As long as the tree stands, the shadow it casts weighs heavy on her shoulders. Beneath its darkness, she’s constantly reminded of all that has happened. It was all so fast, so sudden, so bizarre. Lex had struggled to make sense of any of it. She’s no scientist, just a simple thief. Without Killian Decker to talk to she’s secluded, alone. When you find yourself alone with your thoughts, things get dark, fast.

Perhaps that’s why she agreed to this. A small job. Supposedly, it would be easy. An abandoned mansion, looming over Sootopolis on a hill needed to be cleared out of the ghosts making it uninhabitable. With the clear Rocket presence, many of the team were spreading across the city like a wave. No doubt one of the higher ups would like a nice mansion. It looked pretty nice from here. Old, Victorian, beautiful architecture. Not quite her style, but anywhere felt more like home than her actual home, right now.

The stream of thoughts was interrupted when Nina finally spoke. Thank Arceus, she could feel herself spiraling.

Beast. She wasn’t quite use to it yet, “Yes, I suppose I am,” it’s spoken almost as a sigh. Disappointment? No, just fear. Lex has never seen herself as “Beast” material. Someone apparently did. It would have been foolish to turn down such an offer. With it came certain expectations she’s not quite sure she can live up to, “But not today, today we’re simply taking care of a pest problem,” In other words, she had no intention of using such a status to order Nina around, so she shouldn't expect it.

nina larson

After the events of the Tree of Life little concerned her, perhaps to a reckless degree. Working kept her busy which kept the darker thoughts away. What was even more effective than working, was fighting. At least with that there was a reasonable outlet to vent her frustrations. Beating up on some Rocket didn’t seem like something a Beast would do. With the name came power, yes, but it didn’t give free reign to toss around grunts.

Amber eyes moved to glance at Nina once she posed her question. They were scaling the last part of the hill, passing through the entrance gate of the Mansion’s grounds. It was a long driveway leading towards the front door.

“Ghosts? she repeated with a small smile, clearly she thought fondly of them. Instead of admitting it, she shrugged her shoulders, “I think they’re fascinating . . . misunderstood by many,” And with that came fear, which is likely why many people feared them for no particular reason.

As they approached the stone steps, Lex stopped, turning to ask Nina the same question. May as well know before they started their little exorcism, “Do you fear ghosts?”

nina larson

Moving on. Was that something that happened when you left this earth? Or did you simply cease to exist? It’s something’s considered time and time again as she worked with more and more ghost-types. Sometimes, she wasn’t even convinced they had a life before their spectral existence. That, or they didn’t quite remember why they were still here. If she’s learned anything from recent events, it’s that energy does seem to shift. It’s not created or destroyed, only transferred. Wasn’t that some sort of scientific principle? A question for someone else, not her.

“I think sometimes they don’t have a choice and their energy is pulled into becoming what they are,” sometimes, Lex also felt that they were more than just an individual, but an accumulation of energies formed into one being, like a complex symbiotic relationship, “I don’t think we’ll ever quite figure it out,” Lex shrugged and moved on.

Enough philosophy, time for work.

A wave of Lex’s hand summoned Morgana from the phantom plane. The Misdreavus materialized from a dark mist, taking form beside the red head as she walked towards the mansion. Much like the iron gate, the front door creaked eerily as the Beast pushed it open with one hand. Daylight from the outside flooded the dusty foyer and it all seemed quiet, “Would you rather flush them out or search for them?” each tactic had its pros and cons. Or perhaps the woman had another idea. Lex’s gazed moved towards Nina, looking at her expectantly.

nina larson

Deserve, or desire? Perhaps not all ghost types deserved their fate. It’s quite possible some of them chose not to ‘move on’. Unfinished business, spite, regret, the opportunity for immortality – everyone’s desires shift throughout life. When faced with death, is anyone truly ready? If given the choice, many would likely choose to live on, terrified of what an afterlife may hold for them.

At Nina’s comment, Lex simply shrugged, also taking a look around the dark, dusty foyer, “Definitely needs some work,” she agreed, but she could see the potential there.

Lex met Nina’s surprised look with a rather stoic expression, the hint of a frown tugged at one of the corners of her cherry lips, “Of course you,” dumb question.

