“I am so, freaking, tired!” Courtney complained. “I can't believe we haven't found the next town yet!”

“We could split up and try to find our own way,” June muttered.

Courtney turned to June with a smirk. “I like that idea. Gary and I could go here, and you could go over there.” Courtney grabbed my arm and pulled me away from June.

“Or, Gary and I could go this way, and you can go to Hell!” June snapped, grabbing my other arm and pulling me.

“Sounds better than being around you!” Courtney shouted, pulling me back.

“Then beat it! I sure didn't ask you to be here!” June retorted, pulling me again.

“Will you two grow up?” I shouted angrily, tugging my arms away from them. “This isn't the time to be discussing this crap right now! We need to find the next town and see if there's anything we can do about that forest fire that might still be going on!”

“But, Gary,” June said gently. “It's been a couple of days since then. If there was really a fire out here, we'd have known. We got rid of some of the flames with our Pokemon, so I'm thinking that everything died out.”

“You really think Team Solace just let it all die out?” I questioned her.

“Please, don't say that name,” June whispered, shivering as she lowered her head.

“There's no point in hiding from it, June,” I said, staring at her. “Team Solace is back. Period. This is really bad. One of the old members must be in charge now.”

“I know, I know, I just really hate the thought of them being back.”

“It's more than a thought. It's real,” I said firmly.

Silence nestled in on us.

“Could we change the subject? Just for a moment? Please, Gary?” June begged.

“I don't want to,” I told her. “I'd prefer for us all to acknowledge and accept it. It's better that way.”

“I acknowledge they're back, and I've accepted it,” June said quickly. “I believe it! Honest! But right now, I’m just not thrilled about it and I don't see any good in talking about it. Please! Gary, please!”

“Then what are we gonna talk about?” I asked angrily. “Because I'm not exactly in the mood to discuss stupidity right now, to be honest with you.”

Neither of us said a word after that, and we continued to trudge through the woods together.

The only thing on my mind at the moment was Team Solace. Even finding and losing my sister had been pushed to the side temporarily, though it remained in the back of my mind constantly as I found myself having difficulty accepting that Team Solace had returned.

“Team Solace has finally come to an end.” Prof. Oak's words were nothing more than pain to my heart now.

Team Solace was back, and they were still out to prove that Pokemon were the evil ones.

How long have they been active? I wondered. What other horrors have they caused? I remembered the attack in Nimbasa Subway with Aggron, and the Exeggutor that were left burning on the island near Nimbasa City, weighed down by the carcasses of Wailord. I recalled the Golurk that had attacked the town near Chargestone Cave. But, wait, I told myself as my eyes widened. If Team Solace was behind the attack where those Exeggutor were burned alive, weighed down by a group of dead Wailord, that doesn't prove anything about Pokemon being evil at all! And the Tranquill! The Tranquill were living in paradise, peacefully! That's not a demonstration of the issues of Pokemon in any way! Team Solace destroyed their home, unprovoked! Is there some kind of demonstration on the problems of Pokemon there that I don’t see?

Team Solace never had a good reason for the destruction and death they caused, but even for them, I found myself surprisingly confused by what they did to the Tranquill. I remembered the remaining Tranquill that had been burned while protecting me, left on the ground, motionless, as June, Courtney, and I ran away, and my eyes started to fill with tears as I glared down, anger starting to fill up my body.

“We could talk about that Electivire of yours,” Courtney brought up, snickering lightly.

I was now taken away from my thoughts at Courtney’s words and I listened to the girls, keeping my eyes on the ground.

“Excuse me?” June growled, turning to Courtney.

“What's with that thing? It attacked like you were an old rival or something,” Courtney smiled sinisterly at June. “You've got a disobedient Pokemon. How cute.”

“Butt out!” June shouted.

I sighed. “Please, you two...”

“Spill the beans, June. What's with your Electivire?” Courtney insisted. “You not a good enough Trainer for it? Does it recognize how much you suck and desire more for itself? Did you evolve it before it was ready? Did you-?”

“You know, I'm about two seconds from making you eat this!” June raised a fist and waved it threateningly in Courtney's face. “Say another damn word about any of my Pokemon and you won't be eating through your mouth for a few months.”

“You keep threatening me but I don't ever see you pulling through on any of that tough talk from your big mouth.” Courtney stopped walking and placed her hands on her hips.

“You really think you want some?” June stepped towards Courtney.

“Your fat butt is more of a threat than your flimsy arms!” Courtney stepped towards June.

“My what?!” June screamed in fury as she reached for Courtney's neck.

