Tommy was too far to see why Cici was calling out attacks for her Pokemon, but he did hear the commotion and he looked up towards it. "Everything OK over the-" At the same time he called out to Cici, he saw it, the blue head of a rare colored Ralts. Slowly crouching down, he beckoned Beta over before whispering a plan to him. "Alright, there's a Ralts straight ahead, buddy. Think you can sneak up on it and get it with a Bite before it realizes we saw it?" The Eevee looked towards the Ralts and then back at Tommy and nodded, sneaking forwards.
Tommy followed, watching the blue head grow more solid through the spaces in the grass until they were close. "Alright Beta, now!" The Eevee flew out of the grass towards the Ralts, startling it and catching it off-guard enough that it couldn't raise a defense before Beta bit down, causing the Ralts to cry out in pain and surprise. Acting quickly, Tommy threw his ball at it, the Pokemon vanishing in a flash of white. Once more, Tommy waited with baited breath to see if it would stay caught. As luck would have it, the Ralts couldn't break free and Tommy cheered, retrieving the Pokeball and waving it at Cici, unaware she'd just saved a Chingling. "I got one, Cici! And you won't believe what it looks like!"
“Good job, Devi,” Leisy said when Ella returned her Duskull. Seeing the girl’s forced smile, Leisy felt her sense of happiness wither away. Of course she’d won — she was a skilled-rank trainer whereas Ella was still a beginner-rank one. There should be no sense of accomplishment — the point of the battle had been to train their Pokemon, and both girls had done just that.
“Thanks,” Leisy said, figuring that accepting the compliment would be the wisest thing to do. “Good job to you too — your Inkay really got strong.”
Leisy was in the middle of figuring out what else to say when her stomach growled largely. Cringing, she smiled awkwardly at the pink-haired girl. “Er, let’s go get some food now?” she said, attempting to laugh it off. “I’m starving.”
At her side, her Larvitar stayed silent and stoic before sparing his trainer a firm nod of agreement.
With a groan of pain and tiredness from pushing herself too much, Cici stood up to see Tommy triumphantly holding up a Pokeball. "Let me guess, one of those unusually coloured Pokemon?" she asked. She'd seen pictures of Pokemon with unconventional colouring, but had never actually met one.
"We should get back to the Pokemon centre," she said, cradling the Pokeball containing the Chingling. "This little guy here needs help, and I take it you want to get your Ralts healed up?"
She checked that Dulcet and Cadence were ok before attaching the Pokeball to her belt, picking up the Kricketot, and letting the Swablu fly up onto her head. Turning in the direction of the village, she winced. Her legs felt stiff, the shouting hadn't done her sore throat any good, and a headache nagged at her from lack of proper rest. She wasn't going to dawdle, though. The Chingling was in a much worse state than she was.
Ella knew the compliment should have helped, but it didn't. How had she done a good job? It just sounded like Leisy was being polite, saying what she thought she should say. Still, piecing together what she could of her optimistic facade was the only way Ella could avoid making Leisy feel bad.
"And, thanks to you, he just got a little stronger," she replied. "I just hope he... uhh, nothing." She paused abruptly, keeping the rest of that sentence to herself - I just hope he doesn't take this too badly.
Figuring it was a good idea to focus on other things, she nodded at Leisy's suggestion of food. "Yeah, me too," she said, although her appetite had only just started to come back. "Let's stop by the Pokemon centre first though, and..." She glanced up at the sky, a shiver running through her at the sight of the moon shining an odd shade of green, bathing the town in a pale, eerie light. "While we're there, we should ask about this."
Whatever it was, given recent events in Stillwater, it couldn't be anything good.
"Seven, I think," Juana replied, holding Rotom's Poké Ball in her hand. "Phew! I just traipsed in here to check things out. Caught it trying to filch my baking soda."
She clipped Rotom to her belt loop. "Which means," she added, "I'll probably need to get a new tin of baking soda. Is there anything in particular that you need as well, or do you want to get some bread and see if Rotom doesn't burn it all on purpose like a petulant little..."
The lights flickered and swayed again.
"Okay, you know, that's been happening a lot since we got here," Juana remarked. "I wonder what's causing it?"
Corphish seemed ready to fight whatever was.
