Whispers among the leaves
It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark.
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart.
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it.
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes.
You're paralyzed,
'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about to strike!
You know it's thriller, thriller night.
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight!
Thriller, Michael Jackson
Ilex Forest was the biggest forest of Johto. The trees were centuries-old, their trunk thick as a pillar and their leaves so dense they often blocked the sun. When they didn't, the trail was illuminated by a green and golden light. Ash was amazed. The place was wonderful.
"It is customary to visit the Ilex Shrine before crossing the forest. It's a small shrine dedicated to Celebi."
So they went to the shrine and placed berries on it. Celebi was said to be fond of berries. Then they left. Gary noticed Silver was thoughtful.
"Something wrong?"
"Yeah. Three thousand years ago, there was a rift above the Forest, a tear in the fabric of the Pokémon World caused by the brutal merging with Eä. It was eventually sealed by the Ancient Queen Dana at the cost of her life, the residual dimensional energy leading to the creation of the Secret Garden, the place where wild Bulbasaur go to evolve." The Ancient looked at the trees. "There were several Ancient cities in the forest. Overtime, most were abandoned as the Ancients disappeared. I wonder if we'll get to see them."
His wish was answered sooner than he thought. Two days after entering the forest, the group had set camp in a clearing and was going through their afternoon routine. Chikorita looked at Heracross and muttered something. The beetle looked surprised, then turned into his human form. Chikorita jumped in his lap and admired his armor.
"Chi-ko… Chiko ta tarita korita riko ta-a!" (Nice… I wish I could become human too one day!)
"Humanity is a gift of Arceus, Jade. Serve Ash faithfully and you will receive it too."
The Grass Starter curled against him.
"Ri korita. Chikori kori chiko ri ta." (I love him. All I want is to prove myself.)
"Be patient. Your time will come."
Shield smiled and caressed her. The girl had a potential greater than his. A little farther, Ash was training Totodile with his flute. The sound was a distraction to Misdreavus who missed the Frisbee thrown by Houndour. The disk disappeared in a bush.
(Great…) Houndour growled. (It will take ages to find it back!)
(Can't you use your smell to retrieve it?) Umbreon retorted. (Your species has a good sense of smell.)
Misdreavus floated before them.
(It's alright, I'll go look for it. It's my fault it disappeared.)
The girl went to the bushes and started looking around. She didn't have Houndour's smell, but the Frisbee hadn't gone far. At least, that's what she hoped. Hearing a bush rustling, she turned to see a brown ball-like face with black eyes and a massive grin. The girl tilted her head.
(Hello. Have you seen a Frisbee around?)
The face didn't answer. Instead, it came closer to her and…
Gary jumped when a burst of pain rushed in his head. The pain was followed by a mental scream he recognized as Misdreavus's. The boy turned to Umbreon and Houndour. One shared look was enough to understand trouble was on its way. The three lost no time rushing in the woods. Ash, Misty, Brock and Silver looked at one another.
"What's going on?" Misty asked.
Ash didn't answer. Instead, he focused on the type presences in the surroundings and quickly found out what was going on.
"Misdreavus was attacked by a Psychic-Normal Pokémon and Gary has come to her rescue with Umbreon and Houndour."
"Do we come along?" Brock asked.
"Yeah, just in case. I can feel another human presence around but there's something weird with it… I think that person is a Psychic."
"Best come along, then."
Silver rose from his seat.
"Psychic-Normal in Johto? Must be a Girafarig. They're not that tough, but if it belongs to a Trainer, we might well find ourselves with a battle on our hand."
"A battle quickly won." Misty grinned. "Psychic cannot harm Dark and Gary has two Dark Pokémon with him."
Ash grinned and headed deeper in the forest.
Misdreavus collided with a tree. The Girafarig stood above her, glaring mercilessly at her. The girl clenched her teeth and readied Will-O-Wisp. The Girafarig charged a Shadow Ball, only for a fiery burst to blindside it. The fire faded to reveal Houndour, teeth bared and ready to fight. Umbreon jumped at his side, followed by Gary. The teen knelt to his Pokémon.
"Misdreavus, are you alright?"
The little Ghost cringed and looked at her body. She was covered with scratches. Gary frowned and turned to the Girafarig.
"Houndour, Umbreon, take it out. Misdreavus, take some rest. We'll look for a Pokémon Center as soon as we can."
