"Ivan," a voice called.
The door to a tiny room creaked open, and the hallway of a house was lit with the soft glow of a candle. The boy who held it glanced out into the darkness, hesitant to step any further than the doorway. He began to shrink back into the room.
"Ivan!" the voice called once again in an annoyed tone.
With a sigh, Ivan reluctantly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind himself, walking down the hallway with the candle in his hands. He peeked around the corner that opened into the living room, seeing nothing but a sheet of black. Ivan walked up to to the living room table and set the candle down upon it. He clasped his hands together and lowered his head, hesitantly calling out.
"M-Marie…?" Ivan hoped it was her.
He heard nothing but the sound of a door closing from the opposite side of the house. Snapping to attention, he straightened and grabbed the candle, glancing around for any sign of his sister. A hand grasped the boy's shoulder, causing him to spin around with a violent flinch and bump the table behind him. His younger sister stood there with a grin on her face. Marie waved to him, holding a flashlight in her hand. She turned it on and waved it around, giggling.
"Why do you look so afraid?" She grinned.
Ivan squinted, but his expression could only barely be seen through the hair that always covered his face. The only indication of his frustration were his teeth, tightly gritted. Marie closed her eyes and smiled. This only served to anger Ivan further.
"I hate you." Ivan turned away and folded his arms.
"I love you too, Ivan." Marie shook her head. "Anyway, I'm happy you stayed up. Tonight's a full moon, you know."
Ivan nodded. "The full moon is the only time when we're able to see the Ralts and Happiny come out…"
"Exactly!" Marie bounced, hardly able to contain her excitement. "Come on, it'll be amazing! We should go right now."
Ivan raised a hand to speak, but Marie was already out the door before he could get a word out, rushing into the moonlight. Ivan's face twisted up in desperation, and he lowered his gaze to the floor. Their parents weren't awake at all. What would they say if their children were caught outside so late at night? The glow of the candle cast Ivan's shadow on the wall, and its mere presence chilled the atmosphere. Ivan, immediately aware of this, raised his head to face it. His shadow contorted into a ghoulish silhouette, and a Gastly emerged from it. Ivan's heart relaxed, and he gave a smile to the pokemon. It returned his smile, floating over to him and circling around his head.
"Hello, Yule." Ivan gave a quiet laugh.
Yule was a holiday gift for Ivan. Because his mother was a trainer, she decided he needed exposure to the outside world in some shape or form. Yule was a sort of therapy pet for Ivan, cheering him up and encouraging every step in his life. The two were as close as brothers could be.
Yule shot for the front door, hanging around in front of it with an expectant expression. Ivan attempted to stay adamant, but the cheerful smile he was given melted his disposition and encouraged him to join his sister. Seeing the boy timidly walk for the front door sent a thrill through the gas pokemon, inciting more silent, cheerful motions. It seemed to dance as it sank back into the boy's shadow, following him.
The moonlight that cast on the White Forest gave a sense of impossible beauty. The flora seemed to flourish in its light, illuminated by the glow. Indeed, the Ralts and Happiny that Marie mentioned were out and about, cheerfully conversing among one another. Few others were outside- this was considered a special time for the small pokemon to roam without fear. It was only appropriate that Ivan did not wish to leave his front door and disturb them. He sat on the steps of the small home's front entrance, staring into the forest. A warmth passed through him as he heard Marie's laughter echo into the night. The pokemon seemed to enjoy her presence, flocking to her and sharing the cheer that she did. Perhaps it was the full moon's glow, perhaps it was her bright smile- they could feel her happiness.
"Isn't this awesome, Ivan!?" She giggled.
Her joy assuaged the last of Ivan's worries, leaving him to lay in the moon's glow with his eyes closed. Marie continued to play with the pokemon, but soon became confused as she watched her newfound friends flee from her. Crestfallen, she turned to her brother.
"I guess we have to head insi—IVAN!"
Ivan was jolted out of his serenity by Marie's cries. She pointed just above their home. Before Ivan could leave the doorsteps to see, the moonlight began to disappear. It was as though somebody took a thick blanket and slowly dragged it across the moon—darkness began to envelope the White Forest. Yule emerged from the darkness of Ivan's home and marveled at the spectacle before him, but his joy soon dissipated as he realized the danger. The Gastly circled around Ivan, urging him indoors.
"Get inside!" Ivan held a hand out to her.
Marie ran towards the home, just barely able to see Ivan's hand reaching out to grab her. A force slammed the door shut, causing Ivan to reel back in shock. He tried in desperation to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. He ran over to the window and saw it fog up. A lifeless, low droning noise emanated from beyond it, and Ivan could swear he could see crystals through the fogged up glass.
'GOOONNNN…'
"Yule, can you get the door open?" Ivan turned to the Gastly.
Yule shook his head and gave a frown. A light from the back of the house turned on, and Ivan's parents came out of their bedroom. His mother picked up the still burning candle on the living room table.
"Ivan, what's that noise?" his father, Leon, asked.
