17 October, 10:17 PM

Dear diary,

I'm still so psyched about yesterday's Gym battle! It was super tough, but we managed to beat Misty and get a shiny Cascade Badge! Even better, during the fight when I thought for sure I was gonna lose, Barbie evolved into a Nidorina and totally kicked that Starmie's butt! Who needs type matchups, anyway? Our friendship makes us an unbeatable team! I kinda miss my cute little Barbie, but I'm not the kind of girl who's gonna keep her weak just so she can stay cute forever. Besides, that would be totally unfair to her.

I loaded up on some supplies before leaving Cerulean. Mostly food and some treats for the Pokémon. Flip goes crazy over canned Magikarp, which is funny cause Mankies don't normally eat fish. I'll have to see if I can't catch some real ones on the way to Saffron for him. I bet he'll go wild for some freshly cooked ones.

Route 5 is a lot longer than I thought it was gonna be. I wish I could've afforded one of those bikes I saw earlier. I totally would've made it to Saffron if I had one. Luckily, I found a Pokémon daycare center on the way, and the old couple who runs it was nice enough to let me crash here for the night. They made Tauros steak, and it was sooooo good (Dad's is still way better). I still don't get why they set up a day care in the middle of nowhere instead of back in town, but they said they prefer the quiet of the country, so that's cool, I guess.

You know, I'm kind of glad I found this place. It was cloudy all day today, so it's super dark outside. On top of that, all day I felt like... I dunno, like I was being followed or something. I mean, I only saw one or two other Trainers today, but it was weird. Even right now, I know I'm alone (except for my Pokémon), but I feel like I'm being watched by someone. I'm probably being silly. This room doesn't have a night light, so I'm just using my lantern.

And here comes the rain. Now I'm definitely glad I found this place. Hopefully it stops before tomorrow morning. I think I'll stick around here and train for a bit before leaving. Who knows, maybe I'll catch a new Pokémon! That would be super cool! Okay, sweet dreams, diary!

18 October, 8:48 PM

Today, Mr. Tanaka (the old man who runs the daycare) let me help out with taking care of some of the Pokémon. It's a lot of hard work, but it's a lot of fun, too! There was this Meowth that was SO adorbs! I let her and Flip play together and it was just the cutest thing. At one point I was playing with her and I wasn't paying attention and I saw her playing with something shiny. When I went to see what it was, I was shocked! Apparently, she somehow got into my bag and stole my necklace! I was mad for a second, but then I decided to let her keep it. I can always get another.

We also trained a bunch today. A couple Trainers stopped by to drop off and pick up their Pokémon, so I got a few good battles under my belt. One Trainer had an Oddish. I really wanna catch one of those! My older brother always smoked Oddish leaves with his friends and never let me have any. Maybe if I can catch my own, I'll finally be able to see what all the fuss is about, especially cause Mom and Dad can't tell me not to!

I'm going to bed early tonight. If I leave early enough, I might make it to Saffron tomorrow. I don't wanna wear out my welcome here, and I'm really eager to challenge the Gym there. I asked one of the Trainers that came from that direction if he had a Marsh Badge already. He told me that he was just gonna skip Saffron Gym altogether because of how tough the Gym Leader there is, and he said I should do the same. Well, nuts to that, I say! Mina Hazuki ain't afraid of any Gym! Me, Flip, and Barbie can overcome any obstacle in our way!

19 October, 2:37 AM

I can't sleep.

I just heard footsteps outside my bedroom door. Probably just one of the Tanakas moving around, but I don't know... I swear I just heard a little girl laughing. I guess my mind is just playing tricks on me. It's really windy outside, so maybe that's what I heard. Curse my hyperactive imagination!

Oh my gosh, I am seriously freaking out right now. I'm literally hiding under my covers as I write this. The doorknob started moving and that creepy laugh came back OH MY GOD THE DOOR JUST OPENED. Don't panic, don't scream, don't make a sound...

It's quiet now. What WAS that? I'm super scared right now. There's no such thing as ghosts, right, diary? Ghost Pokémon, sure, but not REAL ghosts... right? The door's wide open. I wanna go close it and turn on the lights, but I reeeally don't wanna get out of bed.

Well, there's nothing there... I just checked the hallway, and nobody's here. Nothing under my bed or in the closet, either. I don't know what's going on, but I'm locking the door and leaving the lights on. And I am DEFINITELY getting out of here tomorrow.

