From:VengeanceOfSneasel

To:CassInTheCleods91

Subject: Professor Werner

Hi Cass,

I don't know if anyone has told you yet but… Professor Werner died on Wednesday. He had a heart attack and fell down the stairs on his way to a staff meeting. The burial was today. I don't really know what to tell you about it other than it was hard, but not as hard as I expected. Chelsea took it really hard, but she's tough. More tough than I am, I think.

Liam's whole desk rattled, making him jump. He still hadn't gotten used to the abrupt and violent buzzing of his PokeGear every time he received a text message. Feeling a little annoyed, Liam picked up his PokeGear and checked his message inbox.

I found something you'll wanna see.

It was Vasilio. Liam wasn't sorry to have an excuse to finish his email to Cass later, but he wasn't sure how Vasilio was going to show him anything by text message.

What?

His PokeGear buzzed again.

Look out your window.

Liam got up from his desk and walked to the window on the far end of his narrow, rectangular bedroom. Seven floors below, he saw Vasilio waving up at him. His friend was wearing a gray beanie over his white hair, and he had his skateboard under his arm. Liam opened his window and leaned out.

"Bring your scooter!" called Vasilio. "And some money. I promise you won't regret it."

Liam gave Vasilio a thumbs up. Within a few minutes, he had collected his Pokeballs, stuffed his wallet in his pocket, put on his Team Virtue jacket, and met his friend outside.

"What's up?" said Liam breathlessly.

"Like I said, I found something you'll wanna see," said Vasilio mysteriously. "Come on. Try to keep up on that scooter."

Vasilio jumped onto his skateboard and took off. Liam hastily unfolded his scooter and followed him out the back gate of the complex. White Gardens, the neighborhood of gray apartment buildings where Liam and his family lived, was right next to Everspring's old south bus station, but Liam had never taken much notice of it. It was a worn-down place, mostly catering to those who couldn't afford to travel on newer, fancier busses. The travellers always had a bit of the country about them, whether they were old people with blue caps or college students in fake designer clothes. Liam wondered for a moment whether Vasilio was taking him on a journey by bus, but as they approached the run-down station, his friend suddenly swerved to the side, picked up his skateboard, and beckoned for Liam to follow him into a narrow, inconspicuous alleyway.

Liam had learned long ago that Everspring City was full of unexpected places—it was almost a microcosm of the Nanzo region itself. Yet he still felt embarrassed that he had never thought to explore a spot so close to his house. It reminded him of Feather and Petal Street—the touristy market winding through a traditional Nanzonese neighborhood on the other side of town—except where Feather and Petal was lively and crowded, this alleyway was quiet, narrow, and almost dusty. Liam heard the faint sound of bubbling water coming from small glass tanks and the chirping and hooting of bird Pokemon in small cages. Overhead, he could see clothes lines stretching between the windows on the concrete buildings on either side. A generation ago, these small vendors had probably been farmers, but as the city sprung up around them, they turned from raising cabbage and tobacco to selling used clothes, decorative plants, or—and this explained the bubbling sound—fish Pokemon for aquariums.

Liam didn't care much for Water-type Pokemon. Actually, it was the weird, staring eyes of fishlike Pokemon that made his skin crawl. While other kids had nightmares about Darkrai hovering in the shadows over their beds, Liam bolted awake with the panicked feeling that there was a Magikarp gasping between his sheets. It wasn't a rational fear, but Liam still hoped Vasilio hadn't brought him along just to terrorize him with the sight of Goldeens behind smudged glass.

"So, what is this place?" asked Liam in a low voice.

"Fin and Petal Street," said Vasilio. "Okay, so I made that up. But it's kinda like Feather and Petal Street—you know, pet Pokemon, plants, weird stuff. But it's more for the locals. I found this place a couple weeks ago. I've been coming here to get Pokemon for my aquarium. But, that's not what I wanted to show you. We gotta go deeper."

The alley proved to be something of a maze, winding through a neighborhood of squat concrete residences—each with a small shop on the first floor. Unlike the shopkeepers at Feather and Petal, who perked up whenever a foreigner passed by, these people practically ignored him. Liam enjoyed being able to look at the beautiful plants, ornate bird cages, and quaint knick-knacks without receiving the foreigner sales pitch. The further into the hidden market Liam and Vasilio went, the more fellow shoppers they met. Evidently, wherever Vasilio was taking him attracted more than just foreign teenagers on a Sunday afternoon. Suddenly, Liam realized that another sound had replaced the soothing trickle of water and the rustling of potted greenery.

