Well here is the new original chapter. Looking back, it has its origins really back towards the Aura Taker arc but in actuality things started to hint towards it during chapter 14 and it is now chapter 17. However that is not all. With my own OC taking a major role here as well as the mysterious encounter that Ash has had with this sort of thing back in Chapter 15, there is a lot of intricate mixing of storylines here.
However at the end of the day this is a new story in this AU, a darker tone compared towards the innocence that Pokémon provides for its viewers. But I guess it's very realistic in that with this new universe, there are that many ways for people to be twisted.
Yet that is just my ramble. I hope that you guys enjoy this new story and be glad to know that my OC provides the scope my more original material.
Enjoy.
Mr Question Mark
"I told you!" yelled Iris as the rain came down, holding up an Aura Platform over her head as she and the others ran in the rain. "I said that the weather was bad you little kid! Why didn't you listen to me?!"
"Alright already! You were right Iris! Can we just get out of this rain?!" Ash on the other hand had nothing of the sort, using his bag as a makeshift umbrella as he moved forward, looking all around him for some place that the group could go under in order to not be caught up in the rain any longer.
"I agree with Ash!" said Cilan as he followed the group with an Aura Platform over his head as well. "Before we have arguments, we should find somewhere undercover!" A fork was up in the road ahead and Ash turned towards the left down the muddy path that was left in order to head in the direction that they group had been heading anyway.
"Pikapi pika!" said Pikachu from his shoulder and Ash turned his head towards where Pikachu was pointing, Iris and Cilan slowing down as well, Axew coming out of Iris's hair now that they had stopped.
"What are yo-" said Iris as she turned, looking at the beaten sign that was on the corner of the fork that they had just come across. Ash passed her and went towards the sign, wiping water out of his eyes in order to have a better look at the sign.
"Hale….Mansion?" he asked, Cilan coming up next to him with his Aura Platform over his head in order to provide shelter as well.
"Ash, why don't we head up towards that mansion? It's the only thing that is right near us that will provide shelter until the downpour is over." Suggested Cilan and Ash nodded, looking towards the left of the fork in the road, noticing the steep hill that followed suite, the water from then rains coming down like a make-shift water slide, one that was filled with mud.
"We'll have to take the forest path in order to n-?!" said Ash however he was cut off as Iris grabbed the back of his shirt collar with an Aura Hand while also manipulating an Aura Platform at the same time. In the end, the range of abilities that Iris had at her arsenal and her ability to use them only emphasised the possibilities of having a high Aura Level.
"We don't have time for that! And since you are so stubborn in using your aura….." Pikachu had a bad feeling about what was to come, grabbing onto Ash's shoulder a bit tighter and Ash paled.
"We're taking the express route!"
Before Ash could even protest, Iris kicked off the ground with her feet glowing blue, mud and water spraying everywhere as she and Ash were practically launched up the mountain path at an immense speed. Cilan followed suite, the shapes of the two Aura users and the helpless Aura Zero zooming past all of the trees and each step only allowing one to advance rather than be stuck and pulled back by the forces of nature.
Rain splattered harshly against Ash's face, the fact that he was being dragged by the back of his collar not making things any safer as he tried hard to latch onto his bag. Once Pikachu had even almost slipped off and Axew had fallen out of Iris's hair only for it to grab Ash's face as they continued their ascent.
Seconds later, they made it to the top of the hill in despite the bad weather, Iris letting go of Ash's collar as he fell to his knees coughing and Axew quickly departing from his face as it leaped back into the safety of Iris's hair while both Iris and Cilan looked in wonder at the large mansion in front of them, Pikachu instead electing to help Ash.
Despite the lack of lighting, the mansion itself was large and imposing. It had five levels and the roof was large enough that it could have served as a sixth level, numerous windows covering the sides however lighting made it unable to one to see inside. The brickwork looked as though it had been done by a master craftsman and the entrance to the mansion itself needed one to climb marble steps.
Ash recovered from his coughing and looked at the mansion, eyes wide as he looked at it. "Could it be….?" He asked aloud and Iris and Cilan looked at him with strange glances.
"Do you know the people here Ash?" asked Cilan.
"I…think I might." Ash looked at the stairs, feeling a sense of familiarity coming from them. They looked exactly as they had when he had been in Johto, the stairs that had been there at the Hale mansion there. But if this was the same Hale….
Ash rushed towards the door, mud and water spraying upon his pants and he reached the door before knocking on it.
"Hello?" he asked. "Is there anyone there? H-" A bolt of lightning caused Ash to turn around in shock and the clap of thunder masked his words. Iris and Cilan looked around themselves, just as surprised as, with a creak, the door opened.
A man in around his sixties stood there, wearing old, grey clothing that seemed fit for a high class stockbroker and he looked straight at Ash, his face showing surprise at seeing the boy.
"M-Mr Ketchum!?" he asked in surprise.
Ash blinked as he looked at the man, before a name coming to his head, one that he had assumed that he had forgotten.
"David?" He asked the man and Iris and Cilan both looked at the butler with amazed expressions, one that Ash had known him on a name basis and two, that the butler had similarly called Ash 'Mr Ketchum'. [1]
"Ash, do you know him?" asked Cilan. Ash turned towards him and nodded.
"Yeah, there was this…um…incident when I was travelling in the Johto region and I met David there. How have you been?" asked Ash however Iris merely pushed him to the side, as Ash let out a yell of surprise.
"Sorry…..but can we come inside?" she asked as politely as she could. "The rain is kind of…."
Davis blinked a few times and then bowed in apology, opening the door to let the trainers in.
"I'm so sorry!" he said in apology. "It's just-" He trailed off as everyone made their way inside and into the dry mansion floor. Or rather, supposed to be dry.
A part of the carpet was already wet, something that Ash and the others did not waste time to drip on as they looked on the inside of the mansion.
The inside was almost as spectacular as the outside, the red carpet lined almost expertly along the ground, stairs leading up towards the higher floors in front on the group. Furthermore, doors were on the same floor that the group was on, on the left and right of the staircase itself, probably going further into the mansion.
