The room was quiet. The shadow of an old oak tree danced above Serena's head, looking like it was going to snatch her. The hands of the clock ticked. On the walls the shadow of an old oak tree danced. The rain continued to fall, tapping on the fogged window. In the bed, Serena, wrapped in her blankets like a cocoon, twisted and turned in the bed. On a chair in front of the window, Serena had hung her clothes to dry.
"No...no...not the clown. No," she said, twisting and cuddling in her blankets.
The door creaked.
Two small shadows flew from the door to the foot of the bed; the slapping of footsteps following behind.
The shadow wearing a cloak took off its hood, revealing itself to be a little girl. "Good job, Chuckie. This time we're finally going to make our own spell. We'll be real Wicca," she said, gushing to her old and dirty plush doll.
The doll snickered, covering its mouth with its stubby hands. It's mouth was zipped shut like a coin purse.
"Now for the piece-de-resistance," she said, pulling a box of matches and a wicked-looking book out of her cloak. "The Book of Shadows."
Striking a match she held the flame over the skull-bound leather book, then flipped open the pages.
"Healing Potions, Harem Spells, Good luck charms, Immortality, ah here it is, Dreams" she said, stopping at a picture of a ghostly premonition. "Hold this for me, Chuckie." She handed the tome to the doll, and then moved around the bed lighting a candle at the five points of an imaginary star, until the flames were flickering around the bed like an ancient ritual.
Floating between the five points, Chuckie took a pinch of salt and sprinkled it across the floor until all the points were connected forming a star.
Chuckie reached into a sack and placed the contents in the center: a Cubone's skull and a spell tag.
"That's perfect, Chuckie," she said, admiring the handiwork. "Now for the spell." Moving her hands like she was pulling puppet strings, she began to chant..
Darkrai, phantom of the night
Banish the mists and shine your light
Quiet our host with your slumber spell
That we may pass through the dream realm
But do no harm, this we must
Her fears, her sorrow with us entrust
The pattern of salt on the floor gave off a purple light. A haze began to funnel through the cracks in the floorboards and under the doorframe, enveloping the room in a thick fog.
"Where are we?" her voice echoed. She turned to her Chuckie, who shrugged back. "It doesn't say in the book. Let's just keep walking I guess…."
They wandered through the void, searching for an exit for what felt like an eternity. Half a kilometer ahead she could hear a faint crackle like a dying fire. She ran towards it, pulling Chuckie behind her. The crackling became louder. As they got closer, the fog became thicker and she soon identified the sound as thunder and the pouring of rain. They were blinded by a flash of light, and then passed into darkness.
She rubbed her eyes, then looked around. They were standing under a tree, rain pouring all around them. She saw a trail up ahead and a sign. "Route 1? Why did she bring us here?" Chuckie tugged at her skirt and pointed to the other side of the trail. A massive oak tree. Beneath the tree was a horde of Pokemon, such as Stantler, Oddish and Furret. In the middle of all those pokemon they could make out a girl.
"Is that her?," said Phoebe, pulling Chuckie. But he pulled away, taking two steps back from a puddle in front of him.
"It's okay, Chuckie. See, if this is a dream, then none of this is real. Here, let me try."
She dipped her shoe in the puddle, watching the surface of the water shimmer and bead up around her sock. She pulled her shoe back out, and felt it. "See Chuckie," said Phoebe. "Perfectly dry." Chuckie turned to Phoebe, then reluctantly dipped a stubby foot into the puddle and pulled it out just as dry as before.
"Let's get closer." They crossed the trail and hid behind a bush thirty meters from the sleeping Pokemon. If they got to close, they worried she might see them.
"I'm bored," Phoebe pouted, "This dream isn't as scary as the other ones. Where are the monsters?" She turned away for a second, then Chuckie pulled at her arm and pointed at the tree. She rubbed her eyes and blinked not believing what she was seeing. The tree was still there, but now there were several black and yellow striped poles underneath, like a carousel around the trunk. "Maybe this is a distortion of her dream, like the last one. You think?" Chuckie shook his head, looking around nervously.
The poles began to lift out of the ground like an alien saucer taking off. Slowly the legs began to fold in like an umbrella around the girl and the Pokemon. And from the canopy of the tree Phoebe could see a slime oozing down the trunk like sap, but in bucket fulls.
"Chuckie…I don't think this is a distortion." Eight red orbs lit up on the tree like christmas lights. "I think we found the monster…"
A big drop of slobber fell on the teenage girl's dress and she slowly opened her eyes. The girl froze in terror, as she stared in terror at the massive fangs above her.
The Pokemon underneath scattered, along with the girl who was crying and sobbing. Beneath the weight of the monster, the tree bent like a twig as a giant arachnid Pokemon crawled out.
