The next day, my first visitor happened to be Dragonite. With a polite knock on the door, he let himself in. "Oh, hello Dragonite! Nice to see you!" Blissey beamed, and I shyly raised a hand to wave. Genger, on the other hand, glared at Dragonite over his breakfast: a bowl full of assorted berries. "Blissey, Weavile." He greeted us with a bow. "I'm sorry to ask this, but could I speak to Weavile in private? It's about mercenary work and you know how we keep the details under wraps on ongoing projects." He explained, mostly to Blissey. "Of course! Of course! We'll be nearby." Blissey nearly tripped over herself before grabbing Gengar by the arm and attempting to drag him out. "Hey! I never agreed to this! Let go!" Gengar complained, fighting her grip. I groaned, somehow I knew this wasn't going to end well. Then suddenly, when I saw the desperate glance Gengar shot me I finally understood why he was fighting so hard. Dragonite was going to tell me something about Gengar that he didn't want me to know. "It won't be long." I assured him, giving him a fake smile. He almost looked betrayed as he was dragged out the door by Blissey.
"Weavile, I'm so glad to see you're okay. I met your...acquaintance in town the day that you were attacked. It's a blessing you're alive." Dragonite admitted, he seemed relieved at my condition. "Well, I'm all in one piece; except for my leg. That's going to keep me out of work for a while, at least until Blissey's friend comes by to fix it for me." I explained, pointing at the large cast that surrounded my broken leg. "Yes... I heard about that. I was going to ask you what exactly happened that day to get you beat up that badly. You're one of the best mercenaries I know, I don't understand how you could get that hurt." Dragonite prompted me and I let out a sigh of relief. Maybe Dragonite was just worried about me.
"It all started when I took Kecleon's job to hunt down Mightyena. After I lost him that one time, he managed to escape back to his...friend? It was a Drapion, that's all I know. Somewhere in between they met a Gardevoir who wanted information from me. I guess they came to some sort of a deal and plotted to bring me out of the forest. I heard a howl; it was Mightyena's so I ran toward it. When I got there, it was just him and he attacked me so we were fighting. As soon as I was about to take him down, the Gardevoir appeared out of nowhere and paralyzed me, preventing me from dealing the final blow. That was when she started questioning me and I didn't answer her. In the middle of that, the Drapion also came out of the woods. I was outnumbered and outmatched before the fight even began and I had no idea. If she'd just asked me nicely to begin with I might've answered some of her questions but taking the approach of making deals with outlaws set off alarm bells. So, of course I didn't say anything. When she realized no matter what she said I wouldn't answer, she teleported away and left me paralyzed, telling the outlaws they could have me." I told my story, shrugging nonchalantly as if it were an everyday thing. In fact, it probably was as one of the risks I took as a mercenary was making enemies.
"Your story isn't finished though, what happened after that?" Dragonite asked me, pacing at my bedside as he absorbed the details I was giving him. "Well, the Drapion stung me and the Mightyena bit straight through my leg. I swear I could feel the bone shatter in his jaws. Reflexively, I screamed. Gengar, who had been staying with me for about a week before hand, heard it because I wasn't too far from home. He saved me. I don't have all of the details because I wasn't exactly lucid with poison running through my blood and absolute agony from the wounds the pair had inflicted on me. All I know is Gengar saved me." I concluded; the memory of the run from Red Stripe and Drapion still fresh in my mind and I turned my head to hide the dreamy look on my face.
"And how exactly did you come to meet this Gengar? Surely you're aware of the nature of Gengar, they eat dreams. Their kind isn't known for being very trustworthy or good in any sense. There's a reason the majority of them are outlaws." Dragonite warned me, trying to sound as dire as possible. 'Here it comes.' I thought to myself, my paws curling into fists at his words. "This Gengar isn't like the others. He has a good heart." I defended him, so many examples to back up my argument coming to mind. But, I didn't have to defend him to Dragonite, so I decided against it; Dragonite had no place to judge a Pokemon he wasn't willing to get to know. "I found him when I was chasing Mightyena the first time. He fell from the sky, and I'm not joking about that. There was an impact crater and all, he was badly hurt. So I abandoned the hunt and brought him back to my cave, treated his wounds. Sure, he's a Gengar; I know the stories, but I don't pass judgment on an injured Pokemon before I know their full story. I won't just leave someone to die in the forest because of what they were born with." I argued, admitting what I'd been up to that Dragonite hadn't been in on.
