"Well, let's rest up our Pokemon and stay in the Pokemon Center for the night. We can try to beat Lt. Surge again tomorrow." said Katsu as we entered the pink-themed center. One of the many, many, many Nurse Joys walked out to greet us, smiling as she took our Pokeballs.

"Hello, I'll be happy to heal your Pokemon for you. Just take a seat over there and it should only take about five minutes." We nodded as she walked behind the counter and into another room, humming a tune quietly. The matching-pink Chansey waddled out as she held out a tray with rice balls on it, each of us happily taking one. She skipped away while trilling "Chansey!" to everyone in the room.

"You can wait if you want. I'm challenging Lt. Surge today," I replied confidently. "My Pokemon are all healed up and ready for battle, so why wait?" Rune smiled at me with his "battle face" on, while Kin was happily munching away on my shoelaces. "I think I'll win easily anyway. Rune has the confidence, and Kin has the, um... agressiveness." I added as I looked down at my Sandshrew, who was now moving onto my backpack to rip to shreds once more. I sweatdropped while Katsu chuckled nervously.

"Good luck to you, then. You'll need it. Raichu is pretty strong." He replied, shrugging. "He took care of Poochyena and Shuppet without breaking a sweat." He cringed while he remembered Shuppet being shocked into a coma. "Poor Shuppet," he muttered as he tried to peek in the healing room.

I shrugged it off and brightened up when Nurse Joy returned with our Pokeballs, but she turned to Katsu worriedly as she handed him the last one. "Sir, this Pokeball was empty when you gave it to us."

Katsu looked shocked as he opened it as it revealed... Nothing. "But... But Shuppet! He was in there! I know he was! Why would he suddenly leave? And more importantly, how?" He rubbed his temples as he paced around the room, then turned to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Keiko, we have to go find Shuppet. Now."

I blinked, but quickly nodded. He was going crazy over his Shuppet... Why, I don't know. Maybe because he was worried Team Rocket stole it - or in denial that Shuppet might have gone with them without being stolen.

"Katsu, calm down! I'm sure Shuppet is around here somewhere... With Team Rocket..."

"What did you say?" He glared at me as I sweatdropped nervously.

"N-nothing. Hey! Let's go find Shuppet, I'm sure he's close by!" He seemed pleased with my answer, and we both walked out the Pokemon Center on the lookout for Shuppet.

-----

"Shuuuuuppeeeeet!"

"Oh, Shuppet! Where arrrrrre yoooou?"

"Shrand! Shewwww!"

Shuppet, come out, come out wherever you are...

"Yena! Poochy!"

The chorus of the five voices must've sounded rather odd, but we still searched and called his name, with no luck. As the sun began to set over the horizon, and the pale moon began to rise into the sky, I sighed and shook my head in defeat. "Katsu, as much as I hate to tell you this, I think Shuppet is gone for good or working with Team Rocket. What other explanations are there? Emily has been dropping clues through the whole fanfic." All of a sudden I get hit in the head with a large mallet by a shiny Rattata morph, who soon scurries away giggling. "Ow..."

"I don't care what you say, Keiko!" Katsu answered angrily, oblivious to the fact that I was just hit in the head with a hammer, "He does not work for Team Rocket! And we are going to find him!"

I sighed again, picking up Kin in my arms and placing Rune back on my head. "Well, could we at least go to sleep, then? We can continue our search in the morning. I'm exhausted."

He crossed his arms grumpily, but nodded as he recalled Poochyena to his Pokeball. "Alright, fine. Get out your sleeping bag." he replied, setting up his own and climbing in.

"Sleeping bag! Are you kidding? I thought we were going to sleep in the Center!" I protested, my hands on my hips. "There is no way I'm sleeping out here and waking up with a Caterpie or an Ekans on my face!"

He rolled over on his side and shut his eyes. "I want to be able to hear Shuppet if he comes back. You don't have to stay out here, but I am. Goodnight, Keiko." I sighed, giving up, and rolled out my sleeping bag and climbed in reluctantly. Who knew he could be so stubborn...

-----

"Shuppet?"

I opened my eyes groggily as I yawned, and through the blurryness I could barely make out the Shuppet floating in front of me. "Oh, Shuppet... you've come back! I can't wait to tell Katsu... he'll be so happy..." I muttered, still half-asleep. I smiled weakly as I pulled my blanket tighter around me, ready to nod off to sleep again.

