A Note from the Author: Well, I've revised Chapter 4! This was previously titled "A Shadow Strikes," but with the changes I made I found a more suiting title. There were many things to fix here. The original Chapter 4 had loads of inconsistencies with the plots and backgrounds of later chapters; the characters were too unlike themselves; and many of the events lacked emotion. It's all fixed now; and hey! The village even has a name now! I hope you enjoy these changes. Please write me a review if you read!
Chapter 4: Whispers of the Mind
...llo......Hello...?
Huh? What? Who was that?
Hello...? Is this... Who is this...? Who...are you...?
I... Well, my name is Graham. Graham Hopkins. But really, I should be the one asking who you are. Or, for that matter, what you are.
Oh, well at least it's good to know this works... Though you aren't exactly who I was expecting to contact... Oh dear...
Please, answer my question. Who are you?
I'm... I'm sorry... Mother always told me... I'm not supposed to tell my name...to strangers... But I was very lonely, and was hoping to find somebody I could talk to... So perhaps we can still talk...?
Wait, am I even awake?
In a way... You are floating in your subconscious right now. I guess, in a way, you are sleeping. Or at least, part of you is...
You're probably talking about my tail. At least, I think so.
Your tail is...awake? Oh, you must be...a Girafarig? How...fascinating... I've always loved...fascinating things...
I know, it is kind of fascinating to be asleep knowing that the other half of my mind is awake, standing guard until it becomes time for our halves to trade places. Weird, even.
So fascinating... If he doesn't mind...I'll have to have a talk with your tail...once it goes to sleep... I've always wondered...what a Girafarig's tail has to say...
I don't think you'll be able to do much... He doesn't talk in a regular fashion. Just gibberish, for the most part.
Oh...hee hee...is that what you think? Mom said that deep down in their mind, the tail of a Girafarig is just as smart as the main head...
The way you talk... Are... Are you... How old are you? Are you sure you can't tell me who you are?
Well... I suppose...we can be friends... Secret friends... Mom won't ever have to know... I will tell you my name, and only my name... My name...is Cathy...
It's a pleasure to meet you, Cathy.
Same to you...Graham... I hope you don't mind...but I'd very much like...to talk again...in future nights...
Future nights? Uh, you mean when I'm asleep?
Maybe... Maybe not... We can talk when you're awake... Just at night... I'm so lonely...at night... Lonely... So very lonely...
I guess that's alright... Are you feeling alright?
Of course I'm feeling...alright... I am...a very powerful...Psychic Pokemon... I always feel...alright...
If you say so, my new friend...
That reminds me... We're secret...secret friends... Please...I beg of you...don't tell anybody...about me... I want this all to be our little...secret...hidden from the cold, watching eyes...and unknown to the house of ice... Promise me... You will never tell...
Alright, I promise. I can keep a secret.
Thank you very much...Graham... Oh...
What is it?
I think...your tail is falling asleep... Your turn to be awake...I suppose... It was...a pleasure...talking to you, Graham. I'll be looking forward...to speak with you tomorrow night... Good-bye...
The Dancer's Castle wasn't the only point of interest at the mountain's summit. A few hundred meters away, a mountain village sat nestled beneath the citadel's ominous shadow. Home to a variety of Ice Pokemon as well as other mountain-suited types, the small city was named Siren's Peak, it's namesake being the peak of the mountain, rising 1,000 feet from the summit. There wasn't hardly a moment of the day were the entire village wasn't eclipsed in shadow by one of the structures; Dancer's Castle stood at the eastern end of the summit, and the peak rose from the western end. The peak was almost as ominous as the castle, its rocky sides bare and snowless, towering over the villagers' heads like a skyscraper of earth ceaselessly observing them in silent contempt.
