The soft wind threaded its chilly fingers through the auburn curls atop Monica's head and weaved them through one another in a complicated series of waltzing steps. The spring breeze brought with it also the scent of the blooming aster buds that hung suspended in a tin boxes on either side Monica's bedroom windows. The Houndoom that perched itself cozily on the mass of blue comforter on the edge of the bed gave a soft snore and kicked his dark paws about in an effort to combat whatever enemy had invaded his dreams.
Upon noticing her Pokèmon's feverish movement, Monica gave an amused snort and tossed her book-laden bag on the area of bed just next to her Houndoom's head. The Pokèmon startled awake with a growl, dark eyes flitting around the room before settling on his sneering trainer.
"C'mon, boy, time to wake up. I let you stay home all day while I was out running errands." Monica grumbled, shuffling across the polished wooden floor to perch herself on the window seal, where her eyes caught onto an infuriating sight. Dante let out a low growl, dark eyes shutting as he stretched across the bed.
The sneer fell from Monica face as she raced towards her windows, where dirt was spread across the small ledge just outside. Golden eyes caught the small mess made in one of the planters by the window, and a groan escaped her. At least three of the asters were missing - stolen away by the Oddish belonging to one of her least favorite guests, no doubt.
"That damn Oddish keeps getting into my flowers, Dante." Monica hissed out, her infuriated gaze darting between the ruined flower pot and the untouched one, fingers fumbling in a failed dance to recreate the symmetry the two once shared. The sound of Dante jumping off the bed, his huge paws thumping on the hardwood floor and the creak of the wooden frame as a result of the change of weight placement, went unnoticed by the girl he was slowly stalking towards.
The Pokèmon did not stop moving towards the girl even when she turned to glare at him, eyes accusatory and lips down-turned, not an uncommon expression. "I thought you were supposed to be a guard Pokèmon."
Dante did nothing but sit on his hindquarters in front of his owner, head lifted proudly and eyes almost defensive as if to be saying: 'Please, I'm a lazy brat and you know it, woman.'
Monica rolled her eyes, which then returned to the ruined flowerbed. "Oh well," She let out with a loaded sigh, and her eyes found the figure of her family's hotel gardener tending to the flower patch near the edge of Ilex Forest, "I suppose ugly flowers are the least of my problems."
Monica's soft snores reached quietly into the chasm of darkness that had invaded her room sometime during the night. Her night gowned-body seemed to have merged with the thick comforter she immersed herself in, a limb or two sticking out. The resting girl failed to take any notice to her snarling Houndoom across the room.
The inky fur raised across Dante's crouched body, his throat rumbling with a low snarl directed at the Pokèmon just past the large, glass pane of the window. The Misdreavus outside the window only giggled, a sweet sound that would have put Dante at ease if not for the malicious grin spread across the Ghost-type's face.
The smaller Pokèmon eased its body through the glass, avoiding the accurately aimed bites of the Houndoom below it as it floated towards the curly-haired girl asleep in the large bed. Noticing but not quite understanding the mysterious Pokèmon's course of action, Dante bounded immediately to his trainer's bed, jumping atop it and standing over her legs protectively.
The next snarl that squeezed its way past Dante's bared teeth woke Monica from her already lightening slumber. Monica let out a low groan in what seemed to be an attempt to mirror the noises her Pokèmon was making.
Without lifting the lids that forbade her from viewing the world past them, the woman spoke up in a harsh tone, words slurring as her lips refused to move properly, "Shut up, Dante."
Said Pokemon whimpered as its dark eyes darted from the figure of his trainer to the grinning Misdreavus. Of course he didn't want to disobey his trainer's command, but he also could not let his trainer come to any harm.
When the Misdreavus let out another giggle and swooped towards Monica's torso, Dante found his decision made for him. With a bark that was sure to wake any guests in any of the three floors below them, the hound leapt towards the Ghost-type with an open jaw that was ready to sink its fangs into its enemy's body.
Monica opened her eyes, startled by her faithful companion's outburst, just in time to watch the Misdreavus grab onto the twisted necklace around her own neck. The small Pokèmon immediately began to float away, towards the window, successfully avoiding the leaping Pokèmon.
Monica took in a sharp breath, slim fingers reaching up to fumble with her neckline and collarbone and finding no evidence of her beloved necklace. Momentarily stunned, she watched at the Misdreavus seeped through her closed window, Dante jumping up against the glass in an attempt to catch it.
With a whimper, he turned back to his owner with apologetic eyes as the Ghost-type continued to taunt them with its presence.
Fixing her slanted glare on the Screech Pokèmon, Monica hurried out of bed. Dante followed his owner dutifully around the room as Monica collected her dark purple robe - knowing full well that she was about to step into the chilled, Autumn night, dressed in nothing but a t-shirt and her panties.
She stomped toward her bedroom door and ripped it open, facing the confused guests who were slowly emerging from their rooms with a cool façade of indifference as she marched down the carpeted hallway.
After three flights of stairs and ignoring many guests - some confused and others flustered -, Monica and Dante finally reached the back entrance of the hotel, where the Misdreavus would have been floating above.
The Pokèmon was still there when the two reached it, but quickly floated towards the forest when it noticed the human and Houndoom duo snarling up at it. The pair were in immediate pursuit.
The Misdreavus weaved through the trees without problem, its position in the air keeping it from stumbling over the roots of trees and rocks that Monica and Dante did. The chase persisted for a few minutes more, all the while leading Monica and her Houndoom deeper into Ilex Forest.
Monica paused, barely able to control the pants that filled an depleted her lungs all-too quickly. Without realizing it, she had followed the Misdreavus into the clearing that housed Celebi's shrine. A feeling of dread settled in the teenager's stomach upon realization, knowing that the only possible offering she could give to the guardian was the necklace that Misdreavus still was in possession of, and failure to give anything at all would result in a very angry Celebi - at least, that was what her mother had insisted upon all her life.
Dante paused beside his trainer at the tree line, both of their gazes were set on the cackling Pokemon floating above the shrine.
There was a still moment in time. Monica kept her eyes on the necklace that floated in front of the Misdreavus, whose own eyes were locked on Dante. The Houndoom met the Ghost-types stare with a vicious set of bared teeth.
And then it kick started again when Monica noticed the necklace falling with great speed.
"No!"
The teen lurched forward, hand reaching out in a futile attempt to catch the precious object. Her feet stumbled over one another in a quick attempt to stop as she watched the necklace fall into another hand, one that was not her own.
Her eyes trailed from the outstretched hand, down a navy blue sleeve, following its shoulder (and very expensive-looking cravat) up to a very confused face.
The man sat with his bottom on the dirt floor in front of the shrine, looking up at Monica with an odd mixture of relief and anxious confusion written across his handsome features. His dark gray eyes locked with Monica's own gold, and he immediately stood with a slightly flustered expression overtaking his handome features, hand outstretched with Monica's necklace as an offering.
"I do believe this is belonging to you, miss." Monica fixed the man with a suspicious glare, noting his expensive looking tailcoat, dark pants and odd accent. Without enough breath to respond, the girl shuffled forward when she felt her Pokèmon's warm body press into her robe, and snatched the necklace form the man's smooth palm.
The nervous smile that settled on his face paired well with the crease of his navy blue brows. He wiped his hands nervously along the waist of his similarly colored coat.
"Miss, might you happen to know where we are at the current moment?"