On this, he returned the creature in her Pokéball. Houndour and Umbreon had lost no time tag-teaming the Girafarig, who could barely do anything against the combined assault of the two Dark Pokémon. The Dark Eeveelution had faked an Iron Tail, only to spin and headbutt the Psychic Pokémon. Its other head threw a Dazzling Gleam to Houndour who tanked it by covering himself with fire, shielding him from the Fairy attack, and bit the head's neck. Girafarig bucked and trashed, but both Dark Pokémon had gone for the throats and weren't about to let go. Gary glared at the Pokémon.
"Next time, target someone else."
Rather than surrendering, the Pokémon raised its head and screamed. A woman appeared, horror in her eyes.
"Girafarig! Hey, leave him alone!"
Gary's eyes widened. The Pokémon had a Trainer? A soft whistle and Umbreon and Houndour returned to his side. The girl turned to him.
"You! You're the one who did that!"
"Yes." Gary frowned and called Misdreavus. "Your Pokémon attacked mine while it was looking for a Frisbee."
The girl raised a brow.
"…It wasn't a wild Pokémon? I guess I owe you an apology, then. There are many Ghost Pokémon in that part of the woods. My village trains Psychic Pokémon to defend themselves." She took a Potion she handed to the boy. "I was out training with my Girafarig. We were taking a break when he suddenly left. He must've sensed your Misdreavus and mistaken it for a wild Pokémon."
Gary reluctantly took the Potion and spread it on his partner.
"Apologies accepted. We must have missed the warning about Ghost Pokémon. Otherwise, I would have been more careful."
"It's alright. I can sense something strange about you… You're a Psychic, right? I have some minor psychic powers myself."
To demonstrate, she made Girafarig's Pokéball levitate. Gary smiled.
"Try a Gyarados for size. They are borderline for me but I can lift several adults and use telepathy. I'm still training the forcefield technique, though."
The girl's eyes widened.
"You can do that? You're more powerful than I am! I can only use telekinesis, and I can't lift more than my weight. Right now, I'm learning to use telepathy with Girafarig. Mentally communicating with his Pokémon is a common skill in my village. We owe it to training mostly Psychic Pokémon without being Psychics ourselves. This said, there are people like me who have mental powers. Some are stronger than I am. We're not the majority, though."
Gary's face lit up.
"Really? There are actual Psychics in your village? I trained with Sabrina at Saffron City, but I haven't really had the chance to talk to other Psychics outside of her and her students. If my friends are fine with it, it may prove interesting. I can sense them nearby."
Indeed, Ash and the group had been watching from a little away. They came to the duo.
"Why not?" Silver smiled. "Gary's powers are strong and keep growing. Meeting people with similar powers may well help him get a better grasp on them."
"Besides…" Ash added. "He's our friends. Silver and I aren't the only ones who can come up with new destinations."
"Then it's set." Gary nodded. "We'll go to your village. I forgot to ask for your name, by the way. Stupid me. I used to be more polite."
Silver, Misty and Ash scoffed at that. The girl smiled.
"It's alright. I'm Cherry. Nice to meet you, Gary."
On their way to the village, Cherry turned to Gary.
"I sense something strange with some of your friends. They have powers, but they feel really weird to me…"
"Oh, right. Silver and Ash are Aura Guardians, with Silver being able to turn his Aura into ice. As for Misty, she has a pendant that allows her to use Water Aura. To what I learned Psychics and Aura Guardians have somewhat of an enmity due to the nature of their powers."
"Aura? I heard about it in tales. I thought only Pokémon could use it."
"Some humans can. People like Silver who can imbue their Aura with elemental powers are even rarer than pure Aura users like Ash."
"Well." Cherry looked at the pair. "I never heard about the feud between Psychics and Aura Guardians. If your best friend can use Aura while you have mental powers, I guess it isn't as true as it used to be."
"Don't worry." Silver smiled. "It's just that Aura and mental powers interact weirdly, is all. After all, Aura is classified as part of the Fighting type and Psychic beats Fighting. The same can't be said for Elemental Aura. My Ice powers put against Fire Aura or Fire-based attacks will be at a disadvantage. However, put me against a Wind Aura user or Grass and Dragon attacks and guess who'll come on top…"
Misty, Brock and Ash scoffed at that. Given how insanely powerful the Ancient was, type advantage meant nothing to him. If he wanted to win, he would, regardless of who was in his path. It was just a question of how messy the results would be.
