Painted Ghouls

Chapter 30

Warily heading out into the open, Athena gripped tightly onto Brendan's cap as she fixated her gaze onto the sun. A new day was approaching- the sun was just peeking up above the horizon. With a shaky cough, the Blaziken casted a final look to the burnt and ruined land behind her. The lifeless, charred body of Lucas was placed atop a pile of rubble, the front of his body facing the sun.

"Bye," the female curtly, yet softly, muttered to the lifeless body as she turned away. Taking a tentative step forward, the fire-and-fighting type would grumble incoherent words as a searing pain from the gash on her leg crashed through her. Sucking in a deep breath, she took another step forward.

Quickening her pace to a light walk, she began to leave the premises, limping with almost every step she took. The landscape beneath her taloned feet felt hard, and rather crumpled. Glancing down, she would blink in surprise as a large, charred path laid beneath her. For a few moments she stood there, a tad confused, before assuming that it was the purple beam that had created the path. It was similar to both of the ones in Fallabor Town and Mauville City, after all. Taking a few hesitant steps, she groggily blinked once more, before hastily continuing onwards.

By mid-afternoon Athena had managed to reach the heart of a forest she had never been through. Halting next to a sturdy oak tree, she would graze her blue irises over the surrounding vicinity, tightening her grip onto her trainer's cap. The area was nothing but unfamiliar, considering the fact that she had never ventured in the forest near Rustboro City.

With a deep breath, the fire-and-fighting type continued her walk, soon exiting the surprisingly small forest and into a rather empty- and hauntingly dead- route. A large, burnt path laid in front of her, making its way to what appeared to be the remnants of a once lively town not too far away. Following the path, the Blaziken quickened her pace, her beak gaping open slightly as she stumbled upon the town.

Another unfamiliar landscape. What appeared to be remnants of houses and buildings alike were all but a pile of rubble. Interestingly enough, the charred path that had led her to the town continue toward its exit and onwards. Once again did Athena follow the path, and once again did she find another rural town that shared the same fate as the one before. However, the burnt path still continued.

Jogging now, the Blaziken would try her best to ignore the clamorous pain in her leg as she traced the path with her feet. Finally, she had managed to enter a familiar- yet broken- area. The location of the rubble, and the bushes that bordered the place, were all too recognizable. Littleroot Town. Yellow and blue eyes widening, the fire-and-fighting type halted at the entrance of the town, her gaze immediately traveling to where Brendan's home once stood. Like all of the other homes she had encountered, this one was completely leveled. Nothing about it seemed to be entirely noticeable, except for perhaps its location. Other than that, that house was just like the others: nothing but rubble.

With a deep sigh, Athena brought her gaze to the land that etched in front of her, only to find something that struck to her as odd. The dirt path ended at the southern border of the town. It had managed to score lethal damage to the bushes, yet it did not continue after them. Such a sight reminded her not only of Fallabor Town, but also of Mauville City, both of which have fallen victim to the purple beam. Scurrying her way to the bushes, the blaze Pokémon would hop over their dead frames, stumbling a bit before making way the forest she had once traveled in with Brendan.

Everything about it seemed to be the same as it was before, surprisingly enough. The trees and plants were still alive, and she could even note some Wurmple inching across a nearby log. It was as if the lethal beam had spared this forest for whatever reason. Strange. Taking a step forward, Athena hesitated, a sudden realization flashing in her brain.