Chapter Twenty Eight: The Mansion
Moon and her team walked forward into the mansion, intent on finding something of value or interest to their search. They had yet to find anything on the first floor.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Violet asked.
"Dunno," Moon shrugged, Eve held gently in her arms like a cat.
"We're gonna be detectives!" Skyla and Felicia exclaimed, skipping around each other dressed as detectives. They each held a magnifying glass and had a bubble pipe as well, just like a certain other famous detective.
"Yeah, something like that," Moon said with a nod. "But, let's be quiet. This place is supposed to be falling apart and we don't need to accidentally startle anyone who may be inside."
"Who else would be inside?" Shadow asked. "I do not sense many presences."
"There could just be the stray Moémon that dwell in the place," Moon said. "But, these statues are definitely something weird to behold."
"They resemble that story I was told of the monsters in a book I perused," Violet said. "It spoke of a being created from the cells of Mew, the goddess of species."
"I heard that too," Moon said. "Was it the one about the shapeshifting creatures?"
"Yes," Violet nodded. "But, it also spoke of another, but not in much detail."
"Oh yeah, the monstrous one," Moon said. "Well, maybe this place knows about it."
"Perhaps we should search below us," Violet suggested.
"Good idea." Moon nodded. "I think we'll do well to do that."
"How are we gonna do that?" Shadow asked.
"Find a stairway," Moon shrugged. "Or a hole considering how bad this place looks inside. There has to be a place to do that."
"Why would we fall if we could find a ladder?" Shadow asked.
"Easier." Moon shrugged. Let's just take a look around and see what we can see. The top floor might not have much, but we can check after."
"Right," The group nodded as they began to scour the mansion looking for the different ways to descend. It was Skyla and Felicia who managed to find something interesting.
"We found a hole!" They exclaimed. "We're the world's greatest detectives!"
"Definitely," Moon nodded with a smirk. "We're gonna jump down and make sure. You guys wanna float or jump?"
"We'll float," Violet said. "I cannot see the bottom."
"I can kinda float," Karrie volunteered. "I'm a Flying type."
"Oh yeah, that's pretty weird," Moon said. "I'd always read Gyarados were Dragons, but I guess they can fly too. Alright. You help carry who needs it and I'll help the rest."
Eve spit a Shadow Ball form her mouth, falling out of Moon's grip as she began to glow. Her body began to change, turning into something else.
Her clothes darkened and began to turn into a clearish purple, almost like a smog. Her boots seemed to fuse together and become a tail like mist. They shifted into an outfit that resembled that of a schoolgirl, a skirt and stockings along with simple shoes and a short sleeved sailor girl top. Her tail curled up like a will o wisp and turned a lightish purple with a much darker purple tip. She wrapped her arms around herself as her body seemed to become translucent and distort slightly. Her hair and animalistic ears turned dark purple and began to flow as if blown by wind, seemingly having the consistency of a gaseous substance, but something more living. Her eyes turned reddish purple, blinking once at Moon as she began to float down into the hole.
Moon jumped after her, passing through her body. She landed on the hard ground, but was unhurt. Eve was about three feet above her when she sneezed and transformed back into her normal state, falling into Moon's waiting arms.
"You're pretty good at that," Moon said, Eve smiling slightly at that and leaning into Moon's embrace. The others made their way down, either jumping or floating, landing next to Moon and Eve.
"She is full of surprises," Violet said. "I think it is evident that she is every type now."
"Right," Moon nodded. "But, let's not be super hasty in our search. We don't know what's down here. Also, we aren't splitting up. You all may be capable fighters, but we definitely can't say you're on the level of anything they could have experimented on, especially if it's even close to Maga. Pyrah isn't here to fight and I don't think even I could have taken on Maga. Just be careful."
"Right," The group nodded as they walked slowly through. The darkness surrounded them for several minutes, but Eve spit out a small Ember from her mouth into her hand, her body changing once again.
