Pokemon Best Wishes:

Meloetta

The Withering Melody

Chapter Nine

How long had they been running for now? Iris had started out walking, wandering around for the Festival center. It shouldn't have been this hard. All she had to do was look up to the sky for some reflective green lights, or so she thought.

It had all started when that melody, that horrific melody played again, drifting them back into that hidden world. Only this time, Iris was more interested in getting back to the others, for they were in a very fearful situation. It was more of a situation of terror rather than curiosity. I just want to get back! Iris pondered to herself as she was now running with her Axew in her arms, looking around every corner, hoping it could lead her back to the others, but things are much harder to see at night. Then, she heard keys…locking a door. There, he came out.

Morthiel had just finished with whatever business he needed to take care of, the antique jar carrying the melody was upstairs in his apartment, and then he saw her. He saw this long, purple raven-haired young girl with cinnamon skin and caramel colored eyes. She wore a dashiki-looking outfit, and matching shoes. In her arms was a small, baby dragon-type pokemon with big fangs, an Axew. Not too common, even in the Unova Region.

And there, she had seen him. A tall, about 6"1 young man, with cold looking orange-colored eyes, and a giant red 'M' in his long jet-black hair that looked like the half-folded wings of a Salamence. He had a brown shirt with orange circles just beneath the collar and light brown sleeves, and also long black pants. Something about him just screamed untrustworthy. Iris had not known this before, since she only had a split second to see his face when she had bumped into him earlier, just now remembering that very encounter. He had grown suspicious. Had she seen him? What he was doing? Would she catch on? Such paranoid thoughts Morthiel had, but he always had a calm, subtle way of delivering his paranoia away.

"Are you lost?" He began, a grin crawling across his face to meet his cheeks halfway. This caused Iris's blood to run cold. "Ah..y-yes. I can't find the center of the Festivities," she replied. "Oh, that's no trouble at all. I can help you find your way back. It's not safe to wander these streets at night," Morthiel informed her as he walked up next to her, placing an arm on her back as if she were a lost 5 year old.

As Morthiel began to walk her back, Axew couldn't help but feel uncomfortable around the stranger, constantly glaring at him. Morthiel looked it halfheartedly from the corner of his eye, but even an over threatening glare was enough to keep Axew's eyes to itself, frightened. "Huh? What's wrong Axew?" Iris asked curiously, looking down at the baby pokemon, not catching what had happened. "He must be frightened of the dark. We'd best hurry to get you back to the lantern-filled center," Morthiel informed. "Alright!" Iris nodded. "But what I don't understand is, how and why did you wander all the way out here? Didn't you want to stay near your friends?" "Oh…I heard something strang-" Axew bit Iris' hand before she could finish her sentence, but still Morthiel was immediately intrigued and wary. "Ow! Axew, why did you do that!" Iris exploded on her overcautious pokemon. It didn't feel that Iris should trust this guy with such information. But he already knew…or at least had a clue now, thanks to Iris.

"Something strange…you say?" he began quietly, crescendoing over time. "Eh? Have you heard it too?" Iris asked curiously as she looked up at the tall stranger. "You could say that…." He murmured lowly, but it was still comprehensible and loud enough for her to hear. "Really?" she responded, not feeling so alone in this situation.

This girl….she could know more about this Meloetta case than I can perceive. I must handle things quickly by wiping out any obstacle… A devious Morthiel thought to himself. "Umm…mister?" Iris began. "Oh, sorry," Morthiel responded as he snapped out of his pondering. "Which reminds me….we're going to need a lantern ourselves to find our way back to the center. It's getting dark fast. Do you mind?" Morthiel began as he turned to face a new direction. "No, not at all! I can't get any more lost right now. My friends must be worried," Iris spoke mostly to Morthiel, some to herself. "Good. The lanterns are this way," he instructed before leading them down the alleyway.

"IRIS! IRIS!" Ash began shouting. "IRIS!" Cilan shouted as well. Miriam and her friends helped with the search as well by using her Chandelure. The Relic Song was about to be played, and when it started, something amazing happened. The lanterns began to light the way down all paths connecting to the center.