Siren's Peak was notorious for having only one or two days without snowfall each week. Most days were dark and dreary, the clouds floating above, below, and sometimes level with the roads and houses, snow falling like no tomorrow. Yet no matter how hard it snowed, as long as it wasn't a blizzard it was still possible to look up and see the mountain peak looming over you. This morning was one of the snowy days, and the frozen precipitation heavily fell as Graham and Sophia stepped outside the warm hotel. The snowflakes stubbornly clung to the fur on Graham's snouts, causing both of his heads to sneeze. The flakes easily slid off Sophia's smooth scales, but they stuck to her furry tan parka even more relentlessly than they did to Graham's fur. The snow melted when they passed her hot tail flame or smoking nostrils. This may have seemed at first to be a plus, but an accumulation of water had the capability to sting Fire Pokemon as if they had been burnt on a stove. Though the water around her tail didn't take long to dry, the melted snow around her nostrils started to irritate her. It wasn't long before she pulled up her parka's hood over her head. Graham watched in annoyance, grimly recalling that as a Girafarig he was incapable of shielding his long neck with a hood. A winter hat was the best he could do. Sophia caught his expression, and grinned with pleasure. "What's the matter? Jealous that a certain somebody is safe from the dreadful snow?" she teased. Graham's tail stuck his tongue out at her, only to have it briefly freeze. Upon witnessing this, Sophia just laughed and laughed.
Just roaming about the streets of Siren's Peak was an experience in itself. Siren's Peak boasted great historical value for the region, possessing one of the few castles in the northwest built before European expansion into North America. Most of the structures in the village dated back to the 1800's; almost every building doubled as a historical monument. The appeal to tourism was reinforced by the charm of the log cabin-style buildings that filled the village. Apart from tourists, Siren's Peak mainly housed Snorunts, a rare species to find south of their native home, the mountains of Canada. Snorunt were peculiar Pokemon, not evolving until later in life whereas most Pokemon evolved around puberty. Their evolutions were difficult to spot on the streets; all the Glalies, having evolved as Snorunts well past their 40's, weren't as likely as the younger denizens of Siren's Peak to be walking about the town, and any Froslass that weren't elderly were typically put to work in the Dancer's Castle. But Snorunts and their evolutions weren't the only Pokemon Graham and Sophia passed by on their walk through town. A family of Sneasels stood by a toy store, the parents arguing ferociously with their screaming children over whether or not to get the toys pictured in the window. As he and Sophia passed them, Graham felt his muscles grow tense and his mind become scattered. Psychic techniques were disabled in the presence of Dark Pokemon, which were immune to mental attacks and could trump Psychic Pokemon with their sneaky Dark attacks. Though the Sneasels had done nothing wrong to him, as a Psychic Pokemon he couldn't help but get uneasy when around Dark Pokemon.
His mind didn't become focused and his muscles didn't ease until they crossed the street at an intersection. Graham suddenly realized what was about too happen all too late, and Sophia could only shout a "Watch out!" before the Girafarig stumbled straight into a Stantler. The collision between the two artiodactylids made the old deer drop his grocery bag, and food scattered on the snow-covered sidewalk. "Watch it!" he grumbled. "Why, if I wasn't in a hurry..." Now it was Sophia's turn to lose her mind. Stantlers were Normal Pokemon, but they were in a sort of category of Pokemon which were one element but specialized in another (other members of this group included Glalie, Ice Pokemon specializing in Dark attacks; the Vulpix line, Fire Pokemon skillful with Ghost attacks; and the Venonat line, Bug/Poison Pokemon that utilized a variety of Psychic attacks). The antlers of a Stantler gave off hypnotic waves, but of a different sort than Madame Morpheus'. Stantlers were notorious for giving people hallucinations if they looked at their antlers for too long. This particular Stantler had a pair of antlers shaped like a Christmas tree, and Sophia couldn't help but stare at it in wonder. She wobbled where she stood dizzily, and Graham quickly put his arm around her to keep her from losing her balance. Psychic Pokemon were immune to the hallucinatory waves.
"I'm very sorry, sir," the Girafarig apologized. "Let me help..." Glad to use some Psychic powers after the brief removal of his abilities, Graham mentally sent the scattered groceries into the bag within a matter of seconds.
"Don't do it again," the Stantler grunted. "But...all the same... Thank you for trying to make up for it. Your help's appreciated. Have a good day." The old man bowed his head in appreciation, then turned and grumpily walked across the intersection and away towards the Sneasels.
