Chapter Text
The day started like any other for Paxton, one of four residents of Lumiose City’s Hotel Z.
Once upon a time, waking up to the sight of Hotel Z’s ornate, old-fashioned wallpaper and cozy décor would have been unusual to him. In those days, he was still a tourist, blissfully unaware of such things as the Z-A Royale, Rogue Mega Evolution, the Ultimate Weapon… the Society of Battle Connoisseurs…
But that was in the past. In the present, Paxton was so much more than just a tourist. Hotel Z was like a second home to him, and his friends were more like family. His morning routine was as easy and automatic for him as breathing – walk into the second-floor hallway, enter the elevator, ride it down to the lobby, and greet whoever happened to be there for breakfast.
Despite Hotel Z being… well, a hotel, there was only ever up to three. Four if he was lucky and Taunie had free time. This morning, when he entered the lobby and scanned the homely scene, he was delighted to see the usual three awaiting him. Lida, the aspiring dancer, was sitting in her usual chair in the lounge, nursing a cup of tea. Opposite her was Naveen, the designer, who nodded noncommittally to the girl’s chatter as he focused on sewing two pieces of colorful fabric. Finally, at the front counter there was the newest resident, Ansha, and her Pokemon partner Hoopa.
“Hi, Ansha,” Paxton greeted her, and offered a smile to Hoopa as well. “Looking good, Hoopa.”
The little girl simply gave him a vague, mysterious smile in response, rather than return his greeting in her oddly articulate way. The horned Mythical Pokemon, on the contrary, was very vocal, spinning around with a loud, delighted cackle.
The commotion drew Lida’s gaze from across the room, who brightened when she spotted him. “Heyyyyy, Paxton!” she called out. “We’re just waiting for Ansha to finish making breakfast! If Hoopa’s this excited, then it must be good!”
Whatever he thought about Ansha’s behavior this morning, Paxton quickly abandoned it as he went to settle down between Lida and Naveen. The latter spared him a nod, and Paxton respectfully returned it so that he could return to his sewing. Quietly, he asked Lida, “New donut recipe?”
“Dunno!” was the cheery answer. “But you know me! I’m hungry enough in the morning to take anything! So, any plans today?”
“You should focus on taking it easy for a day or two,” Naveen interjected without looking up. “Between the Z-A Infinite Royale and Hyperspace Lumiose, you risk wearing yourself out.”
Paxton smiled gratefully. “Thanks for that. I’ve actually got nothing planned… well, I was thinking about a visit to Quasartico HQ. It feels like it’s been a while since we saw Taunie.”
Lida agreed with a nod and thoughtful frown. “It has, hasn’t it? Man, speaking of somebody who never takes it easy! Being the new CEO of Quasartico on top of her usual hundred good deeds a day? I wouldn’t even have the energy to eat if I was that selfless!”
“And what does she have to show for all those ‘good deeds’? Nothing,” Naveen observed.
Paxton cast a disapproving glance at his friend despite knowing full well he wouldn’t see it. “Naveen…”
“What? I’m simply stating the truth,” he responded matter-of-factly. “Taunie has done so much to try and repay AZ by making Hotel Z famous. But she’s been unsuccessful so far. Frankly, I would prefer if she focused on her actual job and left Hotel Z alone.”
“Then who’s gonna be responsible for getting paying customers in here? Us?” Lida snorted. “Aside from that Rust Syndicate creep, we’ve had literally no-one! If it weren’t for Paxton’s Z-A Royale winnings, we wouldn’t even be able to pay the rent!”
“You would think being under the partial ownership of the strongest Mega Evolution user and literal savior of Lumiose City would be advertisement enough,” Naveen remarked, as unconcerned as ever.
Blushing, Paxton started to say, “Guys, I’d prefer not to be made into merchandise if possi–“
He was interrupted by the most inexplicable sound: a knock at the door.
