsy bowls with a clatter, and scrambled past the tea party in the living room.

            “Alright, Hattie, what’s going on?” MJ asked as a buzzing Rotom leapt out from behind him. Light blue electricity that matched the streaks of blue in MJ’s chestnut hair crackled around the orange Pokémon, who dived down and nuzzled Hattie in the cheek. Numbly, Hattie pet the Rotom, feeling the tingle of static electricity as she turned towards the tea party.

            Bria and Polteageist were sitting back, both holding their teacups up as they watched the curious scene unfold. The Eevee was sitting back on his hind legs, carefully balancing the teacup between his two paws as he lapped up his milky tea and eyed MJ suspiciously.

            “You’re such an adorable Eevee!” MJ cooed, leaving his closed umbrella by the door as both he and Hattie crossed over to the tea party. MJ lowered onto his knees and held out his knuckles for the Eevee to inspect and sniff. The Eevee raised an eyebrow and glanced towards Hattie, bewildered. She had no idea what he was waiting for and neither did anyone else, it seemed. Finally, the Eevee gingerly lowered his cup and wrapped his paw under MJ’s fingers and gave his hand a gentle shake. MJ snorted, causing the Eevee to pull back with flicking ears as MJ had to cover his mouth as he laughed.

            “What a polite little Pokémon!” MJ leaned back, pulling out his first aid kit and other supplies from his bag.

            “Do you recognize him?” Hattie asked, already knowing the answer based on MJ’s interactions.

            “No, why—Ah, no.” MJ bit his lip. “Luka didn’t borrow a Pokémon before this trip since it was just in Mafia Town and they usually leave non-trainers alone… usually.” He put on his stethoscope and scanned the Eevee, his gaze pausing over the clip. “Ah, so the Eevee came in wearing this clip but no Luka?”

            Hattie shook her head, hugging Rotom close and petting the Pokémon. MJ caught her blank look before turning back to the Eevee.

            “Alright, little fella, I’m just going to check your vitals,” MJ muttered gently.

            “Your hands are cold!” The Eevee jerked back as MJ searched through the bristling mane for his heartbeat with the stethoscope.

            “He says your hands are cold,” Hattie offered in a monotone voice.

            “Apologies, I’ll try to be qui—” MJ paused, assessing Hattie while the Rotom tilted its head back and made a curious “zzrt” sound at Hattie. MJ asked, “You really can understand him?”

            “Yeah,” Hattie sighed, looking down and shuffling on her feet.

            MJ leaned back and caught Bria’s gaze. “Can you hear him?”

            “Nope!” Bria chirped, shaking her head and causing her curls to bounce with her bow.

            MJ looked back at the Eevee, brow raised as he finished fishing for his heartbeat. After listening for a couple moments, he pulled out a flashlight and instructed the Eevee to look directly ahead.

            While MJ examined the Eevee and Hattie would translate the Pokémon’s answers to MJ’s questions, Polteageist hovered over and offered her a piping hot cup of tea, without any sugar or cream. Hattie released Rotom who buzzed lightly before zipping over to greet Bria.

            Sipping the tea, Hattie inhaled the warm spices that comforted her throat and she remembered how this was her dad’s favorite blend after a long day or when he was stressed, and she wished he was there. She wished he was in their cozy home and she wished he was the one who was taking care of the strange Eevee and that he was the one making tea instead of Polteageist and that he was safe and sound. But… he wasn’t. He was somewhere, maybe lost or hurt or trapped in the storm or worse if the crown clip was any indication.

            “Hey, Bria,” MJ began, “Could you and Polteageist go grab me a glass of water?”

            Bria, picking up on what he actually was asking for, nodded before stacking the cups on the tray with Polteageist’s help.

            “Hey, hey, I’m still drinking that!” The Eevee lifted a paw towards his teacup, unable to chase after it with MJ holding the ice to his noggin.

            Without a word, Hattie swiveled around and grabbed the teacup from the tray and placed it in front of the Eevee.

            “Thanks, Kid. Um, Kiddo?” The Eevee’s agitated tone dropped.

            Hattie slouched, hiding behind her cup.

            “Hattie,” MJ began softly, “what’s wrong, Sweetie?”

            “D-dad.” Hattie swallowed thickly and shook her head, keeping her gaze trained onto the amber liquid shifting in the cup. “He hasn’t come home yet…”

            “I’m sure Luka’s okay,” MJ promised, reaching over and giving her shoulder a squeeze. “He’s been through worse than having to stay in Mafia Town a few extra nights.”

            “But if he’s here—” Hattie gestured towards the Eevee. Out of the corner of her eye, the Eevee’s ears drooped, but she ignored him, “—with Dad’s clip, then something must have happened.”

            After a steadying drink of tea, she met MJ’s gaze head on and furrowed her brows with determination.

            “Please let me take a Pokémon to Mafia Town so that I can see dad. I turn ten this Saturday so I’m old enough to go on a journey! The next town over should be no problem!”

            MJ’s gaze softened and he let out a slow exhale. Summoning an appeasing smile, he offered, “Tomorrow morning we can discuss this more.” She opened her mouth to retort but he held up a finger, motioning for her to wait. “I know,” he continued, “that you want to go now, and I know you’re old enough, but you know that Luka would prefer Prim or I accompanied you, okay? And leaving this late and going out in this storm would tire us out before we could even make it to Mafia Town. Besides,” he added at the end of the list, “I have to take care of this Eevee tonight.”

            “No one said you needed to take care of me,” the Eevee growled.

            “This little fella has a concussion, so I’ll need to take him back to the lab and monitor him,” MJ explained, and Hattie wasn’t sure if he had sensed the Eevee’s frustrations or if he was responding to her own impatient expression.

            “Okay,” Hattie sighed. “But we’re talking about this tomorrow morning.”

            “Promise,” MJ agreed before turning to the Eevee. “Ready to go, Fella?”

            “Whoa, whoa.” The Eevee glanced towards Hattie incredulously as he shrunk back. “I’m just going to go back to some creepy lab with a stranger? I don’t like labs!”

            “You don’t remember anything.” Hattie deadpanned. “Everyone’s a stranger.”

            “Still!” The Eevee side-glanced MJ before looking up at Hattie with wide golden eyes. “Come on, Kid, help me out here.”

            “Professor Michael Juniper is the best Pokémon professor in the region; you’ll be fine.” Hattie patted his head, careful to avoid the bump that MJ was still holding the boo boo buneary against.

            “I’ll take good care of you,” MJ added, flashing a winning smile at the Eevee. “Please don’t worry.”

            With ears twitching, the Eevee glanced between the two warily. After a moment, he huffed and relented.

            “Okay but I’m not happy about it,” the Eevee grumbled.

            MJ glanced towards Hattie questioningly and Hattie nodded.

            “He’s fine.”

            While MJ gathered his things and the Eevee finished off his tea, Bria and Polteageist returned to hear the plan. After breakfast, Hattie would come to the lab with Polteageist before deciding what to do about tracking down Luka. Bria would meet up after returning home and opening her grandfather’s bookstore.

            “Now, Hattie,” MJ said as Rotom buzzed around his head and the Eevee—who still looked rather perturbed—perched in his arm as he grabbed his umbrella, “I know you’re worried, but try to get some sleep tonight, okay?”

            “I’ll make sure she does, Professor!” Bria saluted.

            “Good,” MJ smiled as he stepped out onto the porch and opened his umbrella. “See you both in the morning!” He waved the umbrella before heading out into the rain.

            Bria and Hattie both waved, watching him disappear into the dark. With her arms crossed, Hattie turned to meet Bria’s concerned features and offered a weak smile that didn’t reach her eyes. They returned to the safety of their pillow fort and Hattie tried not to fret over what could have befallen her dad. When she finally drifted asleep, she dreamed of his silhouette lost in the storm and becoming swallowed by the shadows.

Chapter Text

            Rift Town was overcast the next day, but Hattie only needed her rubber, yellow rain boots to keep dry. Puddles were scattered through the small, quiet town, and the white stone with blue mosaics were slick with moisture, but such was a common occurrence for the area. Further south and curling westward, Hattie could hear the low rumble of ocean waves, but the morning mist hid the horizon. And, after a moment, she could hear the bookstore’s Chimecho greet Bria with a twinkling of chimes.

            Bria had moved in with her Grandfather, Tim, just a year ago and seemed to adjust to working in the bookstore with her cousin Timmy swiftly. She even seemed to adore helping out at the lab, telling Hattie and Luka whenever she spent the night how she loved building and tinkering with machines. Hattie certainly was glad for Bria’s company, and from how little Bria spoke of her time before coming to Rift Town, Hattie assumed Bria was glad to have settled in too.

            “Tea?” Her dad’s Polteageist floated beside her, reaching over and readjusting her purple baseball cap with a gold and silver pokéball depicted on it.

            “I wish you would listen to me in battle,” Hattie grumbled and shook herself out of her thoughts, giving the purple blob with golden spiraling eyes a pointed look. “We could have left to find Dad by now.”

            Polteageist’s gaze drooped as it trilled apologetically but firmly.

            “Yeah, yeah.” Hattie kicked at a pebble, sending it clinking against the path before plopping into a puddle. “Dad doesn’t want me fighting until I get my own partner, but this is different!”

            Polteageist hovered close and nuzzled her cheek. She sighed, giving the Pokémon a gentle scratch. The Polteageist chirped, leaning into her finger with delight.

            Once they arrived at the lab, she moved to knock on the door, but when she saw it was already open just a crack, she poked her head in.

            “MJ?” She called, barely projecting over the sparks and snaps of electricity in the corner. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

            The lab was a mess, with papers stained with tea splotches littering the tile. Various electrical instruments covered the normally pristine counters and paper cups with tea bag tags hanging over the sides lay haphazardly discarded. MJ stood at his worktable, standing over a strange instrument with various wires. Goggles wrapped around his glasses and Hattie could see his tongue sticking out in concentration. She took a step forward only to immediately yelp when a hidden rope grew taut around her ankle and yanked.

            “Whoa!” She yelped as she slammed against the floor and the rope whipped her over towards a counter with the makeshift pulley before suddenly going slack. Dazed, she pushed up into a sitting position as the Polteageist fluttered over, inspecting her stinging cheek.

            “Ahhhhhahaha!” The Eevee, still wearing the crown clip to keep his bangs out of his eyes, bounced over the makeshift pulley and smirked down at her, showing the sharp point of his fangs. “FooOOOOooo… oh wait, it’s you.” The Eevee pouted, sitting back and extracting a claw which he promptly used to cut the rope.

            “What was that for?” Hattie glared as the rope tumbled and whacked her in the face.

            “I was kind of expecting a trespasser. Nothing personal, Kiddo. But,” he turned around and grabbed a loose paper between his teeth and jumped down as Hattie worked to untie the rope from her ankle, “I can’t have you suing the premises for your fall so I’ll need to you sign this waiver.” He dropped it into her lap.

            The paper was brief and while the lettering was atrocious—looking like it was written by someone who stuck a pencil in their mouth; which it was—she was surprised by the Eevee’s ability to spell out coherent sentences.

            “I’m not going to sign something like that after I got hurt.” Hattie raised an eyebrow.

            “You’re really going to sue that poor man for not looking where you were going?” The Eevee pointed a paw towards MJ, who was still engrossed in his work, not having noticed the two in the slightest.

            “No.” Hattie deadpanned. “Because MJ doesn’t need it in writing that I won’t do anything like that. We’re family.”

            “Family’s for chumps, Kid.” The Eevee flicked his tail. “You can’t trust anyone to look out for you. That’s what the waiver is for.”

            “You seem to have more energy this morning,” Hattie grumbled, ignoring his pessimistic warnings.

            The Eevee perked.

            “MJ wouldn’t let me sleep because of the concussion so I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with my free time. I’ve managed to remember that I was a lawyer,” he prattled, placing a paw over his cream-colored mane.

            “Maybe you were dad’s Pokémon.” Hattie patted the Eevee on the head before he winced back and jumped up onto the counter connected to MJ’s worktable.

            “Don’t do that,” the Eevee huffed as he messed with the fur on his head.

            “Does your head still hurt?” Hattie asked, her tone apologetic.

            “No, just—” His ears pinned back but before he could explain, a sharp buzz of electricity was followed by a small crackle from MJ’s tool. The professor yelped as he dropped the short-circuiting tool and Rotom leapt from the machine, snickering.

            “Rotom!” MJ whined, pulling out earplugs, “Come on, bud, you know that this is important—Hmm?” He turned as Hattie shuffled to her feet, kicking off the rest of the rope. “Oh! Hattie. How long have you been there?”

            “Long enough to get caught in a trap.” Hattie pointed towards the Eevee, unimpressed. The Eevee puffed out his chest before trotting along the counter besides Hattie.

            “He certainly likes to keep busy,” MJ agreed. He took a step away from his work and stretched out his back.

            MJ’s worktable was where he could usually be found, which meant that a yard or so away was a small cupboard and working stove for a mini kitchen and a TV nearby. Rotom had its own little hammock set up under the cupboard, where it retreated to after causing its mischief. It sent a bolt towards the compact TV and the news came on.

            “What are you making?” Hattie pointed to the wires and metal plating on his worktable.

            “Ah, something…” MJ quieted, scanning the mechanical purple cord connecting a golden glove to a similarly gold shoulder pad. “It’s something I hope we never need to use. Primrose is out getting more materials for another project we’re handling at the request of a professor in another region.”

            “Is everything okay?” Hattie asked, glancing towards the Eevee, who shrugged, before looking back up at MJ.

            “Yes, there’s nothing to worry about.” MJ flashed a gentle smile. “There have been some rumors lately about suspicious groups using… dangerous Pokémon, but I doubt it’s anything too serious. This—” he patted the machine, “—is just a precaution. Anyway, Hattie, I did try to contact Luka a few times last night and couldn’t get through. Once I put the finishing touches on this, I’ll go with you to Mafia Town and we can track him down.” He snapped his fingers suddenly. “Actually, can you help?”

            “Sure.” Hattie walked over as he picked up the machine. “What do I do?”

            “I need you to try and catch a Pokémon with the arm,” MJ explained. “This way both you and the machine can get a little practice in.”

            She held out her left arm and MJ fitted the machine to her size. The metal plating latched around her bicep and the purple wires connected to each finger pad in the glove. She flexed her fingers, feeling the sensation of the wires follow the tightening of her muscles.

            “And how long will this take—” Hattie began before a rapping came from the door.

            “Open the door or Mafia will break it down!”

            Hattie’s eyes widened as MJ jumped. Before waiting another moment, the door crashed open and a furious looking Skiddo shedding leaves darted into the lab while a large man wearing a blue pinstripe suit and a pompous smirk followed behind.

            “See? Mafia warned you!”

            Hattie’s heart skipped a beat as a Mafia goon, a member of the notorious Team Mafia known for pillaging Pokémon and rendering trainers ill with food poisoning, stood in the entrance.

            “Poltea!” Polteageist hovered protectively in front of Hattie while Rotom floated over to MJ’s side.

            “What is the meaning of this?” MJ demanded, “The door wasn’t even locked!”

            “Mafia has come to collect!” The Mafia goon crossed his arms across his chest.

            While he spouted nonsense about the Pokémon professor making something called a “fife” so he could cut his food and eat it with one utensil, Hattie glanced warily over at the agitated Skiddo, who was twitching and bucking. Its distressed growls and snarling unsettled Hattie, who knew skiddo to be typically peaceful Pokémon.

            “Hey, Kid.” The Eevee’s tail seemed a little puffed up as he watched the Skiddo. “That Pokémon has shadows emitting from it.”

            “Shadows?” Hattie asked, earning an astounded look from MJ. “What do you mean?”

            “Tendrils of purple and red shadows,” the Eevee hissed, glancing at it with fear in his golden eyes. “They’re thickest around its heart.”

            “Hattie,” MJ asked in a strained voice, “I’m sorry but what was that about shadows?”

            “Hey! Stop ignoring Mafia!”

            “Eevee says he can see shadows coming from the Skiddo.” Hattie crinkled her nose. “Is that a move or—?”

            “Mafia is serious!”

            “Hattie, listen to me,” MJ whispered as he leaned down and flicked a switch on the mechanical arm. “You have to catch that Skiddo.”

            “If you two rude people will not answer, Mafia will make you!”

            “Catch another trainer’s Pokémon?” Hattie asked, shaking her head as MJ pulled out a red and white pokéball and pushed it into her hands. Her jaw dropped. “You’re serious? Won’t this make me as bad as Team Mafia?”

            “If it’s a shadow Pokémon, it has to be done,” MJ pleaded.

            “That is it! Mafia has had enough! Skiddo! Shadow blitz the little girl!”

            The Skiddo let out an enraged bleat and clambered around the counter, orange hooves clacking against the tile as it slid a bit from lack of traction. Lowering its head, the Skiddo aimed its horns at Hattie as thick swirls of purple and blue shadows appeared around it.

            “Pol!” The Polteageist hissed like a steaming kettle, floating in front of Hattie. The air around it began to waver with ghostly energy while the Eevee also jumped down in front of her protectively.

            “Throw the ball, Kid!” Eevee called, hackles raised and tail puffed.

            “Ack!” Hattie took the pokéball in hand, feeling the machine on her arm whirl with energy. She tossed the ball and it landed squarely against the Skiddo’s head, causing it to disappear in a surge of white light that swished into the ball.

            “Hey!” The Mafia goon shook his fists in the air as the pokéball rolled back and forth, clicking lightly. “You cannot take Mafia’s Pokémon! Mafia is supposed to take your Pokémon!”

            The pokéball sparkled as it signaled that the Skiddo had been successfully snatched. The Mafia goon dove for it but Eevee darted out and grabbed the pokéball in his mouth before running back over to Hattie. He plopped it into her hand and MJ stepped out between Hattie and the Mafia.

            “Where did you get this Pokémon?” MJ asked, his voice a few frightful octaves lower than his usual light lilt.

            “From the Boss!” the Mafia goon growled. “Mafia will be in a lot of trouble if you don’t give it back!”

            “Skiddo will no longer recognize you as its trainer. Now leave before I call the Knights.” MJ pointed towards the door as he threatened to call the region’s equivalent of Pokémon Rangers. Rotom let out an angry zap and the Mafia goon scanned the room, vastly outnumbered.

            “Fine! But Mafia will not forget this!” He retreated out the broken door and MJ relaxed, shoulders slouching.

            “Oh, this is bad,” he muttered as he ran over to his laptop.

            “MJ.” Hattie crossed over, holding the pokéball with the Skiddo in her hands. “What’s going on?”

            “Well,” MJ plugged an indented stand into his laptop and motioned for Hattie to place the pokéball into it. She complied while he explained, his eyes on the screen, “It seems shadow Pokémon have been brought to the region. You were young when this happened, but did you hear about the series of shadow Pokémon incidents in the Orre region?”

            She shook her head as Eevee jumped back up onto the counter, ears twitching as he listened.

            “A wicked group figured out how to artificially close the hearts of Pokémon, turning them into soulless, emotionless fighting machines.”

            “That’s terrible.” Hattie frowned, glancing towards Polteageist and Rotom who were playing by the TV. They chirped and buzzed, as if they hadn’t just faced a terrifying member of a group of thieves.

            “It’s deplorable,” MJ agreed with a bite. “And, unfortunately, the rumors I’ve been hearing have talked about other groups around the world getting their hands on the technology to produce their own shadow Pokémon. The scientists of Orre have shared their blueprints for machines to help Pokémon open their hearts again. Prim and I are working on constructing it, but now it seems we’ll need to work faster.

            “That,” he pointed to the machine on her arm, “is a Snatch Machine. It can capture Pokémon from owners but—and I cannot stress this enough—must only be used on shadow Pokémon so we can unlock their hearts. Do you understand?”

            “Yes.” Hattie nodded firmly.

            “Guys?” Bria squeaked as she poked her head in through the smashed door. “What happened? I saw a Mafia goon and your door…” she trailed off.

            “We’re fine now, Brianna.” MJ motioned her in. “I was just about to explain to Hattie why I won’t be able to make the trip to Mafia Town to check up on Luka.”

            “But I can still go, right?” Hattie furrowed her brows, tensing.

            “If the Mafia have shadow Pokémon—”

            “MJ!” Hattie stamped her feet. “No!”

            “Hattie, I know that you’re worried. But you know how Luka gets. One time his C-Gear got water damage and he didn’t realize until he came home that he wasn’t receiving your messages. His cases take up so much of his energy, it’s normal for him to be a little scatterbrained. And it’s only been two extra days now, I’m sure he—”

            As if on cue, a news alert flashed across the TV and everyone automatically turned.

            “Have you seen this man?” The newscaster raised their hand as a photo ID of none other than Luka Andersen flickered onscreen. Hattie felt the world around her freeze as she watched the TV. The newscaster droned, “Luka Andersen was last seen five days ago entering The Cooking Delcatty’s Confectionary and Bakery in Mafia Town by none other than Caitlynn Catwright, fondly known to the locals as Cat. Miss Cat spoke with Andersen after he purchased food to go early in the morning. His coworkers report he never showed up for work and hasn’t been seen since. Anyone with a lead is encouraged to call—”

            “Hattie—” MJ began.

            “Five days?” Hattie brought her hands to her mouth, backing up into the counter and looking down as tears welled up in her eyes.

            That was the first day of his trip. He never even made it to work.

            “Hat,” Bria appeased, stepping forward.

            “I have to find him!” Hattie shook away both MJ’s and Bria’s reaching hands, darting away and out of the lab.

            They called after her, but she kept running, all the way down the still slick path that led out of town. Tall grass marking the border between the town and route leading to Mafia Town no doubt hid many Pokémon that would attack on sight, but she didn’t care! She was about to run right into the grass when something brown shot at her from the side. Tumbling to the muddy ground with a hard thud, she felt all her resolve slip away like mist. A lump clogged her throat.

            “What are you thinking, Kid?” the Eevee demanded, jumping off of her after the tackle and padding around to her head. He sat down and glared at her. “You don’t have a Pokémon to protect you! How do you expect to get anywhere without one? Especially in Mafia—What’s happening?” He snapped, tilting his head. “Hey, why are you—Kid? Why are you shaking?”

            He knelt down, sniffing at her tight features as Hattie did everything she could to hold back her tears. He nuzzled her bangs out of her eyes and she groaned, lifting her arms over her features while biting her trembling lips.

            “Kid?” He tried again, freezing when a sob finally escaped her. “Oof. Uh?” He rose a paw, as if to reach out, but he placed it back down, shuffling a bit as his ears dropped. Not saying anything, he stayed with her, looking away as tears streamed down her features.

            “I miss dad,” she mumbled weakly as her choked sobs became stronger. Her whole body shook as she futilely rubbed at her eyes. “I m-miss him so much.”

            The Eevee winced, his gaze on the ground as he remained silent.

            “Hattie!” MJ’s relieved sigh swiftly turned to a gentler tone as he jogged over. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. Let’s get you inside and we’ll figure this out.” MJ stooped down and scooped her up. She leaned against his shoulder, getting mud on his lab coat as she struggled for air through her sobs.

            The rhythmic jostle of MJ’s steps helped to soothe her. By the time they returned to the lab, her tears mostly dried while her breath steadied. Sniffling as MJ set her down on one of the counters, she wiped her tears as Bria jumped up beside her and Polteageist floated over a tissue. She accepted the tissue, and, after scanning Polteageist’s dismayed and dazed expression, pulled it in for a hug. The little purple blob reached up and returned it as best as it could with its small arms, trilling with a morose inflection.

            “You miss him too,” Hattie whispered tightly. Polteageist affirmed with sorrowful lamentations.

            Bria wordlessly began rubbing her shoulder and Hattie leaned against her, blinking tiredly as MJ returned with a class of water. He placed it beside her and crossed his arms as the Eevee jumped up onto the counter with his pulley system, watching them from across the way, tail flicking curiously.

            “Okay,” MJ breathed, the bridge of his nose crinkling as he gave Hattie a serious look. “I have a proposition but it’s risky.”

            Hattie blinked, nodding to show he had her undivided attention.

            “The fact that there are shadow Pokémon and a strange Eevee showed up with the ability to see them and with Luka’s clip, all coupled with Luka’s disappearance, tells me that the shadow Pokémon and Luka might be connected.” He steepled his fingers together as he began pacing. “Normally it would be absurd to send you off under these circumstances, but I need to stay here to work on the purification chamber to help shadow Pokémon; it seems like we’re desperately going to need it. So, I think you should go to Mafia Town with the Snatch machine and Eevee to look for Luka and shadow Pokémon.”

            “You’ll let me go?” Hattie perked.

            “Yes, but you have to promise to keep me updated, frequently,” MJ instructed. “And don’t let anyone know that Eevee can see shadow Pokémon or that you can understand him.” He glanced back at the Eevee who gave a noncommittal shrug.

            “Can I borrow a Pokémon?” Hattie asked, glancing down at Polteageist who looked up, holding the pot lid as it craned its neck. “I can’t use Polteageist. Unless… Eevee…”

            “I listen to no one.” The Eevee stuck up his nose and huffed.

            Hattie gave MJ a look.

            “It actually might be beneficial for you to take Skiddo.” MJ gestured to the pokéball still plugged into his laptop. “One way to help a Pokémon unlock its heart is to travel with it and bond with it like any trainer would. Since it’s a shadow Pokémon it might make training a bit difficult but because you snatched it, it does consider you its trainer now.”

            “Okay! What about you, Bria?” Hattie turned, meeting Bria’s bright, open eyes.

            “I can’t leave since I’m helping Timmy run Grandpa’s store, but I plan to help MJ and Prim with building the chamber!” She grinned, kicking her legs excitedly.

            “We’ll need all the help we can get,” MJ sighed, running a hand through his hair.

            “Poltea!” Polteageist cheered, diving into its pot and causing the lid to clink as it fell back into place. Polteageist oozed out of the spout and mimed picking up shadowy briefcases before swinging them around like it was strutting along.

            “Right, you need to pack.” MJ held up a finger and took long strides over to a drawer. “I have a couple of pokéballs and potions to get you started. You know the basics of battling, right? Right, of course, that was silly of me.” He brought over a pile of things and readjusted his glasses. “Once you’re packed, come back for Skiddo. I want to show you something before you head out.”

            “Can I help Hattie pack, or do you need me here?” Bria asked.

            “Since I’m at an impasse until Prim returns with more parts, I don’t have much to work on just yet. Ah!” MJ snapped his fingers. “I should also get pokéfood for Eevee and Skiddo ready.” He ran over to the other side of the lab, lab coat billowing as Rotom followed, zipping around excitedly.

            “Ugh, pokéfood,” Eevee groaned, scratching at his mane. “I’ll wait here too.” He yawned, before settling down.

            “Ready to pack?” Bria asked and Hattie nodded. Together, they ran back to the house with Polteageist.

            With Bria’s help and both girls having gone camping quite a few times previously, they remembered to pack a small tent and a few compact camping supplies. Hattie fitted two canteens with water into the sides of her purple backpack and retrieved her Dad’s old belt he used when he was a trainer—but that had been long before Hattie was born—and placed Polteageist’s pokéball carefully into a safe inner pocket in the backpack. She wouldn’t be able to use the pokéball—as only Luka could—but she figured it was better to have it since Polteageist was coming along.

            Finally, Hattie packed a few extra clothes and slipped a few extra hair ties on her wrist while Polteageist snuck in a tea canister with Bria’s collection of food and snacks. Hattie hoisted the backpack on, careful not to jostle the Snatch Machine on her arm, and placed her hands on her hip, summoning every drop of courage she could.

            They returned to the lab, where Eevee was sleeping soundly. MJ explained how Skiddo only knew two shadow moves, though might learn more regular moves as it opened its heart to Hattie. Pointing to the laptop, MJ highlighted how he could monitor whether a Pokémon was ready to open their heart or if they needed some time, and he would want to check Skiddo’s progress as soon as Hattie returned.

            Clipping Skiddo’s pokéball to her belt, she felt her chest swell with wonder. It was her first Pokémon, after all, and though she had hoped to catch her first Pokémon with her dad and the circumstances were dire, she still felt a sudden wave of affection for the grass type Pokémon under her care. She was determined to help Skiddo, as determined as she was to find her dad.

            “Call me when you get to Mafia Town,” MJ urged as Hattie walked over to the Eevee, who was curled up into a tight ball.

            “Me too!” Bria added.

            “I will,” Hattie promised as she poked the Eevee. He crinkled his nose but didn’t open his eyes. Covering his face with his tail, he huffed before his breathing steadied again. Rolling her eyes, she picked him up, bracing his front paws on her shoulder and balancing him on one arm. He grunted but otherwise remained asleep.

            “He must be exhausted.” Bria crossed over to stoke his soft fur.

            “Start with the bakery,” MJ continued, readjusting his glasses. “That seems your best lead. If you run into trouble you know to find the Knights, right?”

            “Right.” Hattie nodded, glancing between Bria and MJ. It was time to go.

            “Have fun.” Bria gave her a side hug.

            “Be safe,” MJ sighed.

            “I will be,” Hattie said, heading for the door. “I have, like, three Pokémon already.” She smiled as Polteageist trailed after her, letting out an affirmative trill. Giving one last wave to her friends and shifting her hold on the sleeping Pokémon in her arm, she left the lab.

            And started her journey.

Chapter Text

            He dropped back on the blanket, finally relaxing for the first time that day. There had been a lot to fuss over with packing in the morning and settling all his things with work so he could turn off his C-Gear before vacation. Then he fretted over Hattie as they hiked to their camping spot. She was young and rambunctious, but he constantly tried to reel her in to make sure she was drinking enough water and keeping her energy up with snacks. Then he set up camp and made dinner while Polteageist kept Hattie entertained on the peak. Then he cleaned and stored their food up high to prevent any Bewear from getting into it. And… was he forgetting anything else?

            Groaning, Luka covered his face with his hands, as if he could block out his responsibilities.

            “Papa, Papa!” Hattie cried, running over and jumping onto his stomach, causing him to lurch forward with a disgruntled noise. She giggled and he playfully rolled his eyes at her shenanigans.

            Suspended on one arm propped behind him, he immediately wrapped his other arm around Hattie’s waist as she settled on his lap. Reaching up, she readjusted the crown clip he used to pin back his bangs ever since she made it for him. Patiently, he watched her stick out her tongue as she fussed with his hair and he felt a lump tighten in his throat. She was eight years old. Bright, happy, and healthy. After everything they had been through, Luka was endlessly relieved they could spend this time together.

            “Look, Papa!” She leaned back into his chest and pointed upward. He followed her blue gaze to a shooting star. “Is that a meteor?”

            “Mmhmm.” Luka nuzzled his cheek against the top of her head, momentarily glancing towards the fire where Polteageist was currently boiling water for tea for them. Polteageist noticed his look and gave a shadowy thumbs up, trilling in anticipation for their tea party under the meteor shower. Luka smiled before glancing back up at the stars. “Did you make a wish?”

            “Meteors can’t grant wishes!” Hattie objected. “That’s just in fairy tales.”

            Luka snorted, not surprised by her response. His little Harriet adored all the science books MJ shared with her and spent more time reading up on space and galaxies than any other subject. Which was why he was looking forward to the surprise for the evening.

            “Of course wishes come true,” he responded. “I made one!”

            “What did you wish for?” She craned her neck back, staring up at him with wide eyes. He lifted his hand and booped her nose.

            “If I told you it wouldn’t come true! It’s Wishing Law!”

            “What?” She pouted, scrunching up her nose. It looked like she wanted to say more but the kettle let out a stark screech and they both jumped.

            “Tea!” Polteageist declared excitedly, flying over as a floating tray filled with porcelain and sugar and milk behind it.

            Hattie scooted off of Luka and crossed her legs on the blanket as Polteageist set up their tea party. Still stretched out, Luka reached for the kettle, but Polteageist shoved him away, growling.

            Luka sighed, pulling back as Polteageist, who decided it was the host and therefore the only one who could serve tea, set to pouring cups for both Hattie and Luka. It even added sugar and cream to Luka’s tea and left Hattie’s plain, knowing their preferred cups by heart. Once it was done, Luka took his teacup and took a sip without waiting for it to cool, though it was tempered a little from the chilled cream. The hot, floral tea soothed his senses and warmed his core, instantly causing him to melt. Meanwhile, Hattie blew on her steaming cup before taking a smaller sip with a smile.

            Satisfied by the contented faces, Polteageist trilled before making its own cup.

            “Oh! More meteors!” Hattie cried, pointing to the sky.

            Luka leaned back on his arm, looking up and breathing easy as flashes of light shot through the dark night. He had always felt a sense of peace when he stargazed but even more so when watching a meteor shower. With his eyes on the sky, he didn’t notice Hattie had crawled over until she was leaning against him.

            “Do wishes really come true?” Hattie asked, nestled into his side.

            “They really come true.” Luka met her inquisitive gaze, his smile in his voice. “Maybe not always, or not how we expect, but they do when we need them the most.”

            Hattie stared at his open, golden eyes before nodding.

            She closed her eyes and scrunched up her features, looking very uncomfortable.

            “You alright, there, Kiddo?” Luka asked with concern.

            “Shh!” She didn’t open her eyes. “I’m wishing!”

            “Oh.”

            “Shhh!”

            Stifling a chuckle, he looked back at the stars. More meteors fell, some looking like they shot straight into the forest at the base of the mountain though they remained skipping across the atmosphere like stones across the surface of water, burning out before ever touching the ground. With the glow of the full moon and the dazzling shower of heavenly lights, the night was bathed in a gentle brightness that pulsed with hope and beauty. He closed his eyes for a moment, inhaling the clean, crisp mountain air.

            “Okay, I made my wish and it better come true!” Hattie insisted, poking Luka in his side and causing him to squirm.

            “That’s between you and the stars, Kiddo.” He tickled her lightly back and she squealed.

            Sensing an impending retaliation, he quickly set his teacup down before Hattie tackled him to the ground and began tickling his side. He yelped before dissolving into laughter, helpless as she enacted her revenge.

            “St-sto—” he wheezed, clutching his stomach as he tried to block her. “Pl-please. You win! Ah! Haha! You win!”

            Hattie pulled back, lifting her arms in the air in triumph. With her guard down, he lunged forward and yanked her into a hug. Giggling, she tried to push him away, but it was no use! She was trapped in his embrace and she soon flopped back. They were both breathless from laughing as they stared up at the cascade of lights.

            Then, they heard a sound like the chime of a shooting star in a movie or cartoon. Luka smiled, releasing Hattie as she shot up. The single chime grew into a chorus. Slowly lifting himself, Luka watched as Clefairy began to float up towards the peak with glowing wings.

            “They’re like pink stars!” Hattie breathed.

            Indeed, the Clefairy did look like lovely pink stars as they held out their arms and wiggled their brown ears as they seemed to dance midair. A few paired up, twirling each other with delighted giggles while others performed cartwheels against the backdrop of the meteor shower. Hattie darted forward arms at her side. Her ponytail bobbed with her excited bouncing.

            Luka pushed himself back into a sitting position and Polteageist trilled lightly. Its golden, spiral eyes looked sheepish before it tilted its head down, the lid it used as a hat hiding its features. Luka, understanding, patted his lap and Polteageist chirped gratefully before settling its pot down on his thighs. Luka scratched at Polteageist’s goopy scruff and his partner trilled contentedly.

            “Papa!” Hattie squealed with laughter. “Look! Look!”

            A couple of Clefairy had floated down to the child, chattering and chiming as one took a gentle, clawed hand and spun Hattie around in a dance, though from how Hattie moved, it looked like she was putting the work into spinning while the small Clefairy only guided her.

            “Like a princess!” Luka called before thinking his word choice through.

            Hattie didn’t notice, but Polteageist tilted its head back as Luka’s hand froze.

            “It’s fine,” Luka whispered to the Pokémon, who had been there seven years ago, when it all happened.

            “Poltea,” it chirped, floating out of his lap and grabbing his teacup. It pushed the cup into his still suspended hand and Luka exhaled slowly.

            “Sorry,” he said quietly, keeping his eye on Hattie to make sure she wouldn’t catch his sudden drop in mood should she look his way. It was frustrating, how one small thing could instantly put him back in the cellar, trapped as he screamed for Vanessa to let him out or wept for their baby he had been separated from. But, he reminded himself, taking a deep breath, it was okay now. He was okay. And Hattie, luckily, had the manor Pokémon to look over her during his imprisonment and Vanessa’s neglect. They were safe and had been for a long time.

            He remained tense, however, as he took a sip of his cooled tea. The taste was still soothing, but the lowered temperature didn’t help his nerves.

            “Papa!” Hattie dashed back over after the Clefairy floated away, off to dance with the others in the sky. She catapulted into his lap and he would have spilled his tea if Polteageist hadn’t leapt in and grabbed it.

            “Careful!” Luka leaned back on one hand to hold himself up as she hugged him and rested her chin on his chest. While he ran his other hand through her hair, he asked, “Having fun?”

            “My wish came true! You were right!” She beamed, her unabashed smile warming his heart.

            He returned her smile before boasting with flair, “Of course I was right!”

            She giggled and he softened, feeling as light as the Clefairy in the rays of the full moon.

            “What did you wish for?”

            “To play with cool, new Pokémon!” Hattie declared. Then, she wondered, “Do you know what kind they are? They’re fairy type, right? They kept saying ‘fairy.’”

            “Mmhmm.” Luka nodded, brushing her bangs back gently. “They’re called Clefairy and some believe they came from the moon.”

            “The moon?” Hattie’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “Do they miss home?”

            “Maybe,” Luka admitted, glancing around at the merry Pokémon basking in the moonlight. “If they do, that’s probably why they always meet up on nights of the full moon; to be with each other and celebrate where they came from.”

            “Do you think I can catch one, one day?” Hattie continued with her questions.

            “I don’t see why not,” Luka encouraged with a smile. “When you’re old enough for your own Pokémon journey, you can catch all kinds of Pokémon.”

            His stomach twisted a bit at the thought, how pretty soon she would be old enough to travel on a journey of her own, but he felt far from ready to let her go. It wouldn’t be forever, he knew, but he fretted over all the dangers in the region, what with Team Mafia and Team Nyakuza all around and not to mention her mother despite having become a recluse since… everything… was still an influential CEO of Queen’s industries and while he doubted Vanessa would ever recognize Hattie even if they somehow crossed paths, it was still a noxious notion and did he mention the world was kind of scary if he considered all the dangers she could run into? Not to mention he already missed her company at the thought of having an empty house to himself.

            “Will you help?” Hattie broke him out of his spiraling.

            “Help with catching a Clefairy?” he clarified, tilting his head.

            “Yeah!” Hattie pulled back and gestured excitedly. “I know Uncle MJ is supposed to hand out starters, but what if you help me catch a Clefairy for my partner? Since you know how to find them.”

            “I’ll have to check if your tenth birthday is close to a full moon,” he said, looking up as he tried to think ahead. “But I think it’s doable.” He smiled, meeting her gaze again. “We can make it another camping trip! One more before you travel on your own!”

            “Yeah!” Hattie threw her arms around his neck, almost causing him to fall from the force of her hug but he managed to stay upright as he wrapped an arm around her and returned her hug. She pulled back suddenly and extended her pinky finger towards him. “But you have to pinky swear!”

            “That serious?” Luka raised an eyebrow but linked his pinky with hers. “Very well. I, Luka Andersen, hereby promise to take Harriet Andersen on a camping trip on her tenth birthday to help her catch a Clefairy as her very first Pokémon. This is considered as more binding than a contract and failure to complete the terms will result in—” he paused, trying to think of a fair and just punishment.

            “—you having to read whatever book I want before bed,” Hattie filled in.

            “Don’t I already do that, Kiddo?”

            “—and you have to let me eat as much candy as I want any time of day.”

            “I better not fail then.” Luka chuckled as Hattie grinned mischievously.

            “Alright.” He cleared his throat. “Failure to complete the terms will result in my having to read whatever book Harriet wants before bed and letting her eat as much candy as she desires any time of day. Though he reserves the right to nag her should she exceed certain candy limits.”

            “I, Harriet Andersen, agree to these terms!” Hattie nodded her head.

            “And with a final shake of our pinkies,” Luka paused as they both bobbed their hands up and down, “the deal is sealed.”

            They unlinked their pinkies and Hattie tackled him in another hug.

            “What’s this for, Kiddo?” He smiled, straightening.

            “For being the best dad ever,” Hattie said, nuzzling against his chest.

            His heart leapt to his throat as he returned her hug, giving her a tight squeeze.

            “Only because you’re the best daughter ever,” he whispered, his voice slightly husky from feeling choked up.

            After a moment of the hug, Polteageist trilled and squeezed between them, soaking up the love too which caused father and daughter to both laugh.

            The rest of the evening was spent with Hattie and Polteageist watching the Clefairy and meteor shower while perched in Luka’s lap until the chimes from the fluttering Pokémon and shooting stars lulled them to sleep. Luka lingered a little in the silence, brushing his hands through Hattie’s hair and giving Polteageist the occasional scratch. He dwelled in the peace of the moment, marveling how lucky he was to share so much love with his precious family. Soon enough though, when his own eyelids grew heavy, he carried Hattie and Polteageist into the tent and tucked them in their sleeping bags. After cleaning up a little, he inhaled the moon-bathed mountain and let its tranquility settle in his lungs before heading to bed himself.

Chapter Text

            “Great job, Skiddo!” Hattie cheered at the end of a battle against a kid and his Wurmple.

            Skiddo looked over its shoulder with its eyes narrowed in a distrusting glare. And when Hattie walked by as she crossed over to the boy and his defeated Wurmple, Skiddo jumped back, rumbling in its throat. Hattie held back her wince at its growl as she struggled to reach into her backpack with the slumbering Eevee still in her arms.

            “Gee, you have a lot of Pokémon,” the boy commented while Polteageist flew over to help her retrieve an oran berry.

