A/N: Welcome back! I know it's been a little over a month but here's a short chapter. I know I've kept you guys waiting for a while but this past month had been really busy for me with my girlfriend graduating from university and I was handling my own studies. Now that we're basically in summer and at the climax of this first introduction arc I should be able to update more frequently. I'm going to shoot for once every two weeks if I'm not too busy with work. But enough about me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I only own Shu and the rest of my OCs.
Chapter 3: Mystery of the Old Chateau
The wind blew through Shu's hair, flailing his tresses around his head as he zoomed through the forest in the back of a Jeep. The road was rather bumpy, causing the passengers to bounce on each rough patch. Sakumo sat in front with one hand clinging to the door and the other pressed against the dashboard to keep him from jumping too much out of his seat since the seatbelts barely held him down.
The driver laughed away at her shaken passenger as she kept one hand on her head to prevent her explorer's hat from flying away.
"Shouldn't you keep both hands on the wheel, Ayemi-san?" Sakumo asked.
"Nonsense Sakumo-san! I have everything perfectly under control! Besides, if I were to let go, who would hold onto my hat?" Her vibrant blue eyes gazed into the rear-view mirror. "Is your brother quite alright? He seems rather troubled."
"Y-yeah. He's just a little motion sick."
"I see."
Ayemi whipped around to face Shu and consoled him with a wide smile, "Not to worry, kid! We're almost there!"
She startled Shu, making him bury his back into the leather seat. From where he sat, she held a bit of a crazed look on her face but that's to be expected when his driver was not facing forward. Sakumo yelled out and covered his face, prompting the woman to turn forward. She spun the steering wheel to the left, narrowly avoided a tree in front of them. The car was practically on two wheels as it turned away from the tree. Ayemi turned the wheel all the way to its right to regain control, rocking her passengers left and right as she finally drove straight again. The brothers leaned their heads over the edge of the car ready to hurl. Ayemi simply laughed.
Several minutes later, they arrived at the front gates of the Old Chateau. Shu and Sakumo had their heads hanging over the edge of the car which made Ayemi chuckle as she parked and walked to the iron gate. Shu and Sakumo crawled out of her car and stumbled onto the grass as they slowly regained their motor function.
"Quit dilly-dallying you two!" Ayemi called as she unlocked the gate and pushed one side open.
Sakumo was the first to start walking towards her with Shu following behind hesitantly. The boy's feet became heavier with every step as he approached the mansion. For the first time, he took in its appearance from the broken wooden panels to the torn curtains that would flap through the shattered windows. The walls were adorned with graffiti of varying colors and vines that stretched from the base all the way to the roof.
"This place was ravaged by time."
Shu looked over at his brother who was staring up at the building.
Ayemi responded, "Yeah, the city doesn't do much of a job at maintaining it. It just recently acquired the deed to the manor since there is no surviving member of the Koto family."
"What about the daughter?"
"Last anyone heard about her was that she went to the Johto Region but no one has seen nor heard of her since. That was five years ago. The bank seized the house and no one wanted to buy it so the city just purchased it to begin reconstruction and make it a landmark."
"So why hasn't reconstruction began?"
"That's because no one wants to set foot in here...that is, except yours truly! I've been wanting to come here for months but my supervisor would always say that 'this isn't a pressing matter,'" She mocked her employer's voice making Sakumo chuckle. "That's why when you requested permission to explore the site I just had to come along!"
"Okay well, I promise we won't take too much time out of your day. You see, I'm actually an aide for Professor Rowan and I'm helping him build his library of information on pokemon."
"That's puzzling...why not explore the forest itself then? Unless...the stories about that ghost pokemon are true!"
Ayemi began jumping up and down uncontrollably so Sakumo had to hold her by the shoulders. She was a surprisingly tall young woman, standing just a couple inches shorter than him. Sakumo turned back to his little brother to find him biting his bottom lip.
He whispered into Ayemi's ear, "He says he saw the pokemon."
Ayemi's eyes widened and she pushed past Sakumo.
"You saw it?" she shouted?"
Sakumo threw up his hands.
"I whispered it for a reason."
Ayemi turned towards him and apologized sincerely before looking back at Shu.
"Yeah...I can show you where."
"Shu, if you don't want to go in you don't have to. You can just tell me exactly where and Ayemi-san and I can go."
The boy shook his head.
"No. I can go in, Sakumo."
Sakumo looked at his little brother. He seemed determined to do this so who was he to stop him?
"Alright, lead the way."
Ayemi inserted another key into the door and turned it, causing it to moan as it slowly swung open.
"You guys came back to lock it?" Shu asked.
Ayemi was puzzled.
"No, it's always locked."
"Was it not locked when you came?"
"I don't think so. I just pushed open the door and went inside and I didn't lock it on my way out either."