Juana picked up her Togepi and started rocking it again. "Togepi seems to be a lot less scared around me. Ya think he likes me better yet?" Juana mused. She patted Togepi on the spiked head.
Tommy doesn't argue with heading back to the Pokecenter, instead opting to take the lead. Beta followed behind, still looking over his shoulder suspiciously at the graveyard until they were considerably further away from it. As the village came back into view, Tommy glanced over at Cici. "So what happened to the one you caught? I heard some commotion, but even before I saw the Ralts, I couldn't see what was happening." He kept the Ralts' pokeball in his hand, silently concerned for his new team member. Tommy had never quite seen an Eevee with such a powerful Bite before, and that alone caused the trumpet player to worry that he may have hit the Ralts harder than he should have.
Leisy followed Ella’s gaze up to the sky, eyes rounding when she took in the green horizon. “Whoa. What — a green sky?” she said, surprised. Her first thought was towards pollution. Although Central City had been relatively clear of it, Leisy knew that in many parts of the region the environment was not so well off. However, the sky at this moment — although an ominous shade of green — was still clear where the clouds broke, albeit darkening.
“The Pokemon Center first then,” Leisy said, concern growing. First the mission to find an unknown but powerful Pokemon, then the murderous Malamar that shouldn’t have been aggressive, and a viridian sky? Something was happening, and Leisy didn’t want her Pokemon to all be hurt when it did.
The girls quickly made their way over to the Pokemon Center. Tapping her foot agitatedly as she waited for the man to return her Pokeballs, Leisy listened intently as the man described Stillwater’s “Green Days.” After a few shaky questions and nods, the girls were on their way to find food, silent as they walked and processed the information.
“We should stay in town tonight,” Leisy started, biting her lip, “but… It also sounds like tonight would be the best time to find the nightmare culprit. If the Pokemon’s strong during normal nights, it’d be even stronger during the Green Day night… Or maybe it’s causing them?”
"It's a Chingling," Cici replied, holding Cadence in one arm, reaching down to the newly occupied Pokeball at her belt with the other in a protective gesture. "A pair of Purrloins were bullying it just now. It's a Psychic type, so it couldn't fight back against Dark types."
After a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure the Purrloins hadn't come to - and no ghosts were sneaking around - she sped up her pace slightly despite her aching muscles. She didn't want to think about the extent of the damage Dark types could do to a Chingling. As the musician crunched her way through the tall grass, Dulcet, still perched on her head, turned this way and that to look out for any hostile Pokemon.
Cici made a mental note that, during her travels, it would be a good idea to have at least one Pokemon out at all times.
As she walked, Ella took another look up at the sky, frowning. Beside her, Jumbles floated, lighting the way.
"What kind of Pokemon do you think could cause this?" she asked Leisy. Before her friend could answer, Jumbles let out a squeak of surprise, pointing one of his tendrils downwards. A short distance away, a Stunky stood, staring directly at Jumbles, claws scratching on the ground as it jumped up and down. "Stun! Stunky!" it cried, challenging the Inkay.
Jumbles turned to Ella, who thought it over. "Looks like that cute little critter wants to fight... You ok with another quick training session?" Bobbing in the air, Jumbles drifted forward. Ella chewed at her fingernails. Psychic-type attacks would be completely ineffective, and Dark-type ones wouldn't do much damage, but... Glancing at her Pokedex, she came up with a plan.
"Use Pluck!" she said. Jumbles floated at the wild Pokemon, beak open - only to be hit by a spray of green corrosive liquid. With a gasp, Ella rummaged for the Inkay's Pokeball. He'd shaken off the attack, but the trainer knew all too well from her own Pokemon about Acid Spray's defense lowering effect.
Jumbles, undeterred, jabbed with his beak at the Stunky, who retaliated with another burst of acid. This was a bad idea, Ella thought as she held out the Pokeball. Instead of returning Jumbles, she lowered her arm, eyes widening. "Huh?" The Stunky's second attack had barely done anything. Acid Spray usually increased vulnerability, but for some reason, it seemed to have had the opposite effect on the Inkay.
The Stunky, appearing to realise its mistake, backed away. "You can win this! Use Peck!" Ella called to Jumbles, who flew at the wild Pokemon once more. Slumping, the Stunky grumbled, as if reluctantly admitting defeat.
