[6 Years Ago]
"Dad, where are you going?" the voice of a little boy cried out from under his blanket sheets. In response, a man turned his form around and made his way to the bed where the boy had slept soundly before hearing the creak of the door.
"To a conference, my boy. It's that time of the year again," the man replied, scratching his thinning pale-brown hair sheepishly.
"But I'll miss you!" the boy whined as water formed in his eyes.
Taking a wooden chair, the man sat down next to his son. "Aadon, you know I do this every year. You can manage without me, you little rascal."
"You mean everything to me, daddy!" the boy murmured softly as more water trickled down his face.
"How can I make it up to you, lad? You know I have to go to this conference," the man frowned, not wanting to leave his son devastated. Aadon had always been attached to him for as long as he could remember.
"Tell me that story again," Aadon sniffled. By this time, he had slowly taken off his blue blanket sheets and was now sitting in a cross-legged position, much to the surprise of the man. "You know, the one about the King and the Vulpix."
The man chuckled. "Alright you little trickster, but just this once, otherwise I'm going to be late." The man looked up, resting his head on his palm. "Now let's see here...Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled his kingdom. Everybody disliked the king and wanted to take away his throne, but then-"
"He turned good!" Aadon yelled, immediately closing his mouth. The clock had almost struck ten and neither Aadon nor his dad wanted to wake up Aadon's mother from her beauty sleep. That was a death wish.
"Precisely," the man whispered with a smile on his face. "As months went by, the subjects gathered the courage to ask their king why he had turned good."
"And what did he say?" Aadon said, barely hiding his excitement from the very thought of hearing his favorite part.
"Well my boy, he said that while he was in the woods, he saw a Growlithe chasing a Vulpix. Luckily, the Vulpix got into the hole, but not before getting bitten on the leg by the Growlithe."
"That Growlithe is a meanie!" Aadon frowned.
"Ah, but the very next day, the king ran into the same Growlithe in the woods, who itself was now being chased by a man carrying a bag of stolen goods. Before the Growlithe escaped, the man managed to break its leg." Aadon's dad scratched at his head once more, trying to think of what happened next.
"And then the thief was taken to jail by the nice policemen, wasn't he?" Aadon answered, to which the man chuckled once more.
"That's correct, and so the moral of the story is-" the man was interrupted.
"Evil is always punished, and so you should never be evil!" Aadon finished for the old man, who had gotten out of his chair and buttoned up his black coat.
"And for that reason, my boy, I do believe that there are two types of people in this world: evil-doers and Justice-bringers," the man explained.
"How are you so smart, daddy?" Aadon questioned.
"To tell you the truth boy, no one knows the world for sure! But I want you to promise me one thing." Aadon's dad leaned closer as he tucked the 8-year-old boy into bed.
"What is it, daddy?" Aadon asked with a blank expression his face.
"Of those two types of people, I hope you're a justice-bringer!" Aadon's dad laughed.
"Cool! I wanna be a superhero!" Aadon said excitedly, lowering his voice slowly when he realized how loud he had shouted.
"Even a regular person can be a hero, one act of kindness at a time. Whether you're a hero for doing something, or you're a hero to somebody for something you may have done, you're still a hero." Aadon's dad looked down at his wrist. "Oh golly! Look at the time! I'm going to have to scramble."
"See you in a few days, Aadon. Take care of you're mother," the man laughed as he put on his khaki-colored bucket hat. "One day you'll be wearing the hats in his house."
As the man went out the door, he reached his hand back in to turn off the light.
"Dad?" Aadon said softly.
"Yes, lad?"
"You're my hero."
"Thanks. You're my hero too, " the man smiled.
"Really dad?" Aadon asked, looking up at the ceiling as he faded away into sleep.
"Absolutely! Because if I need help, you're my hero!" the man laughed.
"And you're mine when I need you're help," Aadon mumbled as he drifted off into sleep.
[Lavender Town-Present Day]
Not a single cloud was in sight that day, and the weather was sunny. For Lavender Town's elders, this usually meant something inauspicious had happened, because the air wasn't covered with fog or coldness as it was each morning. Usually not a believer of stick-wielding shamans over science, even Aadon Ronkowski had come to believe this was true.
Kneeling alongside the walls of his front porch, the boy wore tan cargo pants, a black t-shirt, grey running sneakers, and a khaki-colored bucket hat in top of his short and scruffy black hair.
Aadon flashed his eyes once more towards the sky, wishing he had the ability to take flight like a Pidgey or Spearow and soar into the skies. Maybe then he could forget about his troubles. Just maybe he would be able to ignore the police interrogating his mother, or the scene that had unfolded in the early hours of the night. Maybe then his father wouldn't have been kidnapped.
Just maybe he wouldn't have to be the hero.
"Where are you, dad?" Aadon asked, the memories of the night still flashing in his head. "I know you need me to be the hero..but I need you too. I need my hero to be a hero."
Aadon kept his head down, but he could hear the reporters making headlines and the flashing of cameras in front of the home of the renowned scientist who only gave and never took, Dr. Theodore Ronkowski. The only things he has ever accepted were for the well being of his family and the physical needs to create his latest innovations.
