Disclaimer: These characters are owned by Nintendo, not by me. Cover by topcat-sama and used with permission. View my profile for a link to the picture.

PART 2: Red Flags and Silver Linings

The path climbs endlessly upward, the peak the impassive and ruthless mountain nowhere to be seen. My breathing is shallow. I've never experienced anything like this elevation before. It's dark, rocky, and certainly cold. My legs are exhausted and I start to see spots, but I press on.

The slope of the mountain suddenly levels off. If I had any breath left, I would sigh in relief. The peak is perfectly flat, just as flat as a kitchen table. The only thing about the landscape that sticks out is that figure walking towards me.

"Welcome, challenger," says the stranger. The words are so quiet and he's so far away that I can barely hear them, but they seem to carry a surprising confidence and strength behind them. As the figure approaches, I can make out his cap and scarlet clothing.

If I was tired before, it's forgotten now. "Thanks," I say, forcing myself to keep my cool. "Who are you, anyway?" As if I don't know.

"Red," he says. He comes to a stop when he's within battling distance. He doesn't look confident or scared, furious or excited. He just stares at me like he's looking through me. "You?"

"I'm Gold," I say, trying to imitate his placid demeanor.

I try to continue, but he cuts me off. "Well, Gold, are you ready?" His body's taut, like a cat that's ready to pounce.

"You bet."

Immediately, we call out our Pokémon and the battle begins.


"It's so pretty," she says, snapping me back to reality. Even fourteen years later, I can still see the images of that day just as vividly as I see the present.

Dawn and I have just arrived at Sea Cottage. We're standing on the bridge and looking out to the ocean, just like the tourists do. We get the whole experience, sunset and all. I must agree, it truly is stunning.

But this certainly is not a sightseeing trip. As I expected, nobody had seen anything last night before the fire. Yet another dead end. If Misty can't help us, I don't know who can.

Dawn closes her eyes, enjoying the ocean breeze. "I see why Misty would want to live here."

"Misty's had her eye on this place for years," I say. "When Bill finally decided to sell the cottage, he knew that it wouldn't be right for anybody to have it but her."

Dawn opens her eyes and smiles at me. My heart skips a beat. "We have to come back when all this is over. Promise?"

I laugh. "Promise."

Misty immediately hugs Dawn when we knock on the door. "It's so great to see you again!" She says, laughing.

When Misty releases Dawn, she puts her hands on her hips and scowls at me. "I still haven't forgiven you for interrupting my date," she says.

"That was fourteen years ago!" I say, not sure how to react.

She laughs and welcomes us in, but I'm not sure if she's kidding about the date or not. The house is small but quaint and cozy, pretty much the opposite of the Oaks' grand house. She leads us to a pair of comfortable sofas.

"Dawn, I'd like to thank you for participating in the Training Supervision movement in Sinnoh," Misty says, beaming. "I don't know if I could have done it without you.

"Oh it was nothing," Dawn says with a small smile. Misty's become something of a politician. What she's referencing is a movement in Sinnoh to create a law that requires trainers to watch their Pokémon as they battle. Misty's done a lot of good work over the years and has connections to many influential trainers, particularly women.

"Anyways," Misty says, quickly replacing her smile with a serious expression. "I assume you're here about Red. It's all over the news. Just terrible. First Nate, now this."

"We are," I say. "Were you and Nate close?" I ask.

She bobs her head up and down. "We dated off and on," she says. I think she's suppressing tears. "He was so sweet. Always writing me letters, sending me presents…"

As she bursts into sobs, Dawn quickly moves from my side to Misty's couch. Dawn comforts her while I become very interested in straightening the sleeves of my jacket.

In a few moments, Misty's composed herself. Dawn remains on the couch opposite to me, holding Misty's hand.

"Do you think Red did it?" I ask. Dawn scowls at me.

Misty looks pensive. "I don't know," she says. "But I don't think it would hurt to find him."

"Do you know where he is?" Dawn asks.

"I think so." Misty says seriously.

"Where? Can you tell us?" I say, trying to not let my excitement show. This is the first real lead we've had.

"I can do you one better," she says with a sly smile. "Wait just a moment." She exits the room.

When she returns, she's holding a letter. "I got this in the mail about two weeks ago."

Dawn and I share a glance. That's before Nate was murdered. I hold the letter between us so we both can read it:

Misty,

Still exploring, but I'll be back to the mainland soon. Look for me at the tournament in Sinnoh during New Years. Stay safe.

Red

It's hastily written, and more of a note than a letter. Still, this is the biggest lead we've had so far.

"What do you think, Misty?" I ask.

She shrugs. "I'm reading the same letter you are. He sends them every now and then, and they don't mean anything more than they say. Still, it's pretty weird for him to tell me to meet him somewhere. Probably hasn't seen a friendly face in ages."

"Guess we're headed to Sinnoh, Dawn," I say, rising from the couch. "Sorry to run, Misty, but we'd better go. We don't have much time if we're going to make it to Sinnoh for the tournament."

Misty hugs dawn, and, to my surprise, she hugs me as well. "Good luck," she says. "I don't know if Red's your guy, but he's as dangerous and unpredictable as they come."

"Don't worry," I say, straightening my tie. "So am I."