Ella wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by. Taking an empty Pokeball, she threw it, watching a red light envelop the Stunky and pull it inside. As it rocked, she tensed. Would the Stunky be mad at her for defeating it, and break free? After a few seconds, though, the Pokeball stopped moving.
The pink-haired girl simply walked over to it, no skipping or cheering this time, and picked it up. "I won't be long. Just gotta get these two healed up," she said, returning Jumbles and hurrying back round the corner to the Pokecentre, hoping Leisy wouldn't be too worried about her lack of enthusiasm.
"I hope I can be the trainer you deserve," Ella whispered, cupping the capsule once the old man had handed both Pokemon over to her. Letting Jumbles out again, she rushed back.
"Well, that's almost a full team," she said to Leisy, trying to sound positive. "Now to get food... and ask around about any sightings of certain Pokemon on these Green Days." The residents of Stillwater would hopefully be able to give them some hints about what to look out for.
"Congratulations on your catch Lady Juana." Tora smiled brightly as Juana managed to catch a new Pokemon. Then glanced at the Togepi and smiled kindly. "Well, he probably realizes you saved him. And if he didn't like you, then you'd get poison stuck into your hands from patting the spikes on his head." she chuckled. Looking up at the lights flickering, Tora hummed thoughtfully.
"Perhaps there is a recent problem. There might be something on the Mission Board in town that might have something to do with this." she suggested.
+1 post +1HHG = 33 +1CP = 30
Pokemon Team:
Archie the ♀Growlithe: Level 13/Healthy
Sirius the Staryu: Level 4/Healthy
Pezi the ♂Skiddo: Level 4/Healthy
Cairn the ♀Onix: Level 2/Healthy
Ria the ♀Riolu: Level 2/Healthy
Orion the ♂Shinx: Level 2/Healthy
Rachni the ♂Venipede: Level 2/Healthy
Inventory: 3x Pokeball 1x Potion 3x Rare Candies
-Continued interaction with @ToadRopes's character Juana. -Continued interaction with @Dusksong's character Cillian.
Tommy nodded, not replying but matching Cici's base. After a few minutes, the village came back into view and soon they were in the village proper, heading for the Pokemon Center. "Welp, with that done, I was thinking maybe we should turn in for the night soon. We haven't gotten much sleep the last couple of nights."
“I—I don’t know,” Leisy replied when Ella asked about the Pokemon behind the scenes. But it’ll be strong — that much is clear, Leisy thought with a sinking feeling of dread. The appearance of the wild Stunky interrupted Leisy’s thoughts, although she stepped to the side to allow Ella her space as the pink-haired girl coached her Inkay though the battle. Figuring that she might as well release a Pokemon as well.
Releasing her Fletchling, Leisy was in the middle of adjusting her jacket such that the robin Pokemon would be able to find an easy foothold when she realized that Fletchling was still sitting on the floor where he’d been released. “Bidein?” Leisy asked, learning down to inspect the Flying-type. She leaned in to touch the orange-hooded bird but instead recoiled when the bird lit up in a flash of white energy. Wha—evolution? Leisy realized, frozen as she watched the blinding light disperse to reveal a orange-capped bird Pokemon double the size of Bidein and with wings tipped in gold. Recovering herself, Leisy hurriedly whipped out her Pokedex.
Fletchinder, the ember Pokémon. From its beak, it expels embers that set the tall grass on fire. Then it pounces on the bewildered prey that pop out of the grass. The hotter the flame sac on its belly, the faster it can fly, but it takes some time to get the fire going.
“Bidein, you—you,” Leisy started, floundering to find words to express what she was feeling. “You look magnificent,” she settled on, a wide grin on her face. The bird Pokemon chirped, launching into the air with newfound ease before attempting to settle on Leisy’s shoulder. “Whoa you’re heavy,” Leisy said, eyes bulging momentarily as the Fletchinder attempted to settle but promptly fell off. “And big.” Leisy paused, momentarily sad that she wouldn’t be able to carry her first Pokemon around on her shoulder as she did before. The Fletchinder seemed to have realized this as well, chirping and taking to the air before settling down on the ground beside his trainer again. “Won’t you get tired if you fly all the time though?” Leisy asked, frowning. Bidein chirped again, and Leisy let up. “Alright, Dei. At least you’ll look good in the air,” Leisy joked halfheartedly before walking over to Ella.
