What Lurks in the Dark

The orange haired girl sighed as the delivery boy ran off. Why do I have to hold onto this for Professor Sycamore? Of all places, why does a package of starters have to be delivered here, where I have to be in charge of it?

Gardenia opened the box and a smile came in her face as she saw what was in the five pokéballs.

Five grass type starters. Maybe this won't be so bad after all, she thought. In their capsules, a bulbsaur, chikorita, treeko, turtwig, and a snivy were each sleeping quietly. A sigh escaped her. They're so cute when they're sleeping...

She took the box and placed it under a sunny window. It would make the young pokémon so much more comfortable. Gardenia watched them for a few moments more, then turned on her heel, her green cape swished behind her. She flicked out her own poke ball, releasing a green pokemon holding a blue and a pink rose in each hand respectively.

~Roserade!~  The pokémon immediately hopped up to high five the orange head.

"Want to help me with that bonsai spruce that Erika gave me?"

~Rose!~

The two left the room to retrieve the plant. Meanwhile, the young starters remained by the window.

At least for a moment.

Seconds after they left the room, five grass types burst out of their capsules with a shower of red beams.

~Snive!~

~Bulba, bulbs!~

~Chiki!~

~Treeco!~

~Twig!~

One by one, the starters popped out. Seeing no one else in the room, they exchanged glances with each other and grinned. Bulbasaur, Chikorita, and Snivy launched vines against the door's handle and yanked with all their might, ripping it open.

Gardenia and Roserade couldn't arrange the bonsai right for some reason. She got up to see if she had some small shears in case those would help. As she dug through a drawer, she saw several small shadows creep behind her. Rapidly, she spun quickly and was face to face with the starters. "You guys...?" She bent down to pick up Turtwig, but he crawled away. Then he and the entire group took off outside through a door that Gardenia had stupidly left open.

"Roserade!!!" Her partner came to her side within seconds. "The starters escaped! Help me find them!" They went outside, but saw no sign of them. Roserade called his Trainer over suddenly to show her fresh, tiny indentations in the grass. Leading straight into Eterna Forest. Blood drained from her face.

"No..." she whispered in fear. Of all places they may have ran off to, it had to be the forest. One which was haunted.

Roserade laid an arm on his mistress. ~Rose...~

She stiffened. "You know what? We need to get those grass types. They're only babies; they could get hurt..." Her dual type nodded. "Lead the way, Roserade!" The two hurried into the forest.

The footprints became harder and harder to see the deeper into Eterna Forest they went. It was getting darker too. They'd seen no trace of the young pokémon...

"Are you sure you know your way through here?" Gardenia asked suddenly. For a moment, Roserade froze. And shook his head. The orangette stared at him, jaw dropped.

"You... don't know where we are...?" The dark trees seemed even more threatening to girl then. "Arceus! How could you?! You know I'm terrified of the ghosts here!"