2024-06-10: A Ghost of a Chance
- Cutscene: A Ghost of a Chance
- Cast: Mia Tamaoka, Harvey Tamaoka, Beatrice Tamaoka
- Where: Mt. Moon, then Lavender Town at the Tamaoka residence
- Date: June 10, 2024
- Summary: Mia sets out with her pokemon partner Purri to explore Mt. Moon, when things take a drastic turn. Mia finds herself trapped in a situation she's not sure she can escape, when all of a sudden a chance presents itself.
Mia's Journey had taken... a few turns, since she had set out. Originally it had been an excuse to get away from her parents, and to find her missing friends Peace and Joy. She had found them, and why they were so distant: They were in Team Rocket.
And now she was, too.
At first she was just in Team Rocket to be with her friends again. But then... Anne had taken an interest. Had started training her, showing her that Team Rocket wasn't so bad. And... that she had potential.
Mia wanted to realize that potential. And there were things about Nede she wanted to change now, too.
So she had Team Rocket goals. But she still didn't have a clear goal for her Journey. Maybe she didn't need one, now that she had other goals. It was fun enough getting to explore all the parts of Energy Nede she'd never gotten to see before, and to explore (carefully) the worlds of Filgaia and Lunar that were now connected to Nede through the rifts.
Still, even if she didn't have a clear goal, her Journey could still be useful. She knew she needed to get stronger, both as a trainer and as a person. And there were new pokemon to find and befriend, too. Anne said that was one of her strengths, that she didn't just accept pokemon from Team Rocket and then hope for 'better ones' later. She could train her own pokemon. Make her own strength.
To that end, she had decided to take a trip through Mt. Moon to explore and see what she could discover. She was dressed in her traveling outfit: a dusty purple hoodie, a fuschia skirt over black bike shorts, sneakers, and her favorite element: sparkling light purple nail polish that matched Purri's claw polish. Her purple hair was down at the moment, framing her face with long bangs, and her black-rimmed glasses sat high on her nose, over her pale silver eyes. She was at the edge of Pewter Town, off to the side of the route as she knelt with her backpack, checking through the various pockets. Keeping things organized was important, as was making sure that she had enough supplies before setting out.
"Pokeballs... check. Berries, ch-check.... Potions, ethers... check."
Purri stood next to her, tail swishing slowly. She had Mia's phone in her hands, and let out an affirmative "Purr!" each time she checked something off the list. It was a little ritual they went through every time they left town, just to be sure.
Mia smiled and zipped up the last compartment. "Is that e-everything?"
There was a sing-song, playful, "Looooin~" from Purri in reply, which Mia recognized meant 'no.'
But she was smiling more as she looked to Purri. "Oh really? Wh-what did I forget?"
With a smile, Purri turned the phone towards Mia to show her the last item on the list: Phone.
Mia giggled and reached out to take the phone from Purri. "Cell phone... check!" She tapped the last checkbox, and then slipped the phone into her pocket. "N-now we're ready." She slipped her backpack on and stood up, and Purri jumped easily up to her shoulder.
They shared a brief cheekrub with each other, and Purri let out a happy "Purr!"
They set off down the path towards Mt. Moon.
Mt. Moon had a lot of different paths, and for the most daring... Mia knew there were rare fairy type pokemon at the summit. She stood at a branch in the path, with a sign marking the difficulties of various options. She was sorely tempted to try and traverse one of the more difficult routes to try and strike out at the summit, but...
She'd had an abject lesson, recently, in not confronting something dangerous too rashly.
Mia sighed, and turned towards the easier path. "Maybe next time..."
"Purl!" agreed Purri.
Just as she stepped onto the trail, however, a ferocious, primal roar swept through the area. The pressure of it pounded at Mia's eardrums. But more than that--it tore through her mind, an awful scratching of nails and claws in the way she had unfortunately come to associate with her Spiritsight. Mia cried out and clutched at her head, dropping to her knees and keeling over. Pirri was on the ground next to her, letting out her own whine as she clutched at her ears.
She was already dreading what she would see, when she turned back. She knew, with a sinking feeling in her heart, but she had to check. There were only a few pokemon that could interact with her Spiritsight but that she could not comprehend. A ghost type, overflowing with unbridled fury and anger...
No, rage.
She paled as she beheld it. Almost four feet tall, fur flying out in every direction, boxing gloves, and...
Eyes glowing red.
Mia let out a startled yelp as she stumbled back. She couldn't talk to an Annihilape--she wasn't sure anybody could--but the overflowing, unbridled energy could still play havoc with her senses.
Beside her, Purri lowered her paws to the ground and turned, then started to hiss.
The trainer's thoughts raced for a moment. They could make a stand--Purri would be at a partial disadvantage, but she did have other pokemon to call upon. But they were still relatively inexperienced, and with Mia at a disadvantage...
Mia put her hands together, muttering softly under her breath. Energy built up in her Symbological spell and suddenly released. A massive dust cloud billowed up from the ground all around them, obscuring the clearing.
