It's a bit hazy

The fog filling the air makes it a bit difficult to decipher your surroundings. Fortunately, there are signs directing you to the Pokemon Center, so you should be able to make it there without much trouble. Finally, somewhere with enough sense to post signs pointing out important places.

…Except something isn’t right. No matter where you turn, you seem to encounter the same buildings and scenery over and over, and the thickening fog isn’t helping things. The signs seem to direct you in odd zigzag patterns, only for you to end up looking at the same sign again. And the streets are so empty. Not a soul in sight. You keep walking, trying to make sense of the signs and where they’re leading you, when you finally encounter a strange man.

He stands in the middle of an intersection as if the thought of getting hit by a car hasn’t even occurred to him. Probably in his early 30’s, he wears a very nice black suit and black tie, but that’s where the niceness ends. It’s a funeral suit, stretching down to his knees and making him look awfully morose. While your own skin could be described as “sun-deprived”, this man is a sickly pale, his skin tone approaching gray. His shadowy black hair is in some kind of planned disarray, combed backwards while unkempt cowlicks give it far more volume than it really needs.

Welp, no sense in asking this super-scary guy for help! It’s unfortunate that he’s the first person you met in Fuchsia City, but you’ll just have to pass on talking to him, and keep trying to find your way-

“Rather lost, are we?” he muses as you walk by on the sidewalk. Hands in his pockets, he doesn’t even bother to face you as he addresses you. He may be correct that you’re lost, but you don’t like the way he said it like it was obvious, OR any of his business.

“No, I’m not! I know where I’m going!” you huff indignantly.

“So you say… But I’ve never seen anyone more lost in all my days. And I’m something of an expert on lost people, you see,” he explains, sounding bored all the while.

“You haven’t even seen me at all! You’re talking to me without looking at me! Rude!” you snap back, having settled on disliking the man in about ten seconds flat. Apparently he takes your words to heart as he turns around.

He wears a frown naturally, as though it’s his default state. The eyes he looks at you through are dreary and tired, as though he’s missed a few days of sleep. Or a few years. “So right you are,” he announces, “and now I have looked at you. And you still look lost.”

“Grr… How about we settle this with a pokemon battle, huh!?” you challenge.

“Ahh, pokemon battles?” he asks. “Is that what the kids are playing these days? Tragically, I have no time to play around with children.” He yawns exaggeratedly. “You see, I’m a very busy man with many responsibilities to attend to.” Says the guy standing in the middle of the road for no reason…

In the blink of an eye, he’s suddenly standing directly in front of you. “And it’s precisely because I am so busy that I’m going to give you this.” He reaches a finger out to your forehead, your body refusing to budge as he does so. “A gift. For the girl who’s lost.”

Status Lost: Haunted

Status Gained: ???

Your vision fills with white light, and for a moment, you feel like you’re floating. It mostly clears within a few seconds, but a strange white haze lingers on the edge of your vision. And the bizarre man is nowhere to be found. You feel like he’s still here though. Or at least, someone’s still here. But more importantly, when you look around, you suddenly recognize your surroundings. You’re in Lavender Town, not Fuchsia City! That explains a lot…

For some reason, you feel that you know the way out of here by heart, so you set off toward your real destination. Except… your feet are moving in the opposite direction. Uh, what’s going on?