Story 12:
Hypno's House of Horrors!
After the chilly battle with Fridgey, of team rocket, our group decided to head South, hopefully to warmer, less dangerous climes. Little do they know that, though warm, they're in just as much danger here.
The sun shone brightly on the trio as they walked down the path, heading south, away from the cold. Rei yawned. The team had been traveling for ten hours already since they woke up, and it was about dinner time.
"What was that?" Taylor looked up. Keji stopped, and flipped up his sun glasses, looking into the horizon.
"What?" He asked, scanning the sky.
"I heard something." Taylor said. Then, a rumble of thunder filled the sky, "Great, if we're not getting frozen, we'll get drenched."
"Over there!" Rei yelled, pointing off in the distance, towards a house sitting atop a hill. It looked creepy, and dark.
"Haven't you learned your lesson about asking people to put us up for the night?" Taylor said, jokingly.
"We don't have any choice, Mr. Skeptic." Keji said, starting to move, as the rain began to fall, "I don't feel like getting sick."
"Oh, you're just afraid your jacket'll get wet." Taylor responded, laughing. Keji gave him a raspberry as he continued running towards the mansion, followed by Rei and Taylor. Oddish happily lapped up rain drops that fell on its extended tongue as they ran.
"Anyone home?" Keji yelled, followed by his echo, humming through the empty halls of the old house. He could swear one of the echoes sounded like haunting laughter.
"We knocked, but no one answered," Rei yelled after him. Oddish was getting the biggest kick out of the echo, "we need a place to stay until the storm dies down."
"Odd!" Oddish screamed, causing the three to jump. Oddish rolled on the ground with laughter as it heard its voice ring through the halls. Keji shrugged as Taylor glared at him. Rei covered up its mouth, and it sighed, disappointed.
Suddenly, they heard a knocking at the door, which caused them to jump again. Oddish pressed itself against Rei's leg in fright.
"Who is it?" Keji asked, opening the door slowly. He suddenly slammed it shut and screamed in terror.
"WHAT?" Taylor yelled, scared out of his mind.
"Is it a monster?" Rei asked, shivering.
"A Ghost?" Taylor asked, staring at him.
"ODD!" Oddish screamed in terror.
"Worse, it's..." The door burst open, smashing Keji behind it, as a tall, proud figure stepped into the house.
"Greetings," he extended his hand to Taylor, he noticed Rei, who was standing behind him, was staring angrily at the man, "My name is Benjamin Shroumo the third, son of..."
"BEN!" The door flew shut as Keji pushed it away.
"KEJI!" Ben yelled, angrily, "What in god's name are you doing here?"
"Weathering the storm." Taylor said, "So you're Ben, eh?" He looked him over, skeptically, "Keji talks about you all the..." he looked back to see Keji shushing, and waving his hands, "never mind."
"This is indeed a surprise." Ben said, smiling, as he spotted Rei, "greetings Ms. Rei, how are you?" Rei scowled at him, angrily, "it has been a long time." He took her hand, and bent to kiss it, but she snatched it away. Keji's face turned beet red, and he stepped in front of her. Oddish growled and stood behind Rei.
"Look, Keji, we could bicker all day, or we could just relax," Ben said, smiling, and waving his hand, "I've had a long trip, and I've caught tons of Pokémon, and I don't feel like fighting now."
"Shouldn't we find out who lives here first?" Taylor asked, but was silenced by a hollow, eerie laughter.
"What was that?" Rei asked, looking around, freaked out of her mind.
"I have no..." Taylor began, but was cut off by the window opening and slamming shut. Suddenly the hall way was devoid of any signs of life, besides a cloud of dust, and the echoes of five separate screams.
The five ran down the hallway, scared out of their minds. Keji was in front, and didn't notice that he wasn't being followed by anyone.
"Guys?" He said, in a shaky voice, "Hello?" He looked around, trying to peer through the inky blackness that was sometimes illuminated by the sudden flash of light from the lightning. He continued slowly down the hall, peering into the blackness, trying to find some sign of his friends.
"Ghast!" He heard, and was mere inches from touching the ceiling as he jumped in terror.
"Who's there?" He yelled, grabbing Sandshrew's Pokéball.
"Just me, don't hurt me!" He heard Taylor say from the darkness.
"DANG IT!" He yelled, knocking Taylor back a couple inches, "Why did you scare me like that?"
"Like what?" He asked, cocking his head.
"Yelling 'Ghast', or whatever." he responded. Taylor shrugged, and followed him through the darkened hall ways, until they came upon a door.
"Well?" Taylor asked, beckoning Keji to open it.
"What?" Keji responded, shaken, "we don't have to go in there, do we?"
