... Pretty often, yeah.

No one... really knows how. Or why.

Well, a lot of people have wanted to figure it out... but as far as I can see, no one's really uncovered anything.

... For the longest, I thought the people who disappeared were DYING.

But then they started showing up again... sometimes even remembering when they were here the first time. So...

Because when people die, sometimes there aren't bodies to find.

Some people are really, really good at making other people disappear.

_{[The cult had been particularly adept in making folks they didn't like discretely and conveniently vanish.]}

... But even if it wasn't on purpose... there's a lotta wilderness out there. If someone died out there by accident... nobody'd ever find 'em, probably.

Anyway. That's what I thought at first. Turns out I was wrong... at least for SOME of 'em. _{[Some people never did come back, after all... maybe they'd gone home or maybe they were rotting in a ditch somewhere. YOU NEVER KNOW. ALSO HEATHER IS KIND OF PESSIMISTIC SOMETIMES.]}

<sub>[Well, at least he's probably better equipped to deal with the wilderness than some people, what with being from a military-type dealy...]

[Heather shakes her head with a shrug.]</sub>

Rumors, hearsay... nobody ever seems to have quite the same story.

But some of the people who come back say they went home, others just show up in New Bark like three months later and don't even seem to realize that they were missing to begin with, some don't remember a thing about coming here before at all...

No idea what's the truth and what isn't... except that some people do go home.

_{[... There's a bit of a pause on Heather's end. One of reluctance. That's... exactly how she felt, when she first got here. ... But give a battered and world-weary survival-horror kid a second chance at friendship, family, and life unhindered by the never-ending worry that her old roots might still be creeping up on her around the corner, and soon figuring out the mechanics of going home doesn't seem particularly appealing.]}

... Do you think that because you want to stop it from happening, or because you think everyone should get sent home?

<sub>[... She guesses she can live with that.]

[She'd sort of figured that people wanted an all-or-nothing deal... but ...]</sub>

... I understand.

Not everybody's in a position where they can avoid what's waiting for them back there.

_{[As she speaks, it's ... somewhat obvious that she doesn't LIKE that fact... no, she doesn't like it at all, actually... but she can't deny it.]}

Some people have to go home.

... But I guess I kinda hope that not everybody has to.

<sub>[It's Heather's turn to look surprised.]

[That's... actually the very first time anyone has ever addressed both options like that... most people Heather's discussed this with have either been all about everyone getting to go home... or, like her, somewhat reluctantly admitting that they didn't WANT to leave.]

[No one's ever actually said that finding out what this was all about could involve helping some people to stay before.]</sub>

... Awhile ago, people were convinced that the local criminal gang were the ones behind us being brought here.

They might be a good place to start.

A group called Team Rocket.

... They took over the Radio Tower in Goldenrod awhile back... but everything seemed normal afterwards so the police blew it off some kinda power failure and a bunch of employees making wild claims.

Nothing's really come out about it since, but...

_{[She grins a sort of apologetic grin at that. Her answer's the same as before.]}

Quite awhile... unless you have someone to meet you halfway and get you through the shortcut.

I'd offer, but I'm kind of... really far away.

Still in Olivine City. Beach town up north.

Yeah. I like the beach.

Well, I've never been made of metal.

I'm probably a little less biased.