            “Technically only Skiddo is my Pokémon.” Hattie’s cheeks flushed, almost apologetically. And she still felt bad that her first Pokémon was one she had snatched, even if it was from Team Mafia. “But, um,” she offered the oran berry to the boy, “thank you for the battle.”

            “Sure thing!” The boy accepted the berry with a large smile. While cradling Wurmple in his arms, he fed it the berry and it trilled, perking up tremendously. “I like to come and train on route one most mornings if you ever want a rematch!”

            “I’ll remember that,” Hattie promised, thinking that maybe, just maybe, she would find her father before the day was done and they would return to Rift Town, have their camping trip, and she would begin a Pokémon journey properly.

            She returned to Skiddo and summoned the brightest smile she could.

            “You really did great!” She offered her hand for Skiddo to sniff or nuzzle, but Skiddo turned up its nose, letting out a huff.

            Hattie tilted her head. Polteageist let out an inquisitive chirp as it hovered close. Meeting its golden spiral eyes, Hattie shrugged while readjusting her hold on the Eevee. He barely reacted to being shifted.

            “Okay, Skiddo, return!” Hattie grabbed its pokéball from her belt and clicked the button. A flash of light shot over to Skiddo and encased it. As swiftly as the light appeared, it flickered out, bringing Skiddo back into the pokéball. With a sigh, Hattie clipped the ball back onto her belt before continuing down the path. She waved goodbye to the boy and his Wurmple cried out fondly, waving its front legs.

            “I guess it makes sense that Skiddo isn’t very friendly if it had its heart closed,” Hattie pondered out loud with Polteageist fluttering beside her as it listened and offered the occasional chirp or hum. “And MJ mentioned that traveling with it would help it open up its heart again, but there’s got to be a way to make it go faster, right?”

            “Tea!” Polteageist declared, twirling in its pot.

            “Tea parties aren’t the answer to everything,” Hattie chuckled, reaching over and giving it a gentle scritch. It trilled like it was laughing along and Hattie smiled.

            Soon, they came to the stone bridge that crossed the river that cut through the region. Hattie immediately crossed over to the side of the bridge that overlooked the upper river that separated the stretch of forest from the rest of the land where cities full of people and Pokémon cropped up.

            Polteageist landed onto the stone railing with a clink and it leaned against the lip of its pot as it, too, gazed at the gurgling river lapping at the stone pillars supporting the bridge. Magikarp could be seen beneath the surface of the crystal-blue water with their red scales glinting in the golden sunlight. The clear scent of the river mingled with the fragrance of fresh foliage and moss that came from the forest, and Hattie glanced towards the twisting trees.

            Subcon forest took up a majority of the region and was well-known for being a dangerous place after dark. Fairy tales and legends warned against fairy and ghost Pokémon leading humans astray and into other worlds to never be seen again. But her Papa had never feared the massive forest, and even took Hattie for walks through lush green glades or even purple-tinted swamps with poisonous Pokémon lurking in putrid puddles. He made sure to teach her how to travel safely and constantly emphasized the importance of respecting the forest and its denizens.

            She instinctively hugged the Eevee closer, brushing her fingers through his soft mane as she pondered. A Magikarp splashed in the water and the distant warbling of a Pidove soothed her anxiety. When the view from the bridge was so peaceful, it was hard not to imagine her father would be waiting for her in Mafia Town, like he had never been missing in the first place.

            A sound like a wind chime in a whisper of a breeze came from above, and Hattie snapped her head up in time to spot a flash of green vanish in the sky. It so swiftly disappeared into thin air that it almost seemed like a glitch flashing across a computer screen. Before Hattie could dwell on it, however, the Eevee shifted in her arms, flexing his paws. Hattie glanced down, thinking he was about to drift deeper into sleep, but his golden eyes popped open, and he jolted awake.

            “What?” He squirmed in her arms before kicking her in the stomach.

            “Ow!” She released him and he dropped clumsily onto the bridge, looking around frantically. She bit back her impending scolding when he muttered with his long ears drooping in dismay.

            “What happened? Where’s all our camping—” the Eevee paused his pacing as he stared at his paws. Confusion painted his features before his brows crinkled and he winced, lifting a paw to his head.

            “Are you okay?” Hattie asked, kneeling down and reaching out a hand.

            At the sight of her fingers, he leapt back, his ears going flat and his tail puffing up as he snarled.

            “Did I say you could touch me?” He bared his fangs as he bristled. Hattie snapped her hand back. Her concern for the snippy Eevee quickly diminished.

            How did she end up on a Pokémon journey where the only Pokémon that didn’t actively recoil from her touch was her dad’s partner? Wasn’t this all supposed to be about making friends and memories or something like that?

            “If you’re fine, then let’s keep moving.” She straightened and gestured to the other side of the bridge, where a dirt path led to a distant town with vibrantly colored hot air balloons floating over the sea.

            “Where are we again?” the Eevee questioned as he matched her pace, glancing around the bridge and craning his neck to gaze up at the endless cerulean sky.

            “What do you remember?” Hattie asked, sharing a glance with Polteageist. It wasn’t good if the Eevee’s memory was getting worse.

            “We’re going to some town to look for your pops and the professor wants you catch any shadow Pokémon we run into.” The Eevee looked up at her, his clipped-back bangs bouncing with his steps.

            “Yeah,” Hattie sighed with relief. But still… “What did you mean by camping?”

            “Camping?” The Eevee wrinkled his nose, looking genuinely confused.

            “You were talking about camping when you woke up,” Hattie prompted. “Was it a dream?”

            “I was?” The Eevee blinked. “It was probably just a dream.” He trotted a little faster and Hattie hurried to keep up.

            “Do you remember any of it?” It might have held a clue to what happened to her father if he had really been Luka’s Pokémon as he had claimed.

            “No!” the Eevee snapped, his ears drooping. He seemed distraught that he couldn’t, and from how his tail remained slightly puffed, Hattie wondered if maybe she had been a bit insensitive to his plight.

            After all, they had both lost Luka, but Eevee had also lost his memories too. As lonely as she felt without her dad, she imagined it would be even lonelier to know there was someone out there who loved you but to not have any idea who they were. He noticed her sympathetic gaze and he scowled.

            “I’m fine, kid! I don’t need any pity!” He turned his head back to the path and held his chin up, as if to reinforce his statement.

            Polteageist flew forward and twittered at him. Hattie readjusted her backpack straps as the Eevee winced at whatever Polteageist had said.

            “No, I won’t apologize!” the Eevee huffed in a whisper, though Hattie had still heard him.

            Despite the situation, she almost wanted to laugh. Trying to stifle a smile while the Pokémon ahead of her bickered, she scanned the rest of the route ahead. There was one more stretch before they reached Mafia Town; Hattie could see the waist-high, white, stone walls with blue-tipped shingling that matched the domed buildings.

            With the bridge behind them, sandy beaches and thin tufts of yellow-green shrubbery stretched out to their right. To their left, a thick cluster of trees blocked off an arid desert that, if Hattie remembered correctly, had train tracks tracing the route through the inhospitable climate. As they got closer to Mafia Town, the scent of the salty sea and sounds of rolling, distant waves beckoned them onward.

            “Polteageist,” Hattie slowed her pace once they were close to the entrance of town. “Maybe you should go inside the backpack, since Team Mafia likes to steal Pokémon from trainers.”

            Polteageist shook its head so swiftly that it almost dropped its lid. While catching it, Polteageist tipped the lid up so that it could stare Hattie in the eye. It pouted.

            “But it’d be safer,” Hattie offered.

            Polteageist crossed its arms, its spiral eyes narrowing.

            “What, you’re not gonna try and shove me in that backpack too?” the Eevee prodded, turning around and sitting with an amused smirk.

            “Oh, were you going to?” Hattie gestured towards her back. “Because by all means.”

            “Yeah, you’re not trapping me in that cramped thing.”

            “That’s what I thought.”

            “Poltea!”

            “Its job is to protect you,” the Eevee translated as he tilted his head back and scratched at his ear with his hind leg. “And it can’t very well do that when stuck in a backpack.”

            “Fine.” Hattie deflated. She supposed Polteageist had been out of its pokéball in Mafia Town before, but that had been when her dad was around, who could command Polteageist in battle. She also fretted that a member of Team Mafia was more likely to attack a kid than an adult and she had not one but two Pokémon following her around.

            “Promise you both will stay close,” Hattie insisted, looking between the two of them as she tapped her fingers together. The Snatch Machine on her arm glinted in the sunlight and her heart skipped a beat as she remembered she needed to keep an eye out for shadow Pokémon too.

            “Tea!” Polteageist chirped in affirmation, floating over and nuzzling her cheek. Hattie chuckled, reaching out, and Polteageist settled its teapot into her embrace. It leaned on the rim of the pot and kept watch, holding a small purple hand over its brow as it surveyed the area.

            “I can take care of myself.” The Eevee turned up his nose, though he waited for her to reach him on the path before he started forward again.

            “I can tell from how you got amnesia and a concussion while on your own,” Hattie deadpanned. The Eevee flinched before shooting her a glare.

            “Whatever,” he grumbled, his tail flicking in agitation.

            They entered the town bustling on a busy Friday. Hattie hugged Polteageist’s pot to her chest as she scanned, spotting a number of intimidating looking men all wearing the same blue suits and with bald heads shining in the sunlight. She stuck to the main cobblestone path as she tilted her C-Gear’s screen towards her so that she could quickly check the map.

            At MJ’s suggestion, Hattie headed straight for the Cooking Delcatty’s Confectionary and Bakery, which was at the town square. She wove between looming buildings with blue rooftops, dodged a couple of purple Rattata that snapped at Eevee only to be chased away by his deep growl, and marveled at the many construction sites occupied by humans and Machamp wearing orange hardhats as they worked. The closer they got to the town square, the more adults clad in business attire briskly sought out food from stalls or restaurants before returning to work.

            At the town square, the Eevee let out a gasp and Hattie jumped before following his gaze.

            “Oh, yeah!” She grinned up at the geyser that the town was infamous for.

            In the center of town, a wide fountain occupied by metallic, lavender Starmie and brightly colored Bruxish shot a geyser straight into the clouds. The clear blue water displayed the dazzling jewels of the star-like Starmie and the pretty patterns of the Bruxish’s purple, pink, blue, and yellow scales. While a light spray came from the thick tube of rushing water, the Starmie’s ruby gems glowed and the Bruxish’s purple protuberance flashed with psychic energy that kept the water contained like glass in an aquarium. One Bruxish caught the Eevee’s awed stare and winked at him with long lashes fluttering as it grinned to show off plump lips and rows of sharp, triangular teeth.

            The Eevee bristled at the wink and Hattie covered her mouth with her hand to hide a snort as he slunk away from the fountain.

            “You know, the fountain is Papa’s favorite,” Hattie explained as she scanned the outskirts of the square until spotting the bakery with a cartoon Delcatty licking its chops next to a plate of pastries. She motioned for the Eevee to follow as she added, “Whenever he brought me here, I would have to pull him away from it. He likes aquariums in general, now that I think about it.”

            “It’s nothing to write home about,” the Eevee groused, though he glanced back a few times to stare at the water.

            “Oh! You could evolve into a Vaporeon if you wanted to swim with them. That would be pretty cool, actually,” Hattie pondered. Though the rest of her train of thought came to a screeching halt as they came to the door of the bakery. She paused, staring at the sign declaring that the bakery was open. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and tantalizing smells caused her mouth to water.

            “Welcome, sugar!” a kind voice called from the counter.

            Hattie followed the Eevee in, glancing around to take in the dining area decorated with the same white and blues around town, with a touch of lavender accents that matched the color of the Delcatty that was curled up in a fluffy bed by the window, ears twitching in its sleep. The fragrance of fresh bread filled the space and the whirl of an espresso machine added to the clatter of dishes and chatter of people with their Pokémon.

            “How can I help you?” The woman leaned over the counter, her chef’s hat standing tall on her black locks that held auburn highlights. Her dark brown skin had patches of lighter tones around her eyes and on her hands. Her kind smile immediately helped Hattie to feel more at ease.

            “Hello, Ma’am,” Hattie crossed over to the tall counter and tilted her head back. “I’m looking for Luka Andersen. Were you the last one to see him?”

            The woman’s features dropped into dismay.

            “That would be me. You can call me Cat. Who’s asking?” Her tone indicated that she already knew.

            “My name is Hattie. Luka’s my dad and if you could—if you have any idea where he is—” Hattie trailed off, biting her lip as she felt her voice rising to a fragile pitch. She knew if she said anything more, she risked crying. But she couldn’t cry. Not yet. She had to find her dad first.

            “I can tell you everything I know,” she promised in a gentle cadence. “But first, why don’t I grab some pastries and some tea?” Her amber gaze flickered towards Polteageist, who trilled merrily in response.

            “Oh.” Hattie’s mouth watered at the thought. She was hungry and imagined the Pokémon were too. She began to reach for the backpack. “How much?”

            “On the house, sugar.” Cat straightened. “I have an outside patio on the side of the building. Go to the left and once you’re outside, pick a table and I’ll meet you in a second.”

            “Thank you!” Hattie beamed, hugging Polteageist closer before following Cat’s directions.

            “She’s totally making sure that if you start bawling, you won’t make a scene in the bakery,” the Eevee snickered.

            “She’s not!” Hattie snapped, looking over her shoulder incredulously.

            “What was that?” Cat glanced around the corner with her brows furrowed.

            “Nothing, sorry!” Hattie winced while the Eevee snorted.

            Once they were back outside, in a fenced-off area with empty wicker tables and chairs, Hattie chose the table closest to the geyser so that they could watch the swimming Pokémon while they ate.

            “You don’t have to be so mean,” Hattie grumbled at the Eevee as she set down Polteageist on the table and dropped down into the chair. Immediately, fatigue settled over her. While she was used to hiking and traveling with her dad, she realized she had neglected to eat a substantial breakfast and didn’t take a break to snack on the way. It was a good thing Cat ran a bakery!

            “I’m not being mean, I’m being a realist,” the Eevee corrected as he padded over to a chair. His eyes flicked back as he assessed the distance for a second before jumping into the chair. His ears drooped in frustration when the table was still a bit too high for him. Hattie smirked at his golden eyes barely peeking over the table.

            “You could be a nicer realist.” Hattie’s gaze drifted towards the geyser. She was unable to help but become mesmerized by the Pokémon swimming around as they glowed faintly in the sunlight. She was like her dad, in that aspect, and the thought squeezed her heart painfully.

            “Here you are, sugar,” Cat called, snapping Hattie out of her thoughts. Cat strolled over, lowering a tray full of pastries, tea, and desserts made specifically for Pokémon. Polteageist chirped excitedly as Cat poured them tea. “I can also bring out a pitcher of water for your Eevee,” she added once she handed Hattie a steaming cup and nudged the cream and sugar towards her.

            “He actually liked tea, too.” Hattie filled the cup with cream and sugar for the Eevee and placed it in front of him. His tail wagged as he leapt up onto the table, forgoing manners, and he soon lapped up the tea.

            “Well!” Cat pressed a hand over her chest. “That might be the cutest thing.”

            The Eevee’s ears twitched a bit bashfully, but he must have been thirstier than Hattie could have predicted because he nearly finished his cup by the time Cat poured another one for Hattie.

            “Now,” Cat pulled up a chair once everyone had tea and plates with goodies, “about your father.”

            Hattie nodded, chewing on a ham and cheese croissant as she straightened in her chair.

            “I can only tell you the same thing that I told the Knights, and it isn’t much.” Cat tapped her fingers idly on the table. “Luka came into my bakery on Sunday morning. I hired him to help me with some business contracts with the building manager and he was just introducing himself while he picked up the contracts to look through them.”

            “Was he planning on going anywhere?” Hattie asked after swallowing her mouthful.

            “Well,” Cat hesitated, “he mentioned taking the contracts back to his office, but before he left, a fight broke out in the square.”

            “A fight?” Hattie’s eyes widened.

            “Pol?” Polteageist gasped.

            The Eevee loafed in front of his refilled teacup, ear flicking as he listened with narrowed eyes.

            “Your father wasn’t a part of it,” Cat hurried to say. “And it wasn’t anything unusual, either, just one of Team Mafia’s goons harassing one of the residents. Your father—and this is just my opinion, mind you—seemed unsettled by the Pokémon the Mafia goon was using. I wondered if he recognized it on account of Team Mafia being known for pilfering Pokémon. I think he intended to get the Knights involved but…”

            “He stuck his nose in the Mafia’s business?” The Eevee rolled his eyes.

            “But he never made it to the Knights?” Hattie surmised, slouching in her chair. Polteageist let out a morose chirp.

            “I have to assume he either confronted or was confronted by Team Mafia.” Cat sighed.

            “Well, where could he be? Locked in some Mafia dungeon? Are the Knights looking for him there?” Hattie put down her croissant and moved to stand but Cat shook her head and motioned for her to sit back down.

            “No one actually knows where Team Mafia set up their headquarters. A few restaurants have been busted before or searched, but their leader’s hideout hasn’t been found yet.” Cat noticed that the Eevee hadn’t touched the plate with a pink poké puff on top and nudged it closer to him. She turned back towards Hattie and said, “the Knights are looking for him, and they’re as devoted as Pokémon rangers to the people and Pokémon of this region. They’ll find him.”

            Hattie nodded, though her gaze was locked on the amber tea rippling in her cup.

            “Chin up,” Cat encouraged, offering a hopeful smile. “Leave it to the authorities and your father will be back faster than a tea kettle whistles!”

            Hattie returned the smile, though her brain was already mapping out a plan to find Team Mafia’s headquarters.

            The patio door opened and the Delcatty with her elegant, purple tail swishing behind her, meowed at Cat.

            “Sounds like I better be getting back to work.” Cat pushed to her feet. “Stay as long as you want, but when you’re finished, you should go back home, alright? Luka would want you to stay safe.”

            “Thank you, Cat.” Hattie nodded, purposefully not making any promises.

            “So, what’s the plan?” the Eevee asked after Cat left. He sniffed at the poké puff and leaned back before prodding it with his paw a few times.

            “I guess ask around,” Hattie muttered. The Eevee knelt and took a tiny bite of the poké puff. It took a moment, but his eyes lit up and his tail swished contentedly as he dug in with more gusto. It occurred to Hattie that she should try and see if Skiddo would eat anything.

            She pushed to her feet and grabbed a green poké puff with minty-smelling frosting in one hand before reaching for Skiddo’s ball with the other. Crossing over to where there was some space away from the tables and chairs on the patio, Hattie called out Skiddo and it popped out of the pokéball with a flash.

            Skiddo’s eyes narrowed when it didn’t immediately see a Pokémon to battle and, when Hattie stepped closer, it took a step back. Its orange hooves clacked against the cobblestone.

            “Hey, Skiddo,” Hattie cooed gently, holding out the poké puff on an open palm. “Want some food? You’ve had a long morning.”

            Skiddo eyed the poké puff, but instead of coming closer, it shuffled in place. The green leaves on its mane and back rustled with its anxious movement. Hattie frowned before leaning back and grabbing a plate.

            “I’ll leave it right here, okay?” She placed the poké puff on the plate and scooted it towards the Skiddo. It watched stiffly as she slowly retreated to her chair. It was only when she looked away that she heard snuffling as the Skiddo ate its treat.

            “You know Skiddo doesn’t need to eat right?” the Eevee asked.

            There was a dollop of pink frosting on his nose. Hattie grabbed a napkin and moved to wipe it off. He recoiled, looking like he was about to bolt, but Hattie moved faster.

            “Hey!” the Eevee yelped after she pinched the frosting from his nose.

            “Even if it doesn’t need to eat, it seems like it enjoyed the poké puff!” Hattie ignored his wiggling nose followed by a sneeze that sounded more like a squeak.

            “Eevee, can you see the shadows coming from Skiddo right now?” Hattie wondered, tilting her head as she watched Polteageist float over to Skiddo and offer some tea.

            “Hmm?” The Eevee paused in rubbing his nose with his paw to glance back. “Yes. They look wilder when Skiddo battles or uses moves, but there’s still shadows emanating from its heart, even now.”

            After Polteageist left the teacup in front of Skiddo, Skiddo drank a little. Its leaves seemed to perk and when it lifted its head again, it shook out its mane and leaves fluttered to the ground. After a moment of glancing around at the table, it took slow steps forward. Pausing a good yard or so away from Hattie, it looked from her to the plate of poké puffs.

            “You want more?” Hattie brightened.

            Skiddo nodded.

            Hattie grabbed another green one and held it out to Skiddo. Skiddo eyed her hand with distrust. Swiftly, it grabbed the poké puff before retreating to eat. Though small, Hattie felt they had made progress.

            Once they finished eating and drained the teapot, Hattie called Skiddo back into its ball and they began their search for Luka and Team Mafia’s hideout.

            They asked around Luka’s work first, meeting his coworkers and getting a chance to look around his office, though he hadn’t had a chance to enter it before going missing. Clues were sparse, but Hattie did linger at his desk, where a photo of her and Polteageist playing at the beach back in Rift Town perched. She deflated, wishing he had been in the photo too.

            Then, on the way to the hotel that Luka had stayed at, Hattie asked the occasional stranger more about Team Mafia. Most passersby ignored her, looking nervous, while others told her a kid shouldn’t be looking for trouble. It was starting to look like she would need to confront a goon directly, but even she wasn’t sure if she was ready.

            Near the end of the day, Hattie started to feel like she was being watched. The Eevee chastised her for being paranoid and Polteageist didn’t seem worried, but she could have sworn she was seeing flashes of red dart around corners. Finally, she decided to turn in for the day and investigate the hotel her dad had stayed at while booking a room.

            The hotel was just another dead-end on finding clues about her dad’s whereabouts because of confidentially rules, but the hotel did have a free room. Cardkey in hand, Hattie trudged up the stairs with even Polteageist floating lower than usual and the Eevee stumbling sleepily.

            Once they reached the room smelling of freshly washed sheets that barely covered the aged carpet, Polteageist and the Eevee collapsed on the bed. Hattie locked the door and dropped the backpack onto a small table, sighing once the weight left her shoulders. She called Skiddo out of the ball and the young goat Pokémon made itself comfortable at the foot of the bed. Hattie then crossed over to the window, where the sunset was slowly slipping beyond the horizon.

            “Kid?” the Eevee muttered tired as Hattie craned her head to get a better look at the sky. “What are you doing?”

            “Nothing,” she responded with a sigh, pulling away and closing the curtains. The meteor shower she had been waiting for forever wouldn’t be until the next night, but part of her had hoped to glimpse a falling star even if it was still too early.

            The Eevee watched her dejected shuffle over to the bed. Without changing into pajamas, brushing her teeth, or any other nighttime ritual her father would surely nag her to do no matter how tired she was, she dropped onto her side of the bed and sighed into a fluffy, squishy pillow that had a stiff cover.

            With the light at the entryway still on, Hattie drifted into an exhausted sleep.

Chapter Text

            Having the ability to communicate with the Eevee was pretty cool even if he was snarky. Throughout the morning of Hattie’s tenth birthday, his quips and constant complaining whenever their search took them to a smelly, Mafia-run bait shop or restaurant (and sometimes both) snapped Hattie out of her looming melancholy. She had been grateful even for his jabs at her when he noticed her shoelaces were untied or when she kept glancing over her shoulder, still feeling like they were being watched. His jeering ignited frustration that spurred her forward and away from the sinking fear that she wouldn’t be finding her dad any time soon and that she would be spending her first birthday without him.

            But if there was a time and place for everything, the time for his endless chatter was not when she was trying to have a conversation with MJ over the C-Gear.

            “Okay but did you see how grey those tentacles on that burger were? I cannot even begin to discern what manner of creature they came from,” the Eevee prattled the same time MJ scolded her for not calling the day before. To make things worse, Polteageist let out affirmative chirps as it hovered by Hattie’s head.

            “You’re just like your father! Sweetie, you need to keep me updated especially with everything going on—”

            “And the smell!” the Eevee continued, meandering around the full space of the sidewalk as they headed for the beach. He sometimes dawdled too far and had to hurry to reach her side again. “But the Mafia goons sure wouldn’t notice if a Shellder bit them in the tail, would they? Are you sure they would be able to capture Luka? They don’t seem like they could catch a thought, let alone a cold.”

            “Can you please be quiet?” Hattie snapped towards the Eevee.

            “Hattie!” MJ cut off mid-sentence and sounded offended over the crackle of the C-Gear. The Eevee let out a huff but snapped his mouth shut while Polteageist trilled with remorse.

            “Sorry, MJ!” Hattie turned back to her uncle, wincing apologetically. “The Eevee was talking over you and I was distracted.”

MJ sighed.

            “Please remember to at least send a message to let me know you’re alright.” MJ readjusted his glasses. “But have you seen any more Pokémon like Skiddo?” His voice had gotten softer, like he was trying to avoid anyone overhearing.

            “You haven’t seen any, right?” Hattie glanced down.

            “Oh, now you want me to talk?” he taunted with a smirk. Hattie shot him a glare and he rolled his eyes. “No, I haven’t seen any. But you haven’t really battled any of the Mafia yet.”

            “Nothing so far.” Hattie responded, meeting MJ’s gaze.

            “Alright,” MJ nodded. “Prim and I are still working on the machine and Brie’s coming over later this afternoon to help. But, again, keep me posted.”

            “I’ll do better,” Hattie offered, feeling sufficiently chastised.

            “I imagine you’re primarily focused on finding Luka.” MJ quirked a small smile. “I’ll let you get back to it. But, oh! Before I forget, happy birthday, Hattie!”

            “Thanks.” She returned the smile, but her shoulders slouched. The reminder that it was her birthday only served to highlight how she wasn’t currently on a camping trip with her dad to celebrate and catch her first Pokémon.

            After a few final thoughts, MJ bid Hattie goodbye and she waved tiredly before ending the call.

            “It’s your birthday?” the Eevee asked, running forward to look up at her. She stepped to the side to avoid running into him. Her sudden movement caused her to almost bonk into Polteageist, but it quickly dodged, shifting to her other side fluidly.

            They reached a ramp leading down to the wide beach where endless hot air balloons were tethered. Some were already up in the air, flying over the clouds, while the rest were each guarded by a member of Team Mafia with a fire-type Pokémon with them. This was the highest population of Mafia members that Hattie had seen in one place so far, and she noted with an edge of nervousness that she couldn’t see anyone who wasn’t dressed up in the Mafia’s usual blue pinstripe suit.

            “How old are you?” the Eevee continued, jumping up onto the ramp railing and matching the pace of her descent, trying to meet her gaze as his large ears blocked her view of the beach. “You look seven.” His golden eyes glinted mischievously. “No wait, six.”

            “I’m ten,” Hattie muttered, craning her neck to better assess the beach and mentally plan out escape routes if they needed to make a break for it.

            “Pokémon journey age!” the Eevee grinned. “Look at you! Your first Pokémon is a super strong shadow Pokémon! It’s almost like you’re cheating.”

            “Yeah,” Hattie said dryly, bristling at his comment, “because this is exactly how I wanted to start my journey. With my dad kidnapped by Team Mafia and an obnoxious Eevee standing in my way. Look do you see any shadow Pokémon on the beach?” She gestured as they got closer.

            “Hmm,” the Eevee paused, ears straightening as he scanned the beach. “Not that I can tell.”

            “Okay, well, you and,” she turned to Polteageist pointedly, “you, need to be careful. It’s time to confront Team Mafia head on and I don’t want you two to get taken.”

            “Please,” the Eevee trotted along the railing. “They couldn’t catch a cold, remember? And besides, didn’t you notice something when all the townsfolk warned us not to mess with them?”

            “Yeah, they all warned us about Team Mafia stealing Pokémon,” Hattie deadpanned, unimpressed.

            The Eevee smirked.

            “Limited to Pokémon like Growlithe, Slugma, or Houndour.” He paused, but when Hattie shrugged, not making a connection, the Eevee let out an exasperated sigh. “Fire-types. They’re only stealing fire-types which means we’re good, kiddo.”

            “Oh.” Hattie blinked as they reached the beach. As soon as she took a few steps into the sand, she felt sharp grains get caught in her sneakers. The Eevee jumped down onto the beach and kicked up a small cloud. He squeaked out a sneeze and Hattie snorted.

            “What’s so funny?” His tail twitched as they headed for the closest Team Mafia goon.

            “Your sneeze is really cute,” Hattie chuckled. Polteageist twittered as well, covering its mouth with its hands as it doubled over.

            “It is not!” The Eevee’s mane fluffed up as his ears drooped back. “Hey, take it back!”

            Hattie ignored him and instead opted to wave to get the attention of the Mafia member, who noticed her with a look of confusion.

            “Why is smiling girl on beach?” The Mafia goon crossed his arms as he stared down at Hattie. The Growlithe panting beside him tilted its head. “Don’t you know that Mafia owns this beach?”

            “I saw the hot air balloons and wanted to go for a ride,” Hattie said innocently, fishing to see how much of their motivations she could squeeze out of him. Like why they were only stealing fire-types.

            “Mafia sees now. Little girl is tourist!” The Mafia goon waved her aside. “Tourists should know that no one can use the balloons but Mafia! Now go play with haunted teapot and mangy Joltik magnet or Mafia and Growlithe will make little girl wish she were never born!”

            “Mangy Joltik magnet?” the Eevee growled.

            “Poltea!” Polteageist hovered forward but Hattie lifted her hand to hold it back.

            “I’m looking for my dad.” Hattie straightened her shoulders though the Mafia goon towered over her. She readjusted her baseball cap and narrowed her eyes. “Where is Team Mafia keeping Luka Andersen?”

            The Mafia goon rose an eyebrow before letting out a boisterous laugh.

            “Team Mafia is not stealing people! Little girl will not find her father here. Now leave!” He made another shooing motion.

            Hattie paused, staring into his eyes while Polteageist and the Eevee remained tense, ready to fight. But further down the beach, other members were starting to look their way. She knew she couldn’t handle a fight here; no matter how strong Skiddo was as a shadow Pokémon, it was still a grass-type and weak to all the fire-types on the beach.

            “Come on, guys,” Hattie motioned for Polteageist and the Eevee to follow her.

            “He can’t just—”

            “Eevee,” Hattie warned, feeling more and more eyes on them.

            The Eevee scowled at her but his gaze followed her pointed head tilt to the rest of the beach. He relented, though still aimed one more growl towards the Mafia goon and his Growlithe. The Growlithe puffed out its chest, giving the Eevee an amused look.

            “Hmph,” the Eevee grumbled, but hurried to keep up with Hattie.

            “Pol?” Polteageist hovered close.

            “Do you think he was telling the truth?” Hattie wondered once they were far enough away from the Mafia and all the goons started to return to standing idly, without a care in the world.

            “What, about not having Luka?” the Eevee clarified, glancing over his shoulder as they reached the ramp. “I don’t know, kid. They seem too stupid to lie, but it just might be that that member didn’t know? It’s not like we have any—whoa!” He jumped back, startled.

            Hattie followed his wide gaze and jolted as she rounded the corner of the stairway. Crouching down on the steps, a girl with a scarlet hoodie and bright blond mustache was holding her finger to her lips.

            “You looking for ways to mess with Team Mafia?” the girl asked with her amber eyes glinting seriously.

            Hattie shared a glance with Polteageist and then the Eevee before looking back at the girl.

            “I’m just trying to find my dad—”

            “Team Mafia took your dad?” The girl lit up. “Perfect! Follow me!”

            The girl bolted up and took off, though she kept herself low as if trying to conceal herself from Team Mafia.

            “Wait, what?” Hattie ran up the steps and sprinting after the blur of red as the girl took off down the street and took a sharp turn into an alley.

            “You’re really just following some random girl?” the Eevee panted as they ran.

            “She might have answers!” Hattie skidded to a stop before pivoting around the corner and into the alley.

            The girl hopped up and over a series of precariously stacked garbage cans and scrambled up an aluminum cover over a shed that led to the blue rooftops. Hattie trailed behind, jumping from can lids and dropping onto the cover and causing it to let out a loud twang. The Eevee squeaked behind her as he miscalculated the jump. He dug his front claws into the aluminum cover and slid back. Hattie quickly scooped him up before he could fall into a pile of garbage and he grumbled when she continued to carry him as she scaled the roofs.

            Up on the buildings, the sun that trickled through the clouds baked the shingles which reflected the toasty heat onto Hattie as she zigzagged after the girl. The Eevee gasped a few times when she narrowly avoided losing her balance and tumbling off the roof, and Polteageist let out scared squeaks as it floated after her. Finally, they reached a platform of boards leading into a dilapidated clock tower. A long blue tarp covered the gaps left by crumbling walls. The girl disappeared between an opening in the tarp, and Hattie slowed, pausing to catch her breath before slipping into the shadows.

            It was much cooler under the tarp. The Eevee wiggled, trying to escape her embrace, and Hattie dropped him unceremoniously to avoid getting kicked in the stomach again. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the small area lit only by the gentle orange glow of a night light in the corner and the glow-in-the-dark stickers of stars lining the walls and surfaces of the furniture packed inside.

            “Welcome to my secret base!” The girl gestured around, standing in the corner by the night light and a collection of pillows with a Torchic doll. The wall behind her depicted tally marks labeled, “pranks pulled on Team Mafia.”

            “Secret base?” Hattie repeated, standing at the entrance. Polteageist drifted over her shoulder while the Eevee began sniffing around and venturing further in.

            “Yeah, I’ve been messing with Team Mafia ever since they moved here, but when they stole my partner, it became personal.” The girl crossed her arms, scowling.

            “Oh.” Hattie softened, giving her a sympathetic look. “I’m so sorry.”

            “Well, they took your dad, right?” The girl prompted, not wasting a beat. “I don’t have any Pokémon to fight with like you do,” she gestured towards the Eevee who had wandered over to her bookshelf and was intently scanning the titles, “but I do know all their secret hideouts and where their stupid boss is.”

            Hattie blinked at her and the girl sighed.

            “If we work together, you can help me get back my partner and then I’ll help you find your dad, okay?”

            “You know where they could be keeping him?” Hattie asked, her heart leaping to her throat.

            The girl motioned for her to come join her by a curtain. Hattie crossed over and gasped when the girl pushed back the curtain and revealed a stunning view of the town square, where the geyser shot up into the sky.

            “You can’t see it from here,” the girl explained as she pointed to where the water stream disappeared into the fluffy white clouds, “but Team Mafia has their headquarters suspended on top of the geyser. I saw it one day when I had stowed away in one of the hot air balloons.”

            “That’s why they don’t let anyone use the balloons,” Hattie gasped. “And you think my dad is there?”

            “He’s got to be, because I haven’t ever seen them trap someone in one of their ground level hideouts, and I sneak around them frequently. The town’s medic has been missing for a while, too, so I feel like we might find them up there with your dad.” She stuck out her hand. “What do you say? We work together to save my partner and anyone Team Mafia has trapped. Deal?”

            Hattie accepted the handshake.

            “Deal.”

            “Awesome. I’m Mu, by the way, and—” she had begun to dart back out to the entrance, but paused, dumbfounded by the Eevee. His ears flickered in the silence and he glanced up from the thick book he had pulled off the shelf and started reading.

            “What?” He looked from Mu to Hattie and back.

            “Is your Eevee pretending to read?” Mu asked.

            “I’m not pretending!” the Eevee scowled, his tail bristling. “I can read!”

            “He can read,” Hattie translated with a shrug. “And write too, actually. Not well, because he doesn’t have thumbs.”

            “Thanks, kid,” the Eevee drawled sarcastically.

            “Hm,” Mu gave Hattie a look before shrugging. “As long as he can fight, I don’t care what he thinks he can do.”

            “Hey!” The Eevee scrambled to follow as Mu and Hattie turned to leave. “I may have amnesia, but I remember how to read!”

            “Of course, you do,” Hattie encouraged, leaning down and offering to pick him up so she could carry him back across the rooftops. He darted out of reach and scampered under Mu’s foot to escape, almost causing her to trip.

            “Whoa!” Mu stumbled and Polteageist flew forward and pressed against her shoulder, helping to steady her.

            “Sorry,” Hattie apologized as she caught up to her. “He’s… just like that.”

            Mu shrugged, unperturbed, and just motioned for Hattie to follow her lead.

            The girls and two Pokémon hopped along the rooftops before finding a balcony that had stairs spiraling down to the ground. Mu wove through the streets with ease, having her hometown memorized like the back of her hand, and Hattie hustled before she could be left behind.

            Finally, they reached another edge of town that overlooked the ocean. Their footsteps creaked across old wooden docks as they snuck towards a bait shop with two Team Mafia members loafing about inside.

            “Okay, here’s the plan,” Mu muttered as they peered in through the window, crouching to avoid being spotted. “They keep stolen Pokémon they don’t use in the back. I’ll grab my partner while you battle them.”

            Hattie nodded, though her palms felt clammy.

            This would be the first battle that mattered, so to speak. Sure, battling was fun if it was just some random trainer and winning didn’t necessarily matter, but this was so that Mu could get her partner back and so that Hattie could eventually find her dad. What if she wasn’t strong enough?

            “Hey, kid,” the Eevee prodded, tapping his paw against her ankle, “you can’t get cold feet now.”

            “Right,” Hattie swallowed her fear and crossed over to the door.

            Polteageist twittered behind her and the Eevee was close on her heels. She opened the front door, and the smell of rotting bait and moldy wood assaulted her senses. She inhaled one last breath of the fresh sea air before taking the plunge.

            “What is little girl doing in Team Mafia bait shop?” The member on the left asked.

            “This is no place for little girl.”

            “I want to battle!” Hattie reached for Skiddo’s pokéball.

            “Ha! Team Mafia will not battle little girl. Now leave before Team Mafia get angry.”

            “Why?” Hattie edged further into the bait shop, shifting away from the door and drawing their gazes so that Mu could sneak in. “Afraid Team Mafia will lose to little girl?”

            “Team Mafia cannot lose!” The right declared, jumping to his feet. “Team Mafia is warning you; Mafia only have the strongest Pokémon!”

            “Yeah!” The other chimed in. “Boss gave Mafia special Pokémon just the other day!”

            “Then prove it.” Hattie lifted the pokéball to her chest and summoned her most confident pose. “Or is Team Mafia just full of cowards?”

            “Team Mafia will make little girl regret that!” The right goon reached into his apron pocket and pulled out a pokéball. He released a Yamper, the puppy Pokémon, with a bright yellow tail shaped like a lightning bolt. Static crackled in its fluffy mane, but something about how the electricity snapped and broke into dark particles caused Hattie to feel uneasy. The Yamper growled with a viciousness that sent goosebumps up Hattie’s arms.

            “Kid,” the Eevee hissed behind her. “It’s a shadow Pokémon.”

            Hattie nodded, heart pounding as she called out Skiddo. She flexed her hand wearing the glove connected to the Snatch Machine as she steeled herself.

            Hattie challenged Team Mafia Grunt to battle!

Chapter Text

            “Skiddo, use shadow blitz!” Hattie commanded.

            Skiddo let out a determined bleat before charging at the Yamper, who crouched back and snarled on its short legs.

            “Yamper! Attack!” the Team Mafia grunt retaliated.

            Hattie’s brows furrowed for a second, unsure what Yamper would do. The Yamper growled out a bark before lunging for Skiddo’s front leg and snapping its jaws.

            A cry came from the Yamper as Skiddo rammed into it with a shadow-charged force. Skiddo circled back and crouched, waiting for Hattie’s next command as the Yamper jumped back up with a high-pitched howl.

            “Do not take that sitting down!” the Mafia grunt shouted, waving his fists in the air. “Get the girl’s weak Pokémon!”

            Yamper yipped and zigzagged towards Skiddo like a bolt of crackling lightning.

            “Skiddo, dodge and use another shadow blitz!” Hattie called. Skiddo nodded—and Hattie vaguely registered that it was the first time Skiddo had directly acknowledged her during battle—before leaping out of the way of the Yamper’s jaws. Skiddo let out cry before charging with shadow blitz and knocking the Yamper into boxes of bait. The top, open crate tumbled down, trapping the Yamper underneath with all the smelly and dripping guts.

            While the Team Mafia grunts were distracted by the mess and Yamper’s howling, Hattie heard the door open and breathed a sigh of relief as Mu took the opportunity to sprint to the back storage area and slip inside without being detected.

            “Yamper, get out of the box! This is no time to eat!” the Mafia grunt shouted.

“That imbecile doesn’t know what moves his Pokémon can use.” The Eevee hopped over to Hattie’s side, ears flicking as he glanced at her.

            “What?” Hattie cast a confused look towards the Eevee before snapping her focus back onto the battle.

            “The Yamper isn’t using any moves,” the Eevee explained as the Yamper knocked the crate over, snarling and snapping as sticky red goop slid down its face and back, leaving stains in its fur.  “It’s just attacking in a blind rage.”

            Hattie’s thoughts whirled as she tried to figure out how best to proceed. If the Yamper was just attacking in blind rage, maybe she could calm it down and then try to snatch it. She knew that Skiddo had only two moves—which MJ said might change the more Skiddo learned to open its heart—shadow blitz and shadow mist. Shadow mist lowered a Pokémon’s evasiveness but maybe she could…

            “Yamper! Get the Skiddo!” the Mafia grunt ordered.

            “Skiddo, use shadow mist!”

            Skiddo bleated, leaning back with its leaves rustling. A shadowy mist emanated from the leaves in its manes and lining its back. The mist swiftly diffused throughout the room. Violet smoke with flashes of onyx popping like lightning traced a damp chill across Hattie’s skin and lingered with a weight in her lungs. She coughed and through the dark mist, she heard the Mafia members and even Polteageist choke on the feeling of dread that seeped into their being.

            The creak of a storage room door opening was followed by more coughing and the noxious mist had the bonus effect of concealing Mu’s escape. Though when she opened the front door, the mist slowly filtered out. The thick plumes weakened, and Hattie blinked against the stinging shadows as the battling Pokémon slowly came into view.