Everybody stopped talking, sporting identical expressions of uncertainty as to what they just heard. Just then, it came again, a rap rap rap at the front door that echoed conspicuously in the dead silence. Still, nobody moved… until the third knock, when there was absolutely no doubt.
Hotel Z had visitors.
Paxton, Lida, and Naveen practically fell over themselves scrambling for the door, so eager were they to see who their guest was and what they wanted. Several images of people flashed into Paxton’s mind: Taunie, visiting for old times’ sake… Vinnie or Korrina, with more info on Hyperspace Lumiose… Lebanne, to escort Paxton to entertain her spoiled princess of an employer…
In the end, though, none of his guesses were correct. In fact, he would have guessed the ghost of AZ himself before the sight that greeted him now. When the doors opened, Team MZ found themselves staring in bewilderment at two ordinary-looking people, a man and woman, both carrying luggage.
“How, uh…” he began uncertainly. “How can we help you?”
“What do you mean?” the man in front asked, nose wrinkled in confusion. “This is Hotel Z, right? The one we’ve heard so much about?”
Paxton, Lida, and Naveen, exchanged a long look. It said, What could they possibly have heard about Hotel Z?
“… Yes, it is,” Lida finally confirmed.
“Well, we’re here to book a room!” the woman said somewhat impatiently. “Wait, don’t tell me there’re no vacancies!”
It took Paxton and his friends exactly five seconds to process her statement.
Five seconds later, they practically exploded into motion.
“R-Right this way, sir and madam!” Lida squeaked, her voice coming out high-pitched with overenthusiasm to please. “Paxton and I will take only a moment to get a room ready for you! In the meantime, please enjoy the comfort of our lounge and our chef’s homemade donuts!
“Naveen!” she barked, so suddenly it made him flinch. “Take their luggage! Paxton, meet me up in Room 205! Ansha, donuts on the double!”
Paxton practically sprinted for the elevator, only outpaced by Naveen, who swiped both suitcases and swept past with a hand guarding his blushing face. The ride up to the second floor was unbearable with how long it seemed to take – both boys were bouncing in place and tapping their feet in their impatience to get started. As soon as the doors opened, they almost knocked each other down in their rush to enter Room 205.
We have guests! Paxton thought excitedly on endless loop. Hotel Z actually has guests!
Even in their enthusiastic rush to get everything ready, it still took them the better part of an hour to run through their chores. For their very first guests – no, Corbeau didn’t really count, he’d only stayed to prove a point – everything had to be absolutely perfect. While Lida locked herself in the bathroom with a whole tub of cleaning equipment, Paxton ran through his seemingly endless chores. Bedsheet? Folded. Carpet? Vacuumed. Luggage? Neatly packed away. Complementary mints? Only slightly past expiry date.
By the end, Paxton was sweaty and panting. But the surge of satisfaction that came with handing the couple their room key and wishing them a pleasant stay? Worth it, one hundred percent.
Team MZ reconvened in the lounge, slouching with exhaustion in their seats with smiles plastered on their faces. Even Naveen looked openly pleased as they all took a minute to just bask silently in the afterglow of serving their very first customers. Paxton, too, was satisfied – in the entirety of his stay at Hotel Z, he’d never had to actually perform the duties of a hotel staff until now. It felt… good, he thought, to serve people.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Lida said at last, eyes shining.
“Yes, I’ve never been so happy to see other human beings,” Naveen concurred.
“It’s too bad Taunie wasn’t here to see it,” Paxton smiled along with them. “Can you picture the look on her face at the sight of Hotel Z’s first legitimate customers?”
Lida stretched herself out before reclining in her chair, hands held comfortably behind her head. “Yeah… and they’ll probably be the last for a while, too,” she sighed. “This bunch will be nice to have, while they last…”
Frowning at her, Naveen shook his head. “There will be others,” he stated. “So long as we keep doing what we’re doing, whatever attracted this couple will eventually attract more guests.”