"Shuppet."

"I know you're here, Shuppet... Go to... sleep." I yawned, shuddering from the cold wind. "We can talk in the morning, okay? Good... night."

"Shuppet..."

The last thing I heard was a haunting, creepy-sounding melody being sung into the night air. I groaned weakly as I began to feel dizzy, listening to the hypnotic song over and over with nothing I could do. My body was getting weaker by the second as the song grew louder, drowning out everything else as my vision went completely black. It slowly faded out as I groaned, clutching my head and whimpering.

And that's when I fainted.

-----

"Welcome to my shop, little girl." An old woman bowed to me, a vacant expression on her face, and glasses covered her emotionless eyes. "I trust you will find anything and everything you need here."

I smiled to her confusedly. "Thank you, but I'm not sure how I got here... Do you think you could give me directions to Vermillion City?" She nodded and went to her desk, shuffling around with papers. I looked around the shop nervously; it was old and mostly broken-down, and some flowers were for sale here and there. There were a few pieces of pottery on the shelves, cracking away and colours fading. I felt a light tapping on my shoulder and I turned around, to come face-to-face with the pale faced woman.

"Just go north a bit, deary, and take a left at the sign. You'll get there quickly." she nodded, and I smiled. Just before I could add in a "Thank you!", she rushed over to a back room and came out - with seven violet flowers. "Take these with you. Forget-me-nots bring good luck in love life." A faint smile appeared on her face as I blushed, said thank you, and rushed out the door, stuffing the flowers in my backpack as I went the directions she gave me.

"Gosh, that lady was creepy... I'll bet she's one of those wackos who tries to put curses on people... and lives with w bunch of Haunters and Gengars..." I snickered to myself as I continued my brisk walk back to Vermillion. A fine night for a walk, it was - a cool breeze gently blew throughout the land, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Maybe I should sleep outside more often... I thought to myself, smiling, when I suddenly heard a frightened squeal - "Caterpie!"

I looked down and saw a Caterpie struggling to get it's... uh, "tail" out from under my foot. I lifted my shoe up and patted his head. "Sorry, little buddy, didn't see you there. You want a berry, maybe?" I cooed, and it skittered away, and I shrugged and walked on.

"Freeee."

An angry voice chirped at me, and looking up I saw a very cross Butterfree floating in front of me. "Uh... sorry about your kid, Mrs. Butterfree...? I didn't mean to - ACK!" I began to cough as I felt a powder substance fall over me. Pain shot through my body as I tried to move my arm, and I began to feel drowsy. It was like a cross between Posionpowder and sleepingpowder. I soon began to nod off to sleep... again... I moaned. This was happening way to often.

-----

"Wake up sleepy head! Are you okay?"

"Shrew!"

Wake up, Keiko! Are you alright? Are you hurt?

I groaned as my eyes flickered open, and as my focus was back into place I could see Katsu, Shuppet, Kin, Rune, and Poochyena looking down at me, worried - well, except for Shuppet. He never showed much emotion. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, and discovered that the pain was gone! It must have been a dream... Just a dream.

"I'm fine. Why are you so worried?" I replied, my eyes half-closed.

Katsu's expression brightened, as Rune and Kin tackled me in delight. I laughed and stroked both of their heads while Katsu began to explain what happened.

"Well, I woke up, and Shuppet was back, but you were out cold. I shook you, screamed in your face, and Poochyena even bit you a few times. I put a stop to that, though." We both sweatdropped as he continued. "I even splashed water on you." I glared at him as I discovered my clothes were soaked for the first time. He grinned nervously. "Hey, I was just worried. Don't be so upset about it."

"Well, thanks. I just had this weird dream, that's all. It's nothing worth telling." I shrugged, smiling back at him. He returned my smile with one of his own and he clapped his hands with delight. "Hey, I've got an idea! Let's go try and beat Lt. Surge again! Sound good, Poochyena, Shuppet?" He asked, grinning broadly.

"Yooch!"

"Shuppet!"

"All right! Come on, Keiko! Last one there's a Magikarp!" he called playfully.

Not about to be called such a pathetic excuse for a Pokemon, I laughed and grabbed my backpack and readied myself to take off after him, when I looked down and saw something by my sleeping bag.

Neatly arranged in a bouquet were seven violet Forget-me-nots.