Cherry's village was called Len Town, a small, rather modern town on the outskirts of Ilex Forest. Gary massaged his head when he entered. Ash turned to him.
"Something wrong?"
"Nothing. There's just a lot of Psychic Pokémon so my powers are a bit upset. I'm not used to be around that much Psychic energy."
"Even though you trained with Sabrina?" Misty asked.
Gary turned to her.
"Only Sabrina's gym has Psychics in it. Saffron itself was relatively fine. Here? The whole town houses Psychic Pokémon, and that's without the people with actual mental powers. Don't worry, it's only an annoyance. Nothing serious or hampering."
"Good." The girl smiled.
Ash looked around with a smile. Then he noticed a boy with short pointy ears who was walking a Smoochum. He wasn't the only one. A young woman had long pointy ears that went beyond her hairs and several villagers spotted the trait. Silver nodded.
"You have keen eyes. These people are elves, and hybrids thereof. Elves are indistinguishable from humans save for that precise trait that is their ears. Purebloods have them long, while half-breeds have it still pointy but short."
Brock crossed his arms.
"I thought Ancients were all but gone. How comes people believe it when some still show up like in this town?"
Silver couldn't help but laugh.
"On one hand, you'd be surprised to know the kind of weirdness people can be oblivious to at times. On the other, most remaining Ancients remain hidden or they have mixed with the locals so much it is normal to them to see some non-human traits emerge at times."
Misty and Ash had seen Ancients before, in New Naibel. It didn't surprise them as much as their friend. Cherry took them to a large house.
"This is where those of us with Psychic powers gather. It isn't a school per se, just a kind of community building where we talk, train and show off." She winked at Gary. "You'll like it in there."
It was circular, with the common room located straight in the middle and the edge divided in rooms of various sizes and uses. As soon as they entered, a little girl with black hairs and long pointy ears rushed at Cherry.
"Onee-chan! You're back!"
"Yes, I'm back, Kiyoko. And I brought friends."
The little girl looked at the group, curiosity in her eyes. She grinned at Gary.
"You're an Esper too!"
Cherry sighed.
"Kiyoko, I told you many times to call us Psychics."
"But, after, I mistake Psychic Pokémon and Psychic people! And besides, Esper is prettier."
"I know, that's the term your kind uses. Still…" The girl sighed and turned to the group. "Go argue with a six-year-old."
Brock couldn't help but agree. Kiyoko closed her eyes. A chair on which a Slowbro was sitting softly rose and span on itself. The girl nodded at Gary.
'Do better?' Her voice echoed in his head.
Gary crossed his arms.
'Can do. Brace yourself.'
The boy put his hands on the ground and focused. The whole room shook lightly, causing more than one scare. Gary looked at the young elf.
'Beat that.'
Kiyoko looked at Cherry.
"…Did he just cause an earthquake?"
"No. He just tried to lift the room."
Gary was smiling brightly… until something swept his feet under him and he ended on his back. Looking for the culprit, he found an elderly man giving him a soft glare as he mentally replaced a table and the card castle he had been building on it. The boy lowered his head sheepishly.
"Sorry…"
The building had a Pokémon Center. Cherry and Gary used it for Girafarig and Misdreavus, then returned to the common room. The brunette was pleased to talk with other Psychics, while Brock learned more about Psychic Pokémon and how to raise them and Silver, Misty and Ash demonstrated their Aura powers and compared it to Psychic abilities.
Misty was levitating water spheres with the Tide Pendant when a man with a Xatu barged in the room. He was exhausted and panicked, his clothes tattered and his partner's feathers messed up. Cherry came to him.
"Hey, are you alright? You look like you've faced a swarm of Haunter…"
"Not Haunter." The man panted. "Much worse. So much worse. Xatu's attacks did absolutely nothing. It was as if that monster had no weakness!"
"…It was alone?"
"Yes. And I thank Arceus there was only one."
Silver frowned and came to the man.
"What did it look like?"
"A circular face with jagged edges. Purple. It had mad eyes and a mad green smile. Its laugh…"
The Ancient toyed with the pommel of his swords.
"A Spiritomb. They are usually found in Sinnoh."
"What's that Pokémon?" Brock asked.
