บท 28: Ch 28. Going by water
Once on route 12, all Ares could see was the mist surrounding the forest and the beach on the side, with in the distance the small town that was his destination. The road was densely packed with trainers and other people, all rushing to the town, as night was already coming. They took the news from the police very serious, rushing back to town like the ghost was already on their tracks.
Some of the trainers were instead going at an easy pace, their eyes focussed on the forest on the left side of them. They were no doubt the ones who wanted to discover the mystery pokemon that had been kidnapping all those people. If they could catch it they would surely be famous. How brave.
Ares didn't hurry at all. He had his pokemon with him. They were strong enough to help in case something happened. That didn't mean he wasn't cautious either, as overconfidence was a nasty habit to have when in danger.
As he continued walking, the afternoon was soon turned into the fading lights of twilight. The people that were already walking fast were now running as if their lives depended on it. It looked really funny. It was as if he saw Delia Ketchum at a grocery sale. The only thing that was lacking was the excited face as she pushed other people to the side to get what she wanted.
This however wasn't a fun and casual sale event, as only the terror for their lives remained.
The trainers who were here for the mystery pokemon one by one called out their pokemon. It was pretty impresive, as there were pokemon such as Blastoise, Venusaur, Alakazam and Espeon. A pretty rare sight to see so many last stage evolutions at one place. So far the only place you would see them gathered like this would be at the Pokemon League. They were strong as well. Some people were flying above the forest with their Pidgeotto or other flying type pokemon to scour the surroundings through the sky.
Others had quick pokemon they could ride on, such as Dodrio and Arcanine. The canine pokemon would search around the forest for possible tracks they could find, while the other pokemon of the trainers would keep a watch for their surroundings.
It had turned into a full out search party. The chance of the mystery pokemon appearing was getting pretty slim now. There were too many people, attracting even more attention from those rushing past. A few trainers thought it was interesting and joined as well, the forest soon becoming packed with pokemon and their trainers.
Not wanting to have anything to do with these people, Ares called out his Lapras. Appearing in a flash of blue light, Lapras called out joyfully, nudging her head against Ares's chest. He immediately got the attention of all the other trainers, some dismissing him while others looked at his Lapras in a bit of envy. Not surprising really, as Lapras was pretty rare to come across. They had been hunted to near extinction. Maybe in another region there were more Lapras, unafraid to swim around in the open.
Not giving them any piece of his mind, Ares jumped on Lapras's back followed closely by Lucario and Umbreon. They set out to travel across the water, a bit further from the other trainers. He still didn't trust other people all that much, especially when they had so many strong pokemon with them. It made him all the more apprehensive. Better to stay far away from them. Who knows if they were targetting his pokemon. It wouldn't be the first time.
So Ares looked on from the side as the other trainers were scouring the forest and the beach as the mist surrounding them became thicker. It was odd how quickly the mist had overtaken the forest. From here Ares could still see everything what was happening, even if it was becoming a bit hard. The mist slowly spread, soon covering all the land. Multiple red eyes appeared in the dense mist, congregating around the panicking trainers and their pokemon.
That was how he saw multiple groups of trainers and their pokemon fell asleep as if it was the most normal thing in the world. The fog around them became thicker. When the fog cleared up a bit, they were nowhere to be found. All of them had disappeared from the face of the earth.
"Boy, am I glad we chose to travel by water, right guys?"
Lucario and Umbreon nodded, as they too had seen what happened. They were fortunate enough to have Lapras to give them a ride. A shiver ran over their backs, as they still did not know what pokemon it was. Only Lapras seemed completely unfazed as she just began to hum a song. It sounded very cheery, making the land seem very creepy and ominous.
"I am a bit curious though what kind of pokemon it is."
Ares muttered as he let his Aura slowly move out to the land. Lucario looked at him, shaking his head as he knew that it was a bad idea, but Ares couldn't help it. He just wanted to find out how the pokemon looked. That's all. He was sure it was a ghost type, he just didn't know what ghost type it was.