Courtney screamed and grabbed my shoulders, hiding behind me.

“HEY!” I reached my arms out and gripped June's shoulders. “Are you serious right now? I mean, really! Are you two serious right now?! With all the things going on, you two are seriously fighting over some stupidity like this? I’m not in the mood for this, damn it!! I've lost my sister, a terrorist group has returned and is bringing the closest thing to Hell on Earth that any of us have ever seen, and you two are fighting about nonsense! If you two can't get along together, then maybe we should just split up and travel alone because I'm gonna tell you both right now, I am not dealing with this any further!! Every damn day it's this crap with you two! Cut it out right now, or for all I care, you two can just kill each other!!”

“But, Gary-!” June cried.

“Shut it, June! I've had it! No more of this! We're gonna reach the next town and figure out where we are, and that's it!” I interrupted her.

June crossed her arms and huffed angrily, glaring at me.

“Hmph,” Courtney said with a happy tone.

June growled and opened her mouth to say something nasty to Courtney.

I gave June the angriest look I could pull out of me.

She stared at me and shut her mouth instantly. “Oh, whatever!” June stomped away from me and Courtney, down the path we were all traveling on.

I turned to Courtney.

She smiled at me. “Thanks, Gary.”

“Sure,” I muttered, looking her over once. I turned away and walked after June.

June was walking quickly ahead, leaving us behind.

“June, don't leave me behind again!” I called out to her.

“Oh, just let her go,” Courtney said loudly. “She needs some time to cool off, which will only give us some time to put all the bad blood behind us that we had in Kanto and work on a better future for us all.” She wrapped her arms around my arm and smiled up at me.

“A future?” I stopped and turned to her.

“Well, yeah!” Courtney nodded eagerly. “I want us to put the past behind us and… become a lot… Closer…” Courtney blinked at me slowly.

I looked around nervously. “What are you talking about?” I asked hesitantly, my eyes returning to her gaze every few seconds.

“Well, I kind of think of you as, like, a friend,” Courtney explained. “And I want us to be... More...”

“What do you mean… 'More'?” I asked slowly, my heart beating harder.

“You know…” Courtney winked. “Best friends. Maybe. I just feel like we're too distant, but, since we've been traveling together in Unova, I've gotten to see a side of you I've never gotten to see before. You're brave, strong, and I remember a little moment in Kanto that we had together that showed that you're a rough guy, which I like…” She licked her lips with a smile.

I squinted at her nervously. She has a boyfriend, right? I asked myself. “Courtney, I have no idea what's going on right now…”

She laughed, releasing my arm, and she gave me a gentle shove. “Silly Gary. Don't you wanna be my friend?”

“I… guess...”

Courtney cocked her head in disappointment.

“I mean, I do, I'm just not understanding what you're getting at,” I said quickly.

“I'm getting at us taking advantage of this chance we have to get to know each other a little better,” Courtney said brightly. “You and-”

“I found a town up ahead and I’m going to it to see where I am!” June shouted furiously from even further ahead of us than I remembered her being. She was no longer in sight. “You two can just go get lost for all I care!”

“June!” I called, and I ran away from Courtney.

Courtney let out a little giggle as she ran after me. “She sure is a nag. Must be her time.”

I had no idea what Courtney meant, but I ignored it and turned a corner to see June walking quickly towards a large town that stood in the distance. “Excellent! All we have to do now is find out where we are from someone here! Courtney, come on!” I ran, Courtney right behind me, towards June.

June’s hands were balled at her sides and she started growling as Courtney and I walked quickly alongside her to keep up with her pace.

“June, is something wrong?” Courtney asked innocently.

“No,” June said shortly.

“Ah, the bared teeth and rough tone of voice are more of a sign of affection?” Courtney joked.

June pursed her lips tightly together, her eyes squinting with rage.

“Look, we’re about to find out where we are, you guys,” I told them. “Let’s just try and hold out until we have an understanding of what town this is, and we can then go our own separate ways.”

“Well, you and June will go off together, leaving me alone,” Courtney stated. “I’m still not convinced there isn’t a little heat between you two.” She stared at me with a sly smile.

I stared at her from the corner of my eye, unsure of how to respond to that as my face started to grow hot.

June grumbled.

The three of us walked past houses that were built low, all of them only maybe a foot or so taller than us, and all of them only a story high. We reached a split in the dry ground path we were on and looked down each road.

Only a few of the buildings down the paths to our left, right, and ahead of us, were two stories high, the mass majority being only one story.

“I don’t think it matters where we go. Let’s just knock on any house and ask for some directions,” I suggested. “No biggie.”

