9—
Team Specter
CALEB

Caleb woke up from his nap feeling famished. He looked over at Josh, asleep cuddled up next to him and smiled. Though he had to pee something fierce, he decided to stay there and enjoy the moment for a while. Looking around as much as he could, he realized Tanner left. Hunger won out, and he gently woke Josh from his nap

"You hungry?"

"Starving," Josh replied.

"Let's go find some food."

Together the rose from bed and changed their clothes into something more appropriate for a cruise. Their shopping spree in Cerulean City worked to their advantage. Dressed in colorful button-downs and khaki shorts, the two of them looked ready to party.

"This place is bigger than I thought," Josh said as they walked the hallways on the way to the food deck.

"It's like one gigantic hallway," Caleb said, looking ahead and then behind.

They found the food deck without trouble. Unable to agree on cuisine, they went their separate ways so Caleb could get sushi and Josh could get chicken strips and fries.

Someday I'll help him to enjoy the finer things in life.

A strange individual caught Caleb's eye. Standing near the promenade balcony, he dressed in all black save for the purple designs starting from the hem of his pants all the way to the hood of his shirt. Complete with a face mask to cover all but his eyes, it created a silhouette of a Ghost-type Pokémon called Haunter.

"Interesting…" Caleb muttered to himself. He continued waiting for his turn to order, when another individual caught his eye.

This young woman dressed in all white from head to toe save for bright blue flame designs. Her hood came to a point like a candle wick with puff of blue fabric for the fire to give her the appearance of a human Litwick.

"Can I help you, sir?" the clerk asked.

Snapped back into present awareness, Caleb looked up at the menu and ordered a platter, not even bothering to check if the items on his dish were ones he cared to eat. His eyes wandered all around, finding more individuals dressed in some strange Ghost-type cosplay.

He took his platter and found Josh waving him from a table in the middle of the deck, all smiles. Caleb came and joined him.

"What's wrong?" Josh asked.

"Nothing," Caleb dismissed.

"You're lying. I can always tell when something is bothering you."

"You see the girl standing on the promenade deck?" Caleb asked.

Josh looked around. "The one dressed like a Litwick?" Caleb nodded. "What about her?"

"Check out the guy coming down the stairs behind you—the one dressed like a Haunter."

"What about him?" Josh inquired.

"I don't know," Caleb admitted. "Something off about them."

"They just look like cosplayers to me," Josh said with a shrug. "It's their vacation too. If they want to dress up like their favorite Ghosts then who are we to say otherwise?"

"I suppose you're right," Caleb said. "How's your food?"

Before Josh could answer, a deafening boom followed by a fiery explosion sent him from his seat sprawling across the deck. Ears ringing, eyes filled with spots, Caleb struggled to rise to his hands and knees. He called out Josh's name. Though he knew he said it out loud, he could hear nothing save the high-pitch ringing in his ear. All around him, tables and chairs had been overturned, plates of food smeared across the deck. People scatted in all directions, some of them tripping over Caleb, others stepping on him to get away.

A bright, purple light flashed overhead, drawing Caleb's gaze upward to one of the individuals dressed in Ghost-type clothes. In her hand, she held a glowing orb of some sort. Bolts like lightning sizzled across the deck, striking people as they tried to run. Caleb watched as the woman struck fell to her knees. All the PokéBalls dangling from her purse opened. More bolts of purple lightning zapped her companions, paralyzing them.

Watching in horror as the orb floated from the woman's hands to the center of the deck, long snaking torrents spread out, hitting people first, forcing their Pokémon out of their balls, and then striking them. Once a bolt connected with something, it remained. It lit up the food deck like a plasma sphere.

"Josh!" Caleb called out again. The ringing in his ear faded and his vision returned as he recovered enough equilibrium to rise to his feet. The state of disarray on the deck made it impossible to determine where they were sitting, let alone where Josh had gone.

Dozens more of the people in ornate Ghost-type attire emerged from all exits, preventing people from escaping. The lightning from the orb seemed not to bother them, and when they summoned their Pokémon, they too were immune to the effects of the orb. Without exception, each of them commanded a Ghost-type, and had no issues with having them use their moves on people. Lick to paralyze them. Hypnosis to lure them to sleep. Anything to keep them in range of the orb and its tendrils of lightning.

Caleb looked back at the first woman struck. A silhouette made of energy like a reflection separated from her body. The same thing happened to her Pokémon a few seconds later. In what Caleb could only describe as their souls leaving their bodies, orbs of lightning carried the energy to the orb's core.

"Butterfree! Use Confusion!"

Caleb turned and found Josh at the edge of the deck battling some of the trainers terrorizing the other passengers. Their Ghost-type cowered at the Psychic move. The trainers took off running too. Josh must have commanded his Butterfree to use its move against the trainers. That was against the law, but considering the circumstances…

"Poliwag, Go!"

Caleb took a stand against the trainers and their Pokémon too, commanding his Pokémon to use Hypnosis to lure them to sleep. The spirits of more people left their bodies and floated towards the center of the sphere.

