Notes: The translations of Pokemon speech being in italics was Azalea542's idea. Hydrangea Town was my idea. I pondered carefully until I had the right name.

Chapter Six

Several minutes had passed, but it felt more like an eternity. Evie was still snuggled close to Radley and he had not woke up. Evan likewise was laying on Kalin's shoulder.

". . . I think he's alive, but he doesn't wake up," Evie said mournfully.

"I don't know if they're alive," Evan said. "But that would be just about my luck if they're not. I just thought I had someone." He looked away, blinking back tears. He and Kalin had only just met and Kalin had risked his life to protect him. No one else he had found through the years had done anything like that.

"I just thought I was finally back with Radley," Evie said. "And we were only out here because he wanted a Pokeball to officially adopt me! He's still alive. I won't believe he's not!"

Evan was still looking away. "That kind of thinking will only get you hurt."

"Wanting to get back to him was the only thing that kept me going for years," Evie retorted. "Team Rocket took me away from him and I was stranded with them for so long!" She nudged Radley again. "What are you doing up here? Eevees usually stay closer to the cities. We like to be around people."

"I wanted someone, but I never had anyone until today," Evan said. "I was just wandering."

"We both have someone now!" Evie insisted. "They're going to wake up and be fine!" She nuzzled Radley.

Evan didn't feel like addressing that when he just wasn't sure."I'm wondering about the Pineco," he said instead. "They're not usually aggressive like that unless they feel threatened. Us running in shouldn't have set them off."

"Maybe it's a Team Rocket plot!" Evie worried. "They like experimenting on Pokemon. They could have made the Pineco mean!"

"Maybe," Evan said. He hesitated. "You said you were with them for years?" He stared at her. "How can you still have so much hope?"

"Because of Radley," Evie insisted. "I couldn't ever give up on getting back to him! If I had . . . I think I would have given up on everything."

". . . Then . . . what if . . ." Evan trailed off. He couldn't ask.

"He'll be okay," Evie insisted. She looked at him sadly. "You sound like you've had a really sad life too."

"And I didn't have any Radley to want to get back to," Evan said. "All I ever heard from people was, 'It's an Eevee! Let's catch it and evolve it!' I never let them catch me. They only cared about my evolutions, so I didn't care about them. I just wanted to be loved for me, not caught so I could immediately be evolved into whatever the greedy person thought would bring them more power! That's why I was up here. I just wanted to get away from people like that."

"Radley loves me just as I am," Evie said. "And if I ever want to evolve, he'll support that. I'm sure Kalin is the same way!"

". . . He's the only person I've ever met who seems different," Evan said. "And Radley too, of course." He hesitated. "If you ever did want to evolve, what would you choose?"

"Sylveon," Evie replied immediately. "They're so beautiful and they can use their ribbons to actually feel their Trainer's feelings and thoughts! They're so loving and kind. Like Espeon and Umbreon, they only happen if the Trainer is really lovable. But . . . I'd be too big for Radley to hold me anymore. . . ."

"It's all about Radley, huh?" Evan said.

"You'll feel like that about Kalin too!" Evie insisted. "Just you wait and see."

Evan sighed. "I hope I will. . . ." He hoped he would have the chance.

"Oh, you didn't say what you would want to be!" Evie realized.

"I don't even know," Evan said, awkwardly looking away. "I got so bitter about the way people acted that I didn't want to ever evolve out of spite. But . . . it really would be amazing to have a Trainer worth evolving for. . . ."

"It is," Evie said.

At last Radley stirred, groaning. Evie perked up in absolute joy. "I knew he would be okay! He had to be!" She licked his face with exuburance. "Radley, I love you so much!"

Kalin started to move too. Surprise and relief filled Evan's eyes. Kalin had another chance . . . and now, so did Evan. He nestled under Kalin's chin, allowing himself to feel happy. He really was finally with someone who would love him.

xxxx

Radley was startled to suddenly be awakened by a loving Pokemon. But he quickly adapted, smiling as he pushed himself up. "Hey, pretty girl. You're okay?"

"Eevee-vee! Eevee!" Evie exclaimed. She couldn't stop showering Radley with happiness.