A sudden scream made the three of us gasp. The scream was joined by several more screams, and then even more screams.

“Hey, wait a minute…” June turned to the path to our right.

“Who’s screaming like that?” I looked towards the buildings in the direction June was looking in.

“There’s something wrong!” Courtney cried. “We need to get help!”

“No, wait!” June took off.

Without a word, I ran after her.

“Gary, where are you going? Wait!” Courtney shouted after me.

June stopped in front of a two story building and yanked open the door. She cried out in surprise as a small, dark figure flew past her from the door she opened before the thing vanished.

It all happened so quickly, I wasn’t sure I had really seen it.

June looked after where the thing had disappeared for a moment before she turned her head to look into the building.

I came to stop next to her and stared in surprise at a classroom!

Courtney panted next to me as she reached me and stared into the room. “Kids!”

The room had four huge, circular tables. A few chairs surrounded each table. A few sheets of white paper were on one table, along with crayons and colored pencils. Another table held molds of clay. The third table held open books, while the fourth table had open snacks and drinks on it. All of the tables, including a large, wooden desk in the corner of the room near us where a teacher would normally be, were abandoned.

In a far corner, a fat woman was kneeling on the ground in a purple dress with large, orange dots, looking fearfully at us from behind her glasses. She was surrounded by children who were maybe about five years old, the kids cowering, whimpering, and crying.

“What happened here?” Courtney gasped.

“Ma’am, is everything okay, here?” I asked, stepping into the room.

“It took little Theodore,” the woman cried, and she pulled as many of the kids as she could into her arms and cried amongst them.

The children all huddled up to the woman and cried even louder, their voices screeching.

The sound was loud and, honestly, annoying, but I didn’t say anything, confused about what she had just told me.

June stepped into the classroom and stared cautiously around as she slowly approached the group, a stern look on her face.

“What’s she doing?” Courtney whispered to me, confusion on her face.

“I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure she’s on to something. Come on. We should follow her.” I led Courtney inside and we both mimicked June, looking around cautiously, trying to spot anything suspicious.

June stopped in front of the woman and kids, staring down at them seriously.

They all looked up at her fearfully and cowered back as best as they could.

June’s face softened and broke into a smile. She knelt down and brushed aside her hair. “You’re the teacher for this class, right?” she gently asked the woman.

The woman nodded and wiped at her eyes behind her black glasses. “Mrs. Démarche.”

“Mrs. Démarche, did a Duskull just come through here?” June asked her, a serious glare taking over her face.

“Nobody move!” a fierce, feminine voice yelled.

Mrs. Démarche and the kids screamed, causing me to scream louder than I would have had they not startled me, June and Courtney screaming with me as we all turned to the door.

“Are we too late?” an Officer Jenny shouted, two other Officer Jennys behind her, all looking around the classroom with matching, stern looks.

One of the Officer Jennys in the back looked noticeably more chunky that the typical Officer Jenny. Her all around shape was thicker and wider.

“It took Theodore this time!” Mrs. Démarche moaned sadly. She removed her glasses and tossed them to the floor. Her hands covered her face as she began to cry.

The kids around her hugged her while the kids who couldn’t reach the teacher hugged the kids who could, and they all cried even louder.

One of the kids, a little girl, ran away from the group of crying kids around the teacher, crying with her arms wide open as she ran past June, me, and Courtney.

“Theodore…” one of the Officer Jennys said softly, shaking her head.

“Polly!” the pudgy Officer Jenny cried, and she ran towards the child. “My baby! You’re okay!” She got to her knees and covered the child’s face in kisses.

I watched her skirt rise further up her thick, smooth, practically glistening legs.

“Mommy! I’m scared!” the little girl whined, crying.

“That’s it! I am not leaving my child at this school anymore with that… that… demon running around this town!” the mother of Polly said firmly. “I refuse! I’ve had enough! This is the fourth kid this week, and the seventh overall! We put those stupid sticky papers on the walls that were supposed to have incantations written on them to keep it away, we set guards at the front door, and the thing gets around everything! I’m not losing my daughter!” Her hands ran through Polly’s turquoise hair that matched her own, though Polly’s was longer and reached down past her neck.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Courtney asked.

Everyone went silent and turned to her. No one answered her inquiry.

“Never mind…?” Courtney responded, lowering her head.

“He’s a Duskull,” June spoke up.

Everyone turned to her.

“What did you just say?” one of the standing Officer Jennys asked.

“That Pokemon was a Duskull,” June told her. “I could tell the moment I heard him scream. It’s a Duskull that’s taking these kids, isn’t it?”

