97 – Feel the Darkness

97 – Feel the Darkness

Brandy gripped the metal bars of the ladder fixed into the stone as the wind raced down the valley and fluttered over her jacket, making a loud rippling sound. Someone had been smart enough to build a circular cage around the ladder, so there was no real danger of falling, but it still wasn't a pleasant descent. Her fingers were cold from the polished metal of the ladders, still as good as new; not even the wear of hands on them had dulled the shine yet. It seems people were sensible enough not to come down here very often.

One of the many warnings she'd gotten as a trainer was that while it was rare for areas to be locked of, because wild Pokémon could appear and reside almost anywhere, that didn't mean it was safe to go poking about off every beaten track. Exploring the wilderness came with risks, some of which could be pretty nasty if you didn't prepare carefully. Scaling down the side of the bridge felt like one of those places, and there was a thrill to that, a little bit of adventure.ost there," Sparky said from below her. "There's a ledge we can hop down onto. Don't worry, it's got a rail."

A little bit of adventure with safety rails. Well, Brandy was still pretty new to this.

Sparky had gone first because she had her web shot ready to catch anyone if they fell. The payment for her service was the chance to look up Brandy's skirt as they scaled down the ladder.

"You doing good, Calcine?" Sparky called up, "You'll love the view."

Calcine clung to the ladder with one arm hooked through the bar to secure herself. She fixed her gaze on the wall before her and was taking it one slow rung at a time. She stiffened at Sparky's taunt, locking herself in place.

Brandy reached up to pat Calcine's thigh, which was as solid as the metal ladder bars. "Don't listen to her. We're going inside soon, so keep taking it one step at a time. Focus on my voice if it helps. I'm here for you."

Calcine focused on Brandy's voice a little too hard and stepped right on Brandy's face as she tried to find the next rung, but Brandy bit down a cry of surprise and nudged her head forward to get Calcine's boot back on track. It turned out Calcine was afraid of heights, and while she'd been too proud to tell them that, her achingly slow pace down the ladder had done all the talking for her.

It took far longer than it should have, but eventually, Brandy helped get Calcine off the ladder onto the ledge, and hugged her. Sparky was sitting up on the rail, legs kicking out over the drop into the valley below as she looked down at the beautiful vista of the Stony Wilderness. Thick grassy fields, wildflowers, and massive rock formations. It was very much a home for Pokémon, barely even touched by human development.

"I think I see a Cutiefly. Pretty bitches, you got to watch them, Brandy. They use their good looks to get away with so much trouble."

"Imagine that," Brandy said flatly, stroking her fingers over Calcine's cheeks. "Sound familiar, Calcine?"

"Not really. If we ever catch a pretty Bug type, we'll have to watch out for that."

Sparky's mock gasp of offense was overly comical, but Brandy was glad for it. Calcine's thin smile at Sparky's reaction was much better than the flat look of someone whose mind was off imagining the worst. Brandy knew Sparky well enough now to know she was doing it intentionally, teasing to break the tension. But like a sore tooth, she couldn't resist poking the nerve a little.

"Want to come take in the view? It's good rock country."

Calcine's coal skin couldn't pale when it was this hard, but her wide eyes said it all anyway. Brandy dragged her towards the door in the bridge support, the wind picking up again and buffeting them the whole way. "Sparky! I'd smack you if you didn't enjoy it."

"Sorry," Sparky yelled as she hopped onto the bar and ran along it, arms out either side as the wind whipped her fur. Agility was such a cheat moves that she made it look easy. Sparky got to the door before them, pushing it open with her shoulder, the heavy door scraping along the stone with a horrible, rusted groan as the wind seemed to rise to try to blow them back.

"Really not a popular spot," Calcine said as she led the way, cutting a path through the gale into the doorway, a hand pressed to the wall for support as she centered herself with some deep breaths. "Can feel the stone though, solid. Goes deep."

"Rock Polish really lets you see that far?" Brandy said as she came in following Calcine's wake, curious beyond just taking Calcine's mind off the outside.

"If it's the same kind of stone, it's easy. When it changes, my Move gets fuzzier. Outdoors I can only go up to a few feet. Dirt is all too loose."

"So you could shape the whole bridge?" Brandy asked though she was fairly sure the power wasn't that broad. It'd probably take a really long time to do if it was even possible at all.

The electricity bouncing between Sparky's fingers popped with a loud bang, and Sparky screamed. It was pitch black, but Brandy felt Sparky slam into her legs, her fur cushioning the blow as the Joltik lost her footing.

"Web!" Brandy said quickly, and there was a loud thwip and a splat, then only the panting of Sparky's breath.

"Scared the life out of me. What the fuck!" Sparky yelled from down by Brandy's legs. "Calcine, I hit you?"

"No, I'm fine. You got the railing. What was that?"

"Astonish." Brandy said, "A surprising teleport."

"Oh hell no, if we're bothering a Ghost, we should go." Sparky groaned, "They're too much, even for me."

"I think it's Morgan," Brandy said. "It's pretty common for Dark types to pick up a Ghost Move or two. Morgan? You there?"

The darkness didn't answer.

"She's set all this up to scare us off," Calcine said. It was such an obvious conclusion; stating it out loud made it more of a question than an explanation. Should they keep going despite her clear warnings?

"We should at least try to talk to her if it is Morgan. Someone has to. Sparky, don't use your electricity. You might zap us."

The wind started up again as Brandy used to get the dex's flashlight going, and this time the constant rushing gale just kept building. They had to yell above to be heard.

"See what you mean about fighting Flying types properly!" Sparky shouted, "This is all really annoying to deal with!"

Brandy didn't reply. She knew how to confirm who they were dealing with and just needed them to take a bite of the bait.

Sparky put her hands on Calcine's hips, and Brandy got a hand around Sparky's chest. There was plenty to grab there. They let Calcine lead them down in a chain, with Brandy providing the light. Slow, plodding steps against the gale, not letting it impede their process.

As it passed them, the wind cut out with a metal rattle, and Brandy braced herself. The black feathers surged around her, and a hand formed out of them to grab her Pokédex. Right as Brandy hammered the button and the Pokédex let out a little chirrup of beeps. Brandy felt the hand tug, but she was stronger than whoever was pulling it, and she'd been sure to fix her grip tight. Astonish was surprising, but only if you weren't bracing for it. Ghost types had to be sneaky to maximize their moves, and this Pokémon was already running out of tricks.

The red eyes went wide when they realized they'd been caught out, and with a grab of the brim of their hat, the coalescing form burst apart again into black feathers and rushed away down the stairwell, the wind dying down until the air was still. Brandy quickly checked the screen.

"Morgan" the MurkrowHeight: 6' 0"Type: Dark/FlyingFailed Captures: 0Moves Discovered:

Astonish

Gust

Feint Attack

Foul Play

Lures travelers away into darkness. Said to be unlucky, though not by anyone who has made it back. If they make it back.

Fast, but not fast enough to dodge Brandy's scan. There was a warm satisfaction to be had at outsmarting someone.

"It's her." Brandy couldn't keep that satisfaction out of her voice. "And she's absolutely perfect for ambushes. We just got to keep going, and she'll have to face us."

"Oh yeah. Chase a Murkrow into the darkness." Sparky said, "We're so good at plans."

"Well, I hope she's ready to talk," Calcine growled, shaking arms coated in metal shards. "Because if I did all this for nothing, I am going to sulk."

Hopefully, Morgan would talk then. A sulking Calcine sounded like it'd take forever to coax back onto the bridge.