Don't look down. I kept repeating in my head. A drop of sweat rolled into my right eye, forcing me to shut it. I would've wiped it away, but I was kinda busy not falling to my death while climbing Isle Abeens' beanstalk.

This beanstalk was probably a bazillion times taller than Crock (Steelix) if he stood on the tip of his tail. I couldn't even see the top. Clouds concealed it like white, fluffy curtains. And I was dumb enough to be climbing it, with no safety ropes or special gear. At least the footholds left from all those times Vean (Pinsir), Rugby (Heracross), and Roxie (Zangoose) went up were deep.

I shouldn't have sent all my flyers to different isles. I should have let my pokemon climb for me. But I wanted to be a part of the Franchesca search party, too. The chances of her being way up here wasn't likely – how the hell would she even get up here? – but we had to scour every inch of Poke Pelago.

Something hit my ass, pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced back.

"Get along there, little Brodie." Garian (Alolan Meowth) smirked. "You're slowing me and Sis down."

I scrawled at him, but, yeah, he was right. I must've stopped moving, because Roy (Kanto Meowth), Maria (Weavile), Nancy (Sneasel), and Barry (Simipour) were way ahead of us now. His sister, Kaara (Alolan Meowth), looked ready to climb right over both of us.

"You can go pass me if you want," I said.

Garian shook his head. "I volunteered to stay behind to make sure you don't fall. We can't have that. If you get hurt, who will be there to buy me Moomoo Milk?"

Just full of jokes today, wasn't he? I mock-laughed, then went back to scaling the beanstalk.

My earpiece crackled. "This is Sky Squad A to Sky Squad C." Gonzo's voice (Flygon) filled my ear. "Do you copy?"

Mohn had given me and, I think, fourteen other pokemon earpieces. Super helpful. Communication was key.

More crackling. "Go for Sky Squad C. This is Barbeque Bicep speaking."

I almost interrupted their conversation. Barbeque Bicep? Who the… I suddenly remembered Howie (Machop) jumping on Athena's back (Tranquill) before they flew off. Did he really need a stupid codename, though?

"Cool name," Gonzo said.

No, it wasn't.

"Can you give us a live report? We haven't found anything over here."

"Nothing here. Just clear skies and a blue sea beneath us. No sign of our Franchesca yet."

"Keep me posted," Gonzo said. "Sky Squad A to Sky Squad B. Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear," Marcie (Gengar) replied. "Sky Squad B here. This is Maternal Phantom."

Stop with the codenames…

"Ooh, great name."

Ugh.

"Report."

"The south sky and sea is empty so far. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Okay, keep an eye out. You know she's so small, she's easy to miss. Even with our keen eyesight."

It went on like this forever – squads from the land, sea, and sky communicating with each other, throwing out ridiculous codenames but having nothing important to share. Nothing. At one point, Mick's (Mr. Mime) land squad thought they discovered something resembling Franchesca. It ended up being some onion plant.

All these pokemon, all these extra eyes, and still… nothing.

No luck way up in the beanstalk, either. We checked branch after branch and climbed so high, my ears closed up, and I could barely breathe because of the lack of oxygen. My squad didn't seem affected by the altitude. Only me. I guess pokemon had really powerful lungs or something?

I endured until I thought I'd pass out, then radioed someone to get me down. Dania (Staraptor) came to my rescue. Soon as my feet touched earth and Dania departed, I fell to my knees in the grass.

Bodies rushed back and forth, burrowing underground, checking under boulders, sniffing dirt, grass, and sand for Franchesca's scent.

A sick feeling crept into my chest. I couldn't breathe again, as if I was still up in the beanstalk.

They weren't going to find her.

I watched and watched. And the thought kept whispering.

They weren't going to find her.

When I actually looked away from my pokemon, the sun had dipped halfway into the ocean, the sky an array of pink, orange, purple. When did it get so late? How many hours had I been sitting there?

"Guys," I spoke into my earpiece. My voice sounded so weak, so… pathetic. "If-if anyone needs to rest, they should. No, it's been a long day. Everybody should get some rest. Let's, uh… let's pick up the search tomorrow."

I didn't know if they'd listen or not. They didn't have to. I felt untrainer-like.

I waited for the guys nearby to stop working. Harris (Bisharp) jumped down yet another hole he'd dug. Simon (Minun), mounted on top of Brianna (Manectric), glanced in all directions, calling Franchesca's name. Roxie jogged into a path of grass up to her scarred chest. Omar (Seviper) slithered after her, and together they scoped the area.

My earpiece crackled with voices.

"This dragon doesn't need rest," Gonzo said. "I feel like I can go all night."

"If I was lost, Franchesca wouldn't stop looking for me," Darleen (Steenee) replied.

