Pookamon

Lost and Found (Brooke)

"Look at the pretty lights," Brooke clapped her hands. "Don’t you sometimes think it looks as if the stars have fallen from the sky, and you know, crushed the poor little village."

"This is more than a village," Cassandra pointed out. She had become somewhat used to Brooke’s bizarre mannerisms and wild mood swings. "It’s Celadon City, home of the biggest Casino in the whole area."

"What’s a Casino?" Brooke asked. "Is it like a place where you can dance around with bright colours and pretty young men made only of light?"

The Sandshrew-morph shrugged. "I have no idea what you’re talking about," she replied, "a Casino is a place where you throw all you money away in the hope of winning some."

"Oh," the Vaporeon-morph clapped her hands delightedly. "A wishing well!"

"Eee veee…" Buttons rolled her eyes.

"Um, weren’t we here to help your friend?" Cassandra prompted.

Nervous laughter was her reply and a look of sudden shock that crossed Brooke’s face. "Mr Green-eyes, he’s in trouble, we gotta help him." She paused, "but first we’ve got to find him. Have you got a James-finding thingummy jiggymy?"

"I’m afraid they don’t exist," Cassandra pointed out.

"Really?" Brooke replied. "Then what’s this?" She stooped over and picked up a bottle-top.

"Eeevee," Buttons replied solemnly.

"It could be! Just cos it looks like a bottle top. If you hold it up to the moon like this," she held it so that it covered the moon. "And then, you know, think real hard of Mr Green-eyes." She closed her eyes in intense concentration, whilst Cassandra watched with the curiosity. Suddenly one eye opened, turning a baleful glare onto the ground Pokemorph. "You’re not thinking of him!" Brooke scolded.

"I never met him!" Cassandra replied. "How can I think of someone I never met?"

Suddenly, Brooke turned and stared at something beyond the distance, beyond what they could possibly see. Casually she flung the bottle top aside so that it clattered into the dirt and she started to run down the hill. Buttons clung to her shoulder for dear life.

"Oh, here we go again," Cassandra thought to herself as she darted after them in pursuit.

*

Brooke stood before a building, which was shrouded in darkness, since it was about five in the morning. The streetlights illuminated the area, but this particular place was free of neon lights and advertising boards. She clapped her hands and stared at Cassandra, her blue eyes burning with an inner fire.

"Something badder then a alakazam with spoon ache has happened here," she said. "Something, you know, really really bad."

"Eevee eevee vee!" Buttons nagged.

"Oh, we couldn’t possibly," Brooke sounded rather disturbed at the prospect, "we’d wake them all up!"

"Oh, for goodness sake," Cassandra sighed. She reached out and pushed a button. "But you do the talking."

After a lengthy pause, a voice, tired and worn, came over the intercom. "Yeah, what the hades do you want, do you know what hour this is?"

"You want to know the time?" Brooke asked. "It’s like, probably nearly dawn I’d say."

"No, I want to know why you’re pushing my buzzer at this hour of the morning."

"I didn’t push your buzzer, but, I want to know if the darkness has, um, well, come to your house tonight."