She winced, as the Annihilape howled again, but for Purri she only had a single command. "Run." Trainer and pokemon alike turned tail and started down the trail. Mia's steps faltered, the lingering pain in her mind still insistent even as she started to put distance between herself and the aggressive pokemon.
There was a sound that could have been shouting behind them, but Mia didn't dare stop to look.
The path was too straight and level. Annihilape would catch up to them quickly enough, and then-- well, she didn't want to think about then. But there was a bend in the path, a turn with an embankment leading down into a wooded area. Maybe that could slow it down, or they could lose it.
Her head was still ringing from earlier, and every ounce of breath she could pull in was going straight into pushing her legs forward. Mia tapped her side three times, a non-verbal signal she and Purri had set up for--well, not quite such an occasion--but it did get Purri to glance up.
Mia pointed straight ahead at the turn in the path and Purri nodded. Together they charged forward, Mia summoned more Symbological power to herself, and drew magically-powered winds around her body. Purri took the slope downwards in steady, assured leaps, using her inborn feline grace and the stability of four paws to make the descent. Mia took a bold leap, letting the winds cushion her landings as she bounded down the hill at full speed.
The wooded area was not nearly as even and level as the path was. This slowed Mia down somewhat, but not as much as it once might've--she could vault over fallen logs much more easily now, and all of the physical conditioning she had undergone with Anne and Joy was proving to be a tremendous benefit now as Mia and Purri wove their ways through the trees.
Annihilape's frustrated howling still echoed out behind them as the angry ape made great bounding leaps to chase after them.
We have to find a place to hide, thought Mia. I can't keep this up forever.
Suddenly Mia and Purri burst out into a clearing, a spot near the base of the mountain where many of the trees hadn't taken root--or had been cleared. Mia skidded to a stop to take in their surroundings. A clearing would leave them vulnerable, but if they were near the base of the mountain, then--
A cave. Even if it was made and inhabited by pokemon, whatever was in there would surely be less trouble than an Annihilape. And if they could lose it... all the better.
Mia tapped her side again to get Purri's attention and pointed to the cave. Purri nodded her assent, and in unison they both took off running again.
Suddenly, a jolt violently wrenched Mia's ankle. She let out a pained yelp as she crashed hard into the dirt, knocking her glasses loose. Her ankle throbbed hotly and despite herself she couldn't help but let out a whimper. It hurt to move, and after running for so long, suddenly depriving her body of oxygen was making her lightheaded as she started gasping for enough air to fuel her muscles.
"Purr!" Purri shrieked as she heard Mia go down, claws digging into the dirt as she pivoted on the spot to run back to her trainer. She rushed up to her but turned her attention to the forest, ears twitching as she listened for the sounds of the rampaging Annihilape.
She turned back to Mia and held up 2 fingers, then 3 and 4. Second, third, and fourth pokemon: Pixi, Mia's Vulpix, Rishi; Silci, her Beautifly; and Rishi, her Whelpwisher.
Mia nodded and wordlessl;y tossed those pokeballs out, summoning her pokemon. She could guess at Purri's plan, and it was a decent one. Stall, try to lock down the Annihilape for long enough for Mia to recover.
Purri gestured to the three, frantically explaining her plan. "Purri, purr lo loin! Purrloin, purr purl."
Pixi and Rishi got themselves ready, taking up a position in front of Mia. Silci took off over the treetops to keep a better watch for the Annihilape.
Purri next turned her attention back to Mia, examining her ankle with a frown. It was swollen and red, and Mia winced as her pokemon handled it. It didn't seem broken, but neither of them trusted putting weight on it just yet. And none of Mia's pokemon would really support Mia's weight, either.
Only one thing to do, then. Mia gestured back and forth between Purri and herself, and then leaned forward. A soft green glow suffused her hand as she concentrated, applying healing energy to her ankle. Purri nodded and watched carefully. Once Mia started, she studied the spell intently until her eyes flickered green. Her own paws started to glow with the same energy, and she put her hands over her trainer's so they could work in tandem.
Mia let out a sigh of relief as the tightness and the ache started to wane. It didn't seem like anything was broken, judging by how the magic was flowing through her ankle, but... there could be a less severe injury waiting to make itself known. She glanced up worriedly towards the treeline. How much time did they have? How long could they afford to spend healing before risking she'd be okay to move?
Not that long, it turned out. Silci swooped back into the clearing, gesturing frantically. "Fly, fly!" Moments later, Annihilape crashed down into the ground at the edge of the clearing, kicking up a giant spray of dirt and leaves with his arrival. He was panting harshly, eyes narrowing as they fell on Mia and Purri. He pointed at them both and howled in frustration, stomping his feet as she worked himself up into a lather.
"Looooin..." hissed out Purri.
Mia pointed Purri towards Annihilape, and then redoubled her efforts on her ankle.
Purri nodded and took her place next to Rishi. "Purr?"
"Whelp!" exclaimed Rishi, as she brought her arms up into a fighting position, one hand extended forward towards Annihilape. Purri studied the teddy bear pokemon for a moment, her eyes flashing red as she started to mimic Rishi's stance. Together they waited as Annihilape worked himself up further.