Silver went to a computer and tapped a few keys. The Sinnoh Pokémon database appeared. The Ancient opened a file.
"Spiritomb, the Forbidden Pokémon. A Ghost-Dark creature born from 108 malevolent spirits sealed in a stone. One of the strongest Ghost Pokémon in the world given its average stats. It has three immunities, one resistance and one weakness. And that was after the reappearance of the Fairy type."
"Let me guess." Ash closed his eyes. "It is Ghost-Dark, so immunity to Normal, Fighting and Psychic… and resistance to Poison. Weakness: you said it had none before the Fairy type appeared."
Cherry paled.
"A Ghost Pokémon immune to Psychic attacks. We don't have a chance against it!"
"You do if your teammates know moves that aren't Normal, Fighting or Psychic. Aside from Poison and Fairy, any other type hurts it normally."
The girl clenched her fists.
"Good thing I trained Girafarig to have a wide power set. You said Spiritomb was weak to Fairy. I just happen to have the right attack against it."
"Dazzling Gleam, right?" Gary grinned "Umbreon knows Moonblast and Ash's Pikachu can take on Legendaries single-handedly. And Snubbull is pure Fairy herself. That Ghost doesn't stand a chance."
An old elf came to the group.
"You're out hunting that monster, right? Once it's down, please, bring it to us for study. Even though we can consult Sinnoh's database for information, having a live specimen of Ghost-Dark Pokémon at hand is still more practical." He looked at Silver. "That apart, is there another Pokémon with the same typing?"
"Yes, Sableye. It is however weaker and less evil than Spiritomb, and it lives in Hoenn. Not that hard to put down with the right attacks. Spiritomb is more challenging."
"Thank you."
As soon as Girafaric and Misdreavus were healed, the group entered the forest. The poor man had given them where he had met the beast. Now the six were walking under the trees, watching every shadow. Night was falling, significantly reducing visibility. It didn't matter. Houndour and Snubbull had a keen smell, Gary could sense minds and Silver and Ash had Aura Sensing and Vision. Navigating was a walk in the park, especially with Umbreon using Flash as a flashlight. Gary and Ash stopped at the same time.
"At ten o'clock, three persons. I can sense Aura in them. It feels like Flying."
The whole group tensed and carefully walked toward a clearing and stopped when they saw the three men Ash had sensed. The trio was made of two men and a woman, all dressed in black pants, red and white shoes and jackets, and fingerless black gloves. They had a white belt on their waist containing something Silver recognized as a Capture Styler. Their most striking trait, however, was the long and slim blonde monkey tail that came from the bottom of their back. They were sitting against a tree, their clothes messed up and one of them spotting a rather nasty-looking wound on the leg the other man was bandaging. Silver raised a brow.
"Pokémon Rangers? I knew they had a base in Johto but I didn't expect to find them here."
One of the men turned to the group. Ash noticed his pupil shutting to a slit, just like a feline. All three were blonde and spotted the same green eyes.
"We know it's a bit out of our usual area." The man winced. "But we were hunting a Pokémon Poacher who was after a Shiny Noctowl. We didn't expect our hunt would lead us face to face with a Spiritomb."
"End result:" The woman sighed. "We lost the Poacher and got a beating as a result. Remind me why I hate Ghost Pokémon…"
"Especially those with three immunities." The last man grinned. "Still, you got out of it quite nicely, Oxella. Unlike Wydel."
"Shut up, Zatli! Between that Poacher and that Spiritomb, Natla will be furious if we return with our tail between our legs. By the Goddess, what is a Spiritomb doing in Johto anyway? I thought you found them in Sinnoh!"
"If this can help you…" Silver grinned. "A Psychic from the local village met with that beast and we offered to take it down. We were asked to bring it back to them."
The three Rangers looked at one another.
"Works for me." Zatli nodded. "That Pokémon is fierce, though. You better be ready for one hell of a fight if you're up against that thing."
"We'll stay here until Wydel recovers." Oxella nodded. "Maybe we'll stay for the night. Come to see us once you got that monster. We may need your help with the poacher if Wydel hasn't recovered by then. If you don't mind, of course."
"Not at all." Ash grinned. "By the way, you're like Silver."
Wydel smiled.
"You noticed, huh? Yeah, we're not human. We are tree-walkers. Our kind usually lives in woodlands, hence the tail, slit pupils and second lid that acts as an infrared filter. Your friend must be a half-breed."