"Franchesca needs us," Marcie said. "If I keep going, I know I'll find her before midnight."

"Rest sounds so damn good right about now." Med (Snorlax) yawned. "I'm way past my curfew. But sleep will have to wait."

"Wow!" Mick shouted. "If a lazy guy like you can keep going, we all can."

My eyes welled with tears. My vision blurred.

I didn't deserve any of these pokemon, these friends.

#

My eyes opened to a cloudy morning sky. I had fallen asleep listening to my pokemon over the radio. Night had come and gone. Before I could ask if anyone had found Franchesca, I could hear someone talking through my earpiece.

"Okay, team, roll call."

I was still half-asleep, so it took my brain a sec to recognize the voice. Gonzo. He sounded half-asleep, too.

"Who's still out there? Jona (Pidgeot) and Haas (Pidgeot) are my only co-pilots left."

A minute passed. No response.

"Any morning warriors out there?"

Crackle. "Med is knocked out," Owen (Ditto) answered. "So I took the liberty of stealing his earpiece. He'll probably be asleep for a whole year."

Owen was kidding, but, I mean, I'd never seen Med so active for so many hours. I even fell asleep before he did. Me, an energetic pokemon trainer. Him, a snorlax. Things like that just didn't happen in real life. Until, you know, today. He could sleep a whole 365 days if he wanted. He earned it. Then, whenever he wanted to wake up, I was gonna buy him all the pancakes, ice cream, and pizza he wanted.

"Still here," Darleen said. "The rest of my team – whatever land squad I'm apart of, I forget – is sleeping."

"I'm up," Marcie said. "Barely. I'd say my eyes are bloodshot red, but they're that way naturally."

"L-O-L," I jumped into their conversation and chuckled. That might've been the first time I've laughed since this whole thing started.

"Ah, Brodie," Gonzo said. "Nice to have you with us. Haven't found Franchesca yet, but we haven't given up."

"I can see that. But, hey, I really think you and everyone else should rest for a bit. Aren't your wings sore as hell?"

"A little, but I've trained a lot with you over the years. I've got endurance."

"You're not a machine, though. None of you are. So, get down here, eat some beans, eat some poffins, some berries, and recharge yourselves."

This time, I was giving orders. Like a real trainer. I lost myself earlier, but I got better after sleeping.

"Franchesca is a soldier. I know this because I've trained her, too. Just like all of you. She might be lost, but she's not in any pain. She's keeping herself safe, waiting for us to arrive. She knows we have too many more journeys to go on, too many regions to visit, for her to let things end here."

I had to stay positive. For my pokemon. For me.

But that whispering thought – it still lurked deep in my mind.

They weren't going to find her.

After Gonzo and the others complied, my earpiece went dead. I rolled onto my stomach. Pokemon slept all around me, like some huge camping trip. We just needed a bonfire and tents to complete the look.

Kindle (Alolan Ninetales) and Rhonda (Kanto Ninetales) faced away from each other, curled into balls, their tails draped over Marvin (Accelgor) like blankets of gold and white. Omar wrapped around Roxie in a lazy coil, their cheeks pressed together. I would've freaked if I didn't know they'd been sleeping this way since they were babies.

Under the beanstalk, Roy, his wife and daughter – Maria and Nancy – and the Alolan Meowth siblings lay, arms and legs tangled together. Barry wasn't with them. Probably resting somewhere in the sea.

I heard footsteps swishing in the grass and turned my head. Grimm (Blastoise) sauntered towards me.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey, I echoed.

He was drenched head to toe from swimming. Speaking of drenched. "Grimm, when's the last time you got your cannons washed?"

He shrugged. The hatches near the top of his shell lifted and those awesome cannons shot out. Green and brown smudges dotted the muzzle and neck.

"Wait right there. Don't move." I left and returned ten minutes later, a bucket of soapy water in one hand, a sponge in the other, a rag on my shoulder.

Of all the pokemon I groom, I think I enjoyed grooming Grimm the most. I treated his cannons and shell like a new car. Doing it now was probably a waste of time, though. He'd just get dirty again searching for Franchesca. But I needed something to distract me, something to take my mind off things.

He turned his back to me. I scrubbed away at his shell.

"Gotta get you all nice and shiny. Chicks dig shiny turtle shells."

"I'm not looking for a mate," he told me.

"Lies." I laughed. "I've seen the way you look at Kenya, dude."

Silence.

So he didn't wanna admit it, huh? Mud dissolved and flowed down his shell in a dirty, soapy stream. "Am I wrong?"

"Why do you care?" he said. "You don't have anyone, either."

For a moment, I stopped scrubbing. I hadn't had a girlfriend in three years. Bad break up. I kinda miss her. But I kinda don't.

"You're deflecting," I said.