The ground rumbled, knocking Ivan to the floor. Paintings on the walls fell, smashing once they landed. He could hear the cries and snarls of pokemon that created a stampede through the White Forest. Then, all went silent, and Ivan slowly pulled himself to his feet. His mother, Judy, ran towards the door and turned the knob, easily opening it. The forest outside had been ravaged. Leon stood beside Judy, resting a hand on her shoulder, to carefully examine the area. The grass had been ripped up, leaving rich, disturbed earth in its place. Footprints of many different sizes ran through the dirt, leading into the wilderness. Trees were toppled, and a thick layer of ice had ruined part of a house just nearby. Yule floated up alongside Ivan, frowning at the chaotic picture before them.
Judy took one glance at the scene. The moment she realized Marie wasn't around, she ran back indoors, panic-stricken. Where was her daughter?
"Marie!" she called, "Are you-?"
A scream came from within the house, and Leon winced. Marie was gone. Ivan heard shuffling feet running to his parent's room, the sound of drawers being forcefully pulled open, and a bag being tossed about. In a few minutes, his mother came bolting out of the house, pokeballs strapped to her belt. Leon stumbled off to the side, trying to avoid being trampled by his wife. Ivan watched as his mother tossed a pokeball into the air.
"Staaaraptor!"
In one fluid motion, Judy hopped onto the pokemon and shot off towards the sky, leaving Ivan and Leon behind. Ivan faced the fallen, snapped trees, and an empty feeling began taking root in his heart. His sister had undoubtedly been taken by whatever entity that had come through the White Forest. And now, Judy had run off to find her, leaving half of Ivan's family separated from each other. Ivan's stunned expression slowly became sullen. He slunk indoors and rubbed at his eyes, feeling tears well up in them. Yule floated alongside him, watching the boy sit on the living room sofa.
"Ghaastly…"
Leon closed the door and turned to Ivan, studying the boy's saddened expression. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke.
"Ivan, I think it's time you learned about the world around you." He opened his eyes, his expression soft and comforting. "I know you're confused, frightened, and worried over your sister, so I think becoming a trainer and following after your mother should be a plan."
"Wait, w-what?" Ivan raised his head, his eyes wide in shock. "But, I don't even want to be a trainer. I'm nowhere near the level of skill I need, and I like my life at home."
"It's not about skill, Ivan," Leon said, sitting next to his son, "You've spent your entire life living in fear. It's normal to be afraid of what you don't understand, but you've never tried to understand,"
Ivan faced Yule, the pokemon staring back. The only time Ivan had stopped being afraid was when he met Yule. This pokemon was a testament of his potential, and he only barely realized this.
"You're fifteen now, Ivan. It's time to stop being afraid." Leon smiled. "I know you can do it."
Ivan thought these words over some more. He didn't want to be a trainer, but he felt his father had a point. Eventually, Ivan decided it was best if he did something to know about Unova—even if it wouldn't be much. Just to be sure, he glanced towards Yule, who stuck his tongue out and circled the boy. Ivan's unsure and sad expression slowly faded, and he broke out into a smile, laughing quietly. Yule would do anything to see him happy. Hearing Ivan's laugh made Yule himself laugh.
"Thank you, Yule…" Ivan's eyes lowered to the floor. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this."
He stood and took the candle from the table. The light in the living room turned on right as Ivan had left it—Leon had found the light switch. Leon turned to Yule, sitting on the couch.
"Take care of him, okay?" Leon stood, leaning towards the ghost type.
"Gha-ha-hastly!" Yule snickered, nodding.
When morning had come the next day, Ivan had awakened early. He walked over to his closet, taking out a backpack he had used for school and looked over its contents. He heard the door to his lock shake, and a force swung it open. Yule accompanied Leon, laughing wildly.
"Did you really need to do that…?" Leon asked, evoking a laugh from Yule.
Ivan smiled once he saw Yule's face. A mischievous Yule was a happy Yule, after all. His use of his psychic energy proved he was too excited for words. Leon was less than pleased with the pokemon's antics. Yule might just be acting in good fun, but he could go overboard at the worst moments.
'Maybe… Maybe leaving was actually a good idea.' Ivan thought. 'If Yule's happy, I can be happy too.'
"Here, fill out your ID in this Pokedex. It's one of your mother's spares," Leon handed him the device, "I see the look on your face—don't worry about it. I'll find some way to make up for the loss."
And when noon had rolled around, Ivan stood on the doorstep of his home, giving his father one last hug. With a bag full of pokeballs and Yule floating by his side, Ivan felt he was ready to take his first steps into Unova by himself. He glanced down to the Pokedex. It was card-shaped with a diagonal line separating one purple side from one white side. He'd be able to flip it open and see everything he needed—aside from money, of course. Still, the looming ghost pokemon gave him hope for the future. He glanced up to his father.
"Thank you, Dad."
And soon, he was running off with Yule by his side, waving back at his father. "I'll bring home Marie! And then we can all be a family again!"
Soon, Ivan's figure faded out as he went further into the White Forest.
"... So it's just me, huh?" Leon's reassuring smile lowered into a frown. "Well, he had to leave sometime. It's what Judy would have wanted."
"They're both capable. I'll see them again soon."