Chapter Three
Well, here's chapter three. It's almost nine pages, so its a bit longer than previously. Oh and I will start a PM list for updates, if anyone is interested. Hope you have fun reading, I've had fun writing.
Enjoy!
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~Chapter Three: Fog~
It wasn’t the fact that I heard a loud crash that caused me to run into the next room. It was the fact that I knew Banette was there, with that awful cat in that room. That is what caused me to run there. Something had gone wrong.
Banette had caused trouble. Standing-or should I say lying- there in front of me was Tinkles, mother’s Persian. He is in terrible pain, his body slowly smoldering. His flesh burning, creating a sickening aroma that almost forces me to spew. Almost.
His body is slowly turning black, his beautiful coat burning and falling off, skin flaking to the ground.
“TINKLES!” Mother yells, “What has happened to you?”
The Persian cannot make a sound. Instead a faint “meow” escapes his mouth, his throat having been burned to a crisp.
“Mother, let me handle this” I say, “have you got any Burn Heals?”
“Um… yes, I believe I do.”
“Good. Fetch those for me. He’ll be better in no time.”
Mother leaves the room, virtually running to the kitchen. I begin to search for Banette. She is here, somewhere, has to be here. She has to be in the shadows.
“Banette” I say, “come out now.”
She does not move. She remains still. She is scared of me, scared of what I might do to her.
“It’s alright, come out. You’re safe.”
Movement.
A shadow next to the wardrobe begins to stir. From the ground a dark figure rises, emerging from the hidden shadow. First she appeared as a black blob, rising from underneath the shadows hiding her. Then she began to take on her features once again as the shadow slowly dribbled from her body, falling into the black puddle below, and returning into the shadow form.
“Good, good Banette” I say as she floats towards me. Mother enters the room again, a small bottle in her hand. Inside, blue fire was crackling and attempting to break out. The blue flames swirled around within the bottle, just waiting to be opened.
“Now Mother, can I have that?” I ask. She hands me the bottle, and I begin to unscrew the top. Approaching Tinkles, I manage to pull the top off and then I slowly pour the blue flames over the body. The flames moved quickly, starting from the tip of the Persian’s nose to the very last hair on his tail, ridding him of the burns.
The flames lapped at his fur, turning it from the crisp black to the beautiful cream coat he originally had. When it was complete, Tinkles was fine-except for a few bald patches where the hair had actually fallen off.
Mother is happy, she jumps up and down, cuddling this cat. He smiles, before throwing a glare at Banette, who sinks back into the shadows.
She knows she has done wrong, but she will correct it. She always does. Tinkles is purring again now, scratching his body at my leg, thanking me.
“Michael, you’re a life saver” Mother says, hugging me again. I try not to flinch, but it happens. It always does. I can’t help it, but I hate people touching my body. I hate being close to people, it freaks me out.
I don’t know why, though.
“Now, where is that awful monster of yours, Michael?” Mother asks me. I shrug my shoulders, “dunno” I reply. She smiles sweetly, trying to make me give in and tell her the truth. It won’t work; I’m not ten years old anymore.
“I said I don’t know” I say, my voice becoming angry. She is trying to break me. Always has, always will-but she won’t succeed. She can try all she likes, try and get me to give in to her dictation, but I won’t let her. I’m too strong, too willful. Too independent.
I leave the room, fuming. I head towards the front door, opening it before yelling out “Banette, let’s go!”
Around the corner Banette appears, having emerged from the shadows once again, and follows me out the door.
I go from the warmth of the house into the coldness of the rain. Nothing has changed out here, the clouds still menace the ground we stand on, and lightning strikes are as frequent as the raindrops themselves falling from the skies. They are not happy with what has happened so far tonight. They will want revenge.
We leave the street, entering
Seventh Street, walking past all the dark houses. No lights are on inside, it’s as if they are deserted. No glimmer of hope, no sign of willfulness.
Just darkness.
“Banette, the world is a terrible place tonight” I say as we walk along the empty street. She cannot answer, but I know she is listening. “Can you see the trauma they are causing? Can you see the horror that they are inflicting upon us?”