The enemy Annihilape suddenly sprang forward with a wild howl, long locks of fur fluttering wildly as he sailed through the air. Energy trailed behind his fist as it blazed with energy. As he descended, Rishi stepped forward, swinging an arm forward and creating a barrier of shimmering energy. The two sets of energies clashed as Annihilape swung his fist down at the barrier. A bright flash of light and force exploded outwards, throwing both pokemon back.
"R-Rishi!" Mia got up and gritted her teeth. Her ankle was still sore, complaining at her about the added eight; she couldn't risk running on it, but she didn't have enough time now to get to the cave without being seen anyway. They were committed to this fight.
She scooped up Rishi, who seemed to be fine, if a bit slugging from the crash. "A-are you okay?"
After a moment Rishi looked up to her and nodded. "Whelp!"
Meanwhile, as Annihilape was flung back, Purri called out, "Lo! Purr!"
Silci and Pixi answered Purri's call and stepped forward. Pixi set her paws, staring intently at Annihilape. Her eyes began to glow, a dark aura rising up around her. Suddenly she stepped forward, focusing her will on Annihilape. Dark energy surrounded him as Pixi did her best Disable him. She was straining, tiny limbs trembling as she tried to exert her will against all of her opponent's wild rage.
Even so, Annihilape was fighting back, growling fiercely as he took first one step, then another towards Pixi. Silci swooped close and began to beat her wings furiously, stirring up fierce, gusting winds to push Annihilape back. Pixi and Silci struggled in tandem, and with a firm snap of her wings forward for one last extra push, Silci managed to send Annihilape tumbling back.
Now was the time to press the advantage. "Purri! Rishi! Play R-rough!"
Rishi sprang out from Mia's arms, and teddy bear and cat both charged forward, growling at their opponent. They set upon him in tandem, unleashing an onslaught of curious blows and scratches. Annihilape struggled to protect himself, still wilting under the pressure of Pixi's Disable.
But suddenly, he threw them off with a roar and the release of a blue shockwave, sending Purri and Rishi flying. Annihilape grabbed Rishi, spinning rapidly around in a circle before sending the teddy bear flying at Silci. Both pokemon let out a pained cry as they collided and crashed to the ground
"N-no! H-hold on--" cried Mia. She desperately tried to think of something. Tikka knew Fairy Wind, and Chira knew Astonish, maybe--
But Annihilape wasn't done yet, stomping his feet furiously. A line of rocks started to jut up from the ground, surging at Pixi and sending her flying. The aura dampening the primate's movements died down, and he slowly turned his gaze towards Mia with a fierce growl. The trainer took a limping step back, trying to fight the sense of panic bubbling up within her.
Everyone looked hurt. Should she recall all of them, make a run for it? Call out her last two pokemon? She couldn't fight, not like this--
A new voice called out from the woods. "Hold up!" A bald man, built like a Tauros and stuffed into an (mostly) immaculate black suit pushed his way out of the woods looking slightly winded. "Geeze, kid. You suddenly get in shape or something?"
"No," replied Mia honestly. "It t-took a lot of work." Her eyes widened a moment later. "H-hey wait, I know y-you!"
The head of security for her parents' estate. Which meant...
Mia's stomach sank.
"That's right. Your mother and father have been keeping tabs on you. And they'd like to have a little chat."
Mia crossed her arms, trying to stand tall. "I'm n-not going back. I'm on m-my Journey."
The man chuckled. "Well, you have a choice. You can come home and talk to your parents... or you can have a little chat with L'Aqua about your... shall we say, extracurriculars?"
Scowling, Mia narrowed her eyes. "... You wouldn't."
"Try me. You know your parents always get what they want."
Her resolve faltered, and Mia lowered her gaze to stare at the ground. "... fine."
The man stepped forward, though Annihilape stayed where he was, still seething hotly. "Recall all your pokemon. Nice and slow like. No tricks."
Mia nodded and silently recalled Pixi, Silci, and Rishi.
"All of them," said the man, pointing to Purri.
"But I need--" At a stare from the man, Mia backed down. She looked to Purr and whispered a quiet, "S-s-sorry..." And in a flash of light, Purri was recalled into her ball too.
"Good," said the man, reaching Mia's side. "Now, hand me your backpack, phone, and all your pokeballs, and we'll have ourselves a nice long ride back to Lavender Town."
Mia fumed silently as she slumped in her seat. The parlor was, of course, exquisitely decorated, as it always was. Real wood furniture, plush cushions and carpets, tasteful paintings on the wall... Mia hated it. It was old and stuffy and she didn't have any good memories in this room.
Not that she had many good memories in the rest of the house, either.
Her parents had apparently deigned to let her have her ankle healed up before being brought home. When she reached the family compound in the morning she had been beset upon by a stylist. There had been much consternation over her current manner of dress, how it 'simply wouldn't do' and was 'absolutely dreadful.'