“Excuse me, but who are you?” the Officer Jenny holding her daughter demanded.

“My name is June,” June told her. “I’m from Gringey City, in the Kanto region. I’m here with my friend, Gary.” She pointed at me.

“And her?” the same Officer Jenny pointed at Courtney.

June sneered at Courtney and turned her head away, shrugging her shoulders.

“That’s Courtney,” I spoke up with a sigh. “She’s… Here too…” Good answer, I thought glumly, lowering my head.

“Well, I feel special,” Courtney muttered sarcastically, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“What do you know about this Duskull?” an Officer Jenny asked gruffly, stepping up to June.

“Nothing,” June told her. “I just heard his voice. I don’t know anything about him, though.”

“You heard its voice?” The officer crossed her arms, sighing impatiently. “And why do you keep calling it a ‘him’? Are you familiar with this Pokemon?”

“No,” June shook her head. “I can communicate with Pokemon. They can hear me when I speak to them, and I can hear them, as well. It’s a bit of a gift I have. And I can also tell their genders when I get a good enough look at them. I spotted Duskull only briefly when me and Gary ran towards the screams when we were walking through this town, but that Duskull is definitely a male.”

Courtney burst out laughing. “What? Wait, wait, wait! Did you just say you can communicate with Pokemon? You’re actually serious right now with this?”

June turned to Courtney sharply.

Courtney laughed once again, her legs quivering, and she nearly dropped to her knees. “Wow! I knew you were a nut, but now I’ve truly heard it all!” She continued to laugh at June.

“That is quite the story, young lady,” Officer Jenny told June suspiciously.

“Well, I can vouch for her!” I said loudly, making Courtney shut up.

She looked at me in surprise. “What?”

June smiled smugly at Courtney.

“It isn’t always perfect, and yeah, it needs some work,” I added, turning to June quickly.

June’s smile faded as she turned to me.

I looked back at Officer Jenny. “But I have seen her do some true miracles and I can say that I trust her ability as legit.”

“Well, legit or not, we’re closing down this school until further notice while we try to figure out a solution to this problem,” the officer told me sharply. “You three kids are just in the way. Beat it before we take you in for questioning.”

“But, wait! Maybe I can help you!” June said quickly. “Gary and I might be able to offer a little assistance in finding out what this Duskull is doing!”

“Oh, really?” Officer Jenny gave June a look full of attitude. “And exactly how do you plan on helping.”

“Well, if you could just give me a bit of time, I’m sure Gary and I could put our heads together and come up with something,” June said nervously.

“We don’t have time for this! Young lady, if you don’t get out of here right this instant, I’m arresting you and all of your friends!” she shouted. “You’re all holding up an investigation!!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Courtney said, pulling my arm. “Gary and I will be out of your hair right away.”

I tugged my arm back and glared at Officer Jenny. I wasn’t ready to leave just yet, and I didn’t like how mean she was being to June.

“Gary, come on!” Courtney pleaded in a whisper.

“Come on. You three don’t want to be taken down to Central Booking, do you?” the last Officer Jenny spoke kindly to us. She yawned, her mouth wide open as she ushered June, me, and Courtney towards the door. “Please, things are really stressful these days. Try to understand that we don’t need a bunch of kids interfering here.” She slowly started to close the door.

Just as the door nearly shut completely, it suddenly stopped.

Officer Jenny opened the door slightly and looked down. Her gaze lifted to June with an impatient, tired sigh.

I looked down to see June’s foot was in the door, her sneaker holding it open.

“Are those kids still here?” the angry Officer Jenny shouted from inside of the classroom, and I heard shoes tap against the floor, nearing the door. The Officer Jenny looking at June shook her head before moving away from the door, and the other fuming Officer Jenny pulled the door wide open. “That tears it! You’re all hereby under arrest!”

Courtney gasped. “June!”

“Wait!” June pleaded.

“No! On your knees, the three of you!” she demanded. She reached out and grabbed June roughly by the arm.

Is she serious? I wondered, my heart beating in fear as I watched June struggle in the officer’s grip.

“I have a plan to stop that Duskull if you’ll hear me out!” June begged.

Officer Jenny turned her around harshly and swiftly slapped a pair of handcuffs onto her wrists. “Tell it at the precinct! You two, on your knees! Officers, arrest these two!”

“I own a Ghost type Pokemon!” June insisted. “I have a Rotom! Please, if we can wait until night and put all of the kids in one spot, then we can lure the Duskull back! We can do it right here, in this classroom! Maybe my Rotom can stop Duskull and convince him to behave or something! Maybe we can even find out where the missing kids are!”