Gary, Cherry, Misty and Brock looked at one another.
"…You are Ancients, right?"
"Our ancestors were." Oxella shook her head. "We were born in this world."
"We also have descendants of Ancients in our village." Cherry smiled. "Elves, to be exact."
"Oh."
Silver looked at the sky.
"If my memory serves me well, during the Mergence, the part of Ea that landed in Johto corresponds to the border between Aldaest and the Elvan Confederation. Aldaest was the kingdom of the tree-walkers. I think parts of the Ilex Forest actually belong to it, and at least one major city was built on the ruins of an elvan town. Now, if I could remember whether it was Tasogare or another…"
They were interrupted by rustling. Everyone tensed and looked around. They were in the area the Spiritomb was prowling in. All readied an attack and the three Rangers set their Styler. There were whispers along the leaves, giggling and laughter. The fur on Silver's tail stood.
"Ghosts!"
Dozen upon dozen of Ghost Pokémon emerged from the cover of the woods. Ash didn't have to ask their intention. They were all looking dangerously at the two groups. The boy gulped.
"This will not end well."
Silver turned to Cherry.
"Ghastly and its evolutions are part Poison! Girafarig's attacks should get rid of the!"
"Got it!" The girl nodded. "And because Girafarig is half-Normal, Ghost attacks don't affect him. That's why I chose him as my partner."
The Ancient had to comment on the girl's cleverness. Ghastly, Haunter and Gengar, Misdreavus and Mismagius, Shuppet and Branette, Drifbloon and Drifblim, Duskull, Dusklops and Dusknoir. An entire army of Ghost Pokémon, no doubt commandeered from afar by Spiritomb.
Houndour bared his fangs. He didn't like these odds, and neither did Misdreavus. Umbreon was more focused on keeping them away from Gary. One by one, the team's Pokémon emerged. Ledian clenched his fists. Ghosts unfortunately resisted Bug moves. Alakazam frowned deeply. He would have to go all out. Blastoise, on the other hand, didn't worry. He was confident in his ability to take dozens of them in one go.
Silver's teammates didn't worry either. They had seen worse odds. Blade, the little Oshawott, even seemed excited at the prospect of facing an entire army. He drew his scalchop and swung it in defiance. Lya smiled. The kid had definite potential.
Misty's teammates gathered around her. Vaporeon made a bubble of water for Seaking so the lady could fight more efficiently, and made another for Misty to control via the Tide Pendant. Better bring all assets on their side.
Brock's teammates were just as nervous. Onix glared adamantly at the Ghosts, imitated by Pineco. Zubat flew on her Trainer's head. Brock could feel her shiver as Stantler hid in his back. The Pokémon was young and lacked in combat experience. The Breeder in training caressed him reassuringly. Being Normal, he didn't have much to fear. Kabutops rubbed his scythes together. The moment the Ghosts made a move would be the time to dance.
While little Soul Weaver hid in his backpack, Ash took his crystal flute and nodded at Totodile. The blue crocodile gave him a wink. Cyndaquil was not happy at seeing the army. It would end in tears, he didn't need to be a Typhlosion to know it. Chikorita's leaf was slightly glowing as she readied her favorite attack. The army didn't scare her. It was just another trial to prove her strength as Ash's partner. Heracross looked at her and smiled. He was at a serious disadvantage, but it didn't matter. "Impossible" was just a word and he had seen this kind of odds before. Facing a dream-born Legendary was much harder than fighting an army that was immune to one of your type and resistant to the other. Fraxure growled and snarled. If the Ghosts wanted to hurt his father, they would quickly find out why Dragons were considered the mightiest Pokémon of all.
'Bring it.' He thought. 'It's time to make Daddy proud.'
Pikachu could feel the electric energy course through his body. Sparks ran on his cheeks and over his fur. He had faced Legendaries before. An army meant nothing to him. The Ghosts looked at the group… and charged.
