FOUR

"Crawdaunt! Masquerain! Ready to go?" Shelly waited by the front door for the Pokemon she called to appear. Masquerain and Crawdaunt came toward her from the bathroom. From the water dripping down their bodies, Shelly knew that they had been playing in the bathtub again.

"There's a person I need to visit, and I'd like you guys to be on your best behavior, okay?" Her Pokemon's assent came, both of them nodding their heads vigorously.

They stepped out of her sister's house in Mauville City, feeling much better now that she decided her goal was to talk to Harley about a possible future. Perhaps instead of jumping around at jobs, they could find something they could work together on…? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "He lives just outside of Fallarbor Town. His ranch shouldn't be hard to miss; it's full of Poochyena and Houndour and a few Mightyena and Houndoom." The little trio headed north, out of town, to hopefully make it to Fallarbor Town.

They stopped under a tree for a break in the afternoon, when the sun was high and beating down on top of them like a giant toaster. Shelly pulled out a few snacks from her backpack: an apple for her, bunches of berries for Masquerain, and some nuts for Crawdaunt. She lay down on the soft grass, staring up at the fluffy, shapeless clouds slowly cruising by above her. They eventually seemed to form shapes, patterns, something for her to see. And… what was that? She found herself looking at an oddly-shaped Tabitha's face. A sad smile slowly broke over her features. She shouldn't have been so harsh with him. As her eyelids slowly slid shut, unshed droplets of tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.

*****

"Maybe she lives somewhere nearby, Mightyena," Harlan blurted out when he realized he really had no idea where she lived. "After all, she wouldn't have paid us a visit if she was back on that island of hers, right?"

They had set out early that morning, asking Harlan's partner to keep an eye on the cabin as well as - more importantly - his Pokemon. The purple-haired guy decided to head back to town, the direction he'd come from when he saw Shelly and her niece gazing at the Pokemon. It would be a good start: see if she had come this way the day before.

Harlan set off at a fast-paced walk. If he went at this pace, it would be only afternoon when he made it to Fallarbor Town. Then he could see if she was around. If not, he could probably hitch a ride to Lavaridge Town, which was up the mountain.

His prediction was correct. He entered Fallarbor Town when the sun was high over the sky.

"Harlan!" A cheerful voice called him over from the left, a familiar one. Turning his head, he saw the lady that managed the local café waving him over. She wore something similar to one of those french maid dresses, though less provocative and exposing. It was longer, the collar was located around her neck, and the sleeves less poofy.

"Uh… hi, Kohi," Harlan stammered. She gestured to a chair, which he assumed he was supposed to sit down in. So he did.

"It's not often you come to town two days in a row," she queried. "So, what brings you here?"

As always, she set down a hot mug of coffee in front of him. When he began to talk, her elbows propped up on the table, face held up by her hands as she listened. There was an odd, entranced smile on her lips.

"An old friend came by yesterday with her niece. They stayed a while to play with the Pokémon, but not long. I wanted to ask if you saw a lady with some bright red curls pass by here?" The smile on Kohi's face immediately faded. Harlan, not noticing anything wrong, continued: "She likes to wear blue - which is strange yet cool with that red hair of hers. You couldn't have missed it. Her hair looks like it went through some serious business. It's long… it's got major curls… and it stands out like nothing other."

"Nope, I didn't see any likes of her," Kohi mumbled. She turned away to take some orders and left Harlan brooding in his thoughts. He took a sip at the coffee, though it was something he had never really liked. Coffee still tasted bitter and unsweet to him; how others considered it 'sweet' was beyond his understanding. Harlan slipped a coin onto the counter, then walked back out.

So Shelly hadn't come through Fallarbor Town. It was time to see if Lavaridge had been a destination. It was a logical place. Lavaridge was just a little south of here, and there was an old route he knew that led directly to it. He would stock up on supplies here in Fallarbor; there were plenty of fruits and vegetables being sold here that he could eventually whip into something good. Then, Lavaridge City, they go.