A number of people were on the top of the staircase to the second floor, Ash seeing that there were 7 people there. Furthermore, there was someone also on the floor that Ash and his friends were on, however it was hard to see their face as they were looking away from them, towards a painting on the wall, Ash having a glance at it, eyes widening as he saw it.
The painting itself was something that Ash had seen before, or at least something similar. The sight of Ho-Oh and the burning of the Bell Tower was something that he had learnt about in Johto however it was what was on the painting itself that made him surprised.
Because scrawled along the entire painting were the words…..
HELP ME
Iris and Cilan also looked at the words and looked towards David however a shout from across the hall, at the top of the stairs made them look up.
"ASH!" In their sights, one of the people on the top of the stairs practically threw themselves from the stairs, travelling at high speed, before slamming into Ash's stomach. He made a gasping sound and fell to the floor, grabbing his stomach in pain before looking at the person that had slammed into him.
She was about his height, if not taller, and had a blue ribbon in her hair. She had wavy hair and wearing the same colour dress as the bow that was in her hair. Ash looked at the girl in shock as she looked up at him and stuttered the name that came to his mind.
"M-Molly?!" he practically shouted. She grinned as she looked at Ash, the body of what should have been at least a small six year old child instead being one that was around his age. Did kids…really grow up that fast? He had always heard is mother say that but…..she was telling the truth?!
Molly grinned as she looked at the boy that she had met back in Johto. "Yep! It's great to see you again! What are you doing here in Unova? What a-" She stopped as she felt something on her stomach, seeing Iris lift Molly on Ash's stomach with a frown on her face, aura circulating around her in response to her negative emotions.
"Ash? Who exactly is this kid who seems to be more of a kid than you?" she practically spat out the words and Ash wondered why she was being so harsh however Molly struggled and eventually was let down by Iris who was still frowning.
"Ash!? Who are these people? What happened to Misty and Brock?" she asked. Iris and Cilan turned towards Ash for an explanation however it seemed that he was more preoccupied with the girl that was called 'Molly'.
"Molly!" called another voice from the stairwell and everyone turned to see a man of middle age come towards them, followed by a woman who was wearing respectable clothes, the man wearing similar ones as well. "What have I told you about dealing with strangers? And especially with your forms?"
Molly hung her head as Ash stood up, turning to Pikachu who seemed to be just as perplexed towards the entire situation that he was. "Sorry Papa. But it's-"
"I know." He said as he came over quickly using his aura. "But can you truly express our thanks by tackling our guest like that?" The man smiled towards Ash before holding out a hand, Ash looking at it.
He smiled. "I want to thank you Ash for everything that you did while Molly was in trouble. Do…you remember me?"
Ash blinked before coming to a response. "AHHHHHHHH! M-Mr Hale? I think my mom showed me a picture after everything went down but you made it back from-"
Spencer Hale nodded. "Indeed. I returned after everything happened in Greenfield. My wife as well…." He turned towards the woman that was next to him and she gave a small curtsey.
"So…this is the Ash Ketchum that I heard so much about." Mrs. Hale rose an eyebrow as she looked towards him and Ash felt her gaze almost analysing him, an awkward feeling to say the least.
"Ash?" asked Cilan. "Would you introduce us?" he asked.
"Ah!" said Ash as he forgot to introduce his friends. "This is Mr Hale, Molly's father. Mr Hale, this is Iris and Cilan. They are travelling with me around the Unova region." Iris gave a small wave and a silent glare towards Molly.
Cilan stuck out a hand. "Spencer Hale I presume? I remember reading a paper that you did a while back on the Unown. I have to say that I found it incredibly intriguing. But I have to ask, what makes you think that the Unown are a joined consciousness rather than beings with individual thought?"
Spencer seemed to puff up in pride as Cilan asked his question. "Good question young man. Actually, well the thing is namely the U-"
Mrs. Hale cleared her throat and Spencer chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. Whenever I talk about my work I get kind of excited."
"Come to think about it, why are you here Mr Hale?" asked Ash.
The room became eerily quiet as everyone looked down at the ground and Ash felt uncomfortable in the silence. Was…there something that had to be said? Was there something wrong?
"Well….you see….." started Molly.
Spencer held out a hand and she stopped talking. He gave a soft smile towards them however there was something behind it that Ash felt was some kind of sadness. "Although I'm glad to meet you face to face once again, you certainly to have bad timing Ash. You see…." Spencer gave a sigh before shaking his head. "Never mind. But you and your friends are welcome to stay here as long as the storm blows over. You too as well." Said Spencer towards the boy that was looking at then painting however he did not even acknowledge that Spencer had said anything to him.
"Is there something wrong?" asked Ash. "Something like….." His eyes glanced towards the words of the painting as he silently brought the point forward and Spencer seemed to frown, aura circulating around him however the negative emotion that he was experiencing was unclear but from the dense nature of the aura, it was clear just how much those words affected him.
"Papa!" said Molly as she went over to her father's side. "Ash could help! Because when we were in Gree-"
"Molly." Her mother's words were sharp and quickly cut her off, Iris, Cilan and Ash looking at each other with strange glances however it was Iris that frowned as she looked at the picture.
"Axew…..do you feel it?" she asked, loud enough that Ash and Pikachu could hear, Cilan straining his ears and using his Aura Listening ability to listen in to what she was saying.
Axew came out of her hair and Molly looked at it with an eager glance however Axew's face went pale and it hid back inside Iris's hair.
"Axew Axew!" it said, almost fearfully and Iris shivered, as if in response towards what it had said.
"I was right. Ash, I really don't like it here. There's….something in the air. I don't like it." Ash frowned as he looked at her and turned towards the massive mansion.
"What are you talking about? There's nothing really out of place."
"I can just feel it alright! There's something….something here."
Cilan scoffed and put a hand towards his brow. "Don't tell me. It's your 'sixth' sense. Really, there is nothing to put basis upon something like that on this house." He turned towards Spencer and his family before bowing. "I apologise for Iris. She is somewhat…..mixed up between what is real and fiction."