"Resistance is futile, foolish child!" this came from a man dressed like a Golurk. "Behold the reckoning. The advent of Team Specter is upon you at last. Lend your spirit to the soul stone and become a part of something greater than you've ever dream."

"I'll pass," Caleb muttered under his breath. The trainer's Golurk lumbered towards him, its fist preparing to attack him directly. He hesitated for just a moment, but his Poliwag came through for him. Washing away the attacking Pokémon with a Bubblebeam attack. He even took the initiative to target the trainer too.

Other trainers took the initiative to fight back as well. One guy even leapt out from the balcony overhead and attempted to grab the glowing orb. As soon as he made contact, the electric energy caught him in its clutch, holding his body suspended above the food deck. His remaining Pokémon came out of their balls and suffered the same fate.

"What's going on here?"

Caleb turned and saw Tanner standing at his side, Charmanda and Pikachu both out and ready to battle.

"These creeps in the Ghost suits are using this orb to steal people's souls!" Caleb explained.

"It's a great honor to offer up one's spirit for the return of Darkrai," a man dressed as a Trevenant said. His Pokémon prepared to use Frenzy Plant on them.

"Pikachu, Thunder Wave! Charmanda, Ember!"

The trainer stood paralyzed in place and the flames fainted the Ghost/Grass attacker in one shot. A girl behind him Caleb thought he recognized commanded her Charmander to come out and prepare for battle too.

Is that…Ace Trainer Kate…?

"Charmander, use Dragon Rage!"

With the three of them and their teams standing together, they overcame the nearby Team Specter member's with relative ease. Josh faired well from his place across the deck, but Caleb wanted to be close to him. All it took was one stray bolt of lightning to…

"Oh no!"

One of the bolts struck Josh, but something strange happened. The bolts surging to hold the nearby trainers and Pokémon at bay disappeared. A thick pillar of surging lightning converged on Josh, dragging him to the middle of the deck. Caleb, against his better judgment rushed to Josh's aid. A small, logical part of his brain told him it was a bad idea but seeing Josh in danger gave him over to a reckless abandon. He worried the energy my gather him up and steal his spirit as it had done others, but instead it zapped him and sent him sprawling backwards across the deck.

"What's happening?" Tanner asked.

"We've got to stop it!" Caleb replied.

"You can't stop it once it's started," a standing member of Team Specter said.

"I never knew we'd find the one we were looking for so fast!" another exclaimed.

"Right here on the S. S. Anne!" Another chimed in

"The boss will be so pleased"

Caleb stood to his feet and prepared to unleash his entire team but stayed his hand. Kate and Tanner possessed more than enough power between them and their teams to handle the Team Specters goons. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the orb, wondering what he might do to stop it.

"You guys keep them busy!" Caleb said.

After calling Poliwag to return, he sprinted to the nearest spiral staircase leading him up to the promenade deck. He brought himself as close to the orb as he dared, studying it to see if he could figure out how to disengage it. Thinking back on what he learned about electricity in school, he needed something to ground it.

But I don't have a Ground-type yet.

Water molecules separate when exposed to water. It sounded dangerous, but it was the only shot he had. And if he didn't act quickly, the orb—the soul stone—would consume Josh permanently. He summoned Poliwag back and pointed at the targer.

"Poliwag, use Bubblebeam, but use it in a quick burst so the electricity doesn't hit you!"

Poliwag gave a nod and followed the instructions. It seemed to have some effect on the electricity, but not enough to stop it entirely. While Caleb was the kind of trainer who believed in letting people and Pokémon grow at their own pace, a Politoed with Drizzle ability would have been very helpful to him in this moment.

Think, Caleb! THINK!

He looked down at Tanner and Kate. Still teamed up to make quick work of Team Specter, his Bellsprout and her Tangela were using their vines to whip the trainers while their Charmander belched fire at the Ghosts. Caleb smiled as he reached down and felt the ball at his side.

"Bulbasaur, go!"

He threw the ball down on the food deck in a spot already cleared by Kate and Tanner. One of the trainer's Gastly's tried to battle him and Bulbasaur quickly put it to sleep with Sleep Powder without having to be told.

This just might work.

"Bulbasaur, Josh is in trouble! Wait until the lightning fades a little and then snag him with your vines to drag him back to safety. Poliwag! Use Bubblebeam just like you did before!"

Poliwag unleashed another torrent of water, just enough to disrupt the lightning. Bulbasaur reached out and snagged Josh by the ankle with his vine and pulled. Caleb cheered when Josh pulled free, unconscious, but no longer trapped. Caleb watched as the soul stone fell from the place where it floated and onto the food deck. Before he could protest or do another thing, several of the Team Specter members dashed to get their hands on it.

"Get the kid!" one of the Team Specter members said. "He's the one the boss has been looking for!"

"You get the hell away from him!" Tanner said.

"We'll burn you down if you take another step closer!" Kate added.

