Dana slid her rucksack out from under the table and fished around for her wallet. The Pokemon Center was empty, its foyer lit with a fluorescent light that made everything appear still, like in a painting. The faintly stale smell of unwashed clothes rose from her pack as she dug around the inside pocket.

Her team was still in recovery; luvdisc, teddiursa, heatmor, electrode, inkay and zebstrika, all knocked out in the storm and the mountain crossing. She had sat on the uncomfortable plastic chairs for nearly four hours, waiting, and hunger was starting to prick at her stomach.

"Excuse me," she said, walking up to the counter.

"Yes?" said Nurse Joy.

"Would you be able to look after my bag for a few minutes? I'm going to go round the corner and get some food."

"No problem," said the nurse, taking the lumpy rucksack from her. "There's actually a little lane that runs between here and the store – you'll see it on the right when you walk outside."

"Thank you."

Dana walked towards the sliding doors, feeling a bit dizzy. The sky outside was a dirty grey, night-time clouds occluding the moon. She wondered how long it would be before her pokemon were better; she wondered whether Nurse Joy dyed her hair or if it was natural. Her own hair was chestnut brown, but it came out of a bottle.

It was cold outside. Dana pulled her jacket tight and walked to the right, finding the lane easily. It was fairly narrow, just big enough to drive a car down. Moss grew in the bitumen cracks, and the tin drainpipes were rusting. Dana felt strangely light, passed the point where sleeplessness feels like an issue. She whistled a few notes, and the sounds drifted around her like bubbles.

She passed the back of the Pokemon Center, behind which were bins and a parked motorbike. The wall opposite it must be the store. The smell of food scraps wafted from the skip.

Dana looked up to the end of the lane and saw a man walking towards her. He wore a long khaki coat that fell passed his knees, with big pockets on the front. His face looked like it hadn't been shaved for a few days, and long strands of black hair hung in front of his eyes. Dana breathed in, told herself to stay calm; it was just a harmless pedestrian on a night time stroll. She put her hand inside her jacket, but of course the pokeballs were not there.

Dana tried to keep her eyes on the ground, on the moss running up bricks and the dripping water, but the man's stare dragged her gaze back. He was only a few feet away, and he was looking right at her.

Panicked, Dana looked over her shoulder; the other exit was blocked by a big, skeletal houndoom. She continued walking forward – they were about to collide.

"Nice night for a walk, huh?" said the man, stopping.

"Yes," Dana mumbled, trying to step around him. He put up an arm and she bumped into it.

"Hey, you wouldn't be able to help me out, would you?" he said, reaching a hand towards her. She stepped backwards, and heard a growl at her heel.

"See Sid there, he don't like it when people aren't generous. Really gets him upset."

"I don't have any money."

"Oh, but I bet you do. I bet you were going to that store, to buy some nice food for yourself. People usually do." He grinned.

"Do they?" Dana said, not sure what do to. She looked around but couldn't see anything that would help, just brick walls slippery with rain.

"Yes," said the man, his voice dropping to a whisper. His eyes were grey; the pupils wide like black pits. There was something acidic in his breath – it stung Dana's nostrils.

She could feel hot breath on her ankles. She swallowed, felt her heart palpitating. Her body was numb, at once actively present and strangely absent, as if this scene were something in a book she was reading. If only she could close the pages, look up and see the brightly-lit surfaces of the Pokemon Center. She thought longingly of the uncomfortable chair.

Slowly, Dana reached into her pants pocket. She pulled out her wallet, the one with so little money and that smelt of unwashed clothes, and held it out to the man. He took it carefully, pinched between two fingers, as if it were something delicate. With both hands he opened it, peered inside. He shook his head. The houndoom growled.

"You've got everything I have. Please, let me go."

"Tut tut, this is not nearly generous enough. Sid is very hungry, you see."

"I don't have anything more."

The man dropped the wallet onto the ground. It landed with a soft thump. His eyes were hungry, his lips drawn back. "Then I guess we'll have to take what you're not willing to give."

Dana felt the rumble through her feet before she heard the horn. She just had time to throw herself sideways as the motorbike came tearing up the lane, headlamp glaring. The man stumbled backwards and his houndoom barked, snapping at the tires. Dana looked up from the damp asphalt, at the resplendent Nurse Joy astride the purring vehicle. On the back was blissey, its mouth twisted into a smile, its dark eyes flashing.

"I think you should leave," said Nurse Joy, but Dana wasn't sure whether she meant her or the man. She scrambled up, her palms grazed from the fall.

"Piss off, Joy, this doesn't concern you," snarled the man.

"Oh yes it does. How dare you terrorise people in my alley."

The man sneered. "Your alley? Are you going to challenge me to a battle then?" His houndoom growled.

"Not exactly," said the nurse. She revved the engine.

"Wait, what are you – ,"

The man's sentence was cut short as Joy charged towards him. Wheels skidded on the bitumen, and the man turned and ran, almost stumbling in his haste to get out of her path. Nurse Joy beared down on him with a laugh as he and his houndoom fled. Dana stood blinking for a moment, not sure whether to laugh or cry, then she turned and walked back to the end of the lane.

She was sitting in the same uncomfortable seat when Joy reappeared, her pink hair slightly askew and sweat shining on her face. Dana opened her mouth but couldn't think of anything to say.

"I think this is yours," said the nurse, handing over her sodden wallet. Dana stammered out a thank you, words temporarily abandoning her.

"Now, your pokemon are just about healed. I don't think you managed to get any food though – would you like to come back and eat dinner with me?"

Dana really needed a hot meal – and a shower. Her stomach growled. "I'd love to, but I don't have any money. I mean, I can't pay you back."

"Are you sure?" said Joy, her eyes twinkling. "It looked like you had plenty."

Dana was about to protest, but then she noticed that her wallet felt a lot heavier than it had before. She opened it up, and a wad of cash spilled out. "How did you – ?"

Nurse Joy winked. "That man, you know, he really is very generous. Told me he wanted you to have it all."

Dana was speechless, but Nurse Joy just flicked her hair back and said "So that's settled, dinner at my place. I'll bring the bike around. You don't mind riding with me, do you?"