“Sure,” Paxton hummed doubtfully, “but what’re the odds –“
They were interrupted, for the second time that day, by a knock at the door.
“No way,” Lida jumped up, eyes bulging. “There’s no way.”
“Settle down,” Naveen chastised lightly, taking his time to get up from his seat. “That’s probably Taunie now, if I had to guess.”
Nodding along, Paxton led the way to the door and opened it. Once again, he pictured the face of one of his friends or acquaintances on the other side – Taunie, as Naveen had suggested, or perhaps Ivor or Tarragon. Emma or Mable even, if it was serious business.
But, once again, he was stunned into speechlessness at the sight of regular people – four of them this time – touting luggage behind them.
“Is this the esteemed Hotel Z?” one of them asked immediately.
Numbly, Paxton and the others nodded. Surely it can’t be… they can’t want…
“We’d all like to book rooms here!” another visitor announced. “It’d be an honor to stay at the Hotel Z!”
Briefly, Paxton wondered if he was dreaming. Or if he’d accidentally crossed through one of Hoopa’s Hyperspace Holes and ended up in an alternate Lumiose.
Then, the moment passed, and once again, Team MZ launched into service mode. While Naveen gathered the luggage, Paxton led the four into the lobby and promised their rooms would be made up very soon. Lida dashed upstairs to go fix them right away, and Paxton joined her as soon as he’d brought out a plate of Ansha’s donuts for the guests to enjoy while they waited.
Cleaning four rooms at once was four times as exhausting and as bewildering. Paxton felt as though he was having an out-of-body experience the entire time he scrubbed and vacuumed. We have guests in Hotel Z, he kept thinking to himself, needing constant reminders that this was real life. We’re fixing rooms for people to stay overnight in. Taunie’s going to freak out. We have guests in Hotel Z.
If he’d had a minute to think about anything else, he would’ve thought that this was the end, surely. Months of accumulating good karma from saving Lumiose City had resulted in a sextuplet of paying customers, the most the hotel had ever seen. This was their reward. It would end here.
But when everything was finished, and he reconvened in the lobby with Team MZ to take a break, a knock came from the door yet again.
There were more guests, asking for rooms. Team MZ rushed to get everything ready for them. None could quite believe that this was real.
“I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop,” Lida confessed when she met Paxton in the basement laundry room. “Watch, next knock at the door is going to be the Rust Syndicate with a loan none of us knew about. Or it’ll be Zygarde telling us to fight another kaiju flower.”
“Come now, Lida. That’s utter nonsense,” Naveen huffed.
“I’m telling you!” she insisted emphatically. “There’s gotta be a catch somewhere. Miracles like this don’t just happen!”
However, the universe was dead set on proving her wrong. Throughout the morning and well into the afternoon, visitor after visitor appeared at the door, all of them singing the praises of Hotel Z and asking for a room. Paxton and his friends worked harder than they ever had before without taking breaks, ferrying supplies to and fro as the rooms steadily filled up. Ansha never left the kitchen, churning out batches of fresh donuts. Hoopa delightedly acted as the gopher, using its rings to transport anything and everything that was needed.
Why is Hotel Z suddenly so popular? The question popped into Paxton’s head every time he had a new room to clean. This has to be Taunie’s doing, surely. She found a way to bring people here. That’s why she’s absent today. I’ll have to ask.
As afternoon bled into evening and the lobby’s lights came on to banish the darkness that crept in from outside, the final room was filled, and the guests miraculously stopped coming. Naveen hastily embroidered a “no vacancy” sign on a tablecloth – lacking anything else – and hung it on the door, looking as though he were stumbling through a dream the entire time. Paxton and the rest of Team MZ hung out behind the counter, staring at the rest of the lobby and the many guests that hung around, socializing. Some had donuts in their hands, others did not. But all of them looked happy to be here.