Mia had tried to point out that the way one dressed at home just wasn't the one dressed on a Journey, but the woman simply regarded Mia with the look of someone who had smelt something unpleasant and continued on with her work. Thankfully, Mia had at least been allowed to dress herself, though she'd reluctantly had to remove the light purple nail polish she preferred.
And now she was in a parlor she knew... all too well. A long black skirt, a pearl white blouse, and her hair lightly styled to add some curls and volume to it. Without her phone there simply wasn't anything to do but wait. Which was another favorite trick of her parents. Mia was ashamed to admit it had worked many, many times in the past. She would feel bad, think about how she was inconveniencing her parents such that they had to take time out of their busy schedules to come have a chat with her about whatever the latest infraction or faux pas had been...
Today, though, she was just mad. She and her pokemon had been attacked. Her pokemon were, for all she knew, still injured and being kept locked up somewhere. And, of course, the one thing she thought could be her own was being intruded upon by her parents again.
The itchiness in her brain from the presence of Ghost-type pokemon was near-constant, too. They were everywhere, in this house.
She wasn't the same meek, witherhing girl that had left on a journey so many months ago. She'd visited other worlds, now. She'd met someone else with abilities similar to hers. She'd met Anne, who had been far more supportive of her than her parents had ever been.
She had been to the Field of Power and claimed its prize.
... She hoped all of that would be enough when she finally came face to face with her parents.
Finally, after an interminable amount of time, the door finally opened, and her parents stepped in.
Harvey Tamaoka, her father. Tall, refined, with a short, sharp haircut and wearing a crisp navy blue suit and an emerald green tie. He frowned, openly, when he finally laid eyes on Mia. Beatrice Tamaoka followed. Almost as tall, moving with graceful, elegant movements. Her hair was done up in an elaborate bun and she wore a smart, sensible black dress.
Beatrice tutted when she saw Mia slouching. "Now, now, dear. That's terrible for your posture."
Mia purposefully slouched a little bit more, crossing her arms. "You know w-w-what else is t-terrible for my p-posture? Being attacked b-b-by an Annihilape."
There was a sigh from Beatrice as both parents sat down. "I see you haven't kept up with your elocution practice. We'll simply have to add that back into your lesson plan, I suppose."
"M-my elocution is f-fine, Mother. You know it g-gets worse wh-wh-when I'm stressed. W-wonder why that is."
"That's enough," said Harvey sharply. "I won't have you disrespecting your mother or myself while you're under our roof."
Mia crossed her arms, still slouching. "I w-wasn't under your roof unt-t-til you dragged me back here."
Harvey narrowed his eyes. "And just what did you expect us to do, hmm? Let you cavort with that... Team Rocket nonsense and sully your reputation further?"
"We're simply trying to help, dear," interjected Beatrice.
"Help?" scoffed Mia. "S-since when are you interested in h-helping me?"
Beatrice and Harvey shared an uncertain glance. This was so off-script for them they weren't exactly certain how to proceed. Mia just continued to glare and slouch.
Finally, Beatrice took a deep breath. "Please, dear, we just want to understand why you would throw everything you have away, running around with these Team Rocket ruffians."
"Like what?"
"Your reputation, your future prospects. Your training as a Medium--"
Mia cut her off. "Isn't s-something I asked f-f-for. I n-never asked for that."
Beatrice folded her hands in her lap, studying Mia. Sternness crept into her voice. "You have a gift, and we are not going to let you simply... squander that gift in some... some pique of teenage rebellion."
"If it's my g-g-gift, h-how come y-you and Father are the o-only ones who g-get to decide how I u-use it?"
Mia's mother drew a hand to her chest. "How can you say such awful things to us? When all we've done is try to give you every advantage in life."
That one... Mia glanced aside, just for a moment. "You d-don't g-get it. M-my ability h-hurts me s-sometimes. It g-gets in m-m-my mind, it f-feels awful."
"Not this again," said Harvey with a tired and long-suffering sigh. "Your mother and I work very hard to provide for you. We've done everything we can to make you comfortable, but you still insist on these histrionics?"
Mia fixed her glare on her father next. "You d-don't have it, F-Father. You c-can't know wh-what it's like for me."
"That is enough", roared Harvey, standing up suddenly. "No child of mine is going to disrespect us and all of our hard work like this. Now, you are going to give up this foolish notion about being a criminal or whatever cockamamie idea it is you have in your head. You are going to resume your studies. And you will give up this imaginary nonsense you've made up in your head. Is that clear?"
Harvey practically towered over Mia like this, standing over his full height and with Mia slouching so much. She shrank down into her seat for a moment, and for just a moment feared what he might do to her if she didn't obey.
... But what could he do to her? If she didn't comply, then... that was it. All he had were threats.
... Right?
Mia fell silent for a long moment, staring down at her lap as she considered. Finally, she looked right up into her father's eyes, defiantly staring.
"Make me."
Mia had gotten herself confined to her room for her troubles.
That was new.