Radley held the wriggling Eevee with a laugh and looked worriedly to the others. "Kalin?"

Kalin moved his hand with a groan and Radley took it, squeezing it in his. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright, I think. You?" Kalin asked.

"Me too. We made it through," Radley beamed.

"I guess we did," Kalin mumbled. He returned the squeeze and reached for Evan with his other hand. "You're alright too?" he addressed the Eevee.

Evan rubbed against him. "Eevee!"

Kalin supported the sweet animal as he sat up, rubbing his head. "What happened to those things that blew up?"

Radley sighed. "They're still knocked out. Let's get out of here before they wake up. If you're okay to stand, of course." He gave his friend a concerned look.

"I can get up." Kalin stumbled to his feet, swaying. "You probably took the edge off what happened to me, didn't you?"

"I tried, as I'm sure you tried for me," Radley said. "And we both tried to protect the Eevees." He got up holding Evie and reached to steady Kalin. Together they limped back the way they had come, carefully stepping past the Pineco. When they got by without incident, and the eerie fog also didn't return, they breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"So now what?" Kalin wondered. "There's still no sign of the others, either."

"And we need to know what's up with them." Radley pulled out his phone. "The next thing to do is try calling them."

"Are you even getting a signal in here?" Kalin looked doubtful. The trees were still too thick to see the sky.

Radley smirked. "One of the benefits of a satellite phone is better range. That's why I've made sure all of us have them now. They only seem to stop working if magic or ghosts are involved." He tapped out a quick message to Scotch.

The answer he got back was filled with enthusiasm.

We totally found a town! It looks really amazing here! I think it's like

Lavender Town in Kanto!

A second text quickly followed with directions on how to get there.

Kalin just looked blankly at the message. "Lavender Town? What do they make there—products with lavender?" It hardly sounded like a place Scotch would be so thrilled about.

Radley chuckled uneasily. "No, not exactly." He texted back, thanking Scotch for the directions and asking who all was with him. The answer came back that it was everyone else from the group not returning to the van.

Kalin relaxed. "So that means Yusei is alright. But what about the kids?!" He took out his own phone and texted Jordan.

The response he received was not entirely satisfying.

We couldn't find our way back to the van yet. We're still somewhere in

the forest. It looks like we're coming out by some kind of shrine, though.

Kalin showed the message to Radley. "Are there shrines around here?" He looked confused.

"There's some, yeah," Radley admitted. "There's a big Japanese-American population in these parts. They love the area and the Pokemon. A lot of the teachings so popular in the Pokemon franchise about humans and Pokemon co-existing and helping each other and appreciating nature, that's all really steeped in Japanese culture and beliefs. It's pretty fascinating."

Kalin nodded. Radley loved learning about other cultures. "That makes sense when the games and series originated in Japan," he grunted.

"Jordan and the kids and the rest of the Bunch should be fine," Radley continued. "Someone at the shrine should be able to direct them on where to go. Let's try to find the town, since it looks like it might come up first. If it's anything like Lavender, Biff is going to be in tears very soon if he isn't already."

". . . Then it has something to do with ghosts," Kalin realized.

"You could say that," Radley said.

Evie cuddled closer to him. "Vee . . ."

Evan looked wary too.

Kalin looked at them. "Eevees don't like ghosts? I almost thought they'd want to play with them."

"They might, if they're not scared," Radley chuckled.

xxxx

The mood in Hydrangea Town was a strange mix of solemnity and sweetness. Despite Scotch's love of creepy things, he didn't like thinking about animals dying, and it didn't take long for it to really start sinking in that this wasn't a game and these people were mourning real Pokemon who had died. He had texted Radley right at the entrance to the town, where there was a sign proclaiming,

Rest easy, the spirits of our beloved Pokemon

As they journeyed inside, they saw businesses such as flower shops and masons specializing in headstones. Many people were carrying bouquets of flowers or opened Pokeballs, all heading for what looked like a large tower off to the side of the town borders.

"This really is like Lavender Town," Billy frowned. "That must be their version of Pokemon Tower." He looked around. "So we've clearly passed into what's Pokemon region territory now." He shoved his hands in his pockets, uncomfortable.