All three officers looked at June as she groaned and struggled in her handcuffs.

“You’re suggesting we keep all of the town’s kids in this classroom at night to try and talk Ghost to Ghost with that monster and just make it stop?” Officer Jenny asked through gritted teeth.

“Yes! I think that with my Rotom, and myself, as well, we can get through to Duskull! Ow… My wrists.”

“My Polly will not be a part of this!” the Officer Jenny with her daughter said firmly. “I refuse! I will not lose my Polly under any circumstances! We might even end up losing more than one child next time! It’s safer to keep them in separate houses. They all should stay home!”

“That won’t stop Duskull,” June insisted. “Ghosts can go into any home they want, anytime they want! It’s better to keep the kids here in the classroom, together! If Duskull sneaks into the homes, he can just grab up whoever he wants and the police won’t find out until it’s too late and we won’t know where he will strike next. It could be anyone’s home! Keeping all the kids in one spot and facing this Pokemon head on is the best decision!”

The Officer Jennys all faced each other, the larger Jenny holding an uncertain look before she looked back at June. The mean Jenny glared down at June, while the remaining Jenny look down at June tiredly.

“Neither of us will be working past eleven tonight, so you have until then to get this Pokemon,” the mean Jenny snapped at June. “If you don’t get it by eleven, or if you do find it but fail to stop it, you and your friends will be forcibly removed from this town and banned from ever returning! Is that clear?” She released June from her handcuffs.

June breathed a sigh of relief as she turned around and faced Officer Jenny, staring down at her sore wrists as she rubbed them. She looked up at Officer Jenny firmly and nodded. “Deal.”

*

“June, are you sure this was such a good idea?” I asked in a low voice as I stood next to her against the wall.

“This plan will totally work,” June nodded, looking around the classroom.

“I hope it does, but that’s not what I meant. I mean, these parents want you burned at the stake!”

June swallowed nervously as she continued scanning the room.

It was now ten o’clock at night. The classroom was filled with kids and adults.

The kids were in their small chairs at the circular tables, chatting excitedly, thrilled at being up at this late hour with each other as they made a lot of loud noise, banging on the tables and drawing or playing with toys and handheld videogames.

The adults, including Mrs. Démarche, were grumbling and glaring at June, or yelling at their kids to behave and be quiet. Some sat, visibly uncomfortable, in large, steel chairs with hard, plastic seats, against the walls. The remaining grownups stood up, leaning against the walls. The adult section included teachers from the other few classes as well.

The school was pretty small, but so was the town.

The plump Officer Jenny from earlier sat in a chair with her child in her lap, looking around with worry.

Polly had her head against her mother’s large chest, her eyes closed peacefully.

The other two Officer Jennys that had accompanied Polly’s mom earlier were standing near the front door, the mean Jenny with her arms crossed over her chest, shaking her angry head at June, while the other Jenny slouched against the wall, yawning and rubbing her eyes with her hands.

“Excuse me, are you June?” A lady walked up to June with a warm smile, holding a little boy by his hand.

The child had a napkin to his nose, wiping at it, a weary look on his face, his eyes red with dark circles underneath them, looking exhausted.

“Yes, I am,” June nodded, her eyes innocently wide.

“My name is Peru, but you can just call me Ms. Molly,” the woman laughed lightly, extending a hand.

June shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Molly,” June smiled. “Who is this little man, here?” She knelt down to the clearly sick child.

“Oh, this is my little Milton,” the woman said lovingly, beaming proudly.

“Hi, Milton! How are you fee-?” June started.

“AACHOO!” The child sneezed directly into June’s face, snot flying from his mouth and nose.

June cried out in disgust and fell onto the ground.

“That’s the least that should be done to you for making me take my sick child out of the house to come to this foolishness!” Ms. Molly screamed furiously at June.

June looked up at Ms. Molly, wiping at her face that had splashes of yellow gunk on it and held a sickened look.

As Ms. Molly took Milton away, someone clapped, and this was joined by another person’s applause. In seconds, the entire room was filled with clapping, cheering adults, and soon, the kids were clapping as well, shrugging at each other, unaware as to what they were clapping for, but enjoying themselves all the same.

June let out a hurt cry and dug through her large bag, grabbing a towel and wiping at her face.

“June, I really think we should get out of here,” I whispered, kneeling down to her. “This is starting to get a bit out of hand.”

“Well, I think that if June wants to stay, she should,” Courtney stated, joining us on the ground. “Come on, Gary. Please?”