"Hey!" shouted Iris as she went past Ash and into Cilan's face. "Just because there something that you can't explain doesn't mean that 'science' can merely downplay it!"
Cilan said nothing, sighing as he was clearly not giving an opinion on the matter, something that was also made by the person that was looking at the painting, Iris glaring over towards him with a stare that would have turned the aura circling around her due to her rage into a laser that would have pierced him.
"Come on you guys….." said Ash. "Pika Pikachu." Said his Pokémon similarly as he tried to break them apart from fighting. "I mean, Iris says there's something weird. Can't we just hold onto that until something says otherw-"
He began and Iris was looking at him with a smile on her face. He believed her! That in itself didn't change Cilan's opinion however it gave Iris a warm feeling within her chest despite the cold that she was feeling from the building. What was it? Why was there this feeling? What was-
However she stopped as Ash had never finished his sentence. Why had he stopped? She turned towards where he was looking, seeing the pale faces of the Hale family looking at her, Ash also seeing that the chef and the 3 butlers that were on the top of the stairs, looking at her with an amazed expression.
"H-How did you-" began Molly however it was Spencer that practically leaped towards Iris, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Are you- Are you the Exorcist?" he yelled at her, the negative emotions circling around at a denser rate than before, making it to see him. Iris's eyes went wide as soon as Spencer talked, Ash looking at him with shock as well. Cilan on the other hand seemed more amused if anything, however it quickly turned into a frown as he saw that Spencer was not joking.
"Wait. Mr Hale. What are you saying? Is…is there a real ghost in here?!" asked Iris as she began to tremble and look around in a frantic manner. Spencer on the other hand seemed to realise that he had spilled the beans and put a hand to his face.
"So…you are not them. But I can't understand. What made you-" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter." He looked at the group before sighing. "Your friend is right. We…have experienced some strange phenomenon in recent days. The reason that we are in Unova is-"
"Elton Hale." Said a voice in the hall and everyone turned towards the boy that was looking at the painting. "A member of the Aura Justice Department. The A. J. D." the boy turned towards the group, Ash and the others getting a good look at his face for the first time.
He wore glasses and his black hair was messy from the rain. Similarly, he wore many different black clothes, such as a blazer, long trousers, necktie and shoes. Even his hair was black. It seemed that the only things that were not black in the Western suit feel that he had was the white shirt that was untucked and the white socks that he was wearing.
He took off his glasses, putting them into his blazer and everyone looked at the eyes that seemed to scan everyone there. The right was blue, completely contrasted towards the crimson coloured one that looked as though it was blood itself.
"I saw something in Nacrene City, passed it off as coincidence. Hm, my mentor would have a field day with this." He said as he approached them.
"Mentor?" asked Mrs Hale as the boy approached, his height that around Cilan's and his age seemed to be around 16 or 17 from his looks. "Then, could you be-"
The boy shook his head before pointing to the roof above him. "Not literal mentor. Metaphoric. After all, Arceus who created the world does have his gaze set down on us and teaches us our lessons. However he does give me stuff." The boy chuckled and scratched his head. "Well I say give. Not really. More like involuntarily handed over."
"Don't you mean stealing?" said Iris as her expression deadpanned.
"Um…yes. I wouldn't put it like THAT though." The boy sighed before waving his hand in the air. "But there is a connection to Elton right?" Spencer nodded.
"At least, we think so. I mean, we came after his death and….." Molly grabbed her father's leg in concern and he patted her head.
"Hmmm…." Said the boy. "But then the question becomes is this an original phenomenon or something like what happened with the Nacrene City Museum….."
"Waitwaitwait." Said Ash. "The Nacrene City Museum? How do even know about-…..Wait? Are you that historian? That one that we called before actually going into the Museum that told us everything."
The boy looked up at them and titled his head. "Ah! So you must be those guys huh? Well? Did you let Yamask go?" he asked.
"Well yeah but-"
"Ash!" shouted Molly from the side and everyone turned to look at her. She blinked and tears started to form at the edges of her eyes. "Can you just….can you just…help Uncle Elton? His ghost….his ghost is in pain! He wants something but I can't help him. *sniff*." She wiped her face on her father's shirt and the boy shook his head.
"Right. This is no time to deal with things like that. Spencer, my milkshake will have to wait. Ash, Iris and Cilan was it?" The group nodded and before they could ask him for his name the boy spoke once again. "But Spencer, I do have a question before we talk about anything. You said something about forms to Molly. What exactly did you mean?"
Spencer seemed to pale even greater than when he thought that Iris was the Exorcist. Molly gripped her hand tighter on her father's clothes and even Mrs Hale seemed to tense up, the cool, collected woman suddenly growing anxious, something further emphasised by the fact that aura grew around them.
The boy sighed while the others merely looked at them in surprise.
"Pikachu pikapi?" asked Pikachu towards Ash however it seemed that he did not have an answer to whatever was going on.
"Well you see-"
"Spencer." Said the boy. "I have no idea when this Exorcist or Exorcists are arriving but one thing I know is that secrets are hardly something that serve well in a case like this. Whatever…..is 'haunting' your house most likely knows you. It's probably Elton or something related. So, the more we know about you, the more we can get to the bottom of things."
Spencer was silent and then gave Molly a small push. "Molly dear." He said. "Show them. Quickly before the Exorcists come."
"B-But Papa!" said Molly. She looked towards Ash, her eyes holding a fear that could not be hidden. However that was not the thought that filled Ash's mind. What was scaring Molly about him so much?
"Molly." Said Mrs Hale and Moly hung her head before nodding slowly. That instant, her body lit up with a blue glow, that made those not used to it to cover their eyes as the blue glow seemed to mould and change Molly. Like a clay sculpture it changed shape and went smaller, before seemed to gain some shape and the light dying down.
Ash, Pikachu, Iris and Cilan gaped as they saw the Molly Hale in front of them. No longer was she the girl that they had originally seen but rather the girl that Ash remembered seeing in Johto, small and timid looking. The boy on the other hand raised an eyebrow, putting on the glasses that he had put into his blazer. Molly on the other hand seemed to look down at the ground in shame.