"You feeling alright, Sophia?" Graham asked after the Stantler was gone.
"Oh? Um...yeah. Thanks for asking." The Charmeleon vigorously shook her head for a moment to get rid of the delirious waves.
"All these eskimos and reindeer make it feel like I'm at the North Pole!"
"The what?"
"Uh, the Snorunts and Stantlers."
"Oh, I thought you said something else. Yeah, they do, don't they? I'm half expecting Santa Claus to fly down with his bag of goodies." Graham quickly made a mental note that she probably meant a Delibird.
The two continued on their way. After trudging in the snow for a bit, witnessing no red-and-white birds fly down from the sky with bags of goodies, a small walk-in store caught Sophia's eye. "Hey look!" she remarked, pointing at the building with a claw. Graham followed her finger's direction and saw a minute building with a striking resemblance to a log cabin. Smoke rose from its brick chimney, and a cheerful sign in front of the wooden door read, "The Cold Tongue's Enemy." Pictured on the sign was a mischievous-looking street light, grinning sneakily and eying the sign's viewers as if coming up with some diabolical plot. Graham and his tail couldn't help but chuckle at the picture. The joke, of course, was the reference to how tongues notoriously could get stuck to cold street lights. "Graham, I think it's a tavern!" explained Sophia, gazing at the building as if it was exactly what she was looking for. She had a love for European-style restaurants, and seemed to really be drawn to the Cold Tongue's Enemy. Finally, after observing it a little, she came to a decision. "We HAVE to check it out!" she roared. Sophia forcefully yanked Graham's arm and begin pulling him towards the tavern.
Graham's main head was quick to yelp, and his tail snarled viciously, baring his razor-sharp teeth defensively. "Sophia, please don't do that! Remember, your claws are sharp!" the main head furiously snapped.
"Dot your I's and cross your T's!" growled his tail.
Sophia immediately dropped his arm and glared at him crossly. "Fine, fine, Mr. Grumpy. But come on, let's check it out! I'm hungry!" As if to prove the point, the salamander's stomach loudly rumbled.
Graham gave in after hearing his own four stomachs rumble, each a note in an arpeggio. "Fine, fine. Hey Tail, do you want to have something to eat?"
"Oui, monsieur! J'adore les zebres!"
"It's settled then, Graham, let's go!" Sophia was the first one to the door.
The tavern was a very cozy place. On the far side of the pub, a warm fire flickered in a fireplace, surrounded by pine tables and chairs. The floor was turquoise-colored wood, and the walls were brown logs. The tavern was pleasantly decorated with foliage, well-watered plants resting at the sides of the door and the bartender's counter. A young waiter briskly approached Graham and Sophia and greeted them. He was a Glaceon, blatantly evident from the two locks dangling from his blue hair along the sides of his canine face and all the way down to just beyond his shoulders in front of his chest, their rhombus-shaped tips resembling crystals of ice. He was covered from head to toe in flat, icy blue fur as stiff as icicles, with a dark, turquoise rhombus-shaped mark here and there, concealed from view by his waiter outfit. Being a dog he walked only on his toes, heels raised into the air identical to a person standing tip-toe, but despite this he was a short fellow. Sophia seemed to be a few inches taller, and Graham towered above his dark blue hair. An azure, geometric tail swished behind him, showing he was delighted at the arrival of two new visitors. The waiter was dressed in typical European waiter apparel, fitting the style of the tavern. Sophia felt almost as if she had just stepped out of Alaska and into England. "Good day, sir and madam," the waiter greeted, grinning his sharp teeth in a wide smile. "Welcome to the Cold Tongue's Enemy! And don't worry--our food is much better than our name makes it sound like!" It wasn't the best joke in the world. "Where would you two like to sit?"
"By the fire," Graham and Sophia said in unison.
"Great, then if you would please follow me..." The waiter brought them to a table with two chairs by the fire. "My name's Glace. Please call on me if you need anything; I'll be back to take your orders in a bit." With a paw he placed two menus on the table, politely seated his guests, and scurried away.
