A pair of narrow beams of light crossed over each other in the darkness, two figures illuminating each other with handheld flashlights. The dark, drab green hue of the men's uniforms mostly blended into the darkness that the forest they trudged through had engulfed them in, though the green wing upon a white cloud that decorated the pair's shoulders stood out somewhat more. Overhead, a swarm of Zubat shrieked as they rose into the sky, disturbed from their roost. A large, brown-feathered figure flitted angrily around the treetops, pursuing the fleeing Zubat with particularly vehement aggression, calling out hatred-laden hooting through its chase.
It was a Noctowl, and while it might be the only Pokémon so openly displaying its temper, it was not alone. Arrayed around the pair of suspect trainers were a number of ready-to-battle Pokémon. A Fearow, a pair of Murkrow, and a Braviary stared around the area, looking for threats. In the middle of their encirclement, the hulking bat-like figure of a Noivern remained still as a statue, as if unconcerned with the goings-on around it. Strangely enough, however, the other Pokémon all shied away from the Noivern, permitting the dragon-bat a clear, respectful bubble of personal space. Even the two trainers standing nearby eyed it warily, as if uncertain of the friendliness of this Pokémon in their midst.
"Noctowl, come on, get down here!" One of the pair called upward with a hiss, a Pokéball clutched in his hand and desperately trying to aim in the direction of the Noctowl as it chased off the slowest fleeing Zubat, landing sharp Gust attacks across the bat's wings and sending several tumbling to the forest floor with hard thumps. "We're not here to catch Zubat or battle! If you aren't going to behave, get in the ball!" A narrow beam of red light shot upward, the trainer attempting repeatedly to recall the Noctowl, and failing to strike it with the beam. The Pokémon clearly hadn't had enough of wreaking havoc on the hapless bats.
The cacophony of the fight echoed through the woods, causing the nearby Pokémon to either flee or delve deeper into their hidden hiding spots. The Noivern glanced upward, its golden-hued eyes lit by an inner radiance, and a voice pressed down on those present, trainer and Pokémon alike. 'ENOUGH.' The voice was sharp and demanding, reverberating with an expectation of obedience, but it reverberated through the minds of those present rather than their ears. At the same time, the Noivern locked its head in the direction of the Noctowl, before a brightly glaring purple beam of energy blasted into the noncompliant Pokémon. It was struck from the air with such force that it rebounded off two different trees before landing hard on the grass without any further motion, allowing the frantic trainer to recall it.
After doing so, sweat visibly beaded on the trainer's face, rolling down it slowly as the Noivern directed its backlit stare toward him. Despite standing a head shorter than him at least, the way the creature hiked its full height upward made it seem as if it was looming overhead in superiority, and the way the trainer broke their stare away to peer at the ground with a hunched posture dared not challenge that claim. "I-It's a new capture, I-I-I am still working on r-reining it under control! B-but it won't be an issue! I swear it! Thank you for resolving its problematic behavior!" The words all but poured from the trainer's mouth as a babbling, borderline-incoherent stream. His body was trembling slightly as his fingers tightened their grip against the Pokéball, struggling to clip it to his belt. Once he finally managed to do so, he inclined his back in a quick bow toward the Noivern.
Without remark or motion, the Noivern stared at the trainer for several long seconds. The trainer looked at his companion as if seeking support, but his fellow was studiously examining a nearby tree and refused to look at his cohort. The last thing he wanted to do was get involved in this mess. The seconds ticked by, and the Noctowl's trainer swallowed with visible nervousness, holding the bow toward the draconic bat-like Pokémon. Eventually, the imperious voice 'spoke' again through the minds of those present. 'Ensure this matter does not repeat itself.'