She knew the door was locked. She had tried that first. They weren't trying to starve her out, either, since they had delivered lunch and dinner to her. What they had done was to remove almost everything she could use to entertain herself from the room. There was no internet, she didn't have access to her laptop or her phone, there were no games or toys to entertain herself. Even most of her books had seemingly been swept off of her bookshelves. The windows had been sealed, somehow, so she couldn't even climb out and get free that way.
Not that she'd leave Purri and her other pokemon behind anyway. Mia had relied on Purri for so much over the years... Purri had always been strong for her. But she was trapped inside her pokeball at the moment, and Mia was the only one who could do anything for her. It was Mia's turn to be strong for Purri.
But she was stuck in solitary confinement.
Mia yawned and rolled over on her bed, curling up again. She wasn't trying to fall asleep, even though night had fallen. She was frankly just bored, and after exploring every option she could think of to get out, she had run out of ideas. It was starting to get tempting to play along, just for a little bit, to buy time to find a better option.
But that was a trap. She'd finally escaped that trap after 14 years, and she wasn't eager to step back into it again so willingly.
Maybe it'd be for the best to call it a night and go to sleep. She could look at things in the morning when she was freshly rested. Mia closed her eyes and tried to let sleep take her...
Only for something to tickle at the back of her mind. A tiny little scratch, just barely perceptible. Mia let out an aggrieved sigh. "I kn-know you're there."
The presence only grew stronger as the peeking ghost slid more fully into the room, and Mia blinked. She knew that presence. A Misdreavus. And not just any Misdreavus...
~Hi!~ said Misdreavus cheerfully as she poked her head further into the room. She peered around cautiously. ~Where's your scary friend?~
She meant Purri. One of Purri's duties was to reassure Mia around Ghost-type pokemon. And sometimes that just meant driving them off. This one in particular. (There was a reason Mia had elected for a Dark type, after all.)
Mia huffed. "Sh-sh-she's not here," she said after a long moment. "J-just go away."
Misdreavus tilted her head, slowly creeping further into the room as she kept looking around. ~But she's always with you.~
"I know that," replied Mia with a scowl. "B-but she's n-not here now, s-so c-c--can you just leave?"
There was silence as Misdreavus slowly drifted around the room, peeking in the attached bathroom, under the desk, in the closet. Mia didn't bother to turn her head to watch. She could feel that itchy, crawling sensation shift around as the Ghost-type pokemon explored. She did her best to put it out of mind.
Still she jumped when she felt something reach out to gently touch her shoulder.
Misdreavus' voice was soft and gentle. ~Are... you okay?~
Mia curled up tighter. "I'm f-fine. B-but I'm n-n-not in the mood to be pranked o-or scared, s-so please just g-go."
The gentle touch on Mia's shoulder withdrew. ~But I'm not here to scare you.~
That got Mia's attention. "What?"
Misdreavus giggled a little, bobbing back and forth. ~I'm here to thank you!~
Thank her...? That didn't make any sense. Mia rolled over, finally looking at Misdreavus as she sat up in the bed. Her curiosity was temporarily winning out. "... Th-that doesn't make any s-s-sense. You s-scared me the f-first time we met. You've b-been b-bothering me ever s-since."
~Oh!~ Misdreavous drew back. ~Did I scare you? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.~
Mia just stared at Misdreavus, uncomprehending. Misdreavus were known for pulling pranks and scaring people. Not that every pokemon had to act like the rest of their species, of course, but the fact remained that Mia had a very clear memory of being scared by Misdreavus. One that was hard to reconcile with this cheerful little Ghost-type pokemon talking to her now.
"I d-don't understand. What d-do you mean, you d-didn't mean to...?"
Misdreavus seemed to perk up again as she cheerfully proclaimed, ~I was trying to scare the Spearow!~
Mia stared at Misdreavus uncomprehendingly. "... wh-what Spearow?"
~The ones you saved me from, silly!~
Was this some kind of weird, next-level prank? Mia supposed it could be, but... what was the goal, then? "I d-don't re-re-remember any Spearow."
Mia's memory of that day was clear and indelible. She'd been exploring the woods outside of Lavender Town one day when out of nowhere she'd been beset upon by one particularly frightening Misdreavus--this Misdreavus--and had run off crying. Admittedly the exact details were a bit hazy, but she clearly remembered the overwhelming fear she'd felt that day.
It'd been the whole reason she'd gotten Purri to begin with. She'd been inconsolable around any Ghost-type pokemon after that.
Misdreavus tilted her head a little as she studied Mia. She gestured with her ghostly hair, first pointing at herself and then at Mia to illustrate her point. ~Of course there were Spearow! First you saved me from the Spearow but that made them really mad and they started to go after you next so I scared them to help save you!~ She beamed at Mia as she finished her recounting. ~But you ran away before I could thank you. So... thank you!~
She seemed to think for a moment and then added, ~Maybe I accidentally scared you when I scared the Spearow.~ The ghost gasped and drew closer to Mia, looking at her with big, pleading eyes. ~I'm sorry! It was an accident!~
Mia blinked and flinched back from Misdreavus. None of that sounded familiar. But Misdreavus seemed sincere, and Mia had to admit, as she thought about it... her memories of that day were kind of hazy. There was one overwhelming emotion associated with that day, but no specific events.