"And? I'm not obligated to answer."

"Okay, whatever. The way you're acting tells me enough, anyway. I think you two would make a great couple, like Roy and Maria. I'll drop the subject, though."

We fell into silence again. I didn't mean to get Grimm pissed. If he liked her, he liked her. Nothing wrong with that. I wasn't trying to play matchmaker. For now.

I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. By the time I finished, my arms wanted to fall off. Times like these I wish I'd been born a Machamp. Those extra pair of arms would've been a godsend. Sunlight caught Grimm's spotless cannons at an angle, and they shimmered like white gold. I did a hell of a job.

"All done." I wanted to add, Now go show Kendra how amazing you look, but I kept my mouth shut.

Everyone had started waking up. Not too far from us, Tisha (Absol) lay down as Auska (Herdier) licked her fur, careful to avoid her scythe-horn. Flora (Mudsdale) sat on her haunches as Chance (Oranguru) picked at her mane, eating whatever had been stuck in there. Eww.

Roxie, with Omar wrapped around her shoulder, talked with the two Ninetales, Marvin, Simon, and Brianna.

At the shore, Craig (Noctowl), Dania (Staraptor), Antwon (Braviary), and Christa (Ghost Oricorio) stood in shallow water, cleaning each other's feathers with their wings. Floating in deeper water, Mondo (Poliwhirl) and Monica (Golduck) watched. I guess they were admiring them?

Grimm laughed.

"What?" I asked. "What's so funny?"

"Remember how short you used to be? You needed a stepstool to reach my cannons."

I had to be about twelve or thirteen back then. I never reached six-foot, but around sixteen-ish I grew taller than Grimm. Not by a lot, maybe about three inches.

"You think that's funny? Remember the time I stuffed my hand inside one of your cannons?"

"And nearly got your hand blown off because you found my trigger? I felt awful."

"Why? That was my bad. It was stupid, but funny."

"What about the time you tried to squeeze inside my shell? You said something about if we became shell bros we could win any pokemon battle."

"It almost worked."

We laughed, and I sat down. He joined me.

I pulled out a fistful of grass between my outstretched legs. "Remember how I used to think if I just believed hard enough, I could evolve into a Blastoise, too?" I unclenched. Blades fluttered to the ground.

"And I actually believed you could," he said. "Calling us naïve would be an understatement."

"I know, right? The closest I ever got to being like you was wearing that dumb Halloween costume."

We laughed out loud again, our voices echoing.

"Brodie," Mohn called out from behind me.

Standing up, I faced him. "What's up?"

"Franchesca's last whereabouts – I've seen her on one of the surveillance cameras. Let me show you."

"Y-you did?"

He nodded. "Come on."

I followed him, with Grimm four steps behind. Mohn led us to his cabin. The front door was too narrow for Grimm, until he withdrew his cannons and squeezed in sideways. In an unlit room, Mohn sat in a swivel chair. Grimm and me peered over his shoulder. The computer screen displayed a paused black and white video.

My heart thundered in my chest. God. The last moment before Franchesca disappeared. The last time anyone saw her. A shadow of dread fell over me. I gripped the back of Mohn's chair hard, like I just got on a rollercoaster with no restraints.

Mohn clicked play. We stared at a giant cave, its mouth shrouded in darkness. Torches flanked either side. Isle Aphun. Pokemon raced for the entrance, their speed slowed frame-by-frame. I counted them. Cecilia (Trubbish), Ron (Rhydon), Raingo (Drampa), Kacey (Clefable), Sahara (Gligar), Rodney (Nidoking), Dyson (Blaziken), Dizzy (Vileplume), Quenton (Vivillon). Nine pokemon. Okay. Didn't see Franchesca, though. What did this video have to do with—

Mohn hit fast forward. My eyes drifted to the clock at the bottom right corner of the screen. Minutes passed in seconds. Around the seventeen minute mark, Mohn resumed playing. Nothing happened, just a shot of the cave.

Then a Petilil popped into view.

Franchesca.

Mohn zoomed in on her. She headed for the cave. Right before entering, she glanced back, like she didn't want anyone seeing her. Why would she…?

I expected that to be the end, yet Mohn fast forwarded. At five hours and forty-eight minutes, Franchesca emerged from the cave. She went in alone, came out alone. Also didn't return with any treasure. So why even go in there? More importantly, why did she wait for the others to go in first?

She left the camera's eye, and Mohn stopped the video.

"That's all I've got," Mohn said. "That is the last time any of my cameras caught her on film."

I stared at the screen a little while longer, gathering my thoughts. "I don't get it. She leaves the cave, then goes missing? Conveniently off-camera somewhere?"

"Seems that way."

I groaned. Grimm put his heavy hand on my shoulder.

"This is weird," I said. "Does she know where the cameras are?"