19 October, 7:36 PM

Well, diary, I managed to get myself lost in a forest all day. I was really hoping to get to Saffron City before sunset. On the bright side, by the time I made it out of that stupid forest, the sun had started to set, and I came across what looks like a scenic overlook of Saffron. There's a cliff and another bunch of trees separating me and the city, and with all the leaves changing color and the pink and gold clouds and the sun bouncing off of the skyscrapers, it looked like something off of a postcard. I reeeally wish my camera wasn't broken, otherwise I would have taken a picture. It's nighttime right now, and the city looks so dazzling. I set up camp here. Hopefully it doesn't rain today. It took forever to gather up all this firewood!

Before I left the daycare center, I asked Mrs. Tanaka if she heard anything funny last night, since the room I stayed in was right next to theirs. She said she didn't hear anything. I asked if the place was haunted, and she just kinda laughed at me. Not a mean laugh, but more of a laugh like I was telling a joke. I know what I saw, though. That was too freaky to be my imagination. I've been kind of on edge all day, and I still feel like somebody's watching me. I'm gonna let Barbie and Flip sleep outside with me tonight, just in case.

So I came across a group of Oddishes today! I tried to catch one, but they ended up being too fast for me. All is not lost, though! They left behind some leaves, so I'm gonna finally get to see what it's like being high. I have enough that I could try a little bit tonight and have plenty left over. Sorry, diary, but I'm gonna need to borrow one of your pages for this. Hope you don't mind! My brother said Oddish leaves make you feel really calm and peaceful. I sure could use that right about now. Anyway, good night!

20 October, 1:07 AM

Dear diary,

I know I haven't recorded a dream in a while, but I just had the worst, most realistic nightmare I've ever had in my life. I remember it all like it actually happened. I dreamed I was in this creepy, abandoned suburb, and I was running away from this huge girl. She couldn't have been more than six years old. She had long, green hair, was dressed in this kind of old-timey frilled dress, and had on this wide-brimmed sun hat that covered her face in shadow. I couldn't see her eyes... only her creepy smile. And she was laughing the entire time she chased me.

When I say this girl was big, I mean she was BIG. The houses were barely as tall as her boots, and the ground shook with every step she took toward me. Her horrible laugh was so loud that it echoed all around me! I tried hiding inside one of the houses, but she just ripped the whole building up and tossed it like a piece of junk! She said something about wanting to play with me... she probably thought I was just a doll or something. Then she wrapped her hands around me and said, "Tag, you're it!" I thought I was gonna die, so I pulled out my camping knife and stabbed her with it. Her scream was so loud I thought my eardrums were going to pop! As soon as she let go of me, I made a break for it.

So I'm running through the streets, and I can hear her crying. I would have felt bad, but I only cared about getting the heck away from her. Suddenly, there's this huge earthquake, and the whole sky opened up. I see this really high ceiling with all these bright lights, and I was blinded. When my vision cleared up, I looked up and saw this even bigger woman staring down at me. I remember she was really pretty, but totally evil looking. She had long, dark-green hair and some kind of red, military looking coat. Her eyes were terrifying. Like a Persian's eyes except blue. I never felt so afraid of anything in my life. When she stared at me, it was like... I felt this overwhelming sense of hate. Like there was nothing in her soul except for pure hatred. I wanted to cry or scream or run or literally anything, but my body wouldn't move. She reached down for me and I just thought, "Oh my goodness, I'm going to die."

And then I woke up. I know it was just a dream, but it felt so REAL. I woke up and cried my eyes out of their sockets and hugged my Pokémon. I wonder if it was because I had some of that Oddish leaf before going to sleep that I had such a crazy dream. But I can't help but think that this and what happened at the daycare are somehow related. That girl's laugh sounded a lot like the one I heard last night...

Well, I guess I'll try to get some sleep. As soon as the sun comes up, I'm outta this creepy forest.

20 October, 8:08 PM

Saffron City is amazing! There's so much stuff to do here! I checked in to the hotel early enough that they were still serving breakfast. There was sooo much food there! I ate so much, I thought I was gonna burst! They had a section for Pokémon, too, but I managed to sneak some people food to Barbie and Flip. The room they gave me is really nice, especially for what I paid. They apparently have a special going on for Trainers right now. Lucky me!

First place I went to was the nearest Pokémon Center. While the 'mons were busy healing up, I called home to let Mom and Dad know that I was still alive and made it safely to Saffron. I swear, if I don't call home every two days, Dad gets ready to send a search party after me!

Speaking of which, one of the things that stuck out to me was when I went to the Information Board and saw all the missing persons reports. I know Saffron is a huge city, but I wasn't expecting to see so many people missing. They all seemed to be Trainers, too. I mean, it makes sense that Trainers would be more likely to get lost since they're always out in the brush, but I still found it odd. It seemed like there were ONLY Trainers here.