"You're right about that. Up until the point where you won't pass judgment until you know the full story. Has he told you how he came to fall out of the sky? Why he was hurt? Have you asked about it yet? It'd be hard to believe that you hadn't, because I know any Pokemon who saw someone fall out of the sky would be curious. Did he answer you when you asked him?" Dragonite asked, dismantling my argument entirely. He was right; Gengar wouldn't tell me what exactly happened to him. But he did say he was going to, at the minimum. I was curious, but somehow I wanted to know less and less the more his past was built up as something negative even though some day I'd have to find out.
By this point, I had a good idea of what he hadn't told me and why Dragonite was so defensive. But I still chose to believe in Gengar. Even if I was told the worst about Gengar, there was something different about him and it wasn't just that he had traits unlike other Gengar. It was that as a Pokemon, he had a good heart. It was obvious even when he tried to hide it, and inherently he wasn't bad no matter how hard he tried to look like it.
"I'm not ready to tell you what I know about this Gengar, but I wanted to tell you to be careful; to warn you. That Gengar isn't what he appears to be and I know you might feel differently about this, but with how hurt and unwell you are I don't feel that you're ready to hear the details about Gengar. I'm going to give him the chance to tell you first, you can prove to me that he's as good hearted as you say by having him tell you about his past and how he came to fall out of the sky in Shady Forest. I could put a lot of Poke down on the fact that he won't tell you, and it'll be me letting you know the truth when you recover." He told me sternly, seriousness written on his face. "You know I'm only telling you this because I care about you, right? I couldn't stand to sit by and watch you get hurt. I don't mean to hurt your feelings or to worry you; I just want you to be happy." He told me with a face full of concern, taking my paw and kneeling like a gentleman.
I sighed, giving into his gentleman act. "Alright Sir Dragonite, I'll take your words into consideration." I rolled my eyes before cracking a smile. "Just be careful, okay? I'll be back to check on you. Maybe if I feel like it I'll bring you a snow cone from the Jynx stall." He smiled, attempting to look like he was mulling over the idea. "You'd better!" I growled; he knew I loved snow cones. Especially the Sitrus flavoured snow cones. "Anyway I'm going to go check on the guild; you'd better not go anywhere in the meantime!" He joked, giving my leg a meaningful glance before heading to the door. "Like I could go anywhere, see you later Dragonite!" I exclaimed, saying my goodbyes. Maybe I could finally get some peace and quiet…
As soon as Blissey had me outside, she left to go buy food for lunch. I knew it wasn't her intent, but it left me entirely able to listen in to Weavile and Dragonite's conversation. Somehow I knew what I was going to hear, but I was still shaken up about it. Dragonite was right; I hadn't been honest with Weavile. Even worse still, I was still struggling with whether or not I should tell her about what exactly had happened. I was at a crossroad where I had to decide to leave for good or to come clean with as many details as I could stand to give Weavile and hope she'd believe me; hope that she wouldn't judge me like the other Pokemon had my whole life. It was a lot to ask, and she really wasn't in the condition to handle it.
Honestly, if I was going to leave now would be the best time. She couldn't hunt me down, I remembered sadly. It was breaking me up inside; I felt like a terrible Pokemon. Who was I fooling? I am a terrible Pokemon, though all this time spent with Weavile was changing me, or maybe bringing out the self I tried to forget back then.
Dragonite made me mad, but I really couldn't deny it; he was Weavile's best friend and rightfully so. He read me like a book, and he knew there was something wrong even though she chose to deny it. She was probably better off with him, and I probably should've moved on. But at the same time: Dragonite made me mad. Weavile was a grown Pokemon and could decide for herself, she didn't need another Pokemon telling her right and wrong or what she should do. From what I did know of her, she was a Pokemon who decided good and bad herself. Plus, he was biased towards me yet again because I was a Gengar. Though no matter how much I might try to deny it, Weavile was the best thing that ever happened to me. Maybe… it was really time for me to change, and stop being the coward I once was as difficult as it is.