Her dress morphed into a little shorter, but not too much shorter dress that was thinner, but still fuzzy. It changed its color to a blazing orange the color of an inferno. Her boots became a flaming orange color with fiery yellow fur inside. A black belt appeared around her waist with a golden buckle to hold it still. The mane like scarf around her neck gained a yellowish color and seemed to become like a fire. Her tail remained almost the same, but gained the properties of fire, moving like a fire. The tail itself became a flaming cream color with a heat that seemed to waft off of it. Her hair grew longer, reaching past her waist and waved like a fire. Her bangs and a good portion of the center of her hair turned a cream color and grew longer, covering her eyes almost. Her eyes bled the color out as a dark blue flooded into them, almost the color of coal. They seemed far more liquid than before as the blue color filled her entire eye and left no pupil. Her ears turned a fiery orange to match her hair, the insides turning the same blue color as her eyes. She seemed to gain a fiery aura to her, but it wasn't completely visible.
Her body began to glow in the darkness due to her burning aura, sending out a small amount of light, enough to see well with.
"I think we shall call this Adaptability." Moon said. "Because she seems to adapt to everything."
"Well, we need to know where we're going." Skyla said.
As they continued walking, they began to see the area get brighter and brighter, an eerie glow surrounding it. They continued to walk through, glancing around to see if anything was there, but it seemed to be surrounded by a strange object.
In the center was a tube of sorts that was shattered into pieces and destroyed. There was another tube that seemed to contain a sort of liquid metal. The group all walked forward up to it as Eve sneezed, reverting to her normal forme. Moon looked at the tubes with curiosity, but something else happened.
Steel doors suddenly slammed shut behind them, trapping them inside. A voice shouted out over an intercom.
"Intruders!" It shouted. "Prepare to die!"
With Hex and Ember
Ember blinked her eyes open, sensing something holding her closely. She tensed, feeling the something holding her shift almost as if it was liquid. She began to panic slightly, trying to remove it. The liquid began to shift, moving as what looked like a hand held her in the darkness. She saw it looking down at her, moving with speed as a form began to rise from it. It slowly began to glow silver, silvery white beginning to shine as the hair of a person emerged from it.
Suddenly, pain exploded from her whole body, images of bloody, disgusting battles filled her head. A monster that seemed to be made of liquid metal that took on a humanlike form, laughing as she destroyed an entire region with a huge ball of power. A power being made of fire, battling it out with a blue ball of flames. A monster reborn, facing a warrior that bore the powers of ancient Dragons. Strength pulsing into her in a painful fashion that made her head hurt.
She saw the vision begin to change again, becoming something far different, angelic even. The person glowed blue with a sheer power that radiated the heavens.
The person stared at Ember, wings outspread and tail with a fire the color of cobalt. It was almost a look of pity, a look of understanding as she blinked once.
"Remember," She said softly as ember jolted up, a thump being heard from behind her.
"Well, you could have just said you didn't want a bedmate," Hex whined a little. "But, you didn't seem to mind earlier."
Ember almost didn't register the voice of her savior. She was sweating a freezing sweat, having soaked the blanket she was sleeping under. Her breathing was heavy and her pupils dilated. She was in a freezing state, feeling colder than she should.
"For someone who's supposed to be a Fire Type, you sure sweat a lot," Hex said, pulling the covers off. "You should get cleaned up."
"What am I?" Ember asked quietly, but loud enough that Hex could hear it.
"If I were to guess, I would say a Fire breathing reptile," Hex shrugged. "I mean you got a pretty dragon looking tail and set of wings. Who knows what you really are? All I know is you had some crazy stuff happening to you when I found you."
"What do you mean?" Ember asked. "I mean, you mentioned I looked like I'd turned into a dragon, but I don't get what that means."
"It means that you seemed to grow scales and stuff," Hex said. "You had this crazy strong power coming off of you and you were on fire. Whatever you'd done was tearing up your body."
"A power that strong?" Ember asked.
"I can't sense energy," Hex said. "One of my many flaws. But, even I can tell that you did something that would even put some crazy strong beings on edge. You'll have to be careful how you use that if you know how."
"I don't even know who I really am," Ember said. "How am I to do that?"
"I'll help," Hex said. "I want to make sure you're safe, so I'll help you."
"I don't understand why," Ember said. "I'm some total stranger. I could be some criminal for all you know."
"I go with my gut," Hex climbed up onto the bed again. "My gut said you were alright. It also said you probably had some insane thing you were doing to unleash that much power. Even I was a little spooked."