            Still coughing into her elbow, Hattie used her arm clad in the Snatch Machine to reach for an empty pokéball. Energy whirled to life in the machine, following the tensing of the muscles in her arm. Her eyes narrowed on the Yamper, who seemed sluggish and relaxed in the thinning mist. Skiddo also seemed at peace but was still alert as it waited for Hattie’s further instruction.

            “Open a window, already!” One grunt called to the other. There was a crashing sound followed by a sickening slorp and horrified screech as a grunt slipped in the bait.

            “Hurry, kid!” the Eevee egged on as the silhouettes of the grunts waving their hands to dispel the smoke became more defined.

            “Skiddo, duck!” Hattie urged as she got ready to toss the pokéball charged with the electric pulse from the Snatch Machine.

            Skiddo’s ear flicked back before it looked over its shoulder curiously. But it momentarily dropped as Hattie tossed the ball. Skiddo followed the arc and straightened once the pokéball landed against the Yamper’s nose. There was a bright pop and the Yamper let out a surprised yelp before it disappeared into the pokéball.

            “Yamper, do something!” the upright Mafia grunt called before tripping over his friend still caught on his back and struggling to righten himself in the bait sludge.

            Hattie held her breath, eyes locked onto the pokéball as it rocked back and forth.

            It rolled again as the Yamper tried to fight the confines of the ball. And then once more. The button on the front lit up with a crystal white light and let out a triumphant ring.

            “Yes!” Hattie darted forward, automatically giving Skiddo a gentle scratch as she leaned around it to seize the pokéball. Skiddo flinched back but didn’t growl as Hattie held the Yamper’s pokéball to her chest and scrambled back towards the door.

            “Come on, guys!” She yelled to the Pokémon.

            “Little girl is running away?” The Mafia grunt scoffed as Hattie swung open the door and the rest of the mist trickled out.

            Skiddo, Polteageist, and the Eevee ran towards the door while the grunts continued to slosh around in the bait.

            “Little girl is coward!” The Mafia grunt called triumphantly, not having realized Yamper had been snatched just yet.

            Once Hattie waited for the Pokémon to escape the smelly, smokey bait shop, she flung herself into the open air and slammed the door behind her, coughing to expel the rest of the shadows from her lungs.

            Okay. She maybe didn’t want to use that move in an enclosed space again.

            “What, did you use poison powder or something? That mist was terrible!” Mu asked. Her hood was down and bulging with all manner of pokéballs, revealing her long blond hair. She cradled more pokéballs in her embrace.

            “Did you get your partner?” Hattie lifted an eyebrow, dodging her question. She remembered MJ’s warning not to talk about shadow Pokémon. While Mu seemed nice, Hattie wasn’t sure she trusted her yet.

            “Got it!” Mu tucked her chin in to glance pointedly at the pokéball clipped to her lavender belt. “And don’t give me that look. These Pokémon were stolen and I’m going to give them back.”

            A yell came from inside the bait shop and both girls jolted.

            “Great job, Skiddo, now return!” Hattie called Skiddo back into its pokéball and clipped it and the Yamper’s pokéball to her own belt. “Let’s go before they see Pokémon are missing.” Though she had a feeling they could already see that Yamper was gone.

            “Good idea!” Mu took off and Hattie ran behind her. They fled the docks with Polteageist and the Eevee hot on their tails when the door to the bait shop opened.

            “Thieves!” the Team Mafia grunt screamed.

            The girls sped up the stairs leading back to town. Mu took the lead and when her jostling sent pokéballs flying, Polteageist flew over and caught them with a ghostly aura. Hattie praised Polteageist and it chirped proudly. Meanwhile, shouts came from the docks and Hattie glanced back to find the Eevee struggling to keep up while the Mafia were gaining on them.

            “Eevee!” Hattie called, slowing her pace.

            “J-just go!” the Eevee hissed. His ears drooped and his tail dragged as he pushed himself. Hattie watched in horror when he snagged his paw on a rock and tripped.

            “There she is!” The Mafia grunt covered in rancid bait pointed at Hattie. A whole group of burly men with scowls on their faces charged.

            “Kid, run!” the Eevee yelled. And run she did, back towards the Eevee to scoop him up before darting just out of reach of Team Mafia.

            “Little girl cannot escape!” The Mafia grunt she had fought yelled, hot on her heels.

            “Kid!” The Eevee’s ears pinned back as his claws dug into her arm.

            Hattie darted past the alley that Mu and Polteageist had concealed themselves in, not wanting to risk them getting caught too.

            “Meet me at Cat’s!” Hattie yelled towards the alley. Mu crinkled her nose in confusion, but Polteageist nodded before ushering her further into the alley.

            “Little girl cannot escape Team Mafia!” another grunt yelled from behind.

            Panting, Hattie scanned the swiftly shortening street and her eyes lit up when she saw a bench beside a couple of stacked trashcans and a shop awning that led to a section of the blue rooftops that she recognized. Without hesitation, she leapt up onto the bench and then scaled the trashcans before springing up onto the awning. The Eevee yelped, clinging to her embrace as she bounced from the stretchy fabric and up onto the roof.

            “Little girl, get back here!” the Mafia grunt shouted from below. A chorus of cries overlapped each other as the group chimed their agreement.

            Hattie darted further onto the rooftops, further distancing herself from Team Mafia. Once she couldn’t hear them anymore and the Eevee’s claws loosened, she slowed before dropping down against a chimney.

            Hyperventilating, Hattie released the Eevee. He jumped away before circling back around and sitting nearby. His tail tucked tightly around his front paws. Hattie thought she could see his front legs trembling, but she had so much adrenaline coursing through her that it could have just been her own rattled mind projecting. 

            “Are you okay?” Hattie asked between gulping down air.

            “Why did you go back for me?” he demanded. His triangular nose wrinkled into a scowl.

            “That’s a stupid question,” Hattie said, frowning.

            His mane fluffed up at that and he tore his golden gaze away.

            “Is not,” he grumbled.

            “You would have gone back for me,” Hattie pushed.

            “You don’t know that.”

            She hesitated, staring at him as he avoided her gaze. From his tone, it sounded like he really would consider leaving her behind, and maybe even follow through, if push came to shove. She looked down at her hands, tapping her fingers together.

            Even if the Eevee didn’t care about her, he was still her dad’s Pokémon and, knowing her dad, that meant the Eevee was probably very important to him no matter how long they had been partners. So, the Eevee was important to her too.

            “Well, I’ll always go back for you,” she said quietly.

            He let out a “harrumph” while shuffling on his front paws. His tail curled tighter around him.

            “Are you doing alright though?” Hattie pulled away from the chimney now that she was regaining her breath. To try and pull him out of his sour mood, she teased, “you’re usually faster than that.”

            “I’m fine.” He shrugged and the movement caused some of his bangs to slip out of the crown clip. He let out a frustrated huff, which caused the bangs in his eyes to flutter a bit, but ultimately, they remained in place. When Hattie reached over to fix it, he mumbled, “the shadow mist got to me, a little, but I’m fine.”

            “Oh.” Hattie winced apologetically when he could see again. “I wasn’t thinking about it affecting you and Polteageist! I’m sorry.” She would have to be more careful, especially with shadow moves because she wasn’t entirely sure how those worked beyond the brief rundown MJ gave her.

            “Doesn’t matter.” The Eevee pulled away and started to trot away. “Well, ready to find the mustached girl?”

            “Yeah,” Hattie sighed, pushing to her feet. Her legs still felt a little unsteady from the sprint, but at least she was breathing easier and, by cutting across the rooftops, they didn’t have too far to walk to get to Cat’s bakery.

            After the trek, they reached the square with the geyser and carefully navigated a way off the roofs. They checked to make sure the coast was clear and there were no Team Mafia members in the area before they slipped into Cat’s bakery.

            “Oh, hello, sugar.” Cat greeted her as soon as she entered. Cat was behind the counter, with a tray of freshly made poke puffs in one hand and talons in the other as she filled the display case. “I thought you were on your way home.”

            “Something came up,” Hattie offered. She shifted her backpack to retrieve her wallet. “I’m meeting a friend here. She has a blond mustache and red hood?”

            “Muriel?” Cat raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “I’m glad to hear she’s got a friend, but I hope you girls aren’t getting into any trouble. You know to leave Team Mafia to the authorities, right?”

            Hattie nodded, hoping her smile conveyed innocence and not that she and Mu had just pilfered a hoodie-full of stolen Pokémon and then a shadow Pokémon mid-battle. Cat seemed satisfied for the moment but kept an eye on Hattie after she bought a bunch of poké puffs and headed outside to wait.

            Once Mu with Polteageist found them a little later, all the pokéballs were gone.

            “Good to see you’re still alive!” Mu smirked as Polteageist flew over to Hattie and nuzzled her cheek, bumping the teapot lid into her a few times in its relief.

            “Where are the pokéballs?” Hattie questioned. She scratched Polteageist around its neck and it whirred.

            “Delivered to the Knights!” Mu put her hands on her hips and posed like a proud superhero. “They promised to return them to their rightful owners as soon as possible.”

            Hattie let out a sigh of relief.

            “Are you ready to save your dad?” Mu motioned for Hattie to follow her towards the beach.

            “Yes!” Hattie hurried after Mu. Polteageist trilled as it followed and the Eevee scampered after them, able to keep up now that the shadow mist seemed to have completely left his system.

            At the beach, they crouched at the top of the stairs, peeking over the wall as they scanned the beach full of hot air balloons and Team Mafia. Polteageist lowered deeper into its teapot so that only its squinting, spiraling gold eyes could be seen under the lid. The Eevee scratched at his mane as he sat with his back to the wall, waiting with a bored expression.

            “I think we should take that one.” Mu pointed to the hot air balloon with a red and gold pattern. It was tucked in the nearest corner where the sandy shore met a jagged, rocky area. The stairs didn’t lead to it, but it was the most secluded from the other air balloons. The only foreseeable problem was reaching it before the other Mafia members could notice them.

            “How do we get to it?” Hattie asked.

            “We climb around the rocks and sneak up on him.”

            “Okay, but how do we make sure no one sees us? There’s no cover on the ledge or rocks. They’re bound to notice us.” They weren’t exactly wearing muted colors, Hattie noted silently as she looked from Mu’s bright red hoodie and then to the Snatch Machine with the glittering gold plating and flashy purple wires connecting the plating to the glove. She flexed her hand.

            “We need a distraction,” Mu muttered, pursing her lips as she pondered.

            “Hmm…” Hattie tapped her fingers on the stone wall.

            After a few seconds, Polteageist’s lid clattered against the rim before it popped up and trilled.

            “What’s up?” Hattie tilted her head as Polteageist churred, using one hand to hold its lid back while using the other to point down the beach. Hattie followed its pointing but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She gave it a questioning look.

            “It wants to be the distraction.” The Eevee let out a huff.

            “Polteageist!” Hattie’s bewilderment curdled into fear. “That’s dangerous!”

            “Tee-ee!” Polteageist put a hand on its purple hip and scowled.

            “What’s going on?” Mu asked, raising a brow.

            “It can fly,” the Eevee translated for Polteageist. “Once we all get into the air with the balloon, Polteageist is the only one who can fly up to meet us.”

            Hattie’s brows furrowed as she tapped against the stone wall.

            “I don’t know,” she muttered. “Polteageist… what if something happens? I can’t—” she trailed off before her voice could break.

            She couldn’t lose Polteageist too.

            “Poltea!” Polteageist flew forward and nuzzled against her cheek, letting out a gentle trill as it promised it wasn’t going anywhere.

            “Okay,” Hattie relented, letting out the tension in her shoulders.

            “What’s the plan?” Mu cleared her throat.

            “Polteageist can be a distraction,” Hattie explained. “But how do we get the Mafia goon and his Pokémon away from the balloon?”

            “You have a Skiddo, right?” Mu brightened. “Just have it ram them away and my partner and I will have the hot air balloon going immediately. Ready?” Mu held out her hand and Hattie hesitantly reached out. Mu clasped her hand and gave it an enthusiastic shake.

            “We’re best friends, now! We’ll beat stinky Team Mafia and save your dad!”

            For the first time that week, Hattie felt hope shine through her smile.

            “Best friends!” she agreed.

            Without sparing another second, the determined girls got ready. They slunk as close as they dared to the hot air balloon, standing yards away from where the short cliff dropped off into the beach, but trying to look as nonchalant as possible as they loitered near the rest of the town. Luckily, it didn’t look like any of the Mafia members noticed them, but they did earn a few curious glances from any townspeople over on the street.

            Hattie released Skiddo to reiterate the plan, and Skiddo nodded with its features creased with focus. Once they were ready, Polteageist chirped excitedly and floated out and over the beach. Its cries drew the attention of Team Mafia and they and their Pokémon trailed after Polteageist to investigate. As Polteageist gathered most of the members to the opposite side of the beach, Hattie and Mu slunk towards the air balloon. While the Mafia goon hadn’t left his post, being a bit too far from Polteageist to bother, he was watching as Polteageist darted down to steal one of the grunt’s aprons.

            The Mafia grunt chased after Polteageist and his pilfered apron, ordering his Ponyta to blast Polteageist out of the sky with flamethrower, and the nearby members laughed at Polteageist’s sassy poses as it played with the apron. Even the Mafia member that stayed near the hot air balloon chuckled as he watched with his arms crossed.

            While the Mafia member was distracted, Hattie and Mu carefully climbed down the rocks with Skiddo and the Eevee mirroring their footsteps. They landed into the sand with a muffled thump that went unheard over the Mafia’s boisterous laughter. Mu grabbed her pokéball and arced around to the hot air balloon’s basket to jump in, while Hattie and Skiddo headed straight for the Mafia and his Slugma. The Eevee stayed back, halfway between Hattie and Mu, standing at the ready.

            The Mafia remained entranced by Polteageist’s antics as it wove around streams of flame. Hattie signaled Skiddo to pause, since the Mafia goon wasn’t looking their way yet. She listened as Mu released her partner with a flash of light that drew the Slugma’s gaze.

            “Ma!” The Slugma swiveled around, and its viscous red body made it seem as if it only turned its head one hundred and eighty degrees. Its yellow eyes narrowed, and globs of magma dripped from its mouth as it cried out.

            “What?” the Mafia goon turned, raising an eyebrow. Rage flashed across his features when his gaze fell onto Hattie.

            “Skiddo, now!” Hattie commanded.

            “Do!” Skiddo tapped its hoof against the sand before dashing forward and ramming its head and sturdy horns into the Mafia goon’s stomach. The Mafia goon let out a gasp as the air was knocked from his lungs and he dropped down onto his back. He wheezed, unable to tell Slugma to retaliate, leaving the gelatinous Pokémon shifting anxiously as it looked from the Mafia goon and back to Hattie and Skiddo as they retreated to the basket that had already begun to lift off.

            “Hurry!” Mu called.

            Hattie gave Skiddo a boost up into the basket while the Eevee jumped up onto the edge, tail waving as he glanced around.

            “We’re about to have company,” he warned.

            “G-get them!” the Mafia goon called breathlessly.

            The Slugma shot an ember at Hattie, singeing the tip of her ponytail as she scrambled into the basket.

            “Hold on!” Mu yelled, pulling Hattie into the basket as Skiddo and the Eevee grabbed her sleeves and helped to yank her in.

            A flash of heat rolled across Hattie’s ankle and she yelped, tumbling into the basket.

            “Go, Torchic!” Mu cried.

            Hattie glanced up as Mu’s Torchic fluttered its sunlight-tipped wings and sent a flurry of embers into the hot air balloon. They lifted as Mafia goons from around noticed and started charging over.

            “The rope!” Mu motioned towards the anchor she had already pulled from the sand, but was now dragging along the beach, providing an easy way for Team Mafia to pull them back down.

            Hattie scrambled to the side and began frantically pulling the rope back in. The grunt that Skiddo had knocked over saw her plan as they gained height and bolted upright. He darted over as the rope drifted over his head and he snagged it, yanking it down. Hattie was yanked with it. She screamed as she tumbled over the edge and dangled from the rope. Her legs kicked at thin air.

            “Hattie!” Mu yelled.

            “Kid!” The Eevee scrambled up onto the railing and Skiddo pushed to its hindlegs, bleating with concern. The Eevee grabbed the rope between his teeth. Mu also grabbed on and tried to pull Hattie back up. The hot air balloon jerked, and Hattie clung to the rope as more Mafia goons came over and started pulling the rope down.

            “Help!” Hattie cried, petrified as she clamped the rope between her knees and the hot air balloon began to tilt. Angry faces shouting at her grew closer and closer.

            “Slugma! Ember!” The first grunt pointed at Hattie.

            Hattie ducked as a searing glob was lobbed towards her. It narrowly missed her but burned straight through the rope. There was a snap and Hattie dropped.

            “Kid!” the Eevee screamed. She might have heard Polteageist’s distant, frantic trill as she shut her eyes and waited for impact. Something laced around her stomach and she jolted to a stop. Bewildered gasps came from the Mafia and Hattie opened her eyes to find the mob right below her. The goon holding the rope dropped it and jumped up to grab her, but Hattie felt the thing around her stomach snap back.

            “Ahh!” Hattie held her arms to her chest, wincing as she swiftly flew back up towards the hot air balloon. In the basket, Skiddo was grunting as twin vines snaking from its mane quivered. Hattie followed the vines to the sturdy green foliage that wrapped around her stomach.

            “Skiddo!” Hattie cheered as it pulled her back over the ledge. “You learned vine whip!”

            Skiddo let out a strained bleat before dropping Hattie onto the floor of the basket. Skiddo and Hattie both panted as the vines recoiled and disappeared into Skiddo’s mane.

            “That was amazing!” Mu cheered. Torchic chirped, pausing briefly to twitter merrily before returning to its task of keeping the balloon filled with hot air.

            “Kid, are you—” the Eevee began, landing next to her and reaching out a paw. But before he could finish his thought, Polteageist let out a frantic cry and a blur of pale blue and gold slammed into Hattie as she was pushing herself up.

            “Poltea! Tee-ee!” Polteageist cried as it clung to her, its small purple hands gripping her shirt as it tried to hug her though its arm span was far too tiny.

            “It’s alright, it’s okay!” Hattie hugged its cracked teapot. It whimpered as golden teardrops oozed from its eyes. Hattie offered her finger to give it a scratch, but it instead latched its arms around it, nuzzling her finger as it trilled desperately.

            The Eevee pulled back, sitting down with his tail curling around him.

            Skiddo hesitantly stepped over, its head lowered, and Hattie offered her other hand to it. It eyed her palm with trepidation.

            “Thank you, Skiddo.” Hattie beamed. “You saved me!”

            Skiddo let out a small yip before bumping its round, black nose into her hand. Hattie’s smile widened as she gave its brown and white snout gentle scratches. While Skiddo nuzzled into the scratches, Hattie felt the Eevee’s gaze. She turned.

            “Hope you’re not getting too cozy.” The tip of the Eevee’s tail flicked back and forth. “It’s only going to get harder the second we land. Better pick up the slack.”

            Hattie frowned, but the Eevee had already turned away, tilting his nose up.

            “Hattie, check this out!” Mu glanced over her shoulder from her position at the edge of the basket, pointing out into the distance.

            Hattie gave Skiddo and Polteageist one more scratch before pushing to her feet. The basket wobbled under her movement, and she treaded lightly as she joined Mu. Keeping her arms tucked inside as she gripped the basket railing, Hattie followed Mu’s gaze and gasped.

            It was like an island, floating between the clouds, but less island-like and more that someone chiseled out a slab of concrete holding a cumbersome, remodeled factory and put it in the sky. A moat circled around the structure and a flashing sign over the entrance warned all others away with pictures of Octillery and Remoraid eating sushi. In the moat, Starmie and Bruxish occasionally leapt from the water, their ruby glows reflecting the faint light that shimmered around the concrete island.

            Hattie wondered how many Pokémon were needed to keep the headquarters afloat, especially with those golden statues of Team Mafia grunts and the hot air balloons scattered around the entrance.

            Mu steered their balloon over to the island and Hattie gripped the edge of the basket.

            They were almost there.

Chapter Text

            The inside of Team Mafia’s headquarters was bigger than Hattie had expected. The entrance led to a casino, complete with plenty of sitting areas and slot machines. Team Mafia members paid no attention to the girls or their Pokémon as they tried their luck. A scampering sound scratched above, and Hattie tilted her head back to find the whites of a Rattata’s eyes gleaming over the edge of the rafters. Before she could ponder how the Rattata found itself stranded on Team Mafia’s floating headquarters, Mu seized her hand and dragged her deeper into the hideout.

            At the far end of casino floor, there was a locked set of doors. Mu jiggled the doors, scowling.

            “Can’t you blast them down?” Mu jutted her thumb towards Polteageist, and it chirped in surprise before ducking down into its pot.

            “What are little girls doing up here?” The Team Mafia grunt standing behind the bar counter nearby asked. Hattie jolted, turning with a Deerling-caught-in-the-headlights look, but the grunt seemed entirely nonplussed as he casually wiped the inside of a glass. His head tilted as he added, “is it bring-daughter-to-work day?”

            “Yes,” Mu said without missing a beat. She stepped forward and gestured towards the Eevee, who was standing near Hattie with his ears flicking back and forth as he scanned his surroundings. “We got lost trying to find the first aid after a play battle and this poor, wounded Eevee needs help.”

            Hattie’s brow dipped in confusion as she tried to ascertain why they were pretending the Eevee was hurt instead of trying to figure out where they kept prisoners. But her bewilderment soon turned to wry amusement as a wicked smile spread across the Eevee’s features. He dramatically lifted a paw to his forehead.

            “Oh—it’s true; I am so terribly hurt,” he moaned, stumbling onto his hindlegs before dropping onto his back. His ears drooped and he clutched his fluffy chest. “I fear I don’t have long in this world. Oh, dear, Hattie, you will have to continue this journey without me.” He flopped his legs onto the floor and gave his tail a pitiable twitch. “Goodbye, cruel world! My memories are flashing before my eyes. Oh, my life was so short. Like only two days. Lamentable that Arceus would take me so soon.” He let out a series of strained coughs, kicking his legs and jerking about.

            “Is it okay?” The Mafia grunt lifted a bushy eyebrow.

            “No, that’s why we need first aid,” Mu responded, clasping her hands together pleadingly while the Eevee let out an exaggerated death rattle.

            Hattie scooped him up and he jerked forward in her arms, playfully gripping his chest again before falling back.

            “Please, sir.” Hattie pushed her lips into a pout. “Don’t let his poor soul depart before his time!”

            The Eevee snorted and he quickly covered it with a cough as he went limp in Hattie’s arms.

            “Is that a Spiritomb come for my poor soul I see? Beyond the horizon?” He bemoaned, coughing weakly. “It’s so cold…”

            “Team Mafia have town medic through kitchen,” the Mafia grunt nodded towards the door behind him. “They will help you. But you will be needing this.” He stuffed the rag into the glass before reaching down behind the counter and procuring a key.

            Hattie gasped, remembering how Mu had mentioned that the medic had gone missing as well as her father. If Team Mafia had taken them both, they must be in the same place!

            “Thank you, sir!” Mu grabbed the key before motioning for Hattie to follow as she darted to the kitchen door.

            The kitchen was rancid and somehow smelled worse than the bait shop had. Smoke billowed from grills and rotting meat piled on counters, in the corners of the room, and around trashcans. Hattie clasped a hand over her nose and her eyes teared up while the Eevee pressed his paws to his snout, grimacing. Even Polteageist had lowered down into its pot, holding its lid tightly over it while it peeked through the chipped porcelain.

            The Team Mafia members in the kitchen with soiled aprons didn’t bat an eye as the two girls bolted through, desperately looking for a way out of the plumes of putrid smells. There were two doors at the far end of the kitchen. Mu threw open the closest door and a blast of frigid air from the freezer nipped their cheeks. The Eevee jolted at the temperature drop and huddled up deeper into Hattie’s arms.

            Mu didn’t bother to close the door before crossing over to the other. They hurried into a hallway with clear air and slammed the door to the kitchen behind them.

            “Geez!” Mu wheezed, doubling over as she sucked in a lungful of air.

            Hattie also released the breath she had been holding, still grimacing as the smell seemed to linger. She moved to let the Eevee down, but his face was smooshed into her shoulder.

            “We’re out of the kitchen now.” She poked his cheek.

            He remained unresponsive for a moment, though she could see the heavy rise and fall of his breathing. She tilted her head, surprised and a little concerned he hadn’t kicked away from her arms yet. His ears slowly perked and after a sharp gasp, he pulled back, holding his paw out triumphantly.

            “Look at that! I’ve miraculously healed!” His smirk had returned though his golden eyes looked a bit dull in the hallway light. Nevertheless, he flashed a conspiratorial look at Hattie and brought his paw to his mouth, stage-whispering behind it, “but after going through a kitchen like that, my nose almost didn’t make it.”

            “You’ll have to sue for nose-endangerment.” Hattie nodded firmly.

            “That’s the ticket!” His tail wagged before he glanced down. Hattie lowered him and he jumped onto the carpet, shaking himself off.

            “Do you always talk to your Pokémon like they’re a person?” Mu asked.

            “Sometimes.” Hattie’s features flushed as she remembered Mu couldn’t understand what the Eevee was saying. Glancing down, she noticed Eevee-fur stuck to her clothes and tried to brush it off.

            They continued down the hallway with a scarlet carpet leading to a decorative door with a gold plating, but what drew the girl’s gaze were the cramped looking offices lining the walls. The offices had windows, each looking into them. Most of the rooms seemed to be used for storage, but one of the rooms was locked with a thick padlock.

            Hattie’s heart jumped to her throat. It was the only office with the blinds drawn as well.

            Mu unlocked the door with the key that the Mafia grunt had given her, and they pushed open the door to reveal a dark room. A figure shifted in the corner.

            “Papa?” Hattie darted into the room as Mu turned on the light. Hattie jolted to a stop.

            “Hello, young one.” The figure, who had been sitting on the ground, slowly pushed to their feet, leaning on their knotted staff for support. “I’m afraid that I’m the only one in here.”

            “Medic!” Mu cheered, running past Hattie and up to the figure.

            If they smiled, Hattie could not tell. They wore a white mask with ruby lips and eye sockets lined with golden eyeshadow. They wore a lavender covering over their head and long black gloves that covered their hands. And though they had a rather large and cumbersome backpack, they stood up straight as Mu bounded over to them.

            “Greetings, young Muriel.” Their voice sounded kind. “It is good to see you again.” Their head tilted upwards, and through the sockets in the mask, Hattie felt their gaze return to her. “And who might you be? I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.”

            “I’m Hattie,” she replied, crossing her arms with a weak smile. “You don’t happen to know if Team Mafia kidnapped anyone else, do you?”

            “I have not seen anyone.” They shook their head. “The boss of Team Mafia wanted me to take a look at his partner. I came willingly, at first, but when they realized having a Pokémon nurse on hand was beneficial, they kept me here.” Their voice dipped with their head in apology. “I don’t think they’ve kidnapped any other humans.”

            Hattie felt a weight sink into her stomach. She gripped her arms as she hugged herself, closing further and further in. Polteageist hovered around her, trilling so quietly that it could barely be heard. The Eevee sat down next to her, curling his tail around himself.

            “You came to help Team Mafia willingly?” Mu asked incredulously, stamping her foot. “But they’re bad guys!”

            “Young Mu,” the Medic said gently, “it is my job to tend to Pokémon, no matter who their partners are, or how they received their wounds.”

            “Hmph.” Mu rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

            “Now, young one,” the Medic stepped over to Hattie with their staff mirroring their footsteps, “who was it you were looking for?”

            “My dad.” Hattie dropped her arms and began fiddling with the glove on her hand. “His name is Luka Andersen. He’s a lawyer and he disappeared on a business trip here.”

            “Hmm,” the Medic’s head tilted down. It was hard to tell where they were looking, but their slightest shift seemed to indicate that they were looking from the Eevee and then to the Snatch Machine on her arm. “May I ask, what it is you’re wearing?”

            Hattie’s gaze snapped to the Snatch Machine and she quickly hid her arms behind her back. MJ’s warned not to mention the Snatch Machine or shadow Pokémon to anyone, but if it was a Pokémon nurse, would they be able to help?

            “My body has traveled many places,” the Medic said before Hattie could decide whether to be honest, “and I have seen many things. I did not know Luka Andersen well, but our paths have crossed occasionally. I believe I saw him the day he disappeared.”

            “You did?” Hattie’s eyes widened. Polteageist chirped in surprise. “What happened?”

            “I believe your father saw a shadow Pokémon.”

            “A what?” Mu cut in, shuffling over while Hattie and the Eevee stiffened.

            “Shadow Pokémon are creatures who had their hearts artificially closed by terrible means,” the Medic informed. “Wicked people close the door to their hearts to attempt to create powerful fighting machines that obey their trainer without question. But what is strength, without a bond to guide and tether any of us to love, kindness, or hope? Even sorrows have their place in hearts and are needed for us to grow.”

            Hattie clenched her gloved hand. Certainly, Skiddo had been a strong opponent, and though it didn’t trust her in the slightest in the beginning, it did follow orders. But it seemed to be trusting her more, right?

            “Oh. What does that have to do with her dad?” Mu asked, wrinkling her nose.

            “I believe Luka saw one of Team Mafia’s grunts using such a Pokémon,” the Medic explained. “I fear being able to sense a shadow Pokémon without any technological aid is not an ordinary gift, and if he didn’t understand the gravity of what he was seeing at the time, he might have revealed his ability to the wrong person.”

            Hattie glanced down at the Eevee, who could also see shadow Pokémon. He wore a blank expression, but his ears flickered with uncertainty. MJ’s warning to keep his ability a secret was making more and more sense.

            “So, if I can get to the bottom of everything going on with shadow Pokémon, I can find my dad?” Hattie clarified, her heart leaping into her throat.

            “Yes,” the Medic said with a confidence that gave her hope. “I believe your father’s disappearance and the shadow Pokémon infiltrating the region are connected.”

            “How do you know so much?” Mu wondered. “Can you see shadow Pokémon? Have you treated them before?”

            “What I see is of little value to you.” The Medic shook their head. “And I’m afraid I can do little to treat them for their condition.”

            “How can we open a shadow Pokémon’s heart?” Hattie asked. MJ mentioned traveling with Skiddo would help, and now she had Yamper, too, to worry about.

            “Only the guardian of the forest has the ability to truly cleanse a heart of wicked shadows, but a heart must be ready to open.”

            “Why wouldn’t it be ready if it’s so bad for it?” Mu scowled.

            “If a heart has forgotten love or hope, and all it knows is loneliness, then it will cling to the shadows. Though it may ultimately hurt it, the heart will see the shadows as safe, dependable. That is why a shadow Pokémon benefits from being with a trainer that loves it. A trainer whose care and friendship are more dependable than the shadows can encourage a Pokémon to open up again.” The Medic shifted their hold on the staff.

            “Hmm,” Mu clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Guess that gives me all the more reason to mess with Team Mafia! Since we’re here, we might as well as beat up the Boss and demand he tell us how they’re getting shadow Pokémon!”

            Hattie nodded.

            “Young Mu,” the Medic urged quietly, “I do need to return to the Pokémon center. Because you have Torchic, would you give me a lift down?”

            “But what about Hattie?” Mu met her gaze.

            “I’ll be fine!” Hattie gestured to the Eevee and Polteageist.

            “Okay, but I’ll come right back up to help you beat Team Mafia!” Mu hurried over to the door and impatiently shuffled as she waited for the Medic to follow.

            “Before I go,” the Medic procured a small badge from their pack and offered it to Hattie, “Please show this to the woman who runs the library in the next town. She has many books about shadow Pokémon and the forest guardian that should prove useful.”

            Hattie accepted the badge, taking in the woven picture of a novel with a strange flower on it.

            “A badge that just lets you read books?” Mu jeered. “That’s so boring.”

            “While I do carry all manner of badges from when I sold my crafts on my travels, I believe this is the most useful that I own,” the Medic chuckled behind their mask. “Farewell, young one. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

            “I’ll be back, Hattie!” Mu promised as the Medic left the room. Hattie waved as Mu disappeared into the hall, prodding the Medic into going faster.

            Hattie tucked the badge away for safe keeping before glancing down at the Eevee.

            “If you and dad can both see shadow Pokémon, do you think you were captured for that?”

            “I don’t know, kid.” The Eevee shrugged.

            “It could explain how you two met,” Hattie mused, glancing around the room one last time despite knowing there wouldn’t be any further clues. She started wandering back through the rest of the hallway, poking her head into empty offices and peering around.

            “It could if I remembered anything. But I don’t! So, it doesn’t really help us, does it?” the Eevee said with a light cadence, but there was something hollow in the forced cheer.

            “Well, if you escaped, then maybe it means Dad can too,” Hattie countered. “Or maybe he already has!”

            “Whatever helps you sleep at night, kiddo.” The Eevee trotted down the hall.

            Hattie exchanged a look with Polteageist, who let out a dramatic sigh. Hattie smiled, giving Polteageist a gentle scratch which it leaned into fondly. Polteageist’s squinting eyes suddenly widened and it chirped with concern. Hattie followed its gaze and watched as the Eevee wandered into one of the open offices.

            “Eevee?” she called, pulling away from Polteageist and crossing over to the office.

            It was filled with a collection of musty items. An old, floor length mirror was perched against a dusty sofa. The Eevee paused in his tentative sniffing around and glanced briefly towards the mirror. He did a doubletake before blinking at his faded reflection, gaze flickering from his mane and then his eyes. He stared at the mirror like he was looking at a stranger.

            “Eevee?” Hattie repeated as his gaze shifted to the clip holding back his bangs.

            He didn’t seem to hear her as he prodded the crown clip with the pad of his paw. His eyes narrowed a low, frustrated growl emanated from his throat.

            “Eevee!” Hattie tried again, walking up to him. He jolted, crouching on all fours like he was ready to run. Recognition flickered across his features and he scowled.

            “What do you want?”

            “I called you a few times,” Hattie lowered, propping her arms on her knees.

            “You did?” The Eevee winced, looking away. “Guess I don’t even remember my name.” He said in the voice laced with a hollow smile.

            “Do you want a nickname?” Hattie suggested before she could take it back. But the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. It might help give him a sense of identity.

            “A nickname?” The Eevee’s ears flattened, unimpressed.

            “Yeah! Let’s see,” Hattie drummed her hands on her knees as she pondered. “I used to have an imaginary friend named Rumbi!”

            “You’re kidding.”

            “Oh! How about Prince? For the crown clip?” Hattie pointed at it.

            “Gross.” He scrunched up his nose and stuck out his tongue.

            “Hmm,” Hattie glanced down at her tapping hands. She tilted her head, gazing at the purple and gold machine. “How about Snatcher?”

            “Snatcher?” he repeated.

            “Yeah!” Hattie lifted her left hand and waved to draw attention to the machine. “It fits since you help me know when to use the Snatch Machine!”

            “Hmm.” The Eevee stared at the machine with uncertainty, but since he didn’t immediately shut down the idea, Hattie chose to run with it.

            “Snatcher it is then!” She pushed to her feet.

            “Wait a second—”

            “Let’s go find clues about shadow Pokémon, Snatcher!” Hattie teased.

            He scowled, chasing after her as they returned to the hallway.

            “You can’t just decide my name!” he insisted.

            “Okay, we’ll test it. I’ll randomly call out to you and if you respond to Snatcher, then that’s your name.” She twirled around and did a pose as if to cement the plan. The Eevee grumbled but didn’t offer any further protests.

            Soon, they reached the end of the hallway and found the door leading to the Mafia Boss’s office, as labelled by the golden plaque mounted on the wall.

            “Is he inside?” Hattie whispered, tiptoeing over and pressing her ear to the wood door. She couldn’t hear anything coming from the other side.

            Polteageist chirped, fluttering over and holding out its lid to Hattie. It then stuck its ghostly purple body through the door. A purple aura wavered around it for a few moments before it popped back out and held a thumbs up. It gave them a confident wink.

            “I guess not,” the Eevee muttered as Hattie lowered Polteageist’s lid back onto its head.

            The door also happened to be unlocked when Hattie tried it. It creaked open with the lightest push, and they crept into the office with plush carpeting.

            There was a large window positioned behind the Boss’s desk. The horizontal blinds were ajar, allowing sunlight to trickle in and cast bars of shadows across the room. The desk was primarily bare with a few scattered pens or coins and one open jar with some sort of goopy pink substance in it. Hattie wrinkled her nose and turned away, scanning the bookshelves and closed closet.

            “What are we looking for?” the Eevee whispered, tail held high as he listened for movement.

            “Shadow Pokémon plans?” Hattie shrugged. “Anything about my dad?”

            The Eevee nodded, eyes half-lidded as he trotted over to a bookshelf and scanned for clues. Meanwhile, Hattie and Polteageist searched the closest, though it only had a few coats and the occasional pokéball.

            There was a creak behind them.

            Hattie whirled around, but it wasn’t until she looked down that she saw the source of the creak was just the Eevee, with his bangs covering his eyes as he sat by the desk. His tail wagged behind him.

            “Huh? When did you—” Hattie glanced towards the bookshelf and found the Eevee still perched in front of the books, his bangs tucked out of his eyes with the crown clip. She yelped at seeing double.

            “Shush!” The Eevee with the crown clip hissed, jumping at her sudden cry. “Do you want to get us cau—ah!” He jumped back when he saw the source of her alarm.

            The duplicate Eevee let out an eerie giggle, lifting a paw to its snout. Hattie glanced from the Eevee by the bookshelf to the Eevee by the desk and back.

            “Snatcher!” She tried.

            “What?” the Eevee by the bookshelf growled, his golden eyes flashing.

            “You responded!” Hattie barely kept her cheer at an acceptable sneaking octave. “And now I know for sure you’re you.”

            “You doubted?” Snatcher scowled.

            The Eevee by the desk giggled again before trotting up to Hattie. While it was cute, and seemed friendlier than Snatcher, it unsettled her. She took a step back while Polteageist lowered to look it in the eye.

            “Oh!” Eevee chirped as its fur started to drip with some sort of viscous substance.

            Hattie recoiled, stepping back into the closet as Eevee’s form shifted and wavered, turning pink and liquifying before reshaping into a teapot. The lid popped off, revealing another Polteageist with beady black eyes instead of golden spirals.

            Hattie’s gaze snapped to the desk, where an empty jar stood.

            “A Ditto!” She breathed out as the Ditto gave a little twirl in front of Polteageist, who leaned back with a nervous trill.

            Snatcher’s ears flickered and he hissed, crouching down.

            “Someone’s coming!”

            Hattie glanced towards the door they had left ajar, fear gripping her chest. The Ditto, still looking like Polteageist, flew over to the door just as it was pushed open, revealing a stout man with bushy black eyebrows, and blocky facial hair.

            “Ditto!” The man cried in a rough voice as the Ditto flew up to his shoulder before transforming back into its gelatinous form, waving rounded hands as it balanced on his shoulder. “Where did you—” the man’s gaze immediately drifted from his partner to Hattie, pressed against the red coats in the closest. “What is little kid doing in here? Is this some sort of joke?”

            Snatcher slunk over to the closest, still hunched down and ready to pounce if need be, while Polteageist hovered up and over to Hattie’s shoulder. Hattie swallowed thickly.

            This was it! She had come here for answers, and she was going to get those answers!

            “I’m looking for my dad!” Hattie stepped out and lowered a hand close to her belt where Skiddo’s and Yamper’s pokéballs waited. “And I’m not leaving until you give me answers!”

            The Mafia Boss’s shoulders slumped, and the Ditto slid off of him and dropped to the carpet. While the Ditto jiggled with an amused smile, the Mafia Boss knitted his brows together in confusion.

            “You’re what?”

Chapter Text

            “Team Mafia has never kidnapped anyone.” The Mafia Boss crossed his arms and leaned back. A smirk played on his lips. His mustache twitched with the movement. “Now go home and I’ll let this intrusion slide.”

            “What about the Medic?” Hattie retorted, shifting her shoulders back to try and look taller.

            “Okay, Team Mafia has held one person a little bit against their will, but I’m giving you a chance to not make it two!” He even stepped further into the room and held the door back, gesturing for her to go through with a baffled expression. The Ditto’s form wavered and stretched into that of one of the Team Mafia grunts. While looking like a perfect copy in everything but its beady eyes, it bowed and mirrored the Mafia Boss’s motion for her to leave.

            Hattie shared a worried glance with Polteageist. Did the Mafia really not have anything to do with Luka’s disappearance? Meanwhile, Snatcher remained crouched in front of her. His tail flickered and his ears stood up straight.

            “Ask him about shadow Pokémon already!” Snatcher let out a low growl.

            “Where are you getting the shadow Pokémon?” Hattie snapped back to attention.

            The Mafia Boss’s features darkened as he slowly shut the door. Hattie’s heart skipped a beat and Snatcher and Polteageist both tensed.

            “And just how do you know about that?” His brows narrowed. Ditto glanced over and, after seeing his sneer, mimicked it.

            Snatcher’s ears pinned back.

            Hattie was silent, refusing to divulge anything. The Mafia Boss’s sneer smoothed out into a smirk.

            “I think I see now. I’ve been trying to tell the boys to keep shadow Pokémon under wraps, but it seems they’ve been flaunting them before it’s time.” He walked over to his desk and Ditto moved to stand in front of the door, blocking off the exist with its transformed burly shoulders and tall stature.

            “I’ll say,” Snatcher said dryly. “Like taking one to a lab to bully a Pokémon professor!”

            “And I’ve been told there’s been a little girl stealing some of Team Mafia’s Pokémon,” the Mafia Boss continued, reaching into his drawer and removing a strap with three pokéballs on it. “Since a whole bait shop was raided this morning, I assumed the perpetrator wasn’t targeting our shadow Pokémon, but it seems you know about them anyway.”

            “What do you plan to do with them?” Hattie kept an eye on Ditto, who was still transformed, and eyed the strap full of pokéballs. “You can’t just close the hearts of Pokémon! That’s wrong!”