"That was a nice fellow," Graham commented, slipping his tail's head through the bars in the chair. "I like him."
"Yeah, Eevees generally are delightful people," Sophia nodded. "I like him too." She opened the menu and gave it a good look over. The biggest picture on the menu depicted what looked very similar to Lady Valkyrie's Roast Combusken. She wanted something else, though. "Hm... What looks good to you, Graham?"
Graham didn't even hold his menu. It merely floated in front of him, suspended in the air by his mental powers. "Oh, I like the sound of roast Oddish soup. Something nice and warm like that would be wonderful in this weather."
"I suppose... Hey, cool! Today's Friday, right? There's a special on Fish and Chips! Let's see what the fish is... Hm, Feebas? That's really exquisite, I wonder where they got them... Oh, but I could replace the fish with crustaceans or mollusks... Dang, fried Shellders with popcorn Corphish? Mmm, mmm, delicious!" Sophia smacked her lips and set the menu down happily.
"Shellfish, up here?" Graham remarked with a raised eyebrow. "I wonder where they flew them in from?"
"Trainer BLUE found a Poke Ball! But the bag's too full!" suggested his tail.
Glace soon returned to take their orders. "Ladies first," he winked.
"Hm, I would like the Shellders and Corphish, please. With some lemonade to drink."
"As for you, sir?"
"We'd like the Oddish soup, please, and some salad to go with it. And two glasses of water, please."
"Gotcha. I'll be back faster than a block of ice," Glace chimed, twirling around and departing with a grin on his face. As he trotted off to inform the Shuckle chef of his guests' orders, Graham's tail decided to have a look around the restaurant. There weren't a lot of people around. The only other person eating at the tavern at the time was a tubby Lickylicky, voraciously gorging his fat pink self on as much food as he could possibly purchase; only a Snorlax could have ate more. The repulsive sounds of its enormous slobbering tongue were blocked only by the crackling of the calm fire. "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!!!" the tail remarked.
"Shh, quiet down," Graham's main head hushed. "What's the matter, Tail?"
"I want to play Ditto Super Star Ultra!"
"What's he going on about, Graham?" Sophia asked, peeking over the table at her friend's confusing second head.
"I don't know, I think he's concerned about how few people there are at this tavern. Take a look yourself. There's only that Lickitung over there."
"That's a Lickylicky, Graham," Sophia scoffed, rolling her eyes at her companion's lack of Pokemon intellect.
"Well forgive me for not memorizing every 400 plus Pokemon," the Girafarig retorted. "Anyway, there's nothing to be scared of, Tail, so quiet down." He could see the faint red blush on his tail's face underneath the velvety brown fur.
It was at that moment that Glace returned with their food. "Yeah, our customers have been fewer and fewer lately," Glace sighed. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen either of you around these parts before. I must say it's surprising to see new faces at a time like this." He took a deep breath and exhaled as he placed the dishes covered in warm food on the table. His cold breath was visible even in the warm tavern. After setting the glasses down, Glace rested a paw against the table and absently ran his other paw through his rigid hair, straightening it out while deep in thought. He looked up at the two customers and slowly made a smile. "You guys mind if I join you for a bit? I doubt that Lickylicky's going anywhere soon..."
"Sure," Sophia accepted with a nod. "Just as long as you don't mind hanging out with a Fire Pokemon."
"I'm sure I can handle it. My brother's a Flareon, and I've frozen him a couple of times." Glace grabbed a chair from a nearby table and seated himself between Graham and Sophia. Graham pulled another chair over and quietly set his salad and one of the glasses of water onto the chair for his tail to eat. He then turned back around and picked up his soup spoon. "Cheers," he muttered before dipping the spoon into the nearby bowl and having a taste of the Oddish soup. He found it to be very delicious, seeming to melt all the coldness in his body. "Ooooo, this is the perfect temperature!" he exclaimed, grinning.
"You think so?" Glace responded, sounding quite pleased. "Seemed a bit too warm for me. But I suppose then again I am an Ice Pokemon."
"Hey Glace," Sophia asked through a mouthful of Shellders, "why have you been losing customers? You're a good waiter, and the chef seems to know what he's doing." With expertise she used her sharp claws to peel open another Shellder. "I don't see any reason for people not to come."