"I wonder what we could do to find out about me?" Ember asked.
"We could go visit a Psychic or something," Hex shrugged. "I don't really get along with many, but I know a few that may be able to peer into your memories."
"Where could we find one?" Ember asked.
"There's one nearby," Hex said. "Her name's Hypno. She's got a specialty for seeing dreams and memories."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ember asked.
"Yep" Hex said. "We'll just have to be a bit careful. But, otherwise, we'll be fine."
"If… If you insist," Ember nodded.
Hex nodded as the redhead managed to get out of bed. She stumbled over to the bathroom, managing to clean herself off in a shower. Emerging, she saw a pair of white pants and a red shirt laid out for her along with socks and underwear of the same colors. She put them on, glad there was a hole for her tail, feeling a slight pain in her head, emerging from the bathroom.
After that, Hex walked out from a different room dressed in a grey bomber jacket over a grey tank top. Grey, slim fit jeans accompanied them and her silvery white hair was tied in a ponytail.
"Ready to go?" She asked.
"Thank you for the clothes," Ember said.
"Think nothing of it," Hex said. "Just treat it as me being a good host."
"Well, I am grateful," Ember nodded, looking down.
"We'll get better colors later," Hex said. "But, that's all I had right now and you don't seem to be the type that's into grey."
"It's alright," Ember said. "I'd still wear it."
"Well, good," Hex giggled. "I'm glad. Now, let's go make sure this Moémon can help us."
The silvery white haired woman led the amnesiac out the door.
"Where are we?" Ember asked.
"A place called One Island," Hex said.
"One Island?" Ember asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Yeah," Hex said. "See, I come from a place called the Sevii Islands. There's seven of them and each has its own economy and such as well as two that none dare go near. We're currently on One Island, but we need to be on Two Island."
"Well… can we see some of this island first?" Ember asked.
"I think we should at least try to recover your memories," Hex said. "This island isn't going anywhere."
"I guess you're right," Ember nodded. "Let's go."
Hex led her out, the two seeing a various mix of Moémon and humans. Both were doing various things. To their left, a human woman and a Moémon were sewing something together, a human male holding their yarn. To their right, a human male and a Moémon were holding hands, staring out at the ocean. There were several children splashing in the shallow water, some human, some Moémon, all having fun with each other.
Every so often, one of the Water type Moémon would use her water powers to splash the rest, who would laugh and dump a bucket of sand on her for revenge. The island seemed so… peaceful, almost free of any sort of conflict.
"It's so beautiful here," Ember said. "I wouldn't mind settling down."
"Such a sight," Hex said with a small air of joy. "Moémon and humans in true harmony, living as equals. Living together, loving together, even loving each other. This group of islands is the only place in the world where such a thing is not frowned upon. None would dare come near this place with intent of changing that for fear of the guardian of these islands. She is a fierce warrior of the goddesses that protects this place. Ho-Oh is her name."
"That name sounds… familiar," Ember said. "I guess I've heard of her."
"Most have," Hex said. "She is a strong advocate for the union of humans and our kind in true, perfect harmony. In fact, several of the children here are given as her blessing to couples of such a union."
She pointed to a small, teenage girl with a slight jaundice color to her. She looked human, but on closer inspection, she was different. There was a clear difference between her and the other humans and even her and the other Moémon. Her hair seemed more arachnid in texture and her eyes seemed to be compact in the irises.
"She is the union of a human man and a Galvantula Moémon," Hex said. "Such a thing is rarely possible without divine intervention. But, she granted them their wish and she blessed their consummation. Many a time has she done such a thing in the years of this island's existence."
She looked to a fruit seller, several bananas on a stand in the store in the seller's, a human woman, hands. Walking up next to her, a Moémon dressed in a green bathrobe and looking quite tired, a banana growing from her hair that she picked a bunch of. She leaned on the human, the human putting an arm around her.
"We live, eat, work, sleep with one another," Hex said. "Uh, not in a perverted way."
"I see," Ember said. "Well, it's quite beautiful. I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay for a bit."
"We should just get to Two Island," Hex said. "The longer it takes, the less likely we'll be to get there before sunset."
"What happens at sunset?" Ember asked.