“Congrats! Imagine if he was part of the litter of Stunky’s we met back in Feyhollow,” Leisy said, following Ella back to the Pokemon Center. After their stop there, the girls found themselves walking through a small night market. Leisy recalled that it wasn’t as large as it was earlier that day, perhaps because of the fact that it was a “Green Day.” Still, it didn’t seem like the threat of mysterious disappearances had held off all the stall keepers.
“Fried fish! Fresh caught earlier today!” an aproned man was calling from next to a rack of fish kebabs. Leisy pointed him out to Ella and the two girls walked over.
“Excuse me, have you seen anything out of the ordinary today?” Leisy inquired. The man looked up as Leisy continued. “We took on a mission on the series of nightmares around town.”
The man narrowed his eyes, staring at the two girls for a moment before abruptly starting to close up shop. Leisy watched in surprise as the man left, his things stacked onto his cart haphazardly as if escaping from something.
“Well,” Leisy said, turning to Ella with a frown, “I guess we should hold off questioning until we get some food, huh?”
The girls wandered through the thin crowd some more, Leisy picking up a carton of rice topped with some strange shrimp-like dish and two Greatballs. For emergencies, she thought as she pocketed them, looking to the Fletchinder at her side. Just in case.
Soon enough the two girls found themselves one of the only people on the street, and the sun was pretty much invisible. A little jittery at this point, Leisy almost screamed when she and Ella just barely avoided crashing into someone at a intersecting junction. Squinting in an attempt to utilize the dim lamps hanging from some shops, Leisy made out a familiar brunette with an entire party of Pokemon trailing behind her.
“A mission, huh?” Cillian said, grinning. “Like that time with the girl’s lost Granbull, right?”
Looking to his side, Cillian saw that his newest Pokemon was a bit confused as to what they were talking about. “Missions -- you'll catch on soon enough. Just follow my lead, and I promise you'll get stronger,” Cillian said haughtily. The Scraggy didn't look entirely convinced, but he resigned with a nod as his trainer plowed on.
“So the missions are found on a mission board, right?” Cillian asked, looking between Juana and Tora. “Would that be in the Pokemon Center or the Pokemart? Or neither?”
With the help of their Pokedex, the three were able to locate the mission board upon which a paper from the Zephyr Mall Management Team had been pinned. “Well how about that?” Cillian asked, looking at the other two trainers. “It might very well be something like a Rotom again, although I hope not.”
"Yeah. It might be better to explore when..." Cici stopped, reconsidering what she'd been about to say - when there aren't so many ghosts around. "When we've both had a good night's sleep," she finished.
Returning Dulcet and Cadence as she entered the building, she handed three of her five Pokeballs to the nurse and sank down into a nearby chair. "C'mon, Forte," she said, pressing the button on the Whismur's capsule and letting him sit on her lap.
She petted him on the head, deep in thought as she waited for the other Pokemon to be healed. Why had she been so worried about admitting she didn't want to face the ghosts just yet? Why had she tried to push herself to explore the graveyard, even after her recent experience? It hadn't just been about overcoming fear. It had been because of it. Fear of judgement. Fear of abandonment.
She was being irrational, she told herself, completely irrational. Paranoid from too much coffee and too little sleep. Someone like Tommy wouldn't see her as a coward. She didn't think any less of him for being wary around ghosts, so why had she assumed he'd think badly of her? Besides, he'd promised he'd always help her out, no matter what.
Just like Sarah had once promised...
Looking up at her, Forte gave a tiny, concerned squeak. "It's ok. I'm just tired, that's all," she said, leaning back in the chair, trying to appear relaxed. Maybe she'd feel better in the morning.
Ella stared down in surprise and wonder at the magnificent, red-crested bird. "Wow! Bidein, is that you?" She'd been so focused on the Stunky, she hadn't noticed the Fletchling evolve. She turned back to Leisy. "You see, that Skilled rank really is something to be proud of! You've more than earned it!" Although a spark of her usual cheer had returned, a hint of bitterness seeped through. Leisy had become such a strong trainer, so quickly, leaving her trailing behind in her shadow...
