HopHopHop Town was a strange, disjointed place, a tourist trap that had forgotten its purpose. It was named after a species of kangaroo-like Pokémon that had long since gone extinct. Now, it was just a collection of brightly colored buildings, overpriced souvenir shops, and a sprawling marketplace that sold everything from rare berries to knock-off evolution stones. And strangely enough, a wall full of missing children posters.
Eliana walked through the main square, her hands shoved in her pockets. She felt like an alien in a world of forced cheerfulness. Ralts, on her shoulder, had the same bored, disdainful look he usually had when faced with something annoying.
"This place is so... loud," she muttered.
Ralts pulled at her sleeve as they passed by, a store that sold colorful treats, Poffins.
Eliana rolled her eyes. "We're not here for Poffins."
( ◺˰◿ ), Ralts pouted greatly, how dare his trainer deny him a treat after all he does for her. Such a selfish trainer.
Eliana's resulting sigh was full of exasperation, "Fine you spoiled prince, we'll get some later."
(ง ˃ ³ ˂)ว, Ralts silently cheered as he would be getting his treat later on.
She was looking for something specific. The minds of the people in Fuchsia City had been a good source of information, a place where whispers of places that dealt in shady business could be found. While the major cities also had black markets, those were much more closely monitored. She wanted to sell the Pokémon that she had took from her previous victims, but being found out so early wouldn't be good. So the individual buyer groups in smaller towns would have to do for now.
She found her target in a dimly lit alley behind a stall that sold overpriced ice cream. A man with a greasy ponytail and a stained apron was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. After checking his mind, she found that he was the right kind of person. Desperate, greedy, and willing to overlook specifics.
Eliana walked up to him, her face a mask of sweet, naive curiosity. "Excuse me, sir?"
The man looked up, his eyes narrowed. He took a long drag from his cigarette. "What do you want, kid?"
"I was told you might know where I could sell some... special Pokémon," she said, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
The man's eyes flickered with interest. He looked her up and down, taking in her young face, her clean clothes, the innocent-looking Pokémon on her shoulder. He let out a short, humorless laugh. "You? You got special Pokémon? Beat it, kid, you're wasting my time."
Eliana didn't flinch. She simply smiled, and her eyes glowed with a faint, almost imperceptible blue light. "Are you sure about that?"
The man's smile vanished. He felt a sudden, sharp pressure in his head, a cold, intrusive presence that felt like a nail being driven into his skull.
Eliana pulled out her phone, opening up the digital storage. She pulled up the profile for the Golem, its stone body a formidable silhouette on the screen. "What about a fully Golem or a perfectly good Electabuzz? Would those be special enough for you?"
The man stared at the screen, his jaw slack. He was no expert, but even he could see that these weren't common Pokémon. He looked back at Eliana's face, at the unnervingly calm smile, and the cold dread in his gut intensified.
"Where... where did you get these?" he stammered.
"That's not important," Eliana said, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "What's important is that I have more just like them. And I want to sell them."
The man's mind was racing. This was a trap, it had to be a trap. There was no way a little girl got these Pokémon on her own with some rich backer. But the image on the screen... the potential profit... it was intoxicating. If this girl was telling the truth and he sent her to his dealer. He could make more from a single sale of one of those Pokémon than he could in a year of running this two-bit ice cream stand. He had to take the risk.
"Okay," he said, his voice hoarse. "Okay, I know a guy. He runs a place down by the docks, the Golden Magikarp. Tell him Mack sent you, he'll give you a fair price."
Eliana's smile widened. "Thank you, Mack. You've been very helpful."
She turned and walked away, leaving the man leaning against the wall, shaking and sweating profusely. He took another drag from his cigarette, but his hands were trembling so much he could barely hold it.
Eliana walked back to the main square, her mind already working on her next move. The Golden Magikarp, it sounded exactly like the kind of place she was looking for. She went to the Poffin stall, bought a small bag of the best ones they had, and tossed one to Ralts, who caught it with a triumphant little hop.
( ˘ ³˘), he projected, a wave of smug satisfaction washing over Eliana.
"Don't get used to it," she said, a small smile playing on her lips.
She spent the rest of the day exploring the town, mapping out its streets and alleyways, getting a feel for its rhythm.
…
Making her way to the room she had been set up in PokéCenter for the night, Eliana though about all she had learned today. The black market was just a stepping stone. She would use it, but she would not be a part of it for long. Not to mention the string of disappearances of children, that was odd. Didn't concern her though, so she'd leave it alone.
As Eliana was about to fall asleep her phone started to ring, startling her slightly. No one had this number except for… literally no one. Her heart started to beat a little bit faster in a mix of annoyance and curiosity. Who could possibly be calling her at this time of the night? She sat up, Ralts stirring on the pillow beside her and Staryu's core flashed a couple times from the edge of the bed.
She answered the call, her voice a perfect imitation of a sleepy, slightly confused teenage girl. "Hello?"
"Eliana! Thank goodness I reached you," Mew's familiar voice came through the speaker, laced with a genuine amusement that was almost worrying. "I don't usually use things like this but I figured it be better than sending you a dream."
"I'm sorry??" Eliana said, feigning a yawn. "Why are you contacting me?"
"Well, now that you're getting involved with Team Rocket I feel that I should warn yiu about something," Mew said skeptically.
"Warn me?" Eliana asked, sitting up straighter.
"Yes, you and that Ralts both have samples of my DNA in your bodies," Mew continued, "You've already figured out what their planning, so precede however you want."
"Oh ok, that's all?" Eliana asked, wanting clarification.
"That's all." Mew chirped out.
"You aren't going to scold me about killing so many people?" Eliana hesitantly asked.
"People and Pokémon die all the time. If I didn't cause it, why should I worry?" Mew pointed out.
Eliana couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. "You're a fun one, Mew."
Mew chuckled on the other end. "I know I am! But this was more of a warning than a scolding. Be careful though, you're not the only one interested in this."
Before Eliana could press for more details, the line went dead. She stared at her phone, the screen dark. The call had been less than two minutes long, but it had shifted everything.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), Ralts sent back, a swirl of colors and excitement. While Staryu sleepily blinked at her.
She lay back down, but sleep was a long way off. The game had just gotten a lot more interesting. There was a new player on the board, and she had no idea who they were, or what they wanted.