            “Team Mafia hasn’t closed any hearts!” The Mafia Boss let out a raspy laugh. “Maybe we sent stolen Pokémon to our supplier, but we did not actually do this to the Pokémon. They are powerful, though, and I’m going to use them to finally defeat that prissy, pampered leader of Team Nyakuza!”

            “Who’s your supplier?” Hattie avoided asking about the rivalry between the two teams. She honestly couldn’t care less about it.

            “Wouldn’t you like to know,” the Mafia Boss draped the strap over his head and shoulder. “I’ll tell you what, if you can beat me in the battle, I’ll tell you where our shadow Pokémon come from. But when I defeat you, you’ll surrender all of your Pokémon to me and leave Mafia Town with your tail between your legs!”

            “Do it, kid,” Snatcher encouraged when Hattie hesitated, not willing to bet not only Skiddo’s and Yamper’s freedom, but Polteageist’s and Snatcher’s livelihood as well.

            Polteageist trilled beside her with confidence.

            “Polteageist agrees!” Snatcher continued with his glare still tracked on the Ditto standing at the door. “You can take this buffoon! He’s all hot air and no substance.”

            “Well, kid?” The Mafia Boss called.

            “Only if when I win,” Hattie feigned unyielding courage, “you also tell me what you did to my dad.”

            “Fine, sure.” He rolled his eyes. “Like I haven’t already, but you know, who listens to the Boss? Not even my henchmen.” He continued grumbling as he crossed over to the door. Ditto stepped to the side and the Mafia Boss snapped his fingers before briskly walking down the hall.

            Hattie intended to follow on her own, but when she reached the door, Ditto snagged her from the ground and hoisted her over its shoulder.

            “Hey!” She squirmed, banging her fists on Ditto’s back.

            “Jelly-head! Put her down!” Snatcher growled while Polteageist let out an indignant cry.

            “Dit-oh!” Ditto didn’t flinch once at Hattie’s struggling or Polteageist’s scolding.

            “It says it’s following orders.” Snatcher trailed behind it, looking up with large gold eyes. “Sorry, kid.”

            “I could’ve walked myself,” Hattie grumbled, going limp.

            Ditto let out a light trill that was rather unnerving when paired with the gruff features of the Mafia goon it had transformed into.

            After being carried around like a stack of potatoes through various rooms, Hattie was finally dropped unceremoniously on a battlefield made to look like a theater.

            A stretch of velvet red carpet encased the whole battlefield while rows of similarly upholstered chairs lined the walls. There were even a few balcony seats with elegant curtains drawn back with golden cords. Team Mafia grunts were already filling the audience, cheering for their boss or booing Hattie as she stood at the challenger’s position. Underneath all the yelling, she thought she could hear running water, but she was quickly distracted as Ditto crossed over to middle edge of the field.

            Ditto’s form wavered and shifted so that its scarlet tie bunched up into a bow, gaining white stripes. It also created a pair of goggles with spiraled lenses. It then climbed up the referee’s chair, which overlooked the battlefield like a lifeguard tower overlooking a beach.

            The lights dimmed and Polteageist trilled anxiously as it lowered closer to Hattie. Even Snatcher stood next to her, ears twitching at every minute sound.

            The audience slowly hushed, safe for a few rowdy hollers. Then, a spotlight flashed a beacon onto the other end of the room, where the Mafia Boss emerged from a grand doorway. The audience screamed their adulations and Hattie flinched, starting to feel breathless.

            She felt herself freeze as her gaze followed the Mafia Boss’s strut to his position at the other end of the field, arms open wide as he gestured for his henchmen to roar louder and louder. A spotlight flashed over her, and she winced at the brightness. The heat from the golden light knotted her stomach and slicked her hands with sweat. Everything was so loud, so bright, and she could still hear the sound of sloshing water that made her feel as if she were tilting on unsteady ground.

            “You’re looking very lost, kid,” the Mafia Boss projected over the field. “Are you sure that you can handle a grown-up battle?”

            Battle? Yes. A formal one on a stage with lights and an audience yelling at her? She didn’t even like going to formal championships just to watch even when it was with her dad, MJ, and Prim. The cacophony of the audience often blocked out anything happening on the field, and when she was younger the noise often left her curled up and covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut until her dad carried her out of the stadium.

            She had gotten better since then but still…

            “Kid,” Snatcher’s voice was low, but not unkind. “You can do this. It’s just like any other battle.”

            “There are so many people,” she whispered.

            “And you’re only battling one of them,” Snatcher reminded. “Focus on the Mafia Boss and the battle and you won’t even hear the audience.”

            “Are you ready?” The Mafia Boss grabbed a pokéball from the strap around his chest and tossed it into the air before catching it. He did this a few more times with a smirk. “Or are you giving up now?”

            “I’m ready!” Hattie called in a voice that cracked into a squeak.

            A roar of laughter came from the crowd and Hattie frowned. Channeling her nervous energy into determination, she reached for her pokéballs, pausing as she waited to see what the Mafia Boss would throw out first.

            There was a loud warning beep and then a grinding sound as the floor beneath her feet started to quake. Hattie’s heart flew into her throat as she looked out as the battlefield as the floor opened up from the center, revealing a pool with clear blue water. Her eyes widened with dread as the battlefield changed before her.

            “That’s not fair!” she called, “I don’t have any water-types!”

            “Tough break, kid!” the Mafia Boss tossed his pokéball into the air and a flash of bright light zapped into the water, revealing a tiny Tynamo that jumped out of the water and discharged a couple electric sparks. The Mafia Boss puffed out his chest and crossed his arms. “You’ll have to figure something out!”

            Scowling, Hattie eyed the Tynamo. It had silver scales and a fluttering tailfin, but its crackling spark suggested it was electric-type. She could use Skiddo, but her gut told her to start with Yamper. Even if Yamper didn’t know any electric moves, its shadow attacks were strong, and it would be able to resist Tynamo’s electricity.

            “Yamper, come on out!” Hattie released the puppy Pokémon and Yamper, with its fur still stained from the battle in the bait shop, popped out snarling at its opponent. Hattie made a mental note to clean it up after this was all over.

            “Can that pup even reach my Tynamo?” The Mafia Boss laughed.

            “Yamper knows the same shadow moves as Skiddo!” Snatcher called from beside her. He was glancing around, as if trying to think of a way for Yamper to reach the Tynamo without having to swim. But before he or Hattie could spot something, Yamper let out a bark and darted back before circling around and taking a running leap into the pool.

            “Yamper!” Hattie called in surprise. Yamper rose back above the water, paddling out towards Tynamo without hesitation. It’s lightning-bolt-shaped tail wagged back and forth, charging with energy.

            “It’s got guts!” The Mafia Boss’s smile widened. “But we have more! Tynamo, use spark!”

            The Tynamo narrowed its eyes and leapt from the water, opening and closing its star-like mouth before letting out a blast of electricity that coursed through the air. It shot directly onto Yamper’s forehead. The jolt sent water droplets splattering, and Yamper’s ears pinned back as it yelped more from surprise than pain.

            “Yamper, when you get close enough, use shadow blitz!” Hattie projected.

            It growled in response as its tail wagged faster. Yellow sparks twinged with shadow crackled around its tail and its paddling picked up speed. Snarling, the Yamper charged forward at the Tynamo and rammed into it, batting it deeper into the water.

            “Shadow blitz?” The Mafia Boss stomped his feet. “You can’t be using our own Pokémon against us!”

            “Why?” Hattie called back, “Afraid I’ll beat you?”

            “That is it! Tynamo, use charge beam!” The Mafia Boss ordered as Tynamo popped up from behind Yamper.

            “Yamper, dodge!” Hattie called. But Yamper, who was still trying to paddle around to even see where Tynamo had resurfaced, had no idea where the attack was coming from. The charge beam shot straight into its fluffy yellow mane and sent it floating back into the wall of the pool. Yamper let out a howl that was drowned out by waves.

            “It’s okay, Yamper!” Hattie’s heart skipped a beat. Yamper’s mane crackled, and water dripped from its mouth. Besides its enraged sneer at Tynamo, and drenched ears, it was still paddling with steady paws. Hattie let go of the breath she was holding. “Yamper! Attack again with shadow blitz, you can do it!”

            Yamper let out a bark and—though its movement was slowed in the water—lunged forward and nailed the Tynamo again, snarling with shadow-tainted electricity rippling through the water. The Tynamo thrashed as it tried to put distance between itself and Yamper.

            “Shadow moves are super effective against regular Pokémon,” Snatcher encouraged. “One more blitz and the Tynamo should be too weak to battle!”

            “Yamper! Attack again!” Hattie threw out her hand as she got caught up in the battle, eager to end it quickly so that she could get the answers she sought. Having been charging with electricity, the Yamper had gained speed and landed a final attack on the Tynamo. The Tynamo went limp as it was carried by the thrust of waves Yamper kicked up.

            “Ditto!” Ditto stood at the referee chair, waving an arm out towards Hattie.

            “Yamper, you did it!” Hattie cried, leaping up and cheering while the audience booed.

            “Kid, watch out!” Snatcher yelled. Polteageist let out an angry cry just as Hattie turned to see a watermelon had been lobbed at her. She ducked her head, raising her arms up protectively when Polteageist flew forward and used its lid as a small shield to thrust the watermelon away with a strained grunt.

            Hattie blinked, lowering her arms. She thought she saw a flash of crimson and yellow in the audience, but a soaring blur of green heading straight towards the pool drew her attention.

            “Yamper!” Hattie called as the audience lobbed more watermelon and other fruits and rotten tomatoes at the battlefield. Yamper yipped, swimming out of the way of the food as the heavier items rocked the water it treaded.

            The Mafia Boss calmly called back his Tynamo before retrieving another pokéball.

            “I won’t go easy on you this time!” The Mafia Boss released his second Pokémon, this time, a Wishiwashi that wasn’t much bigger than Tynamo. 

            “Yamper, are you still okay to battle?” Hattie noticed the way it seemed to be floundering in the pool with its ears dragging on the water. Yamper let out an aggressive bark, snarling at the Wishiwashi, and Hattie nodded. “Use shadow blitz!”

            The Mafia Boss smirked.

            “Wishiwashi, use your ability!”

            Wishiwashi dove into the pool, letting out a wail that rippled through the entire area of the water. A rumbling sound came from the drain on the floor of the pool and before Hattie knew what was happening, the cover on the drain snapped away and a whole school of Wishiwashi poured from the pipes and surrounded the Mafia Boss’s Pokémon. Yamper squeaked and Hattie’s eyes widened as the school of fish Pokémon coagulated into the shape of a gigantic, distorted Wishiwashi. It let out a roar that sounded like overlapping, tearful wails.

            Yamper’s flicker of fear was only momentary. It let out a bark before charging forward with crackling shadows.

            “Feint attack!” the Mafia Boss ordered.

            The Wishiwashi ducked its large head before it suddenly thrust forward and flung Yamper from the water.

            “Yamper!” Hattie darted away from the challenger’s spot and over towards the side of the pool as Yamper crashed against the carpet. She skidded down onto her knees and reached around the limp Pokémon. Crackling electricity stung her fingers when she touched its mane. But Yamper’s head seemed safe to touch.

            “Yamper, are you okay?” Hattie gently brushed her hand over its soaked head. Yamper whined, looking back with an uneasy glare, but it seemed like it would be fine after a trip to the Medic. “You were amazing,” Hattie said with awe. And, despite its glaring, it puffed out its chest proudly at the praise.

            “You’ve earned a rest.” She called it back into its ball.

            “Ditto!” Ditto declared the Mafia Boss’s victory for the round. The audience cheered as Hattie ran back to her side of the field.

            “What now, kiddo?” Snatcher asked, glancing out at the pool.

            The school of Wishiwashi circled around, with a sharp fin protruding from the water like a Sharpedo. Watermelons and fruits bopped in the waves it created.

            Yamper enjoying a dip in the pool had been a surprise, but Hattie wasn’t sure Skiddo would manage well in the water, especially against such a large opponent. Not that she had a choice.

            Hattie called out Skiddo and it let out a confident bleat until it looked at the fruit-cluttered pool. It glanced over at Hattie in disbelief.

            “You got this!” Hattie pumped her fist encouragingly, though her smile was forced. “Stay on the outskirts of the pool and use vine whip to reach the Wishiwashi!”

            Skiddo gave a firm nod before charging around the perimeter.

            “Wishiwashi! Use water gun!” The Mafia Boss pointed at Skiddo. The school of Wishiwashi fluidly lifted its head from the water and shot a concentrated stream of water at Skiddo.

            “Jump!” Hattie prompted just in time.

            Skiddo leapt into the air and avoided the move. However, when it landed back down, its orange hooves slipped on the puddles around the pool. Skiddo skidded before letting out a frightened bleat as it fell over the edge.

            “Get it, Wishiwashi!” the Mafia Boss roared.

            “Skiddo, use a vine to block it and another to pull you back to shore!” Hattie urged as Skiddo resurfaced.

            Skiddo followed Hattie’s orders and swiftly whipped out two vines. It turned one into a hoop that pushed back against the Wishiwashi’s face, doubling as a sort of shield as it kept the Wishiwashi from opening its mouth as it tried to shove through the foliage. While it was busy, Skiddo used its other vine to pull itself to shore. It scrambled out of the water on trembling legs. As it shook itself off, its leaves rustled as water splashed around it. The Wishiwashi pursued, gliding over to the side but Skiddo used its vines to parry its attacks.

            While Skiddo held it back, Hattie glanced around, looking for anything that could help. All that she could see were bobbing watermelons in the corner of the pool. Wait. She remembered how, in a story her dad once read to her, a character stranded on an island had the help of grass-type Pokémon tie together a raft using vines. The watermelon might still be tricky for Skiddo to balance on, but it would get it closer.

            “Skiddo!” Hattie called. Skiddo let out a cry in return, unable to look away from the snapping school of Wishiwashi. “Use vine whip to make a raft with the watermelon!”

            “What?” The Mafia Boss shot her a look of disbelief from across the field.

            “That can’t possibly work, kid,” Snatcher added, though his voice held hints of laughter as Polteageist chirped with surprise.

            Whether Skiddo agreed with everyone else or not, it dutifully darted back towards Hattie’s side of the battlefield, using vines to fashion a loose net that gathered the watermelons.

            Outcries came from the audience, and Hattie managed to make out the occasional yell of “that’s cheating!” or “Little girl cannot use Mafia sabotage against Mafia!” Soon, more fruits and rotten food flew through the air and Polteageist squeaked as it swiftly bopped the watermelon and tomatoes away from Hattie and Snatcher. But Hattie cried out as one watermelon went straight for Skiddo.

            “Skiddo, look out!” Hattie yelped.

            Skiddo glanced up at the incoming watermelon and ducked its head, flattening its ears against its skull. Just when it looked like Skiddo was going to take a direct hit, a figure leapt over and batted the melon away with a baseball bat. Despite being nowhere near the splitting watermelon, Hattie flinched as red mush splattered from the acute crack. Everything stilled as Skiddo looked up in surprise. Mu made a face at the sticky goop all over her bat and hoodie.

            “You can’t have outside help!” The Mafia Boss snarled as Mu brushed away the watermelon shrapnel.

            “What do you call your goons throwing fruit?” Mu retorted. Flipping her hoodie back, Mu turned to Hattie with a wide grin. “I’ll help protect you while you finish the battle! Us good guys stick together!”

            “Thanks, Mu!” Hattie beamed, feeling relieved that she didn’t need to worry about her Pokémon getting hurt from audience-inflicted hazards.

            Mu saluted before running over to the other side of the pool. She released Torchic from its ball and, together, they stood at the ready as they stared down the audience. Hattie returned her focus to the battle.

            “Keep going, Skiddo!” Hattie encouraged.

            “Whatever! You still can’t hope to beat me!” The Mafia Boss motioned for Wishiwashi to attack. “Wishiwashi, use brine!”

            The wailing Wishiwashi dove into the pool. It resurfaced on to the other side of the raft as Skiddo tethered the ends of the vines together. A swirling blue light churned to life in the back of Wishiwashi’s throat as it took aim.

            “Skiddo, dodge and jump onto the raft, then use shadow blitz!” Hattie cried.

            Skiddo let out a bleat as it crouched. In the split second, it waited for Wishiwashi to expel its water attack. Once the first droplets burst from its mouth, Skiddo leapt into the air and over the stream. Wishiwashi tried to account for its trajectory, but before it could, Skiddo landed onto the Wishiwashi’s face with shadows flittering around its rustling leaves. Wishiwashi let out a sputtering cry as it recoiled and Skiddo dropped down onto the raft. It wobbled, hooves slipping until it found footing on the sturdy vines holding the bobbing melons together.

            “Wishiwashi, use feint attack on the raft! Overturn it!” the Mafia Boss growled.

            “Skiddo, grab onto the raft with a vine and then when it gets close enough, use shadow blitz again!” Hattie countered.

            The waves in the pool rocked the raft while Wishiwashi circled back, ducking its head. A vine whipped out of Skiddo’s mane and anchored itself to the raft while Skiddo got ready to jump. As Wishiwashi rose from the water to try and overturn the raft, Skiddo darted forward and rammed its horns into the Wishiwashi. The Wishiwashi let out a layered collection of wails and dropped back down. The raft bobbed on the sloshing water in the pool, but Skiddo held steady thanks to the vine. The school of Wishiwashi scattered and all but the Mafia Boss’s singular Wishiwashi fled down the drain.

            “Wishiwashi, use tearful look!” The Mafia Boss sounded panicked.

            The small Wishiwashi swam back up to the surface, popping its head out of the water, and giving Skiddo the most pitiful and hurt expression. Its eyes watered and its frown trembled as it squeaked.

            Skiddo’s ears flattened back, but a scowl hardened on its features.

            “Skiddo, use vine whip!” Hattie called, her heart rising to her throat.

            Skiddo cried out before releasing its vines and smacking the Wishiwashi to the side. The fish flipped out of the water before landing back into the pool with a tiny splash. It blubbered in despair, unable to continue battling.

            “Toh!” Ditto pointed to Hattie as the Mafia Boss called back his Wishiwashi, his lips curled up into a sneer.

            “You did great, Skiddo!” Hattie cheered.

            Skiddo looked back at her, its ears perking. Even its tail wagged a bit at her praise.

            “You have done well to make it this far, kid,” the Mafia Boss called, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. He held his next and final pokéball in his hand. “But my last Pokémon will make you bow down before me. Say goodbye to your Pokémon!”

            The horrid sound of scratching metal accompanied the low rumble of the pool cover slowly falling back into place. Hattie jolted as the ground quaked below her and she ordered Skiddo to come back to land. Skiddo scrambled off of the raft and the tethered watermelons were pushed towards the center as the pool closed.

            As the gap closed, the watermelons and other floating fruits were shoved beneath the cover, but the sound of sloshing water and the fruit bumping around could still be heard during the hush before the next battle.

            “It’s time to fight shadow with shadow! Applin! Come out!” The Mafia Boss tossed out his next Pokémon. A small apple-shaped creature with large eyes poking out of the stem let out an enraged cry the moment it appeared on the field.

            “I probably don’t have to say it, but it’s a shadow Pokémon,” Snatcher said as he covered a yawn.

            “You cheater! Only closing the pool when you don’t have a water-type!” Mu shouted over the cheers of the audience behind her.

            “It is my battlefield and therefore my rules!” The Mafia Boss let out laugh that came deep from his belly. “Now prepare yourself, little girl! I will not hold back! Applin, use shadow wave!”

            The small Applin opened its fanged mouth and immediately shot out a wave of shadow that snaked over to Skiddo. Purple smog with crackling black lightning slammed into Skiddo. Skiddo jumped back, shaking its head, but it seemed mostly unaffected by the attack.

            Hattie leaned towards the battlefield, trying to figure out how to proceed. She needed to capture the Applin, but with such a large audience? She could try to use shadow mist again, but she worried about how that would affect Polteageist and Snatcher.

            “What is wrong?” The Mafia Boss quirked an eyebrow when she paused a moment too long. “Are you so terrified of my Applin’s might that you are getting cold feet? If your missing father is as cowardly as you, it’s no wonder he’s disappeared!”

            “What?” Snatcher scoffed. “You disrespect the man! And today, on his daughter’s birthday, no less!”

            Polteageist chimed in with a growl.

            “And if you had anything to do with it, you’ll pay!” Hattie spat, snapping out of her strategizing. “Skiddo! Shadow blitz!”

            Skiddo stamped its hooves against the field before rocketing forward. It slammed into the Applin and it rolled away from the force.

            “There’s that spark!” The Mafia Boss grinned. “Applin! Shadow wave!” He lifted his gaze to Hattie from across the field. “But I told you, I have no idea where your father is!”

            “Then where is he?” Hattie demanded. “Skiddo, dodge and use vine whip!”

            Skiddo attacked after sliding away from the shadow wave. Now that the playing field was even, Skiddo had an easier time landing hits with a swiftness that the tiny Applin couldn’t keep up with. Hattie vaguely wondered why the Applin seemed far less of a challenge than the first two Pokémon, despite being a shadow Pokémon.

            “Careful, kiddo,” Snatcher warned as the Applin rolled away from Skiddo, starting to look a little worse for wear after taking a couple more attacks from Skiddo. “Remember, you need to catch it.”

            “I got it!” Hattie said, reaching into her bag and pulling out an empty pokéball. The Snatch Machine whirled to life, imbuing the pokéball with energy. “This is for Papa!” She lobbed the pokéball over the field and it landed on the Applin. It disappeared into the ball with a scarlet flash.

            “What?” The Mafia Boss’s eyes seemed to bug out of his head while the audience and Mu gasped.

            Whoops. Hattie winced. She had gotten caught up in the moment and forgot that she should probably hide the Snatch Machine’s abilities.

            After the first roll of the pokéball, it snapped open, and the Applin popped out with a scowl. The Mafia Boss visibly relaxed.

            “You can’t just steal another person’s Pokémon!” He roared. “Applin, use shadow wave so we can steal her Pokémon!”

            “Skiddo, use shadow mist!” Hattie glanced back at Polteageist and Snatcher, who were on guard as they watched the audience for movement. “But use a little less!”

            Skiddo nodded as tendrils of smoke and shadow emerged from its mane, rustling its leaves and clouding around it and the Applin.

            “Skiddo, get out of the mist!” Hattie grabbed another pokéball and threw it blindly once Skiddo was out of the sparking cloud.

            “Will you stop?” The Mafia Boss watched in horror as the pokéball disappeared into the smoke and light flashed inside the cloud. He called out to the obscured Applin and a hush fell over the room.

            A muffled ping alerting that the Pokémon had been securely snatched rang out.

            “Skiddo, grab the pokéball!”

            “No!” The Mafia Boss wailed, stomping his feet in rage.

            “Ditto?” Ditto scratched its head as it looked from Hattie to the Mafia Boss and back. It pointed to Hattie.

            Meanwhile, Skiddo darted into the cloud and ran back out with the pokéball in its mouth. It clambered across the battlefield while the audience roared with anger.

            “A deal’s a deal,” Hattie said once Skiddo reached her and nuzzled the pokéball into her hand. She scratched it under the chin as she eyed the Mafia Boss. “Tell me where shadow Pokémon come from.”

            A couple of the Team Mafia members in the audience shouted and booed, refusing to share their secrets, but the Mafia Boss held up his hand to silence them.

            “I have a contact in Noctwowl City,” the Mafia Boss crossed his arms. “The deal is, for every Pokémon we give, we get a shadow Pokémon. But that is all I can tell you. We never see their face and the contact place changes every time.”

            “And,” Hattie hesitated, “You really don’t know what happened to my dad?”

            “Like I have said already, Team Mafia does not kidnap people. I don’t know where he is.”

            Hattie deflated, clutching the pokéball to her chest. She barely noticed as Mu and Torchic darted over. Mu still carried the baseball bat at the ready, watching for any sudden attacks.

            “You have impressed me, little girl,” the Mafia Boss continued. “I’d offer you a chance to join Team Mafia, but something tells me that you are not interested.”

            “Yeah, no.” Hattie deadpanned.

            Snatcher snorted.

            “Instead, I will let you leave Team Mafia’s headquarters without having any of my grunts try to steal your Pokémon or that contraption on your arm.” A few groans came from the audience, but he raised his hand to silence them again. “But if you come back, we will take everything from you.”

            With that, the Mafia Boss motioned for all the grunts in the audience to leave. He crossed over to the referee chair where Ditto changed back into itself before jumping into the Mafia Boss’s arms. The Mafia Boss chuckled, tickling Ditto’s pink, goopy middle as he headed back to his office. While the rest of the Team Mafia members filtered out, Mu whirled around.

            “You can steal Pokémon back from Team Mafia?” she demanded.

            “Ah—” Hattie took a step back, slowly clipping the pokéball onto her belt, “—yeah? I guess?”

            “That was awesome!” Mu cheered, her amber eyes practically glowing as she sidled up against Hattie and put her arm around her shoulders. Mu gestured out into the distance like she wanted Hattie to picture something with her. “Do you know what this means? You can steal back all of the stolen Pokémon. I can help! We’ll join the knights—I even have a cool mask designed already—and travel the region as battle team duo where we rescue Pokémon!”

            “Mu,” Hattie began, ducking out from under her arm and sliding away, “I’m only supposed to use this on shadow Pokémon.”

            “What?” Mu frowned. “But it can be used on any Pokémon, right? What about all the Pokémon Team Mafia stole that aren’t shadow Pokémon? Don’t you think they should be back with their original trainers?”

            “Well, yeah,” Hattie tapped her fingers together.

            She glanced around at the Pokémon around them. Polteageist had lowered itself onto Snatcher’s back, resting now that the danger had passed. Skiddo still seemed on edge, intently watching as the rest of the Mafia members left. And Torchic was nipping its beak under its feathers, letting out faint chirps.

            She reflected on how the Mafia Boss genuinely cared for his Ditto, and how his Ditto loved him.

            “But I don’t know how to tell which Pokémon are stolen or not,” Hattie muttered, “And I’m not supposed to use this machine on anything but shadow Pokémon.”

            “So?” Mu scowled. “You can do what you want! You don’t want to help Pokémon?”

            “It’s not like that,” Hattie tried, giving Mu a pleading look. “Of course, I want to help Pokémon, but I have to find my dad first and then there’s got to be another—”

            “I can’t believe you!” Mu shouted, stomping up to Hattie and pushing to her tip toes so that she towered over her. Hattie shrunk back but held her ground as Mu sputtered incredulously, “You’re so selfish, you know that?”

            “But Mu—”

            “Fine! If you won’t help others, I will!” Mu gave Hattie a shove. Hattie yelped before dropping back onto the carpet.

            “Hey!” Snatcher growled, running over to Hattie as Skiddo let out an irate bleat and flanked her other side. Both leaned over her protectively.

            “Tea!” Polteageist scolded.

            “Good luck finding your dad!” Mu sneered before motioning for Torchic to follow. Hattie watched, dumbfounded, as Mu and Torchic fled. She noticed flashes of red and white in Mu’s hand and quickly checked her backpack.

            “She stole half of the pokéballs!” Hattie cried, scowling.

           “That brat has some anger issues,” Snatcher muttered. “Wha—hey. What’s wrong?” His tone shifted as Hattie flopped back. She let out a sigh as she stared up at the distant lights in the surprisingly decorative ceiling. Skiddo stepped by her head and dipped down, nuzzling her bangs with its snuffling nose.

            “You did great, Skiddo.” Hattie giggled a bit when Skiddo tickled her. She cupped Skiddo’s snout in her hands and gave it gentle scratches. “I’ll take you to the Pokémon center soon, so that you can rest up and recharge.”

            Skiddo nodded before pulling away, ready to go back into its ball. Once Hattie called it back and Skiddo’s pokéball was clipped to her belt again, she let out a sigh.

            “Let’s go.” Hattie pushed herself up and slowly climbed to her feet.

            “The Pokémon center?” Snatcher clarified. Polteageist, with its pot still balanced on his back, leaned forward and propped its arms on Snatcher’s fuzzy head, looking up with large golden eyes.

            “Yeah,” Hattie nodded. “As a first stop. But our next destination is Noctwowl City.”

            “Because you think Luka will be there?” Snatcher trotted beside her. Polteageist started absentmindedly scratching his head and his ears flattened. “Stop that!” He shook Polteageist away and it let out a sad trill. “No! You lost your free-ride privileges!”

            Polteageist snapped its fingers in disappointment before floating up to Hattie. She shook her head at their antics before pulling Polteageist into her embrace.

            “Yeah,” Hattie muttered, hugging Polteageist close as she kept her gaze on the path ahead of them as they navigated out of Team Mafia’s headquarters. “I hope he’s there.”

Chapter Text

            After hitching a ride back down to Mafia Town with one of the Team Mafia grunts, Hattie stopped at the Pokémon center, where the Medic, who was newly reunited with their Audino, was more than happy to treat Hattie’s Pokémon. And while Polteageist and Snatcher hadn’t been in any battles, they were also taken into the back examination rooms for check-ups, just to be safe.

            But Snatcher soon came bolting back right as Hattie was sitting down at one of the window seats.

            “Whoa!” Hattie jumped as he torpedoed onto the seat next to her.

            His mane fluffed up as he curled into a tight bundle of fur, golden eyes glaring at the hallway that led back to the other rooms.

            “What’s wrong?”

            “I hate those cold examination tables,” Snatcher muttered.

            “Why?” Hattie looked up as the Medic’s Audino emerged from the hallway. When it spotted Snatcher, it padded over with a gentle smile.

            “I don’t know,” he snarled. “It’s stupid. I shouldn’t have to have a check-up anyway! I’m fine!”

            “Does amnesia count as fine?” Hattie rose an eyebrow.

            “Shut up!”

            A gentle trill came from the Audino as it paused in front of Snatcher. At its greeting, Snatcher scrambled up onto his paws and edged back into the window, his already fluffy tail and mane puffed up even more.

            “I’m not going back there!” He bared his sharp teeth.

            Audino cooed softly and its elegant pink ears tipped with a gentle cream color wiggled. The cream feelers wound beneath its ears unfurled and reached out. A low growl rumbled in Snatcher’s throat, but he held still as the feelers pressed against his mane, searching around for what Hattie guessed was his heartbeat.

            After a while, Audino tilted its head, its blue eyes dipping in confusion. It trilled and Snatcher looked away.

            “What’s going on?” Hattie watched as the Audino pulled back its feelers that rewound into tight spirals.

            “Nothing,” Snatcher snapped.

            Hattie rose an eyebrow, sensing he wasn’t being truthful, but she couldn’t for the life of her guess what made Audino react with a befuddled expression. As if to answer her question, Audino procured a sitrus berry and placed it in front of Snatcher. Audino then turned to Hattie and waved with a soft trill before heading back to the examination rooms.

            Snatcher eyed the berry with distrust. He sniffed at it before wrinkling his nose and turning away with a huff.

            “You should eat it,” Hattie urged, wondering if he was lacking strength and that was why the Audino had seemed worried.

            “Not hungry.”

            “If you don’t eat it, I’ll take you back to the examination rooms,” Hattie warned.

            His ears pinned back, and he shot her a glare.

            “You wouldn’t.”

            “I would.”

            Snatcher grumbled before laying down in front of the sitrus berry. He tucked his paws under his mane and leaned down to take a small bite. The crisp flesh of the berry snapped as he bit into it and juice dribbled down his chin.

            “Ugh!” His ears drooped as he chewed. His nose wrinkled in disgust.

            “You don’t like sitrus berries?” She thought all Pokémon liked them. Or at least, sitrus berries were supposed to be one of the milder ones in terms of flavor.

            “It’s sour,” he groused as he nibbled.

            “Dad doesn’t like sour foods either.” Hattie kicked her legs absentmindedly. She smiled, thinking about one time she had convinced him to try a super sour candy and to pinky promise not to spit it out. His scrunched-up expression while trying the candy had been priceless.

            “Why do you want to find him so badly?” Snatcher asked, his voice hushed.

            “He’s my dad!” Hattie glanced down, confused by the question.

            “Well, yeah,” Snatcher rolled his eyes, “but most kids would be happy to be on their own. Heck, you were about to go on a Pokémon journey anyway.”

            Hattie blinked and Snatcher tore his golden gaze away. While he said it lightly, and to her it sounded like a poor joke, she could detect an ounce of sincerity in his question.

            “What are you really asking?” She furrowed her brows.

            “I guess I’m wondering if he’s worth all the hassle,” Snatcher replied with a casual shrug. To keep from elaborating, he took another bite of the sitrus berry and made a face.

            “You’re his Pokémon.” She fought to keep the bitter bite out of her tone and failed. “Weren’t you the one looking for him in the first place?”

            “I was because it was the only lead that I had.” He bristled. “But maybe he—” Snatcher turned away and the rest of his thought festered in his throat as a growl.

            “Maybe he what?” Hattie demanded.

            “Maybe he abandoned me!” Snatcher snapped, meeting her gaze with a fierceness that startled her. “Maybe he was part of the group creating shadow Pokémon!”

            “That’s stupid—”

            “Is it?” Snatcher’s tail flicked back and forth in agitation. “Think about it! Team Mafia didn’t know about him. So maybe he got caught by the Knights!”

            “But then he wouldn’t be a missing person case,” Hattie retorted.

            Snatcher’s ears flattened as he hesitated.

            “Maybe, but—”

            “Look,” Hattie cut him off. “I know you don’t have any memory, but Papa is a good person. He would never abandon you.”

            Snatcher took another bite of the sitrus berry. His features twisted at the sour taste and he pushed it away before resting his head on his paws.

            “I guess you can see for yourself when we find him,” Hattie relented and leaned back against the window. She had calmed down from the initial slander he slung at her dad, but she supposed it was a fair fear. He and her dad probably hadn’t even spent all that much time together before Snatcher had lost his memory. Still, it hurt what he said, about being abandoned.

            She knew her dad would never leave Snatcher or her and Polteageist on purpose—she knew that—but she was still scared that he had been taken to a place where she could not follow.

            They sat in silence then, until the Medic returned with her pokéballs and Polteageist chirping merrily. She thanked the Medic, and they shook their hand dismissively as they leaned on their staff.

            “It’s my duty to help nurse Pokémon to full health. And you, little one, have a long journey ahead,” the Medic said in a soft voice. Audino ambled over, holding out a basket of fresh berries for Hattie. “It seems even Audino hopes to offer aid.” They placed their gloved hand onto the Audino’s head and stroked its soft fur. Audino purred contentedly as it nuzzled into their touch.

            “Are you sure?” Hattie slid the backpack off of her shoulders and slung it around and onto her lap. “There’s so many!”

            “We grow a garden,” the Medic explained. Though their mask hid their features, Hattie imagined that they were smiling. “So, we do have plenty to share. But I think meeting your shadow Pokémon has concerned Audino.”

            “Are they okay?” Hattie quickly paused from her task of tucking the berries into her backpack to glance at her belt where her snatched Pokémon were safely in their pokéballs. She winced at her phrasing. “I mean, besides being shadow Pokémon.”

            “Don’t fret,” the Medic said, “they are healthy and well on their way to opening their hearts in your company, I believe. It’s just that Audino can sense heartbeats with its feelers in order to assess a Pokémon’s physical health or their emotional needs.” They scratched closer to Audino’s ears and one of the said feelers unfurled before lacing around the Medic’s wrist. “Audino can’t sense the feelings of shadow Pokémon, however, and I believe that is what unsettled it.”

            “Oh.” Hattie nodded. “Makes sense!”

            “May I ask where you’re heading next?” The Medic tilted their head.

            “Noctwowl City,” Hattie answered, collecting the final berries and slinging the backpack back over her shoulders.

            “That’s where the library is,” the Medic reminded. “Keep the badge close. It will lead you to answers I think will prove useful. But do be careful on route four. There are rumors of an unsavory character lurking about.”

            “Got it,” Hattie pushed to her feet. “Now, do you know where I can find some candy?”

            A surprised snort came from behind the mask, but they nodded.

            “I can point you in the right direction,” they chuckled.

            The sun was beginning to set by the time Hattie had found the candy store and purchased perhaps far too much candy for even to stomach. Her backpack bulged with treats as she made her way towards the gate that led to route four.

            “Don’t you want to stay at the hotel, again?” Snatcher griped as he hurried beside her. “You’ll have plenty of chances to camp later, but the hotel is right there!” He pointed a paw towards the skyline where, indeed, the hotel that they had stayed at the previous night could be seen.

            “What’s the matter?” Hattie pulled Polteageist into a hug as they walked. “Afraid of the dark? Maybe we can get you to evolve into an Umbreon so you won’t be scared!”

            “I’m not scared!” Snatcher snapped. “It’s just one of us is stuck running around on short legs to keep up and without floaty powers, no less!”

            “Oh, I’m sorry.” Hattie slowed down. “You know that I can carry you, right?”

            Polteageist leaned out of the teapot and trilled encouragingly, offering to give up its spot.

            “I don’t want to be carried around,” Snatcher growled. “I’m fine! I’ll just be sore in the morning.”

            Polteageist tilted its head back, catching its lid in its hand as it met Hattie’s equally concerned gaze. It trilled out “geist” in a way that almost sounded like “yikes.”

            Snatcher just let out a huff, keeping his eyes down and kicking at rocks as they continued onward.

            While Hattie felt a little bad for keeping Snatcher from a cozy bed, she didn’t feel bad enough for it to deter her. Once they crossed through the gate that led to route four, the dusty desert stretched out before them.

            The route itself took a sharp turn to the left just a little ways ahead, but for camping, there was a path to the right that led to a hushed clearing. There, the boarder was marked off by small stones and a couple of unlit firepits were scattered about for groups to set up camp. Surprisingly, there was only one tent set up at the far edge of the clearing, with a man wearing a torn, blue suit crouched in front of a deconstructed telescope, piecing it together. An Elgyem with a large pale turquoise head and blinking lights on its hands floated by the man.

            Hattie had expected more people to be out camping but having the clearing mostly to themselves was nice too.

            While the purple-pink sunset painted the desert around them in an orange glow, Hattie got to work setting up camp. Polteageist helped with the tent and Snatcher even went searching for firewood, but soon enough, he limped back with no firewood, a cactus thorn caught in his paw, and an increasingly irate attitude.

            “Why did you touch the cactus?” Hattie asked in exasperation as she paused her task of rolling out sleeping bags to tend to his wound.

            “I didn’t!” Snatcher grumbled. “I just walked too close to it and there had been a discarded thorn on the—ow!” His ears sprang up the second Hattie plucked the thorn out of his paw. She quickly applied some Pokémon-safe ointment and wrapped his paw up.

            “Is that better?” She asked, releasing his paw.

            “Yeah.” Snatcher investigated the wrapping before putting his paw down. The second weight pressed against his wound, his paw recoiled as his nose crinkled.

            “Looks like you’ll need to stay off your paw a bit. You sit tight with Polteageist and I’ll go get some firewood.” Hattie began, starting to push up from the gravelly ground.

            “Excuse Mafia,” a familiar voice called from the other edge of camp.

            Hattie jumped as she whirled around, surprised to find a Team Mafia grunt but with the same bowtie and spiral goggles that the Mafia Boss’s Ditto had transformed into. He held a bundle of firewood in his burly arms and his Elgyem hovered behind him.

            “Mafia overheard little girl. Mafia have plenty of firewood to share.” He walked over and offered the bundle of sticks in his arms.

            “Oh, thank you?” Hattie accepted the bundle, carefully cradling the wood to avoid getting a splinter.

            “Little girl is here for the meteor shower, yes?” The Mafia grunt’s voice pitched into an excited octave. “Mafia tried to get other Mafia to come, but other Mafia just call Mafia goofy,” he sighed.

            Elgyem patted his shoulder empathetically.

            “Meteor shower?” Snatcher echoed.

            “Yes!” Hattie nodded, relaxing once the Mafia grunt before her seemed to be kinder than the other grunts. “They’re my favorite!”

            “Right?” The Mafia grunt hunched over, excitedly gesturing with his hands. “Little girl has great taste! Mafia and Elgyem always like to watch meteor showers. Someday Mafia hope to work up the courage to go to mountains where aliens land!”

            “Aliens?” Hattie glanced over at the Elgyem over his shoulder. It stared back with blank green eyes. If she stared too long, she thought she heard television static buzzing. She tore her gaze away, blinking.

            “Yes! Elgyem and Mafia have been searching for aliens ever since Mafia find Elgyem in meteor crash in the desert.” He waved his hand over towards the expanse of darkening landscape. Purple mountains obscured the distant horizon as the sun dipped down. “Clearly, aliens shaped like pink stars attacked Elgyem! Mafia nursed Elgyem back to health and now Mafia keep a lookout for other aliens to make sure other people and Pokémon don’t get hurt like Elgyem.”

            Hattie blinked at the mention of pink stars.

            “You mean Clefairy?”

            “Shhh!” The Mafia grunt jumped and looked around frantically. When he didn’t see anything that would cause further alarm, he let out a sigh of relief.

            “Pink aliens are dangerous! Little girl should not be fooled by their cuteness.”

            “Right.” Hattie nodded, going along with whatever he said as she tried not to smirk, especially considering that she was pretty sure she had heard rumors that Elgyem come from space, too. “Well, thank you for the firewood.”

            “Mafia is happy to help! Mafia brought too much, anyway. Little girl can come to Mafia for any supplies.” He waved before crossing back over to his tent.

            “I think that guy has a few screws loose,” Snatcher muttered. While Hattie set to placing some of the logs into the fire pit, he limped closer to the pit, watching her features. “So. Meteor shower. Is that why you didn’t want to stay in the hotel?”

            “Papa and I were supposed to go on a camping trip for my birthday,” Hattie responded. She glanced over at the Mafia grunt who was still struggling with the telescope. Lowering her voice into a whisper, she added, “he was going to help me catch a Clefairy as my partner.”

            Snatcher was looking down at his wrapped paw when she looked up.