Unfortunately, my hopes for peace and quiet were destined to die before they even began. It was very obvious that Gengar and Dragonite hated each other and were unwilling to interact more than necessary. That left me stuck in the middle, and I wasn't really well enough to be playing mediator. At the same time, Gengar was also becoming more withdrawn and it had me worried. I meant to find time to talk to him privately but between Blissey, them, and the sedatives Blissey had me on I didn't really have a lot of time to do anything.
I decided it was time to find out what was bothering Gengar. "Gengar? Could you come over here?" I pointed to my bedside, leaning on my arm to raise myself up from a lying position. "...I guess." He got up from where he'd been sitting and walked to where I'd gestured. Before he could react, I leapt out of bed and put an arm over his shoulders for stabilization. "Hey! What are you doing? You're going to mess up your leg!" He shouted in alarm, quickly putting arms around me to make sure I didn't fall. 'He's pretty soft... and warm...' I thought to myself, averting my gaze to hide the blush on my face at my realization.
"We're going to go into town! I decided I needed some fresh air." I explained cheerfully, changing the subject and hopping with my good leg toward the door, and Gengar grudgingly followed. "I don't want to. The townspeople-" He tried to explain but I cut him off. "The townspeople will see an upstanding Gengar helping out an injured Weavile, anyway they like me. They'll like you too!" I exclaimed. "You're going to hurt yourself." He told me, rolling his eyes at my feeble attempt to move. "I need fresh air! Blissey told me I could get someone to help me outside. Please?" I begged, turning a wide eyed gaze on him. "No!" He exclaimed, frowning. "Well, fine. You don't have to; I'll ask Dragonite instead..." I sighed an exaggerated sigh, dramatically beginning my hop back to bed. "Wait! I'll do it, stop moping." Gengar gave in, pulling me back toward him and helping me toward the door of Blissey's hut. Grinning, I flipped the score in my head: Weavile, one; Gengar, zero.
As we neared the market, the townspeople looked at us with surprise. Unfortunately, surprise led to fear and they were extraordinarily wary of Gengar. Yet, fear led to realization when they noticed him helping me. They settled overall for being wary. "So... what exactly are we doing here?" Gengar asked, stopping in the middle of the market to look around. "We're going to get something nice. I have some Poke leftover and I figured we could get something to eat or buy something cool from the merchants. Or do both!" I exclaimed, the idea of finally being able to go shopping a dream come true. "But I don't-" I covered his mouth with a paw. "Yes, you do. Trust me." I smiled, pointing out where we should go.
The place we were headed finally came into view, a large pink polka-dotted stall. A cheerful banner over the top read: Swirlix and Spritzee's Sweets. "...Candy?" Gengar finally asked, his eyes widening in awe. "Of course! These two are the best." I affirmed, leading the both of us to the Pokemon in question at the stall. "Weavile! Hey, Weavile! Spritzee, come see Weavile! She's here!" The Swirlix began to bounce up and down in excitement. Swirlix was like a cloud with a face and feet. "Oh, Weavile! Good to see you! You brought us a friend!" Spritzee exclaimed; no less excited than her brother Swirlix. The pair were brother and sister, their parents worked in a large business which meant that they travelled extensively selling their wares. That left Swirlix and Spritzee to manage the meagre shop that their parents left behind; they were young but successful merchants.
Gengar, entranced by the sweets in front of him, laid his free hand on the display case, his face filled with awe. "It's great to see you two! How has business been? Oh, and his name is Gengar. He's very nice when you get to know him!" I exclaimed, patting Gengar on the back who was completely oblivious. "Very good! Everybody loves our sweets! We're getting better, I hear! The chocolate fudge is the town favourite~" Swirlix explained, moving to the display case and removing a plate full of fudge. "Chocolate fudge..." Gengar whispered in awe. "How much is the fudge?" I asked, giggling at Gengar's face.