"Oh, it's all because of the recent events." Glace looked at the fireplace absently. "Long story, I doubt you'd care to hear it."
"Oh come on, tell us!"
"...fine." Glace sighed again, his breath forming a faint mist as it rose into the air. "It all started when our governess called for this guy from South America. So first that fellow from Peru shows up, all full of himself and of how he had a 'personal invitation from Lady Valkyrie.' I wish we could have ignored him, but he was a Xatu; you almost never see them north of Mexico, and up here in the mountains his presence was so bizarre we couldn't keep our eyes off him. And being a Xatu, he could see the future whenever he so liked. He'd march around town, telling everybody's fortunes like he knew everything. We could never tell when he was telling the truth about our futures or lying, but whenever we didn't do what he wanted he would just zone out for a moment and threaten us that not helping him would cause a tragic event to happen in our distant futures. And being a Psychic Pokemon he could force us to do what he wanted if we still refused, and if we were ignoring his annoying, bragging bird chatter he'd make us stop. We haven't had any Electric Pokemon in Siren's Peak since my sister moved away, so we couldn't even deal with him when he flew too high for us to personally stop his boasts. We probably couldn't have zapped him even if Sarah was still here, though, because after all, Lady Valkyrie invited him. I don't really know why she would; why should she go through so much trouble just to know her future? After a while he went and moved up into the castle."
"But is he gone now?"
Glace made a face. "I doubt it. He's probably still up there in that castle; we still haven't seen him leave it, we're pretty sure he hasn't flown away. Hopefully he knew how to Teleport. He hasn't been in town since going up there, though, so at least his terrible attitude isn't bugging us anymore. I swear, if he wasn't a royal guest I would have Ice Beamed him to kingdom come!" Glace pounded his paw on the table, leaving the spot where he hit it covered in a light layer of frost.
"Why follow the yellow brick road when you can take an airplane?" asked Graham's tail.
"If he's in the castle and not in town, then why haven't people come back?" Graham's main head translated.
"Well, just a few days after we stopped seeing him, the princess went missing. That just sent the town into an uproar. Then it got worse; the uproar turned into a panic after the press announcement that the kidnapper was a Ghost Pokemon. I remember my youngest sister diving under her bed and crying. Psychic Pokemon can be so scared of ghosts, you know? No offense," Glace nodded towards Graham.
"Oh cool, so your sister's an Espeon?" Sophia gasped in amazement. "Can she predict the weather like they say they can?"
"Of course," Glace proudly answered, beaming at his two customers. "We always rely on Josette to tell us the weather, she's very good at it. We're hoping she'll be a weather person on the news when she grows older.
"But anyway, nobody wanted to come to Siren's Peak once they knew there was a Ghost criminal on the loose. We used to be swamped with tourists this time of the year; now they're all scared away."
"Even the Normal Pokemon?" Graham inquired. Normal Pokemon, like Girafarig and Stantler, were immune to Ghosts in the same way that Dark Pokemon were immune to Psychics.
"They're too worried about losing their children," Glace sighed with a frown. "My mom--she's not an Eevee, she's a Glaceon like me--she was so frightened the first few days for Josette. I was too, I'm very protective over her."
"What was the princess like?" Sophia asked, hoping for a change of mood. "I've heard so much about her kidnapping but so little about her herself."
"Well," Glace started, lazily leaning back in his chair and listening with relief as the loud slobbering of the Lickylicky died down in volume, "she was a bit of a strange girl. She'd never go anywhere without her Regice bodyguard, as if she always feared something bad was going to happen. I suppose in the end something bad did happen. But sometimes I felt she didn't need a protector. Whenever I saw her she seemed so skilled at her Psychic and Ice abilities that to this day I think she could look after herself. Maybe it was because her mother insisted so much that the Regice stayed. The princess didn't seem to like her mother very much... We'd often see her in the village on a walk and she'd always have a beaming smile on her face, as if she were the happiest person in the world. But whenever she was with her mother, nothing in the world could get that Smoochum to smile. We all saw it too, because that Regice would try desperately to cheer her up."