It's the type of thing she'd normally ask Purri about, but they hadn't met yet.
"It's..." Mia frowned in thought as she kept trying to sort through her thoughts. "... it's o-okay, if y-you didn't mean it... And... y-you're welcome?"
Misdreavus backed off then, bobbing happily in the air. ~Yay! I've been wanting to say that for forever, but your scary friend kept scaring me off.~ She spun around lazily in midair, scanning the room once more. ~Where is she, anyway? Normally she'd have come out and started hissing at me already.~
Sighing, Mia stared at her lap. "Th-they took her. Sh-she's trapped, a-a-and... I need t-to save her. B-but I'm trapped t-too."
~Oh.~ The ghost finished her turn and looked to Mia once again. ~So she's really not here?~
"... Yeah."
Misdreavus slowly drifted closer, looking at Mia curiously. ~Why are you trapped?~
Mia sighed, wearily. "It's m-my parents. It's a l-l-long story, I d-don't..." She shook her head. There was too much to get into all of that right now. "I j-just need to get o-out of this room..."
A thought occurred to her, and she finally looked up to study Misdreavus. Misdreavus had wanted to thank her, supposedly, and had even helped her in their first meeting, if what she said was true. Maybe... "M-Misdreavus... w-would you help me? Please?"
It was Misdreavus' turn to draw back in surprise, her ghostly hair drifting in front of her from the sudden motion. ~You want my help? But if you rescue your scary friend, won't she just scare me away again?~
"Her n-name is Purri, a-and she won't scare you away if I a-ask her not to. She j-just does that because... b-because I used to be afraid of Ghost-type pokemon, but... I d-don't think I need to be s-scared of you. Sh-she's really sweet, I promise."
~Wellllll.... Okay!~ said Misdreavus brightly. ~I'll be your friend until we rescue your other friend. What do we do first?~
Mia smiled. "Th-thank you, Misdreavus. First, I g-gotta get out of here, but th-this skirt isn't good for sneaking..." She got up and started searching her wardrobes and her closet. Her parents had replaced a lot of her clothes with things that would be more suitable for how she wanted to present now... but she hated most of it. Too stuffy, too formal. Suffocating, even.
But they hadn't removed everything yet, and Mia pulled out a pair of black slacks. Her nose crinkled a little as she looked at them. Better for sneaking in, but...
She sighed. Some sacrifices had to be made. She could burn them later.
A newer black turtleneck that Mia had to admit looked a bit chic, an extra pair of black sneakers she found buried in the back of her closet, a pair of black fingerless biking gloves... and it wasn't perfect, but it'd let her move around freely, and it would at least blend into the darkness a little bit.
Mia regarded Misdreavus for a moment. When she'd been trying to ignore the ghost, the sensation she'd felt that signaled the her presence had been shifting around... it wasn't a comfortable feeling, but maybe... She took a seat in the middle of the room. "Misdreavus. I w-want to try something. I'm g-going to c-close my eyes. C-can you... Hmm."
She glanced around her room. "Pick s-something from my desk, h-hide it somewhere, a-and then hide. I'm testing something."
~Okay!~
After Mia closed her eyes, Misdreavus did as she was asked, and once that sensation had stopped moving, Mia opened her eyes again. If she was right, Misdreavus had gone to her desk, and then... The trainer stood up, moving over to her bookshelf.. There were a few things left-- There!
Mia pulled out a pencil from behind a book. That definitely didn't belong there.
She had to reorient herself now that she'd stood up. If she remembered the sensation, reoriented herself in her mind... There!
A highlighter stuck into the cup she kept by the bathroom sink. If she had to use it again, she should remember to wash it out first.
Net was, implausibly, her toothbrush underneath her pillow. And the last one...
Mia thought she could feel it coming from her closet, but higher up. She opened the closet door, and looked straight up. There, over the door, hiding in the shadow, was Misdreavus.
The ghost pokemon let herself drop at Mia suddenly with a cheerful, ~Hi! Did it work?~
It should have been startling, but Mia just giggled back and said, "Hi! P-pencil in the bookshelf, hi-highlighter in the g-glass, toothbrush under my p-p-pillow?"
Misdreavous did an excited roll in the air. ~You got it! That was really fast!~
Mia stepped back into her room and considered. If she kept her focus, she could sort of tell where the ghosts around her were. It wasn't perfect, and her family had a lot of Ghost-type pokemon hanging around, but... it was something. It might save her from a close call or two.
So what was the plan? She had to find Purri and the rest of her pokemon. She had to find her phone or her laptop to get a message to Anne. If she could find her backpack, too, that would also be ideal. Hopefully her parents had everything in one place... someplace secure, that they wouldn't think she could get access to...
Their office. They always kept it locked. And they'd always told her not to go in there, so they might be hoping she wouldn't dream of barging in there.
Time to dash that hope.
"Okay, Misdreavus. I th-think... I have a plan."