"Of course, of course! Thank you! I'll discipline it thoroughly after we have finished our duties!" The relief in his voice was palpable, and the bowing figure finally straightened. "W-we have narrowed down the object to th-this vicinity, but the readings we received were only a sporadic resonance about a week ago, and then a weaker resonance event a few days after that. It's only thanks to that second resurgence that the detectors we have honed in on the area were able to narrow down our area of search this far! Still, h-how are we supposed to find something so small in woods this vast on such a short time limit? Sh-should we split our Pokémon out to comb the area separately to cover as much terrain as possible?" The trainer was doing his best to sound like a sycophant, seeking approval from the stern stare of the Noivern.
'The resonance was muted. Search for unusual terrain. Search the river. Search for caves. If need be, we will rip the earth apart in our search. It is nearby. Find. It. Cirrus will be most displeased with any further delay.'
At this, both trainers nodded vehemently, the Pokémon they commanded scattering to comply with the command to search even before the trainers could tell their Pokémon to obey the demand. The Pokémon knew that they needed to listen to the Noivern well enough already. The trainers themselves dashed off through the woods to search alongside their Pokémon. After the rest had separated, the large, teardrop-shaped ears atop the Noivern's head rotated and twisted, picking out noises in the forest around it.
Its expression twisted into a displeased downturn, a snarl ripping free past its fangs. The noise rose into a shriek that called out and pulsed through the area, an echolocation many times more powerful than those released by the fleeing Zubat. The sonic waves released vibrated the branches of the trees around it, shaking loose a plethora of leaves, and the Noivern took to wing. Periodically, it blasted the surroundings with violent pulses of soundwaves. It was clearly displeased at having to take an active role in the search, but was proceeding to do so regardless. The sooner it found what they were sent to retrieve, the sooner it could be done with the incompetent fools sent to search the area.
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You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Away from the Noivern's influence, the two trainers began to speak and banter between each other as they searched. The intimidation of the Noivern was formidable, but an absent minder made the fear of its supervision lessen. "I can't believe the Santalune Forest team screwed up like that! We should have had plenty of time to comb through the area without the bosses breathing down our throats, but as soon as the Beedrill team let the Skitty out of the bag, we're getting a rush job. They should send them over to help, since the rush job is their fault!"
His partner spat into the undergrowth, "Yeah right. I'm convinced they got tired of sitting out in the woods and watching a bunch of Kakuna. It'd drive anyone crazy after a few weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if they slipped up on purpose just to get to run back to civilization. We've been out here just as long as them, but do we get to go back too? Nooo, we're stuck out here with Cirrus' pet ready to bite our heads off looking for some stupid slab of rock!"
"Yeah, well, the sooner we can find it the sooner we can get back to slacking off. I can't stand this place anymore. It's way worse at night." The trainer paused, glancing around. The sounds of Pokémon had faded into the distance, barring their own Pokémon searching the vicinity relatively around them. Other than that, the woods had fallen completely silent. "I swear, I can't shake the feeling that something's watching us..."
His companion smacked the backside of his head, firm enough that the trainer hastily took a few steps forward. "Of course something's watching us, you moron! We're out in the woods! There's gonna be stray Caterpie and stuff all over the place!"
Rubbing the back of his head, the first retorted, "Oh yeah? Show me a Caterpie then, smart guy! I haven't seen anything but trees, bushes, and grass for the past ten minutes. There's something going on around here..." He turned to walk forward again, but was halted by a shout of pain from behind.
"Ow! You threw something at me, you jerk! Sure, I smacked you, but that rock felt sharp! You trying to start a real fight?"
"What are you talking about? I didn't throw anything at you. I'm ahead of you! You'd have seen me if I threw something at you, idiot."
The pair's bickering halted, and they both realized what they had been discussing. "Hang on. If you didn't throw anything at me, then who...?"
An unsettling laughter reverberated around them, and the pair backed into each other. With each of them staring in a separate direction, they felt more at ease that nothing was going to sneak up on them. "What do you think that was?"
"How should I know? You just had to open your mouth about it being too quiet. Well you're getting noises now, are 'ya happy!?"
"Like this is my fault! Something's been following us! I told you we were being watched!"
"Close your mouth and open your eyes. Murkrow, get over here and check the area! Fearow, defensive position, don't let anything sneak up on us!"