"What….just happened?" asked Cilan as he looked towards Molly.
"We don't know." Said Spencer as he put a hand on Molly's head. "It all started after the Unown incident and Molly was complaining that we didn't treat her as equals so-"
"She morphed?" asked the boy and Spencer nodded. "Morphed I'd say into…..teenage form?" Ash's mind went back to the form that he had seen her in when Brock had challenged her to a battle and looked at Molly. Had…the effects of the Unown done something to her?
"Well, that's good." Said the boy as he bent down to Molly's eye level and although they were not close, he looked at her with his spectacled eyes. "It means that nothing here can be related towards Molly's ability."
Pikachu turned to the boy. "Pikachu?" it asked and Ash looked towards it as he understood probably what Pikachu was asking. He wanted to ask however it was the boy that spoke and nodded as he folded his arms.
"Hm. Ability. Morphing is something that is an aura ability. Extremely rare. Usually people with an extremely high level of aura can use it however even that takes training and patience. But I'd say that it would have to be given to her from an external source. Highly unstable given the fact that no one starts off with having an extremely high level of aura ability at her age or even at birth. Has anything….unusual happened to your daughter in the past year?" asked the boy, almost casually. Despite seeing the sight in front of him, it was like he had seen something like it before.
"Well…..A few months ago, my daughter got wrapped up with the Unown and they-"
"That would do it. Unown are pretty unstable in this dimension and their collective consciousness can throw someone's aura into whack when exposed in a strange way due to their dimension." The boy gave a yawn before rubbing his chin with his hand. "But…..could that be the reason why…" He trailed off and everyone stared at him and the boy simply stared at Spencer before asking his next question.
"When are the Exorcists actually arriving?" he asked.
"Well they sai-"
And there was a knock on the door.
"Well. Impeccable timing." Said the boy.
David let the doors open and three people came in, covering their heads with their Aura Platforms, followed by a Pokémon that was standing on its hind legs, things that were black as well as its paws which held a spikes coming from the back of them. However there was one thing that stuck out about it, the white sash that was tied around its forehead.
The Lucario walked into the room last and the three people that came in before dripped on the already wet carpet, probably made wet by the boy that had come in first in the first place.
There were two guys and a girl, one of the guys on the left on the group, a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, sporting a beard and a pair of jeans, sneakers and a long sleeved black jumper. He had short yellow hair that seemed to grow in all directions as well as orange coloured eyes. He did not look like an Exorcist at all, or at least what Ash had seen others look like.
The man in the middle was older, wearing wore formal clothes, a polo shirt and trousers that was similar to what the boy was wearing and his face was clean shaven, revealing that he was a man who was at least 30 or older. His hair was smoother than the younger man's a flat brown while his eyes were blue.
However the only girl of the group was on the right of the people that came in, a woman with long brown hair. She was wearing something like the younger man in terms of clothing and seemed to be around his age as well as well as the same orange coloured eyes.
All of them were panting save for Lucario and Spencer practically ran towards his guests in order to greet them.
"Thank goodness! Are you-" However he stopped as the older man turned towards him.
"Are you Spencer Hale?" He nodded in response and the man gave a sigh of relief. "Seriously man why did you build a mansion on a steep hill like that? No wonder we were delayed. We had to find the damn place." His tone was annoyed however the younger man let out a laugh.
"Well at least it got you some exercise." He joked towards the older man.
"Shut up Henry." Said the older man. He turned towards Spencer and then pointed towards the younger man. "This is Henry. Him and his wife Julia there are the Exorcists. However I'm from the AJD. I overlook their operations while they work. Call me Agent Harrington. I'm with the 'A' division."
"T-The 'A' division?!" yelled Cilan. "They are a rumour! There's no way that they actually exist!"
Harrington gave a glance towards Cilan and the others before frowning. "You never said that there would be guests Spencer." He said.
"Well, they are only here in order to get out of the rain." He replied. "I hope that they will not be a bother." Harrington shook his head and turned towards Lucario, speaking to it as it held a large backpack and Ash reached for his Pokédex in order to scan the Pokémon.
"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon. Thought to be the Pokémon that most in tune with their aura, researchers have debated whether or not it should be classified as a Legendary Pokémon. It has a large amount of aura abilities at its command and even Lucario with a low level of aura abilities can surpass your average Pokémon with medium level abilities."
"-over there." Said Agent Harrington and Lucario nodded, growling as it placed the backpack that it was carrying on the wall that it was closest to. The white sash that was tied around its head seemed to sway almost by itself and Harrington raised a hand and recalled the Pokémon into its Pokéball.
He turned and looked at everyone inside the hall. "So introductions." He said in a gruff voice.
"Ah. Well this is my daughter, Molly." Said Spencer as she stepped forward. "And my wife." Mrs Hale did the same thing and then did the same curtsey that she had in front of Ash and his friends. "And those are the rest of the staff that stayed behind." Ash saw that he indicated to the chef and the 3 butlers that were at the top of the stairs.
"And these are my guests." Spencer indicated towards the group.
"Hi!" said Ash, clearly the more comfortable of the group with the Exorcists, having had previous experience with them. "I'm Ash from Pallet Town in Kanto. And this is my best buddy, Pikachu!"
"Pi Pikachu!" said Pikachu from Ash's shoulder.
"I-I'm Iris." Said Iris as she stepped forward herself. "My Axew is also here but…..you can probably understand." Julia nodded and then it was time for Cilan to introduce himself.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Cilan, and I am a Pokémon Connoisseur. However I do find it strange that Exorcists would be here. I've never really come into contact with you so I find it hard to believe that unscientific things like ghosts exist."
Henry let out a chuckle before nodding. "Yeah. We get that sort of thing. And you are…..?" he asked the boy that had informed everyone about Molly's ability.
"Me? Just your everyday traveller. Nothing significant about me." He simply said. "However I do have to note something. Every Exorcist I've seen has a Lucario. Where are yours?"