Getting out of the bedroom had proven straightforward, with Misdreavus' help. Her parents had put a lock on the door, but it didn't require a key. Simple enough for someone who could pass through walls to manipulate.
And now Mia was skulking through the family compound. It was remarkable. Less than a year ago she would have been nervous to be moving around after dark like this. She still was, a little bit, because the stakes felt so high. But all of Anne's training and drills were coming easily to Mia in the moment, now that she needed those skills.
She'd gotten more confident at moving and controlling her body, thanks to all of the conditioning and parkour practice she'd undergone. And she knew how to move more intently now, and how to keep her footfalls from making as much noise. She and Misdreavus were working in tandem, with a simple plan to get to her parents' office, each of them helping the other look for patrols. There were plenty of vacant rooms for Mia to duck into along the way, and in relatively short order she'd reached the office.
It was locked. Mia had harbored a faint hope that it might not be, that she might not have to waste precious time finding a key, but it seemed like she wasn't going to have any luck on that front. She gestured to Misdreavus and retreated to a nearby room--the parlor she'd been earlier in the day, in fact, and gently closed the door.
Who would have a key? Her parents would, obviously, but there was no way she'd risk going in their bedroom to get it. The family's Houndstone usually slept with them, and there'd be too much chance of waking him up if he went in there. She wasn't about to expose Misdreavus to that risk, either, especially since she didn't know exactly where the key would be.
Okay. Who else might have a key? Some of the staff would, certainly. But the maids would be asleep, and she had the same problem of not knowing where their keys would be. The only people up at this hour were...
Mia sat up as the thought came to her: The guards. They'd already evaded a few that were on patrol, and they had keyrings filled with numerous keys to get into all the different areas of the house. If she could just snag it...
Attacking a guard and taking it might be an option, but that would tip the guard off that she's out, and she's not confident that she could get away, in this instance. And if Purri or her cell phone weren't in there... she wouldn't have a chance to check anywhere else.
Anne has encouraged her to have fun with stealing, but she's not exactly a pickpocket yet either.
If Mia knew he was going to set his keys down, she could try to snag them then, but she didn't know when that might happen. But he had to take them off his belt to use a key. If he dropped them...
No, wait, if Mia just... took the keys, he'd start looking for them, and that wouldn't be any good, either. So what she wanted to do was... to take the keys, but to make the guard $1 the keys hadn't been taken at all.
Kind of like telling a lie.
"You've got to get creative; if you're going to lie, you need to understand people and give them things they'll be ready to believe--or better yet, want to believe."
Mia gestured for Misdreavus to come closer, whispering, "I have a p-plan."
Some time later, the guard yawned as he made his next round of the compound. A flashlight in his hand swept over the corners and nooks and crannies as he passed, looking for anything that was out of place. So far, it had been an uneventful night.
Suddenly, something shifted in one of the rooms nearby, and he frowned. He stopped to listen--there was definitely something moving in there. He tried the doorknob but it was locked. Not a problem, He pulled the keyring off his belt, found the one for the room and opened it--
Only to let out a startled yelp as a Misdreavus jumped out at him, making a child-like shrieking sound. He fumbled with his flashlight, dropping it, and the ghostly pokemon swooped down and snagged it. With a giggle, she darted off down the hallway and turned a corner, the light of the flashlight bobbling wildly against the wall with her movements.
"Wha-- hey!" The guard started off down the hallway, giving chase.
Mia carefully poked her head out of the parlor as the guard ran off, and then looked to the room across the hall. The keys were still in the door.
Perfect.
She darted across the hellway and snatched them, then ran to the office. She quickly flipped through the keys until she found the one for the office. Holding her breath she slid it in, turned, and...
The doorknob let her twist it, and oh so gently she pushed the door open.
So far so good.
She darted back to the first room, sliding the original key back in the doorknob there. She could hear muttering from down the hallway as the guard walked back, the flashlight in his hand bobbling far less erratically than before.
Mia darted back to the office door, quickly slipping inside, and then turned to shut it--she turned the doorknob gently so the latch bolt wouldn't click as it settled into place, then locked it. She held her breath, not daring to breathe as the guard retrieved his keys while muttering to himself about prankster ghosts.
The Tamaoka household had a rather open door policy to ghosts, considering their usual occupations. The occasional prankster slipping in and causing havoc wasn't out of place at all.
But the guard finally moved on, and Mia let out a quiet sigh of relief. After a few more moments, Misdreavus poked her head in from an adjoining wall, and Mia smiled as she waved the ghost in. "You did great," she whispered.
~Thanks!~ Misdreavus whispered back. ~Nobody's asked me to scare someone on purpose before, that was fun!~
"It... w-was kind of a rush," Mia admitted. She turned her attention to the rest of the office. "Okay, w-we're looking for... pokeballs, a phone w-wieht a pink case, o-or a backpack..."
Mia moved to the desk first, as Misdreavus started with some file cabinets. It was neat and tidy, as she would have expected. A computer, a collection of writing implements, phone, stationary...