(Play The 13th Struggle, from Kingdom Hearts)
Cherry jumped on Giragfarig's back and charged toward the mass, telekinetically flinging Ghosts left and right against trees and in bushes. Girafarig's head was casting Psybeam everywhere while its head was covering them by chomping any Ghost that came too close. Down the tree they had sat, Oxella focused and created a small repulsive whirlwind around her and her friends to keep the Ghosts away. Fortunately, the monsters were more focused on the group, whose Pokémon were cutting large swathes in the black and purple mass. And, indeed, from Onix to Blastoise, the group's teammates were demonstrating where they had gotten their fearsome reputation. Onix's Stone Edge was sending a rain of stone splinters while Kabutops was dancing in the mass, his scythes slicing and dicing any Ghost that came to close. Vulpix and Pineco were firing blindly, not bothering to see if they were hitting something as Zubat and Stantler Astonished or Confused the Ghosts that came too close to Brock for their comfort.
Misty and her team were flooding the area with their attacks, chaining Water Pulse after Hydro Pump. Blitz turned to Heracross and gestured toward the area. The zebra's horn crackled with lightning. Heracross nodded and cast Protect over the seven, right as the Zebstrika's Thunderbolt hit the place. Any Ghost in the damp-filled area was shocked to death. Misty flashed them a thumb-up. While Lya, Gaya and Espera were firing in the crowd, Riyo was dancing sword in hand, his eye on little Blade.
The Oshawott, far from being terrified by the Ghosts, was dancing among them, scalchop in hand. Up, down, left, right, slash, jump, twirl, stab without respite. He could feel the energy growing in him. Never had he felt so good before. His body started glowing.
"Osha…"
He jumped as the light engulfed him and landed straight on a Drifblim he sent flying. The glow faded when he landed, revealing a dark blue belt of fur around his waist while a second scalchop was in his hand.
"Ott-ott."
Riyo smiled. Blade was now a Dewott who lost no time abusing his new dual-wielding to slice through the crowd.
Misdreavus was flinging Will-O-Wisp everywhere, setting fire to any Ghost that came too close while Alakazam was juggling with Shadow Balls like an expert. Blastoise was having a blast hitting his opponents with pressurized water bursts. He was laughing his head off, covering the frailer Ledian who kept a constant Silver Wind flowing across the clearing. It didn't hurt the Ghosts too much, but it disturbed them. Houndour and Umbreon were fighting side by side, chaining Bite and Dark Pulse to keep the horde at bay. Umbreon grinned as a yellow flash ran across the battlefield.
Pikachu ran like a Pokémon possessed. Cloaked in lightning, he was faster than any Ghosts, a fleeting yellow flash that hit in a blink and was gone the next. Heracross grinned at the sight and kept his Protect around Ash as the boy played his crystal flute. Totodile and Snubbull could hear the melody loud and clear and were fighting in rhythm. Their particular style made them very tricky to fight, even for Ghosts. Totodile Bit a Shuppet and flung it to Snubbull who Crunched it, shook it and threw it to a Dusclops. The two waltzed back to back before spinning. Totodile breathed a Water Gun while Snubbull jumped on a Branette and Played Rough. Her leaf glowing a vivid green, Chikorita was swinging her head left and right in gleeful rage. She was pumped up, tearing any Ghost to ribbon. Gengar? Down. Mismagius? What do I care? Drifblim? Piece of cake. Fraxure was a little colder and more meticulous as he moved, but he was still lethally efficient. His Dual Chop took several Ghosts at the same time and the Dusknoir that rose to challenge him took a face full of unrestrained Dragon Pulse almost as a backhand. After half an hour of intense fight, the horde began to recede. The group breathed.
"Now, that's what I call a fight." Cherry wiped her forehead. "I thought I was caught in the old battles of yore. It feels strange."
"Fighting Rocket Rebels isn't really different." Ash shook his head. "Except there was a lot of Ghosts. Wonder where's their boss."
He didn't have to wait long.
(Play Challenge, from Final Fantasy X)
A shadow snuck from the bushes and struck Cherry and Girafarig at lightning speed. The two fell unconscious. The trio of tree-walkers gasped.
"That's him!"
A burst of purple wind sent them flying. The group gathered, back to back. Shadow Sneak and Ominous Wind. The Spiritomb was there. Before anyone could react, the shadows took down Misty's team. One hit each, that was all it took. Next to fall was Brock. The shadows ran… then, at the last moment, a blow from the dark struck everyone of them. Sucker Punch. Gary hissed.
"What in the Reverse World is that thing!?"
"Spiritomb are usually rather slow." Silver hissed through his teeth. "This one is not like the others."