“Hey, you don’t even-!” June’s voice began to rise angrily at Courtney.

A ghastly cry suddenly filled the room, silencing everyone almost immediately.

Everyone’s attention was now grabbed as all eyes bounced around the room.

“Duskull…” I heard the low, haunting voice, and I gasped along with several other people.

“He’s here!” June reacted.

The parents all ran to the children and grabbed their child in their arms, screaming in fear.

The children all started to scream and cry.

An apparition blinked into existence repeatedly a few times before remaining visible in the middle of the tables. “Duskull…!” the thing spoke.

“There he is!” June gripped a Poke Ball in her hand as I raised my Pokedex.

Duskull. The Requiem Pokemon. This Ghost type Pokemon can go through walls while hunting for prey. It is more often found at night and is said to take away poorly behaved children.

“Rotom, I choose you! Stop that Duskull!” June threw her Poke Ball.

Rotom let out a cry as it appeared from its Poke Ball.

“Duskull…?” The Duskull turned to face Rotom.

The room was silent, fearful glances on every parent and childs’ face.

The Officer Jenny with her child pulled her wide awake child even closer to her while Polly stared at Duskull in fright.

The mean Jenny held a stunned look on her face while the last Jenny stood alert, gaping at the two Pokemon.

Rotom made an energetic noise, a big smile on its face.

“Duskull Duskull…” Duskull responded.

June had her fists balled in front of her, shaking hard, staring with determination at the two Pokemon.

Rotom said something to Duskull again.

Duskull slowly turned around to stare at the room full of kids and adults, coming to a stop at Rotom.

Rotom spoke again, flying around a little bit in the air.

Duskull lowered his head to the floor, looking down.

June smiled and nodded eagerly, her eyes lighting up.

Rotom continued speaking to the fellow Ghost type.

Duskull looked up at Rotom. “Duskull… Dusk Dusk…”

Rotom nodded at him.

Silence filled the room, no person, and no Pokemon, moving an inch.

Did it work? I wondered. Is it all over? I noticed June’s eager, satisfied smile, and I felt my body tremble with excitement at what would happen next. June seems pleased by this. Maybe Rotom really did get through to Duskull!

“Duskull…” Duskull told Rotom.

Rotom spoke back.

“Dusk…”

Rotom responded.

Silence once again.

Duskull suddenly turned around swiftly and faced Polly and her policewoman mom.

Both females gasped.

Rotom let out a cry, its smile turning into a sad look.

In the next instant, Duskull was gone.

The moment right after Duskull had vanished, Polly was gone from her mother’s lap.

Everyone in the room gasped long and hard.

The mother Jenny looked down at her lap in horror. “P-P-P-Polly…?”

Everyone was staring at the mother Jenny.

“Pollyyyyy!!! NO! NO! POLLYYYYYYY!!!” the mother Jenny shrieked at the top of her lungs, standing up and looking around the room frantically.

“WHAT HAPPENED??!!” the mean Jenny roared, storming towards the mother.

The final Jenny had her hands to her cheeks, staring at her partner as she freaked out over her now missing daughter.

The mean Jenny stopped near the mother Jenny and turned to June. “What happened here?” she questioned through fangs.

“What did you do with my daughter?” the mom Jenny wailed to June. “Why? Why??”

“Wait, Rotom was telling him to stop stealing the kids!” June explained to the now grumbling room of adults. “It was trying to reason with Duskull to bring the children back! It asked Duskull where the kids were!”

At once, several kids started to scream loudly, bawling uncontrollably. It was only a couple of seconds later before every kid was screaming as loud as they could, crying to their parents.

“June, we need to run, now!!” I shouted to her over the screaming kids.

The mean Jenny and the mother Jenny were both now advancing upon us, their arms outstretched, a deadly look on their faces.

“Damn it, June!” Courtney cried out fearfully. “I can’t go to jail! I’ll be eaten alive! It was all her fault! Just take June! I tried to leave!” Courtney pointed at June frantically with both hands.

June shot Courtney a frightened look before turning back to the advancing cops, the third Jenny in the back now moving quickly to join the other two, wearing a matching look of fury on her face.

Can’t we fight them or something? I thought fearfully, considering grabbing my Poke Ball. No way! You’ll be going to prison for years if you do that, Gary! But, this isn’t right! This isn’t our fault! I trust June and her Rotom. I know they didn’t mean to get anymore kids stolen tonight, but we can’t convince these officers of that right now. We’re done for!

Mere feet away, the officers reached for our throats.