"The waters are dangerous at night," Hex said. "Waves and such may arise at any time. There's no one safe then."
"Oh," Ember said. "Well, let's just worry about getting to Two Island then."
"Right," Hex said. "The ferry is over this way."
They walked over to a small boat that was docked nearby. Boarding it, they saw a human and a Moémon, both dressed in sailor's outfits. The Moémon had watery blue hair that had patterns like manta fins and a smaller child, also a Moémon, stood next to her in a grey dress. Both had red eyes and looked at the two passengers. The human had green eyes, looking a them as well.
"Where ya headed?" The human asked.
"Two Island," Hex said. "We have to find her memories."
"Poor thing," The older Moémon said, the child holding tightly to her leg. "Well, we're rooting for you two to find them. When ya brought her here, we knew you had done the right thing."
"Thanks," Hex said. "But, we better get going. It's gonna be a long drive there."
"Well, of course it is," The human and older Moémon snickered. "There's about a hundred miles between the two islands."
"Ha ha," Hex crossed her arms and actually pouted. "Well, I know that. Let's just get going before nightfall."
"On it," The human said. "Co-captain Mantine, status."
"Ready to ride, Co-captain Bianca," The Moémon said. "Ready to buckle up, First Mate Remoraid?"
"Aye aye," The child said, running off to the seating area.
"This is Bianca and Mantine," Hex explained to Ember. "They're sisters and they took in that child recently. Both of them love the sea and have been captaining a boat for several years. They're our ferry service and they often travel between the islands."
"Wow," Ember said, intrigued. "So, what do you do for fun otherwise?"
"Swim," Bianca said. "Pretty much that."
"Yep," Mantine said with a nod. "Best activity ever."
"Well, let's get going," Bianca said. "We don't have all day and the seas might get a bit choppy. I hear Lugia's been fighting with her counterpart again."
"Hopefully, we're out of it," Hex said.
"We should be," Mantine said as they headed to the captain's quarters. "Now, let's go! Ship ahoy!"
Hex guided Ember to a seat on the deck near Remoraid, the two of them sitting down while the ship began moving towards its destination.
The seas began slowly drifting past them, their speed beginning to get faster and faster as they picked up some speed. They were sailing quite fast now, speeding faster through the waves and making quite a wake. Once they had gone far enough, they could see some of the more wild Moémon splashing in the waves and swimming next to the ship.
Ember looked down at them to see them doing so, amazed at their grace and tranquility. She knew she could survive contact with water, but prolonged exposure wasn't something she was particularly keen on, especially with no fire in her tail.
"Look at all the Tentacruel," Hex said. "They're said to be the most perverted of all."
"Really?" Ember asked, watching some of the playful Moémon make some goofy and silly faces at the boat as they moved past it.
"No," Hex said. "That's a myth by those people who write that trash Pokéstar Studios churns out."
"Who are they?" Ember asked.
"Some trashy place in Unova," Hex said. "They make movies, but they also have a quite shady business of some rather… adult films."
"I don't get it," Ember said.
"How many memories did you lose?" Hex asked.
"Enough that I really don't remember much beyond basic motor functions," Ember said. "Oh, and watching my race get destroyed by some metallic lady that only very slightly resembles you."
"Wow, hurtful," Hex put on some mock hurt. "How would you feel if I said your whole race was a bunch of bloodthirsty dragons?"
"We're not cannibals," Ember said. "At least… I don't think we are."
"Well, we'll find out," Hex said. "But, be careful. We'll have to be careful."
"Why?" Ember asked.
"Because you don't know your way around and may get lost."
"Oh," Ember said. "Well, that's smart thinking."
"Good," Hex took Ember's hand. "We'll get your memories back. I promise. I promise with every metallic fiber of my being."
"Thanks," Ember said with a smile, looking down at the Moémon, who were now making kissy faces and teasing noises which could be heard from the two on deck.
"Are we almost there?" Hex called out to the captain. "I know we're not going ramming speed, but we've been on the water for a while."
"Almost there," Bianca called back. "Just make sure you hold tight when we slow because it's going to be pretty hard."
"Right," Hex nodded. "Thanks for taking us out."
"Hey, we needed something to do," Mantine called. "Besides, we also needed something for Remoraid to do."