"20 Poke a piece normally, but you can have this plate as a get well soon present! We were very sad to hear that you got hurt, when you get better will you play with us?" Spritzee told me, giving me a wide eyed look, placing my fudge into a paper bag and handing it to me. "Thanks so much for the fudge! I'll be sure to stop by when I have time. I'm a very busy mercenary, after all!" I explained, thanking them and sneaking 200 Poke into the tip jar when they weren't looking. I didn't want them to get in trouble and their parents were shrewd businesspeople; they checked every transaction that took place.
"Let's go, I have a place in mind where we can eat." I told Gengar, pointing where he should go. "It'd better not be far… I'm starving!" Gengar exclaimed, eager to dig into the chocolate fudge. "It's not, actually its right over there." I gestured toward the large lake near to Halfway Town. A few Swanna and Ducklett drifted along its surface, swimming through the rays of sunlight as they bounced off of its clear blue surface. A few reeds drifted in the faint current that existed in the lake. To say it was a peaceful place was an understatement, and not one Pokemon even glanced at Gengar as we walked along the shoreline.
Gengar helped me up to sit on a bench along the path on the shoreline, taking a seat beside me. "Can we eat the fudge now?" He asked expectantly. "Of course!" I exclaimed, handing him a few pieces. "Watch out, it'll melt in your hands if you hold them too long." I warned him, popping a piece of fudge into my own mouth. I let out a contented sigh as it melted, the rich chocolaty flavor dancing on my taste buds. "Can I hav sum mor?" Gengar asked me through a mouthful of fudge. I laughed at him, handing him a few more pieces. "Wot's yur problem?" He asked me, confused. "Oh, nothing." I told him and we continued to munch on the fudge until it was all gone.
We stayed on the shoreline in silence until the sun began to dip beneath the tree line, its last rays lighting the lake…until Gengar broke that silence. "I… I need to talk to you about something." He finally admitted with a serious expression on his face. "Of course, what is it?" I asked, feigning ignorance. 'He's going to tell me it… I hope it's not what I think it is, but I'm finally going to know…'
I took a deep breath, considering how I was going to explain. "Well… first you're going to have to promise me to listen to the whole story." I told her, looking out toward the lake. "I promise." She told me, and I could feel her determined gaze on me. "…I'm an outlaw." I dropped the bomb; taking a folded piece of paper I'd been carrying with me ever since Dragonite threatened me with it and handed it to her. I heard her gasp, and kept my gaze fixed on the lake. "I've never eaten any dreams…" I sighed, leaning back against the back of the bench. "But I'm wanted for inciting a riot, and the death of one Pokemon." I explained, remembering the day with dread. "For my whole life, I was treated like garbage because I was a Gengar. My parents were killed, because they ate dreams of the Pokemon who lived in the nearby town. That left me alone and I swore I'd never eat a dream so that Pokemon would like me. Of course, I was only a Gastly when I decided that. I didn't really know that it wouldn't change anything but I've stayed in that mentality even to now." I began my story, afraid to see the look on Weavile's face.
"Well, it took me a while before I realized that it wasn't going to get any better no matter how I acted. I was a ghost, so I was kicked out of town, attacked, you name it. I put up with it for as long as I could, but eventually I got tired of it. It wasn't just me either; I hung out in a group of ghosts who were equally as fed up of the treatment that we got. They… they got an idea, sold it to me; they said that I could convince other ghosts to join up in a peaceful protest of the discrimination against ghosts. Since I was a Gengar I was a good candidate to lead that sort of thing, Gengar have even more stigma associated with them than even other ghosts due to the dream eating thing. So I did it, I went to other ghosts and convinced them to join. But the more ghosts joined, the bigger the group, and the less peaceful it became." I continued, moving my hands to rest in my lap. The sun was down below the tree line, it was going to get dark soon. Pokemon were already beginning to head home.
"We finally had a big enough group to make a move, it started by standing on the main road with footprint signs explaining our purpose. But somewhere in the first day, it took a dark turn. Everybody suddenly had a change of mentality, even me. We were willing to fight and die for our purpose. At least in my case I wanted to make sure they knew how I felt all these years. Though if I'd known what would've happened, I'd have never done it to begin with: A fight broke out, and the local guild came to stop it, different rescue teams joining in to try to stop us. Since I was the leader, I was confronted by the most powerful of the group. The first were a Lucario and a Gardevoir." I paused, letting it sink in. But still, I couldn't bear to imagine the look on Weavile's face.