"Why not?" Taylor asked. Keji noticed he wasn't as scared as himself, so he straightened up, and opened the door.
The room was pitch black, but was suddenly illuminated by a flash of lightning. Suddenly, the pitter patter of rain could be heard, rapping on the window pane. Keji swallowed hard, and entered the room.
"Pretty creepy, eh?" he asked, gulping. No response came.
"GHAST!" Keji heard, but this time, he wasn't afraid.
"Darn it, Taylor, you can't fool me twice." He spun around, and saw that the door was closed, which was all well and good, but he didn't close it, "Taylor?," he said, shaking, "cut it out."
"Ghastly!" He heard from behind him. He spun around, and stood face to face with a large, floating black ball, with huge, ominous eyes. He stood, paralyzed by its sudden appearance. Suddenly the lights flashed on, not the lightning, but electric lights. Keji found himself standing in some sort of dining room with the creature. He fumbled in his pouch, and pointed his Pokédex at the thing he assumed to be a Pokémon.
Ghastly:
A Gaseous Pokémon. Ghastly is considered by some to be a ghost, though Pokémon scientists discredit that theory, saying they are gas, not ethereal.
"You... you... you're gas, right?" He said, smiling nervously. The ghastly smiled, slyly, bearing four sharp fangs.
"GHASTLY!" It screamed, suddenly, causing Keji to jump. Suddenly, he saw a chair flying towards him, and could not react in time before it landed a solid blow to his mid-section, knocking him against the wall.
"What do you want?!" Keji screamed as the entire dinner set flew at him, plates, tea pots, silverware, even the napkins. Keji rose his arms up, preparing for the blow... which never came. He lowered his guard to see a flash of light, and the entire dining room was gone. The Ghastly, the elaborate table cloth, everything.
"What in the world happened?" Keji wondered, and pulled out his Pokédex.
Ghastly's attacks:
Hypnotism:
Where most Pokémon use hypnotism to put their prey to sleep, Ghastly creates realistic illusions with its hypnotism.
"You don't say." Keji said in response to the Pokédex.
Ghastly's attacks:
Night Shade:
This ability is still a mystery. Ghastly, Haunter, and Gengar have been known to be able to lift objects with their minds, and fling them at their opponent.
"Well how do I know what's real, and what isn't?" Keji screamed.
"KEJI?!" Taylor yelled, rushing into the room, "Are you all right, I lost track of you, and got caught by some weird flying gas Pokémon. My Pokédex called it Ghastly." He shuttered.
"Yeah, me too." Keji replied, "we've gotta get outta here, storm or no storm." He shook his head, "I hope Rei's all right."
Of course, she wasn't. Rei too was lost in the odd mansion. After the strange noise, she chased blindly after Keji, learning two things: when chasing after someone, doing so blindly isn't the greatest idea, and when running through a unfamiliar house, doing so blindly isn't the greatest idea.
Soon after she stopped running, she realized that Keji was no longer in front of her. Upon further analysis, Taylor and Ben were also no where to be seen. Only Oddish remained with her, clinging to her leg for dear life.
"KEJI?" Rei yelled, shaking. She wanted out, and didn't remember which way to go. Her only hope was that Keji would.
"Rei?" She heard Keji yell back. She stopped breathing, stopped moving, only listened, "Rei, where are you?" It yelled again.
"Here!" She yelled, reassured.
"Come here, follow my voice!" She heard him yell in response. She quickly rushed in the direction of his voice, with Oddish still clinging on for dear life. She spun around the first corner, and bolted through the hallway, single mindedly determined to find Keji, Taylor, and even Ben, and leave this creepy place.
"Where are you?" She yelled, coming to a sudden halt.
"Here, with Taylor!" He yelled in response. He was quite a bit closer, in fact, he sounded like he was behind a nearby door. "Behind this door!" He yelled. Geeze, what did I just say?
"Just wait, I'll be right there," She began, and stopped when no response came, "Keji?" She said, shaking again, "KEJI?!" She yelled, frightened. She burst through the door, and looked around. It appeared to be an empty room. Nothing. No doors, save the one she entered, now hanging half open, no tables, no chairs, no boxes, not even a window.
"Keji?" She asked, a tear running down her face. She fell to the ground, "I just wanna get out of here." She felt hopeless. Oddish plopped down on the ground, looking every which way for something that may hurt it, and, finding nothing, patted Rei reassuringly with one of its leaves.
"Odd, odd, odd..." it said, reassuringly. Rei didn't smile, or even look up at Oddish's attempt to make her feel better. Oddish noticed tears coming from her eyes, and sniffled, beginning to cry to.
