Spirit of Mystery Part 7

Previous: Spirit of Mystery Part 6

The darkness around him engulfed his senses, and the only thing he was left with was an office building. Something changed, but it happened in an instant, faster than he could blink. He looked over to Jena, who looked back at him, and gave him a nervous smile. He nodded, and then turned to keep walking down that hallway. As he did, he felt like he was swimming through the air, as if there were some sort of resistance, or something that was weighing him backward. It was something that couldn't be explained unless you were feeling it for yourself. Everything seemed to take on a strange copper tint to it, as if he were watching an older film on an ancient projector. He stopped, and felt his head swim from recoil as he did.

He looked back over to Jena, who looked back at him, and gave him a nervous smile. He nodded, and then turned to keep walking down that hallway. As he did, he felt like he was swimming through the air, and... then he saw that he was right back where he started. "Jena..." He said, his voice sounding distant, as if he said it while he was at the other end of the hall. "Do you feel that?"

Jena: Feel what? What do you mean? What should I be feeling?

"I don't know, I don't feel right, like I'm being shut in in a wide open space. I feel like I'm walking through murky water. Do you feel that?"

Jena: Feel what? What do you mean? What should I be feeling? [She gently put her hand on his chest and pushed him into the wall at his back.]

Jena: What should I be feeling? [She put her face very close to his, and he could feel her hot breath against his cheek as her lips came ever so close to his.] What should I be feeling?

As he looked into her eyes, she wasn't looking straight back, her eyes gazed off into space, as if she were blind, or her face was a mask that could not move her eyes. Her fingers ran through his hair, and down his face, and he stood still. His eyes were very wide, and his cheeks were very red. Still, his eyes couldn't stop staring at those strange, lifeless eyes of Jena's as they gazed off into nothingness. That was when she put her hand down to the bottom of her chin, and lifted up the mask, underneath, her skin was absolutely gray-white, and her eyes were a sickening yellow that pierced the darkness.

His breaths became heaves, and his pulse jumped up, skyrocketing. She stared deep into his eyes and her grin crossed completely over her face, ear to ear.

Girl: I told you that you would pay, and look what you've done. You walked right to me. You should know better than to walk into the haunt. So unprepared, and so inexperienced. Now, pay with your soul.

Her mouth began to grow into an enormous size, her teeth sharpening to tips that looked microscopic. His heart skipped a beat, and a single bead of sweat dripped down his face. There was nothing he could think to do in that instant. That was, until he felt something come through the back of his head, and through the front of his face. A skull mask, cloaked in purple, and a red eye piercing through it.

Duskull: Duuuuuuuskull!

Rhys: Night Shade, NOW!

Girl: GAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! [The banshee-like entity shrieked as Duskull unleashed a full-force attack on her, and her eyes went completely black.]

She was reverted into her true form, which went through the wall, and fled away. Rhys saw the entire world change back to normal, and now he knew that he was under the influence of a Confuse Ray. He panted to catch his breath as he slid down the wall his back was against. Sweat streamed down his face, and he couldn't stop from shaking. Then he heard the sound of electricity, and he looked over to see Jena as she was standing in front of a Houndour with her Pikachu, who was lit up with lightning that shocked the canine Pokemon.

The Houndour came back at Pikachu with its maw bursting into flames, and little licks of flame quickly blew through the air at the electric mouse. Pikachu cringed at the attack, but endured it.

Jena: Pikachu! Hang tough! Hit him with a thunder wave!

Pikachu: Pika-CHU!!! [Powered up his cheeks, and then released all of it in one single, wide, burst.]

Houndour felt the burst hit him, and that was when he began to shake uncontrollably. His limbs locked up, and he was unable to move even a muscle, no matter how much he struggled.

Jena: Alright, nice work, Pikachu! Now then, I don't care where you came from, but now you're mine! [Pulled out a pokeball, and enlarged it.] Come on Pokeball! [Lunged the pokeball straight for Houndour.]

The Pokeball consumed Houndour, and landed, beginning to shake. It was not long before it went dead, and stable.

Jena: YES! [Jena thrusted her fist forward, putting her hand on her bicep as she flexed.] We did it Pikachu! We caught Houndour!

Pikachu: Pikachu!!! [Jumped for joy.]

Rhys: [Put his hand on Jena's shoulder.] Nice work J--

Jena: GAH! [Whirled around, and thrust her fist into Rhys's face!] Eh?!

Rhys fell on his butt and leaned back some, dazed a little bit.

Jena: Oh my God! Rhys! [Went down to Rhys and embraced him.] I'm so glad you're okay! I thought I'd lost you! What happened? There was a mannequin, and you fell, then there was a Houndour, and I thought you were dead!

Rhys: Eh... well, yeah, these things -- happen.

Jena: Oh, and sorry about the punch thing, my Dad made me take a self-defense class. Is your nose okay?

Rhys: Yeah I'm good [He wiggled his nose with is thumb and forefinger, then sniffed a bit to make sure he could still breathe from it.]

He got up from the ground, and looked down at Pikachu, who smiled up at him, and bowed a little bit.

Pikachu: Pika!

Jena: I'm so happy, Pikachu! [Picked him up and cuddled him.] You did so great! Do you want to stay out of your pokeball for a bit?

Pikachu: Chu... [Yawned.]

Jena: Tired, huh? Alright! Rest well! [Beamed Pikachu back into the Pokeball, then looked back at Rhys.] Alright, Rhys, what's going on? What was all that I saw earlier?

Rhys: I wish I had a good answer for you, but the high and low is that I really don't. I can say that I think something is trying to stop us from advancing, and would have if it weren't for Duskull here. [Duskull lowered down from the ceiling as she heard her name.]

Jena: Oh... how pleasant. [Looked over at Duskull.]

Rhys: We need to be a little more careful, I think we were hallucinating from a powerful Confuse Ray. Whatever is trying to stop us, [Looked down the hallway, seeing that their path was just a little clearer to see.] we're getting closer to it.

Spirit of Mystery Part 8