            “It’ll try to make sure we stay in hotels or Pokémon centers when we get the chance from now on,” she offered in an attempt to extend an olive branch.

            “Don’t worry on my account,” Snatcher forced a smirk. “It’s your journey.”

            Hattie frowned at that. She didn’t know what to make of Snatcher yet. She had assumed his cranky attitude had stemmed from the fact that he lost his memory, but lately she had a sneaking suspicion that something else troubling him. He was closed up tighter than even shadow Pokémon, though! It might take awhile before she could get him to confide in her.

            While the sun disappeared behind the mountains and stars pinpricked the sky that held swirls of violet and rich blues, Hattie got a fire going and Polteageist immediately set up their kettle and began boiling water. Hattie set out bowls full of Pokémon food and the poké puffs she had purchased from Cat’s bakery earlier, and then called out the shadow Pokémon. Skiddo and Yamper greeted each other cautiously before deciding they felt indifferent towards each other, and Applin avoided everyone. Hattie had to move its bowl and treats over to its secluded corner by the tent so that it would eat.

            Snatcher wrinkled his nose at the poke food. Hattie was too tired to argue, so she just handed him a couple berries to help fill him up with the poké puff. Meanwhile, Polteageist trilled happily as it munched on a piece of kibble and tended the tea.

            With everyone fed, Hattie pulled out a bag of gummies shaped like Wurmple that all varied in color and fruity flavor.

            “You gonna eat anything a bit more substantial, kiddo?” Snatcher quirked a brow.

            “Nope.” Hattie chomped into another gummy for emphasis.

            “Don’t tell me that Luka’s such a saint that he lets you eat candy for dinner.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

            Hattie shook her head, staring up at the night sky. The first shooting star zipped across the sky and the bag crinkled under her grip.

            “We made a pinky promise,” she said quietly, gaze tracing the galaxies swirling above them. “If he didn’t take me camping on my birthday, I got to eat as much candy as I want.” She tossed the last half of the gummy into her mouth.

            “He didn’t think to put some parameters on that one?” Snatcher asked dryly.

            “He can nag about how much I eat.” Hattie shrugged.

            A silence stretched out as the weight of the unspoken absence suffocated the atmosphere; Luka couldn’t nag her if he wasn’t there.  

            Polteageist trilled to break through the cumbersome tension, delivering tea to both Hattie and Snatcher. The other Pokémon weren’t interested in the tea, but as Hattie sipped her warm drink, Skiddo did crawl closer before laying down near her. Yamper curled up near the fire but away from everyone, and Applin leaned against the tent as it settled in for the night.

            The bitterness of the tea was a welcome counter to the sweets she had stubbornly decided to eat for dinner. Polteageist lowered into her lap with its own cup. Yamper and Applin had fallen asleep, but Skiddo was gazing up at the stars, a pensive look painting its features. Snatcher rested his head next to his drained teacup. His ears flopped onto the ground as he glanced up at the sky, quietly watching.

            Once the meteor shower began, and the Mafia grunt cheered once his telescope was complete, Hattie closed her eyes and made the same wish on a hundred shooting stars.

Chapter Text

            “It’s a whole new world we live in,” Hattie’s toothbrush sang with a twinge of reverb as she brushed her teeth. “It’s a whole new way to see.”

            Luka stood beside her, also brushing his teeth but with a far less musical one. He sleepily rubbed at the gunk in his eyes and pushed his disheveled bangs away from his features.

            Hattie started to pull the toothbrush out of her mouth and Luka startled to attention.

            “Kiddo,” he garbled through a mouthful of minty paste, “ya know ya haffa brush fo th’ whofe song.”

            She glanced up at him with her big blue eyes drooping with a frown. Not taking her eyes off of his, she slowly leaned over the sink, waiting to see if he would stop her as she spit out her mouthful of bubblegum flavored toothpaste.

            “But I’m done!” She smiled, pointing at her mouth that held a mismatch collection of her baby and growing adult teeth, which was perfectly normal for a five-year-old. She even had a loose tooth near the back, getting looser by each day.

            He spit out his own mouthful to speak clearly. He tried hard not to smile in fear of undermining his authority when he straightened and got ready to put his foot down.

            “We need to brush for two entire minutes to keep our teeth healthy! See? Adults need to brush too!” He flashed his teeth before pointedly brushing his toothbrush back and forth.

            “But it’s so boring,” Hattie huffed.

            “But you still ‘Gotta catch ‘em all!” Her toothbrush still played, filling the hotel bathroom with crackling music. “And be the best that you can be!”

            “I know,” Luka offered sympathetically. “But that’s why we got the musical toothbrush. And if your teeth aren’t healthy, you can’t eat candy.”

            “What?” Hattie’s already large eyes grew even larger. He chuckled, reaching over and ruffling her hair.

            “It’s true! If you get cavities, you can’t eat sweet things without it hurting.” He did not mention the countless cavities he had gotten throughout his own lifetime, having an incurable sweet tooth himself.

            Thankfully, that was enough to get Hattie to vigorously brushing again. Soon her brushing matched the beat of the song and she started tapping her feet and bobbing her head. Luka cracked a grin at that, watching as her proper toothbrushing form dissolved into just barely running the bristles across her front teeth. But he held his tongue. He could always reiterate better form later.

            “Poltea!” Polteageist floated into the bathroom with pout by the time both Luka and Hattie had rinsed out their mouths.

            Hattie, though she still needed to brush her hair, bounded out of the bathroom. He hoped she was getting dressed, at least, but somehow, he doubted that was the case. He turned his attention to Polteageist.

            “Morning,” Luka quickly covered a yawn as his partner floated over. At Polteageist’s crossed arms and perturbed expression, Luka tilted his head. “Everything alright?”

            Polteageist trilled with frustration as Luka reached for his hairbrush. While he worked on untangling his bedhead, he tried to think of what could be agitating Polteageist.

            “If you want some tea, there’s a couple complimentary bags next to the coffee maker,” Luka offered.

            Polteageist’s glare narrowed.

            “Ah, not your cup of tea?” Luka flashed a wide smile at his pun.

            Polteageist growled and looked away with a huff, its lid that it always wore as a hat wavering on its head.

            “Alright, alright,” Luka sighed as he tidied up his bangs, “you’re right. We should have packed our own, but I was worried about carrying too much.”

            Especially in Mafia Town. While this wasn’t their first visit and the worst trouble Luka had ever run into was an occasional battle with a Team Mafia member, he still fretted every time he traveled there with Hattie and Polteageist.

            But one thing the town had going for it was that she had always hated it. He didn’t expect he would run into Vanessa in Mafia Town, and that was a great source of a comfort.

            “We can pick up some tea after the interview,” Luka promised. “Think you can wait that long?”

            Polteageist huffed but its spiraling eyes softened. It nodded and Luka reached down to give it a gentle scratch where its chin might have been. Polteageist chirped in delight, nuzzling into the touch, and Luka felt himself relax.

            Once Luka had changed out of his Pumpkaboo-patterned pajamas and into a freshly pressed dress-shirt and suit pants, he fumbled with his tie as he walked out into the main hotel room.

            “Alright, Hattie, you need to get changed so we can eat breakfast,” he mumbled with his chin down. Ugh. He guessed he was more worried about the interview than he thought. His hands were shaking, and it made fastening the tie more of a chore than usual. But when he was answered with silence, he glanced up from his tangled accessory and frowned. Both unmade beds with wrinkled sheets were empty. “Hattie?”

            “Rawwh!” Hattie leapt up from behind the furthest bed with a fluffy pillow in each hand. “A wild Swablu attacked!” She jumped up onto the bed, flapping her pillows as she stumbled on the mattress, before leaping off the bed and darting over to Luka.

            “Oh no!” Luka raised his arms defensively as she whacked him with pillows. “Not a wild Swablu! I’m just a humble traveler with no Pokémon to defend me!” He started to reach for the pillows on the nearest bed, but Hattie batted his arm.

            “You’re trapped!” Hattie declared before jumping up and slamming a pillow into his chest.

            “Oh, you got me!” Luka clutched his chest, stumbling back. “What a formidable take down!” He dropped down onto the bed, faking a cough. “I fear I’ve been done in! I see a ghastly light of a Spiritomb, come to take my poor soul! Tell my darling Hattie that I love her.” He lifted his arm into the air, grasping at nothing, before letting it fall limp and closing his eyes.

            His eyes shot open again as he made direct eye-contact with Hattie, who was giggling behind her pillows.

            “Oh, but do make sure Hattie brushes her teeth, okay Swablu?” He lowered his head back down. “And one more thing!” He shot back up.

            Hattie’s giggles burst into full on laughter at his antics.

            “Make sure Polteageist gets some quality tea, would you? Excellent, thank you.” He lowered back down and shifted into a more comfortable position as he placed his hands on his stomach. “Alright, I’m ready for Arceus to take me. Bluh,” he added some flair by opening his mouth and letting his tongue stick out.

            Hattie laughed as she dropped her pillows.

            “Swablu used heal pulse!” Hattie jumped directly onto his stomach and he gasped as she knocked the wind from him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him in a hug.

            “Heal pulse?” Luka wheezed, gently shifting to a sitting position. “I didn’t know a Swablu could use that move!”

            “I’m a magic Swablu!” Hattie explained with a matter-of-fact tone.

            “Magic?” Luka marveled, grinning mischievously as he lifted his arms. “Then I guess I have no choice but to—capture it!”

            He seized her before she could escape, and she let out a yelp as he crouched over and blew raspberries on her stomach. She squealed before dissolving into a fit of contagious laughter.

            “I’ve snatched the Swablu!” he cheered as he straightened.

            “The Snatcher of Pokémon has claimed another victim!” Hattie flopped back in his arms dramatically. “I didn’t stand a chance!”

            “But you put up a valiant fight!” Luka encouraged, nuzzling his nose against hers. “Now it’s time for this little Swablu to get dressed.”

            “Aw.” Hattie rolled off of his lap and dropped to her feet. Luka instinctively held out his hands to catch her if she stumbled, but she scrambled over to her small suitcase to pick out an outfit without a care.

            Smiling, Luka stepped over to the mirror to finish fixing his tie. Polteageist joined him by the mirror, working to gently smooth out his shirt that got fussed during the roughhousing. Once he and Hattie were both dressed, Luka took her hand and led her down to the hotel lobby with Polteageist hovering behind them.

            Polteageist and Hattie always seemed to enjoy trips out of Rift Town. Hattie had an adventurous spirit, even so young, and Polteageist often marveled at just about everything in towns, having grown up in the secluded mountains of Subcon’s forest. Luka found their awe and wonder at the smallest things comforting. He had to hide his smile behind his paper cup of weak tea as he watched the two interact with the lobby’s waffle maker with the same amount of excitement as their first time.

            The two did make a mess in which they overestimated how much batter could fit in the maker multiple times. Luka was quick to clean up after them, but he withheld chastising when they proudly walked over their stack of waffles back to their table.

            Still, when they finally left the hotel and began weaving through the streets, Luka’s heartrate quickened, and his hand held onto Hattie firmly. The last thing he wanted was for her to wander off and get lost, or hurt, or trapped, or kidnapped, or chained up somewhere cold, or—

            “Papa, your hand’s too tight,” Hattie whined.

            “Sorry!” Luka immediately loosened his grip. “Are you okay?”

            “Mmhmm!” Hattie nodded, perking up already as she skipped over the cracks in the sidewalk.

            Luka let out a breath he had been holding.

            Polteageist trilled softly by his ear, and Luka flashed it a smile that told it not to worry. He was okay. Polteageist nodded, but hovered close.

            The walk was short to the attorney building. Luka was able to leave Hattie and Polteageist with a daycare service near the front and received a short spiel about the services and how many employees relied on the discounted childcare provided. Luka listened politely, accepting whatever flyers were pushed into his hand as his gaze repeatedly flickered over to Hattie and Polteageist, who were already playing on one of the foam structures.

            It seemed like the perfect option for them for when he would be busy with work—if he got the job, of course—but he still wasn’t sure he wanted to move to Mafia Town. And if he primarily worked remotely, part of him still felt Hattie and Polteageist would be safer staying in Rift Town when he needed to commute.

            If, for whatever reason, he was separated from her again, he wanted her to be at home, where MJ and Prim could take care of her.

            It was a challenge to pull away from the daycare, more out of concern for Hattie and Polteageist than anything else, but eventually he managed and summoned his most professional countenance as he met with the hiring manager.

            Firm handshake and greeting. Dazzling smile. Happily answer questions about work ethic and exude confidence in rising to any challenge. Graciously accept praise for test scores and stellar GPA. Don’t falter when asked about the frightfully long gap in schooling. Keep the answers vague. Family matters arose that needed tending to.

            When the manager assumes family matters translates to something as simple as starting a family and reiterates similar company benefits the daycare worker shared, go along with it. The interview’s almost over. Just keep calm and keep moving forward.

            Like always.

            Finally, the interview ended and when Luka left the office and gently shut the door behind him, he let out sigh. He thought it went well! But all of his energy had been drained like he was being haunted by a Gengar. He would receive a call at the end of the week letting him know whether he got the job or not, but for now, he could spend the rest of the day just wandering around the town with Hattie and Polteageist.

            When Luka went to pick up Hattie and Polteageist, the daycare worker offered to let them stay longer if Luka wanted to run errands. They meant well and he had the feeling that they were just trying to show how valuable their service was, but he politely declined as Hattie and Polteageist tore out of the daycare area and into the empty lobby. While he signed her out, he barely heard Hattie’s energetic scrambling up onto the lobby’s couch to reach for something on the bookshelf.

            “Oh! Dear!” The daycare worker gasped. The fear in her eyes caused Luka to whirl around.

            “Hattie!” His heart leapt to his throat.

            Hattie had used the couch’s armrest to get enough height to investigate one of the higher shelves of the bookcase beside it. She was on her tiptoes as she leaned over and held onto one of the shelves as she reached for a decorative ornament shaped like a Clefairy next to a thick and heavy looking bookend. Polteageist chirped anxiously, floating around her head to try and get her to stop. But her blindly reaching fingers brushed against the bookend, and when her feet slipped from the couch, she grabbed onto the bookend to steady herself, but it only came down with her.

            “Polteageist! Protect!” Luka slid across the floor to catch Hattie while Polteageist leapt between her and the tumbling books.

            Polteageist swiftly took off its lid and held it like a shield as a lavender light bloomed out like a protective bubble. Luka caught Hattie in his embrace, and she landed in his arms with a squeak. He ducked over her as books thumped against Polteageist’s shield. Once the books stopped falling and Luka felt it was safe, he looked up, though kept Hattie’s head cradled against his chest.

            “Thank you, Polteageist,” Luka breathed.

            The lavender light faded out and Polteageist placed its lid back on its head as it turned around and saluted.

            “Hattie, are you alright?” He brushed her bangs out of her startled expression. When her sky-blue eyes met his gaze, her lip trembled.

            “I’m sorry!” Hattie cried, burying her face into his suit. She still had the bookend in her hand and the other gripped his suit while she cried and tried to choke out an explanation about wanting to see the star. Luka assumed she meant the Clefairy decoration.

            “Oh no, do I need to grab ice?” The daycare worker asked, running over.

            “It’s okay,” Luka soothed towards Hattie before glancing up at the worker. “I think she’s just startled.”

            But still, he ought to doublecheck.

            “Hattie, heart, does anything hurt?” he asked gently, slowly reaching for the bookend that her fist was clenched around tightly. He softly encouraged her to let go and once her grip released, he handed it to the worker before examining Hattie’s head for any bumps. When she shook her head to answer that nothing hurt and he couldn’t find any bumps or bruises, he relaxed.

            “You’re okay, you’re safe,” he soothed, rubbing her back as she gasped through tears. “But this is why you ask for help if you can’t reach something, right?”

            Her grip on his suit tightened but her breathing seemed to be getting steadier through her dwindling cries.

            “I’m sorry about that,” Luka slowly pushed to his feet as he continued to cradle Hattie.

            “Nothing to worry about,” the daycare worker waved their hand dismissively. “I’m just glad that she’s okay.”

            “Pol!” Polteageist cheered as it used ghostly energy to help put all the books back. Once it finished, the daycare worker slid the bookend next to them to keep them in place.

            “Hattie,” Luka brushed back her hair. She tilted her head up, her cheeks streaked with tears. While he reached into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief, he added, “could you please apologize?” He glanced towards the worker pointedly.

            “I’m sorry for making a mess,” Hattie said in a wavering voice.

            “It’s alright,” they offered a small smile. “Just be careful in the future.”

            Hattie nodded as she turned back towards Luka, withdrawing tighter than a Shellder.

            Luka apologized once more before bidding the worker goodbye. While he navigated through the building, he dabbed the corner of his handkerchief against his tongue to wet it before wiping off Hattie’s cheeks. She crinkled her nose while sniffling.

            “I’m glad you’re safe,” he said in a hushed voice, trying to remain calm despite how his heartrate remained spiked from the fear of books crushing her. He flipped the handkerchief to a dry edge and held it to her nose, “blow, please.”

            She blew her nose as he held the handkerchief. After one more for good measure, he wiped away any excess before tucking the handkerchief into his back pocket. She sniffled one more time and while her tears had stopped, she still looked upset.

            “How about,” he began as he shared a glance with Polteageist, “we stop at the tea shop and then the ice cream parlor? We can take our ice cream to the town square and watch the geyser!” He flashed a smile, hoping to cheer her with promise of sweet treats.

            “Ice cream?” Hattie perked up almost immediately. “Can we go to the one with the Milcery?”

            “Absolutely!” It was the only ice cream parlor he knew of that wasn’t run by Team Mafia, but a kindly old couple who had been there for years. Therefore, it was the only ice cream he trusted to taste delightful and also that wouldn’t put him and Hattie in the hospital.

            Polteageist trilled with excitement and flew forward. Hattie squirmed until Luka set her down and she squealed as she chased after Polteageist. Fear sparked in Luka’s chest as his family darted ahead, but he tried to swallow it as he picked up his pace.

            “Look where you’re going!” He kept his tone light despite his desperation.

            Luckily, Hattie halted and looked back over her shoulder.

            “Hurry, Papa!” She hopped on her feet as she waited for him. When he reached her side, she grabbed his hand and yanked him forward. She started listing off all the flavors she wanted while Polteageist chimed in, twirling in the air in joy. Luka cracked a grin, relaxing.

            This precious family of his always gave him a reason to keep moving forward and in return, he would do everything to protect them.

Chapter Text

            Snatcher slept through the morning. No matter how many times Hattie or Polteageist poked or prodded him, he flopped his ears over his eyes and turned away, grumbling about Swablu in his sleep. With a shrug, Hattie decided to let him be while she and the others ate breakfast and then she cleaned up camp. When she had to roll up the sleeping bag and tent, she asked Skiddo if Snatcher could ride on its back. Skiddo nodded, scrambling to its hooves and standing stoically. Hattie gave it a grateful pat, wondering how much of its quick response was the fact that it was still a shadow Pokémon or if it genuinely wanted to help.

            With Snatcher curled up on the rustling leaves that lined Skiddo’s back, Hattie was able to quickly tuck everything away with Polteageist’s help. She called back Yamper and Applin, and, after waving goodbye at the Mafia goon who was just waking up, they headed out.

            Route four passed through the desert and followed old train tracks. There were even a couple times where the route would cut across the tracks and the appropriate signs warned travelers against railroad crossings. Hattie had been through the route a few times, though her dad often avoided going beyond Mafia Town, so their trips were primarily kept to the beach or Southern Subcon forest that was near Rift Town. But no matter how many times she traveled through the desert, she hadn’t ever seen a train.

            Occasionally, a breeze would blow through and they would pause as dust kicked up around them. Hattie avoided wild Pokémon, keeping an eye out for pale rocks shaped like the crescent moon or orange rocks shaped like the sun. She could see groups of Sandile scampering around the cracked earth, and a few edged closer to the route, hiding in the pale, scarce shrubbery. Cacnea played in the shade of cacti and Trapinch could be seen with their noses sticking out of the dirt.

            But one thing that Hattie found odd, was that she couldn’t see any trainers.

            Usually, routes would be full of other Pokémon trainers who were itching for battles. She remembered her dad would often be challenged when they traveled, whether by youngsters who just wanted to have fun or ace trainers with plans of traveling to a region with an official Pokémon League. And Hattie, who had always dreamed of going on her own journey, always begged her dad and Polteageist to accept the challenge. Win or lose, it was fun to watch her dad effortlessly work with Polteageist. The trust between the two was unmatched! And it was partly why Hattie wanted to be a trainer in the first place. Nothing seemed like it could come between a trainer and their Pokémon.

            And yet, despite remembering a few battles taking place on this route, Hattie found the desert more desolate than usual. Trudging through the sand, she didn’t worry about it until they came to a broken-down train stop with an old, copper-colored train rusted into the tracks.

            The wind howled unnaturally against the peeling metal. The train stop was a cramped structure with crumbling walls. Inside, tucked in the shadow of the dilapidated roof, a ticket stand with shattered glass panes stood next to a little shop with a crooked sign boasting coffee for sale. Outside of the train stop, the door to the one of the train cars was open, and sand caked the entry into the passenger car. A fluttering curtain could be seen through the opening.

            “Poltea?” Polteageist shivered, crouching down into its pot.

            “Was this always here?” Hattie muttered, stepping towards the train stop.

            “Ski!” Skiddo tapped the ground anxiously. Hattie felt something wrap around her wrist and she jumped before seeing it was just one of Skiddo’s vines, gently tugging her back to the path.

            The fact that both Skiddo and Polteageist seemed frightened by the train stop caused Hattie’s own uneasiness to grow.

            “Alright, we can keep going.” Though she couldn’t help but keep staring at the stop and try to see into any of the train windows. Her curiosity was piqued, but the fact that she didn’t recognize the structure and that there weren’t any other trains around was enough to convince her that they should keep walking.

            But she was totally coming back after she found her dad.

            They were just about leave the cool shade of the stop behind when a flash of movement flashed in the corner of Hattie’s eye. She turned, right as a Mandibuzz—the Bone Vulture Pokémon—swooped down towards Skiddo and the still sleeping Snatcher.

            “Skiddo! Look out!” Hattie darted towards them.

            Bleating in fright, Skiddo whirled around just as the Mandibuzz flew over and caught Snatcher in its claws.

            “Snatcher!” Hattie screamed just as the poor Eevee startled awake.

            “Wha—Ah! Kid!” he screeched as he dangled by his scruff from the Mandibuzz’s claws. “Help!” He kicked his legs frantically.

            “Skiddo, use vine whip!” Hattie pleaded.

            Skiddo jumped into action, whipping out its vines. The vines shot through the air and towards the Mandibuzz, but it merely let out a haggard screech before diving down towards the other side of the stop, evading the vines.

            “Let’s go!” Hattie bolted through the stop and watched as the Mandibuzz tore into the open train car and disappeared past the curtain.

            “Tea!” Polteageist cried as it floated after Hattie.

            Skiddo cried out in determination as it followed them.

            Hattie stumbled over the crumbling wall of the stop and flung herself up the stairs leading into the train car. Her sneakers slipped on sand and she slammed her hand against the wall to stay upright.

            “Snatcher!” she yelled, darting through the curtain and kicking up a cloud of dust. It momentarily blinded her and caught in her throat and she hacked into her elbow.

            “Kid!” Snatcher called once the cloud dissipated. Hattie gasped.

            At the end of the train car that looked more like a child’s hideout with pillows, patched up quilts and poké dolls, and fairy lights strung around the tunnel of fabric, stood not a Mandibuzz, but a strange looking figure who held Snatcher at the end of a long, billowing sleeve.

            “They’re a shapeshifter!” Snatcher warned as he kicked and bucked.

            “A shapeshifter?” Hattie repeated, blinking at the figure on the other end of the room. The figure was dressed in an outfit with sleeves that billowed out and pitch-black pants there were tucked into red boots. Their shirt was an amalgamation of different kinds of fabric and colors, though the colors mostly ranged from shades of black with the occasional scarlet thread or gentle teal patch. Their hood that obscured their features had black, triangular ears protruding from it.

            “They were the Mandibuzz and then they turned into a weird lady and now this!” Snatcher pushed his front paws against the Shapeshifter’s grip.

            “Tell me,” the voice of strange figure seemed to echo through Hattie’s thoughts, “is this your Pokémon?” Their voice was eerie and held a lightness that thinly veiled a taunt.

            “He’s my dad’s Pokémon, now let him go!” Hattie retorted.

            Polteageist and Skiddo chimed in, crouching as they got ready to attack.

            The figure let out a childish giggle, bringing their other hand to where their mouth might be. Again, even their laugh did not seem to come from the far end of the train. It was as if it just flittered through Hattie’s mind.

            Hattie felt goosebumps rise on her arms.

            “Don’t fret,” the Shapeshifter giggled, dropping Snatcher without warning.

            Snatcher yelped and somewhere in his fall, the crown clip popped off. Panicked, Snatcher darted over to Hattie. With his bangs covering his eyes, he ended up slamming into her ankle. He squeaked, ducking down and covering his head with his paws, groaning.

            “Snatcher!” Hattie knelt. “Are you okay?”

            “Just peachy—don’t touch me,” he growled when one of his golden eyes peeking through his bangs noticed her reaching hand.

            “Sorry,” Hattie grumbled. At least he was still his grouchy self.

            She straightened as Skiddo and Polteageist edged forward, still in crouched positions as they stood and floated protectively in front of Snatcher. Hattie shot a glare at the Shapeshifter, who was stooping down to grab the crown clip.

            “What was all of that for?”

            “Apologies, friend.” The Shapeshifter waved the crown clip in the air and began walking over. “But a friend of mine lost her beloved Eevee. I’m afraid I’ve been looking for her Eevee and mistook your partner there for him.

            Snatcher huffed, blowing on his bangs and causing them to flutter out.

            “Is that why you turned into the lady?” Hattie guessed, squinting.

            As the shapeshifter drew closer, she could only make out a pair of bright teal eyes under the hood. Everything else was shrouded in shadow.

            “Your—Snatcher, yes? He didn’t recognize her face.” The Shapeshifter reached them and Polteageist fluttered forward, crossing its arms as it glared at the Shapeshifter.

            “So, you really can shapeshift?” Hattie tried not to let her rising curiosity show. The Shapeshifter winked.

            “Something like that. Now, I believe this crown belongs to—” they paused as they held it out, glancing down at the writing on the clip. “Luka Andersen?”

            “That’s my dad,” Hattie held out her hand.

            “Is he now?” The Shapeshifter’s voice held a smile. Their eyes flickered to Snatcher before back to Hattie as they gingerly placed the crown clip on her palm. They ignored Polteageist’s glare as they leaned around it. “And where is your father?”

            “Dad’s… missing.” Hattie crouched down and fixed Snatcher’s bangs. He avoided eye-contact as she tucked his fur back.

            “I’m sorry to hear that. Pardon me for all the questions, but if this little fella is wearing your dad’s clip, then—”

            “Oh, Snatcher is dad’s Pokémon,” Hattie answered.

            “You don’t have to answer them, kid,” Snatcher growled.

            “Don’t be a grump!” Hattie reprimanded. “They didn’t mean any harm.”

            Though she did note that Polteageist and Skiddo still seemed on edge.

            “Do you understand him?” The Shapeshifter asked with surprise.

            “Oh, yeah.” Hattie pushed back to her feet but then realization struck. “Wait, you can too? How?”

            The Shapeshifter giggled, lifting their sleeve to where their mouth might have been.

            “It seems there are so many mysteries surrounding you and your Eevee!” The Shapeshifter chortled. Once their laughing died down, they dropped their sleeve and stepped back, tilting their head. The triangular ears on their hood seemed to twitch as if they were real. “But if you can understand each other, surely this fella knows where Luka is?”

            Snatcher’s ears flattened and he turned away, sticking his nose in the air.

            “He lost his memory,” Hattie explained.

            “Kid!” Snatcher sneered, “don’t go sharing my medical history around!”

            Another burst of laughter escaped the Shapeshifter as they leaned back. Their shoulders shook and they placed a sleeve over their chest. Hattie shared a glance with Snatcher while a threatening thrum came from Skiddo’s throat.

            “Amnesia!” The Shapeshifter chortled. “That would explain things.”

            “Explain what things?” Snatcher demanded, his tail puffing up uncertainly.

            “So, tell me.” The Shapeshifter ignored Snatcher. Their eyes squinted with mirth as they looked at Hattie. “Where are you all heading? Noctwowl City? It is where this route leads, after all.”

            “We’re going to look for dad there,” Hattie said slowly. Part of her was beginning to wonder if she should ask if the Shapeshifter knew about shadow Pokémon, but something caused her to bite her tongue. They seemed friendly, but she wasn’t sure she trusted them yet, especially when all three Pokémon continued to glare at them.

            “Oh, I’m sure he’s closer than you think,” the shapeshifter chuckled. “And, in fact,” they clasped their hands behind their back and puffed out their chest, “my friend has a business trip there! Perhaps you’ll run into her!”

            “Maybe?” Hattie shrugged.

            “Tea.” Polteageist looked back pointedly at Hattie.

            “Uh, but we should go, now.” Hattie gestured towards the exit.

            “Of course,” the Shapeshifter said with a sagely nod. They took a step back, ears on their hood flicking. “Do travel safely.”

            “I hope your friend finds her Eevee,” Hattie offered.

            “She will,” the Shapeshifter said confidently with an eerie brightness to their voice. “She won’t rest until she does.”

            Hattie nodded, forcing an uncertain smile.

            Skiddo wrapped a vine around her wrist to tug her out and Polteageist backed up into her, not taking its eyes off of the Shapeshifter. Meanwhile, Snatcher stuck close, centimeters from her as his ears and tail drooped.

            Once they were out of the train car, Skiddo continued to pull Hattie away from the train stop and didn’t release her until they had put a good amount of distance between them and the eerie stop. Polteageist perched on Hattie’s shoulder, resting a hand on her head as it watched her back, making sure that the Shapeshifter wasn’t pursuing them.

            “You guys really didn’t like them, huh?” Hattie muttered, scanning the frightened Pokémon.

            Skiddo bleated, making eye contact while letting out a huff.

            “They smelled… strange, kid,” Snatcher said quietly. “Not like a human and not like a Pokémon. Something else entirely.”

            “Tea!” Polteageist gasped suddenly.

            “What’s wrong?” Hattie followed Polteageist’s frantic pointing and gasped when she looked back. “It’s gone!”

            “What?” Snatcher whirled around.

            Skiddo cried out in surprise.

            The train and the train stop were gone. Just the desert stretched out for miles and miles without any shade or structure. The distant horizon flickered and shifted as sand pushed against sky and sky rolled against the pale ground. Heat waves melted everything together. Wind kicked up and further obscured where the land began and where the sky ended with clouds of whirling dust.

            But the rusty train and crumpling stop were gone.

            “Was it a mirage?” Hattie whispered, craning her neck to try and see if she could spot the Shapeshifter or a Mandibuzz.

            “I don’t know, kid. But let’s just get out of here.” Snatcher quickened his pace.

            “But it all seemed so real.” Hattie continued to dwell on what just happened. It was all just so strange. Not a human or a Pokémon looking for an Eevee? Had they been a ghost or something else? What were they missing?

            “I’ll say,” Snatcher muttered. He paused for a moment to scratch at his mane.

            “Are you okay?” Hattie snapped out of puzzling over her thoughts when she remembered he had just been kidnapped.

            “Why wouldn’t I be?” He shot her a dry smile that felt hollow. “I woke up to having claws at my throat, was dragged through the air and into a weird old train that apparently didn’t exist, then my captor turned into a woman with long blond hair, and then they turned into whatever that form was supposed to be. I’m doing just great.”

            “And you didn’t recognize the woman?” Hattie clarified.

            “Amnesia, remember?” Snatcher crinkled his nose. “But even if I did, I’m Luka’s Pokémon.” He said the next part quietly. “But she was pretty.”

            “Pretty?” Hattie’s brows rose. A teasing smile spread across her face. “Don’t tell me you’ve got a crush!”

            “Don’t get ahead of yourself.” Snatcher’s fur bristled. “There’s just—I didn’t like the way she looked at me, or, rather, how the Shapeshifter looked at me with her eyes. I—ugh. Forget it.” His ears drooped as a scowl froze on his features.

            Hattie looked to Skiddo and then Polteageist and they both shrugged.

            “It was probably disorienting to wake up to all of that,” Hattie offered.

            “Yeah.” His eyes narrowed like there was something still on his mind, but even he couldn’t parse it. Suddenly, he shook his head and forced a sardonic grin onto his features. “This does remind me of something. Where’s your mother in all of this? I don’t remember seeing her back in Rift Town.”

            “Oh, I don’t have a mom.” Hattie shrugged calmly.

            Snatcher squinted at her casual response.

            “What happened?”

            “When I was a baby, Dad and Mom got divorced,” she explained, turning to Polteageist who was still on her shoulder. Polteageist was looking away, fiddling with its fingers. Hattie gave it a gentle scratch and it turned towards her. A low trill escaped it before it wrapped its arms around her finger and hugged her.

            “Did Luka ever tell you what happened?” Snatcher pushed, his golden eyes flickering from Hattie to Polteageist and back.

            “No,” Hattie slowed her pace as she pondered. “I tried asking before, but it… it always made Papa nervous. So, I stopped asking.” She brightened. “But it’s okay! I have Papa! And MJ and Bria and Prim. I’ve never thought I needed a mom.”

            She paused, and Snatcher’s ear flicked as he waited for her to respond.

            “I guess I do wonder what kind of person she was,” Hattie admitted. Polteageist’s hold on her finger grew tighter and Hattie gently scratched its scruff. “Like… did she love me? Or what made her and Dad split?”

            Sometimes, her Papa could look so lonely when he didn’t think anyone was watching him. Was it something her mom had done, or did he miss her?

            “Sorry, kid.” Snatcher turned away and picked up the pace.

            Hattie blinked in surprise at his sincerity.

            “Why are you sorry?” she wondered as she hurried to follow him, her sneakers grinding against the sand on the path. “You didn’t do anything.”

            “Geez, I don’t know,” Snatcher sounded exasperated. “Sorry your family’s got problems. But you’re right! What do I care?”

            He kicked at a rock and a small cloud of dust billowed up. It caught in his nose and he let out a short squeak-sneeze. It was quickly followed by a groan and shake of his head.

            “Do you want me to carry you?” Hattie offered once more, before sharing a glance with Skiddo. “Or you could ride Skiddo?”

            “I’m fine,” he snapped. “Besides, it looks like we’re almost there.” He extended a paw to point at the city that came into view.

            Hattie looked forward, and the silver-grey skyscrapers and shining windows protruded from the desert floor. At the end of the path, a city gate sat, guarded by a lone figure. Unsure what to expect, Hattie called Skiddo back and Polteageist remained on her shoulder, looking around as they finished traveling the length of the desert.

            “Greetings, fellow traveler,” the figure called in a stiff voice as they neared the covered city gate and the massive stone wall meant to protect the city against the harsh desert. The figure wore a trench coat with the collar flared up and hiding most of his features, save for a nose as sharp as a beak and square glasses that reflected the light. He wore a badge with a Murkrow on it. “Have you run into any suspicious characters in the desert?”

            Hattie couldn’t help but think that she had just run into her second suspicious character, but she held her tongue.

            “Route four was pretty empty, why?”

            “Many who pass through here have had their beloved Pokémon stolen,” the man said, pausing a couple times midsentence as his head tilted back at forth as he spoke. “My associates and I have been investigating.”

            “Does he know what the suspect looks like?” Snatcher huffed.

            “We have been warned to look out for the Pokémon Mandibuzz, or a figure in black and red,” the man seemed to directly answer Snatcher’s questions which caused Snatcher and Hattie to jump.

            “Can you understand him? Wait. A Mandibuzz?” Hattie automatically glanced down at her belt. All three of her Pokémon were there and while Snatcher was probably still shaken from being taken, he was with her, along with Polteageist.

            Had the Shapeshifter been the one who was stealing Pokémon? It seemed likely, but then they didn’t actually take any Pokémon. And what was the whole thing with looking for an Eevee about?

            “I do not know what you mean.” The man cocked his head. “Understand who? But yes. A Mandibuzz is thought to be the perpetrator’s partner. But if you have not lost a Pokémon, please head inside the city. Remember. Get home before the Murkrow fly.”

            “What?” Hattie furrowed her brows, but the man had already returned his attention to the desert, squinting out at the sand.

            “Let’s just go, kid.” Snatcher padded over to the stairs and slowly started climbing.

            Hattie followed for a few steps but paused, glancing back at the man and then following his gaze. The empty desert stared back and, despite the heat radiating from the sun, she felt a shiver run down her spine.

Chapter Text

            “Can’t we take a shortcut or something?” Snatcher panted he hurried to keep up.

            “Not without leaving the main streets,” Hattie replied as she held her C-Gear up, squinting at the tiny map outlining the longest route to the one library in the city. Her gaze flickered to a dark alleyway where another figure wearing a trench coat with a Murkrow badge lurked. “I think we need to stay out in the open.”

            “Pol-tea!” Polteageist nodded to punctuate her point.

            “It’s not like there’s a Pokémon-stealing team here, is there?” Snatcher lifted his nose and sniffed the air.

            “Noctwowl City is supposed to be one of the safest cities,” Hattie admitted, craning her neck to look up at the skyscrapers and various billboards advertising Pokémon cafes or Queen’s brand apparel or makeup. One billboard advertised the aquarium, which her dad took her to every time they were in the city. “But after you nearly got stolen out in the desert, I don’t want to take any chances.”

            Snatcher rolled his eyes but didn’t argue further. Ever since they had entered the city and got their bearings, he had seemed to mellow a touch. He was still a grouch, but a melancholy tightened his brows. Getting kidnapped must have unnerved him more than he was letting on.

            Hopefully the library would hold answers, and after, they would probably need to think about dinner and finding a place to stay. While Hattie promised Snatcher a hotel, a precursory search through available rooms listed on the C-Gear were rather expensive. Maybe they could stay at a Pokémon center and splurge on a hot meal? She was starting to feel famished and the thought of eating any more candy for a meal made her stomach twist.

            “Pol?” Polteageist leaned over inquisitively, spiral eyes tracking her searches on her C-Gear.

            “Want to look for a place to eat?” Hattie unclasped the C-Gear and lifted the watch to Polteageist to take.

            A thrum emanated from its throat as it eagerly accepted the C-Gear and started scrolling through the list of nearby restaurants. Without the C-Gear to distract her, Hattie scanned the boulevard as they neared the city square.

            People and Pokémon milled around. An older gentleman with tiny glasses and a sweater vest strolled by with a Hoothoot. A young woman wearing shades and snapping her fingers to music blasting from her headphones manned a snow cone cart on the corner with a Delibird. An occasional scientist in a lab coat darted down the street, and over in the square, there was a park area full of street performers practicing tricks with their Pokémon. There was even someone playing guitar with a Toxtricity strumming along on its chest.

            Behind the park, there was a large building that reached for the sky. It had a vibrant sign proclaiming “Dead Pidgey Studios” with a small inscription, “our talent will knock you dead!” The city square was also surrounded by plenty of restaurants and a prop store. The trees in the park and the streetlights held currently unlit strands of light that no doubt aided in keeping the area lively well into the cover of night. Hattie made a mental note of some of the restaurant names.

            They turned a corner and wandered down a less busy street. The further they walked, the calmer the atmosphere. There was another Pokémon center that matched the one near the entrance of the city, and a couple quiet shops and hushed cafes. Polteageist trilled when it spotted a tea shop and Hattie promised to stop there later. As they progressed, the buildings shrunk and began to look older and older. Rough cobblestone or worn brick replaced slick skyscrapers, and homes with decorative borders around the windows and quaint chimneys lined the street. Finally, at the end of the long road, stood a grand looking library that was inspired by Kalosian Gothic architecture complete with flying buttresses accenting large, arched windows. A Roselia window with blue, red, purple, and silver coloring overlooked the street. It was too high for Hattie to see the intricate details of the panes, but the glass glittered in the sunlight.

            “Is this a library or a castle?” Snatcher wondered as they walked over to the moat and the stone bridge that crossed over it.

            Hattie motioned for Polteageist to hand back the C-Gear and she pulled up the library’s website.

            “I guess it used to be a castle centuries ago,” she explained as she scanned the blurb. “At least a vacation home for royalty. It was donated to the City after the monarchy fizzled out.”

            “Weird,” Snatcher muttered as they crossed the stone bridge. He jumped up onto the railing and glanced down at the Goldeen and Magikarp that swam around below. His tail swished in the air in curiosity.

            Hattie strolled over to the enormous front door that was far too large for her to move herself and was relieved when a sign pointed towards a tinier alcove that led inside the library. Hattie called for Snatcher to join her and they soon found themselves in a hallway with the left side sectioned off with rope and another sign pointing to the right. After a bit more walking, they came to an archway that led into an enormous area filled with shelves upon shelves of books.

            “Wow,” Hattie mouthed, turning in a circle as she took in the decorative walls and the red carpet that cut through the middle of the library, and led up the stairs to an open second floor with even more shelves. Tables and chairs followed the carpet, stretching out with plenty of study space, but hidden at the end of some rows of bookshelves were couches or beanbag chairs to snuggle up in with a book. A distant snore of a Snorlax came from one of the rows and Hattie vaguely wondered if it let people and Pokémon lean against it to read.

            Other than the Snorlax, the area was hushed, though the high ceiling promised acoustics that would carry anything above a whisper. And, while there were chandeliers and sconces to provide plenty of light, the sunlight trailing in through the Rosalia window spotlighted the center of the room, casting pastel purples, reds, blues, and greys over the tables and chairs.

            At the far end of the room from Hattie, there was a counter with a Seel curled up in a bed. Someone crouched over the keyboard behind the counter, typing away, but she didn’t look up at the sound of footsteps muffled against the carpet. A Klefki hung, sleeping, from a key hook on the wall next to a doorway leading into an office space in the back.