"You too, Braviary! Shield me from the front! Murkrow, join the other and pair up, investigate the area! I know this dark doesn't bother you!"
After giving their commands, flashlight beams swept the area. They aimed at every rustle of a bush, every creak of a branch in the wind. The larger bird Pokémon landed in front of their trainers respectively, wings spread out wide to either side, trying to look larger and more intimidating. The smaller, black-feathered Murkrow blended into the dark as they flew closer to the periphery, checking around the trees.
Suddenly there was a squawk and a flash of motion as a large, dark hand extended around a tree and snatched up one of the Murkrow. The Pokémon flailed as it was dragged into the darkness, and the laughter reverberated. It mingled with the bird's distressed cawing, before the cawing drew to a halt.
"Murkrow? Murkrow!? Are you okay?!" The trainer called out, searching the area where the sounds stopped with his flashlight. The Murkrow was highlighted by the beam, seemingly unharmed but clearly unconscious upon the ground. "Return! Look, screw this, if Noivern wants this area checked, he can do it himself. I'd rather face it angry than who-knows-what is lurking out here!"
"Are you stupid? What it'll do to us will pale in comparison to what Cirrus will if she finds out we just ran for the hills! Group up and move forward. We can handle whatever's hiding in the woods. If it could take us all at once, it wouldn't be hiding in the trees!" The argument seemed sound, and calmed his companion down briefly, before the laughter resounded again, louder and if anything more amused.
As if called out in challenge at the remark questioning it hiding away, a squat, black-hued figure emerged from the undergrowth. It was barely tall enough to reach a man's chest, but they both took a step back at its appearance. Crimson eyes glowed in the darkness, and a gleam of gold shone in a smirk. The jagged, alternating pattern of a zipper gleamed in the beams of their flashlights. It cackled with amusement, a gaping void displaying behind its zippered mouth as it laughed, 'Ban-ette-ette-ette-ette' Even calling its own name, it made the words reverberate in sequence like a cruel laughter. A crackling ball of shadow danced between its upraised doll-like hands, before it fired a sequence of Shadow Balls at the group in rapid succession.
"Run for it! Murkrow, tank the attacks, you'll resist the blows!" The trainer showed no hesitation in demanding his Pokémon leap into the attack's path, which it did readily, wincing each time the energy soaked into its feathery frame. As the pair and their Pokémon fled, the Banette showed no interest in chasing them down, allowing them to escape. It sank into the ground and swiftly darted away, one more shadow lost among the myriad on the forest's floor.
It eventually resurfaced out of much rockier ground, in the depths of a small, well-hidden cave. It was a bit much to even call it a cave, it was a small alcove of rock buried into the side of a small hill. The entrance was overgrown, and had barely enough space for anything other than a ghost to wriggle inward. The Banette settled down on the floor near the middle of the cave, where three objects sat. The first was a well-worn Pokédoll of a Clefairy. It was clearly old, and despite the shelter of the cave, exposed to the elements. The stitching was coming apart at the seams, and the colors were faded and marred with dirt stains. The Banette carefully hugged it to its chest, cradling the doll.
The second object was around the doll's neck, looking like a marble hanging on a home-woven bracelet. A marble with a helix trapped in the center, of dark grey and gold mingling together. The Banette stroked the sphere with its fingertips, staring intently at it.
The last object was lying on the ground in the dust and dirt, all but disregarded by the cave's sole occupant. It was a small, dark purple plate of some unknown material, though it appeared to be stone-like at a casual glance. It radiated an eerie, unnerving aura, which may be what kept the Banette drawn to the area. It seemed to resonate with the ghostly nature of its occupant, but they placed no great importance upon it. Certainly nothing like it held for the Clefairy doll and the odd marble. If anything, the Banette considered it among the least of its possessions, yet it still lay claim to it. Its home would be far less suitable without it, after all. And so, the odd plate gathered dust, relegated to nothing more than ambiance for the ghost's home. For the time being.