"I assume you mean Goliath?" Graham asked with mild interest.
"Yes," Glace smirked. "That's the one. The only one, maybe. You know, I'm not quite sure how Lady Valkyrie got her hands on Goliath, or how she gained such control over him. There are probably loads of people up at the castle who know... But I hardly ever go up there." Glace leaned forward and Graham and Sophia leaned their heads in to hear. "Goliath showed up about eighteen years ago, just out of nowhere. That very first day where he walked through the village to go to his new home at Dancer's Castle... Lady Valkyrie was at his side the entire time. That was when I was in middle school, just a few days before I became a Glaceon. I remember that moment well, but I also remember Lady Valkyrie being nicer long before that. She began getting mean after she had the princess. The Mr. Mime she married ran away just two years after the princess was born. It just seemed to make something snap in Lady Valkyrie; she went from surly to cruel in an instant. Just like that she grew cold and withdrawn, and it wasn't long after that before she came back from vacation with Goliath at her side."
"Wow, you sure know a lot," Sophia remarked as she sipped her lemonade.
"Well, my mother told me a lot of stories about the Valkyries. You wouldn't believe the things I know about them."
Glace and his customers began discussing the mysteries of Dancer's Castle while Graham's tail took a break from the action. He lazily rolled his eyes around the room again, until they rested once more on the Lickylicky. He had finished eating rather abruptly, and he hurriedly tidied up his mouth with a napkin. He hastily dug into a pocket of his suit, found the money he needed--a lot--and set it on the table. Without another moment he briskly marched out of the restaurant, not even saying "Thank you."
Far away, a Houndoom howled ominously in the cold darkness. Its eerie call hauntingly echoed across the mountains, ricocheting off of cliffs and houses and even the bleak Dancer's Castle. The howl was shortly answered by another, younger-sounding one; a Houndour on the other side of the mountain was making its reply. Some thought it strange that such Pokemon lived in the mountains, but the Houndoom didn't give a care about what was strange and what wasn't, as long as it got food in their stomachs. In this morbid way they paralleled people not too far away, lurking strangers whom nobody with good in their hearts knew about; wretched beings who did not care what they did as long as it brought them gain. People who would even plot so far as to end a life to keep a dark secret a mystery.
Graham and Sophia did not begin their journey back to the hotel until after sun had already set. Siren's Peak seemed scarier at night. Like phantoms returning to their graves, the ghostly Froslass returned home from the Dancer's Castle. Their semi-transparent white kimonos sent fearful chills up Graham's already cold spine. His sentinel tail, stuffed from their dinner at a small cafe in town, was too sleepy to stay awake and snored quietly while the rest of his body walked; the lack of a pair of eyes covering his backside, together with the spectral Froslass and the foreboding Houndoom calls, left Graham feeling unnaturally vulnerable. It was fortunate he had Psychic powers to protect himself, but one never quite knew what the night could bring. He swore he spotted Houndour hungrily prowling the empty streets a few blocks away. Even an ex-human like himself knew that where there were Houndour, there were probably Houndoom. A mixture of Dark and Fire elements, the Houndour line paralleled the wolves from his world, except they were far more fierce and terrifying. Decorated with bony growths that resembled the skeletons of their prey, a bite from these devil-like creatures of the night left their victims permanently burnt for the rest of their short lives. This was truly a dark time for Siren's Peak.
Spotting what may have been a Houndour too, Sophia defensively clutched her tail for warmth and protection. The tail was their only source of light apart from the streetlights. The light of her tail flame cast eerie glows on the log cabin buildings they passed. Every light was off; it seemed Graham and Sophia were the last people in the streets that night. That wouldn't last for long, though; the hotel was nearly in sight. Neither of them could wait any longer for the warmth and comfort of their suite.
As they passed under a streetlight, the orange glow of it radiated suddenly was cut off by a dark shadow. A second later, the shadow was gone. Graham stopped in his tracks. "Sophia, did you see that?" he gulped. He searched the dark block with his eyes for the cause of that brief shadow, but couldn't spot anything.