Their Charmander banded together to make a torrent of fire exponentially hotter than anything they might conjure alone. The put themselves between Josh and Team Specter, protecting Josh from harms way. Bulbasaur didn't have to be told to do that either. It's twin vines came from within its bulb swatted away any of the Pokémon or trainers daring to come near. Caleb moved as fast as he could towards the spiral staircase, trying to join the fray

"The soul stone is safe!" she said. "And we have enough energy. Let's get out of here!"

"Right!"

Ghost Pokémon from all over returned to their balls in quick succession. Caleb came to stand alongside Bulbasaur as the trainers dropped smoke pellets, limiting visibility for their getaway. The girl dress like a Litwick looked down at Josh and them back up at Caleb with a sinister wink.

"We'll see each other again real soon," she said. The pellet dropped before any more conversation could ensue.

"Josh, are you okay?" Caleb knelt beside him, cradling his head. Relieved to find his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm and a strong heartbeat when he felt his pulse, he tried to shake him awake.

"Don't move or touch him!" This came from one of the cruise staff members—medical personnel by the looks of things. "Let's get him to the infirmary!"

Powerless as the medics came with a stretcher and carried Josh away. Caleb stood back, tears welling in his eyes as fearful thoughts flooded his brain. Tanner rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure he'll be okay," Tanner said. "This is Ace Trainer Kate."

"Hi," Caleb said, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You can call me Katie," she replied. "I hope your friend is going to be okay. I'll go with you to the waiting room if you want."

"Could we?" Caleb asked, looking to Tanner for support. His friend gave a nod and the three of them climbed stairs, took elevators, and walked long decks to find it.

"Who were those guys?" Caleb pondered aloud.

"They called themselves Team Specter," Kate replied, nose buried in her phone. "According to the local forums, they're bad news. Apparently, they're organized like the old crime syndicate Team Rocket, but they're way creepier than that."

"What do you mean?" Tanner asked.

"They train Ghost-type Pokémon but only those that died terrible deaths and returned to this world as vengeful spirits searching for rest. According to this bulletin board, they've taken over the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town, made it their headquarters and chased all the people who lived there away."

"What about that thing they had with them?" Caleb asked. "The called it a soul stone."

Kate shook her head. "There's nothing here mentioned about that. Apparently Ghosts are so thick around Lavender Town now, the place has been officially declared haunted by the Kanto league and unsafe for trainers to tread."

"Why do you think they were interested in Josh?" Tanner inquired. That's a question Caleb felt like they needed to know, but he sure didn't want to.

"When the energy from the stone hit him, it reacted differently than with everyone else," Caleb remembered. "In fact, as soon as the energy snatched him, it set all of the other people and their Pokémon free."

"Maybe Josh will have something to say once he wakes up," Tanner offered. Caleb grimaced. He worried about the amount of energy surging through Josh causing permanent damage. The worst-case scenario of brain damage, coma, and death filled him with anxiety as he slipped into silent contemplating.

They reached the infirmary but was stopped by the medical staff there. When they demanded to see Josh, they informed them he was in good hands, receiving the best medical care available on the ship. They were told to wait outside and would be called when he was fit for visitors.

"I guess now all we can do is wait," Tanner said. He rested his hands behind his head and leaned back to make himself more comfortable on the waiting room loveseat. Ace Trainer Kate busied herself with making social media posts and reading more about Team Specter. Caleb tried it for a while, but his mood kept him from focusing on anything by Josh. Instead, he contented himself to pace the floor as if trying to wear the carpet away. Every round he looked up at the clock ticking away on the wall, measuring how much time passed.

One hour.

Two.

Finally, a nurse opened the infirmary door and stepped out. This one didn't look like the nurses at the Pokémon centers, much to Caleb's relief. If he heard one word about Stepford Wives or Chansey-clones, he might lose his mind. Caleb rushed forward to meet her, Tanner and Ace Trainer Kate brought themselves to their feet to join him.

"He's stable, and he's conscious," the nurse said. "It looks like he's going to be just fine. We recommend he go to a hospital and get more tests done once the boat makes port; our resources are limited here. He's asking for you."

"Me?" Caleb said. "Can we see him?"

"Yes, but one at a time," the nurse said. "It's small quarters in there and too many people might crowd or upset him."

Caleb gave Tanner a look to tell him everything he needed to know. He offered a nod in reply as Caleb followed the nurse back into the tiny infirmary. She led him to the bed furthest inside where he found Josh attached to an IV and a heart monitor. His clothes had been removed and he lay in bed wearing a hospital gown. He smiled when he saw Caleb; it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Caleb said, kneeling by the bed.

"I saw their plan," Josh said. "I know what they're trying to do."

"Who?"

"Team Specter," Josh replied. "They're trying to bring Darkrai back from the dead."

"Don't worry about them now," Caleb said. "They're gone now, and if they ever come back they're going to be sorry."

Josh reached out clutched Caleb's hand. He looked at him with determination Caleb had never seen before in his eyes.

"He's coming for me," Josh said, and then he nodded off to sleep.