Phoebe blanched. "Chuckie, I know this is pretend, but is it bad to watch her pretend get eaten." Banette thought for a second, then nodded his head. "I'm gonna regret this, but hold on, Miss Tuffett. Help is on the way."
The giant eight-legged freak snapped at the teenage girl, barely a foot away from being eaten.
"Chuckie, aim for the legs," Phoebe huffed. "Use Shadow Sneak."
Chuckie's shadow stretched out like a dark arm to grab one of the monster's legs. But it circled around and fired a barrage of pin missiles at the shadow and the two new enemies.
"Chuckie, watch out," said Phoebe, grabbing her doll and diving to the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief then saw the tipped missiles arranged behind her like a row of darts. "This dream is getting a little too life-like. How can that thing see us-" Phoebe froze, remembering her book. "If we don't get out of this dream quick, we could be trapped in here forever."
"Rhyhorn, use Horn Attack." A Rhyhorn tackled the leg of the Groudon-sized Spinarak, causing it to topple like a tower to the ground. Phoebe and Banette opened their eyes, pinching themselves to make sure they were still alive. In front of them, the Spinarak had rolled onto its back, writhing and squirming and snapping those vice like poison-tipped fangs. Phoebe and Chuckie squirmed away from the giant bug, before they backed into a knee behind them.
"Are you hurt?" the someone above them said. Phoebe looked up to meet the face of the teenage girl. The girl put her hand out, and Phoebe grabbed ahold and was helped back onto her feet.
"I'm okay. Thanks…" muttered Phoebe, feeling the hand holding hers.
"Thanks for saving me and my Rhyhorn back there. Oh, please forgive me, my name's Serena. What's yours?"
Phoebe held her breath, before she blurted out the wrong thing. If this was a dream, she couldn't tell the girl her real name or else they would be stuck in the dream forever. "My name….my name's Sarah." Phoebe looked down at the ground and saw Chuckie getting up. She grabbed Chuckie and put her hand over its mouth. "Nothing to see here. Just my dollie," she laughed nervously.
The girl, or at least the girl's dream persona, stared confused at the little girl and plush doll. Then squealed in fear. The giant Spinarak had squirmed back onto it's legs.
"We're gonna die, aren't we," said dream Serena, falling on her knees. Phoebe mustered up the courage and walked up to her.
"Pull yourself together," she said, shaking the girl back and forth. "We can fix this. We just need an idea."
"What do you mean? I only have my Rhyhorn, and it didn't work," Serena sobbed.
"Well, doesn't it know any other moves?"
"No," Serena rubbed her eyes. "All we know is Horn Attack, that's it."
Phoebe felt a drop of sweat run down her face. With both their Pokemon they might've been able to finish the job, but she can't use Chuckie or else she'd give themselves away..
This bug's too powerful. Even with both our Pokemon, we're at a total disadvantage. Wait a minute…
"I know." Phoebe ran over to Serena and her Rhyhorn. "I forgot to tell you. I happen to be an expert in Rhyhorn."
"Really?"
"Yes. And my expert advice tells me your Rhyhorn can use fire type moves."
"F-Fire type. But Rhyhorn's a Rock-type...and he only knows Horn Attack-"
"Just trust me...," Phoebe shouted. "I mean, you really should put more trust in an expert like myself. Have your Rhyhorn use uhhh...Blast Burn. Ya, that's it"
"Blast Burn? Well, okay," Serena got up, and turned to her Rhyhorn. "Alright Rhyhorn. Use Blast Burn."
Pillars of flames shot from the ground engulfing the monster. The giant Spinarak hissed and jerked as the flames singed the hair off its legs.
"Oh no, it wasn't enough," said Serena. "I knew it. I should've just given up."
"Wait, wait, wait. Tell your Rhyhorn to use another move."
"Like what? You're the expert, not me."
"That's okay. We're learning. Here, tell your Rhyhorn to use uhhh Head Smash."
"If you say so. Rhyhorn, use Head Smash."
Rhyhorn charged at the monster. It's head started to glow red like molten steel as it barrelled like a train into the belly of the monster. The giant Spinarak flew across the trail and crashed into several trees. But there was still some life in it.
"Wow, we did it. We're almost there," said Serena.
"Ya, just one more good hit and we're free."
"What should I use next?"
"Hmmm," Phoebe thought. For the finishing move, she decided to go on a limb, hoping it would work. "Have Rhyhorn use Brave Bird."
"Alright, then. Rhyhorn, one more time. Use Brave Bird."
Rhyhorn crouched on the ground then catapulted into the sky. Reaching high into the clouds, Rhyhorn swooped down and collided head on, like a five hundred pound warhead, into the monster. The monster crashed into the ground like a meteor, as it screeched in pain. When Rhyhorn let go, the monster was finished and the Spinarak began to evaporate.