"See what?" Sophia grumpily asked. "I'm not really in the mood to stop and sightsee any more. I want to go back to the hotel."
"I saw the shadow of something swooping over our heads!"
"It was probably a Noctowl or a Zubat or something. Look, the hotel's almost in sight. Let's go."
"I really don't think it was one of those... Wait..." Graham's ears pricked up. "I think I hear something..."
"Oh really? And what would that be?" Sophia stopped and turned around impatiently. Her jaw almost immediately dropped. "G-Graham, look out behind you!"
"What?" Graham spun around, and got out of the way just in time to avoid a large purple creature swoop past him. It sped away for about a block, then halted abruptly in the air, twirled around, and swooped back. This time it was Sophia who was almost clobbered into. It stopped under the street light, and they finally got a good look at what it was. It was a stubby purple bat with four wings, flapping them in a way that kept him suspended in the air. It was a Crobat, a Poison/Flying Pokemon that a Golbat evolved into when it had reached a particular level of satisfaction and happiness in its life. The Crobat had its species' trademark toothy grin, sharp teeth glistening in the light, and hanging out of the man's mouth between his teeth was a large cigar. The man was dressed in a dapper black suit with grey pinstripes and white cuffs. His yellow, haunting eyes glared at Graham and Sophia malevolently, and both of them took a step back. "Hello, children," the Crobat greeted. His untrustworthy voice carried a heavy German accent. "Aren't you glad I dropped by? Children your age shouldn't be roaming the streets at night. Yuck yuck yuck!" It was a wretched laugh to listen to.
"Excuse me? We aren't children," Sophia angrily snapped. "And you need to watch where you're going."
"You don't look over 18 to me, my dear," the Crobat snarled. He gave a grin so cadaverous that even the cold air seemed to shake in fear. In a sneering tone he added, "You two should be careful. Bad things happen to those who aren't careful at night. Perhaps I should help you back to wherever it is that you are going? It isn't safe with all these Houndooms around. I can protect you."
"We don't need your help. Come on, Graham, let's ditch this creep." Sophia started to leave. The Crobat was in front of her blocking her way in the blink of an eye.
"Come now. That just isn't sensible. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to two grown-ups such as yourselves."
"Sophia, I don't think he's going to let us go..." Graham whispered.
"Ah! Now there's a smart one!" The Crobat swooped in front of Graham and smiled wickedly. "I'm glad somebody respects my humble effort to keep you two safe. What's your name, oh smart one? Graham? What an intelligent name." The Crobat hovered closer. Graham could feel the bat's putrid cigar smoke tickle his nose.
"On second thought, Sophia, let's get out of here," Graham ordered. He immediately made a dodge for the right, but was slammed in the ribs by the armless Crobat's wings. The Girafarig tumbled to the ice-covered ground and fell unconscious.
"Sarah Palin!" his tail cried, knocked awake by the impact.
"Graham, are you okay?" Sophia gasped in shock. Suddenly it dawned on her what was going on. "Hey you!" she roared at the Crobat.
"What is it, my dear? Would you like to play this little game as well?"
"You're the guy who beat up my father last night!" The Crobat seemed to grow larger and more dangerous as the words flowed out of her mouth. Suddenly she stopped seeing the Crobat as a creep but more as a threat.
"Ah, so you are the daughter of the Pokemon Professor!" The smirk on the Crobat's face grew even wider and hostile. "Well then, why don't I let you follow in his footsteps?" The Crobat slowly approached the girl, who shrunk back. "I'm sure your neck won't be as easy to break as his was. What's the matter, scared? Don't worry. I'm sure your funeral will warm up this place." The Crobat lunged at her, mouths open wide, ready for a venomous Poison Fang. Sophia was prepared for the assault, though, and dove out of the way once more. It was a very close call; though the Crobat missed, his wing scratched Sophia's neck. It wasn't long before Sophia could feel blood running down from the cut.
"You Dracula wanna-be, you'll pay for that," Sophia growled. She took a deep breath and sucked oxygen into her burning lungs. The oxygen lit the air in her lungs ablaze, and she exhaled a column of orange flames straight towards the Crobat. Her Flamethrower missed, and melted the snow just a foot away from Graham's tail.