            “Where do you think the Law section is?” Snatcher’s tail wagged back and forth.

            “You actually want to read Law textbooks?” Hattie sighed dramatically, but she wasn’t really perturbed. It was nice to see him perk up and it was something her Dad would have wanted to check out too. She remembered all the times he would get distracted at Tim’s bookstore in Rift Town. She and Bria would often have to prod him at the end of the day when it was time for Tim to close the shop.

            “I bet this musty old place has some wild ones, like about laws from back in the day.” Snatcher’s ears flickered as he scanned the shelves, though they were too far to see any section labels. “Histories about taxes. There’s got to be so much good stuff.”

            Polteageist tilted its head, chirping curiously.

            “I don’t know! It’s just interesting,” Snatcher retorted, bristling a bit. “You like tea, why can’t I have this?”

            Polteageist trilled and it must have been conceding to Snatcher because their conversation ended there. Snatcher bounded over to the counter, back to wagging his tail.

            Even with Snatcher and Polteageist chattering, the librarian didn’t notice when Hattie reached the counter. Hattie tried clearing her throat, but that also didn’t get her attention. It did wake up the Seel, who blinked sleepily with large black eyes.

            Seel barked, raising its back flipper into the air. The librarian looked up from behind large, square glasses with raised eyebrows. Seel barked again before gesturing towards Hattie and her fellow Pokémon.

            “Oh!” The librarian jumped up from her chair, meeting Hattie’s eyes. “Sorry about that, Miss, I was—is that an Eevee?” Her hazel eyes widened and before Hattie or Snatcher could respond, the librarian dashed around the counter and knelt in front of Snatcher, holding out her hand for him to sniff.

            Snatcher, with his ears pinned back glanced towards Hattie before offering his paw, furrowing his brows in bewilderment.

            “That’s so cute!” The librarian gushed, gently taking his paw and giving it a shake. She looked up at Hattie. “Can I hold him?”

            “No!” Snatcher bristled.

            “Yes.” Hattie smirked.

            The librarian grabbed him before he could dart away, and Snatcher let out a surprised squeak as she sat back and set him on her lap.

            “Who’s the cutest wittle Eevee?” she cooed as she scratched at his mane.

            “Stop!” Snatcher begged, trying to escape, but once the librarian found a spot under his chin, he tilted into the scratch, eyes half-lidden for a moment.

            “It’s woo!” she continued in a lighter tone as she gave him scritches. “Woo awe the cutest wittle Eevee!”

            “I’m not!” His ears drooped but his hind leg started to mime her scratching.

            “Aww!” The librarian beamed, returning her gaze to Hattie. “He’s such a sweetheart! Anyway, welcome! This is the Noctwowl Library, how can I help you?”

            Hattie remembered the badge and she asked the librarian to wait before retrieving it from her backpack. When she looked back at the librarian, she had stopped giving Snatcher scratches and was messaging his front paws while cooing praises. Snatcher gave Hattie a venomous glare, but he didn’t put up a fight.

            After all that walking, the paw massage must have felt nicer than he would admit.

            “I was told to show you this?” Hattie held out the badge. The librarian released Snatcher and he quickly darted off of her lap, shaking himself. She pouted for a moment before readjusting her glasses to get a better look at the badge.

            “Oh!” She pushed herself up and stretched before appraising Hattie. “You really want to see our archives about the region’s history? Is it for a school project, or something?”

            “Well,” Hattie flexed her hand with the Snatch Machine on it, “it’s a long story?”

            “This is a library.” The librarian smirked. “Certainly the place for long stories.” She walked back around the counter, giving Seel a scratch on the way, before stooping over the computer. Clicks came from the other side of the counter and Hattie hesitated.

            The Medic had been helpful, so maybe Hattie could confide in the librarian about shadow Pokémon?

            “I need to research shadow Pokémon.” Hattie watched the librarian for her reaction.

            “What?” She straightened, startling. Her brows furrowed pensively. “Is there a special reason?”

            “They’re… they’re in the region?” Hattie shrugged, fiddling with her glove.

            Worry flashed across the librarian’s features.

            “I’m from Rift Town,” Hattie hurried to add. “Professor MJ is my uncle, and my dad went missing the same time a Mafia goon showed up with a shadow Pokémon and the Medic gave me the badge to show to you and I just want to find my dad and help the shadow Pokémon and there’s supposed to be answers here.” Her voice cracked a bit on the end, and she snapped her mouth shut, pleading with the librarian for help.

            “Hey, it’s okay,” the librarian soothed, sensing her distress. “That’s admittedly a lot, and I don’t know how much we can help, but! We do have plenty of old archives about shadow Pokémon and the Relic Stone.”

            “The Relic Stone?” Hattie repeated, crinkling her nose.

            “Yes.” The librarian bent down again before typing something furiously on the keyboard. She popped back up and angled herself towards the door behind the counter. “The Relic Stone is an artifact deep in the middle of Subcon Forest. It’s connected to the Pokémon, Celebi, and has the ability to purify shadow Pokémon.”

            Snatcher’s ears flicked at that.

            “It can heal them?” Hattie’s eyes widened.

            “Yes, but there are some other parameters,” the librarian mentioned before edging closer to the door. “I have to stay here, since I’m the only one working right now, but Klefki can take you to the archives. Will you be okay searching on your own?”

            “I think so.” Hattie glanced towards Polteageist and then Snatcher before meeting the librarian’s gaze again. “It’s okay if they help, right?”

            “Oh yes.” She gave Klefki a little poke and the Klefki jingled its collection of keys as it woke up. “Pokémon help out around here all the time. That does remind me though…” she trailed off and bent down.

            Hattie pushed to her tiptoes as the sound of a drawer rolling out came from behind the counter. The librarian glanced at Hattie’s hands and then over at Snatcher’s paws.

            “You’ll need to use gloves if you want to look at anything behind the glass.” The librarian handed over a pair of white gloves for Hattie, booties for Snatcher, and a small plastic bag with the tiniest gloves for Polteageist.

            “Don’t you have everything on a computer or something?” Snatcher eyed the booties with disgust.

            “What’s behind glass?” Hattie questioned, accepting the collection of gloves.

            “There’s an old diary that belonged to a person we only know as the Shadow Queen,” the librarian explained, leaning over the counter and resting her chin on her palm. “I think that could help you in particular, and after reading through it myself, going through the physical artifact would be best. But that being said, it is very old, and I cannot stress enough that you need to wear those gloves and handle it with care.”

            “You’re really going to let some strangers interact with it without supervision?” Snatcher waved his tail back and forth. “That’s pretty foolish.”

            “You aren’t going to mess with the books,” Hattie said, giving Snatcher a challenging glare. “You and I both know you love them too much.”

            Snatcher turned away, scowling. His ears flickered when the librarian began to laugh.

            “An Eevee who likes to read?” She clasped her hands over her heart. “That is just too cute. I know you all will handle them with care. I trust you.”

            “Klef!” The Klefki drifted over, jiggling its keys.

            “Klefki’s ready, and would you like a notebook?” The librarian bent down before procuring a notebook and pencil. “You can’t take pictures, but you can copy anything down. And everything you’ll find is logged into the website, but you might want to take note of other things.”

            “Thank you.” Hattie accepted the notebook.

            “If you have any questions, I’ll be here.” The librarian clasped her hands together, glancing up as she tried to think of anything else she might have forgotten. “And I think that’s it! Good luck!”

            Hattie nodded, offering a wave while Klefki floated back the way they had come. Hattie hurried after the key-ring shaped Pokémon and Snatcher darted ahead.

            “I’m just saying that you and the librarian are too trusting,” Snatcher griped. They followed the carpet back into the first hallway and the Klefki fluttered past the rope that sectioned off the other side of the hallway, pausing as it waited for them.

            “Is this—” Hattie hesitated as she hopped over the rope, “—is this still about Dad?”

            “It’s about everyone, kid!” He looked back, wrinkling his nose. “You’ve fought the Mafia! You’ve seen how flippantly they treat shadow Pokémon. That mustache girl hates you now because you didn’t want to help her. And you know who I saw when I woke up in the forest, drenched from an ongoing thunderstorm with no memory of anything?”

            “Who?” Hattie’s eyes widened.

            “No one!” Snatcher articulated slowly. “I was alone! You can only rely on yourself.”

            “Tea…” Polteageist chirped quietly. It wore a morose expression, spiral eyes drooping in despair as it hugged itself.

            “But what about Cat?” Hattie countered as they followed Klefki around a corner. “She gave us free poké puffs and tea when we first met. What about the Medic? They gave us information to help us and also healed everyone for free and Audino gave us berries because it was worried about the shadow Pokémon. One Mafia goon shared his firewood with us. The librarian is helping us.”

            Snatcher’s ears drooped and he looked away.

            “I know you don’t trust Dad right now, but there were so many times I would get into trouble from playing too roughly or just making a mess. If I got hurt, Papa would use the boo boo buneary to help me to feel better—"

            “That’s still a stupid name.”

            “—Or if I was upset about what happened,” she ignored Snatcher’s interjection, “he would always cheer me up, either with a treat or by humming songs until I calmed down. For all the bad in the world, there’s good too, Snatcher.”

            “Hmm,” he huffed noncommittally.

            Hattie held back her sigh and focused, instead, on the door at the end of the hallway.

            Klefki jiggled its keys as it darted over to the door. It’s lock-shaped mouth grew bigger as it chimed excitedly for them to hurry.

            Once Hattie and Snatcher joined it at the wooden door, Klefki unwound its keychain and curled the end around an old brass key. Using its silver chain like an arm, it guided the key into the keyhole. As soon as a click rang out, the door creaked on its hinges.

            “Thanks, Klefki,” Hattie praised as she reached for the handle. With a grunt, she shoved the slightly ill-fitting door open, and its bottom edge scraped against white tile.

            Compared to the rest of the library, the archives room was like another dimension. A gentle thrum of the air conditioning and filter came from the large fan embedded in the far, top corner of the room. The tight white walls boxed them in with the metal cabinets and file holders. Glass display case held old artifacts, including a crusty old journal, some kind of jewelry, and objects so rusted over that their original shape was indecipherable at first glance. Instead of the room smelling dusty or with a slight humid, mossy fragrance like that which had permeated the hallway, the room was sterile with a dryness that almost stung Hattie’s nose.

            “Where do we start, kiddo?” Snatcher jumped up onto a table in the middle of the room, where an old desktop computer hummed.

            “Maybe not with the journal, yet.” She was a little nervous to start with something so delicate. Klefki nodded before floating over and tracing its keys over the keyboard.

            “Guess we better start with locating things in the archive,” Snatcher muttered, stepping over to the computer while Klefki typed in the username and password.

            Hattie crossed over to the table and sat down in the chair, watching as the screen blinked to life. Klefki nudged the mouse into her hand, and she pulled up the files to begin her search.

            She really hoped she could find answers.

Chapter Text

            “You’re taking notes for MJ, right?” Snatcher asked as he took one of his paws dressed in a simple cloth bootie and turned the page of an older textbook.

            “Yeah.” Hattie glanced at her own, more recent textbook, that compared the recent Shadow Pokémon incidents in the Orre region to a tragedy that took place in Subcon Forest centuries ago.

            Back when there was a monarchy, a strange witch who came from the forest became the royal adviser to the Queen. Because the Queen and her adviser were inseparable, the adviser became known as the Shadow Queen, since she followed her Queen like a shadow.

            The Shadow Queen built her own home in Subcon Forest, near the Relic stone, which Hattie had already copied a map leading to it. It was said that the Shadow Queen was trying to create a way for the monarchy to better help the citizens, but as her studies and research became more frantic over time, her true machinations came to light. She wanted to make people and Pokémon who could easily be controlled in ways that were similar to how shadow Pokémon were always obedient to their trainer.

            “But there wasn’t a term for shadow Pokémon, at the time,” Hattie read out loud as she recorded her findings in her notebook, “and the technology to create them was unavailable, though the symptoms that the Shadow Queen’s victims displayed uncannily line up with the symptoms of shadow Pokémon as observed in Orre.”

            “Here, it says that the Shadow Queen consulted astronomers and botanists.” Snatcher pointed at a section he was reading. “This is possibly what sparked rumors that she was a witch, but no one is certain whether this connects to the tragedy.”

            A clink came from the far corner of the room, where Polteageist and Klefki were tossing a key back and forth in a game of catch.

            “Are you two doing okay?” Hattie called.

            “Sure would be nice if we had help,” Snatcher growled as he turned a page.

            “Tea!” Polteageist chirped before tossing the key back to Klefki, who caught it on the tip of its head shaped like the teeth of an old key.

            “Just because you can’t read doesn’t mean you can’t find some other way to be useful,” Snatcher retorted.

            Polteageist shrugged before glancing towards Hattie. It tilted its head and twittered softly.

            “You can keep playing!” Hattie encouraged.

            Polteageist beamed before returning to its game with Klefki, chirping excitedly.

            “How come you let them play but make me work?” Snatcher leaned away from the book and scratched at his mane with his hind leg.

            “Well, you can read, for one,” Hattie teased, but her features drooped a bit. “But I thought you were genuinely interested. You aren’t having fun?”

            “This isn’t fun, kid, this is research that might help us find Luka and turn Skiddo and everyone back to normal.”

            “Yeah.” Hattie slumped in her chair. When she got caught up reading about the past, she forgot how it was supposed to help them in the present. “If you’re tired you can take a break.”

            “That’s not what I meant,” Snatcher grumbled, swishing his tail back and forth. He kept reading in silence.

            Hattie returned to her own reading.

            “My textbook doesn’t talk about what the tragedy is,” Hattie said after a few minutes. “It just compares what happened to the Pokémon back then and mentions that Cypher, the evil team that created shadow Pokémon in the first place, never experimented on humans, so there’s no way to compare to the Shadow Queen’s human victims.”

            Snatcher didn’t respond.

            “Does yours mention anything?” Hattie prompted.

            His ear twitched.

            “Yeah, kid.” He sighed. “But it’s not… it’s not good.”

            “What happened?”

            “The humans… didn’t make it.” Snatcher glanced back. “The Shadow Queen’s human victims suffered a great deal of pain and heartbreak before shadows completely consumed them.” He turned the page, scowling at the writing. “It’s believed that this is why there are so many ghost-type Pokémon in Subcon forest.”

            They both quieted. Even Polteageist and Klefki stopped tossing the key around as they hovered.

            “What about the symptoms between then and now?” Snatcher asked, turning around as he curled his tail around himself.

            “I guess they all sound super similar,” Hattie glanced back down. “The Shadow Queen’s Pokémon were obedient without question, had powerful moves, and were overall aggressive. But one thing that they didn’t share was that Shadow Pokémon have something called a reverse mode? But the book even explains that it’s possible the Shadow Queen’s Pokémon could have had reverse mode, it just never triggered in them or wasn’t recorded if it was.”

            “What’s reverse mode?” Snatcher wrinkled his nose.

            “I don’t know. The book doesn’t say,” Hattie sighed.

            “Think it’s time to check out the diary?” Snatcher scratched at his mane again.

            “Need some help?” Hattie reached for his mane and he jumped back, bumping into the computer. She pouted. “You let the librarian pet you!”

            “Correction, you told her to grab me, and I wasn’t fast enough in getting away,” Snatcher growled. When Hattie pulled back, he shuffled on his paws before muttering, “I can take care of myself.”

            Hattie chose not to push and scooted her chair away from the desk before walking over to the glass display case holding the old leather diary. Klefki fluttered over and unlocked it for her, chiming as she gingerly picked up the diary with her gloved hands.

            “Yikes.” Snatcher’s eyes widened after Hattie brought the diary to the table and opened up to an entry in the middle.

            Dark maroon stains splattered the page. The ink was the same color as the stains, and the frantic scrawling sent a chill down Hattie’s spine.

            “The vile Castform doll taunts me. That imp stole the one thing I worked so hard for and that stupid doll is a reminder of all I’ve lost,” the entry read, “but I’ll get it all back. I’ll reclaim him no matter what I do!”  

            “The Shadow Queen doesn’t like dolls,” Snatcher snorted.

            Hattie turned to the first entry, carefully moving the crisp, fragile pages. The page had a normal black ink, but smudges of fingerprints and dirt obscured some of the words.

            “This is a ---or set--ck. I no l----r have access to everything I ---ded, but I have ------- to figure out my where--outs and coordinates. I’ve tr----ed three ------- ----- ---k in ----, but m- ------or is here --- - fool. She will help --.”

            “I guess this is when she left the Forest?” Hattie rose an eyebrow.

            “Probably. She must have gotten lost if she needed to figure out where she was.” Snatcher reached a paw over and gently turned the page.

            The entries continued to detail the Shadow Queen’s slow acclimation to castle life as the advisor to the actual Queen. While the writer of the diary often belittled the Queen, there was an odd protectiveness over her. It was hard to parse through the smudged writing, but the Shadow Queen ended up saving the Queen from an assassination attempt. Hattie couldn’t tell if the Shadow Queen cared about their relationship or not, but she never seemed to intend the Queen any harm.

            “I’ve encountered a book of fairy tales my mother used to read to me when I was a child. That was such a different time.” A later entry was without smudges, though it had a faded pink tint in the shape of a petal close to the binding, as if a flower had been saved in it. “A tale about a magic garden caught my eye. Supposedly, there’s a Florges that protects all manner of enchanted plants. Bellflowers that play music. Berries that transform those who eat them. Honeysuckle flowers with nectar that can give someone a beautiful singing voice. I remember he loved that part of the fairy tale, but I always told him that he didn’t need a flower to make his voice sweeter. And how he would kiss me after… I must have him back. I can use the titular berry in the fairy tale if I have to.”

            “Do we know who the guy is?” Hattie tilted her head, glancing at the two textbooks on the table.

            “Mine didn’t mention the Shadow Queen having a lover.” Snatcher followed her gaze.

            Hattie hummed, glancing back down at the entry. She jotted a note about the fairy tale down, including the berries that the Shadow Queen mentioned. Nothing came to mind when she tried to think of a fairy tale with an enchanted garden, but felt it was important.

            The entries from that point seemed to take a turn. The Shadow Queen wouldn’t stop talking about him or the imp that she despised. Her jargon became oddly disjointed as the splatters of maroon began to appear.

            “I’ve found the flowers! I don’t need anything but the flowers to close hearts. I’ve begun experimenting on Pokémon in the forest. The effects are only temporary, but I will make them permanent.”

            “Close hearts?” Hattie asked as Snatcher prodded one of the splatters of maroon. He checked the white bootie, which remained clean, and shrugged.

            “Sounds like shadow Pokémon. Do you think this is ink? It’s too dark to be blood, right?” He crinkled his brows at the splotch as he prodded it again. Hattie ignored his question and pushed his paw away as she turned the page.

            “I want his love. I will have his love once more and I need him to survive. But no human survives the flowers for long.” An image of a scratched, oozing heart was depicted on the page with the entry. Somehow, even the maroon ink looked more like blood bubbling from the wounds in the heart dark with shadows.

            “Hate to be that guy.” Snatcher let out a low whistle.

            “Is the Shadow Queen trying to make a shadow person?” Hattie furrowed her brows as she turned the page.

            The next section of entries discussed failed experiments but didn’t detail any scientific process. And in the margins, there were occasionally notes labeling increased ratios with initials for ingredients. But the only initial Hattie recognized was that F probably stood for flower.

            “Whatever she was trying to do, she wasn’t succeeding,” Snatcher muttered, turning the page until they got to the original entry they had read. After that one, the diary just deteriorated into repeating the same things over and over.

            “I’ll find that Pokémon again. And then she’ll pay.”

             “He’ll be mine. She’ll join the spirits of the forest.”

            “We’ll live happily ever after.”

            Hattie closed the journal, not wanting to read any further.

            “I don’t get how this was supposed to help,” she groaned, pushing the textbooks and journal away before dropping her forehead onto the table with a thunk.

            “Well.” Snatcher pushed to his paws and crossed over to the keyboard. He carefully tapped the keys as he searched for something. “In theory, if this is the first ever instance of shadow Pokémon, then other people could have found this information and used it to start their own research.”

            “That explains some things, I guess, but it doesn’t help us narrow it down to anyone if all of the files are available to the public.” Hattie shifted so that she could watch Snatcher with her cheek pressed against the table. “What are you doing?”

            “There are confidentiality laws in place where libraries keep the search histories, or records of things checked out private only to the user,” Snatcher explained. “But if I—”

            “Kee!” Klefki fluttered over with jingling keys when it heard what Snatcher was planning. Its eyes narrowed and it shook its keys threateningly.

            “Don’t get huffy.” Snatcher gave it a wry smile. “I’m just checking to see if I can—ah ha!” He stepped away from the computer and placed a paw on his chest. “I found something.”

            Hattie scooted over and tilted her head, scanning the screen that had a list of recent users based on location.

            “What did you find?”

            “I found logistics of general areas where people are when they’ve searched the archive for ‘Shadow Pokémon.’” Snatcher gestured to the top row. “This shows that someone came in today to search, and that’s you. But in the past week, a handful of others have physically entered the library for info.” He then pointed to the section for Noctwowl City. “The city itself has the most searches, meaning a lot of people have been searching here, or at least, one person has been logging into the database a lot. Also, I’d bet poké puffs that all the recent searches from Rift Town are by the good old professor.”

            Klefki rattled its keys before floating back over to Polteageist. It shot Snatcher a warning look but seemed to deem his snooping as legal.

            “Okay,” Hattie said slowly, scanning the list. There hadn’t been any recent searches in Mafia Town, but there were a couple from Nyakuza Metro and more in Alpine Skylines, both were far from Noctwowl City. “But we don’t know who, right?”

            “We would need library IDs to search an individual’s history, and I doubt the librarian would let us anyway,” Snatcher replied. “Actually, if she did, that would be grounds for a legal case, but if you think she’d accept me as a lawyer, I could ensure she won’t get into any trouble.” He flashed a confident, dangerous grin.

            “No matter how cute you are, I don’t think even she would go for that.”

            “Drat,” Snatcher sighed. He turned back to the screen. “But, if anything, this means that the highest concentration of searches is in the city, so that’s a good start.”

            “What about the other places?” Hattie wondered.

            “If the person behind all of this has been sending out shadow Pokémon to Team Mafia, I wouldn’t be surprised they were sending them to other towns. Even just a random person could have overheard something and searched for it.”

            “Like how Dad could see a shadow Pokémon but didn’t know what it meant?” Hattie perked. She furrowed her brows as she scanned the list again. “Why aren’t there any searches from Mafia Town?” It was the only place that hadn’t had anyone search for shadow Pokémon.

            “Kid, look at me. No, seriously, look into my eyes,” Snatcher pointed to her before pointing to his golden eyes. He leaned forward with a concerned look. “What makes you think those idiots know that libraries even exist? Let alone care enough to research something ever. No, really. Please help me get into that headspace of yours, I mean, my gosh.”

            His feigned concern was enough to get Hattie to snort before turning away and laughing.

            “I bet—” she wheezed between laughter, “—that the Mafia Boss is the one actually masterminding everything.”

            “And his idiocy was all a ruse?” Snatcher gasped, clasping his paw over his mane. “His true machinations have been hidden this whole time behind a show of foolhardy plots? And here we’re chasing after mere red Huntail while the dastardly villain is accumulating even more shadow Pokémon? Or!” His eyes light up before he swiftly deadpanned, giving Hattie an unimpressed look. “They’re just a Team of fools.”

            Hattie laughed so hard that she felt tears prick in the corner of her eyes. Once she finally calmed down enough to breathe again, she saw Snatcher’s smug look and puffed out chest. His tail wagged a little at her laughter.

            “When we get to the bottom of this, and they’re behind everything, you’re going to have egg on your face,” Hattie giggled before pushing to her feet.

            “If they are, you can have all my poké puffs, but if not, you owe me a lifetime’s supply.”

            “No bet.”

            “Because you know I’m right.” Snatcher smirked.

            Hattie shook her head, smiling, as she began to clean up. A loud growl escaped her stomach, drawing even the attention of Polteageist and Klefki at the far end of the room.

            “Guess it’s dinner time.” Snatcher turned around and slowly logged out of the computer.

            “Tea!” Polteageist chirped excitedly as it flew over to help reshelve the textbooks while Hattie placed the journal carefully back into the case.

            “And teatime!” Hattie agreed, earning an excited trill from Polteageist.

            After they cleaned up and Klefki locked everything, they returned to the lobby where a figure in a royal purple cloak was speaking with the librarian. When the librarian noticed Hattie, she waved, causing the figure to turn. They wore a mask that vaguely resembled an Absol, with a white tip curling downward and a sharp, pale cerulean horn on the opposite side curling up. The mask covered the person’s whole face, but the faint glimmer of eyes looked out from behind the eye sockets.

            The garb was unmistakable. He was one of the Knights, the group that protected the region from the two evil-doing teams.

            “Are you finished?” the librarian asked as Hattie stepped past the Knight and hopped next to the counter. Hattie gave the Knight a small wave. He waved back.

            “Yep!” She nodded as the Klefki hovered over the counter and into the librarian’s open hand.

            It perched, chiming, as the librarian leaned down and gave it gentle nuzzle. She then guided it back to the key hook and it jiggled its keys before settling back down in place. Meanwhile, Hattie eyed the Knight while he turned back towards the librarian.

            “Is everything okay?” she asked. Polteageist trilled beside her and Snatcher covered a yawn with his paw.

            “Oh yes.” The Knight bowed. His voice was kind and soft as he dipped for Hattie. “Don’t worry. Part of my patrol includes checking in on the library.”

            “But since this is a peaceful part of the city,” the librarian added, “there’s not much for him to do.”

            “I should be a bit more on guard, probably,” he admitted. “We have a lot more tourists because of the upcoming competition, and the C.A.W. group has been… accumulating. But,” he swiftly turned towards Hattie and waved his hands dismissively, “we have everything under control.”

            Snatcher snorted while Hattie nodded, blankly staring up at the Knight.

            “I better be going,” he cleared his throat before pointing towards the exit. “Take care, Harper.”

            “Safe travels, Charlie!” The librarian, Harper, waved. She watched him leave before turning her full attention to Hattie. “He’s been stationed in the area for years, but he hasn’t outgrown his awkwardness,” she whispered conspiratorially, though she leaned back with a smile. “But, he’s one of the best Knights and has a strong Pokémon team. You can count on him if you ever need—Oh!” Her eyes widened behind her glasses, “should I have mentioned the shadow Pokémon to him? It’s probably not too late to catch him.”

            “No, no,” Hattie gestured for Harper to stop as she started to run out from behind the counter. “It’s okay. We actually don’t have too much information right now, other than members of Team Mafia were using them.”

            “Ah.” Harper relaxed. “Did you find any leads then?”

            “Actually,” Hattie perked. “Have you noticed anything strange going on lately? Or suspicious characters?”

            “Not that I can think of,” Harper pursed her lips thoughtfully. “There have been more C.A.W. agents around, but I don’t… I don’t actually know what they do. I think they’re supposed to be private investigators, but I’ve never heard about them solving a crime or anything. They just lurk during the day and disappear at night.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Why? You aren’t planning anything reckless, are you?”

            Before Hattie could reply, her stomach growled again, and she smiled bashfully. Harper softened.

            “Sounds like you better head home for dinner! Do you need anything to get back to where you’re staying?”

            “I’m good, thank you.” Hattie started to edge towards the exit, waving.

            “If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to come back!” Harper waved in return. Her Seel in its bed lifted its head and joined in, curling its tail over its head and waving goodbye.

            “I will!” Hattie promised.

            On the way out, Polteageist let out an enormous yawn as it drifted through the exit, floating lower than usual.

            “Polteageist, do you want to take a break?” Hattie asked. “Snatcher and I can get dinner while you take a nap.”

            Polteageist trilled, rubbing at its eyes before tilting its head as Hattie crouched. She swung her backpack around and opened it up. She cleared out a teapot-sized divot between camping supplies, pokéballs, and candy.

            “I don’t know why it’s tired, it didn’t do anything in the library,” Snatcher said with a bit of a bite.

            At that, Polteageist huffed, crossing its arms and looking away. Its lid cast a shadow over its features.

            “Polteageist helped me clean up camp this morning,” Hattie clarified, “and has been floating around all day when you slept in. Polteageist deserves some rest.”

            Polteageist stuck out its tongue at Snatcher, who rolled his eyes. As if to emphasize Hattie’s point, Polteageist fluttered over and nestled itself into the backpack. It trilled before lowering into the pot, its lid clinking as it dived.

            “Sleep well,” Hattie whispered as she gingerly closed the backpack. She carefully shifted it back over her shoulders before pushing back to her feet. Glancing out at the radiant shades of burning twilight stretching out above the skyscrapers, she asked, “Ready to find some warm food?”

            “I guess,” Snatcher grumbled, trotting beside her as they headed across the moat bridge. “What are you in the mood for, kiddo?”

            “Hmm.” Something comforting and filling. She remembered her dad’s favorite stew simmering and filling the kitchen with the fragrance of tantalizing spices on cold, winter days. “How about some soup?”

            “Soup?” Snatcher’s ear flickered.

            “Soup.” Hattie nodded.

            “Alright.” He shook his head as if in mild disbelief, causing his bangs to bounce with the clip. “I’ll keep a look out.”

            Hattie tapped on her C-Gear, searching for any soup places nearby. Oranges and pinks painted the sky and a golden glow blazed against the concrete. Snatcher sniffed the air as they traveled down the hushed street and Hattie located a restaurant that had soup on the menu. The sun dipped down below the horizon, and the cold night air set in as they continued to search for something warm and comforting.

Chapter Text

            With to-go bags in hand and Polteageist still tucked into the backpack, Hattie held the door to the restaurant so that Snatcher could walk through. She slipped out after him and the door slammed shut the moment she let go. Wincing, she looked back with regret but from where she stood, it didn’t look like the sudden force had startled anyone inside.

            “Dee-dee!” A cry of a Pokémon caused Hattie to turn just as a short, bipedal Pokémon came running up. Hattie blinked in surprise and Snatcher growled in warning as the Indeedee padded over and placed its white tipped hands over Hattie’s hand still carrying the to-go bag.

            Indeedee looked up with rich chocolate brown eyes, highlighted by blue triangular markings by its nose. Its grey, croissant-shaped horns curled upward, and its white markings and purple fur looked soft and well groomed. Beaming up at Hattie, it chattered in an eager voice.

            “Do you know this Pokémon?” Snatcher asked, one ear flicking up as he listened.

            “No?” Hattie glanced over Indeedee and saw a woman strolling down the sidewalk. The woman held a phone to her ear and held an elegant purse on her wrist. Could she have been the Indeedee’s trainer?

            “Well, it sure knows you.” Snatcher followed her gaze. “Kid! That’s the lady!”

            “Huh?” Hattie shot Snatcher a confused look but before either of them could discuss further, the woman reached them.

            “Yes, after the meeting tomorrow,” she said into the phone. The woman cast Hattie a glimmering smile, graciously thanking her for waiting, before looking away and down as she wrapped up the phone call.

            In the yellow of the streetlights, the woman’s blond hair seemed to glow as it cascaded around her shoulder in perfect, soft curls. She wore a pale green blouse tucked into a pencil skirt. A belt with pokéballs confirmed she was a trainer. Her spiked heels added to her height as she held herself with elegance befitting royalty. She wore gloves, but Hattie thought she could see a small bump on her ring finger, as if a wedding ring lay protected under the fabric.

            “Great, I’ll see you then.” The woman hung up. She turned to give Hattie her full attention, smiling brightly as she tucked her phone into her purse. “Hello there! Looks like Indeedee made a new friend!”

            “That’s her,” Snatcher whispered. “The one who the shapeshifter turned into.”

            “You’re right, she is pretty,” Hattie whispered back.

            “What was that?” The woman’s features faltered in confusion.

            “Sorry!” Hattie winced. “I just said that you’re pretty!”

            Indeedee trilled as it rocked on the pads of its feet, bouncing a bit as it continued holding Hattie’s hand.

            “You’re very sweet,” the woman’s features softened. “Oh! I see you have an Eevee. Mind if I say hello?”

            Snatcher’s ears pinned back, and he shuffled anxiously.

            “He doesn’t really like being touched,” Hattie said slowly. “And a person in the desert kind of grabbed him earlier.” She watched the woman’s warm, amber gaze for a reaction.

            “I see, that’s too bad,” the woman pursed her ruby lips into a pout, but she dropped the subject, turning to Indeedee. “Sorry if my friend startled you, Indeedee doesn’t usually run off like that.”

            “It’s okay,” Hattie offered, though a bit disappointed that the woman didn’t comment on the Shapeshifter. Snatcher said she was who the Shapeshifter had turned into. Maybe she wasn’t in the mood to open up about her missing Pokémon?

            “Dee!” Indeedee pushed to its tiptoes and nuzzled its nose against Hattie’s cheek. She couldn’t help but smile at the sweet gesture and out of the corner of her eye, the Indeedee’s horns seemed to emit a faint, blue energy.

            “Very curious.” The woman tilted her head. “Indeedee can sense emotions with its horns, maybe you have a particularly strong heart.”

            “Really?” Hattie beamed, puffing out her chest a touch. Indeedee trilled in a way that almost sounded like a giggle.

            “We better get going.” The woman stooped down to pat Indeedee’s head. “We have a lot of work to do for the contest.”

            “Oh, are you participating?” Hattie asked, remembering that a lot of people in town were getting ready for a competition.

            “Sort of.” The woman smiled softly, searching Hattie’s gaze for a moment before explaining, “I actually fund the studio. I won’t be able to sit in on the earlier events since I’ll be managing business affairs elsewhere.”

            “Sounds busy.” Hattie nodded empathetically.

            “It’s what happens when you inherit a company as large as Queen Corp.” The woman sighed.

            “Queen Corp?” Hattie repeated, wrinkling her nose.

            “Oh.” The woman blinked, looking surprised that Hattie didn’t recognize the brand. “Yes. You’ve probably seen advertisements around without realizing. But I’m Vanessa Queen, CEO of Queen Corp.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a business card. She offered it to Hattie, who automatically accepted it as it was pushed into her other hand.

            She stared at the elegant business card with snowflake decorations lining the silver writing.

            “Well, we really must be going. Perhaps I’ll see you at the contest?” Vanessa motioned for Indeedee to follow. It nuzzled against Hattie one more time before pulling away and padding back over to Vanessa.

            “Maybe!” Hattie said noncommittally.

            “I look forward to it,” Vanessa replied kindly before glancing down at Snatcher. “Goodbye, little Eevee!” She waved.

            Snatcher waved back. Though he was still on edge, his ears were no longer pinned back.

            Vanessa smiled at his response before turning away. Together, she and Indeedee continued on down the street, and Hattie and Snatcher soon started back to the Pokémon center.

            “You alright?” Hattie asked.

            “You really don’t recognize that Indeedee—” Snatcher asked at the same time. “What? Yeah. I’m fine. She was definitely the person the Shapeshifter turned into, but they act completely different. But that Indeedee knew you, kid.” He wrinkled his nose. “Like knew you.”

            “What did the Indeedee say?” Hattie asked. She really didn’t know how it could. She didn’t even know Vanessa, let alone her Pokémon.

            “Mostly things about how much you’ve grown and it missed you.” Snatcher rose a brow.

            “Vanessa didn’t seem to know me,” Hattie hummed, readjusting her grip on the to-go bags.

            “Indeedee can sense hearts and feelings, right?” Snatcher suggested. “Maybe you met both Indeedee and Vanessa before but only long enough for Indeedee to be able to recognize you?”

            “Why would it remember me though?” Hattie wasn’t convinced.

            “I don’t know, kid, but it sure was acting familiar if you’ve only met once.” Snatcher rolled his eyes and kicked at a pebble as they walked. “Some Pokémon can be such saps.”

            “Maybe you can ask it about where we met if we run into them again.” Hattie moved both of her bags to one hand as they neared the doors of the Pokémon Center. She held open the door for Snatcher and he trotted through. They both gasped when they saw who was at the counter.

            “Hello, young one,” the Medic greeted kindly. “It’s quite late, will you be staying the night?”

            The Medic looked exactly as they left them in Mafia Town. They wore the same lilac hood, and their gloved hands clasped their knotted walking stick. Hattie beamed at the familiar face—er, mask—as she crossed over to the counter with the nearby P.C.

            “Yes please! And it’s good to see you again!”

            “I’m afraid I don’t have any spare rooms, but you’re welcome to camp out in the lobby,” the Medic explained in their soft voice. “I would be happy to procure blankets or anything you may need.”

            “That’s fine! And how did you get here so fast?” Hattie glanced around the hushed lobby. There was only one other person with a Noibat using one of the computers at the stations beyond the counter.

            “I’m not sure what you mean,” the Medic said, tilting their head. “I have travelled many places, and right now, I am needed here. That’s all there is to it.”

            “That wasn’t oddly cryptic at all,” Snatcher muttered dryly.

            Hattie wanted to press the Medic, but her stomach growled again. Snatcher and the Medic both looked at her and she hung her head in shame.

            “Eat, little one,” the Medic urged. “I’ll be here if you need anything.”

            Hattie nodded, offering a grateful smile before retreated towards the booth table by the window.

            With a yawn, she set down the to-go bags and carefully slipped off the backpack, relieved once the weight left her shoulders. She placed it on the booth and unclasped the opening, poking Polteageist’s pot. Polteageist woke up, slowly lifting from the pot and stretching out underneath the lid. It blinked before rubbing at the smog in its eyes as Hattie set out dinner.

            The restaurant had had soup options for both people and Pokémon, which Snatcher had been happy to learn. The soups had been organized based on type and then specified further into types of soup. The normal-type options were rather plain, but Snatcher settled for a cream-based pamtre berry and potato soup. They also got the smallest serving of a ghost-type soup for Polteageist, and then soups that matched the other Pokémon.  

            “That’s the ghost-type?” Snatcher wearily eyed the murky purple broth with cold mist rising from the bubbling liquid. Hattie shivered when a tendril of mist grazed her finger.

            Polteageist was ecstatic, however. It perked as soon as Hattie removed the lid covering the cup of soup and darted out of the backpack and onto the table beside Snatcher. Snatcher edged away, scooting his own cup of soup out of Polteageist’s splatter zone as it used a plastic teaspoon to dig into the soup. It trilled and closed its eyes as it ate.

            Next, Hattie set out the other soups. Yamper and Skiddo were a bit too big for the table, and while she believed Applin would have fit just fine, she hadn’t really bonded with it yet and didn’t think it would appreciate being forced to eat on the table, so she set up the other soups on the ground with a bowl of water.

            After seeing Polteageist’s haunted meal, Snatcher crawled over to the edge of the table and watched as Hattie pulled the lids off of the other soups.

            Skiddo’s was the grass-type and filled with berries, though most of them were concealed by the mossy layer covering the broth like a crusted bread. Hattie nudged the moss aside, peering into a watery broth filled with fragrant berries. She pulled back and lifted her finger with a drop of dew from the moss on it and sniffed.

            It smelled like a fresh morning in a grassy field. Out of morbid curiosity, she licked the dew and her nose scrunched up. Tasted like grass.

            Next was Yamper’s electrified soup. The lid on the cup had a rubber lining and Hattie was glad for it; the soup had static sparks spiking from the thick cream! Spicy red cheri berries bobbed with the dry lavender-colored wiki berries. It almost looked like the electricity zipped between them. Hattie carefully scooted away from the cup, not wanting to splash the charged soup onto herself.

            Finally, came Applin’s grass-type soup with a little dragon-type mixed in. It had the same base as Skiddo’s, but a vibrant indigo cream swirled into the water broth, and spicier berries joined the sweet. There looked to be sprinkles of scales on top of the mossy crust.

            “Okay,” Snatcher admitted. “I take back everything I said about the normal-type options being boring.”

            Hattie snorted.

            “Okay, everyone! Dinner time!” Hattie grabbed the pokéballs on her belt and tossed them into the air. Skiddo, Yamper, and Applin all popped out with a flash. Applin immediately inched under the table, glaring out as it scanned its surroundings. Yamper immediately noticed the soup, but it held back, waiting for a command as drool dripped out of its chops. Skiddo was the only one who gave Hattie a greeting.

            “I got soup for everyone,” Hattie gestured towards the cups before reaching out towards Skiddo. It bopped its nose against her palm before heading towards its soup.

            While Skiddo ate the moss crust, it wagged its tail, causing leaves to flutter down. Yamper zipped over to its cup and scarfed down its soup. It took Applin a while longer to investigate its meal, but once it took a careful sip, it steadily worked on cleaning its cup.

            Hattie breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that everyone was enjoying their meal, and crawled onto one of the couches on the booth. She dug out her own soup, a thick slice of bread, and then opened up the lid.

            Fragrant vegetables and tender potatoes greeted Hattie in a burst of warmth. She inhaled the steam and tore off a chunk of bread to dip into the still scalding stew. The bread soaked up the flavors and when she took a bite, the spices sent warmth throughout her core. The stew was everything she was craving after a long day of mostly eating candy. She tore off another piece of bread and dunked it into the broth.

            Snatcher also seemed to be enjoying his soup. His tail wagged behind him as he lapped at the cream, though when he tried to snag the berries or potatoes, it looked more like he was playing a losing game of bobbing for apples.

            “Do you need a spoon?” Hattie asked slowly as she grabbed her own.

            His golden eyes glanced up as he was mid bob and when he realized she was watching his pathetic attempts he sputtered with his snout still submerged.

            “No!” He coughed as he pulled back, licking cream off of his nose and wiping the back of his paw over his snout. “I don’t have thumbs anyway!”

            Polteageist trilled something with a slight look of mischief in its eyes.

            “I don’t need you to feed me!” Snatcher bristled.

            “You can use your claws,” Hattie suggested, curling a finger to mime grabbing food with it.

            “I know I can use my—! Stop watching me eat already!” He walked around the cup and then sat with his back facing Polteageist and Hattie. He lowered into an angry loaf with his ears flopping down as he lapped at the soup.