"Wow, I can't believe that actually worked," they both said at the same time. Phoebe covered her mouth. "I mean, see. I told ya your Rhyhorn was chock full of moves. You just gotta believe in yourself more."
"Gee, I guess you're right," said Serena. "We got so lucky, it's almost as if we're in a dre-," said Serena.
"Uh oh," said Phoebe, looking back to where she remembered the portal being. It began to shrink. She grabbed Serena's hand. "Anyways, it's been nice meeting you. We should really get to know each other better. Anyways, see you later." Phoebe and Banette ran back towards the portal into the dream world, and saw that it had now shrunk to the size of a doggy door.
"Chuckie, get in there and pull me out from the other side," said Phoebe, throwing Chuckie through the portal. Phoebe was about to squeeze through the portal when she saw something strange. All around in the forest trees and plants were turning gray, crumbling to ash before her eyes. Even the Oddish and Stantler were falling ill.
Is this a distortion?
She thought about for a second, but the hole was shrinking fast. Phoebe squeezed headfirst through the hole, but got stuck. She reached back and grabbed her spellbook. On the other side of the portal Chuckie pulled on her two arms and just barely squeezed her through the hole and landed in the room on top of the bed.
The fog lifted from the room. In the bed the teenage girl was stirring from her sleep. Chuckie and Phoebe ducked behind the bed. The teenage girl rubbed her eyes and woke up. Serena got out of bed and stepped on the floor and heard a squeak under her foot. She reached down and picked up a doll.
"Where'd this ugly thing come from?" Serena held the doll in her hands. "Oh, well, whoever's it is it's going in the dump-," The lamp on the bedstand shattered into a hundred pieces, followed by an ear-splitting scream. Serena fell to her knees, pressed against the wall. "The doll...did it move-"
The doll laid among the shards of glass. She saw its arm jerk. Serena felt her chest heaving in and out. The doll sat up, its head dangling behind it. She whimpered and sniveled. Its head lifted up. Serena's heart beat rapidly, while the doll took one step closer to her. The door broke off the hinges.
"Where is it?" growled the giant at the door.
Serena screamed and jumped under the covers of her bed. The light flicked on.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Cassius lifted the covers off the bed, and saw the whimpering teenage girl curled in the fetal position.
"Th-the doll. I-it moved."
"A doll? What?" Cassius looked down and picked up the zipper-faced puppet on the floor. "Ashleeyyy…"
"Phoebe-" hollered a voice down the hall. "C'mon now, where you gone off to, love?"
A red haired boy stood in the doorway. He brushed the hair in front of his eyes. "There y'are ya nipper," he said, pulling a little girl in a black dress from behind the bed. "You had me worried sick."
"Are you tryin' to wake up the whole damn town, Cass," groaned a girl leaning on the doorway. She had a white top on over a pair of checkered pajamas. Half of her hair was shaved to one side.
Cassius sighed. "Now that the whole village is here. This better be good, Ashley."
The little girl dropped her eyes. "It worked this time, I swear-," she blurted. She put her hand over her mouth. "I mean, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing."
"Nothing, huh? What do you think, Chuckie?" said Cassius, staring into the doll's bloodshot glass eyes. The zipper-mouth quivered and squirmed like a toddler. He set the doll down and it ran to the little girl, behind her leg.
"Is that thing possessed," Serena screamed.
"I wouldn't say possessed. Chuckie is Phoebe's Pokemon...a Banette. She found him in a dumpster one day and brought him home. We tried to get him back to his owner, but after a few garbled attempts at communicating with him, it was obvious that his owner had abandoned him. But, that's the case for every kid that lives here. So you could say that we all understand what he must be feeling.
But back to the matter at hand." Cassius turned to Phoebe and Chuckie. "Obviously, you two are hiding something. No doubt, playing with one of your hair-brained spells again...and terrifying our guest nonetheless. After you clean up this mess AND eat your breakfast, we'll talk about your punishme-."
"What the hell, Cassius!" a feminine voice shouted down the hallway.
Cassius sighed. "How could I forget…."
"You have some nerve waking me up in the middle of...who-the-heck-is-this-chick," said the new girl now redirecting her rage at Serena.
Serena laughed nervously. "Who, me?"
"Ya, I was kinda wondrin' the same thing," said the red-haired boy.
Cassius put his arm between the girl and Serena. "First of all, Ver, I'll be the one asking the questions. Since everyone's so curious, we have a guest. Fellas this is Serena. Serena meet the fellas."
"Sup."
"Oye."
"We already got acquainted."
"I didn't ask for this..."
"To cut to the chase, she'll be staying with us for a while. At least until there's power in Lumiose. After that I'm dropping her off. So in the meantime, I suggest all of you get nice and chummy. You got that!" The kids nodded. "Now...where was I." Cassius smelled smoke in the air. "Oh no, the crepes-."