Henry and Julia nodded before reaching for their own Pokéballs, throwing them into the air where a burst of light revealed two Lucarios, Henry's having a yellow sash tied around its head while Julia's hand an orange one tied around hers. The boy seemed to be impressed by them and it was Iris that voiced what she had to say.
"But why do you use a Lucario?" she asked as she came towards the Pokémon as she inspected them, as it was the first time that she was seeing them.
Cilan too stepped forward as he held out his palms, Ash using his Aura Perception to see that aura gathered at his palms and swirled around the Lucarios and their trainers, Cilan using his aura in order to determine the relationship that they had with their trainers. The aura disappeared within a second and Cilan nodded with an amused expression.
"Well, I certainly do have to say that both of your Lucarios are quite the match. Ah, like the unity of ingredients inside a recipe, the unity of Pokémon reflects the unity of their trainers due to marriage! They certainly are paired with their respective trainers almost perfectly!" He announced with spirit and Iris let out a groan as she listened to him.
"Why do we have to do this now?" she complained.
"Iris is right." Said Julia as she sneaked a glance towards the boy that had not identified himself. "We are here to do a job." Henry nodded and the both of them turned towards Spencer.
"So…can you explain what has been going on in recent times?" she asked.
Spencer nodded. "Well, it all started a few days ago, when we arrived in the Unova region. We had come because my….brother was killed in Nacrene City." He took a pause before speaking again. "Before we had even arrived, most of the staff had already left due to the fact that they had experienced this haunting. Then there was….." Spencer pointed towards the painting and the message was sent across. "And then we called you."
Henry nodded and looked towards Harrington. "Well? What do you think Harrington? Is it Elton?"
Harrington frowned and folded his arms before nodding. "Well….the most obvious case is this then. What about lingering thoughts?" Spencer titled his head towards Harrington as did everyone else there except for Ash and the boy. And it was Ash that spoke up.
"Um….in some cases, the reason why someone's aura can't move on is due to the fact that they have something that they have yet to do. It's called lingering thought because it is the last thought they have before…..Anyway, the more powerful the thought, the greater the ghost's power." The impressed expression from the Exorcists looked at him and Ash shook his hands in front of his face.
"It's nothing special! I've just dealt with this sort of thing before." He commented and he silently looked towards Pikachu who returned the look. Indeed they had dealt with things like this before however those memories were not pleasant in the least.
However it was Henry that nodded. "Ash is right. The deeper the thought that connects to the source of the ghost means that the greater the chance that it will have an effect on the physical environment. Such as….." Henry indicated towards the painting. "So when you last saw your brother, was there something that would have caused a lingering thought?"
Spencer looked towards his family however their lack of response provided an answer for Spencer. He shook his head towards Henry and Henry frowned, turning towards Harrington. "Alright then." he said. "I guess it would be standard protocol to handle this the usual way."
Harrington responded with a nod.
"Lucario." Said Henry and the one with the yellow sash nodded, with a "Car!" moved towards the bag that had been set down by Harrington's Lucario. It opened the contents, pulling out what looked to be a small candle and a table cloth.
Everyone looked at it in wonder and it was the unnamed boy that spoke up.
"A séance?" he asked. "Very…..old school." He commented and Julia looked over towards him.
"You know of it? It might be old school but more often than not, it gets the job done. Ever since 5 years ago when the amount of exorcisms that were needed in the world increased, séances have been used more and more. So can we get everyone a large room with a large table?" Julia asked towards Spencer.
The boy put up a hand and Harrington looked towards him with a raised eyebrow. "I'll pass on this one though. Séances need aura to make them work properly right? I'm awfully lacking in that field so I'll have to pass. Is that OK with you Spencer?" asked the boy.
Ash silently cheered inside. While you had participated in a séance before, he had needed to use Pikachu's aura in order to maintain the façade that he had aura. Of course, now that the boy had provided the opportunity, Ash could safely escape the situation where he needed to use Pikachu's aura needlessly.
Spencer nodded. "Sure thing. But-"
"I'll go as well." Said Ash. "I….have seen too many of these séances and I really want to check out this mansion."
Iris let out a sigh. "It's only a house Ash." She said in a mocking tone despite the situation. "You really are a little kid."
"What's wrong with wanting to check out the house?!" declared Ash defensively.
"Then, then, I'll go as well!" said Molly as she stuck up on of her hands. "I'll give Ash and Pikachu the grand tour!" Ash smiled proudly at her and Iris seemed to just be annoyed at the small girl's outburst.
Spencer nodded before turning towards Henry and Julia. "That's OK right?" No objections confirmed what Spencer was thinking and he indicated towards the staff that were still standing at the top of the stairs.
"But….what about my staff? Will they be needed? They really are not involved at all….."
Harrington frowned and put a hand to his chin. "Well, not really. I mean only around 6 people of needed to amplify the effects of it totally. With your family and the rest of us, that makes 5. So, we just need one more. After that, anyone can join in if they want to."
"Well then can I go?" asked Iris. "There is a ghost at the bottom of this and I'm going to make sure that I see that it gets put in a place of rest!" she declared.
On the other hand, Cilan only put a hand to his face. "Honestly….I find this hard to believe. However I am interested to say the least. So, is it OK if I participate in the séance as well?" asked Cilan. Whether or not it was to expose the supposed hoax that was supposed to be a séance or to identify the legitimacy of the séance itself was unidentified however it seemed that Cilan was honestly interested, something that surprised Ash.
Harrington nodded. "That in itself is fine. Spencer, can you take us to such a place?"
Spencer nodded. "Well there is a dining room on the third floor. We can go there." Yet before he left, he turned to the group of three that had decided to stay. "Oh! Do either of you have a mobile device or something?" he asked. The boy nodded and brought out the device, a flip-phone that looked as though it had suffered more damage than any phone should have. Molly also nodded and Ash only tilted his head wondering where the question coming from.
"Good. Molly, you know the number and tell both of them." Spencer made his way up the stairs and the staff had dispersed around the mansion while the boy, Ash and Molly were left on the lower floor.
"What was that about?" asked the boy as Molly moved towards Ash, hugging his left arm and leaning onto him as she brought out her phone. It was pink and looked as though it definitely belonged to a girl of her true age.