And a thumb drive. Mia blinked at that and almost ignored it, until the memory hit her. It had the logo of the accounting firm her parents used, didn't it? Their accountant would regularly drop those off for her parents. But... sending documents like that could be done securely by email, right? There'd be no reason to put them on a thumb drive and hand deliver them like that.
... unless you wanted to keep people from seeing them.
Mia stared at the thumb drive for a long moment, considering. Then she snatched out a hand and grabbed it, stuffing it in her pocket for later.
Opening the top right drawer yielded--her cell phone and all of her pokeballs.
Mia sighed in relief. Even if this was all she found, it'd be enough to work with. She picked up the phone first, making sure to set it to silent. Even if she didn't escape, she at least had to let Anne know where she was, just in case.
> dr aomori i need your help
> my parents sent someone
> to take me back to lvndr town
> just got my phone and pkmn back
Mia followed that message with a pin and then set her phone on a charging pad. Next, time for her pokemon. Mia picked out Purri's pokeball and called her out, cradling the feline in her arms. She looked in rough shape from her attempted fight with the Annihilape.
It made her heart hurt to see her in such condition, and it brought up a fresh wave of anger at her parents. "D-don't worry, Purri... I'll g-get you fixed up..." Mia gently placed her hand on Purri and started chanting softly to herself. A green healing glow enveloped her hand and suffused into Purri's body.
Meanwhile, Misdreavus was waving at her from the closet, and Mia walked over to check it out. Her backpack. The last thing she needed. "G-great work. Thanks."
~Welcome!~
Purri started to stir in her arms, and Mia let out another in a long line of relieved sighs. "Purri! Th-thank Arceus. Th-there's so much to explain. I'll explain wh-while I heal the others.
The feline pokemon's eyes fluttered open, and she let out a curious purr as she first took in Mia. "Purr...?" Then her eyes drifted over to see Misdreavus. In an instant she was out of Mia's arms and hissing at the Ghost-type pokemon, though Mia could see part of the hissing was her fighting through some residual injuries.
"S-s-stop," whispered Mia urgently. She reached out to put a hand on Purri's back. "W-we gotta be quiet. And M-Misdreavus is helping. I-it's okay."
Purri turned to look at Mia with an incredulous expression. "Purr, loin loin purrloin?"
"Yes, r-really, now hold s-still."
Mia finished healing Purri as she explained, and working together they healed the rest of Mia's pokemon as best they could. She'd gotten a message back from Anne:
> If you can make it to Celadon, I'll be there.
and texted back her acknowledgment as she considered her options. Getting out would be easy, just go out the window. She wouldn't have to worry about more patrols, but would still have to contend with a fence. She was pretty sure she could climb it now, though. But the window might have an alarm on it... If she could get away faster...
Mia snapped her fingers. "G-got it." Moments later she had shouldered her backpack, and her pokeballs were on her belt. Purri was back on her place on Mia's shoulder, and Misdreavus was still following along. She took a deep breath and just... opened the window.
Nothing happened.
Mia quickly climbed out. She intoned a brief spell and then steeled herself as she took a leap--her wind spell cushioned her fall, and Mia took off running through the grounds, keeping low and out of sight. Behind her, Misdreavus closed and locked the window, and then followed after.
They quickly reached a small storage shed, one with a simple combination lock that Mia didn't even need a key for. She spun it open, and inside was her prize: a bicycle, done up in a dark purple color. She wheeled it out next to the fence and then locked the shed again.
In a flash of light she summoned Silci, her Beautifly. "S-Silci, Misdreavus. C-can you both lift the bike over the fence?"
"Beautifly!" "Misdreavus!"
In tandem the two pokemon started to lift up the bike. Mia watched them for a moment, then took a running leap at the fence. It clanged and jangled as she made her way up, but it was the last risk she had to take.
Purri and Mia both landed neatly on the other side of the fence, and then Mia helped Silci and Misdreavus lower the bike the rest of the way to the ground. "Awesome, th-thanks!"
Donning her helmet--safety first--Mia hopped on the bike and started to furiously pedal in the dark. Purri was on her shoulder, and Silci flew along beside her, but Mia skidded to a stop as she realized Misdreavus wasn't with them. She looked back, and the ghost pokemon was still hovering by the fence, watching curiously.
"Wh-what are you doing, Misdreavus?" asked Mia.
~You have your friend back.~
Mia looked to Purri for a moment. That was true, but... Without the other pokemon's help, none of this would have been possible. Mia looked to Misdreavus and nodded. "Y-yeah, but..." Mia extended a hand. "... I c-can have more than one f-friend. Would you like to come with us?"
Misdreavus drifted closer, tilting her head once more. ~Do you really mean that?~
"I do," said Mia with a firm nod, and then smiled. "Please?"
~Okay!~ Misdreavus zipped over and circled around Mia quickly, then reached out with her ghostly hair to give the trainer a hug.
It made Mia's brain itch like crazy, but for once, she didn't mind. Not for this ghost, anyway.
She pulled out her phone and sent Anne one last message.
> im out
> be there soon
Then Mia turned her bike towards the road to Celadon and took off into the night.