I can see the agreement in Banette’s eyes. She is what keeps me going, she keeps me strong. She helps me through times like these.
She is human.
To me, at least. To anyone else she is probably just another Pokémon who follows their trainer around, like a Mareep. Although, she is more intelligent than most, and has witnessed more horrors than anything or anyone else I have ever known. That is my fault, I am the one she continually follows with eagerness, she is here because of me…
“Banette, we have to move quicker if we’re going to get anywhere tonight” I say. Banette is still right behind me, following my footsteps. The rain is still falling heavily, but it is the fog that is becoming a bit of a worry.
The white haze was slowly spreading and thickening, into some sort of horrible cloud. It is moving quietly through the streets, shrouding the lights in mist, making it even harder to see what is happening.
They are planning an attack.
“Banette, we have to move quickly!” I say, Banette suddenly picking up her pace. She can sense what is happening. We make our way down the street, walking at a brisk pace. The coldness is starting to get to me; I can feel my skin becoming cold, the warm blood inside slowly cooling.
“Banette, they are here” I whisper through gritted teeth, “we have to run! Let’s go!” and with that I draw Banette back into her pokéball.
I sprint down the street. If there is any hope of dodging the white fog, then I have to run as fast as possible. Suddenly the street ends, and I am faced with an intersection. Turning left, I continue running, my boots heaving through the puddles. It is difficult running in heavy, water-logged boots. There is no way I am going to escape.
***
Down the street I can see a light. Yes, a light shining from the window. Upon reaching it, I notice that it is quite pretty. A well kept garden is what I am greeted with at the front, and the house itself is also well kept- unlike that of my Mother’s.
I enter through the gate, approaching the front door and pressing the doorbell. A chime sounds inside, and the door opens. I am greeted with a young girl, probably only sixteen. She is intriguing, her hair flows beautifully down, it has been coloured. Her roots are dark, whilst her hair is a chestnut blonde. Her eyes are pretty-but strange. Her iris is a crimson violet, her pupils are not black, they are white.
“Can I help you?” she asks.
“Yes. I need a place to hide” I say, “They are here.”
Her eyes darken. “
They are here? Where? How do you know?” she asks.
“The fog. That is them, they are traveling. I need to come inside now” I say, letting myself inside. “Lock the door, close the curtains” I say again, and the girl does so. She turns a small brass lock on the handle in a clockwise direction until a quiet
click sounds out. She draws the curtains, making sure nothing can see through.
“Now can you tell me what’s going on?” she asks, taking a seat on the nearest couch. It is pink, along with most things in the room.
“In a minute” I say, releasing Banette. “Banette, perform the Spirit Shield ritual, now!” Banette appears in a flash of glowing light, her figure materializing in front of us. She nods her head, moving silently to the centre of the room.
“What is a ‘Spirit Shield’ ritual?” the girl asks.
“Just watch and learn” I say, taking a seat on a pink couch near the girl.
Banette’s body starts to spin vigorously on the spot. Around her, energy from anything inside is drawn towards her, collecting around her body. This continues until the energy collected forms into a ball of energy, and surrounds her body.
Banette’s body starts to glow an iridescent red, before suddenly turning an envious green. Her body starts changing colour more frequently, blue to yellow, yellow to orange, orange to green, and green to red. She continues spinning, gaining momentum as she changes. The energy around her body suddenly expands, bursting through windows and walls without knocking anything down, or smashing any glass. The orb surrounds the house, growing larger until the whole property is completely surrounded by the energy.
“Good, Banette” I say, “you can come here now.”
Banette stops spinning and returns to her normal colour before gliding gracefully towards me and the girl. I turn to look at the girl. Her face is pale with shock, her skin gone from peachy to white. Her eyes have returned to the purple iris and white pupil, but she is frozen.
“W-what was that?” she stammers, before standing up. Her whole body is trembling uncontrollably. I help her sit down again.
“That was the Spirit Shield ritual,” I say, “it’s a bit mind blowing for a first timer.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that” she said, still shaking.