“This still doesn’t feel real,” Lida stated, breaking the stunned silence that hung around the counter. “I ache all over, and I’m still convinced I’m imagining all this.”
“We actually have money,” Naveen observed, tapping the open attendance book – the two open pages were full. “This should let Paxton take a night off for once, instead of slowly killing himself in the ZA Infinite Royale to make ends meet.”
“Oh, come on,” Paxton chuckled, though he knew his friend was right. His laughter died down, and his smile turned sentimental as an odd, melancholy feeling welled in his gut. “What I can’t stop thinking about is… well, if only AZ were still alive to see his hotel this successful.”
Naveen gave him a side-eye. “He was never too concerned with the hotel’s prosperity, need I remind you,” he pointed out. “He was perfectly content to treat it as Team MZ’s base of operations, and… his final resting place.”
He hissed when Lida good-naturedly swatted him on the back of the head. “Do you ever get sick of being a wet blanket? AZ still would’ve loved to see Taunie’s efforts end up successful! You know how much he appreciated how passionate she was about repaying him.”
The mention of their mutual friend reminded Paxton of the theory that had been plaguing him since this morning. “Do you think Taunie’s responsible for… all this?” he asked aloud, gesturing widely at the lively scene before them. “Has she called any of you today? Let you know where she is?”
“I tried contacting her!” Lida answered, waving her Rotom phone around. “Texted her, like, thirty times to tell her the good news! Never got an answer!”
Contemplatively, Naveen peered at Paxton while stroking his chin. “Interesting… you think she may have pulled some strings at Quasartico HQ somehow? Used her position as CEO to advertise the hotel?”
“She doesn’t seem the type to abuse power like that,” Lida mused. “She’s always been about getting the word out the old-fashioned way.”
Paxton nodded. They both had good points. “Yeah… but isn’t it odd that we can’t reach her at all on the same day business at Hotel Z is suddenly booming? It just doesn’t feel like a coincidence.”
“Hmm… it is possible,” Naveen hummed.
“Maybe you’ve been hanging out with Grisham too much,” Lida joked, flicking Paxton on the ear. “All that Team Flare Nouveau talk has given you conspiracy brain.”
Paxton was about to swat her away and maybe pull on her hood a bit, but the (now very familiar) sound of a knock on the door turned his attention to the front. Without waiting for anyone to answer, their visitor pulled the door open and slipped comfortably inside, and Paxton’s eyes went wide at the sight of pink hair and a red crop top. When he got Lida and Naveen’s attention, they both gasped.
“Oh my god Taunie!” they exclaimed, practically leaping over the counter in their rush to greet her. Paxton followed as they pushed their way past several conversing guests in order to reach their self-proclaimed leader, the girl that’d introduced Paxton to Lumiose City and formed Team MZ out of her selfless desire to aid AZ. When he reached her, their friends were already talking a mile a minute.
“Where were you, Taunie?!” Lida was shouting, tugging at her hair in a mix of excitement and exasperation. “I’ve been texting you all day! How’d you miss the news?! Hotel Z has guests! Scratch that, it’s full! How great is that?!”
“Were you behind this at all?” Naveen questioned more calmly, though an undercurrent of eagerness ran through his voice. “We thought maybe you’d finally managed to attract people here.”
“Isn’t it amazing?!” Lida blurted. “Think about it! Your dream of repaying your debt to AZ is finally fulfilled!”
Taunie endured all of their chatter, looking at each of them in turn and nodding with a smile on her face. Paxton thought that was odd – this didn’t seem like the Taunie he knew. Surely, she would’ve been significantly more energetic, maybe proud… she definitely would’ve done more than stand patiently with a wan smile. When she still didn’t reply to either of her friends, Paxton tried to ignore the itch at the back of his mind and pushed his way forward.
“Hey, Taunie,” he greeted her, drawing her simple, unchanging expression over to him. With his hands stuffed casually in his jacket pockets, he asked, “I’ve got a question too: how’d you finally manage to do it? How’d you get so many people to come here at once?”