"What you said about the Stunkys made me think," she said as they reached the market. "There are no wild Dark types in Feyhollow, so that Skuntank must have come from here. She and her kits could have been running from something. Maybe whatever's targeting humans is also targeting Pokemon."
She was just finishing a fish kebab when she caught sight of a familar face. "Olivie! Are you alright? What about that other trainer, and his Pokemon?" she blurted. The brunette looked unhurt, but Ella's fear for Olivie's travelling companion and his wounded Pokemon came flooding back.
Tommy nodded in agreement, but didn't speak, handing Amica's and the Ralts' pokeballs to the attendant. Sitting near Cici, he had Beta jump up on his lap and scratched his ears, waiting. He had his own thoughts to preoccupy his time, starting with what Pokemon he was going to catch for a Dragon type. He had always like Garchomp, so maybe he'd catch a Gible. Of course, Dragonite was a good one too, but the land shark Pokemon was just so much cooler.
After a few minutes, Tommy's pokeballs are returned to him and he thanks the attendant, clipping the two balls to his belt. "Well Beta, let's bid Cici good night and head to bed. Tomorrow's definitely going to be a busy day if we're going to catch a Gible." Beta nods in agreement and jumps out of Tommy's lap, allowing the trumpet player to stand and approach Cici. "I'm going to go ahead and call it a night. Meet down here in the morning?"
Once she'd retrieved her Pokeballs and thanked the nurse, Cici turned around. "Yeah, let's see if we can find any Dragon types tomorrow," she said, picking up Forte. After saying goodnight, heading to the room she'd booked and getting changed, she let out all her Pokemon, including the newest addition to her team.
"Ching! Chingling!" Looking much healthier and happier, the Chingling hopped around, each movement creating a ringing noise. The four other Pokemon approached, greeting their new teammate. Leaning down with a relieved chuckle, Cici patted the little bell.
"Good to see you doing better," she said. "You seem to be quite the cheerful one, so how about Allegro for a name?" The Chingling gave a wide smile.
Watching Allegro jump onto a cushion, Cici tickled him behind the ropes on his head. "Night, everyone," she said, settling into bed and falling into the most comfortable sleep she'd had in a while.
Leaning over, Juana read the help poster that Cillian removed from the cork board.
"Says down there that they suspect the culprit to be some kinda Porygon-Z," she remarked. "At least we know what we're up against, hah? Not like some killer monstro Comfey that hypnotizes whatever comes by with its drug breath."
She looked up to her friends. "You all up for it?"
After bidding Cici good night, Tommy headed to his own room for the night, unleashing his team, except for Beta since he was already out, once he had the door closed. Amica and Epsilon immediately approached the Ralts and began chatting with it, though it looked nervous at first. After a couple of minutes though, in which Tommy was in the middle of brushing his teeth, the Ralts approaches him. "Ralts Ral Ra Ralts." Taking a moment to spit the toothpaste out, he turns to it and kneels down.
"I apologize for the surprise attack, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to discuss the matter. That said, welcome to the team. Up for a name?" He looked at the trumpet player hesitantly, but after a moment nodded. "Alright then...how about...Jerus?" After a moment of thought, the Ralts smiled and Tommy did as well. "Then it's decided. Amica, Epsilon, Beta, meet Jerus, our new friend and team mate. Tomorrow, we go out to find a Gible to join us as well. Get some rest, alright guys?" A chorus of various Pokemon names sound in agreement as he climbs in the bed. Amica takes her usual place on the pillow near him while Epsilon and Beta take up a couple of chairs in the room. Jerus, after a moment, decides on taking a pillow from the closet and setting it under the window and snuggling into it. With a smile, Tommy closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep.
“Oh, you’re right,” Cillian said, giving the pinned mission a closer look. “Porygon-Z? Like the digital Pokemon, Porygon?” Cillian asked, frowning as he pulled out his Pokedex. A quick search displayed the strange red-and-blue Pokemon made of oblong shapes.
Porygon-Z, the virtual Pokemon. Its programming was modified to enable it to travel through alien dimensions. Seems there might have been an error...