A loud cry was heard, and just before the mean Jenny grabbed my neck, a long, red-hot flame fired out above the officers’ heads!

“Whoa!” I exclaimed, and I ducked down.

A loud CRASH! made the entire population in the room turn around with terrified screams.

My heart was in my throat as I watched something bounce noisily across the floor towards me, June, Courtney, and the three officers. My eyes widened in shock. “Oh, no…”

It was a microwave! A red microwave with a red spike on top of it, a red, jagged line reaching out on each side of it, two ovals near the top of it resembling eyes, and what appeared to be a smile with white teeth showing underneath the ovals.

“Rotom!” June recognized.

The microwave let out a cry and the door opened wide, sending out a stream of fire at the officers.

The police all screamed and ran away from it.

“Rotom, don’t!” June pleaded. “Get out of there!”

“Rotom, just follow June!” I called out to it, and I grabbed June and Courtney’s hand and pulled them with me.

In seconds, the three of us were out of the school. I could hear an angry commotion from inside of the classroom as we all ran as fast as we possibly could.

The familiar cry of Rotom sounded right before it flew above our heads, no longer inside of the microwave, now in its normal form.

“Rotom! Why did you attack them like that?” June shouted at her Pokemon. “That was very bad! You can’t go around attacking the law like that! Come back for now!” She returned Rotom to its Poke Ball, Rotom looking down sadly at June.

“Now what do we do?” Courtney complained.

A loud roar from behind us made us all look back.

“RUUUUUUUUUN!!!” I bellowed at the sight of a large mob of adults from the classroom, the three Officer Jennys leading them, chasing after us while shouting various things I couldn’t understand.

The three of us ran as quickly as possible, a stampede of angry parents and law enforcers wanting our heads.

“June, just go back there! They want you!” Courtney whined. “We can’t outrun all of these adults!”

“The day you need saving, you better not ever look in my direction!” June warned her.

“I don’t go around getting little kids kidnapped by Ghost Pokemon, thank you!”

“Will you two shut it and look? There’s the exit out of here!” I pointed, feeling exhausted already.

The forest ahead of us was like a life preserver when drowning in the ocean.

I couldn’t believe our luck.

We exited the town and entered the wooded area, flying through the jumble of trees, getting away from the crowd. We didn’t stop running, leaping over low bushes, tripping over things unknown, and running into low hanging tree branches that snapped once they were collided into. Even when the angry roar from the crowd had faded away, we didn’t stop running.

My throat was desperate for water, but I just couldn’t stop now, and so I pushed on, ignoring my stinging throat as I painfully swallowed my quickly dwindling saliva, the action only burning my throat further.

Courtney and June were both within view beside me as we all run, desperate to escape a crowd we had lost at least five minutes ago.

Courtney suddenly vanished from my view, but I didn’t stop running with June.

“Wait! I can’t!” Courtney called out behind us.

As I ran past a tree, I reached back and grabbed it with my hand, pulling myself back hard, and I wrapped my arms around it, gasping heavily.

June stopped once I stopped running and she leaned against a tree trunk, sliding to the ground, heaving hard.

Courtney was on her knees, several feet behind me, her hands resting on them as she drooped her head and swallowed and breathed repeatedly.

We didn’t speak as we struggled to regain our energy back. I pulled out a bottle of water from my bag, and as I started to drink from it, June and Courtney followed suit and dug through their bags, pulling out their water, and they eagerly drank.

“Aahhh!” I gasped happily as I removed the bottle from my lips, smiling at Courtney. “Well, that was necessary.”

She lowered her pink canteen and nodded. “Yes, but that exercise certainly wasn’t.” She turned to June.

June lowered her plastic bottle of water. “Listen, you little rat, I-”

“I am not a rat!” Courtney responded.

“You wanted me locked up!”

“So did the police!” Courtney argued. “It’s not like you were in hiding and I pointed you out. You were right there!”

“You’re a backstabber and a traitor!”

“Excuse me, but I wasn’t aware we were friends to begin with! I can’t be a traitor to someone I can’t stand in the first place!”

June jumped to her feet.

Courtney got up as well.

I climbed to my own feet and stood in between them as they approached each other. “Ladies, please! I’m not in the mood to play referee! We just barely avoided some serious trouble from that town we were in, I’m really tired, and for all we know, they still might be looking for us, so I really think we should keep on moving until we reach another town or something.”

“Sounds like a fine idea as long as we don’t tell our Pokemon to go in cahoots with crazy Ghost type Pokemon who want to steal little children,” Courtney said snottily, her eyes stuck on June.