Only then did Taunie’s expression change, though not by much. Her smile broadened, and she took one hand out from behind her back. To Paxton’s bafflement, clutched between her fingers was a simple, round donut with a purple glaze.
Then, from her mouth came a single word: “Mochi.”
Confused, Paxton plucked the offered donut and held it up for Lida and Naveen to examine too. “Um… you used… this? You made a donut?”
“It looks similar to what Ansha has been making all day,” Naveen observed. He gestured widely at the many people around them – indeed, several of them were clutching pastries that looked identical to Taunie’s, complete with purple coating.
“So…” Lida frowned, trying to figure it out. “Does that mean you and Ansha… like, collaborated? You worked together to make a signature dish for the hotel that would draw the masses like a Volcarona to a flame?”
Taunie’s smile became a grin, and she nodded repeatedly.
“It looks… odd,” Naveen critiqued, his eyebrows furrowed with distaste at the donut’s color. “But… I suppose anything is an improvement after that so-called croissant curry…”
Lida clapped Taunie on the back, beaming. “Well, it clearly worked, and it got the Naveen seal of approval, so I’d say it’s a resounding success! C’mon, the night’s still young – let’s make a victory dinner in Taunie’s honor!”
“And Ansha’s,” Paxton gently reminded. “We should go thank her.”
“Tomorrow,” Naveed added firmly. “She already went to bed for a well-deserved rest.”
“Tomorrow it is,” Paxton resolved. He held up the donut
Taunie’s grin widened still, and she shoved the pastry back toward Paxton. “Mochi,” she repeated, pointing to it.
“That’s what you used to make it?” he guessed, turning it over. Aside from the purple coating, it looked fairly ordinary, and smelled faintly sweet. “Well, if you insist, I’d be happy to try –“
“Hoopah pah!”
In a flash, the donut was gone, leaving only a few flecks of sugar on his fingertips. Hoopa, ever the mischievous one and resident donut glutton, took off with the treat as quickly as it had appeared, vanishing with it into the kitchen.
“Never mind, then,” Paxton shrugged to himself. “Guess Hoopa called dibs.”
Naveen rolled his neck, looking restless. “We shouldn’t goof around just yet,” he told them. “The night is still young. As hotel workers, we need to make sure our guests are comfortable and have everything they need before we shut down and tend to our own needs.”
“Wet blanket,” Lida said again, sticking her tongue out.
The first full night at Hotel Z left Paxton, Lida, and Naveen feeling emotional. None of them were able to believe how busy and fulfilling the day had been, and seeing Taunie smiling constantly left them smiling alongside her, knowing how happy she must have been to see her dream realized at last.
Their moods only improved when they turned on the TV at dinner. Hotel Z’s inexplicable surge in popularity had made the news, the broadcast even going so far as to say that it had become the most popular hotel in all of Lumiose. Everyone cheered at that and clinked their drinks together, the mood around the dinner table soaring high.
(Although, there was a slight panic when Paxton received a call from Hotel Richissime, and they learned that one Lady Jacinthe was less than pleased that Hotel Z’s abrupt surge in customers had slowed business at her establishment. Paxton hastily shifted to damage control and promised her a friendly battle to placate her… for all their sakes.)
Ultimately, though, Team MZ agreed that this had been the best night of their lives. Somehow, they knew for certain that the spirit of AZ must have been smiling down upon them.
Another morning at Hotel Z… yet this one was different, as Paxton awoke still feeling the afterglow from last night’s party. He took the time to examine the walls of his room, appreciating with incredulous disbelief that other people were occupying those on either side. He could hear thumps and bumps from elsewhere on the floor, the sounds of people rising to begin their day.
This is so surreal, he thought, shaking his head with a chuckle as he pulled on his jacket.