“Anyway, my name is Michael. I’m what you could call a Spirit Catcher. I hunt down the Spirits that are terrorizing this planet, and destroy them. This here is Banette, she’s my Pokémon, and my best friend as well. We are on the trail of a spirit called Avion, who was once the Goddess of the Sky. She is supposedly terrorizing this city, whatever it’s called...”
“This is Celadon City” the girl replies, “and I’m Violet.”
“Well, that suits your eyes…” I say, “Why are they like that anyway? I mean, if it’s no too personal or anything…”
“Well, actually my parents called me Violet because of my eyes, but they died years ago. I’ve been living here since I was ten, by myself… My eyes are like this because apparently I am some sort of Seer. You may have heard of them… the Ghoultadé…”
“Ghoultadé? Hmm… yes, I have actually heard of them. Spirit Talkers is the common name, I believe…”
“Yes, something like that” Violet says, “but I’m apparently different from these Ghoultadé… Apparently I’m some sort of enemy to the Spirits, something called the Clarvey.”
“You’re a Clarvey? That means that…”
“Yes, I have the ability to read the minds of Spirits, to get inside their heads, and see what they actually do…”
“But…”
“But I am an heir to the Ghoultadé clan, and being a Clarvey that means I am in immense danger from these Spirits. They are out to destroy me. There’s a prophecy stating that a Spirit Catcher will come to the rescue, and together the Catcher and I will put an end to the terrors of the Spirits. Somehow, I think that this prophecy is going to come true, that
you are the Spirit Catcher that is here to save me. You and I are here to save the world, it is our destiny…” her voice turned to a whisper, “and that you and I are to fulfill a destiny that has not been completed, the prophecy states that we are the sole reason the earth still has some freedom…”
“During the day, that is” I say.
“Yes, during the day. However, if we fail… then the Spirits will take over the day. They will get enough power to be able to overcome the problem of daylight. The world will be in chaos…”
“That’s pretty bad” I say, stretching in the chair, “can I have a look at the prophecy?”
“Yes, I shall get it for you. Just be careful with it, it’s hundreds of years old…”
Violet leaves the room, leaving me and Banette sitting in front of a crackling fire, protected by the Spirit Shield.
“This is some crazy s*** we’re in, eh Banette?” I ask here, managing a chuckle. She just looks up at me, her eyes showing her agreement. “It just seems a bit too coincidental that I happen to stumble upon this girl, and she happens to have a prophecy, don’t you think?”
Again, her eyes show her agreement.
“Good, glad to see I’m not the only one going crazy” I laugh, kicking my boots off. My socks are soaked, not one single strand of cotton has been saved by the boots. My feet too are cold, so I remove the socks, throwing them in front of the fire.
“Alright, here it is” Violet says, entering the room again, “this is the prophecy.” She hands me a thick book, a leather case protecting the content inside. I undo a large golden buckle on the front, before flipping the book over.
“It’s on page three hundred and one” Violet says, “towards the bottom.”
I flick to the page, and begin reading aloud:
“
The Spirits will eventually rule the night, flying about in darkness. Fear will be inflicted upon all living souls who dwell in the day. The night will no longer be safe. The new millennium will see to that, and life will be changed forever.
Those who venture into the night will be faced with utmost terror, horror affecting their lives. A selected few will not live past the night they enter the realm of the Spirits, they will take them into their realm. Torture is all that awaits those.
However, the selected few that do survive will play an important role in the survival of the world. Those who witness the horrors of the night will spread the word, encouraging people to stay indoors where it is safe at night, making sure that they carry the sign of Talethor, God of Protection in their household.
The spirits will be deterred, they will leave you alone, until the day the prophecy is begun…
A young girl of violet eyes will be born, the Ghoultadé clans finest member. She will also be a Clarvey, enemy to the Spirits. She will be wanted; she will have to save the world from destruction…
But she can do nothing until the darkest night with the heaviest rain…
Nothing until he arrives. He will be the greatest Spirit Catcher of time, having traveled everywhere in search of answers, protecting those around him. He will have his friend, a Pokémon having witnessed both the most horrific horrors and terrible terrors, having been cursed forever, banished from its land.