"I'd be surprised if she didn't," Grimm told me. "Those cameras aren't exactly hidden. I've spotted them all the time in plain view. But then the question becomes: Why would she avoid surveillance?"

"To hide something," I said. "You saw the way she looked back before going in. Something's wrong."

"I assume there's no cameras in the cave itself?" Grimm asked.

Mohn shook his head. "Afraid not."

"What now?" I asked, not expecting Grimm or Mohn to give a real answer. "Search Aphun all day? We don't even know if she vanished on that island. Only info we got now is it happened where there were no cameras."

"Which is quite a lot of places," Grimm added.

I tried to remember the team who investigated Isle Aphun yesterday. My mind drew a blank. In any case, they found nothing, obviously.

"Sorry," Mohn said. "I'll keep doing what I can to help. Perhaps I'm wrong and overlooked her in later videos. I'll re-watch all the footage the day she went missing."

"Thanks."

Me and Grimm stepped out of the cabin and into daylight. My head wanted to explode. I was angry. More fucking angry than I'd ever been. I wasn't 100% sure, but this disappearing act… it could've been intentional. She could've wanted no one to find her. Maybe. I didn't know, and it was driving me crazy.

Or maybe… maybe her acting suspicious and entering the cave on her own and leaving empty-handed was coincidental?

Regardless of her intention, that still didn't explain why no one could find her. Like, she literally disappeared into thin air.

My eyes burned.

"You okay?" Grimm asked.

I didn't answer, just walked ahead of him.

"Brodie, I—"

Yelling filled the air. Didn't sound like happy yelling, either. Somebody else felt just me. More voices shouted, and I took off running, my feet trampling the grass.

When I got past the thick beanstalk blocking my sight, I found my pokemon huddling around. "The hell's going on?"

"She can stay gone for all I care," Wilda (Midnight Lycanroc) said.

"How can you say that?" Hersi (Oddish) shouted over the others. "She'd search for you if you went missing."

"I wouldn't want her help, that rude little bitch."

"Don't you call her that, you stupid wolf!"

"Stupid, huh? How's this for stupid?"

I jostled through the crowd, hurried to the middle. Wilda had a paw-fist raised, ready to bring it down on Hersi. I tried jumping between them. One step too late.

Wilda's fist came crashing downward.

Something blurred past me.

A loud smack echoed.

Bryce (Sawk) stood in front of Hersi, Wilda's fist buried in his palm.

"You'd hit a child?" Bryce's hand tightened around Wilda's.

"It's called discipline," she growled. Her crazy red eyes flashed brighter, angrier. Her sharp teeth bared.

"You're not her mother. You have no right to lay hands on her or anybody. If you think otherwise, try your discipline out on me."

I reached them. "That's enough. Stop it." I pushed Wilda and Bryce away from each other. "We don't get into these kind of fights around here. This is a family. We have our ups and downs, but it's still family. Wilda—"

She fled through the crowd.

"Hey, get back here! I'm talking to you!"

Thin fingers touched my arm. I looked down.

Milo (Shiinotic) stood beside me. "Don't worry, I'll go talk to her."

He jogged after her as the crowd around us dispersed.

"Thanks, Bryce." I high-fived him.

"It was nothing. If I didn't jump in, I'm sure someone else would've. No one was gonna truly let little Hersi get hit."

Hersi was bawling her eyes out. She could water herself with all those tears.

I picked her up off the ground, held her to my chest, and caressed her back. "There, there. Everything's fine. You're safe now."

She wailed. "I'm not crying because I was scared. I'm crying because of what Wilda said."

"Don't let her words get to you. Wilda's just… frustrated, is all." I said that to soothe Hersi. I didn't have a clue why Wilda acted like that.

Her crying reduced to sobs. I put a finger under her eye and wiped a tear away. She smiled, and I smiled before setting her down. I reached past her "leaf hair" and scratched her head.

"There you are!" a voice boomed.

I damn near jumped out of my skin. I spun around and came face-to-face with Apollo (Slowking) and Lamont (Alakazam).

I flailed my arms. "Damn it, what did I say about teleporting behind me? Don't do that!"

Apollo let out a sheepish laugh. "My apologies." His face hardened like Lamont's. "We came here to discuss with you about Franchesca."

"You know something?" I stepped closer to them.

"No," Apollo whispered.

Why would he need to keep his voice down all of a sudden? Who wasn't supposed to be hearing us?

He continued. "But we think someone else does."

"Like who?"

They looked past me, at the rest of the pokemon, then their gaze returned.

Wait, surely they weren't thinking one of our own was responsible for this – for Franchesca's disappearance.

The look in Lamont's dark eyes spoke to me before he could say one word. "We believe someone knows something but isn't talking."