Loyalty

Loyalty 15

Loyalty

Chapter 15: Exorcism

One of the doors that led to the room of many statues was opened, granting passage to an old lady that looked far more harmless than she was. The ghost master slowly made her way towards the two young women who occupied the room other than herself and the hidden ghosts. "Laiki, come, child, if you insist in being here, you shall witness the trials along with me."

"Trials?" Laiki inquired with the raise of an eyebrow.

"What trials?" Pixel further questioned.

"I must test you," Agatha explained, leaving the statement purposely ambiguous.

Pixel huffed, "like I care. I know you're high ranked and all, but I couldn't care less about your approval unless it's an order from the boss. I'm sure Comet won't participate either."

"Indeed," surprisingly, Agatha smiled. "It is that resolve of loyalty that made me choose you for this, because I know there's one exception, yet at the same time there are none. You are like the knights of a kingdom loyal to the king... and to the prince as well."

"What about me?" Laiki protested. "I'm loyal to Team Rocket too!"

"I know," Agatha acknowledged, before her face turned serious and she shook her head slightly as she let out a breath. "But you're too easily distracted and trigger happy. This is an operation that most not be burdened with extreme emotions, it must be full of the purity of amused loyalty. Besides, there are only four cardinal points, to add a fifth would render the spell useless."

"So we're elements of a spell," Pixel concluded. "Care to elaborate?"

"It is an exorcism..." Agatha began to explain how the spell she had in mind would work, albeit she was only scratching in surface of its complexity.

xoxox xox xoxox

Just as Pixel and Laiki had run into each other while exploring Agatha's haunted mansion, Comet, Gary and Ash had inexplicably crossed paths as well. "Gary, Comet!" Ash rushed towards the center of the circular chamber with a dome-like roof of black stone, much like its walls and floor. "What are you guys doing in Agatha's basement?"

Before they could ask Ash if he knew about Agatha's true intentions, they were presented with the enigma of Ash's question. "Basement?" Gary echoed. "Weren't we upstairs?"

"We were," Comet confirmed. Running into Gary, who was also exploring the upper floors was not such a big surprise after the many twists and turns of the hallways, but he didn't remember heading down at any time.

"This is deep underground," Ash pointed out. It was a fact that he was certain of and neither Gary nor Comet was about to question his keen aura empowered senses. "I've been trying to find Misty, but I haven't been able to get to her. She's here, I just don't know where exactly. Aside from knowing that we're deep beneath the earth, I can sense little else and all these ghosts fogging my senses are giving me a headache. I was separated from Pikachu too, but somehow, I know he's alright, I think he's with Agatha."

Footsteps were heard as Pixel joined the others in the chamber. "Hey..."

A chorus of automatic, puzzled sounding "hey?" replied to her.

"What's with those looks of confusion, I'm not that late, am I?" Pixel observed their faces for a moment longer. "I take it this means Agatha didn't explain herself?"

"Did she tell you something?" Ash inquired with urgency.

"Yes and no, she wasn't exactly specific, but I got the basic idea," Pixel revealed. "We're performing an exorcism. Agatha has been researching the supernatural for many years. She tried to do this when it happened last time, but it didn't work. Tidus was consumed by the hatred of his ancestry and completely taken over. Agatha said the chances of success are much better now because the north can use aura."