“Looking for them it is,” the frown turned into a small grin, also hinting at her shared desire to search for them. A wave of her hand pushes the Misdreavus forward, the ghost disappearing into the dark mist.

“Have you ever traveled through the phantom plane” strange small talk to start with as she stepped forward, leading them deeper into the mansion. A soft, deep groan can heard in the distance.

Old floorboards? Or had they awakened something from its slumber?

nina larson

“Yes – It’s where they go when they leave our physical world,” Fascinating how they could manifest a physical form and have it dissipate at will, “It’s quite the experience. You’re here but at the same time, you’re not,” It’s where she goes sometimes to escape and observe, remind herself there’s more than just this existence. There are other worlds, endless possibilities. In a way, the fickleness of their reality gives her hope – a hope that lets her dream Killian Decker can still be saved from the monster that infects him.

“It’s also where they go when they escape this plane – when they disappear. Phantom Force just allows them the ability to manifest energy in their plane, and forcefully expel it in ours,” or so she hypothesizes. She’s no scientist, but she does spend a lot of time with ghosts.

Her hands wave at the air as she leads them into a large family room, two stories tall with large windows that stretch up to the ceiling. Outside, you can see the glimmer of the ocean and the burning hues of a setting sun, “It’s where Morgana is now – Searching for our friends.” she pauses for a moment, glancing back to Nina with a grin, "Would you like to?" War takes her there often.

As if on cue, the deep groan shifts into a loud, high-pitched, piercing scream that seems to rattle the bones. It seems she’s found their squatters.

From above, a DUSKULL fades into view, frantically rushing towards Nina and Lex as if running from something.

nina larson

Now that Lex has likely, fully, creeped out Nina, it’s time to get to the mission.

The piercing scream didn’t affect Lex in the way it did the grunt. In fact, it reminded her of the Shadow Gardvoir’s shriek but she knew the pokemon was safely tucked away in its pokeball clung to her hip . . . Right?

A gentle scan of the pokeballs with her fingertips confirmed the orb was still there and heavy with the pokemon’s presence. Did Morgana learn that from her phantom teammate? The Duskull rushed past, really paying the trainers no mind. Lex simply watched then let her gaze fall down on Nina who was recovering from the initial startle of the scream.

Shortly, Morgana faded into view also running from . . . something. The Misdreavus came to an abrupt halt after the phased through Lex’s chest to hide behind her trainer. The ghost peeked out from behind the woman’s broad shoulders only to be met by a scowl from the red head, “Really?” Lex rolled her eyes. Untrained and useless.

There was an eerie silence before air seemed to shift. Through a hazy fog a Mega-Banette emerged, sinister grin and all.

A Mega-Banette? How on earth was it mega-evolved without a trainer?

A WISP of fire builds around the Marionette’s dangling arms. It throws them with precision towards Lex and Nina. The thief is quick enough to hit the floor, ducking out of the way. Hopefully, Nina is quick enough to do the same.

Clearly, the ghost didn’t want them here.

nina larson

Not every pokemon a Beast trained had been perfected. This was supposed to be a simple mission, fit for a pokemon that needed the training. Tough love, right?

After hitting the floor to let the Will-O-Wisp sail over her head, the Beast slowly crawls back up to face the Misdrevous with an icy glare. The ghost cowers beneath the threatening gaze, tapping her little hands together in contemplation. The air beside her ripples with the dark presence of the Shadow Pokemon that constantly haunted her shadow.

It’s enough to kick the young ghost’s butt in gear.

Morgana dashes past Lex, joining the Vulpix to face the Mega Banette.

“It’s a Mega Banette,” Lex scowls, fists clenching at her side, “I’ve ran into one before,” She has a Banette, and currently seeks a mega stone for it. Curious that this one is able to Mega Evolve without a trainer. Perhaps it’s the high concentration of Infinity Energy in the area thanks to the Tree of Life.

A piercing HOWL stops the Mega Banette in its tracks, giving Morgana the opportunity to strike with a CONFUSE RAY. The mystical colors dance around the Bannete. It hisses in frustration, swatting at the multicolored aurora as it staggers back.

nina larson