"I get it," Hex said. "So, how are you doing?"
"Good," Mantine said. "We're about to dock in about twenty."
"Sounds good," Hex said.
Twenty five minutes later, the ship docked, allowing the two to step off onto the shore. Ember felt oddly woozy and wobbly, having to be steadied by Hex. The silvery white haired woman held her up so she wouldn't fall.
"Looks like some someone doesn't have her sea legs yet." She giggled. Ember managed to get herself steady.
"Where's this guy you were talking about?" Ember asked, looking around.
"Well, he works in the Game Corner," Hex said. "We can go ask him."
"Right," Ember said. "Let's do it."
Two Island was a bit more industrialized than One Island. While One Island looked like a beach area, Two Island had a few more mechanical areas and buildings. It was quite interesting and still seemed to have a natural look rather than looking like a big city area.
The amnesiac was led by the other, who pointed to a large building with the words "Game Freak Corner" in a sign above the entrance.
"Some guys built this place with money they earned from making a super popular video game franchise," Hex explained. "They later sold it to the guy we're here to see. I heard they mostly sit around in an apartment building and tell those with full Moédexes that they did a god job. Sometimes, they even give them some sort of special trainer item to help them out on their journeys if they decide to go for some awesome catches."
"Cool," Ember said. "So, where's the guy?"
"That's him," Hex pointed to an elderly man in a light blue polo and slacks. He turned to them and smiled.
"Hello, Hex Nut," He said. "How are you?"
"Well," Hex said, the slightest of blushes on her face. "My friend here needs her memories."
"I don't see why you think I know that stuff," The man said. "I've given up on such things. If you're looking for that, try the forest on Three Island. There's a large amount of Hypno Moémon."
"Thanks," Hex said. "We will."
She led Ember out, taking her back to the ferry, which was still there.
"Any luck?" Mantine, who was leaning over the railing, asked.
"Nope," Hex said. "He said to go to the forest on Three Island,"
"Well, fortunately, we're already heading there," Bianca said. "Remoraid wanted to pick some berries, so we decided to treat her because she was good."
"Alright," Hex nodded. "Let's go then."
The two boarded the ship, the sisters pulling up the ramp and starting the boat. They set a course for Three Island, the group watching the Water type Moémon still splashing around the ship. Every so often, one would spit up some water at them playfully. The two passengers dodged, Hex sticking her tongue out at them. This only got a direct hit on her face, causing her to get a bucket of soapy water and dump it down on the offender. Soon, it became a war of attrition, neither seeming to give up. Soon, they came upon an island, the ship docking.
Unlike the previous two islands, this island was mostly a grassy, forest like area. However, some areas were denoted to belong to the Berry Forest portion of the area.
"This is pretty cool," Ember said.
"Yep, the Grass Type Moémon went crazy and accidentally made a forest," Hex said.
"Wow," Ember said in fascination. "They did all this?"
"Yeah, they got a little carried away when it came to making plants grow." Hex said. "They went crazy form the stress and the full culmination of their powers made this forest."
"Wow," Ember said again. "What's it like?"
"Why don't you go find out?" Hex asked. "We're going inside of it anyway."
"Alright," Ember nodded as she started walking, Hex right behind her. The amnesiac made her way deeper and deeper into the forested area of Three Island. She could just see a strange shape in the trees. She heard the laughter of a child nearby.
Hex tensed up, stepping closer; she knew of kidnappers that sometimes liked to hide in the forest and trap unsuspecting victims there for their own nefarious purposes and with Ember not knowing who she was or how any powers she may have had worked, she was going to be more of a liability.
"Be careful," She hissed quietly to Ember. "There might be bandits in this area. Just be careful and don't go too far from me."
"Right," Ember whispered, nodding towards her. She made extra sure she was stepping carefully. The laughter of the child continued, seeming to get lower in pitch and tempo with every few steps. After a bit, it sounded like a warped and broken record that was skipping and scratched. The two stood next to each other at this point, prepared to fight anything that wanted to come out and face them.
"What is that?" Ember asked.
"I don't know," Hex said. "Whatever it is, it doesn't seem friendly. I'd rather not meet it if I had a choice in the matter."