Another weird thing is the information I found on the Gym. See, I always thought that Saffron City Gym was a Fighting-type Gym. But apparently, within the past year there was some psychic named Sabrina that wanted the title and took on the Fighting Gym. Of course, being that she used Psychic-type Pokémon, she easily stomped the Fighting-type Gym and earned the title of Saffron's official Indigo League Gym Leader. What's crazy about that story is that she apparently did it with just ONE Pokémon! Now I see why that Trainer back at the daycare said he was skipping Saffron. Psychic-types are tough as nails if you don't have the right Pokémon. Considering I have a Poison and a Fighting Pokémon, it's not looking good. Still, I'm not about to back down. I came here to challenge the Gym, and that's what I'm gonna do! I believe in my Pokémon and our ability to overcome whatever is in our way!

Anyway, I spent most of the day checking out museums and shops. There are tons of cool shops in the commercial district. I bought a replacement necklace as well as these cute earrings. I also got a cute little bow for Barbie. It's so funny to watch her try to take it off! I think she's just embarassed. I'm sure she'll get used to wearing it over time.

Occasionally, I caught a few creepers staring at me. One guy even started following me! He looked like he was old enough to be my dad! As soon as I called Barbie and Flip out, he stopped following me. Some people! I'm really glad I have my friends to protect me just in case weird stuff like that ever happens.

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped by a burger joint for dinner. While I was there, this old guy in a yellow baseball cap started talking to me. I was like, "Oh great, another creeper!" But this guy was actually really nice. He paid for my meal, and we talked for a bit. He said he had a daughter that was a little older than me and was also a Pokémon Trainer, and said I reminded him of her. I guess all dads get sentimental about their daughters, huh, diary? Anyway, he asked if I was gonna challenge the Gym. Of course I said yes. He said that I should give up and not even bother. I was like, "Are you serious?!" I didn't come all this way just to wimp out! Then he got real serious and said that something bad would happen if I went to the Gym. I wasn't about to be insulted by some random old coot, so I got up to leave.

He told me that I had a terrible dream last night. I froze dead in my tracks. How in the world did this guy know that? He said my dream was a sign, and that if I knew what was good for me, I would stay away from the Gym. Needless to say, I was a little more than freaked out, so I high-tailed it back to the hotel. What a way to put a damper on a good day, huh? Now I can't stop thinking about that dream. I know I need to get a good night's sleep, but I'm wide awake right now. I bought a lighter today, so I think I'm gonna try some more Oddish leaf to calm me down. I just hope it doesn't give me another nightmare. Well, sleep tight, diary. We got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!

21 October, 2:39 AM

I'm not going crazy, I'm not going crazy, I'm not going crazy.

I don't know what to believe anymore, diary. Whatever this is is real. I just saw that girl from my dream. She's REAL, and I think she wants to get me.

All the doors in this hotel have electronic locks. Only hotel staff and me can get in. But when I woke up, I saw HER standing at the end of the bed. I don't know how, but she somehow got into my room and was now standing there. It was the scariest thing, waking up and seeing this creepy little girl staring at you in the darkness. I screamed and threw my pillow at her out of reflex. But the pillow stopped before hitting her and just floated in midair around her before launching back at me. Then she started laughing at me. I jumped out of bed and ran for the door, but it wouldn't open. The little girl started walking toward me and laughed. I can't explain it, but I suddenly felt like my body was being squeezed from all sides. I felt really sick and dizzy, and I fell to the floor. I swear the room started expanding, and with each step the little girl took, she got bigger and bigger. Just like in my dream.

Soon, she was standing right over me, like some kind of monster. Her laughing was so loud, just like before. Then she said - I won't ever forget it:

"We're going to gave so much fun together, Mina. We can play as long as we want, forever and ever."

I don't know what happened, but when she said my name, I panicked. I curled up into a little ball and just waited for her to do whatever she was gonna do. She bent down and blocked out all the light coming in from the window, then she reached out to grab me. But before she could, the lights suddenly cut on and she vanished. When I finally got up, everything was back to normal.

Why is this happening to me? Am I being haunted by something? What did I do to deserve this? I don't know how much more of this I can take, diary. Maybe I should listen to that old guy and just leave. What does all of this have to do with the Gym, though? It doesn't make any sense!

First thing I'm gonna do tomorrow is throw out all those Oddish leaves. I'm done with that mess! I'm leaving the light on and I'm gonna at least TRY to get some sleep. Tomorrow, I'm challenging the Gym, and I'm gonna get out of this place. I just really hope that whatever this is doesn't follow me to the next city. I might actually go crazy if this keeps up.

Good night, diary. Wish me luck.