"That's strange," Ayemi muttered to herself. "I supposed this place really is haunted."
Shu tensed up and Sakumo blanked. How could she say that so casually after what he has just told her about Shu? She noticed and quickly began waving her hand in front of her awkward smiling face in an attempt to dismiss the thought.
"I'm sure it's nothing though."
Her fake laughter was painfully obvious.
Moving past it, Shu led them up the stairs and towards the hallway at the back of the room. When they reached the entrance to the hallway, Shu stopped in his tracks. There was nothing but silence as Sakumo and Ayemi watched him patiently - their flashlights beaming on his back.
Finally, Sakumo stepped forward to ask, "Shu...you good, man?"
Without turning around Shu nodded.
More time passed by leaving them in silence until Sakumo asked, "Do you need me to scout ahead?"
Shu shook his head and began walking forward again with the light from his poketch leading him. He could not hide his anxiety as he flashed the beam both ways before proceeding towards the room he woke up in. The sound of old floorboards moaning in agony rang throughout the entire manor. It was daunting when Shu had to walk through it by himself but in a group, it was just obnoxious racket.
The trio arrived at the door which left them in mystery. Preferring to stay on the safe side, Sakumo reached for a pokeball in his pocket. He tossed it gently into the air, releasing an indigo and violet colored bat in a flash of white light. For a second the entire hall was illuminated only to return to its somber darkness. The bat cried out upon appearing and flapped its wings to stay airborne.
Shu tensed up when Sakumo grabbed the doorknob. Noticing his brother's uneasiness, Sakumo commanded Echo to prepare a Swift attack. He twisted the doorknob and flung the door open making it slam against the wall. The flashlights roamed all over the room to find nothing but a still darkness.
"Echo, check it out."
The golbat flew into the room and circled inside only to land on the television on the opposite end. Sakumo led the others inside to inspect.
"Hate to break it to you but television aren't pokemon," Ayemi joked.
Shu looked directly at the television and walked toward it, ignoring her. He saw nothing on the screen but a beam of light surrounded by black. It was cold and lifeless. Shu reached out to touch the screen only to feel cold glass pressed against his fingertips.
Sakumo watched his brother intently - so intently that he failed to realize the little girl that stood between himself and Ayemi.
"You brought me so many new friends…"
They all turned to find a pale little girl in a bright golden dress standing among them. Her eyes were nothing more than two black holes. Her teeth were still small and slightly crooked as they shown through her smirk.
That voice. It sent Shu back to the day before. 'Do you want to play?' It was that same voice. He moved away from her, never losing her from his sight.
"W-where's Fukaze?!"
The little girl simply giggled before walking towards Shu. Sakumo stepped in front of her, only for the girl to continue right through him. It felt strange, almost as if some kind of liquid flowed through every cell in his body. He turned around to find the girl approaching Shu who was backed up against the wall.
"Echo, use Swift!"
The golbat's wings began glowing gold as it spread them apart and flapped once to launch a barrage of stars at the little girl. Sakumo felt no remorse. After all, this was no ordinary little girl. The normal-type attack flew right through her and smashed into the floor beside Sakumo. Despite trying to defend Shu, Echo could not bring himself to hurt the little girl so his attack merely dented and scratched the floor.
"Shu, run!"
The boy broke left but the girl was faster. She didn't even step to the side. Her whole body shifted without any actual movement so that she appeared right in front of him. As Shu peered into the girl's eyesockets he could see something in them. Like silver irises moving left and right almost like pendulums.
Just as she reached out to grab him, Shu's poketch lit up by itself and static formed around it before an orange ball surrounded by cyan-colored lightning shot out of the screen. It filled the room with light as it phased in and out of the walls, floor, and ceiling before making its final exit through the door and down the hall. The girl froze before turning around and chasing the lightning bolt out of the room.
The room went back to darkness, illuminated only by the flashlights.
"Well that must be our pokemon," Ayemi said under her breath.
Still wonderstruck, Shu slowly slid down the wall until he sat on the floor. Sakumo knelt down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Shu, you still with us? Are you okay, buddy?"
Sakumo could feel his brother trembling as he held the boy's face endearingly. He was beginning to regret bringing him there. He could barely make sense of what had just happened so how could he expect Shu to? Sakumo made the only rational decision that he could. He put Shu on his shoulders and went back to the entrance with Ayemi. Shu was silent the entire time and his body practically lifeless but his eyes never closed, not even to hydrate themselves.
When the trio reached the front door, they were met with a surprise. The door was locked. He tried to kick it down but it refused to budge. Sakumo and Ayemi tried the window but upon contact with the glass, a pink forcefield formed.
"Damn it!" Sakumo cursed.
"What is this?"
"This is a pokemon move. It's called Reflect. It's basically an energy shield made to withstand attacks from pokemon. We won't be able to break through it with brute force. Echo, use Swift!"