"Same," Ember said. "Who are we looking for anyway?"
"We're looking for someone named Lostelle," Hex said. "She's a psychic and lives around here somewhere. Almost her whole family's a bunch of psychics and they have good capabilities. Maybe she'd be able to help out."
"I see," Ember said. "But, why would she be in this creepy forest?"
"The berries here are to die for," Hex said as the laughter returned and sounded like sobbing in a warped, distorted manner.
"But, not literally right?" Ember asker, almost leaning on Hex at this point.
"Hopefully not," Hex said, leaning on her as they continued walking through the forest; at this point, it was better to go forward. There was no reason not to. They had to make sure they were ready to continue and keep their bearings.
"I really hope you were a warrior in your past life," Hex said, shaking slightly. "And that you have some kind of latent fighting abilities, because we're definitely going to need them."
"I don't have any fire to use them with," Ember said, shaking just as much. "But, let's just make sure we're out of here."
"Who knows what's gonna find us here," Hex gulped. "I've never seen the forest this scary before. Not even Lavender Town was this scary."
"What's that?" Ember asked.
"It was a cursed town created to seal a demon away," Hex said. "But, a goddess recently came and destroyed the demon, freeing the town from its awful curse and allowing the inhabitants to rest. They say one could get possessed if they set foot in that town without proper protections."
"Creepy," Ember said. "I still don't know how I'm more scared of this than watching that creature wipe out my whole race."
"This is present," Hex said. "So, let's just make sure we find what we're looking for."
"I-Is that a girl?" Ember asked, pointing forward to where they saw a girl no older than ten skipping through the forest. She seemed to be glowing and sparkling with fairy dust. But, she also seemed to be translucent. The two watched her skip through, stopping behind a tree, where she promptly disappeared. They didn't see her emerge, but they probably didn't want to.
"That was a girl," Hex said. "Where do you suppose she went?"
"I don't think I want to know," Ember said as they walked carefully forward once again. "But, let's just make sure we can easily get out."
"Too late," Hex said. "I can't remember where we are."
"Haven't you been here before?" Ember asked, turning to her.
"Not in a while," Hex said. "It used to be much more friendly than this. But, we need to keep going. The monsters here don't know where we are."
"Monsters!?" Ember asked in shock. "There are monsters?"
"So they say," Hex said. "But I haven't seen any evidence of it."
"Well, let's just keep going," Ember said. "We have to be close to wherever the person we're looking for is."
"Right," Hex nodded. "We just need to keep going and hope that nothing sees us. There's little chance we'll be attacked much, but I think you can get going with a greater head start than me."
"I'm not going without you," Ember said. "We're in this together."
"Aww, thanks," Hex blushed slightly as she looked ahead. They saw the girl once again skipping ahead of them, seeming to follow a strange pattern.
"What's she doing?" Ember asked.
"Should we keep following her?" Hex asked. "She may have some answers."
"Right," Ember nodded as the two of them crept slowly forward to see where the girl went and secretly hoping the girl wouldn't be a monster in disguise.
She skipped in her little pattern, which led them to a clearing where several berry trees were planted and gathered in a strange pattern of growth. In the middle of the whole berry tree group, there was a single being that was sitting down near a berry tree, seeming to take in the peace and quiet.
The being wore long boots that went past her knees. They were yellow and had grey soles. She wore a short skirt that left about a half inch of skin showing between her boots and the skirt. The skirt was also yellow. Her top was also yellow and went tightly over her chest area. It had a darker yellow belt that went over her stomach. The top was sleeveless, but she wore long yellow arm sleeves that went past her elbows. She also wore darker yellow gloves that had fingers. Around her neck was a scarf that looked like a patch of fur. It was white and thick like a mane, but not quite. Her hair was yellow and was shorter, going to her chin. From it, two triangle shaped ears emerged. They were black on the inside. Her eyes were black, seemingly creepy.
"You," Ember pointed at the woman, stepping forward. "You're the one who's making this forest creepy, aren't you?"
Almost as if to accentuate the point, the translucent girl from earlier skipping over to the woman, who was clearly a Moémon.
"That… that could be one of her victims," Hex said, realizing the fact. "Sometimes the more devilish Moémon that haunt the forest use them as bait for others that come."