"It really looks like it's all mixed together," Scotch said.

Antinomy frowned, watching the procession. "So what's Pokemon Tower?" he wondered. "I gather it's some type of memorial to deceased Pokemon."

"Yeah, it is," Scotch said. "It's a really nice idea."

"I don't get how they can have a cemetery indoors, though," Billy said. "Unless it's a mausoleum. . . ."

"There's real headstones," Scotch said. "Maybe it's like Japanese cemeteries where the bodies are cremated, but they have headstones to mourn at anyway? I've never been sure about that either."

"In America, a lot of people don't go in for cremating, though," Billy pointed out. "Maybe there's a horizontal compartment in the stones or something like they have in Louisiana and other places where they have to put the graves aboveground."

"You're all gonna want to see the tower, aren't you?!" Biff moaned.

Scotch patted him on the shoulder. "You don't have to come, Biff."

Biff just looked around nervously. "The whole town is probably haunted, not just the tower. Look at it! The whole place makes its living on death!" He gestured wildly at the businesses.

"It's respectfully done," Yusei said. "All of these people seem to really care about the Pokemon."

Antinomy nodded. "Like it or not, death is something that has to be thought about, and people need businesses catering to their needs when they lose a loved one. Any hauntings are probably from friendly ghosts."

"Or maybe from Ghost-type Pokemon," Scotch added.

"I don't wanna meet those either," Biff said.

"Well . . . I already told Radley we'd be here, though," Scotch said slowly. "We probably need to stay and wait for him and Kalin. . . ."

Biff sighed. "Yeah, yeah. . . . But at least let's talk to somebody or find a map or something!" he exclaimed.

"That's a good idea," Antinomy said. "We need to know what the surrounding area is like and where things are."

"And there should be a PokeMart here!" Scotch realized. "We could get the Pokeballs for Radley and Kalin now!"

"Great. Let's do that," Yusei said.

"This might be the town we were told about that's near the other end of the forest," Scotch said.

"It probably is," Yusei said. "Unless there's more than one town in here."

Scotch led the way in wandering through the town streets until at last the familiar turning marquee sign that signaled a PokeMart came into view. He grinned and hurried inside, followed closely by the others.

"Hello," the clerk smiled. "I'm Jeanette. What can I do for you?"

"I'm Scotch! We need some Pokeballs," Scotch said grandly. "A big set, if you have it!"

". . . But we only need two," Antinomy said, quirking an eyebrow.

"What if the kids find Pokemon? What if I do?" Scotch innocently replied.

Antinomy shook his head. He had to admit Scotch had a point.

Jeanette just smiled. "We have a twelve-pack." She brought it out from behind the counter.

"Perfect!" Scotch grinned. He dug into his pocket for his wallet. The purchase was swiftly made and he gleefully took the bagged set off the counter. "Thanks!"

Yusei leaned on the counter with one arm. "Can you tell us a little about this place?" he asked. "We're from New Domino City and Satisfaction Town."

Jeanette had a knowing look in her eye. "Your first Pokemon adventure?"

"You could say that," Yusei agreed. "Our friends have Eevees. We're just waiting here for them to catch up with us."

"Oh, how fun! Eevees are so cute!" Jeanette gushed. ". . . Of course, all Pokemon are cute!" she nervously added, furtively glancing around.

"Is this town haunted?!" Biff blurted.

Jeanette jumped, startled. "Haunted? Well, people say things, of course. . . . And living Pokemon aren't too comfortable being in the Tower. . . . They get sad and even scared after a while."

"Then it couldn't just be good ghosts, could it?!" Biff frowned.

"Some of them are restless," Jeanette said. "Just like people, some Pokemon aren't ready to die. But no, I don't think there are any truly bad ghosts here."

"How did the idea of the Tower come about?" Yusei asked.

Jeanette's eyes gleamed. Clearly this was a favorite subject. "Are you familiar with Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town?" she asked.

"We know about it!" Scotch said.

Jeanette nodded. "Mr. Fuji, who oversees the Tower, is very well-respected through the regions," she said. "His cousin lives here and he came up with the idea that we should have a Pokemon Tower too. After all, humans don't just have one cemetery. Pokemon need plenty of them too!"