“Huh. Seems like ,” Cillian said as he scrolled through the different entries on Porygon-Z, “the scientists messed up when upgrading Porygon2. Something about the Pokemon becoming a little… Addled after its evolution.” Looking up, Cillian frowned. “This Pokemon’s a virtual Pokemon. It lives in a virtual landscape — how will we find it?”
Even with her guard up, Olivie couldn't be completely cognizant of her surroundings all the time. The Green Day's characteristic turbulent wind did not fall with the tinted sun, and its steady stream past her ears masked the sound of approaching footsteps. Without a second to spare, she became aware of Leisy only inches away from her, and ducked backward just in time to prevent a full-on collision. Olivie's first instinct was to punch, even if her target didn't give any indication of hostility, but just in time the girl managed to rein herself in. She froze mid-swing before returning to a cross-armed position, staring daggers at the female but otherwise unknown shape before her. Not until the inconsiderate newcomer asked her name did Olivie recognize her, remembering the voice from earlier in the day.
”Watch where you're going,” she snapped, uninterested in paying the chance reunion much attention. However, Leisy's companion hurled a series of questions her way, and the seriousness of the situation in general made Olivie pause. For a moment she remained quiet, hesitant to tell these strangers something that was not only none of their business but also probably their fault. However, without Bernard her power to bulldoze through local threats was substantially diminished. As much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, Olivie guessed that she might need some help. Ignoring the first question, she answered, ”We made it back, then separated. He went go heal his pokemon. So you know, his ace nearly got his arm torn off by that tentacled freak while we were covering your dumbasses. I haven't seen him since.” She stared off into the murky darkness, at a loss for words. She couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible happened to him—something related to the unknown threat.
While thinking this, she spotted something. In the black of night, something was moving. Little glimmers here, edges of shadows in the scattered lights...and the noise. Just beneath the drone of the wind she could hear the creaking of wood being trod on. Instantly, goosebumps appeared on his arms and legs, and without saying anything she walked at a reserved pace to the closest hanging lamp. Her pokemon followed, with Buck in the lead. When his trainer stopped to take the lantern from the hook it hung from, he plodded forward into the darkness. A chattering announced some discovery, but since Olivie couldn't understand Bidoof, she decided to face the unknown and look for herself. She took a few steps forward, holding the makeshift lantern out away from her body, and its glow fell upon the disturbance.
She jolted backward, eyes wide, but the split second of illumination her lantern provided had been enough. All three girls had seen the face of the old man who ran the Pokemon Center, his eyes closed and a corona of pitch-black surrounding his head. Without giving any indication of noticing the girls at all, he vanished back int the night, his steps slow and rhythmic. Gespenst, determined to display that he was made of sterner stuff than anyone else, moved forward into the shadows. A moment later, an orb of bright green energy appeared, sitting atop his withered crown, and in its light Olivie saw something that made her inhale sharply. The bizarre sight of the old man walking, trance-like, in the starless dark wasn't an anomaly; he was only a part of an entire procession of people, all meandering in the same direction. By Olivie's estimation, it was the shore on the far side of town, where the terrain became a labyrinthine mess of hills and furrows. Her voice possessed by an uncharacteristic tremulousness, she whispered, ”They're...sleepwalking. To somewhere. Do we...do we follow them?” The moment after she said that, though, she'd already made up her mind. In this situation, now matter how bone-chilling or strange, someone with true grit would go forward. The way the villagers came together into a line from all directions told her that they were headed not just somewhere, but to some thing, and she had a pretty good idea what it might be. Gespenst and Buck, reading her vibes, started to walk. Olivie delayed only to pick up Verrine to put on her shoulder before following, taking the source of light with her.
Current Location: Stillwater Town TP: 35+ 1 = 36 CP: 24+ 1 = 25
Ella dug her fingernails into her palms at the thought of another Pokemon being maimed, and somebody disappearing. The sight of something moving snapped her from her thoughts. Raising her head, she stared open-mouthed at the gathering of townspeople who moved together in a trance - including somebody she recognised. The kindly old man from the Pokecentre.
"Jumbles, help the Cacnea light the way!" she said, following Olivie. Considering how badly she'd messed up earlier, she had no idea what she could do to help, but she couldn't just stay behind. The Inkay drifted closer to the procession, his luminous spots brightening. Ella shivered as the light fell across several expressionless faces.