"This house is so big that you can get lost. So the number of phones around here can be called and then someone picks up. All you have to do is ask what floor that you are on after describing the surroundings and then POW! The way out will be said over the phone." She smiled and brought up a number of her phone, one that the boy looked at before typing into his own phone.
Still the boy turned and looked towards the painting before frowning. He looked back towards Ash. "So, you dealt with stuff like this before?" he asked. Ash nodded.
"Pikachu and I have been through a lot." He said as he scratched the chin of his partner, Pikachu letting out a "Chaaaaaaaaaaaaa" in pleasure. "How about you?"
"More than I'd like. And one thing that I could tell, and most likely that Harrington guy as well, is that you, Molly, are lying. Harrington saw how you twitched when being asked about lingering thoughts. So, what is it? What did you tell your uncle?"
Ash frowned and moved his hand in front of Molly. "What are you talking about? Molly said that she didn't have anything like that. Before and now, why are you picking on Molly?" He asked, frowning. Indeed the boy had pushed in order to have Molly reveal her forms and now it was happening again. What was the reason for his pushy nature?
The boy let out a sigh. "Ash, I would be surprised if she had told the truth. Think about it. Uncles are people that aren't your mum and dad, are people that you always look forward to meeting unless there is a great reason. I don't think that someone like Elton would harm Molly in anyway which makes me think that he treated her very well." Ash was silent as he looked at Molly who had gripped Ash's arm in response to the boy's words.
"Still, what makes you think that the reason that Elton's ghost is haunting here is because of Molly?" asked Ash. He knew exactly what Molly was feeling. He had seen someone exactly like it. She was thinking that it was her fault that Elton could not move on, that he was trapped and it was all because of her. It was her fault. However Ash knew better. There was no way that something like that could be done on purpose by Molly.
"I don't. There is no way." Said the boy immediately. "Do you actually believe that a child can cause such a reaction within someone's heart to make them linger even after death? If that was the case, the amount of exorcisms would have exploded not only 5 years ago but even further back. So no. Phenomenon like this is not your everyday occurrence though. But I do have to ask…..Molly. The last time you saw your uncle did you cut yourself? Or bleed and he helped you?"
Molly's eyes went wide as she looked towards the boy. "How did you-"
However she never finished as the boy clicked his tongue. "Damn. This…is bad." He folded his arms and tapped his foot on the ground before coming to a decision about something and turning towards the others.
"Alright. Ash, Pikachu, Molly…we're going ghost hunting."
The room itself was immense. The table that filled the room seemed to be the room itself and Iris and Cilan looked amazed at the mere expanse that the room was.
The table was long and rectangular and Henry seemed to be rather annoyed due to the fact that it was the case. Much like she had seen in the movies, it seemed that Iris was right in assuming that they had wanted a round table. However it did not seem to be hindering the use of their ability to start the séance.
Iris sat in one chair as she felt some movement in her hair, most likely from Axew, also judging from the fact that it poked its head out to have a look at what was going on. That feeling of pressure that had been present on the bottom floor was gone now however it was slightly there, still intimidating towards them.
"Axew…" it said and Iris patted the Pokémon on the head in order to comfort it as it looked at what was in front of Iris. Similarly like everyone else there was a blue handkerchief in front of them, along with a glass of water on both their left and right.
Cilan sat next to her and stared at the items before turning towards Henry who was sitting opposite him, Julia sitting to him. Incidentally, Spencer and his wife were at opposite ends of the tables, at the very end and Agent Harrington was sitting next to Spencer.
"Alright then now everyone." Said Henry, moving an Aura Hand towards the light switch of the room. "Now when I turn off the light, I want you to fuel your aura into the handkerchief. When we get a reaction from the ghost that is haunting this place, the water should react."
"Re…act?" asked Cilan.
"Yes." Said Harrington. "The water should freeze over and glow due to the aura that would be present in the ghost's form. Don't worry. It won't have any effect upon us." He assured him and Cilan let out an agreement.
Iris looked towards the handkerchief in front of her and placed her hands on it, everyone moving their hands similarly and following suit.
"Ready?" asked Henry to which everyone nodded. He moved the Aura Hand and turned off the light, a moment of darkness only filled with the sound of rain pattering against the window. However the next instant the room's darkness was lit up due to the glow of the aura that was gathering at the hands of the people there.
"Spirit who has been lingered back from the gates of the spirit world." A voice filled the room, eerily spooking although one could tell that it was Henry. "Inform us. Inform us of what we lack in understanding. Inform us of your pain, your suffering and teach us….."
"Teach us how to free you from this prison."
The entire room went cold as soon as Henry finished speaking and both Iris and Cilan looked towards the glasses that were next them, seeing them freeze over in reaction to…whatever was in the air with them. Iris felt a chill on her spine and she shivered.
Cilan on the other hand looked around him, sweat coming down his forehead. While he relied upon science in order to rationalise things around him, there was something….wrong about whatever was in the air. It just felt wrong. Although he did not believe in hunches, his gut was telling him that there was something wrong in the air with him.
"Spencer." Said Julia from wherever she was. "You need to speak."
Spencer stuttered with his words at being asked to speak in the situation that he was in however he found something to say.
"E….Elton? Is that you?"
There was no answer however there was movement in the air as if something….something was moving through the room and having a look at everyone that was there. Suddenly the door behind them, the entrance of the room let out a slam as the door was flung open, everyone turning into order to have a look to what had opened the door.
Yet at that same time, a flash of lightning filled everyone's vision, the sudden light in the darkness causing a momentary loss of sight, another slam of the door meaning that the door had once again been moved, closed from the rooms that were outside.
"Elton? Why…why are you doing this? What do you want? How…how can we help you?" asked Spencer.
A shape came in front of them, lighting up the roof with a strange blue glow. Everyone's eyes were drawn to it as they looked at it, a ghostly form that seemed to however. It had no face, no features that allowed one to distinguish what or who it was, only a figure of humanoid shape that hovered in the air. However, it turned what seemed to be a face and looked straight at Spencer.