"Excuse me, young boy," a female voice said. Aadon looked up to find a women dressed in matching blue coat and business skirt holding a microphone to his face.
"You are his son, correct?" she asked. Before Aadon could answer, another women, sporting blonde hair in a bun, pushed the reporters off. "We will take no more questions from you, and this applies to the rest of you reporters!"
The blonde-haired women looked exhausted and wore matching grey jogging pants and sweater, which she wore for good reason because Lavender Town often dropped under 20 degrees at night.
"Let's go inside, boy," the women quietly said.
"Ok mom," Aadon replied quietly, closing the gateway for the surrounding fence and heading inside.
Inside, several police officers were carefully examining the walls, looking for even the slightest possible piece of evidence that would direct them towards some direction in search of their answer.
"Can you tell us who may have done this? Or why they may have done it?" a man in a dark-blue police uniform questioned, holding a notepad in his hand.
"I've told you before that I can't make out who would have done this, but I know for sure that my husband has had several enemies in the past...probably jealous of his innovations," Mrs. Ronkowski stated, slowly fading out into mumbles with each word, probably from lack of beauty sleep.
Another younger-looking officer walked in between the two, holding his own notepad. "Could it have been Cloak, sir? Crime reports dealing with the name have gone off the charts in recent months!"
"Cloak?" Aadon asked. The senior officer turned his head towards the black-haired boy.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard about them yet. Only in the recent several months have their attacks increased from minor crime reports to multiple major cases nearly each day," the officer explained. "They started their recent crime wave with fierceness and swiftness so strong that nobody could have seen it coming!"
"Almost like a dagger," the younger officer commented.
"Did you all witness anything?" the senior officer asked.
"I was fast asleep, but I could have sworn I had a strange nightmare about Gengars," Mrs. Ronkowski claimed.
"This isn't good," Aadon thought. "There's a chance that my dad might be in the hands of dangerous criminals who want him...but for what?"
As the officers talked on, Aadon went to his father's office, which was ironically empty despite being the last place the scientist had been spotted. Aadon assumed the officers would eventually get to the harder forensic work later, ultimately due to their laziness.
His father's office was completely clean. The place where his father had last been spotted was completely spotless, except for several strange claw marks that covered his cabinet and several files that had fallen over.
"Claw marks? I wouldn't want to run into the creature that made those things," Aadon shuddered as chills past down his spine almost abnormally. That wasn't normal even for Aadon. "W-who's there?"
Suddenly, Aadon felt a faint form touch his back, and he turned around.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" a large and devilish illusion screamed. The illusion was slightly transparent, but Aadon had not noticed this out of sheer fright.
"AHHHHH!" Aadon yelled, nearly tripping over a stack of files while grabbing items to throw. Aadon opened his eyes again to see a black ball of ghostly matter surrounded by a purple glow of smog.
"Gaasstly," the creature said in a laughing manner.
"Not funny," Aadon frowned. "You know how jumpy I am Gastly. You promised you wouldn't do that!"
"Gas.." Gastly frowned.
"You know what happened, and if you want to stay here, then PLEASE help me investigate," Aadon ordered. Gastly nodded, always being in favor of Aadon's commands. The Ghost-type turned its head around, noticing the claw marks. "Gas?"
"What is it, Gastly? Aadon turned around.
"Gas," Gastly said, moving back and forth next to the claw marks.
"Don't waste my time, Gastly," Aadon mumbled, turning around once more to his father's computer desk, only to have Gastly catch his attention again by making an illusion of an arm moving near the claw marks.
"And what does that mean?" Aadon asked impatiently.
"Gas?" Gastly said, ending its small illusion.
"Never mind," Aadon said, turning around and not paying attention to Gastly's hand motions.
Gastly's face slowly changed into an angry frown, and it clawed at the wall to get Aadon's attention. This made Aadon jump in surprise, who had never seen the playful Gastly act in rage.
"Gastly? What are you-" Aadon suddenly focused on the claw marks Gastly had made and the ones on the cabinet. "One and the same.."
Aadon stood in complete shock upon the revelation. "The room was clean and filled with so little evidence because it wasn't a man who kidnapped my dad...it was a Ghost Pokemon from the tower."
Gastly nodded, disappearing immediately after.
"Gastly? Oh, never mind that! I have to tell the cops about this so they can find my dad." Aadon rushed downstairs and told the police of his entire revelation, but they would not believe the words of a 14-year-old nor believe the two claw marks belonged to Ghost Pokemon and not physical thieves.
"Kids and their imaginations," the senior officer scoffed. "If you have any more PHYSICAL proof, then do not hesitate to call us." With that said, the officers in the building huddled outside. Moments after, Aadon heard the sound of multiple engine motors fading away.
"But-" Aadon pleaded, but Mrs. Ronkowski put her finger out, not wanting to hear another word.
"What was the need of spinning a yarn like that?" Mrs. Ronkowski shouted. "Where do you get your imagination from? This is a serious case! Do you care nothing about your father?"
