Welcome to Gaia! ::

The sisters listened intently. The word “paradise” was especially on their minds. Sure, no world could be perfect, but particularly for Kasumi, whose most recent address might as well have been living hell on her body, this one felt right. Even the thought of Pokémon as neglected pets, one implied by the reason for Pikachu Valley's existence, was not going to register with her quite yet.

“Well, you see, I have to…” Monique trailed off, looking at Hālena and her new Pikachu friends. There was no way she could let them go quite yet. The Pichu was playing with her more evolved brethren, a cacophony of Pikachu and Pichu calls serving as both assault and symphony on the sisters’ ears. The caretaker, no doubt a little more used to the noise, was not nearly as fazed.

The sheriff started thinking about Hālena. She was actually a good metaphor for the Kaʻanaʻana family. Plucked out of a world in another time (Hisui), raised in a different era, meant for something more. It looked like her whole life she was ready to frolic with an entire pack of Pikachu. It looked—

“Oh!” Kaimana called out, pointing at the cluster. The playful Pikachu had come to a stop, gazing on at Hālena, who was cloaked in a radiant light.

“What’s…?” Kasumi trailed off. The Pikachu continued to stare intently at the illumination, while the women had to avert their human (or Zoroark) eyes for a moment. When they could look back, the lone Pichu in the pack had become a Pikachu. To confirm Monique’s suspicions, one of them immediately bounded out of the group and jumped by Monique’s side, just a little electricity coming out of its cheeks in excitement. “Pi-ka-CHUUUU!”

“…Pokémon evolution?” Kasumi mumbled. She did not want to seem like she knew nothing, but then again, she did not. She was awestruck once again at the surprises this universe apparently had in store for her—luckily, surprises not laced with poison.

Monique looked down at Hālena and smiled. Today is a good day. She looked around at her company and surroundings before casting her gaze to the Pikachu. A reeeeeal good day.

Monique took the comments in stride. Was he saying it because he meant it or was he just trying to brush them off?

"Thank you, then!" She looked at Hālena, her attention diverted by a sudden tug on her lower leg fur. He was right: she was bouncing and almost clinging to her Trainer. "Shall we get going?" The sisters nodded and started walking along the route again, a gentle hike that had Kasumi and Kaimana's heads on a swivel. There was plenty for them to see in addition to the wild Pokémon as two Trainers were battling, a Yungoos going at it with a Wingull.

The sisters followed the path, a descending grade that made a sharp left turn down and under an arch, into Paniola. The town was simple, clapboard and wood-sided houses laid out against a dirt road, all with large front and sleeping porches. The whole area seemed to cling to the agrarian history of upcountry Akala—though one building standing out from the others by being painted a bright hue of red. The people looked friendly, and was that a Miltank someone was walking with?

Monique suddenly realized she had no idea where in the world Auntie Wilokia lived. With no idea quite where to go, she led the sisters toward the red building, which turned out to be the Pokémon Center. As humble as a dimly lit, jam-packed rural Pokémon Center and Mart that doubled as a farmstand selling assorted jams and jellies and Moomoo Milk plus a small café was, if you'd spent your life in a world without normal Pokémon Centers or normalcy, it was a beacon. Something you'd only read about. Kasumi in particular seemed to just stare at the Pokémon Center counter, complete with Nurse Joy. A real Nurse Joy, not Butcher Grymme with her black-lip makeup and pale complexion. Kaimana, meanwhile, was marveling at the selection in the little Poké Mart.

"Excuse me?" Monique asked the barista at the coffee counter. "We're looking for Auntie Wilokia's house?"