A violent hiss came from a bush and the shadows reappeared darker than before. Whatever Gary had said, it had angered the monster. Heracross quickly set a Protect after Silver threw a spike of ice in the bushes. The shadows emerged, this time from everywhere. Heracross's eyes widened. He wouldn't be able to Protect them all. He didn't have to worry about it as the shadows knocked him out. Alakazam, Houndour, Ledian and Misdreavus fell next, followed by Blade, Gaya, Espera and Blitz. Totodile and Cyndaquil were caught as well, but Fraxure managed to launch a Dual Chop at the shadow who backed away. Then it snuck in his back and Sucker Punched him. Ash was tempted to summon the Heart Flute and magically give the Ghost a piece of his mind when a beam of red light hit a spot in the bushes. What followed was a furious shriek, followed by the Spiritomb emerging and something flying away. Silver recognized the move.
"Foresight! It makes Ghosts vulnerable to Normal and Fighting types!"
Which, in Ash's mind, meant Aura now worked against the beast. He cleared his throat, catching the Ghost's attention. Spiritomb turned… and gulped at the sight of Ash adjusting his gloves, his eyes glowing blue. Gary's eyes weren't glowing, but they were casting the beast a fierce glare. Finally, Silver's icy eyes would have frozen a tidal wave. And it was nothing compared to the murderous intent coming from Snubbull, Umbreon, Blastoise, Lya, Riyo, Pikachu and Chikorita. Gary snapped his fingers and the seven lunged at the Ghost.
Spiritomb moved to avoid the angry swings of Chikorita's Leaf Blade. The girl was swearing in Pokémon language and, somehow, Ash was glad he couldn't understand it. Riyo could, and their vulgarity was almost too distracting.
'Seriously…' The Lucario thought. 'Who is the Slowpoke moron who taught them those words? I hope Ash doesn't learn our language before she cleans her mouth!'
Chikorita hissed.
"Rita! Chikoko! Kori-tako! Korita! Chichi!"
The Spiritomb was so busy dodging the duo's attacks that he was almost caught by Lya's fangs. The Ghost dashed, jumped out of Umbreon's way, threw a Dark Pulse to counter Blastoise's Hydro Pump and was floored by Pikachu's Electro Ball. Snubbull ran and gave it the fiercest beating a Fairy like her could. The other six gladly followed with Hydro Cannon, Thunder, Energy Ball, Aura Sphere, Overheat and Moonblast. It didn't rise.
(End music)
Ash sighed.
"Well, that was a fight."
"I wonder which part of Hell that monster emerged." Silver frowned. "That wasn't an ordinary Spiritomb."
Gary returned his partners and turned to the others.
"Right now, Misty, Brock and Cherry are unconscious, and so are the Rangers. We'll have to take care of them."
"Not really a problem."
While Silver prepared a campfire, Gary and Ash returned their friends' teammates, bandaged their wounds and lay them comfortably. Fortunately, Misty and Brock had just been knocked out and awoke pretty soon.
"Ugh… What happened?" Misty groaned.
Silver showed them the Spiritomb he had encased in ice.
"We got him."
"Good. I feel like taking a long nap."
"Me too." Brock stretched. "Fighting that Ghost army was tiresome."
Cherry stirred and opened her eyes.
"…What happened?"
"The Spiritomb is defeated." Ash smiled. "You can take it to your village."
"Given how fierce it was, I don't really like the idea of exposing the others to that kind of monster." The girl retorted.
She had barely finished speaking that a large shadow passed over them. The group froze.
"Not another one…"
Ash tensed. He could sense Ghost in the incoming Pokémon, but not only. There was Dragon along. A ghostly dragon…
"Giratina?"
The guardian of the Reverse World appeared in front of the group. Cherry recoiled at the sight.
"A Ghost-Dragon Pokémon! We're going to die!"
"We won't." Ash retorted. "Giratina is a benevolent Legendary. What do we owe, Lord of the Reverse World?"
The dragon lowered his head, then turned to the Spiritomb. Cherry nodded.
"That thing is pure evil. You can take it. I doubt anyone in my village would be able to tame it."
To everyone's surprise, Giratina turned to her. His mouth opened, revealing a lavender gem in which was engraved a glyph. Silver's eyes widened.
"A ward! I heard of them before. They are magical stones that render some types absolutely powerless." He looked at the symbol. "This one is a Ghost ward. Any Ghost nearing it will become harmless."
Giratina made a nudging gesture with its head. Misty smiled.