"You monster!" Ember grabbed the woman by the throat, surprising Hex by her speed. "How dare you do that?!"
At this, the woman became afraid, her fear almost radiating out in waves as the translucent girl grabbed onto Ember's arm.
"Don't hurt her!" The little girl shouted, a force like a sonic boom exploding in between the amnesiac and the other woman, the amnesiac flying backwards and colliding into a tree, breaking through it and smashing into another one, falling to the ground.
"Ember!" Hex ran over to her, looking her over. She placed her fingers over Ember's neck, feeling a pulse, but a faint one.
"What are you?" Hex asked, glaring at the girl. "How did you do that?"
"Leave my friend alone," The girl demanded, stomping her foot. "Hypno didn't do anything to hurt you!"
"Lostelle, don't," The woman, Hypno, said with a soft voice, still holding her throat. "She is hurt. There is a reason this forest has such a bad reputation."
"But, you didn't do anything to hurt her," Lostelle said. "And she grabbed your neck. She's mean!"
"She most likely did it in self-defense," Hypno said. "Now, we must see if she is alright."
"Lostelle…" Hex said. "But, you're a ghost."
"Lostelle fell victim to another of my kind and I managed to save her dreams in this form," Hypno said. "She is an apparition. She did what she did because another Moémon attacked us after we tried to get a snack."
"Meaning people's dreams," Hex said. "So, you're the one who we were sent to find, aren't you?"
"You have met with my mate, haven't you?" Hypno said. "Is he faring well?"
"That guy was your mate?" Hex asked.
"Lostelle is his daughter and I love her as my own," Hypno said. "But, it wouldn't be safe in his place of dwelling. People wouldn't understand no matter how inclusive Two Island is. So, I took her away and dwell with her here. We had attempted to find a place of dwelling in the region of Kanto, but after an incident with a possessed trainer, we decided to return here."
"Well… we actually came to find you," Hex said. "We want to see Ember's dreams and see who she was. I'm sorry she attacked you. This place is super creepy and we were just a little put off."
"No worries," Hypno said. "Stigma is hard to avoid in this forest, but it is the only place Lostelle would be safe. Lavender Town was the only other place, but she would be corrupted."
"I heard that someone beat the demon there," Hex said. "Some trainers and a goddess Moémon defeated it."
"Perhaps it is the same one we encountered," Hypno said. "I suppose the three of us could make a journey there at some point."
"We can take daddy?" Lostelle asked.
"Of course," Hypno said. "First, let us take a look at this Charizard's memories."
"Try not to eat them," Hex said. "She needs those."
"Memories of fighting are a bitter taste to me," Hypno said. "She placed a hand on Ember's unmoving head, feeling the pulse of her heartbeat on her temples and feeling memories start to burst forth as she tried to remove any blocks.
"I can see some battles," Hypno said, squinting her eyes. "But, she's such a guarded being I can't see too many at once. It seems like there are more than one person's memories in her. But, the question is whose are they?"
"What else can you see?" Hex asked.
"I see demonic looking creatures that are trying to attach themselves and some sort of blue angel," Hypno said. "I see demons around her and some sort of being made of metal. She's… she's destroying the Charizards. This is the time of their destruction. But, I see something different. I see… someone else. Someone standing against the metal being."
"Standing against them?" Hex asked. "Who?"
"Someone who looks like her with a burning tail of flame and a fire of power in her eyes." Hypno said. "And…"
With that Hypno screamed and jumped back, shocked and horrifying at the visions.
"What did you see?" Hex asked.
"Blue fire," Hypno said. "Such is the color of monsters. Your friend is a monster seeing visions of the future. One will stand as the metal monster returns and attempts to claim her prize and the utter destruction of this region."
"What?!" Hex exclaimed. "How do we stop it?!"
"The only way is to fight it," Hypno said. "From what I could tell in the visions, only the one in the visions is capable of standing up to such a monster."
"How do we find this person?" Hex asked. "And how do we restore Ember's memories?"
"I'm not sure," Hypno said. "But, I did discover one thing of true value."
"What?" Hex asked.
"Her name is Pyrah," Hypno said.
Bum Bum BUUUUUUM. See you all next chapter.