The two will join hands, unite, and carry out the prophecy. The fate of the world lies in their hands. Should they win, the Spirits will be destroyed forever, the realm shattered into millions of pieces, so it shall never be put back together.
Should they fail; the world will come to an end. Chaos and havoc will reign; the Spirits will take over the day, destroying all creatures in their path to victory. Life will no longer be present on earth, darkness shall prevail.
Life will come to a halt, time will stop forever, and the devils of below will be the rulers of the earth for eternity.
Time is short, days are numbered. Life must continue, the world is in their hands. The prophecy must be fulfilled, or there is nothing… Darkness forever…”
I sigh, “well, it looks like you’re right… we have to find Avion, destroy her spirit. Let the city of Celadon be in peace once again… after that, it is a journey to the darkest places on this earth, destroy all Spirits, until we reach the Spirit Realm. Then we can destroy it forever. Violet, I hate to say this, but you must journey with me.”
“I knew it would come to this… It’s time for me to step up, be the hero. Count me in” she replies, smiling.
“Well, we shall have to leave at the first sign of light. From there, we head to Celadon Mansion, where it is said Avion is dwelling. It will be dangerous to reach the top, but we have to destroy her before we do anything else.”
“Okay, whatever, let’s get some sleep.” Violet replies.
“We stay here, and I shall watch the night. You may sleep, but you will be up early. We must be prepared” I say.
“What about you?” she asks, lying on the couch.
“I need no sleep” I reply bluntly, but Violet is already asleep.
I sit and wait, watching the clock for hours, listening to the tremendous sound of thunder and lightning outside, to the rain smashing against the roof, before slowly dripping down the window.
Lucky we are hidden by the curtain, away from the spirits. I can feel myself drifting to sleep… eyes getting heavy… before quietly slipping into a slumber.
I am awoken by a horrific scream.
My eyes open abruptly, by body snapping into the upright position.
In the corner of the room, Violet is trembling with fear. I cannot see what she is scared of, until I turn around.
The window has smashed, the curtains torn. Glass lays sprawled on the floor, droplets of blood trailing to Violet.
Her hands and feet are bleeding.
She has been crawling across the ground to escape something, something came and attacked her.
“Violet! What happened?” I ask. There is terror in her eyes.
“Something… Came… Avion… Banette… Something…Horror…Attack…”
“Whoa, slow down! Start at the beginning, Violet” I say. She is making no sense.
“Something came… THERE!” she screams.
I turn.
Floating in front of me is a monstrous creature. It resembles a bird, but has four wings spread across the span of the room. Its large talons set on the ground, before beginning to change. The wings slowly shrink back into the body, the first set disappearing into the shoulders. The talons retract and turn into toes, the plumage melting together and turning into a pale skin.
The birds face begins taking on humanly features; the beak separates into a nose and mouth, and the bloodshot eyes turn into a tranquil blue. The creature that was once a bird was now like a human. It was female, a black dress wrapped around the fragile frame. It flows down, hiding the feet, and was covered in black glitter, to make it shine.
“Avion” I sneer, “you have no business coming here.”
I do not know how she managed to break through the shield, but she is here.
“Hmm…” she says, her voice echoing in the room, “Spirit Catcher… I am here only to say you will not succeed… We have taken something most precious to you… Banette, I believe you call her… She will remain with us…Until you decide that your plan will fail.”
She begins to laugh, before returning to the monstrous bird form she was before, and flies through what had been the window.
“You okay?” I say, turning back to Violet.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“Good,” I say, “coz we’re leaving right now” and with that, I helped her, and we set off outside.
“The sun will rise in about ten minutes” I say as we make our way down the street, “then we will get my Banette and destroy Avion.”
They have picked the wrong Spirit Catcher to mess with.
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Suggestions? Comments? MAYBE MORE READERS!!! (No offense ShadowCloud62 and Tavion).
Chapter Four is not going to be posted next, instead it's actually going to be a bit of History on the Ghoultadé, and the role of the Clarvey. After that Chapter Four will be in progress.
-SB ;001;