"I think it's for you. Your village often has problems with Ghosts, right? With them, they will be harmless the moment they step in it."
Cherry took the ward and looked at Giratina. The dragon made a purring sound and lifted the block of ice, then disappeared in the sky. Silver smiled.
"Sounds like a fair trade to me."
The girl quietly nodded and pocketed the item. A rustle came from a tree, causing Misty to groan.
"Don't tell me that's another Ghost!"
Instead, an ochre-colored owl appeared on a branch. Silver looked at the three Rangers.
"What did they say they were after, already?"
. . . . .
He had watched the fight from afar. All six Trainers were powerful in their own right, from the Psychic girl to the black-haired flutist. From his spot, he looked as they defeated an entire army of Ghost Pokémon. Impressive. That kind of strength could keep him safe from the poachers who were after his shiny feathers.
He sighed. Shiny and short, even to Noctowl standard. There were days he was tempted to loathe his look. But he was smart. Verily so. His name wasn't Little Wisdom for nothing, after all. When he saw the Spiritomb defeat most of the group, he knew it was his time to move. He could see the monster hidden in the bushes. A swift Foresight to make it vulnerable… and the Ghost was rushing after him, royally pissed off. But it was nothing compared to the epic glare the remaining members of the group gave him. Even a Legendary would have been frightened. Then he saw the flutist's eyes glow blue. Aura. The boy was an Aura Guardian. As the group's Pokémon made short work of the Spiritomb, he tried to feel the boy's heart. Flutist and Aura manipulator? What were the odds of the boy being a Chosen One?
They set their camp and Giratina appeared, the Watcher of Dimensions. The boy knew the Legendary, given the way he talked about it. Add knowledge of the Gods to the list and he was starting to genuinely believe the boy was one of the Chosen Duo. As soon as the Dragon left, he revealed himself and flew to the group.
As he came to the young flutist, he felt the warmth of a golden heart…
I. AM. BACK! Hello, everybody. It looks like I was missed. Sorry, that chapter wasn't easy to write and I had caught the Worm-mania. Took me awhile to get rid of it, but it's alright, now. No more "masochist read" for me. I'm back to the solid values that are YuGiOh and Pokémon. Damn, is that superhero universe dark! Imagine Games of Thrones with superpowers...
A little advice for those who are considering posting at Spacebattles or Sufficient Velocity: make sure your writting is good, because the critics are merciless. My best wasn't enough to satisfy them, to the point I was starting to doubt my skills even more than usual... and I'm already a rather harsh critic of my work. So, if you think about posting on these sites, trust me and be careful. They are harsh, and I think a bit insane... (That part was self-admitted from them).
To our reviewers...
- xKronikPrimexDragonx: this chapter started like an ordinary day and ended with the gang fighting a litteral Ghost army. How is that for escalating, Sir?
- Partsu: I know who you're thinking about. You're guessing wrong. And the Silver Soul won't appear until after Hoenn. Also, this story already has a TV Tropes page.
- Nightshadegirl: definitely. The Legendaries aren't insane.
- Birdy1210: these are the changes. Did you enjoy them?
- Siggimondo: Delia is Ash's mother. What did you think? And Ash knows how strong he is, but his enemies don't. It won't end well for them. Yes, Entei is less broken. Mainly because the Legendaries don't want a Legendary to be stronger than them, even in a dream. ...I think I'll keep this name for now. Little Molly may dream big, but Ash's dreams are more realistic... and he knows his limits. Not the very best... I'd say it depends which fandom we're talking about. I'm dead serious on this. Just ask the Worm readers. And start watching the fourth movie, it's the next chapter. ;-)
- MidnightHunter563: the sequel to the fourth movie will also involve time-travel... in the other way. And thanks for the wishes.
- MidnightFenrir: Tu as parfaitement raison de t'inquiéter étant donné ce que j'ai fais de ce chapitre... Holà, pas habituée à écrire en français sur ce site!
- ultima-owner: Legendaries definitely don't think the same way we do.
- Sj929: the story is called Legends of Johto. And Ash is the Chosen One. He is the go-to guy whenever they have a problem, regardless who's around him. Your character description already defines me quite well. I've been through sh*t and I don't want anyone else to feel the same, even fake characters. May be why I got a problem with Worm...
That's all for now. Next chapter is the fourth movie. See you soon!