Aadon had taken enough accusations. "I loved him just as much as you did! He was my father just as much as he was your husband!"
"Oh, you don't even know the half of it, boy!" Mrs. Ronkowski shouted.
"All I know is that he needs me-"
"He doesn't need a 14-year-old boy! My husband needs the Kanto police force to save him from those goons!"
"He was my hero, and now I need to be his! If you wanna wait around like a damn coward, then that's fine by me!"
"Go to your room and think about what you've said, you stupid child!" Mrs. Ronkowski yelled, her finger pointing up the staircase. Why did she always do this to him? Having heard enough, Aadon was at his breaking point
"You've said enough!" Aadon shouted in anger, stomping up the stairs and into his small room.
How dare she tell him what to do? Who was she to him?
Later that night, Aadon began packing his black backpack with food, water, a flashlight, first aid, and other provisions he would need for where he was going. During his preparation, he had failed to notice that Gastly had been wandering around his room without saying a word.
"You're welcome to come along, Gastly," Aadon said quietly, with little emotion left in his stubborn mind. "If not, you can take my mother's side and hate my father."
"Gastly?" Gastly asked in confusion.
"Pokemon Tower. I believe those claw marks lead to Pokemon Tower."
"Gas?" Gastly asked once more.
"I need to stay in there long enough to find my next lead. If the police won't believe me, I'm going to have to do something myself so the cops and my mom will believe me." Aadon zipped his backpack, now full with provisions, and put it on his back. He put his bucket hat on his head.
"I know I've never done anything without you dad..but I'm your hero and you need me right now," Aadon mumbled quietly to himself.
"Gas?" Gastly questioned once again.
"I'm not coming home," Aadon said almost stubbornly. "I won't come home until I find him and prove to the world that I can do this."
[Pokemon Tower-11:46 PM]
Although Pokemon Tower had a service time, this was only for those who wanted official funeral services for their Pokemon. Pokemon Tower stood open 24 hours a day, donning a sign at the front door stating "Lavender Town is not responsible for any occurrences or events that may do physical or mental damage to your health. Arceus bless you, and welcome to Pokemon Tower."
Just reading the sign made Aadon shudder with fear, although he couldn't tell whether this was Gastly or his own emotion.
With no lights in the Pokemon Tower at night and no person willing to venture there at night, Aadon relied solely on his flashlight and his Gastly for help.
"G-Gastly? A-are you there?" Aadon asked softly.
"Gas.." Gastly said almost sarcastically.
"Not f-funn-" Suddenly, a loud slam interrupted both of them. Aadon turned his flashlight across the grounds, where he saw nothing but more tombstones covered by the very same thin fog that Lavender Town had missed out on early in the morning.
"Ghost!" Aadon jumped, nearly falling over. He turned his flashlight back to Gastly.
"Gas..." Gastly shook its head, looking like it wanted to face-palm itself..that is, if it had physical arms.
"I'll l-look again in that direction," Aadon gulped. Scanning his flashlight forward in the pitch dark once more, he noticed a open door leading to a dimly light hallway.
As he made his way towards the door slowly, another chill took over his spine.
"Not funny, Gastly," Aadon moaned in fear.
"Gas.." Gastly giggled.
When Aadon went into the door, he heard the door slam once more, only louder and with more intensity than before.
"What...mean...marks," Aadon heard through the walls, not being able to catch every word because of the muffled effect that came through the walls. As Aadon ventured deeper into the dark hallway, he saw more graves.
"You left evidence there, you bloody imbeciles?" said a gruff voice loudly. Aadon shivered as he directed his head to the direction of the voice. He slowly planted his right ear on the wall, not wanting to take a risk.
"And you call yourselves members of Cloak?" the voice spoke again, this time more calm and collected.
"W-we're sorry, boss!" a soft and fearing voice said. Aadon immediately inferred that the "scientist" was his dad.
"Would we want the police to have any more evidence of where we're taking him?" the gruff voice exclaimed.
"Saffron City? I hear they're going to run some tests at our headquarters there," another deeper voice said.
"Silence. Being a secretive organization means even the walls have ears." the gruff voice scolded in his strangely tranquil tone.
"Sorry boss," the deep voice said in a sad tone.
"Saffron?" Aadon thought. "But what are they going to do with him?"
Aadon took one step backwards, unprecedentedly falling over the weight of his backpack and hitting his head on a pipe.
"What was that?" the gruff voice said alarmingly.
"The walls have ears, boss!" the deeper voice said, getting louder and eventually echoing into the same room Aadon was in.
"Run, Gastly," Aadon mumbled. Gastly nodded, and disappeared.
"Well...well...well..lookie what we have here. Another runt for the scrap pile?" the deeper voice said in Aadon's ear, although the voice was starting to fade.
Aadon heard the three voices discussing and coming together, and eventually they echoed louder than before. His eyes began to feel heavy, and he slowly faded away into blackness, his fate left uncertain.
Update [8/2/2014]: This message is for previous readers. I've updated this chapter to cater to future chapters and fix plot holes. Some of the dialogue has seen renovation as well. More updates will come in the future.