"They took me by surprise, they were strong. But I was stronger… at least then I was. I used my most powerful attack and sent it toward the Gardevoir. But, the Lucario intercepted it. I never intended to, but it killed him instantly. In hindsight, they were trying to kill me; it was a fight to the death. The look in their eyes betrayed it from the beginning. But still, I killed the Lucario. The Gardevoir… she let out a cry of absolute agony and loss. I guess that the Lucario was important to her or something, but she stopped as soon as he was hit. In the meanwhile, the rest of the higher ranking teams had noticed the commotion and were coming to help out. She told me she was going to kill me, and they had me cornered against a cliff wall. I fought back as best I could, but I was outnumbered. They had me beat, and I was at the end of my rope. The Gardevoir was going to deal the death blow…when suddenly it went black. Next thing I knew I was in your cave." I concluded my story, looking into the sky. The stars were bright tonight, I noticed. "When I found out you were a mercenary, I was going to go. I didn't want you to have to be the one to hunt me, or for my past to bring you trouble. You've been so kind to me, more than any Pokemon ever has been. You didn't judge me because I was a Gengar. You gave me a chance… when I didn't deserve one." I admitted, sighing.
Weavile hadn't responded, so reluctantly I turned to look at her. I was met with a look of utter disbelief, tears running down her face. It was as if I'd betrayed every trust she'd bestowed upon me. If I had a heart, that look was heartbreaking. It made me want to do anything to make it go away, and never do what I'd done again. And even then… I still hadn't told her everything; I couldn't unless she was sure she wanted in on my business. If it were me, I know I certainly wouldn't. Still, she was silent. It seemed like she was trying to find words to say, but struggling. "I… I should go. I'm sorry for hurting you, I won't bother you again. I'll find Dragonite to bring you back to Blissey." I explained quickly, hopping off the bench and beginning to walk toward town. 'Coward.' I thought to myself, but I couldn't stand the silent judgment. Especially not by Weavile, and she had all the right to do it. I was living up to my name as a Gengar.
But, I was shocked when she reached out and grabbed my hand, stopping me from leaving. "Don't go." She whispered, and I turned back to face her. "Do you know why they incarcerate outlaws?" She asked, wiping the tears from her eyes. I shook my head, I'd never put much thought into it. "So that they can see the errors in their ways and realize what they've done. But… you have a good heart. You already know what you did wrong, and you're working to fix it. I can see that. The outlaws I hunt… they're black to the core. But you… you're different. I… I choose to believe in you. We'll figure it out, the both of us together." She insisted, a determined smile finding its way to her face through the tears. "But… you can't. You're hurt; you already have been hurt as the result of my past. I never intended this to happen." I explained, reclaiming the folded paper I'd shown her: a wanted poster with my name on it, at the request of Gardevoir. I pointed to her name. "Gardevoir attacked you, didn't she? She wants me dead. Not you. But if you get involved…" I trailed off, and Weavile seemed surprised. "How did you know that it was her?" She asked. 'Crap, I let it slip…' I thought to myself. "I heard you talking about it." I admitted. "But still, you deserve better than helping an Outlaw like me." I told her, attempting to pull my hand from her grasp. "No! Stop being stupid. You're a good Pokemon, and trust me I know. I've seen enough good and bad. And… I like you. That's enough reason right there." She told me stubbornly, reaching outward to maintain her grip on my hand. It was clear to me that whether I liked it or not, she wasn't giving up on me. And even if it took me pulling her off the bench and across the ground, even with her broken leg, she'd still do it to prove it to me.
…But of course I wouldn't do that, so I gave in. "…Fine. But I warned you." I told her, sitting back on the bench. "We'll figure it out when your leg is healed. Until then, you should relax. You're way too reckless; you'll make your leg worse." I explained, frowning. "But I'm always like this. I'm a Weavile! I'm known for jumping around." She defended herself, cracking a grin. "It's weird." I replied, rolling my eyes. "You're weird!" She retorted, and I smiled.