Having stretched his Aura a bit further to just under the foliage, he could feel multiple presences move about. There were those having a gaseous form, as well as other forms. They just didn't feel like those of normal pokemon or humans. Their aura, otherwise known as life force, was too low. It was a really mystifying feeling. Ghost types, a strange specie for sure.
The biggest presence there was more tangible than the rest as it had a humanoid form. It was big, bigger than the rest that was present there. Its presence was bearing down on the others, as they all cleared a wide berth around it.
Increasing his Aura just a bit to see clearer, the presence suddenly turned its face in his direction. Big crimson eyes locked with his, a wide grin appearing like a crack beneath them, as if it wanted to swallow him whole.
Retracting his Aura instantly, Ares could feel his heart beating hard in his chest. It looked straight at him. It knew he was here. It really was a bad idea. Glancing at Lucario, he wanted to slap himself as Lucario gave him the 'I told you so' face. He really didn't want to hear it, but he really was too reckless.
"It's my fault. I deserve that look."
Ares muttered, followed by a comforting pat on the back, as if Lucario was saying 'It can't be helped, can it?' It didn't make him feel better at all. While Lucario was comforting him, Umbreon stared across the water towards the shore, his yellow rings illuminating their surroundings.
Keeping a close eye on the shore, the only thing they saw were shadows flickering from beneath the trees. Some even seemed to move across the water, but they didn't come near him. Umbreons light seemed like a boundary, a safe space that kept the horrors out.
"Let's sleep on Lapras for tonight. We should be fine in the morning."
Not even thinking of going back on land, Ares took out a few blankets. He didn't have enough space on Lapras' back to call out his pokemon all at once, so he called them out one by one to give them their food. They all looked at him with questioning eyes, but Ares refrained from explaining. It was too embarrassing to tell them right now. Maybe tomorrow when they were in Lavender Town. For once being in the proximity of people might make him feel a little bit more secure.
After feeding them all, he returned them and slept with Umbreon, Lucario and Mew. Before he fell asleep, he could see Mew staring silently across the water, but paid it no mind. Mew seemed to have noticed the other pokemon as well. It wasn't surprising at all.
"Let's get some sleep Mew. We need to be up early tomorrow."
[If you say so. I'll keep the ghosts away for you then.]
Nodding, Ares didn't register the last thing Mew said as he dozed off.
*
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The next morning, all of his pokemon woke up all relaxed. Only Ares felt a bit out of sort, as he yawned slightly. He had the oddest dream of having been stared at the whole time. It had gotten on his nerves, so he woke up a lot through the night, just to see nothing. There were no eyes staring at him, only the misty water and shore to keep him company. The rest of his pokemon had been sound asleep, not even waking up once.
He really shouldn't bother with the things on the shore. Seeing the sun shining brightly lifted his mood a lot as he and his pokemon returned to the shore. Returning the now happy Lapras to her pokeball, Ares continued to Lavender Town. On the side of the road, he could see all of the missing pokemon trainers passed out on the ground. They were completely unharmed, with the only thing odd being their ripped trousers. Seems like whatever Pokemon that found them had a fun night. It ghost pokemon were really a curious bunch. They loved to play these kinds of pranks. He just hoped it wasn't as serious as the situation seemed to make it out as.
Looking at the trainers with a bit of pity, Ares continued to Lavender Town. He wanted to visit the pokemon tower. It was known as a pokemon graveyard. From a few sources in the library, a man often visited there who knew a bit about some of the people buried in the tower. One such person that was buried there was a man called Isaac. He was mentioned only to have been able to use aura, if only just a bit. Mr Fuji, the man in the tower, might know a bit about Isaac.
Entering the Town, Ares went to look for the pokemon tower.
Unbeknownst to all, the shadows of Ares and his surroundings began to flicker briefly, a pair of eyes faintly visible in Ares's shadow as they gave of a wicked smile.
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