And then it did something.
There was a ripping sound, almost like stitches on a piece of cloth ripping however this sound went on for a while, as the figure created a line on its 'face' that it could speak out of. The ripping sound continued and when the ripping sound had stopped it did one thing with that open mouth.
It let out a roar.
The glasses shattered and everyone moved their hands off the handkerchiefs and put them on their ears, the sound of Axew yelling out its name in order to prevent the sound of the creature from filling its ears completely. Then the roar stopped and the figure burst apart, similar to an Aura Burst that completely threw everyone back, the wall behind where Harrington and Cilan was sitting being blown apart as the occupants of the chairs that were in front of the walls being thrown into the wall, smashing into it and into the next room.
"CILAN!" yelled Iris in concern, looking right at where the figure had been, only to see a part of the ceiling that looked as though it had a large burn mark on it. What….had that thing been?
There was a groan from behind where Cilan had been and he came from the wall, a number of scratches on him and a cut of the side of his head to which a drop of blood came down, one that he merely wiped away. His face was white and he looked towards the spot where the creature had just been.
"What….was that?!" he blurted.
Iris looked towards the same location however it was something else that caught her attention. Henry and Julia sat up groggily and Iris went over towards where Harrington had fallen through, seeing that the room that he had fallen through but the entrance to said room was open.
"Henry! Julia!" she called. "Agent Harrington went after whatever it was!" Husband and wife looked at each other.
"Harrington knows what he's doing. We need to find it before it causes harm towards anything." Said Henry as he stood up, obviously still shaken.
"W-What do you mean?" asked Mrs Hale and Julia turned towards her.
"Well, it now has entered the physical realm. The séance has allowed there to be that link between the worlds….which means that it can now interact with this world."
"What do you mean?" asked Spencer his face raising. "Couldn't it already do that?! Did you not see the painting?"
"We're not talking about something small like that. I mean we're talking about serious damage towards anyone inside this household. I'm sorry Spencer but….whatever it is, whether it's Elton or not, this house is no longer safe."
Everyone's eyes went wide as they looked towards each other. If that was the case then the people who were in the room, who did not know what happened would be in the most danger. And those were-
"Molly!" cried Mrs Hale as she moved towards the door. "The staff as well!"
Yet there was one name that she did not say. However she didn't need to.
"ASH!" cried both Iris and Cilan as they ran outside the room in order to find their friend.
"So….what are we even looking for?" asked Ash as he led Molly by the hand as they followed the nameless boy.
He merely walked forward, holding a torch in his pocket in case the lights that were lighting up the hallways went out. "Well, the thing that we have to consider is that wherever this ghost is, it will probably want to go towards places that it already knows. Molly, was there some kind of place here that Elton, your uncle, was really familiar with?" he asked.
Molly shook her head. "Uncle Elton only visited here every now and then. But even then, he was friends with some of the staff here so he would only stay in the staff chambers that are on the first floor."
Ash and the boy looked at her. They were currently on the fourth floor after checking out the second floor with no luck of finding anything. Ash turned towards the boy.
"Well, that means that we need to head back down there." He said. "We'll need to have a talk with the staff then."
The boy nodded. "Well then, what was there? The chef and those 3 butlers as well as David right? Well then things should be pretty easy to handle with those there. But it also means that we can't get that much information about Elton from the staff that aren't here. The less information we have, then the less chance that we have that we will be able to make sure that Elton can move on."
Ash nodded and started to move past them however it was Molly that stopped him as well as Pikachu. The boy stopped as well due to the fact that Ash was stopped and the both of them looked towards the Pokémon and child.
"Pikapi….." said Pikachu with a look on its face that could only be concern.
"What is it Pikachu?" asked Ash as he looked at then partner that was on his shoulder. "We're only going-"
"No…Ash….." said Molly. "There were only 2 butlers as well as David. There are 3 butlers in total, not the 4 that you are talking about."
Ash frowned. "No Molly, that can't be right. There were 3 on the stairs when we were let in, David was standing at the door remember?"
"Pikachu pi." Said Pikachu as it looked towards Ash, shaking its head. "Pikapi pika." Ash's eyes went wide as he looked at both Molly and Pikachu and the nameless boy acted fast, bounding over and placing his hands on Molly's shoulder.
"Molly! Are you serious?! You only saw 2 butlers on the stairs?!" he said quickly. Molly seemed to be frightened at the sudden action however before she could say anything, the boy quickly looked over towards Ash.
"Ash! Do you have Aura Perception?! Or at least have used it once in your life?"
Ash slowly nodded and the boy's eyes widened before he let go of Molly, running a hand through his hair. "But that means- Damn it! It's already reached this stage? But h-" He paused and trailed off as he clenched his fist. "Of course! But this unstable environment means that its growth would only be accelerated!"
The boy spouted out words that did not make sense before turning towards Molly. "The butlers that were on the stairs, did you see any with beards?" he asked and Molly blinked a few times.
"Y-Yes I did."
"Moustaches?" he asked.
Molly once again confirmed.
The boy quickly turned towards Ash. "That's the one. You remember the butler that had no facial hair? That's the one that we're looking for! Check all of the floors! We have to find him before the séance finishes otherwise the acceleration will be maximised! The damage that could be done towards this dimension and this house would be immense after being left in that stage for too long." The boy started to take off however Ash called him back, the boy coming back with an annoyed look on his face, snatching Molly's phone out of her grip and calling the number with his own phone.
"We don't have time!" he yelled into the phone as he started to run towards the fifth floor. "Talk to me through this!" he disappeared from sight and Ash kept on moving through the fourth floor, Molly using her aura to make sure that she could keep up.
"What are we looking for?" asked Molly.
Ash turned back to her and Pikachu on his shoulder. "He's wearing the same clothes that David was wearing! His hair is brown and green eyes! Right?" Ash yelled into the phone as he looked into the closest room.
"Right! We only saw it in its early stages, the fact that we could use Aura Perception allowing us to see it in that stage!" came the answer on the phone as the sound of a door opening was heard.
