"… And that's all I can remember," the woman mumbled, rubbing her eyes wearily.
"Wow," Mira awed, utterly amazed. "You took out all those jerks by yourself?"
"Pretty much," Cheryl replied somberly. She both feared and despised Team Galactic, but the thought of losing control like that… perhaps even killing some of them, struck a nerve in Cheryl. She had such power now, but could she use it responsibly?
'Interesting,' Riley thought to himself. Then it appears I'm not the only unusual one around here…'
"Say, Cheryl?" he questioned.
"Mmm?"
"Earlier, you mentioned something about the Moss Rock?"
"The Moss Rock… Oh, no," the green-haired woman muttered. "No, no, no…"
"What? What's wrong?" Mira asked innocently.
"Team Galactic might still be after it!" Cheryl exclaimed, rising from her chair. "You both encountered them along the path to Eterna City, right? They could still be lurking in the forest!"
"Now, hold on there, Cheryl," Riley spoke, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a stone. "Would this be the Moss Rock in question?"
"What… No, that couldn't possibly be it!"
"What? Why?"
"The Moss Rock is much larger, too large to be moved by a human! Besides, it's typically said to be covered in cool-to-the-touch moss," Cheryl explained. "This little rock is bare."
"Well, it's all we found," Mira shrugged, glancing at the rock. After hearing the green-haired woman's description, this looked like a pebble in comparison to the alleged mossy boulder.
"Cheryl, you said you felt power emanating from the rock when you fell on it, right?"
"Yes… It was… Oddly refreshing."
"Hmm," Riley mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "And then you discovered you could manipulate the nearby plant life?"
"In truth, I felt as if the plant life was manipulating me,' Cheryl admitted bashfully, rubbing her arm. Riley took note of how strangely adorable the woman before him appeared and felt blood rush to his cheeks, but he quickly fought it off and continued.
"I see… Well, going off of what you told us, it looks like there's only one logical explanation for all of this. The Moss Rock chose you, Cheryl."
"What…? What do you mean?"
"The Moss Rock must have sensed that you were in danger and gave you its power so that you would survive," the man in the blue suit reasoned. "Don't you see? The Moss Rock – and by extension, the forest itself – was trying to protect you!"
Cheryl blinked in realization. "You… You think so?"
"I know so," Riley claimed, giving her a warm smile. "It might not seem like it now, but you have a gift. How you use it is entirely up to you, but remember – with great power comes great responsibility."
"… You're right," the viridian-haired lady agreed, returning the smile. "I just have to learn how to be great… and responsible."
"Ahaha, well you've certainly been great company so far."
An awkward silence filled the air as both adults began fiddling with their hair and clothing, trying to think of something else to say. Ordinarily, little Mira would have said something by now, but upon looking around, Cheryl and Riley could see that the girl was nowhere to be found.
"Mira?" Riley called out. "Mira? Where'd you go?"
"She must have gotten bored and wandered off… We should find her soon. This chateau is giving me the creeps…"
"Right. I'll check the kitchen, could you look for her upstairs?"
"Certainly," Cheryl replied.
The two split up immediately to begin their search for their friend, unaware that Mira herself was going to experience something that would change her life forever.
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Mira sighed as she wandered the empty halls of the Old Chateau. She was grateful that Cheryl was okay and that she got along well with Riley, but seeing them together made her feel somewhat lonely. Mira wanted someone her age that she could talk to and be friends with. Heck, they didn't even have to be human!
"I miss Kadabra," the girl sniffed. Indeed, the Psyshic-type Pokémon had simply disappeared one day. Mira's mother told her that Kadabra must have run away, but Mira knew better. Kadabra loved Mira, but her mother hated the idea of her daughter growing up to be a Pokémon Trainer.
"She probably sold him…"
Mira continued to walk through the halls until she noticed light flickering from an open door. Upon reaching the door, the girl paused.
'Should I really…?'
Mira looked back and forth for a few seconds before cautiously slipping through the doorway and into the room. The room was rather run-down, as was the rest of the mansion, and old journals and the like were strewn about everywhere. But what had really caught the girl's attention was the TV sitting in the back of the room, flickering on and off rhythmically. Being the curious child she was, Mira felt compelled to walk forwards and reach out towards the TV screen, the flickering increasing dangerously as she moved closer. Finally, Mira reached her hand out so that it was only a few inches away from the screen, which had now taken on a strange orange glow. She could feel the heat and electricity emanating from the TV, but she didn't care. Suddenly, two blue ovals appeared on the now static-y screen.
"Wha…?"
Before she could even blink, a powerful surge of electricity coursed through Mira's small frame, rendering her unconscious almost immediately. As she slumped to the floor, the TV's static increased tenfold until the appliance shut off entirely, seemingly drained of its power.
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Riley breathed slowly as he crept through the kitchen and into the chateau's dining hall. He knew that the abandoned mansion usually harbored at least a few Ghost-types, but he sensed something else in the room. At last, Riley could see the faint figure of an elderly man on the other side of the dining table, nervously setting plates.
'Strange,' he thought. 'I hadn't detected his aura…'
"Excuse me, sir? Are you alright?" the younger man asked.
"Busy, busy, so busy… Mustn't disappoint the young Master…"
Now Riley was confused. "Uh, hello? Sir?"
The man continued to ignore Riley, making sure each and every salad fork was in its proper place. Riley sighed in frustration, getting the feeling that this man was either incredibly dedicated to his job… or was incredibly hard of hearing. Riley was about to leave when the sound of a shattering plate reached his ears. Turning around swiftly, he saw that the elderly man was now fretting over a plate that had indeed shattered upon hitting the ground.
"No, no, this will never do… I'll have to do better…"
Suddenly, the man began to levitate off of the ground and passed through a nearby wall, likely going to retrieve a broom. Riley only looked after him in slight surprise. Although, considering the many things Riley had seen in his twenty-four years of life, he shouldn't have been too shocked that human ghosts existed.
"Right," he muttered. "I better regroup with Cheryl and find Mira-"
Suddenly, a loud scream was heard from upstairs, snapping Riley out of his thoughts. Without thinking, the man immediately sprinted through the nearest doorway until he was in the main hall. Running up the stairs, Riley could feel his heart and thoughts racing as he called out to his companions.
"Mira! Cheryl! Where are you!?"
"Riley! We… We're in here!"
Rushing past multiple doors, Riley finally reached the one he thought he heard Cheryl's voice come from and nearly kicked the door down in his haste. Upon reaching the room, Riley saw something that made his stomach turn in both shock and fear. Cheryl was sitting on the floor, cradling an unconscious Mira, the young girl's veins flashing with an eerie orange-pink glow. The green-haired woman looked up at Riley, tears of fear and worry in her eyes. The combined sight of that and Mira's current state nearly drove Riley to tears as well as he kneeled down and placed a hand on Mira's forehead, noticing that she was burning up terribly. Mira's face contorted slightly in pain, her hands twitching uncontrollably.
"This is no good," Cheryl sniffed. "We've got to get her to a Pokémon Center, fast!"
"You're right," Riley nodded. "But what if Team Galactic is still blocking the path?"
"If push comes to shove, we shove them back!"
Without waiting, Cheryl stood up and ran out of the room and down the stairway, Riley close behind.
'Whatever happens, we gotta make it,' Riley thought to himself grimly. 'We gotta.'
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Hoo boy… Well that was a doozy. To be honest, this chapter kinda wrote itself and I'm sure it shows... ^^; Let me know through a review or PM about any questions/comments/concerns you may have. See you in the next chapter!