Glancing behind at Leisy, then back at the line of people, she wondered with a chill where the sleepwalkers would lead her and the others - or rather, what they'd lead them to.
Leisy listened to Olivie’s words with horror. The other trainer, his ace… the thought was too hard for Leisy to finish. “Dumbasses” would be a little harsh in normal context, but Leisy couldn’t blame Olivie. After all, she was the one that ran, not the brunette. Lapsing into silence due to lack something to say, Leisy was prepared for Olivie to stomp right off. Instead, the other girl’s footsteps led towards the trees, prompting Leisy to look up in surprise. She was about to inquire about what Olivie had seen when she saw that the brunette seemed a little cautious — on edge.
Resisting the shiver threatening to creep down her spine, Leisy made eye contact with Ella briefly before following Olivie into the darkness. Her relief was brief but there when Olivie took up the lantern, guiding the way through the dark, but Leisy’s blood turned to ice when the lantern illuminated a familiar face in the dark — the old man from the Pokemon Center. Almost in shock, Leisy took a step back, muscles tense as she looked the man over again. Although his eyes were closed as if he were sleepwalking, his face was tight with some emotion that Leisy couldn’t figure out. Grief? Fear? she thought, watching the man progress out of the lamp’s rays and into the night. The cloud of raven black shadows around his head had been ominous, almost like—
“He’s having a nightmare,” she whispered, eyes wide as she turned to Ella and Olivie. “But he’s sleepwalking. Nobody said anything about that when we asked around about the mission.”
Leisy fell silent again, this time because she was thinking. Nightmares — that’s why his face was tense, as if on the verge of crying out. And now he’s sleepwalking to — to where? Leisy paused, taking a shuddering breath. It couldn’t be—
A light beside her caused Leisy to turn around, spotting a cactus-like Pokemon — presumably one of Olivie’s — balancing a sphere of green light on its head. Is that the beginnings of a Solar Beam? she thought, thinking back to the Pokemon tournaments she’d watched on TV. That particular Grass-type move always sparked fear into the opposing Pokemon’s heart, prompting them to either launch an all-out attack immediately or get out of the way. The light resembling the sometimes match-deciding move that Leisy saw, however, was nothing in the face of what it illuminated: people, hordes of people, all sleepwalking and all walking slowly in the same direction the old man had left in.
Arceus help us, Leisy thought, the overdue shiver finally breaking loose and clawing its way down her spine, inciting goosebumps in its wake. A remark from Olivie interrupted her thoughts, and Leisy snapped her head to look at the girl. Should they follow them? Three unprepared trainers who’d taken on a mission that they clearly had no business taking in the first place, considering their run-in with the Malamar earlier that day, were considering finding the mastermind behind everything. But we’re already this far in. And we can’t just let all the villagers get kidnapped like this, Leisy thought, making up her mind and accepting her decision with a tinge of fear. When she opened her mouth to speak, however, Leisy found that Olivie had already made up her mind and was now — with a blue bug Pokemon on her shoulder — keeping a brisk pace beside the sleepwalkers.
Taking a breath, Leisy followed the brunette and thus the sleepwalking crowd, knowing full well that she was probably unprepared for what lay ahead. But, she thought, I’m as prepared as I’ll get.
Ella looked in horror at the face of the old man as the Pokemon's lights revealed features clenched with fear. Beside him, other people's expressions changed from neutral to disturbingly tense. Some twitched, others murmured, but none of them woke up.
"It could be a Ghost type after all!" Ella commented, remembering the ghostly moves she'd seen, what they'd looked like. Twisting shadows, dark shrouds, spectral illusions - much like the black cloud around the man's head. Yet, despite the surface similarities, there was a world of difference between the black energy that enveloped these innocent townspeople and the eerily beautiful attacks she'd seen Brighteye and Tyrus perform. It was like a corruption of them.
She glanced at Jumbles. If the culprit did turn out to be a Ghost type, the Inkay's Dark typing would give him an advantage, but that didn't change the fact that she was getting a recently-caught, fairly low level Pokemon involved in this.
What else could she do, though? Let the villagers be lured away to Arceus-knew-where? She continued to walk alongside Leisy, visibly shuddering, but keeping her gaze ahead.