The lobby, when he arrived, was comfortably empty – no-one had stuck around, it seemed, leaving just him and the other regulars. Only Lida was there, in her usual spot in the lounge with a plate of pancakes.
“Morning!” she called out cheerfully when Paxton approached. “Taunie’s disappeared to who knows where again. Naveen’s on cleaning duty. I’m here just in case we get another rush like yesterday… like, yeah, what’re the odds, but maybe our luck will carry over!”
“Maybe,” Paxton agreed amiably. “Hey, before that, let’s go see Ansha. We still have to thank her for helping Taunie with those donuts.”
Lida’s eyes sparked, and she leapt out of her seat eagerly. “Oh yeah! And maybe she’s got some extras for us to try!”
Behind the counter was the entrance to the kitchens – as dim and old-fashioned as the rest of the hotel, they were comfortably dark with the only light being the early rays of the sun peeking through the windows. Despite that, though, Ansha was already hard at work in one corner of the room. The little girl in her bonnet and apron sat comfortably upon a stool, a bowl balanced in her lap as she stirred diligently. Within the bowl was a thick, syrupy fluid the color of Bluk berries. Beside her, the oven hummed – already baking today’s treats.
“Hoo boy! She’s already been busy!” Lida exclaimed, pointing to the middle of the kitchen. Paxton stared in wonderment at the island that rose from the tiled floor – dozens of plates covered its surface, each one laden with its own pile of purple donuts.
When did she find the time to make this many? He thought in wonder. Seems like far too much for just the hotel’s guests… and she’s still making more?
Ansha looked up at the sound of Lida’s voice cutting through the quiet atmosphere. She smiled warmly at them, her grey eyes twinkling in that mysterious, knowing way of hers. Paxton cast aside his thoughts and smiled back at her.
“Morning, Ansha,” he greeted. “We just wanted to say we really appreciate all the work you and Taunie did for us. Hotel Z is on the map thanks to you.”
“Yeah, you really went above and beyond!” Lida added, twirling over to ruffle Ansha’s hair affectionately.
The little girl giggled, putting down her bowl and picking up a tray of donuts that had been left on the stove beside her to cool. Retrieving her whisk, she lightly drizzled some of the purple syrup on top and held the whole thing out invitingly to the two young adults.
“Mochi,” she said.
Huh. Paxton frowned. Another itch was nagging at the corner of his mind.
“These aren’t mochi, silly girl,” Lida laughed. “They’re donuts. Which you definitely know, being friends with the king of donut hogs and all.”
Ansha held out the plate, shaking it enticingly. Her smile was innocent, disarming. “Mochi mochi.”
The faint itch increased to an insistent, irritating prickle, and Paxton took a step back. It was inexplicable, but suddenly, he didn’t want anything to do with those odd-looking donuts.
“It’s not a good idea to be ruining our appetites with dessert so early in the morning, Ansha,” he lectured, trying to play it cool. “Maybe later, okay?”
But Ansha didn’t even seem to hear him. She jumped down off her seat and toddled closer to them, still holding the plate out for them to take. “Mochi mochi mochi,” she recited.
The single word became an ominous mantra. Paxton and Lida looked at each other; the aspiring dancer’s eyes swam with worry, having caught on to the fact something was wrong. Pulling her lips into a grimace that just barely passed as a convincing grin, she gestured toward the exit.
“Oh, listen to that!” she exclaimed with fake surprise. “Sounds like more guests! C’mon, Paxton, better go make them feel welcome!”
“See you later, Ansha,” he waved goodbye, and followed Lida into the other room.
Once they were alone in the lobby, she looked at him imploringly. “Okay, that was weird, right? It’s not just me?”
He shook his head, searching his thoughts for what Ansha’s odd behavior was reminding him of. Slowly, the memory took shape, and he murmured in reply, “Taunie… Taunie said something about mochi as well, last night.”
Lida attempted a grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Hey, maybe the girls were both cursed!”
“Gah!”