"But I didn-" Lightning flashed outside and Ash stopped talking before continuing. "I didn't use my Aura Perception!"
"It's the same thing with Molly's morphing with aura!" came the reply. "Elton came into contact with Molly's blood. It's highly likely that it somehow got into his own bloodstream later although I have no idea why or how. In any case," The sound of anther door opening came through the phone and Ash did the same with another door, looking inside for the person that only he and the boy could see in their position. "Molly's blood is something that has been contaminated with the properties of another dimension! It most likely caused the change within Elton and caused his ghost to appear. The fact that we used Aura Perception before meant that Elton's aura that was in the air reacted with our eyes automatically. The change from the difference in dimensions is clear in that point! You didn't need to use Aura Perception as it automatically happened!"
"So….it really is my fault?!" said Molly. Her voice started to show that she was panicking in the situation. "I…I didn't want this! I just wanted Uncle Elton to-"
"Don't think like that!" said Ash as he stopped and knelt down to hold Moly's shoulders, silently wanting to touch his eye in shock at what he had learned. "None of this is your fault Molly! None of it! What do you think your Uncle would want you to think? Of course he wants to see you smile. So don't think like that. You can't." Molly looked towards Ash as he eyes started to tear up as Ash brought her in close, patting the back of her head as she silently sobbed, trying hard not to as she clenched her tiny fists.
"So….all we have to do if find that butler, which was Elton right?" asked Ash. "When the séance finished though, will everyone be able to see him?"
"No. As soon as the séance finishes, everyone will be able to interact with the ghost's aura that has stayed behind even after death. We can see it in Elton's shape due to our Aura Perception so the only ones that can do that right now are you and I Ash. But we do need to find it as soon as the séance finishes because-"
He stopped as a roar filled the hallways, a bone chilling roar that made Molly look up in fright and Pikachu to immediately put up its guard, hopping off Ash's shoulder and looking all round as it looked for any sign that something was coming.
"Damn!" the boy swore. "It's finished! Ash we need to find Elton ASAP!"
"Why?" said Ash as he stood up and started to look through rooms again.
"Like I said! This is not a simple case of Exorcism! The fact that Elton has been exposed to this aura that has been changed due to a difference in dimension means that the normal effects of attaining it will be different! Think! Name one thing that you can't do with aura!"
"Um….." said Ash as he looked towards Pikachu. "Pass through walls?" he said.
"Wrong! Using aura from a different dimension, getting rid of solid form would be easy! We need to make sure that we find Elton before anyone else decides to come in and do something stupid! Even touching Elton would be dangerous now that the séance is done!"
"But…what can we do? I mean, we can only see Elton right? What then? There's nothing that we can do right now!" Ash had seen a number if Exorcisms however nothing had taught him one way of doing the procedure, as there were a number of different ways to do so. Battling it until the aura exhausted itself, resolving the lingering thought, use a natural occurrence overload such as a focused aura attack to fix the situation were all ways.
But what about this situation? How would he deal with this?
"I already have an idea! But make sure you keep Molly SAFE! Anyone that realises that Molly is the one that caused Elton to be like this wo-" The boy stopped talking and there was silence as Ash listened to what was going on the other side.
"What are you doing here? No….how did you get here? Shouldn't you be-"The boy cut off however Ash could not tell whether it was because of the fact that someone was talking to him or that he had seen Elton. In any case, he stopped as did Molly.
"Heh." Came the boy's response. "So you really did figure it out. But what are you trying to prove? The only thing that you will get is a whole lot of trouble. Elton's unstable aura could rip you from the inside out." The answer that he received obviously was only heard by the boy however there was one thing that he did.
"I can't do anything right now…..you're right. However I don't need to. ASH!" yelled the boy into the phone. "You need to protect M-" there was a sound that made the boy stop, Ash describing it as only a gagging sound.
A cough came from what could only be the boy's mouth and there was a crash from above Molly and Ash's heads and they both looked up.
A flash of lightning came into their eyes, the sight that came past their eyes being brought to them.
Although they could not see his face, a person wearing a Western style suit went past their window, something sticking out of his chest and coming out the other side, their left arm invisible as the body blocked the sight of it. The next instant, the shape disappeared and Ash wasted no time, heading towards the window, throwing it open and looking down at where the shape had fallen however either the fact that it was wearing dark clothes or something else meant that it could not be seen.
Ash looked up and saw nothing, face pale as he moved, heading up the stairs that led to the fifth floor where the boy had been talking, Pikachu and Molly in hot pursuit.
They reached the place where the boy had been where he was talking, seen by the broken window that was at the end of the hallway. However that was not all.
A scabbard lay on the ground next to the window and even then, on the window sill that had been broken, not yet washed away by the rain…..
Blood ran down the side of the window, the sides of the broken glass also dyed by the colours of the blood.
Lightning flashed outside and Ash's face was paler than what it had been when he had been on the fourth floor. Molly clung to his side, grabbing onto his clothes as she looked at the sight. Both of them stood there in shock until-
"Pikapi!" shouted Pikachu towards it's trainer, the boy turning around and only seeing blue, throwing Molly to the side in an effort to protect her as whatever was coming his way hit him straight in the chest.
[1] Yeah, in the movie he is actually called David. I can't remember that but I was like…wow.
This is definitely the chapter that is the calm before the storm. The terms here and the fact that the boy had been dealt with serve as the markings of the darker story that is going to start.
However this is only the first part. I hope that this is an arc that one has been looking forward to a long time (sorry about that) yet also one that satisfies your expectations to the fullest. However at the same time I expect to have Ash play a major role in this as well as Iris and Cilan. It may not really be 'Pokémon' without them however the next part is one where I hope to remedy that. So please keep on hanging on!
But one thing that I should note is that while this chapter may be 'T' rated, the violence in the next one will be greatly outclass this one. So be careful and heads up in that regard. But I hope that it doesn't mean that anyone stops reading.
Otherwise, I'm glad that everyone that has supported this project from the beginning has done so and I hope to get the next chapter to you speedily.
And as always,
Review if you please
And I'll see you when I see you and I won't if I don't.