Pokémon Mars

Chapter 31: Missing

The group met at Hexagon Coffee the next morning. Callerya pouted and stared glumly into her coffee. She didn't meet anyone she liked. Nyx nudged Thalassa.

'But you were having fun, weren't you?'

Thalassa blushed. 'I... it was nothing. I don't even know who she was. Well, I think I know... but I'm not sure.'

Callerya's head jerked up.

'Who, who, who? Who do you think it is? Come on! Tell us!'

Thalassa wouldn't tell. Mercury didn't mind telling them all about his experience, once Jin recounted how delicious all the different foods were, but Nyx said nothing.

'So, Callie,' Joshua said, 'You gonna try again tonight?'

'Nope. I've had enough. My feet hurt. And you know when people say the choice is limited up here? I think what they mean is "they all have those creepy smiles." I was gonna try Firmino again, but... his Zubatshit driving! Maybe I'll have a chat with Epsilon... help! What is it with feeling so lonely up here?! I don't think bonking someone will even help, but...'

'I hear Koray is single.'

'Um, do I look like I want an edifying speech during sex?!'

'Speaking of the creepy smiles,' Nyx said, 'Morbid as it is, I'm thinking of trying to talk to those Yamask at the cemetery.'

'Oh...'

Callerya sighed and rested her arms on the table and chin on top of them.

'That is morbid. I think I'll pass for now. I'm gonna try and work out where we should go next. You gonna help, Josh?'

'I'm gonna look at those opals.'

'Josh! There's nothing there! Give it up already. You're wasting your time.'

'I'm still gonna try.'

'OK... whatever... Jin? Lassa?'

Jin shrugged. 'Sure. I was gonna speak to Betty sooner or later.'

Eden still felt that his friends were too inexperienced to leave Ironville alone. He went with Nyx and Mercury to the cemetery. The others remained at the lab.

The cemetery was surprisingly busy. Its parking lot was full. There was a Team Aqua rover and one with the Pokémon Day Care's logo. Nyx was sure she recognised the 'stalker rover.' That seemed to be confirmed when they passed Firmino trying to tape plastic flowers to the stone above his mother's freshly-dug grave. They glanced around, but they couldn't see Courtney. Atop the hill, where the most Yamask appeared, Damson laid face-down on the ground in front of the memorial plaque he made for Seiza. Nyx blinked. Was he dead? She gently nudged him with her foot. He reached for the dial on his sleeve to change his communication channel and tell her to go away. He definitely wasn't dead.

'Nyx...'

Mercury stopped walking. 'Something isn't right...'

'What?'

'I can feel something...'

'Hahahaha!'

Mercury forgot to change his communication channel again. Damson heard them.

'Everything is right in our beloved Ironville! Don't you know? None of the people in this cemetery are actually dead! Hehehehe...'

When they glanced back, he was no longer face-down on the ground. He was nowhere in sight. Nyx and Eden began to feel uneasy, but they weren't sure if it was Damson-induced or the same sense of dread that Mercury felt.