"The paths are lit!" Cilan began. "This happens every year after the lanterns are placed. It's supposed to fill the City with a mystical aura, but it also makes it easier to navigate at night," Miriam began. "We should split up to make the search go faster," Cilan instructed. "Okay, me and the girls will go search over here!" "Let's go!" Ash shouted, Cilan and the rest following suit with their tasks.

"…xew!...Ax!"

They heard a distant cry down the lighting up path. "Was...that?" Cilan began as they had stopped temporarily, and proceeded running.

"Axew!"

"It's Axew!" Ash spoke as it ran towards them with tears in its' eyes. Ash knelt down to it. "Where is Iris?" Ash spoke with a bit of fear in his voice. "Axew ax!" it cried out as it ran ahead to lead the way, a worried Ash and Cilan following behind.

From a few blocks away, Morthiel heard footsteps, and some yelling. "Shoot…" he began. His shiny Umbreon's eyes had just stopped glowing from a move it did. "Let's go," Morthiel told his Umbreon as it looked up at him, and the two ran into the lit night.

"Over here!" Ash's voice came as the two boys followed the teary Axew. There they found…

nothing…

Or so it seemed. The now more worried than ever Axew began to look around frantically as if it were having a panic attack. Ash noticed this. "Axew, calm down!" he worried as he held it, Axew biting down hard on his hand. "Ouchh!" Ash retaliated in words as he retrieved his hand back, trying to shake off the pain. "Look Axew, we know that you're worried, but biting Ash won't solve anything," Cilan lectured very calmly, and with a sympathetic face. "Axew ax…." the baby dragon murmured sadly, looking down. "Ax?" it began again as it looked up at Cilan's now, pale expression. "Cilan…what is it?" Ash asked as he rose to his feet. "Ov-over..there…" Cilan spoke as he pointed down an alleyway, seeing an unforgettable sight.

Iris was sitting in the corner down the alleyway, her eyes, now dilated and glowing red and her body set aglow as well, but not by the green-lit ground. Her body had a red, physical aura emanating from her entire being. It had black surging through it as well, but was mostly a blood red.

Ash and Cilan were staring, in complete and utter shock, but this was temporarily. "She's been confuse rayed! We need to snap her out of this!" Cilan shouted at the top of his lungs in fear. "PIKACHU! Use thunderbolt!" Ash shouted in a mixture of fear and rage as Pikachu obeyed. "PikaCCHUUUUU!" it shouted as it electrocuted the tranced Iris.

"Aaah!" she shouted in turn as she fell to her knees, and placed her hands on the ground in a bowing position to support her weight from causing her to collapse. "Wh-what….happened?" Iris spoke, lost at what was happening. She then took a look at her clothes, to see some scorch marks. "Was I…electrocuted?" she asked as she looked up at a now relieved Ash and Cilan. "Pikapi!" the Pikachu cried out loud as in happily dove into Iris's arms, Iris hugging it in return. "Pikachu? What's wrong?" Iris spoke confused, as she held it.

"So you have no idea what happened?" Cilan spoke, all three of them in the Hotel that Officer Jenny recommended for them about 45 minutes later, as he handed her a glass of water. "No, nothing at all," Iris replied, taking a silent sip from the glass. "It was just…some guy I saw….and this melody," "A melody?" Ash asked. "Could it be that…you heard Meloetta?" Cilan exclaimed.

"I think so…" Iris nodded while staring down. "I just wasn't sure because…it sounded so melancholy," "Wait…what Officer Jenny said…she said that lately, the Meloetta sounded a bit gloomy, off-key and confused, didn't she?" Cilan rephrased. "Oh yeah…" Ash remembered.

"So….you're telling me that I did hear Meloetta?" "Probably…but we won't know for sure. We'll have to consult someone with knowledge in this section," Cilan explained with a hand to his chin, deep in thought.

Who could have experience in such a situation such as this?