            Polteageist chirped, raising its teaspoon to its mouth. Snatcher’s tail twitched and a low growl escaped his throat.

            “I did not forget how to eat!” Snatcher shot a glare at Polteageist.

            Hattie dunked a piece of bread into her soup, eyes widening. She had never known Polteageist to be this sassy! But the haunted teapot let out a mirthful trill that sounded like a laugh. It knew what it was doing.

            “Do I need to separate you two?” Hattie asked, echoing something Prim always said to her dad and MJ when the two bickered, whether in a teasing way or the passive aggressive sibling spat sort of way.

            “Polteageist started it!” Snatcher snapped.

            “Tea?” Polteageist held a hand to its chest, giving Hattie an innocent look as it gasped.

            “Okay, okay,” Hattie appeased, “Polteageist, stop teasing Snatcher over his bad eating skills.”

            “Kid!” Snatcher gave her a venomous look while Polteageist giggled.

            Hattie held Snatcher’s scowl for a moment before popping the bread into her mouth. While she chewed, she gestured towards her mouth and shrugged, motioning that she couldn’t talk with food in her mouth. Polteageist chortled louder, lid shaking on its head, and Snatcher grunted.

            “Don’t you have to report to the professor or something?” His tail flicked back and forth in agitation.

            Hattie swallowed her mouthful suddenly and it slid down uncomfortably. Coughing, she grabbed her water and took a couple gulps to wash down the bread. Once she could breathe again, she found Snatcher and Polteageist looking at her with worried expressions.

            “Right,” she coughed, waving her hand dismissively. “I’ll call him now.”

            MJ answered the call immediately, with grease marks on lining his cheeks and a wrench in hand.

            “Hattie?” He breathed out in relief as he wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand. A new grease mark smudged his brow.

            “Zzrt!” An enthusiastic crackle came from MJ’s Rotom as it eagerly flew in front of the camera, grinning widely.

            “Rotom,” MJ groaned, pushing Rotom out of the way with a sigh that carried the full weight of his fatigue, “not now. Hattie, how are you? Where are you? Are you still in Mafia Town?”

            Hattie stared at the screen blankly, anticipating the impending lecture.

            “Um, we’re in Noctwowl City, now.”

            “Hattie!” MJ’s tired eyes widened. “You were just supposed to search in Mafia Town! Why are you in Noctwowl City?”

            “Well I fought the Mafia Boss and caught his Applin, which is a shadow Pokémon, and the Mafia Boss doesn’t know anything about Dad disappearing but the Medic in Mafia Town—and now they might be here, I’m not sure, though—said that they think Dad could see shadow Pokémon and might have told that to the wrong person or something so we’re following the trail of shadow Pokémon hoping that Dad might be here,” Hattie chattered quickly while MJ listened, gobsmacked. “And, oh! The Medic gave me a badge so that I could read some stuff in the archives about shadow Pokémon, and I learned about the Shadow Queen and I have a map to the relic stone, but I’m not really sure how to tell if a shadow Pokémon can be purified yet and the Mafia Boss said that Team Mafia gets shadow Pokémon from someone in Noctwowl City so we’re looking for clues.”

            “Hattie,” MJ said, shaking his head. “That’s so much to process.”

            “I know,” Hattie bit her lip, “but Dad wasn’t in Mafia Town, so I had to keep going.”

            MJ nodded, pushing his glasses up and rubbing his palm against his eye.

            “Okay.” He lowered his hand and blinked as he considered her. “Alright. The good news is that Prim and Bria are actually heading to Noctwowl City for parts tomorrow. But it’ll take a day for them to get there.”

            “Bria?” Hattie straightened with a smile. “What time?”

            “Again, it’ll be late because Prim doesn’t like flying,” MJ replied. “But they’ll call you when they enter the city. Please be careful before they get there.”

            “But Noctwowl City is one of the safest places.” She tilted her head. She handled the Mafia Boss, she thought she could handle whatever the city had to throw at her.

            “Mmhmm.” MJ forced a weary smile. He was silent for a moment before adding slowly, “it’s just that there are a lot of people there.”

            “Yeah, there’s a contest coming up,” Hattie offered.

            “Right.” MJ nodded. “Just be careful. Stay close to Polteageist and if it doesn’t trust someone, follow its instinct.”

            Hattie glanced up at Polteageist, who had a serious look on its features as it listened.

            “Okay,” she promised, not seeing a reason not to.

            “Noctwowl City,” MJ muttered. He disappeared from the screen for a moment before returning with a cloth to wipe off his face. “And you think the shadow Pokémon are there?”

            “Yeah.”

            “I’m unsure if I should wish you luck on finding leads or not, but hopefully once Bria and Prim return with the parts, we’ll be able to purify shadow Pokémon at a faster pace.”

            “What does that mean?” Hattie grabbed another piece of bread and leaned back against the booth’s cushions, nibbling as she listened.

            “Traditionally, the relic stone is the only natural way to purify shadow Pokémon, well, that and Celebi has the ability to purify them, too. But scientists in Orre created a machine that works like a PC, where a Pokémon never has to leave the pokéball to be purified.” MJ readjusted his glasses as he furrowed his brows.

            “Oh good,” Snatcher said sarcastically. “I’m sure being stuffed into a machine is just what they need to open their hearts to love or whatever again.”

            “Snatcher thinks the machine sounds mean,” Hattie reported.

            “Snatcher?” MJ repeated.

            “I nicknamed Dad’s Eevee, Snatcher.”

            “Ah. Well, I do understand how he feels,” MJ admitted. “I guess I see it as shadow Pokémon are created in a machine, and it makes sense a machine can undo the process. But, even with the machine, a trainer is still needed, as well as other Pokémon with open hearts.”

            Hattie glanced over at Snatcher.

            “Happy?”

            “Not particularly,” Snatcher grumbled, sticking a paw into his cup and fishing out a potato with his claw.

            “Hey, MJ,” Hattie began, “I… I’m not sure how many shadow Pokémon have been created. And there are so many Team Mafia members, but I only battled a couple of them.”

            “You’re worried Team Mafia might have more?” MJ surmised. “That’s a good point. I can always make another Snatch machine… Hmm. I have an idea, but it might take me awhile.” He let out a heavy sigh before changing the subject. “It’s been a while since you’ve been in Noctwowl City. I remember Luka took you to the aquarium there when you were younger. Do you like the city?”

            Hattie nodded before jumping into a rundown of everything. She described the library to MJ and how she wanted to go there with her dad once everything was over. She avoided mentioning the C. A. W. agents she was planning to follow around in the morning and she didn’t say anything about the Shapeshifter, thinking that might just worry him. And finally, she shifted the camera so that he could see their meal and when she saw that Skiddo, Yamper, and Applin had all licked their cups clean, she described the soup flavors to him.

            MJ seemed much calmer after hearing about a mostly mundane day. When he yawned, Hattie urged him to get some rest.

            “You too,” MJ chuckled. “And don’t worry. We’re going to find Luka.”

            She nodded, biting back the rising melancholy.

            “Goodnight, MJ.” She knew if she said anything more on the topic, she risked her voice cracking.

            “Night, Hattie,” MJ waved. “Get some sleep!”

            Hattie waved and ended the call. Though she still stared at her blank screen a few moments after. Her blue eyes stared back in the faint reflection.

            A trill from Polteageist drew her out of her thoughts. She offered a tired smile and focused on finishing her dinner.

            When it was time for bed, Hattie cleaned the table and set up her sleeping bag on one side of the booth. The Medic brought over blankets for her and the Pokémon and supplied plenty of pillows.

            Curled up in a blanket, Hatti rested her pillow on the back of the booth so that she could look out at the city lights that mimicked the stars. The view in the window looked even more dazzling when the Medic turned off the main lights, leaving only a soft orange glow from a lamp on the counter. Polteageist settled down on the table and Skiddo curled up on the floor protectively. Yamper and Applin lay on the opposite side of the booth and finally Snatcher walked in a circle at the top of Hattie’s sleeping bag, fluffing up a pillow before tightly winding up into a ball on top of it.

            “You gonna lay down, kiddo?” Snatcher prompted as she continued leaning over to the back of the booth.

            “Yeah.”

            “If you fall asleep in that position, you’ll feel it in the morning.”

            “Aw, you care,” Hattie teased tiredly, though she didn’t look away from the window.

            “I don’t,” Snatcher retorted. “If fact, go ahead and fall asleep like that, I bet it’ll do wonders for your spine.”

            She snorted and his warning went entirely ignored. As the minutes drifted by, Hattie’s eyelids grew heavy. She was momentarily jostled back into consciousness during Snatcher’s grumbling and his and Polteageist’s effort to gently lower her and her pillow onto the sleeping bag. For half a moment, her eye cracked open and she saw Snatcher fixing her blanket so that it covered her shoulder. But before she could commit the flicker of gentleness to memory, she slipped into a cozy dream, accompanied by a whisper of her dad’s voice.

            “Goodnight, kiddo.”

Chapter Text

            Going inside was a mistake. Going inside meant heat and warmth and that meant that the heat and warmth would contrast with the snow caked onto his jacket and the flakes sticking to his lashes and curls sticking out of his beanie. And it didn’t help that the reason he had volunteered to run into the lab to procure buttons, carrots, and other cozy accessories for the girls’ snowmon was because he was already at his limit.

            And so Luka’s muscles seized as the building panic from being in the cold all day reached his breaking point. His breath hitched as the front door closed behind him and a final burst of cold air caressed his neck.

            The white lights in the hushed lab burned as brightly as sunlight reflecting off of the snow. He was alone. While his breathing was becoming more frantic and his pulse drummed in his ears, he could only hear clinking chains and a twittering Froslass making the temperature colder.

            Gasping, Luka felt dizzy as his hyperventilating failed to sufficiently supply oxygen. He stumbled back against the wall by the door and his knees buckled. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out everything, but that was also a mistake.

            Even after eight years of burying the memories, they all came flooding back each time it snowed.

            The chains that left scars on his wrist and nasty one across his chest. The contained cold in the cellar but his increasing fear that Froslass’ snow leeched up the stairs and into the rest of the manor. The fear that spiked when he heard Hattie’s crying or the dread when he couldn’t hear her at all, not knowing that she was being cared for by Indeedee at the time. And with the memories came the desperate ache from how it didn’t make any sense.

            Luka gripped the tile in the lab through his gloves. He blinked, feeling his heart in his throat when the bright lab reminded him of snow, but the back of his eyelids provided images of the grey cellar. It didn’t make sense.

            Tears welled in the corners of his eyes and pressure built in his head. He didn’t want to cry. He wanted to be having fun with Hattie and Bria and Prim and Polteageist, but he felt like he was suffocating. It didn’t make sense! He was safe. Hattie was safe. Why did he constantly feel like he was one misstep away from losing everything?

            Because it happened once. What was to keep it from happening again?

            A gasp escaped his throat and hot tears stung his chilled cheeks. Once the dam split, there was no use holding back. He fleetingly considered scooting in front of the door to block anyone from coming in and stumbling onto his breakdown, but he feared if he did his cries might somehow carry through the door more than the wall. He couldn’t sift through his overwhelmed thoughts to figure out what the best course of action was so he remained pressed against the wall, petrified, as he silently prayed Hattie wouldn’t come looking for him.

            The same thoughts he carried ever since Vanessa lashed out at him circled through his mind. But for all his schooling, he never could conjure an answer to his suffering. Why?

            Why did Vanessa do that to him? Why didn’t she listen? Was it him? Had he done something to make her doubt his devotion? He had just wanted to run into town. He had just wanted to do something for himself instead of relying on Vanessa or Indeedee to provide all he could ever want or do all the chores in his stead. It didn’t matter how many times he tried to rationalize it wasn’t his fault. It didn’t matter how many times he tried to understand what she had been thinking or feeling. It never made enough sense. It wasn’t fair that it couldn’t make sense! It wasn’t fair that he couldn’t fix things or that he couldn’t do anything to prevent something like that from happening again.

            There wasn’t anything logical in what he had been through. And there wasn’t anything logical to melting down on the floor of his brother’s lab when there was no danger, just cold. But he still wept as haggard gasps rendered him breathless.

            “Luka.” A gentle hand clasped over his shoulder and Luka jumped.

            His horrified expression earned the deepest crease in MJ’s brow and an empathetic grief in his blue gaze. While he was relieved it was MJ who found him, Luka still tried to stifle bubbling tears.

            “So-sorry,” Luka whispered tightly, lifting his gloves to his face to try to wipe the tears from his features, but his gloves were cold and wet from the melting snow and sudden touch like ice caused him to jolt. A strangled whimper escaped as he dropped his hands.

            “If you told Hattie you needed to sit out on snow days, she would understand.” MJ shuffled around. He adjusted his lab coat so he wouldn’t wrinkle it as he leaned back onto the wall, sitting next to Luka.

            Luka swallowed. He opened his mouth to respond, but his features wrinkled as they prematurely detected a voice crack. He snapped his jaw shut, shaking his head as he tugged off the wet gloves. His hands felt icy once they were free and he clasped them together, rubbing circles into his palm as he stared at his purplish nails. He wondered if his lips were blue from the cold too.

            MJ reached into his pocket and pulled out a little pack of tissues. He offered one to Luka as sniffling filled the silence. Luka accepted it quickly, hoping to hide his shaking hands, and wiped at his cheeks before blowing his nose.

            “I’m supposed to be getting buttons,” Luka sniffed, folding the tissue in half. MJ snorted and Luka cracked a grin, though it was shortly lived when he thought about going back out into the snow. He curled up his legs and hunched over so his forehead rested against his knees. He used the shadows to hide how his features crumbled while he fruitlessly tried to hold back tears. His shoulders shook with strained gasps.

            MJ’s hand pressed against his back and rubbed gentle circles. His kindness only made it harder for Luka to keep himself together.

            “It shouldn’t be this hard,” Luka groaned. He shouldn’t fall apart every time it snows.

            “What makes it hard?” MJ prompted.

            “I can’t forget it,” Luka’s voice cracked, and he shook his head, pushing on even though it came out in a whine. “I can’t forget how it felt.”

            He wanted so badly to. He wanted to forget how Vanessa had lashed out. He wanted to forget how helpless he had felt when he screamed for her to just talk to him. He wanted to forget how Froslass had chilled the cellar and sapped his strength and energy to fight. He wanted to forget how much he loved Vanessa.

            Because that memory lingered.

            He remembered how they grew up together, how they traveled regions on a shared Pokémon journey. He remembered how he marveled at her strength and how she supported him when he just wanted to learn all about Pokémon and people and how to protect them. He remembered their wedding and what a joyous day it was; how he never thought he could be happier than when he was holding his bride in his arms and she smiled at him like the sun. He remembered holding baby Hattie for the first time, and the mirth he shared as he cuddled up with his wife and daughter, so completely sure that they were meant to be that happy always.

            If he counted out all the happiness they had shared, on paper, it seemed there were more good times than bad. But the bad times were bad, and he needed to remind himself of that fact.

            But how much easier would it be, to claw all the memories of Vanessa from his heart? Sometimes he wished he could. Sometimes he woke up from dreams of his blissful childhood with Vanessa with tears streaming down his cheeks. Sometimes a flavor of tea held the same fragrance as the garden he grew at the manor. Sometimes he felt a chill down his spine, and he could only freeze as all the anxieties and sorrows he worked so hard to bottle up, came pouring out.

            “You don’t need to forget in order to heal,” MJ whispered.

            Luka let out a shaking sigh.

            “It’s been so long.” Luka rubbed at his eyes, staring down into the darkness. His tears had slowed into just a trickle, but droplets still squeezed out each time his voice cracked. “When will it stop hurting?”

            MJ hummed, not having an answer.

            But that was okay. Luka didn’t have one either.

            After a few moments of silence and of Luka steadying his breath while he remained curled up, MJ pushed to his feet.

            “You need buttons? Anything else?”

            “Carrots,” Luka lifted his head, wincing at the light, “and maybe a scarf? Prim said you had one.”

            “Alright. I’ll be right back.” MJ disappeared into one of the other rooms and Luka leaned back.

            He heaved out a sigh and fiddled with the snotty tissue in hand. The initial fear ebbed, though exhaustion took its place. Guilt also bit into him. Prim was probably having to work overtime to keep Hattie from seeing what was taking him so long. And he felt bad for bringing MJ into his meltdown. Even though it happened just about every snow day and the two had come to expect his needing to lean on them, he still wished he wouldn’t feel this way in the first place.

            Why couldn’t he be stronger?

            Shaking his head, he pushed himself onto trembling legs. While the cold abated thanks to the heating in the lab, his coat and gloves and pants had traces of damp spots from the melted snow, meaning the cold was going to feel the sharpest yet when he went back out into the weather. His heart flipped at that, but he forced himself to take in deep, slow breaths through his nose before letting them out in a steady count through his mouth. Meanwhile, he forced his brain to latch onto a list of things he needed to do later, keeping his mind occupied as best as he could. Whenever he started to feel his thoughts drift dangerously to Vanessa, he simply repeated over and over, we’re safe. We’re safe. We’re safe.

            Some repetitions were more desperate than others.

            “Feeling better?” MJ asked, returning with snowmon accessories and a glass of water.

            Luka nodded, saving his brittle voice, as he took the glass and drained it. MJ readjusted his glasses, scanning Luka’s carefully blank features.

            “Call me if you need anything,” MJ said with a warm earnestness.

            “Thanks, MJ.” Luka offered a weak smile as he returned the glass and collected the buttons, scarf, and carrots.

            “Take care of yourself.” MJ waved. Luka returned the gesture.

            His hand paused on the doorknob and he felt MJ’s gaze on his back as a second stretched out. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

            The cold stung, as expected, but at least the snow had stopped. Grey clouds covered Rift Town and the distant thrum of the sea promised there was movement elsewhere even if Luka’s footsteps felt frozen.

            Screams and delighted squeals came from the space between the sparse buildings. Since Rift Town was incredibly tiny, Luka didn’t have to walk more than a few yards to find Hattie, Bria, and Prim pelting each other with snowballs. Polteageist floated around them, twittering with laughter. He did note with a slight wince that their snowmon, a Galarian Ponyta, had been completed in his absence. They must have sought out their own materials, using a radish for its horn and scarves for its cotton candy mane and tail. Button eyes sat on its head.

            “Papa!” Hattie’s voice cried excitedly. He turned right as a snowball exploded in his face.

            “Luka!” Prim’s voice sounded strangled as she tried to conceal her worry.

            It’s just a snowball, he reminded himself in the split second he found himself frozen from the sudden attack. His heart was in his throat and he wanted to break down crying again as his features stung. But he forced his pulse to steady as he slowly wiped the snow from his face. Hattie had a mischievous look on her features and another snowball in hand. She was ready to battle.

            Smile. Smile. Smile for Hattie. The absolute last thing he wanted was for her to fear the snow. Or to know he feared the cold and why. So he forced a wide smile and swallowed his tears.  

            “That’s it!” Luka dropped the snowmon supplies and stooped to make his own snowball. “Time you saw what I’m really capable of, kid!”

            Hattie let out a delighted laugh before throwing her second snowball. Luka ducked before leaping up and tossing his own snowball towards Hattie. She dived out of the way and Bria covered her while she made her next snowball.

            “Gotcha!” Bria cheered when she managed to nail Luka in the shoulder with an attack. He dropped down to make another as Hattie tossed one towards Prim.

            It turned into a lighthearted battle of kids vs. adults. Luka was the best at dodging primarily because he did not enjoy getting hit, and he threw the weakest attacks he could without getting called out for not trying. Polteageist hovered nearby, helping to shield him from snowballs from behind.

            It was fun. Especially when the others laughed, Luka felt strength surge. With each snowball thrown, he repeated the mantra in his head that they were safe until it became white noise. He managed to keep his anxiety in check until he noticed Hattie’s teeth chattering and a faint purplish tint to her lips.

            “Okay,” Luka dropped his ammo, “I think it’s time to stop there.”

            “What?” Hattie frowned, lowering her snowball. “Five more minutes! Please?”

            “You’re a tough negotiator,” Luka said as he crossed over to the girls. “But you know the rules; if your lips turn blue, we need to warm up.”

            “Aw,” Hattie huffed when he knelt down and scooped her up. Luckily, she didn’t put up a fight, but he could feel her shivering through her coat and he felt panic rising.

            With Hattie balanced on his hip, he scanned Bria, who looked up at him with large violet eyes.

            “You should head home, too,” he fretted, holding the back of his glove to her cheeks. She giggled as his gloves tickled. He was relieved that she didn’t seem to be shivering.

            “Okay!” Bria nodded. “See you tomorrow Hattie!”

            “See you!” Hattie waved. “We still need to make a friend for Ponyta!”

            Bria agreed enthusiastically while Luka’s chest squeezed painfully at the reminder it would still be snowing the next day.

            “I’ll walk Bria home,” Prim promised as she crossed over.

            “Do you want to stay over for hot chocolate?” Bria offered as Prim took her hand.

            “If Tim doesn’t mind.” Prim smiled, tossing Luka an encouraging smile.

            “Yes!” Bria tugged on her hand and Prim chuckled as they hurried towards the bookstore.

            Since Prim would ensure Bria made it home safely, Luka funneled his fear into rushing home with Hattie in his arms and Polteageist chirping behind him.

            “Take off your boots and coat,” Luka instructed as soon as they were inside. “And if you need to, change into dry clothes.”

            “I know!” Hattie tugged off her scarf and Cubchoo beanie before hanging them on the hook on the wall.

            Luka swiftly removed his own snow-covered clothes. His pant cuffs felt a little damp, and his socks needed to be changed. He appraised the state of Hattie’s damp clothes with a frown.  

            “Are you going to—” he began.

            “Yes, I’m going to go change,” Hattie sighed dramatically, giving him an impish grin as she tugged off her socks.

            Luka bit back his desire to urge her to hurry, and he didn’t stop worrying even after she darted upstairs to her room. But he tried to keep his heartbeat steady as he changed into a sweater and sweats.

            “Tea?” Polteageist chirped, floating nearby as he headed to the laundry room with their wet clothes in hand.

            “We’re safe,” Luka muttered out loud, not paying attention to his partner.

            “Pol!” Polteageist hovered in front of Luka, its spiral eyes drooping with concern. Luka startled out of his thoughts, his heart skipping a beat, but when he just saw that it was Polteageist, he let go of the breath he had been holding.

            “Polteageist,” he said as he dumped the cold clothes into the washer, “I’ll start a kettle soon.” He didn’t have enough dirty laundry to start the washer, but a fresh, clean load had just finished in the dryer.

            Polteageist chirped quietly, floating over and landing on his shoulder. It nuzzled its cheek against Luka, twittering softly.

            Luka took in a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth, silently counting.

            “Thanks, bud.” Luka gave Polteageist a gently scratch and its trilled, leaning into his touch.

            The sound of tiny footsteps flying down the stairs reminded him of the task at hand. He tugged a still toasty blanket from the dryer and instantly felt calmer as the warm, clean-smelling fabric chased away any lingering cold. He readied the blanket in his arms and when he walked out of the laundry room to find Hattie running by to get to the kitchen, he lunged.

            “Gotcha!” Luka enveloped Hattie in the blanket and his embrace. Squealing from surprise, she laughed as the blanket tangled around her. Luka gave her a protective squeeze through the blanket before releasing her and she quickly shifted the blanket so that she wore it like a cape.

            “Look!” Hattie put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. “I’m a knight! Just like in Bria’s favorite story!”

            “A knight, huh?” Luka smiled, feeling lighter now that her lips were back to their normal color and she wasn’t shivering any longer. “What’s her favorite story?”

            “It’s a fairy tale about the last Rapidash ever!” Hattie trailed behind him as he headed for the kitchen.

            “The Last Rapidash?” Luka surmised, remembering reading that particular fairy tale. Though, it had been a while.

            “Yeah, but I mean, she isn’t actually the last Rapidash. The story is about her finding others! And to protect her at one point, she’s turned into a human.” Once they entered the kitchen, Hattie jumped up into her usual chair at the table.

            Luka crossed over to the stove, where he had a stew simmering all day. Polteageist floated away and began filling a kettle with water so that they could have tea.

            “Can Pokémon turn into people?” Hattie continued, tapping her hands idly against the table.

            “I’m not sure,” Luka responded, removing the lid covering the stew and inhaling the fragrant steam. He was grateful he had learned to plan for snow days by making a warm, comforting dinner ahead of time so he wouldn’t have to do to much for a meal at the end of the day. He grabbed a wooden spoon from the designated pitcher full of cooking utensils and gave the stew a stir. Without taking his eyes off of the pot, he added, “I haven’t ever seen a Pokémon turn into a human, but I’ve heard plenty of stories!”

            “What about humans turning into Pokémon?” Hattie asked. “Bria also told me about one where a prince is turned into a Pokémon by a curse!”

            “Are you talking about Beauty and the Beast? That’s a Kalosian fairy tale, right?” Luka lifted the spoon to his mouth, holding his hand underneath to catch any stray droplets of broth.

            “Wait!” Hattie cried, leaping from the chair and causing it to screech against the tile.

            Luka jumped at her sudden volume and spilled hot soup on his hand. His eyes watered from the sudden burning sensation in his palm, but luckily, it wasn’t hot enough to blister. He moved the spoon back over the pot as he wiped the droplet from his hand and onto the towel draped over the oven handle. Glancing down at Hattie’s excited features after she scrambled to his side, the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders, he raised a questioning brow.

            “Can I try? Can I? Can I?” She bounced on the pads of her feet.

            “Of course, dear heart.” He collected more stew onto the spoon and blew some of the steam away. “Careful, it’s hot,” he warned as he lowered the spoon so that Hattie could taste test. He kept his other hand perched under the spoon as she bent and blew on the stew too.

            She sipped the broth, and he waited an agonizingly long moment before she straightened and gave him a cheerful pose.

            “Yummy!” she declared.

            “Does it need anything?” he asked with a smile.

            “Nope! It’s perfect!” She moved around to his other side so that she could put her hands on the counter and push to her tip toes to watch.

            “Perfect?” Luka echoed, tasting some for himself. He gave her a wink. “That might be generous on your part. But I think a little more salt could make it near perfect.”

            He added a pinch of salt and stirred a little more while Polteageist set up the tea tray.

            “Do we have any fairy tale movies?” Hattie asked while Luka hid a yawn behind his hand.

            “Mmhmm.” He nodded. “One of your favorites, Six Swanna, is based on a fairy tale of the same name!”

            Her eyes lit up as she gasped excitedly.

            “That’s a fairy tale? Oh! It has princes who get turned into Pokémon too!”

            “Yep, and their little sister has to rescue them.” Luka reached for the bowls in the cupboard when the kettle whistled.

            “Can we watch it after dinner?” Hattie as Luka ladled stew into a bowl.

            “Absolutely!” It was, after all, a custom for them. Inadvertently, Luka’s attempts to curb his unavoidable panic on snowy days turned into traditions that Hattie adored. There was always soup, warm blankets, tea, and a relaxed movie night. The movie always helped to occupy Hattie and was usually enough to distract Luka from howling wind outside or the shadows of snowflakes fluttering down.

            But honestly, he usually just fell asleep halfway through the film.

            Hattie chattered through dinner about how Tim gave Bria a book of fairy tales and Bria told Hattie about her favorites. Hattie seemed to love the adventures in the fairy tales and wanted to go looking for enchanted objects or witches in the forest the next time they hiked. Luka listened to her rambling, occasionally asking questions or responding to her own. He promised to dig out old fairy tale collections for Hattie to peruse later. Polteageist offered input with a delighted trill as it ate its own meal of poke food.

            Luka did share a little stew with it, holding out his spoon for Polteageist to taste the broth, but for the most part, Polteageist stuck to its own food and the tea it prepared.

            At the end of dinner, Hattie darted into the living room to set up the movie while Luka let out a jaw-popping yawn. Polteageist chirped, checking in on Luka as it picked up on his usual fatigue after a day writhe with anxiety.

            “I’m alright,” he said sleepily, moving his and Hattie’s empty dishes into the sink. He had made a surplus of stew, since the forecast said it would snow heavily for a few days. While he could get out of having to brave the weather on some days with work obligations he could finish from home, the less he had to be a functioning adult, the easier it would be to wait out the storm. Once he put the stew into smaller containers and set them in the fridge, he poured another mug of tea and added milk and honey.

            “Are you ready, Papa?” Hattie called.

            “Mmhmm,” Luka hummed with his mug cupped in his hands, radiating warmth that helped to soothe him.

            “Pol!” Polteageist cried from the table. Luka looked back and Polteageist pointed at Hattie’s teacup.

            “One moment!” Luka called, returning to the table to refill Hattie’s cup. Hattie preferred her tea without additions, but occasionally she would take a lemon slice or a touch of honey. Since the honey was out and it could serve to sweeten the tea like it was an after-dinner dessert, he added just enough and mixed it into the amber tea. With both drinks in hand, he walked into the living room with Polteageist on his tail.

            “Are you excited?” Hattie asked as Luka lowered onto the couch. She craned her neck back from her position sitting on the floor by the coffee table, where she had the remote at the ready. He nodded since he was sipping his tea while holding out her cup towards her. She pressed play before scrambling back onto the couch beside him. She took her cup in one hand and used the other to pass half of the blanket over his lap. He immediately curled up underneath, leaning towards Hattie as the movie began.

            “No skipping the songs,” he teased as Polteageist flew over to the crook of his legs pulled up onto the couch. Polteageist nuzzled into place, sipping its own fixing of tea with its pinky out.

            “I only did that when I was a baby!” Hattie dropped back into the cushions and leaned against him.

            “Didn’t you skip the songs for the movie we watched last—” 

            “Shh!” Her eyes were locked onto the screen’s opening scene.

            He chuckled behind his mug, shaking his head.

            His tea was drained by the time they reached the beginning of the second song. After he placed the empty mug on the coffee table, he shivered as he pulled his half of the blanket up to his shoulders. He glanced at the window, where the curtains were drawn but a bit of the streetlights cast a shaft of light against the carpet. Snowflakes dappled the light and he huddled up tighter.

            “Will you teach me how to play this song on the piano?” Hattie’s whisper was a welcome distraction.

            Luka blinked at the screen, where the King was singing about following a spool of thread to visit his children in a castle hidden from his second wife, their wicked stepmother, who planned to turn his six sons into Swanna. The song was filled with love and hope in being reunited with his children.

            “Sure, kiddo,” Luka whispered back before turning away as a yawn shook through him.

            “Sleepy?” Hattie asked.

            “Maybe a little,” he admitted, resting his cheek on the back of the couch. “But I’ll try to stay ah—” another yawn pealed out, “—awake.”

            Or maybe he would rest his eyes for a moment.

            The second he closed his eyes, he felt sleep creeping over him. But, before it fully pulled him under, he felt the cushions shift as Hattie craned her head. He heard a snort and she cuddled up against his side, tucking the blanket tighter around him. A calm exhale released as he drifted, finally believing the mantra he had been repeating all day. They were safe. Entwined with the song coming from the speakers, he fell asleep to his daughter’s gentle whisper.

            “Sleep well, Papa!”

Chapter Text

            Hattie stirred when it was still dark. The orange glow of the lamp on the counter cast enough light for her to see the Medic, sitting at their post. Their head slumped as they leaned on their staff. Though the mask concealed their features, they appeared to be sleeping.

            From her perch on the booth’s cushions, she could spot the sleeping Pokémon across the underside of the table. Polteageist’s lid rattled in a steady rhythm above her, like a sleeping breath. Skiddo’s hooves scraped against tile, twitching from dreams. But when Hattie craned her neck, the pillow fluffed by her head was empty.

            Movement drew her gaze to a tail flickering over the backrest. Snatcher stared out the window, which framed the dark witching hour. Even the streetlights seemed dimmer, though the stars remained blotted out by light pollution.

            “Snatcher?” Hattie whispered. Her sleeping bag crinkled against the quiet as she scooted into a sitting position. Snatcher glanced towards her before his golden gaze returned to the window.

            “Go back to sleep, kid,” he muttered in a low tone.

            “Why don’t you go back to sleep?” She covered a yawn.

            There was a stretch of silence when she expected a snippy retort. She rose a brow as he slumped.

            “I’m not in the mood.”

            “For sleeping?” She crinkled her nose.

            “To argue with you,” he said with a threat of a growl, but his voice sounded too tired to carry any emotion.

            “Oh.” Hattie shifted and pulled her knees to her chest. Hugging her legs, she looked out the window, though Snatcher remained in the corner of her eye. “Nightmare?”

            He let out a deep sigh.

            “If it was, I can’t remember it.”

            “Want to talk about it?” Hattie offered.

            “No,” he managed to growl this time.

            “It’s just that talking about my nightmares always makes me feel better,” Hattie continued quietly. She tucked her chin on her knees. “Once, I had a nightmare where I was on a spaceship, trying to go home, but then there was an explosion, and I lost the fuel for the spaceship. Also, the fuel was hourglasses! Which was cool. But I was scared so badly in the dream because I thought I’d never get to go home and see Papa, and even when I woke up and ran into his room to make sure he was there, I couldn’t stop crying.”

            There was a pause.

            “What did he say?” Snatcher finally asked.

            “What?” Hattie turned.

            “What did Luka say? To calm you down?” Snatcher didn’t take his eyes off of the window, even when his voice dripped with dry sarcasm. “Or did the great Luka fail to console you?”

            “He promised that he wasn’t going anywhere,” Hattie replied, ignoring his tone. “And then he hugged me and hummed a song until I fell asleep.”

            “What song?”

            “It’s one he wrote himself! It changes a little each time because he doesn’t have a finished version.” Hattie turned back to the window. Traces of her reflection stared at her, but she looked beyond it to just gaze at the empty street.

            “He never finished it?” Snatcher’s jaw snapped with a yawn.

            “Actually, he did, but I think the sheet music was something he left behind in the divorce,” Hattie admitted. “I don’t know more than that, but he always gets weird when he thinks about it.”

            Snatcher let out a harrumph, letting his tail flop over the booth. He stared at the window, his golden eyes glinting. Hattie wondered if he was looking at his reflect rather than the city.

            “Do you…” Hattie hesitated, “do you think you’re dreaming of someone you miss? Or something?”

            “I don’t even know who I am, kid.” Snatcher let out a heavy exhale, finally turning his head towards her. “How am I supposed to know if I’m missing someone?”

            “You could miss yourself?” She shrugged. “But if you don’t miss anyone, then why do you seem—” she cut herself off, realizing too late that what she was about to say might have been rude. At the very least, Snatcher wouldn’t have appreciated it.

            “I seem what?” Snatcher scowled. His ears twitched.

            “You seem sad,” Hattie muttered, fiddling with her fingers.

            “I’m not sad,” Snatcher huffed, looking back towards the window.

            “Could have fooled me,” she mumbled loud enough for him to hear.

            He didn’t respond but she knew she had struck a nerve from his swishing tail.

            She lowered back down into the sleeping bag. The material crackled and she even caught a few flashes of static snapping as the blanket rubbed against the sleeping bag. She curled up and looked up at Snatcher. He was back to gazing out the window.

            “Do you remember anything at all in the dream?” Hattie yawned.

            He was quiet for so long that she thought he had chosen to just ignore her.

            “The only thing that I remember is something about soup,” Snatcher finally replied. “But that’s probably your fault from what we had from dinner.”

            “Ha,” she snickered. “You’re welcome! But that’s good!” She nuzzled up against her pillow. “If you dreamed about soup, it probably wasn’t a nightmare.”

            “You can’t have nightmares about soup?” he asked in disbelief. “What if I dreamed of a soup monster that wanted to eat me?”

            “That’d be pretty messed up,” Hattie admitted. “Did you dream about that?”

            “I doubt it.”

            “Then you’re good!” Hattie yawned again as she closed her eyes. “Just have pleasant soup dreams.”

            “Pleasant soup dreams—”

            “Shh,” she cut him off. “It’s pleasant soup dreams time for me too.”

            He chuckled, and Hattie grinned as she drifted, proud that she had cheered him up, even if it was just a little.

            Unfortunately, when she woke up later that morning, she found that she hadn’t cheered him up enough for him to be able to go back to sleep. She didn’t realize an Eevee could have bags under its eyes, but Snatcher’s fluff failed to conceal the creases by his snout.

            The lack of a good night’s rest left him irritable but mostly just out of it. Polteageist tried nudging him a few times, but even tea wasn’t enough to wake him from his daze.

            Hattie spent breakfast mostly with Skiddo and Yamper. Skiddo was comfortable with getting scratches, but Yamper only tolerated a small amount of brushing before it sent sparks flying. Hattie tried to coax Applin out from under the table, but it was on edge. Wondering if it would fare better after a battle to release some of its tense energy, she made a mental note to look for a trainer to spar with after investigating the C.A.W agents.

            Once Hattie called her party back into their pokéballs and the booth was cleaned up, she motioned for Polteageist and Snatcher to get going. Despite both her and Polteageist’s concern, Snatcher insisted he didn’t need to be carried. He shook himself out and trotted towards the door. Hattie shared a look with Polteageist before quietly following.

            It took roughly an hour of walking until Hattie finally located a shifty-looking character tucked in an alley deeper into the city. The figure wore a grey fedora with a black stripe. Her matching trench coat had the collar flipped up, and a pointed nose seemed to stick out from the shadows that were her concealed features.

            “Hello!” Hattie greeted as she casually walked up to the woman. Snatcher stuck close to her ankles and Polteageist hovered behind, keeping an eye out for any trouble.

            The woman startled, lifting gloved hands to adjust her wide-rimmed glasses.

            “Hello, fellow city-dweller,” she said in a monotone cadence. “What brings a small one like you to my perch.”

            “Just curious,” Hattie replied. Glancing around, she couldn’t see anything unusual about the alley. The rancid smell of cooking grease and mold wafted from the dumpster by the wall at the back of the alley. A Trubbish munched quietly on garbage, unbothered by the woman’s presence. Hattie returned her gaze to the woman, who was staring at her intently. Hattie questioned, “Why are you standing here?”

            “There have been rumors,” the woman began, tilting her head from side to side as she considered Hattie from different angles, “of terrible Pokémon-pilfering plunderers. Have you noticed any strange occurrences in town?”

            “No,” Hattie said slowly, eyes narrowing. “If you’re looking for stolen Pokémon, wouldn’t you have better luck searching in Mafia Town or Nyakuza Metro?”

            “Supposing theft can happen anywhere,” the woman ignored her, “where would you look in order to catch a burglar?”

            “Kid, this isn’t going anywhere,” Snatcher yawned. “Maybe it’s time to be direct.”

            “Are you sure?” Hattie raised her brow.

            “Sure about what?” the woman cocked her head in confusion.

            “I’m actually doing an investigation of my own, actually.” Hattie held her hands behind her back as she swayed on her feet. Snatcher gave her an encouraging nod and she confronted the woman. “I’m researching the sudden resurgence of shadow Pokémon.”

            The woman’s constantly bobbing head froze.

            Hattie tensed as she felt the woman’s gaze zero in on her. Softly trilling, Polteageist hovered closer and Snatcher lowered, looking ready to pounce if needed.

            The woman ran.

            “Hey!” Hattie yelped, dumbfounded as the woman in the trench coat whirled around, jumped up onto the dumpster lid, and flew over the cement wall at the end of the alley. “Come back!” Hattie yelled, scrambling to follow.

            Once she hopped onto the wall, she surveyed ahead. Her mouth dropped open as she watched the woman run into traffic with her trench coat billowing. A scooter careened and tires screeched before a loud crash ran out. Hattie leapt from the wall and dropped onto gravel.

            “Wait, kid!” Snatcher landed on the dumpster lid with a heavy thud before claws clashed with the cement brick. He yelped as he scrambled, slipping back.

            “Tea!” Polteageist caught him with a ghostly energy and shoved him over.

            “No! Wait!” Snatcher yelled.

            Hattie glanced up in time to see a fluffy Eevee drop towards her.

            “We’ve got to keep up!” She caught him, and he jolted in her embrace, whipping his head around in confusion. Hattie guided him onto her shoulder and took off after the woman. He dug his claws into the backpack strap and crouched as he held on. Polteageist flew behind them.

            Out in the street, the person who had been riding the crashed scooter held his Wooper wearing a matching bike helmet. His apologies to the owner of the fruit stand his scooter was currently embedded in echoed behind Hattie as she hurried across the street.

            “Did you even look both ways?” Snatcher growled in her ear.

            “Aw, worried about me?” Hattie asked as she kept her eyes on the retreating woman.

            “When you’re running into traffic with me on your back, yes,” he grumbled. “Whoa!” His claws clenched when Hattie took a hard right. She sprinted down a street leading towards the city square and paused at the corner as she tried to find the woman again.

            “Tea!” Polteageist darted forward, pointing towards the center of the park area. The woman ran through practicing performers and jumped over a hedge, disappearing.

            Hattie bolted onward, panting as she cut through the square, ignoring calls from the performers and onlookers. She leapt over the hedge, like the woman had, and scanned for movement. A billowing grey coat drew her eye, and she snapped her head towards a backdoor leading into Dead Pidgey Studios. The grey fabric slipped inside, and the door began to close.

            “Polteageist, hold the door!” Hattie begged, lunging through the grass and over to the sidewalk.

            Polteageist flew over, thrusting out its hand as it strained to use its ghostly energy to stall it. Hattie scrambled across gravel and to the door, grabbing the handle with her hand. Polteageist let out squeak and released the door. The sudden weight as it tried to close nearly caused Hattie to lose her grip.

            “Come on,” Hattie whispered, holding the door for Polteageist as she squinted into the unlit backstage area.

            Once Polteageist and Hattie crossed through the threshold, the door clicked behind them. It was only locked on the outside, but Hattie still felt her heart in her throat.

            “Good call on having Polteageist hold the door,” Snatcher whispered as they crept into the dark.