This time the barrier turned yellow when the stars collided with it.
"And this is Light Screen," he explained. "Someone put up two layers of defense. Whatever pokemon did this is incredibly powerful."
"Leaving so soon?"
Sakumo and Ayemi turned around to find an elderly man standing at a threshold underneath the balcony of the second floor. He was dressed in a dusty gray suit, white shirt, and red tie and he stood with poise and sophistication. His hands were held behind his back as he gazed forward.
"And who are you?" Sakumo asked.
"I am the butler here at the Koto manor."
"I-I'm sorry sir but no one has lived here in years," Ayemi responded.
Sakumo whispered to her, "I'm starting to think that this old dude and the little girl are ghosts."
"Like Gastly?"
"No, like actual spirits. I'd read that strange things happened here from city records but now I really think that this place is haunted."
"Please do tell me why, young master."
Sakumo and Ayemi jumped away from the old man. The city employee let out a loud scream from the scare. They had not even noticed him getting behind them. While still holding onto Shu, Sakumo grabbed Ayemi from the wrist and began running away from the man. Echo flew right behind them but made too much noise so Shu called him back into his pokeball.
They pushed chairs and dropped paintings in the dining room, scattered pots and pans in the kitchen, and knocked down a bust in the hallway as they tried to find a way out. Growing fatigued, Sakumo found refuge underneath a table in the library. The three huddled in a corner while Sakumo began fiddling with his poketch to call for help. He had the brightness turned down to its lowest and cuffed the wrist device with his hand to cover as much light as possible.
"Who are you contacting?" Ayemi asked. Her voice was barely audible.
Before Sakumo could answer, he heard movement nearby. Ayemi squeaked so Sakumo quickly covered her mouth to stifle her voice. They heard a soft groan follow shortly after so Sakumo flashed his light around the room until it landed on a deadly pale boy. Ayemi screamed in panic and rolled out from under the table. Sakumo backed himself and Shu away from the boy. Even Shu jolted slightly, finally becoming responsive again..
The boy recoiled and shielded his eyes. His breathing was strained and he looked slightly in pain. Sakumo assumed that the boy was starving based on his condition. Shu's eyes began to focus on him and he sprang forward.
"Fukaze!"
Shu quickly hugged his classmate, relieved that he was okay. Fukaze attempted to push him away but was too weak to do so. He squirmed in Shu's grasp, desperate to get out.
Fukaze asked, "W-what are you doing here, dope?"
"We came to rescue you!"
Fukaze scowled at him.
"You're the reason (pant) I'm here in the first place, idiot!"
"Yeah but doesn't this make up for it?"
Shu put an arm around Fukaze who tried to wiggle out from under it. Sakumo was glad to see that his brother was back to his cheery self but they had other things to worry about - like the old man standing at the entrance to the hallway. The man stared right at them with his hollow eyes as a disgusting smile stretched across his face.
"It's a pleasure to see that you've all gathered here." Without turning around, he called, "Lady Yuki, please come at once."
Everyone stood absolutely still in an eerie silence. The little girl from earlier phased through one of the walls and walked towards the old man.
"But I'm not done playing with Denki…"
The girl sounded sad, almost devastated and defeated. She stood next to the old man and the two waited in silence. The room was devoid of any sound. It was almost as if it was cut off from the rest of the world - practically in its own dimension. A faint clicking noise began to ring throughout the room. There was movement in the phantoms' hollow sockets. Shy recognized the familiar silver irises that swung back and forth in both of their eyes. Everyone stayed still until suddenly the floor began rumbling making Shu and the others stumble. Ayemi fell into Sakumo's arms and a weak Fukaze clung to Shu's shoulders for dear life.
Dirt began falling on the floor form the rising dirt walls all around them. When the floor stopped, it shook Shu and the others. Yuki and the old man were unaffected the entire way down - unshaken by the tremoring floor. Behind the two ghosts was a golden threshold with a torchlit path.
They turned around and began walking down the hall before the man turned slightly and said, "You will be coming with us, won't you?"
It was more of a command than a question. One that compelled them to follow. They saw no way out anyway but they made sure to keep their distance while following him through the dimly lit corridor. The darkness before them began to brighten as they walked into a large circular chamber with cylindrical columns and a torch on each one. At the opposite end of the room was something found only in nightmares.
A/N: And there you have Chapter 3! I know that there might be problems with the pacing and some might have a problem with my jumping back and forth in "perspective" between Shu and Sakumo but this is 3rd person perspective so I am allowed to tell you how all of the characters feel and what they do. In terms of the pacing, I was just trying to get to the good part so I didn't feel it necessary to explain anything further about the mansion or include any other scenes than what is provided. That's it for now! See you all next chapter!