"Missed me!" the Crobat teased. Suddenly he was knocked forward onto the snow by a hit from behind. Graham's tail, wanting to help in some way, launched its own Psybeam--twice as effective against Poison Pokemon--at the Crobat's back. The mental beam dazed the Crobat, and he briefly stumbled trying to get up, his mind jumbled into confusion. The confusion didn't last long, and the purple bat launched into the air. "Thought you had me, little Girafarig? I'm far more powerful than you are; not even a Psybeam can stop me!" At that moment a big blast of fire scorched the man. "YEOWCH!" As the fire subsided he hovered in the moonlight, stared down at Sophia, and angrily roared, "You little twerp, you'll wish you hadn't done that!"
"But... That wasn't me..." Sophia looked around for the source of the Fire Blast.
"Oh yeah? Then who was it?" Suddenly the Crobat was tackled by another flying figure. The two fell to the ground. The Crobat tried flying back up to safety but was held down by a strong orange dragon.
"This is for the neck!" he growled, unleashing a Mega Punch that launched the Crobat into the streetlamp.
"Dad!" Sophia cheered, running to the Charizard who stood before them. "You saved us!" Sophia lovingly hugged Dr. Flarison, who kept his keen dragon eyes on the Crobat as it fluttered into the air.
"Stupid, good for nothing Charizard!" he growled. "I should have ripped you to pieces when I had the chance!" Sophia, Dr. Flarison, and Graham's tail all looked up at him with confident faces, ready to deal more damage if they had to. Perhaps he was getting into more than he could handle. "Fine, alright," he shrugged. "With your father here I have no need to escort you to your happy homes. I suppose you three have won this round, but I shall be back, mark my words, and I shall have the last laugh! Yuck yuck yuck yuck!" As quickly as he could, the Crobat made an about-face and flew away into the darkness.
Dr. Flarison protectively held Sophia tight in his arms. "Thank goodness you're alright. How's Graham doing?"
"I think that Crobat knocked him unconscious."
"We should probably get him inside then. Come on, help me get him up." The two walked over to the Girafarig and bent down. Dr. Flarison grabbed his shoulders, while Sophia clutched his legs. "On the count of three... One, two...three!" Both of the Pokemon used Strength and raised the Girafarig into the air. "Alright, got him?"
"Yeah, I got him."
"Okay, let's go. I think both of you could use a few bandages. How's he feeling, Tail?"
"I pledge allegiance to my flag," Graham's tail answered, nodding with a smile so as to indicate that Graham wasn't injured. The Flarisons slowly carried Graham back to the hotel.
Dwelling in his unconscious, Graham was not aware of the excitement going on around him. In the dark void he was trapped in, he heard the voice of a little girl. It began as a whisper, then grew to a quiet indoor voice. "Graham? Are you there?" It was Cathy again.
"I... Uh... Yes... Yes, I'm here... Ugh! Why do I feel so terrible?"
"You're unconscious... You aren't supposed...to speak...in this state... You feel the pain...of your unconscious..."
"The pain?"
"The pain... The unconscious...finds pain...in talking... It was not made...to talk... Only silence... That is why...you never hear it... It is lonely... The pain...is the sadness it feels... That is why...you should not be aware...of your unconscious... But I felt something was wrong... So I must...talk with you..."
"I... I think I was just attacked by a Crobat. I don't know why he did it..."
"A Crobat...!? That must be... Oh my Arceus, were you with anybody...? Are they...alright...?"
"I certainly hope so. But... Do you know who I'm talking about?"
"He's... No, I don't...know him... It just...reminded me of...something..."
"Are you sure? He had a German accent and--"
"I'm sure! Just...no, I haven't ever heard of...a German Crobat..."
"Cathy, are you hiding something from me?"
"Hiding...hee hee... Am I...hiding something...? The world...hides...from me... My mother...hides...from...me..." Cathy began to cry.
A Note from the Author: I hope you enjoyed this! Please write a review if you read it, I read every single one!