            Spotlights cascaded onto the other side of the stage. An enthusiastic voice reviewed the dazzling works of the previous performer and their partner before introducing the next. Hattie held her breath, going silent as she wondered if she had stumbled backstage mid-contest with an auditorium packed with an audience. But she didn’t have time. She had to interrogate the woman who ran.

            Muffled footsteps tracked ahead, and though the grey coat was harder to make out in the absence of light, soft neon green tape that outlined the floor glowed against black shoes. Hattie crept after the figure. The person paused, stuck a gloved hand through the curtain, and waited until the spotlights went out before going through.

            “No!” Hattie screamed. She dashed forward and lunged through the curtain, crashing into the person. They both fell with a yell and the lights flickered back on.

            “What in the blazes?”

            “Good heavens, darling!”

            “Oough,” a crumpled groan came from beneath her.

            Hattie snapped her head up, blinking at the blinding spotlights before looking below her. A stagehand all dressed in black and holding a grey trench coat lay on the scuffed stage speckled with glow tape. The stagehand wasn’t the woman.

            “Kid,” Snatcher whispered, still perched on her shoulder, “you’ve suffocated him enough. Get up.”

            “Sorry!” Hattie scrambled off of the stagehand, squinting at the two other figures coming onto the stage. Only their silhouettes could be discerned as the spotlight cast shadows over their features. “I thought he was—I was following a suspicious character.”

            “Just what do ya think you’re doing, lass?” The shorter silhouette growled with a Scottish accent. His hands rested on his hips.

            “We’re in the middle of rehearsal, darling,” the silhouette with a large afro explained.

            Polteageist chirped in Hattie’s ear as she fiddled with the glove connected to the Snatch machine. The spotlights burned her cheeks and while her eyes were slowly adjusting so that she could make out a little more detail, she felt tongue-tied as she hunched her shoulders.

            “Turn on the audience lights, please!” The second silhouette called.

            There was a click that echoed through the auditorium and the spotlights dimmed as a gentler light washed over the primarily empty theater. Hattie let out the breath she had been holding as she scanned the two in front of her while the stagehand slowly pushed himself up with a groan.

            The shorter man had a bushy beard and pale blond eyebrows that covered his eyes as they furrowed with anger. The other man with the afro had golden streaks in his black hair. He lifted his tinted star-shaped sunglasses to peer down at Hattie with soft brown eyes.

            “Now, who are you, darling? How did you get backstage?”

            “And ye better be ready to face charges for breaking and entering, assault on a stagehand, disrupting the studio, and—” he was cut off as the other man held out his hand and shot a glare from under the sunglasses.

            “Not likely,” Snatcher growled under his breath. His tail flicked as he crouched on her shoulder, tickling her ear.

            “I’m sorry,” Hattie repeated, pushing Snatcher’s tail down as she shuffled in place. “I was chasing a suspicious character and I thought she came here, and in the dark I mistook him,” she pointed to the stagehand who had pushed to his feet and was brushing off dust and lint from his black pants, “for the woman. I didn’t mean to make a mess.”

            “Who were you chasing?” The man asked, fulling removing his sunglasses and quirking an eyebrow.

            “Um,” Hattie hesitated until she caught the other man’s sneer. “It was a C.A.W agent. I asked her a question and she ran.”

            “What are you getting into cahoots with those no good loiters?” The blond man crossed his arms with a scowl. “Best to just ignore them, lass.”

            “I know, it’s just that my dad is missing and I was following a lead to the C.A.W agents,” Hattie stammered, still trying to avoid bringing up shadow Pokémon.

            “Your father is missing?” The stagehand cut in with a frown, lifting his hand to his chest sympathetically.

            “Shut it! I pay ya to clear the stage, not blubber like a hatchling,” the blond man squawked. “Go put the props away and tell everyone to take five!”

            The stagehand nodded with wide eyes before scrambling back through the curtain.

            “Don’t pay Connie any mind, he always gets his feathers ruffled the closer we get to performances,” the man with the sunglasses soothed when he saw Hattie’s startled expression.

            “Aye, and what about you, Grooves?” Connie spat, crossing his arms. “Treating things flippantly even when our prized performers go missing!”

            “At least I’m not taking my anger out on every living thing!” Grooves retorted, his otherwise gentle countenance hardening as he glared at Connie. “I even caught you getting into an argument with a lamp the other day. I’m sure that was a productive way to spend an hour.”

            “Missing performers?” Hattie cut in as Connie’s features turned scarlet with rage. They both glanced towards her. And even Connie’s ire diminished as Grooves crossed his arms.

            “Our Pokémon, darling,” Grooves explained. “I’m not sure why you were chasing a C.A.W agent, but they’re all from a detective agency and have been looking into the disappearance of Pokémon around the city.”

            “They haven’t been much help. They just sit around laughing up a storm or else lurking in the shadows.” Connie sighed, shoulders slouching a bit. “Did ya ask one to find yer pops?”

            “No,” Hattie glanced back at Snatcher, silently wondering if she should mention shadow Pokémon. Snatcher shrugged, sensing her question.

            “You might as well,” he muttered. “We can’t keep running into dead ends.”

            “Lass?” Connie prompted.

            “It’s just that,” Hattie turned back to the two, “I think the C.A.W agent might have been responsible, because my dad went missing the same time shadow Pokémon began appearing.”

            “Shadow-what-now?” Connie scowled.

            “Shadow Pokémon,” Hattie repeated. “They’re super strong Pokémon that bad guys have been using and the C.A.W agent ran when I mentioned them.”

            Connie and Grooves exchanged a look like they weren’t sure what to make of that.

            “Well, darling,” Grooves offered, “there aren’t shadow Pokémon here. We’re busy getting ready for auditions for our next contest.”

            “Preparations that you rudely interrupted,” Connie reminded. He earned a sharp glare from Grooves.

            “Sorry.” Hattie winced, turning to leave the way she came. “I’ll leave.”

            “Wait a moment.” Grooves glided over to cut her off, somehow moving with grace in his high platform shoes. “We can’t let a little star wander the city alone. After rehearsal, I can personally walk with you to the C.A.W agents’ office and we’ll sort out how to track down your father, alright?”

            “We’re not baby-sitters, Grooves!” Connie rolled his r’s and released them with a venomous flick.

            “No, darling,” Grooves leaned down and gently guided Hattie towards the front of the stage where stairs led down to the audience. “But you and I both know there have been…” he paused, glancing down at Hattie before clearing his throat. “Would you really let her go off on her own? You’re not even letting your daughter and grandkids come to the opening show.”

            “That’s—” Connie sputtered before tilting his head towards Hattie. His features softened and he relented with a growl. “Fine! Stay in the audience, lass. Ya can have a sneak peek.”

            “Is everything okay?” Hattie asked, although from their expressions, she already knew it was the exact opposite.

            “Of course, darling!” Grooves insisted, shuffling her off of the stage. “I know! As a treat, why don’t we show you our opening acts?”

            He was clearly trying to distract her from whatever was troubling them. But since something strange was going on, she decided to go along until she could figure out what. Maybe during the rehearsal, she could sneak off.

            “Okay!” She hoped that responding with enthusiasm would lower their guard and give her a chance to look around.

            “I’ll go first then!” Connie puffed out his chest as Hattie walked down to the front row of seats.

            “Saving the best for last, I see,” Grooves twittered before walking towards a mic stand set up by a piano on the stage. He pulled out the mic and swung the cord around the stand before taking a step forward.

            “Shove it, Grooves!” Connie snarled, reaching for a pokéball on his belt.

            Grooves began introducing Connie, his voice magnified by the mic, as Hattie reached the rows of velvet chairs. Snatcher hopped down onto the seat by the aisle that led to the entrance to the auditorium. When Hattie gingerly lowered into the seat next to him, Polteageist fluttered over to perch in her lap.   

            “Okay, so do you know what’s going on?” Snatcher leaned over with his ears angled towards Hattie.

            “Get ready for Dead Pidgey Studio’s very own musical Conductor and his performer, Oricorio!” Grooves gestured towards center stage as Connie released his Pokémon.

            Oricorio appeared in a flash with flames snapping on its crimson feathers tipped black. Oricorio let out a throaty coo as it flew gracefully into the air over the Conductor.

            “Pokémon contests focus more on showmanship,” Hattie whispered towards Snatcher as she watched Connie pull out a conducting baton that was as red as Oricorio’s wings. The baton triggered a memory and her eyes widened. “Oh! I think I’ve seen these guys before.”

            She twisted in her seat and spotted the cameras set up towards the back of the theater and the extra equipment in the front row.

            “It’s been a while, but I think I remember Papa and Prim watching their contests before,” Hattie explained as Connie directed Oricorio through a dance and song. “I always got bored between the performances, so I didn’t pay much attention, but the point of contests is to highlight the bond between trainer and Pokémon by making a beautiful performance.”

            She wasn’t even confident that Connie and Grooves were the same contest directors that her dad and Prim used to watch—since she had been young at the time and they stopped watching when management changed—but there was something familiar in how Connie showcased Oricorio’s feather dance, summoning crimson feathers before whisking them up in a hurricane while it danced in the eye of the storm.

            “Ah,” Snatcher yawned, curling up on the seat as he watched.

            “It’s usually a broadcasted event,” Hattie continued, pausing when Oricorio began spitting embers towards the hurricane, causing ashes of feathers to crackle as they glinted orange and silver in the swirling air around it. “And takes a few weeks as contestants are chosen by either Connie or Grooves during auditions.”

            “The ones who make it past auditions form two teams?” Snatcher wondered, his golden gaze entranced by the display on stage. “And then contestants are eliminated each week from both teams until the audience votes for the final winner?”

            “Yeah!” Hattie tore her gaze away from Connie and Oricorio, raising a brow as she scanned Snatcher’s features. “How did you know?”

            “Hm?” Snatcher’s gaze flickered to meet hers momentarily. “Oh. Uh… it’s kind of obvious, right?”

            It was a flimsy answer, but his confusion was genuine. Maybe he remembered something related to contests but nothing more? Hattie supposed it wouldn’t be too strange. Since they didn’t know anything about Snatcher’s past except that he recently became Luka’s Pokémon, maybe he had contest experience before meeting Luka!

            While Hattie pondered, Connie and Oricorio finished their routine. Hattie and Polteageist clapped enthusiastically and Snatcher half-heartily tapped his paws together. His tail wagged, betraying the fact he had enjoyed it.

            “Try and top that, Grooves!” Connie smirked after he and Oricorio bowed for their audience of three.

            “That I will, darling!” Grooves tossed the mic into Connie’s hands as they traded places. Oricorio ducked its beak down into its wing, cleaning its feathers as it stood by Connie.

            “Turn up the music!” Grooves called towards the back of the theater. Hattie glanced back, looking to the technician box with the windows dim. Though she could see a few blinking lights as a deep bass rumbled in the speakers, she couldn’t catch a glimpse of the stagehand in the back.

            “Pokémon and partners, put your hands together for DJ Grooves and his prized Prinplup!” Connie commanded into the mic as Grooves flipped his glasses on and called out his Prinplup with an enthusiastic pose.

            “Get ready for our spectacular moves, darling!” Grooves cheered as the music picked up. Together, he and Prinplup synchronized their steps with the beat and began a heavily choreographed routine.

            While Connie’s performance primarily showcased Oricorio’s voice, Grooves lit up the stage with his and Prinplup’s dancing. He began by having Prinplup use a dazzling whirlpool that caught the light as the water spiraled upwards. Then, like a spring, the water cascaded back down, flooding the stage so that each step rippled in time with the music’s rhythm.

            “Ice beam, darling!” Grooves called over the music as they both performed a split leap. While Prinplup was still in the air, it looked down and shot out a beam of ice from its beak, freezing the water on the stage. Before landing, Grooves tapped his platformers and skates popped out. He landed with Prinplup and they both glided across the sheet of ice, spinning tight circles as they navigated the stage.

            “Whoa,” Hattie let out a small gasp. Polteageist was equally awed, leaning on the edge of its pot as it watched intently. Snatcher was also watching intently, but instead of awe, Hattie thought she detected fear in his wide golden gaze.

            When a burst of cool air came from the stage, Snatcher stiffened.

            The routine continued with Prinplup and Grooves skating into a tight circle together before Prinplup released a concentrated bubblebeam. Bubbles drifted towards the seats and Hattie smiled, craning her neck. The stream of bubbles bounced with the beat and reflected faint pinks and greens on their glassy surface. Then Prinplup used mist.

            A dazzling cluster of ice crystals billowed behind the delicate bubbles, freezing them gently. Frosted bubbles floated down into the audience seats as the mist enveloped them. Hattie and Polteageist held out their hands, trying to catch the lowering bubbles, but one drifted towards Snatcher instead.

            His ears were pinned against his skull and his mane pushed out with each heaving breath he took. His tail puffed up, like he was instinctively trying to make himself look bigger at a sign of danger. Hattie could only watch, dumbfounded, as a bubble cloaked in ice landed on his nose. Crystalline mist pressed against his fur. Snatcher was frozen in place.

            “Snatcher—” Hattie began, reaching out.

            The fragile bubble shattered and so did the trance petrifying him. Snatcher yelped in surprise before leaping from the seat and bolting down the aisle.

            “Snatcher!” Hattie and Polteageist jumped up and both hurried after him.

            He didn’t look back as he fled the ice.

Chapter Text

            Hattie and Polteageist found Snatcher in the lobby, huddled under a costume rack a poor stagehand in a sweater vest was trying to move. Giving the stagehand an apologetic expression, Hattie crouched down by the costumes.

            “Hey, Snatcher?” Hattie whispered in a hushed voice. “What’s wrong?”

            He didn’t respond. If anything, he crouched lower, pressing himself against the ground like a pancake as his paws covered his eyes.

            Hesitating, Hattie held out her hand. She glanced towards Polteageist to see if it had an idea of how best to comfort him, but Polteageist seemed lost in thought as it covered its mouth and its spiraling eyes considered Snatcher.

            “Snatcher?” Hattie barely brushed his mane with her finger when he jolted back.

            He snarled as he crawled back into the corner, ears flat as he stared at her.

            “Leave me alone, kid!” Snatcher hissed.

            Were his eyes glistening?

            “What happened?” Hattie pulled her hand back, doing her best to be as nonthreatening as possible.

            “Nothing!”

            She gave him an unimpressed stare and he looked at the carpet. His nose crinkled and he blinked rapidly.

            “What on Earth was that, lass?” Connie shouted from the door leading into the auditorium. His Oricorio chirped beside him.

            Before Hattie could answer, Polteageist fluttered towards Oricorio and trilled.

            “I am not scared of the cold!” Snatcher spat. “That’s a stupid thing to be scared of!” His voice cracked.

            “You’re scared of the cold?” Hattie repeated softly, meeting his watery gaze.

            “I’m not!” His voice wavered with anger. But something like terror flickered in his eyes and he whirled around, pressing his forehead against the corner and making himself as small as possible.

            “Lass?” Connie rose a brow as he watched Oricorio chatter with Polteageist before flapping its wings and flying back into the auditorium.

            “We just need a moment,” Hattie said over her shoulder. Connie considered her for a moment before nodding.

            “I’ll be just on the other side, so holler if ye need me,” Connie promised before slipping through the threshold.

            Polteageist fluttered back over to Hattie and lowered its pot onto the ground. Glancing up at her, it shrugged. It crossed its arms and turned back to Snatcher who remained tucked in the corner, deathly silent.

            “Snatcher?” Hattie scooted closer. She bumped into the clothing rack and the hangers clacked together. Snatcher jolted at the sound, but he refused to turn around.

            Hattie sighed before scooting around and resting against the wall. She prodded at some of the costumes. One heavily sequined dress felt as sharp as the light catching off the reflective beads. But one faux fur coat was soft as she ran her hand over the material. Snatcher remained deathly still.

            “It’s not dumb if you’re scared of the cold,” Hattie offered in a whisper. She didn’t fully understand it, maybe, but she didn’t think it was dumb.

            A strangled grunt came from Snatcher. She continued, tapping the toes of her shoes together.

            “But you know, the cold can be fun too! Papa and I love snow days!” Her smile was evident in her voice as she reminisced. “We would always build snowmon and have snowball fights! I used to cover the lawn in snow angels, too.”

            “Just stop!” Snatcher snapped his head around, shooting a glare through watery eyes. Hattie froze as he spat with his voice cracking and leaking venom, “I don’t care what you and Luka did! Good on you two for being happy and making memories in the snow, but those stipulations don’t apply to me!”

            “I wasn’t trying to—” Hattie winced.

            “You were trying to share some inspirational story about how you and your dad enjoy things so I should too, but it doesn’t help!” Snatcher snarled. A tear slipped out and he furiously wiped at his eyes with his paw. His growl reverberated in his throat as he continued, “I don’t have a family. If Luka is my trainer then he’s an awful one! Yeah, I said it! I’m glad he’s gone so I don’t have to follow his stupid orders and be forced to—”

            “Tea!” Polteageist interrupted, rushing forward with its hands on its hips as it glared at Snatcher.

            “It’s true!” Snatcher snapped his teeth and bared his fangs at Polteageist. “Not all of us get to be a lazy tea-brewing Pokémon who get to sit around and be doted on all day!”

            Polteageist whistled in anger and Snatcher bristled.

            “I don’t need my memory to know it’s true!” His golden gaze burned. “You don’t know anything about me!”

            “We know you’re a jerk!” Hattie retorted in a brittle voice.

            Snatcher and Polteageist turned, both startled as they eyed the hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

            “Kid—”

            “If you want to be on your own so badly, why don’t you?” Hattie slammed her hands on the tile and pushed to her feet. “You don’t want to be forced into a family? Fine! I don’t need you either! Come on, Polteageist!”

            She whirled on her feet and stormed back towards the auditorium. She tugged on her sleeve and wiped at her eyes as she sniffled. She refused to look back. Snatcher didn’t call out or apologize or even retort in anger and she wasn’t sure if that made her more frustrated or not. Heart drumming in her chest, she clenched her fists as she stubbornly refused to go back. Even when Polteageist’s pacifying trill urged her to slow down, she crossed into the auditorium where Connie was leaning against the technician box.

            “Everything alright, lass?” He asked slowly with a raised brow.

            Chirps came from the stage and Hattie blinked back the water blurring her sight. Oricorio was spitting out flames to melt the ice while Prinplup fumbled to mop up the water. Grooves watched, dumbfounded, as the Pokémon worked together to clean up his and Prinplup’s act.

            “It’s fine.” Hattie wiped at her tears.

            “Where’s yer Eevee, then?” Connie’s gruff voice challenged.

            “He doesn’t want any help so he can just stay in his corner!” Hattie furrowed her brows. Her voice cracked as she said it and she turned away in frustration. “He’s just being stupid and dumb and mean, and I don’t care if he’s nice to me, but he’s being a big jerk to Dad!” She crossed her arms, hugging herself in frustration.

            “Mmhmm,” Connie covered his mouth with a rough hand. He made a sound not unlike a stifled snort. “And what makes you say that?”

            “I can understand him,” Hattie shot Connie a glare that dared him to counter the logistics behind that. She wasn’t in the mood to argue whether she could or couldn’t understand Snatcher.

            To his credit, Connie kept his features blank as he lowered his hand.

            “Then why did he stampede out of here faster than a herd of Bouffalant?”

            “He was scared of the ice,” Hattie muttered, glancing at Polteageist who nodded in affirmation.

            “Well, no wonder he’s in a foul mood!” Connie clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Listen, lassie, I don’t know yer story beyond yer pops is missing. But if yer bond with Eevee is so strong you can understand each other that well, ya can’t let an argument come between ya.”

            “Darling!” Grooves projected across the theater, “We need to have a discussion about using your Pokémon to sabotage my performance!”

            “Oricorio is helping out the lass and her Pokémon!” Connie snapped back. “But ya wouldn’t know anything about that, you cold hearted scoundrel!”

            “A warning would have been nice, is all I’m saying!” Grooves called back, placing his hands on his hips and shaking his head. He soon left the stage only to return with a mop. He and Prinplup even cleaned in synchronized movements.

            “Anyway,” Connie grunted, turning back to Hattie. “If yer Eevee is scared, he probably didn’t mean what he said.”

            Hattie pouted, glancing down as she shuffled on her feet.

            “He’s been a brat for as long as I’ve known him,” she grumbled. She left out the fact that she didn’t even know Snatcher for that long and it couldn’t be a bond that let her understand him, since she could hear him from the beginning. It wasn’t like she had to be nice to him.

            “Even so,” Connie shrugged, “it’s yer choice if ya leave him there or not. Now I better give Grooves a hand or he’ll never let me hear the end of it.” Connie gave her shoulder a pat before heading towards the stage.

            Hattie let out a huff, turning towards the exit. Snatcher hadn’t followed her, and she wondered if he was still sulking or if he was angry with her.

            “Pol?” Polteageist hovered close, its spiral eyes drooping as it searched Hattie’s gaze.

            “I don’t want to leave him behind,” Hattie admitted. Even if he could be a jerk, he wasn’t totally awful. She supposed she could leave it up to him whether he continued on their journey.

            Polteageist trilled softly, floating up to her cheek and nuzzling it gently. She smiled as she gave it a gentle scratch.

            Snatcher was still in the corner but curled up tighter than before with his back to her. For a second, she thought he wasn’t breathing but when she saw the slightest rise and fall of his fluff, she let out a relieved exhale.

            “Snatcher, we need to talk,” Hattie crossed over.

            He didn’t respond. She scowled as she lowered but when she got a better look at him, she noticed how he was trembling.

            “Are you… too cold?” She tilted her head, trying to look over him and catch a glimpse of his features, but his paws covered his eyes.

            He didn’t seem to be doing too great, and she couldn’t remember ever seeing anyone look so frightened. Well. She could recall when MJ was trying to rehabilitate a Snivy that had been abandoned by its trainer. It hadn’t been responsive as it hid at the edge of its cage, never moving whenever anyone else was around. But then, one day, Luka had just reached into the cage and scooped up the Snivy into a hug and from that point on, it slowly opened up to Luka and then everyone else. The Snivy, it seemed, had needed to be held.

            Hattie stared at Snatcher, crinkling her nose. MJ had chewed out Luka for being reckless when picking up the Snivy, and she knew better then to pick up Pokémon who didn’t want to be touched. But Snatcher looked so closed off and scared.

            She decided she would accept any consequences.

            “Ki—!” Snatcher squeaked out as she gently plucked him from the corner. He tensed as she pulled him into a hug, propping his front paws on her shoulder as she held him. “Kid,” he whined but couldn’t choke out more.

            “I’m sorry I called you a jerk,” Hattie sighed. She began petting his mane and when it actually seemed to help him relax, she continued. “I meant it, but it was mean of me.”

            Snatcher huffed out a snort, but his claws clenched. He was still trembling.

            “I don’t trust Luka,” he grumbled. His voice was so low, Hattie had to strain to hear. He added, “but I know you were just trying to help.”

            She wanted to ask why. Why didn’t he trust her dad? Why couldn’t he see that her dad probably helped him escape from wherever they had been? But she didn’t want to start another argument. She would have to swallow her questions and focus on calming Snatcher down. His shivering worried her.

            “I didn’t mean to make you feel like you have to enjoy the snow,” Hattie muttered. She winced slightly when the mention of snow caused his claws to dig into her shoulder. While stroking his mane gently, she offered, “Besides, the best part of snow days is when Papa and I eat stew after and—um…” she trailed off. She was just talking about her dad again.

            “You can tell me, kiddo,” Snatcher mumbled quietly.

            “It’s just the best part is warming up at the end of the day.” Hattie sighed. “Papa makes warm food, Polteageist makes tea, and then we all watch a movie.” She chuckled before adding, “Papa always falls asleep during the movie, though.”

            “Ugh, he can’t even stay awake for a movie?” Snatcher shook his head.

            “It’s only when it snows,” Hattie laughed. “I think it’s because he has so much fun that he gets tired.”

            Snatcher nodded on her shoulder. A bit of silence stretched out and when Hattie shifted, Snatcher’s claws clenched again, like he wasn’t ready to let go. Hattie stared down at his limp tail, tracing the cream pattern that almost looked like his tail had two eyes and fangs. She took a deep breath.

            “Do you… want to talk about what scared you?” Hattie asked slowly. She was working overtime to remember all the times Luka helped her calm down from a nightmare or something that scared her.

            He shook his head.

            If he didn’t want to talk about it, then the only thing she could think of helping was music. Wait! There had been a piano in the theater.

            “Okay, I have an idea, but I have to take you back to the stage—but it’s all melted!” she hurried to add when his whole body tensed.  

            He nodded after a moment.

            Hattie exchanged a look with Polteageist. The fact he wasn’t talking worried her, but she supposed it was his way of keeping from lashing out. Gently, she stood with her arm propping him up and her hand keeping him steady as he leaned against her shoulder. She was surprised he was willing to stay so still but, thinking about how petrified he had been in the corner, maybe it was a testament to how scared he was.

            “There ya are, lassie!” Connie greeted from the stage as Hattie walked down the aisle. “We’re all cleaned up here and Grooves can take ya to the C.A.W agency.”

            “Actually, can I use the piano for a second?” Hattie asked. The closer they got to the stage, the more she felt Snatcher tremble. She stroked his soft mane.

            “Of course, darling!” Grooves beamed, leaning against the mop with Prinplup crossing its flippers next to him. “And sorry for the scare. Usually the audience loves Prinplup’s ice bubbles.”

            “It’s okay! You couldn’t have known!” Hattie climbed up the stage and offered Prinplup a genuine smile. “I, personally, loved it!”

            Prinplup preened proudly until Oricorio let out a taunting coo. Prinplup clicked its beak as it shot a glare up at Oricorio, who was perched on Connie’s shoulders. Oricorio hid its features behind a crimson wing and chuffed. This encouraged Prinplup’s ire, but their arguing only served to earn a grunt from Snatcher as he turned his head away from them, his ears drooping.

            Hattie crossed over to the piano as Polteageist hovered nearby, hushed as it observed Snatcher at a distance. After shifting Snatcher and placing him down onto the top of the piano so that she could use her hands to play, Hattie hopped over to the stool and plopped down. Snatcher shuffled as he sat where she placed him. Gaze down and ears drooping, he avoided everyone’s staring.

            Sensing his hesitation and wanting to keep him from running away again, Hattie tapped a piano key. Snatcher glanced down and the crinkles in his snout smoothed out as he realized what she was doing. While fear had disbanded from his features, the lines beneath his eyes sagged. Hattie swallowed as she moved her hands into position.

            She never played for strangers before, since the only people in Rift Town were all who she considered her family. If she wasn’t playing for the sole purpose of soothing away Snatcher’s anxiety, she might have been nervous to perform in front of seasoned contest directors. She focused on making the melody as gentle as possible.

            It was the song her dad composed for her, and therefore her favorite. There were no lyrics and while the notes changed a bit each time, it was a song that always seemed to match her heartbeat. Or maybe her pulse matched the song. Maybe it didn’t matter. But as her fingers glided across the black and white keys, moving on muscle memory from having played the song with her dad countless times before, she felt her breath surge with the music. She exhaled as the twinkling notes trailed and inhaled when a chord struck, unwavering.

            Snatcher slunk over to the edge of the piano, lowering and letting his front paws hang over the edge. Resting his chin, his golden gaze followed her hands. While he still carried fatigue, his expression was more relaxed. It was harder to tell when the piano reverberated with the music, but it looked to Hattie like he had finally stopped trembling.

            The song came to an end and Hattie’s hands paused over the final chord. She took a moment to exhale as the music faded like her dad taught her and then she finally pulled back and lowered her hands into her lap.

            “That’s the song?” Snatcher whispered tightly with his gaze fixed on the piano keys. “The one Luka used to cheer you up with after a nightmare?”

            “It changes a little, each time!” Hattie nodded. “Did you like it?”

            “It’s fine,” he mumbled. He glanced up before adding in a nonchalant tone, “Made me smell ink.”

            Hattie snorted at the absurdity of the connection, raising her hand to her mouth and trying to hold back her laughter.

            “Ink?”

            “I know, right?” Snatcher’s tail wagged a bit. “What are the odds?”

            “That was lovely, darling!” Grooves glided over, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Add a bit more pizzazz, and I think you might have a fabulous song for a performance!”

            “Can it, Grooves!” Connie squawked, joining them and bumping his hip against Grooves. “Not everything needs to be flashy! Sometimes raw emotion is enough to bring an audience to their knees!”

            “Me? Flashy? I’m not the one who nearly blew up the studio for—”

            “Fear is a raw enough emotion to bring the audience to their knees!” Connie crossed his arms.

            “I worry about you, darling,” Grooves drawled with a smirk. He turned away from Connie’s retort and met Hattie’s gaze. “Ready to go look for your father?”

            “Yes!” Hattie whirled around on the stool before winding back towards Snatcher. “Are you ready?”

            “Yeah, kid.” Snatcher stretched himself out before standing. He blinked and stumbled after rising too quickly. But he straightened himself and shook his head. Hattie motioned towards her shoulder, and to her surprise, he hopped on. He mostly balanced on her sturdy backpack and perched his paws on the strap going over her shoulder, careful not to poke her with claws.

            “Ready, Polteageist?” Hattie opened her arms. Polteageist, who had been furrowing its brows while deep in thought, startled when Hattie addressed it. Polteageist nodded before flying into her embrace. With all Pokémon safe and sound, she heaved to her feet and gave Grooves a determined look.

            “Don’t bring down the house without me, darling!” Grooves called to Connie as he ushered Hattie off of the stage. Prinplup waddled after them, clicking its beak as it chattered.

            “Don’t tell me what to do, Grooves!” Connie spat. “I’ll be sure we’re ready for auditions!”

            “Now,” Grooves turned his full attention to Hattie as they walked, “tell me about that song. Was it original? Have you thought of entering contests?”

            “Oh, uh,” Hattie stammered, hugging Polteageist close. “It’s my dad’s song. He writes music sometimes.”

            “I’d love to pick his brain!” Grooves prattled, absentmindedly reaching down to give Prinplup’s head a pat.

            He continued to discuss how he’s always searching for new talent and writers for his music and Hattie nodded, half listening and half pondering how Snatcher was doing. She wasn’t sure why, but his dislike for her dad was beginning to gnaw at her. Not that she doubted her Papa, but what made Snatcher feel that way? There was so much they didn’t know, and Hattie wondered how much of Snatcher’s memories would give them the answers they needed.

            But if his memories were locked up as tightly as he withheld his feelings, they had a lot of fumbling in the dark unknown on the horizon.

Chapter Text

The C.A.W Detective Agency was by far the sketchiest place Hattie had visited in her travels. Even more unsettling than the Shapeshifter’s mirage and more threatening than the Mafia’s cooking, the agency was void of color.

Black feathers cluttered the white tiles. A figure dressed in grey hunched over the silver metal counter and a Murkrow perched on a black coat rack by the door. Grey trench coats and fedoras draped over the hooks. The Murkrow’s scarlet eyes followed Hattie as she trailed in with Grooves. Snatcher crouched on her shoulder and Polteageist ducked under its lid.

“Hello there, darling, might we have a moment of your time?” Grooves asked in a sing-song voice.

As the C.A.W agent looked up from his work, he continued scribbling in a ledger. Because of his sunglasses, it was unclear if he was actually looking at them or if his gaze was still locked onto his writing.

“What time ought you get home tonight?” The C.A.W agent asked in a mechanical tone. The Murkrow ruffled its feathers.

“Pardon?” Grooves faltered, narrowing his brows.

“What time ought you get home tonight?” The C.A.W agent continued writing.

Hattie tilted her head, thinking back to her first encounter with the agent in the desert.

“Before the Murkrow fly?” she guessed.

While the Murkrow let out a caw that sounded like laughter, the C.A.W agent lowered his pen with a smile.

“Welcome, junior detective. We have been expecting you. Please proceed through the door. You will be given a uniform and your first mission.”

“Wait, expecting me?” Hattie blinked in surprise as she felt her companions all giving her concerned and curious looks.

“This sounds like a trap, kid,” Snatcher growled and Polteageist gave an affirmative “tea!”

“Our head agent in the desert recruited you after your encounter with the Pokémon Pilferer.” He waved them towards the door in the back. “Please proceed with your guests. There is much to discuss.”

“I’m right behind you, darling,” Grooves promised, though he eyed the Murkrow and agent with his hand hovering close to Prinplup’s ball.

Feeling emboldened by her friends, Hattie readjusted her hat before following the agent’s direction.

And then she shortly removed her hat when she was handed a deerlingstalker cap along with an outfit that matched the style of the main character in her dad’s favorite detective series. After she changed and Grooves praised her adorable new outfit, they were led to an office, where another agent leaned back in a large chair bathed in stripes of light from the horizontal blinds behind him.

“Welcome, junior detective,” he said, gaze lowered as he tapped his fingers together. “I am so happy you could make it. We have many questions and think you can help.”

“Only if you tell me what you know about my dad.” Hattie hugged Polteageist close. It was busy looking through the magnifying glass that came with her costume.

“Your father?”

“Luka Andersen.”

“I see.” The C.A.W agent mumbled something and yanked open a door. “—is a missing person connected to the shadow Pokémon.”

“So you do know about the shadow Pokémon!” Hattie slammed her hand on the desk.

“Negative. We know little about the shadow Pokémon, except that there are rumors of Team Nyakuza and Team Mafia obtaining powerful Pokémon that are as ferocious as they are heartless.” He procured a manilla folder and held it up as Snatcher scratched at his ear.

The manilla folder had Luka’s name written on the tab.

“Dad!” Hattie lurched for the folder, but the agent held it out of her reach.

“I would like to propose a trade of information,” he said. “Tell me about the shadow Pokémon and I will tell you all we know about—” he flipped the tab towards him and mumbled incoherently as he presumably read Luka’s name.

Hattie shared a nervous glance with Polteageist. MJ had asked her not to tell anyone about shadow Pokémon, and telling a whole agency of sketchy detectives didn’t seem like a great idea, but if it was the only way to get a lead on what happened to her dad…

“What are you waiting for, kid?” Snatcher asked between a nonchalant yawn, though she thought she detected a hint of interest in his tone.

“Okay,” she said with determination. “Shadow Pokémon are Pokémon who had their hearts artificially closed, causing them to become stronger and more aggressive. I don’t know who’s closing their hearts, but Team Mafia has a contact in this city, and for every Pokémon they give their contact, they get a shadow Pokémon in return.”

“And because your father disappeared after alerting authorities to shadowy Pokémon, you are searching for the contact,” the agent supplied as he wrote down her testament.

“How did you know that?” Hattie snapped.

“We have been conducting research of our own.” The agent slid the folder over to her. Polteageist leapt from her arms and hovered nearby while she opened it.

Her chest squeezed at the photo taken of her dad’s back. The streets and blue tiled roofs framing his path looked like Mafia town, and he was rushing towards one of the knight’s posts. The date written in the top corner was the day he disappeared.

“Before he disappeared, we had been investigating rumors of a figure with a Mandibuzz pilfering Pokémon,” the agent continued while Hattie started flipping through the files. “Their favorite place to pilfer is in the desert, where clients claim they stumbled upon an old train cart and when they left, they realized they were missing a Pokémon. But before they could confront the stranger, they and the train were gone.”

“Like a mirage,” Snatcher grumbled.

She looked up from a missing person’s case with a frown.

“I did run into them, I think, but they were shapeshifting.”

“You saw them shapeshift?” For such a surprising claim, the agent’s voice remained stilted.

After glancing towards Snatcher, he nodded.

“Yes.” She doubted the agent would believe she could understand him, so she opted to adopt Snatcher’s account as her own. “First, they were the Mandibuzz, then Vanessa Queen, and then they changed into a person with a hood.”

Polteageist made a strangled sort of sound but before Hattie could inquire what was wrong, Grooves let out a low whistle.

“Heavens,” he muttered as the agent peered over his desk with a lifted brow. “What kind of thief turns into a high-profile sweetheart like her? And it’s not like they could pin it on her either. She’s a celebrity! Every moment of hers is broadcasted on social media or the news!”

“But the hooded figure made it look like they were trying to help her find a missing Eevee,” Hattie added quickly. While the shapeshifter had left her on edge, they hadn’t taken any of her Pokémon. There had been the close call with Snatcher but they gave him back pretty easily.

“It might have been a ploy to feign innocence.” The agent glared at his paperwork. He slowly lifted his gaze and leaned over his desk to peer down at her. “But we highly suspect the one with the Mandibuzz is connected to the recent thefts and the illegal selling of powerful Pokémon.”

“Illegal selling of powerful Pokémon?” she repeated, tilting her head.

“Rumors of back-alley tradings or trainers facing strangers with particularly strong Pokémon and moves they never heard of have been recently spiking through the streets. My detectives have been searching for these dealings but haven’t managed to catch them in the act.”

“They’re probably turning the stolen Pokémon into shadow Pokémon and selling them,” Snatcher grumbled bitterly as he shuffled his paws close and tucked his tail around himself.

“The knights surely have been looking into this,” Grooves placed his hands on his hips. “Have you tried compiling resources?”

“We are private investigators, and the knights do not like to get their hands dirty,” the agent said with a mix of disdain but also pride. “If you wish to find missing Pokémon, we are the ones to do it.”

“How about missing dads?” Hattie grumbled, shifting through the rest of her father’s file. But when she shuffled around notes about his recent cases under the name of his attorney firm and receipts for restaurants in Mafia Town, she gasped.

“What did you find, kid?” Snatcher jumped up, balancing his front paws on her leg while Grooves and Polteageist peered over her shoulder.

“Dad… from when he was my age.” She held the photo out at shoulder length. Snatcher growled a whine, but she didn’t hear it as she stared, slack jawed.

Her father looked very much the same, with fluffy brown hair, golden eyes, and a toothy smile. But his rounder cheeks were rosy and the lack of dark circles under his eyes made him seem almost like a stranger. His arms were around the neck of a Galarian Ponyta, and he held a red ribbon towards the camera with excitement. Prim leaned into him, easily recognizable from her rose-red braid and smattering of freckles as she hugged a Petilil wearing a blue ribbon to her chest. On her other side was a younger MJ, wrapping an arm around her and beaming with Rotom hovering by his peace-sign. But on the other end, clinging to her father’s arm, was a blond girl with large sunglasses glasses and a muted grin.

“Oh, my! That’s our theater! Yes, I remember those children and that Ponyta!” Grooves said. “Those two were marvelous performers!” He tapped Luka and Prim.

“Papa told me he went on his journey with Prim and MJ, but he never mentioned contests,” Hattie muttered. Though, she supposed he and Prim always got excited when it was contest season. They would watch every live event together and keep track of their favorite performers; something that she never paid much attention to since she thought contests were more boring than battling. But she frowned at the blond girl and Ponyta in the picture.

He hadn’t mentioned them either.

She glanced towards Polteageist, who was appraising the photo curiously.

“Did you ever perform?”

Its lid rattled as it shook its head. After its twitter, Snatcher paused his pawing.

“Polteageist hadn’t met your pops yet. Now let me see!”

“You hadn’t?” Hattie blinked in surprise. She had thought that her dad had always had Polteageist. He mentioned meeting it when it was just a Sinistea, and they were the closest partners!

So who was his partner from before? And why didn’t he talk about it?

While she turned back towards the photo, scanning Prim’s Petilil that was no doubt her partner Lilligant now, and MJ’s Rotom, she wondered why she never heard about Ponyta, especially when her and her dad’s favorite movie was The Last Rapidash. It seemed like it would naturally come up.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Snatcher jumped up onto the desk and then leaped onto her shoulder. After wobbling around, he crouched and leaned in, staring at the photo.

“Since you are traveling with shadow Pokémon and helping Professor Juniper”—the agent continued after clearing his throat—“we would like to enlist your help in tracking down Team Mafia’s contact.”

“Excuse me?” Grooves jolted while Hattie lifted her gaze with wide eyes.

“How did you know that?”

“Your battle against the boss of Team Mafia was very impressive,” the agent said, cocking his head. “And if your father is involved in any of the thefts, we suspect you will uncover more of this mystery.”

“Young trainers should be chasing their dreams, becoming stars! Not joining detective agencies to find Pokémon smugglers,” Grooves cut in, crossing his arms in disappointment.

“We heard the contest producers also lost precious Pokémon. Have the knights located your missing Ludicolo yet?” The agent cocked his head the other way, raising a brow.

Grooves turned away, trying to keep his chest puffed and confident, but Hattie recognized the concern lining his eyes.

“I was going to look anyway,” she said, turning towards the door to get started. “Any leads on where to look?”

“Negative. Also please do not leave with our folder.”

She rolled her eyes but started to lower the photo back into place. The fuzzy head in the corner of her gaze distracted her and she paused.

“Snatcher?”

While he continued staring at the photo, entranced with a crinkled nose, she frowned.

“Snatcher!”

“What?” He blinked, snapping his head towards her. His big golden-brown gaze was almost vulnerable until he scowled. “What, kid?”

“I have to return the folder.” She closed it before pushing to her tiptoes and sliding it on the desk. Instead of taking it, the agent watched as curiously as a Murkrow. But her focus remained on Snatcher. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” he snapped a bit harshly.

With a particularly rough dismount, he leapt from her shoulder and landed on the ground. After an agitated shake, he trotted towards.

“Fascinating.” The C.A.W agent scrawled notes down as Hattie heaved out a sigh.

Would it kill Snatcher to be a little more cooperative? Still, he was so sour she wondered if he recognized her dad, or maybe he didn’t, and the smiling kid in the picture was just a stranger to him.

“I’ll help you look around a bit, darling,” Grooves said. “And perhaps we can get Connie to dig through our files about past contestants. But we will have our hands full with auditions tomorrow.”

“Right.” Hattie perked at the idea of learning more about her dad’s past. And she did remember MJ mentioning that Prim and Bria would be in Noctwowl City soon. Not only they could help, but Prim could tell her more about the contests.

And more about her dad’s Ponyta and that other girl in the image.