June gasped furiously. “Are you accusing me and my Rotom of purposely getting that child kidnapped by Duskull?”

“I call it like I see it.” Courtney crossed her arms. “Maybe if you hadn’t been so convinced you were some kind of Poke Whisperer, a police officer wouldn’t be missing her daughter right now.”

June tried to step around me.

“Both of you, enough! If you two start fighting, I am not breaking it up, and I am not sticking around to watch, either! Can we please just focus on getting out of here and into another town? Please?!”

June turned her back on Courtney, crossing her arms.

“Hmph, well, she started it,” Courtney mumbled.

“I-!” June turned around to face Courtney.

“Courtney!” I barked.

“Fine. Anyway,” Courtney grumbled quickly. “Did you get the name of that town? I don’t know if anyone said the name of it, and I didn’t see any signs, but if you know it, I can locate it on my Town Map and we can go on from there.”

I thought about it for a moment. “I don’t have a clue,” I told her. “June?”

“Nope,” she shook her head, her back still facing us, her arms still crossed, glaring at the ground.

“Well, we entered from one place and exited from an entirely different spot, so, we have to be headed somewhere, right?” I reasoned.

Both girls nodded.

I nodded back and zipped my backpack closed. Taking another swig from my bottle of water, I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked past the two feuding girls.

“Where are you going?” Courtney called after me.

“Like I said, I’m really not interested in waiting around here,” I called back to her. “Let’s keep going a bit further before we stop for dinner, okay? We can feed our Pokemon and eat in a bit. I just want to move a bit deeper into the woods. Maybe we’ll even locate another town before long or something.”

“I don’t think I want to locate another town for a little while,” Courtney admitted.

I stopped walking and turned back to her. “Why’s that?”

She slung her bag over her shoulder as she walked up to me. “Well, I don’t think I want to find a town that’s that close to the one we just got out of. I’d like a bit more space. I feel like, if we go into a town that’s that close, I dunno, we might get arrested on sight or something. They might have radioed the next town over to look out for us.”

“They might have done that regardless of how close the next town over is,” June muttered, walking over to us.

“Yeah, no thanks to-” Courtney looked over at my scowling face. “Never mind.” She looked down.

“Officer Jenny said that if June’s plan failed, we were to never return to that place, so, I think we’ll be fine as long as we don’t go back there,” I said.

“That was before Rotom attacked the police,” Courtney reminded me.

June sighed and lowered her head.

“Well, we’re either wanted fugitives now, or not,” I replied. “Either way, let’s please just keep moving. We can’t just stay here forever.”

Courtney mumbled something as I walked away from the girls. I could hear her say a couple of curse words. I looked behind me and saw June stare at Courtney from the corner of her eye.

“Hey, we’ll be okay,” I told Courtney.

She looked up at me with worry in her eyes. Quickly, she approached me, bumping into June’s bag on her way.

June cried out in surprise as her large bag was hit by Courtney and she stumbled. “Hey!”

“It was an accident!” Courtney snapped at her. She quickly turned back to me, looking up at me pleadingly. “Do you mean it, Gary? Will everything really be okay? I’m really scared right now.”

I stopped walking and turned to June, who had her arms crossed and was leering at us, and I looked back down to Courtney. “We’ll be okay, Courtney. I believe that we will be. Let’s just move on a little further and then we can all eat.”

Courtney looked down sadly. “Okay. Can I ask you one question, though?”

“Go ahead.”

“You think it’d be too much to ask if I could have a hug?” she asked me adorably, looking up at me desperately.

My eyes widened in surprise and I glanced up at June for the quickest second.

In that second, I could see the stunned rage on June’s face.

“Sure, Courtney,” I hesitantly agreed.

She quickly pulled me into a hug and rested her head against me.

My arms closed around her, my nose detecting a truly feminine, beautiful scent from her hair. My eyes warily returned back to June, who now looked like she was ready to slug a lion in his face without hesitation and stand her ground in a fight against him, coming out the winner, and my heart began to beat quickly, fearfully. I tried to release Courtney after a few seconds, but she held me even tighter.

“Not yet, please,” she whispered. “If that’s okay with you.”

I held back the smile that was struggling to come out as my heart beat even harder and more rapidly. “Sure, Courtney.”

My heart’s beat picked up a lot faster as I caught the flash of red in June’s eyes directed at me and Courtney.

I tried to calm down the fear in my body as I closed my eyes.

I tried to relax as I inhaled and exhaled repeatedly.

I tried to stop my body from trembling by pulling Courtney into a tighter hug.

I heard Courtney’s moan of satisfaction.