"GHAST!" Suddenly a voice shattered the silence, and Rei screamed, dashing for the door. As she reached within arm's length away, though, it slammed shut, and she leapt back, spinning around. The room was pitch black, but suddenly she could see two white eyes pierce the darkness, followed by an eerie, hollow green light.
"Wh... wh... what are you?" She asked, back against the wall. Oddish dove down next to her, covering its eyes with its leaves. She fumbled for her Pokédex, but suddenly the room began to spin, pushing her against the wall. Oddish screamed, and found itself back against the wall, upside down! Rei's Pokédex flew from her hand, hitting another portion of the room, with a solid "thud". Rei looked towards the thing, which appeared to be unaffected by the spinning. In fact, it appeared to be hovering, a formless black blob of gas.
"What... do... you... want?" She forced out, struggling against the force of the spinning room. At least she got a good look at it, front and back, as she was spun around. The thing laughed, and began to spin with the room. Only allowing her to see its grinning face, and huge eyes.
"Venonat..." She said, as she loosened one of her Pokéballs, and it plummeted against the opposite wall, opening, and releasing Venonat, who was likewise flung against the wall, surprised at the situation.
"Ve...no..." It said, struggling against the pull.
"Venonat, hurt that thing!" She screamed, ignoring the spinning. Venonat focused its energy, and shot the creature with a psybeam. Suddenly the room stopped. The creature was no longer there, and Venonat's psybeam was going right to Rei! She dove aside just as the ray of prismatic light hit the wall. Rei gasped for air, as Oddish closed its eyes, and fell to the ground, unconscious. Venonat crossed the room to her, and looked at her, puzzled.
"Never mind." She said, returning it to its Pokéball. She leaned over and picked up Oddish, "I want OUT!" she screamed, dashing out of the room, as the events that transpired sunk in.
"DARN IT KEJI!" Ben screamed, angrily, forgetting to keep his composure, "I don't care how much you're jealous of me, this isn't cool!" he looked around, and shrugged when no response came. He pulled a Pokéball off of his belt, and hurled it, "Zubat, find that sneaky, conniving Keji!" Zubat emerged from its depths, and hurtled through the halls, searching for Keji.
"I want to know how he's doing this..." He said after a moment of silence.
"I do too." Rei said from behind Ben, holding Oddish. Ben spun around to meet her gaze. She seemed very shaken up.
Ben smiled, his confident facade returning, "Yes," He stepped next to her, putting his arm around her shoulder, "I also would like to know why he's putting you through this, it hardly seems fair." Rei smiled weakly, and walked with him, "I guess Zubat couldn't find Keji, so I guess we'll have to look ourselves."
"Why?" She said, looking slyly at him, "we don't need that loser," She said, causing Ben to step back in surprise, "he got us lost here in the first place."
"Yes, but isn't he your..." he thought carefully, "friend?"
"Well," She too thought carefully, "I don't know why I put up with his incompetence."
Ben smiled, and replaced his hand on her shoulder, which she accepted, smiling coyly, "I was wondering the same thing." The two walked down the hall, as closely as they could be.
"Taylor?" Keji yelled loudly down the hall, "where'd you go off to now?"
After Keji's frightening experience with the Ghastly, and his reunion with Taylor, the two got conveniently lost again. At one point, he thought he heard Rei yelling his name, and he yelled in response, but she never came.
"This place is nuts." He said to himself. He looked around the new hallway.
"Ghast!" He heard the familiarly hollow word echo through the thin hallway.
"Not again." He said, shaking. He spun around to see the same amorphous ball of gas behind him, "Go a..a..aw..away!" He yelled, reaching for a Pokéball.
"Ghastly...Ghastly!" It said, and its eyes began to glow.
"Not again!" Keji screamed. Suddenly the floor began to slant, forming a slope. The Ghastly laughed eerily, and disappeared, as Keji began to slide quickly down the steady slope. At the bottom of the slope was...
Nothing...
"Shoot!" He yelled, as he kept sliding towards what he imagined to be some sort of bottomless pit, "Wait! It's just an illusion!" He realized, and closed his eyes, praying he was right.
Thud... he was. He opened his eyes at the bottom of the slope, and looked around. he heard voices from down this new hallway.
"That must be someone!" He yelled, as he rushed down the hallway. He glanced backwards, noticing that the first hallway was no longer sloped, and shook his head.
"Rei? Taylor? Ben? Anyone?!" He yelled, dashing down the hallway, his jacket flaring behind him.
"Keji?" Ben yelled. Rei sighed, and took his hand off of her shoulder, "Where in the world have you been you moron?!" He yelled as Keji came into sight.
"Moron nothin," He yelled smiling reassuredly at Rei, who frowned and turned away, "what's wrong with her?" He asked.
Ben smiled, "She doesn't like being stuck in here, and she sees you for the incompetent loser you are." He stepped next to her.
