"So it was the fortune teller!" Cilan gasped. "We have to stop her!"

"But how?" Mrs. Ketchum asked. "When Tracey got too close to the truth, she put him in the hospital."

"Tracey?" Cilan questioned.

"He's Professor Oak's assistant. He's the one who spotted the fortune teller and asked the questions." Mrs. Ketchum explained. "The next day, he was having trouble breathing and wouldn't wake up. He had to be rushed to the emergency room."

"Just like Ash…" Cilan said. "It was definitely the fortune teller! But it was a couple weeks after Ash saw the fortune teller that he was put in the hospital. Why so soon for Tracey?"

"My guess is that she sped up the process so that Tracey wouldn't interfere with her plan." Mrs. Ketchum responded. "I can't think of any other explanation."

"Tell the police. Maybe they'll believe you. If they don't, gather whatever help you can get and try and stop her yourself." Cilan said. "Now that we know the cause, we'll probably have a little more success in finding a cure. That's what Iris and I will work on."

"Thank you. We'll do everything we can to stop her." Mrs. Ketchum replied. "Good luck."

"Good luck to you too. Bye." Cilan hung up the phone and turned to Iris. "The fortune teller must've used some sort of spell to cause the illness. That's what we have to work on curing."

"We need to talk to someone who's good at alchemy." Iris said. "Maybe they can help. There's someone in my village that knows alchemy. We should go there."

Cilan agreed and they set off.

Meanwhile…

"You think a fortune teller caused the illness in Unova? That's impossible!" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

Mrs. Ketchum explained her reasoning.

Officer Jenny shook her head. "I'm sorry. It's just not possible."

"Shouldn't you look into every theory?" Mrs. Ketchum asked.

"We look into every likely theory. A fortune teller? That's unlikely." Officer Jenny replied.

Mrs. Ketchum sighed and left.

She went to the phone in her house and called Misty and Brock. Both promised to be there soon.

Mrs. Ketchum sat down on the couch in the living room, thinking about Ash and Tracey. What if Ash's friends couldn't cure them in time?

She was still worrying about them when Misty and Brock arrived hours later.

"So what was it you wanted us here for, Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty asked. "You sounded desperate."

Mrs. Ketchum hesitated. "Have you heard about the illness in Unova?"

"Yes, but that's really far away. What's that have to do with us?" Brock asked.

"Ash is in Unova. He has the illness." Mrs. Ketchum said softly.

"What?" Misty and Brock shouted in unison.

"His new friends are out there looking for the cure." Mrs. Ketchum continued. "They found the cause. A fortune teller has been placing a spell on young trainers. We don't know why, but we have to stop her."

"But no one can go in or out of Unova." Misty pointed out.

"I know. That's the problem. The fortune teller came here shortly before Unova was placed under quarantine. They can't come here to stop her so they enlisted my help, along with Tracey's." Mrs. Ketchum said. "Tracey questioned her, trying to find out if she really was the one who did it. She put him under the spell to stop him from meddling with her plan. That proved she did it. I can't stop her on my own and the police don't believe me, so I called you. Please help."

"Is that even a question? Of course we'll help! We can't let her succeed with whatever her plan is!" Misty replied with hands on hips.

"I have to agree with Misty. We've got to stop that fortune teller." Brock agreed.

"Great! Let's get started then." Mrs. Ketchum said. "There must be a way to prove she's the one who did it without being placed under the spell."

"Um… shouldn't we visit Tracey first?" Brock asked.

Misty shook her head. "No time. We'll visit him later."

The three walked out of the house and walked to where the Fortune Teller's booth was. There was still a long line to get in.

Brock thought for a moment, and then smiled. "I've got a plan."