"Didn't the graves in Lavender Town get moved to a smaller building that's mostly private?" Billy asked.

"Oh, that wasn't the end of the story!" Jeanette declared. "Using the Tower as a radio tower ended up just . . . not working out. Even with the graves moved, the building just felt eerie and wrong. Many of the employees started quitting because they said it felt too cold and wrong and they'd see ghosts sitting on their desks or walking across the rooms. Finally Mr. Fuji decided that the spirits were restless because they didn't like the graves being moved, so most of them were moved back. The Soul House is still in use too, though, mostly for some of the graves that Mr. Fuji says belong to Pokemon who want peace and quiet and not so many people trouping around all the time. The front part of the building is used for memorial services."

"That makes sense to me," Billy said. "I don't know why they were crazy enough to try putting the cemetery in another building to begin with."

"It was mainly because of some businessmen who thought the Tower could be used much better as a radio tower," Jeanette said. "They'd never heard of a cemetery in a skyscraper before. And after all the chaos and heartbreak with a restless Marowak spirit possessing many channelers, Mr. Fuji thought maybe they were right and that it would be better for the spirits if the graves were moved."

"I don't imagine the businessmen are too happy with things being moved back," Antinomy remarked.

"They finally had to accept that it just wasn't working out and that they'd actually make more money by spending some to build a new radio tower," Jeanette said. "All the radio tower employees were willing to come back with it being a different building."

"At least it all worked out," Yusei said. "So what is this place relative to the . . . non-Pokemon areas?"

"It's kind of a gateway," Jeanette said. "But as I'm sure you've seen, Pokemon are everywhere! It may be a little harder to find them the farther out you go from this forest and towards your cities, but they're still around. They've just got more clever at hiding since Zero Reverse." She shuddered at the name.

"I'm glad they're still around," Yusei said sincerely. "It's terrible what happened." He straightened, a haunted look passing through his eyes. "Some Pokemon probably died in Zero Reverse too."

Jeanette nodded sadly. "We have a special memorial in the Tower dedicated to all Pokemon who may have died in Zero Reverse and other tragedies."

"I'd like to visit it," Yusei said.

"Of course!" Jeanette said. "The Tower is open all the time for mourners to go in and pay their respects."

"Is that safe?" Antinomy asked. "Human cemeteries usually close late at night to try to keep out vandals."

"We haven't had any trouble," Jeanette said. "Who would be cruel enough to desecrate Pokemon graves?!"

Billy sighed. "I'm sure there's some somewhere."

"Hopefully nowhere around here," Jeanette said. "That would even be too childish for Team Rocket." Her eyes darkened. "Although they do far worse than desecrate graves. They create the need for more."

Scotch looked down. "Yeah. . . ."

"Oh." Yusei turned back. "That reminds me, have you had a lot of trouble with them out this way? One of the two Eevees was rescued from a cage. We wondered if Team Rocket was trying to poach Pokemon in the forest."

Anger flashed through Jeanette's eyes. "They just might be! If you want to go to the police station, you can file a report about it."

Yusei looked to the others. "Should we do that, or should we wait for Kalin and Radley? They might be able to add things we couldn't."

"Let's do it," Antinomy said. "Then the police will be mobilized and can start looking. That will free up some of the burden on us and the others."

The Bunch nodded in agreement.

Yusei nodded. That was really his feeling as well, but he had wanted to give the others a chance to weigh in on it first.

"Okay, we'll go over there next," he said to Jeanette. "Thank you."

"Of course," she said. "And don't forget to stop by the Tower too!"

"We won't," Yusei promised. He definitely still wanted to see it.

Antinomy gave him a concerned look as they stepped outside. "You don't still blame yourself for Zero Reverse, do you?" he asked.

"I know it wasn't my fault, but it's hard not to feel partially responsible when my dad was involved," Yusei said. "He still can't rest in peace because of that. I'd like to see the memorial and apologize to the Pokemon who might have died back then."

Antinomy nodded. "It's a nice idea. But I hope it will bring you peace as well as them."

Yusei stared over at the Tower, lost in memories. "Yeah."