"Is that… barking?" Liam asked.

It was barking. Deep within the labyrinth of cozy shops, they had found a marketplace that seemed to be nothing but pet stores. Cages, shop windows, cardboard boxes—all filled with dog-like Pokemon, from snoozing Stoutlands to loudly-yapping Yampers.

"Welcome to the Dog Market," said Vasilio.

Liam looked at his friend with curiosity.

"So… you're getting a pet Snubbull or something?"

Vasilio snorted.

"We're not quite there yet. This way."

They went past the more respectable looking shops, with adorable Lillipups and carefully trimmed Furfrous jumping excitedly against the glass, and towards the far end of the Dog Market, where the cages were larger, and barks were louder, and the Pokemon looked less cute and more fierce. These were clearly working Pokemon—Mightyenas, Granbulls, and Manectrics raised to drive away unwanted visitors or keep watch at night. Despite their being safely behind the rusty bars of sturdy-looking cages, these Pokemon's vicious barks and ferocious snarls made Liam nervous. These were Pokemon that wouldn't hesitate to attack a strange-looking foreigner if they got the chance.

"Here's our guy," said Vasilio, pointing to an old man with a wispy white beard.

The man seemed pleased to see Vasilio, and even more pleased to see Liam. He set aside the bamboo water pipe he had been smoking and beckoned them over.

"So this is your friend, eh?" said the old man, sizing up Liam with his crinkled eyes. "A Dark-type trainer?"

"Yeah," said Vasilio casually. "You've still got the Pokemon, right?"

"I held onto it for you," said the old man. "Come on, I'll show you."

He motioned for them to follow, and led Liam and Vasilio into a dingy shop full of cages. Liam wasn't naturally claustrophobic, but being in a cramped room full of presumably savage Pokemon made him feel very uncomfortable. The old man pointed to a cage on the far end of the room.

"There it is," he said. "A Houndour."

Liam's heart leapt. The canine Pokemon was pacing its tiny cage in evident agitation, following the movements of the unexpected foreign visitors closely with narrowed eyes. Its short fur was a beautiful black, while its belly and snout were the color of rust. Liam knew immediately that he had to have it, no matter what it cost.

"How much?" he asked the man hastily, as if afraid that some unseen person would suddenly snatch the Pokemon away right before his eyes.

The old man's eyes crinkled in a smile.

"For a fine, rare Pokemon like this, I think, eh…. 8000?"

Liam reached for his wallet at once, but Vasilio grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait, I thought you told me 6000," said Vasilio, his voice calm and rational. "There's no reason to charge us the foreigner price."

"Extra fee for holding on to it for you," said the man tersely. "I could have sold this Pokemon already."

Liam reached for his wallet again, but Vasilio's grip was firm.

"2000 Pokedollars is too much," said Vasilio. "My friend will give you 6500. That's a 500 Pokedollar handling fee."

The old man stroked his thin beard. Liam noticed that many of the long, white hairs were growing out of ugly brown moles.

"I can do your friend 7000," said the man. "This Pokemon is freshly imported from Kanto. Surely you think it's worth 7000 for such a rare—?"

Liam broke free of Vasilio's grip and fished out his wallet.

"Here you go," said Liam. shoving the red bills into the man's callused hands,

The old man gave a satisfied smile, accepted the money with a bow, and went to work ringing up Liam's purchase on his archaic cash register.

"I could've got you 6500," muttered Vasilio. "If you hadn't been in such a hurry."

Liam didn't care, and Vasilio knew he didn't care. He couldn't look away from the Pokemon as the old man unlocked the cage, captured it in a Pokeball, and presented it to Liam with a satisfied grin.

"Thank you," said Liam as he attached the Pokeball to his belt.

"You're welcome," muttered Vasilio as they left the shop. "Didn't I say I'd found something you wanted to see?"

"Yeah," said Liam.

He didn't say what he was really thinking. He knew exactly why Vasilio had brought him here on this day, and he was grateful for it.

"You wanna go skate?" asked Vasilio casually.

"Sure," said Liam. "That sounds good."