Painted Ghouls

Chapter 11

"Okay, just a few more minutes and we'll be there," Brendan mumbled, his pace quickening just a bit.

A mingle of excitement rose in Athena. She didn't know what to expect. She trusted Brendan enough to know that whatever they were walking to was something she wouldn't dislike too much.

He wouldn't get my hopes up for nothing, right?

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to her, the two stopped at an open clearing with frilly, dark green grass. The terrain was mostly bare, with a few bushes and such, yet no trees were nearby. The stretch of empty land contained a small stream with quite a few large rocks bordering it. The rocks were wide enough to support several people.

"This is it," Brendan said, heading over to the rocks.

Athena didn't know what to think. This is it? she mentally whined, her head drooping just a tad. I was hoping for something more interesting.. She had seen plenty of clearings before, and this one was hardly different from the rest.

Brendan proceeded to pause beside the array of rocks. Gently, he placed the torchic down right onto the stone, before plopping down right beside her. With both of his hands, he pried off his shoes and backpack, tossing them at the grass in front of them. After that, he turned around so he could face the babbling stream. A small smile was on his features as he tentatively placed his feet inside the crystal clear water. Athena simply crouched down, not wanting to intersect with the water in any way.

"My parents and I used to hang out here all of the time," Brendan softly began, a reminiscent look present on his face. His eyes were placed onto the pink flowers beyond the water. "Of course, since they work their lives away now, we don't do that as much. I tried to show May this place once, but she didn't feel like traveling so far just to see a small stream.. It means a lot to me, though." The chick pokémon nodded, absorbing in the information.

Pulling out a strange, gray accessory from his backpack, Brendan strapped it onto his left arm. "This was a birthday gift for my.. tenth birthday," he informed, showing her the peculiar contraption. She only blinked in response. "That was two years ago. It used to be my dad's, but he found no use for mega evolution, considering none of his pokémon can mega evolve." Athena cocked her head at an acute angle.

"This bracelet helps activate the whole thing," Brendan continued, fiddling with the stone in the center of the accessory. "I can't use it until I get a mega stone, but at least it looks cool. I probably won't use it, though. Blaziken- which is what you evolve into- can mega evolve and all, but I'm just not a big fan of the whole concept. I heard that it can really hurt pokémon once they transform back to their normal look. Probably because when they mega evolve, they don't feel as much pain as they would when normal. But once they're back to the way they were originally, all of that pain comes crashing back down on them."

Athena widened her eyes just a tad. I could mega evolve one day? she thought. I never knew that!

Honestly, the entire subject of mega evolution was foreign to her, and it sounded quite confusing. However, before she could dwindle on the concept any longer, her trainer pulled out a bag full of sweets from his backpack. All of them looked quite tasty.

Pulling out a small yet plump, orange treat, he placed it down in front of the fire type. The treat wasn't as small as a poké block, but it wasn't much bigger than one, either. Taking a small bite of the treat, she emitted out a happy chirp after minimal hesitation.

It tastes delicious!

The taste of the treat was rather tangy, yet it still managed to win her taste buds. It didn't take long for her to finish the treat, and once she did, she sat back, satisfied.

Despite the fact that she wasn't horribly hungry, another one was placed down in front of her, but this time it was a pink color. Finishing the treat in just a few bites, she heaved a sigh of relief, her feathers fluffing out slightly as a small wave of wind came swimming through the air.

"Here," Brendan murmured, placing his hat on top of the torchic, "that might block some of the wind."

It's pretty comfy, she mentally commented, and warm.

The white cap was a little too large for her- it mostly covered her entire frame, yet managed to at least stay on and block most of the wind, like he said. Softly smiling, Brendan lifted his feet out of the water and onto the rock, reaching down behind him to grab his shoes. After the accessories were placed on his feet, he glanced at the pokémon. "We should probably head-"

A loud and deafening noise sounded from the distance, interrupting him. In response, a chorus of shrill screams erupted through the air. However, the screams quickly died out. Freezing, Brendan turned around, a puzzled expression on his face as he stared at the empty land in front of him. "What was that..?" he mumbled, glancing back at the fire type, as if he was expecting a reply.

I don't know! she protested, inching closer to his side.

Brendan was ready to take a few steps forward, when suddenly a blindingly purple light bright shot through the atmosphere. A deafening sound echoed throughout the air as a large, purple beam came crashing toward their direction. The strand of light was far away, but it began to gain speed as it tore across acres of trees and wildlife.

"Run!" Brendan yelled at Athena, who stood there in slight horror.

At the empty reaction, he picked her up and tossed her ahead of him. Landing onto the grassy ground with a squeak, she scrambled to her feet and scurried away, adrenaline coursing through her small frame. Thanks to speed boost, her speed began to consistently increase as she continued.

Wait-

Skidding to a halt, she rapidly turned around and gasped as she watched the beam gain speed on her trainer, who was running as fast as his legs could carry him.

"No, no!" she hastily cried, blindly dashing forward.

The sound of the beam was even louder now. Behind the chemicals that made up the beam was a dirt path of destruction. Where the trees and bushes once stood laid nothing but a brown and ashy path.

The hat began to slide off of the torchic's head, and she soon tripped over her own feet. A strange figure appeared in front of her, gripping her tightly as it jerked to a halt. A semi-translucent pink dome formed around the two, and an eerie silence filled the air.

A blurry silhouette of Brendan was sprinting closer and closer to the dome, but it was too late.

The beam engulfed him.

Blood splattered onto the outside walls of the shield.

Athena stayed in a stunned silence as the beam roared across the dome and away, eating up the rest of the clearing.

No..

Disbelief crackled inside her tiny frame, yet the dark red blood of Brendan was sliding down the front of the pink dome, signaling that he was forever gone. As if on cue, the cap that laid on top of her floated down onto the grassy terrain.

"Brendan!"