Startled, they whirled toward the door – Naveen was standing in the doorway, a hand clutched to his chest and his expression one of alarm. “D-Don’t do that to me, you two! You know how I feel about… g-g-ghosts!”
Paxton ran over to place a calming hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Lida was just trying to make a joke,” he explained. “But there is something fishy going on, we think. Just listen…”
It didn’t take long to fill Naveen in. By the end, he was no longer trembling, but his expression had shifted to one that was difficult for Paxton to place. Before the dark-skinned boy looked away in an attempt to hide it, Paxton caught a conflicting mix of realization, worry, and guilt flickering over his features. As gently as possible, he asked Naveen to spill his thoughts.
With a sigh, Naveen spilled. “I… found this, in the dumpster out back,” he revealed. “I thought it odd to throw away perfectly good food, but now…”
Trailing off, he revealed in his hand a clear packet of large, purple objects shaped vaguely like giant throat lozenges. When Paxton took the offered bag, he squeezed it experimentally, revealing that they were squishy and pliable. Their hue was identical to that of the glaze Ansha had been using on her new donuts.
“This is… mochi, right?” he asked.
“Yeah. Probably what Ansha used to make that new recipe!” Lida deduced. “It’s got the color and everything.”
Naveen’s frown grew deeper. “Okay…” he mused. “So… we know Taunie worked with Ansha to make them. Was she in charge of acquiring them? And why did these ones end up in the garbage?”
“Pah Hoopah…”
The utterance of a fourth voice made the trio turn around. Floating unsteadily into the lounge from the meeting room was Hoopa, looking miserable. Its eyes, which normally twinkled with mischief, were dull and downcast.
“Hoopa?” Paxton asked, reaching out to gather the Mythical Pokemon in his arms. “What’s got you so down?”
“Paaaah…” it whimpered, lifting its hand to reveal one of Ansha’s donuts. To its incredulous audience, it mimed eating it, then rubbed its belly with its free hand and moaned.
“It seems as though our friend got itself a tummy-ache,” Naveen summarized. He lifted the pack of mochi with new understanding. “So whatever is in these must not be fit for consumption. That’s why Hoopa disposed of them.”
“Wait! Waitwaitwait!” Lida shouted, holding her hands up. “Loads of people were eating them yesterday, and they seemed fine! Why is Hoopa the only one affected?”
“I don’t know…” Paxton muttered. His thoughts swirled darkly through his mind, questions abundant but not a single clear answer among them. “We don’t know where this mochi came from, or what’s in it. But Taunie and Ansha’s behavior indicates that it’s the source of this… illness? Or whatever’s going on.”
“This is looking like a real mystery, indeed…” Naveen agreed.
“Not to mention,” Paxton added, the thought just springing to mind now, “why on earth would Taunie buy tainted food? It’s not like her to be so careless.”
Lida coughed loudly.
“… Alright, there was the incident with the debt,” he amended. “But you get my point. Taunie is usually very diligent when it comes to her passion for helping others. She wouldn’t willingly get anything from an untrustworthy source –“
Another cough.
“… Yes, yes, I know, the debt,” Paxton sighed, rubbing his temples. “Moving along… if this really is a mystery, like Naveen says, then I know what I have to do. I need to make an emergency trip to investigate this – is that okay with you?”
“Certainly,” Naveen replied. “We can hold down the fort here while you’re out being the hero. Sarcasm not intended.”
“We should also keep an eye on Ansha if we can,” Lida commented thoughtfully. “You know, in case she gets sick or something.”
As Naveen nodded approvingly at her, Paxton began to head toward the door. “Hoopa?” he asked. “You good taking a little trip around Lumiose with me?”
Despite its condition, Hoopa perked up and raised a hand with enthusiasm. “Hoopah!”
“Great,” he grinned at it, releasing it to float beside him. “There’s only one place we can go when there’s a mystery afoot… the Looker Bureau.”