"Watch it, Ben..." Keji threatened.
"It's true, Keji, you got us trapped in here, it's all your fault." She glowered at him. Oddish nodded, sneering.
"But, you were the one..."
"No excuses, we'll find our way out by ourselves..." Ben said, but was cut off by a familiar figure stepping out from another hallway.
"Taylor?" Keji wondered as the figure stepped into the light.
"Do I look like Taylor?" The figure replied.
Ben and Keji's jaws dropped as Rei stepped next to Rei, who also proceeded to stare in terror at... well, Rei.
"Zubat!" Zubat flung around the corner, followed by Taylor, who sighed.
"This is great..." He said, watching the two clones. As well as there being two Reis, there were also two Oddishes, both in Rei's arms, one looked around, surprised, the other one slept. "Who is... which... huh?" Keji stammered, looking back and forth at the Reis, Ben stepped back, his confident facade wavering as he looked on with bewilderment.
"Will the real Rei please step forward..." Keji said, after a moment of silence. Both of them took a quick step forward, and glared at each other.
"Keji, I'm real, she's an impostor!" The second yelled.
"There's no way you could believe this trash!" The first yelled, equally angered by the situation.
"Well, that worked... try THINKING!" Ben roared, his patience nearly gone.
"You've been rubbing me the wrong way since we got here, Ben, watch it..." Keji said, glaring at his rival, fire in his eyes. Taylor looked on with odd curiosity.
"Is that a threat?" Ben asked, pretending to be angry.
"That's it, Oddish, get him!" KEji yelled, but the first Oddish stuck out its tongue, mockingly, and the second continued its silent slumber.
"Zubat, tackle!" Ben yelled, and Zubat dashed at Keji, hitting him hard, and knocking him over, throwing his Pokédex from his pocket.
Ditto:
A shapechanging Pokémon. This odd little Pokémon can assume the shape of anything it sees, not restricted to just other Pokémon.
"A ditto?!" Ben and Keji yelled in unison. The Pokédex was pointing directly at the first Rei.
"They found me out!" She yelled, melting into a small blob like creature, the first Oddish did so as well.
"Ghast!" The Ghastly appeared, and rammed into a section of the wall. The group heard clanking gears, and falling boards as the floor began to fall apart below them.
"Don't worry, guys," Keji said as Rei and Ben rushed next to him, "It's just an illusion." He looked around, confidently, but suddenly realized that he was falling, "Just an illusion..." he repeated, still confident.
Thud.
"Just... an... illusion..." He repeated, his body aching from the impact with the hard wooden floor.
"Just, shut up!" Ben yelled.
"All you can do is argue..." A voice chimed in Keji's head.
"Who's there?" Keji, Rei, and Ben yelled at the same time. Taylor rushed into the darkness, and, suddenly a light blinked on, revealing two Taylors, one bound by ropes, and the other laughing, five Dittos, the Ghastly, and a humanoid creature with a large, sharp nose, short fur covering its body, and holding a small, round pendant, all of which sat upon a large dais, with the humanoid Pokémon residing on an elaborate throne.
"What are you?" Rei wondered, looking around, frightened. She rushed to Keji, and held his arm tightly. Keji glared at the creature with hatred. Ben appeared to be rather amused, despite the pain the fall caused.
Don't tell me you great trainers have never seen a Hypno. The voice rung in all of their heads again. Keji pointed his Pokédex.
Hypno:
A Psychic type Pokémon, with the ability to induce sleep, and create realistic illusions, through manipulation of dreams. Handle with caution.
"A Hypno?!" Keji said, impressed.
Yes, but you will not live to tell of me, human. He looked to Ghastly, who began to glow, releasing waves of darkness from its form, paralyzing the group.
"Guys, we've been tricked," Taylor yelled from where he kneeled, next to the Hypno, "they think we trespassed on their property."
I do not need to think that, human, I know you came here to capture me and my kin, Hypno said, through telepathy, all you trainers are the same, catch Pokémon, fight them, kill them, catch more... Well I won't stand for it! Its voice cresendoed into a roar with caused their minds to ache with the sheer volume of the thought.
"We never meant you any harm," Keji said, with his last strength. Outside, the storm sounded as if it raged harder and harder with each passing moment, "we just needed to get out of the rain." Rei tried to nod in agreement, but couldn't move enough. Ben smiled slyly.
Well... your thoughts say you tell the truth, Hypno said, shaking its head, but I cannot afford to make a mistake, you may be able to mask your thoughts.
"Ditt... ditto!" The Ditto said.
Indeed, if they escape, they could very easily reveal our location to the world... we'd have trainers here in no time, trying to capture us. It shook its head, looking at them, almost sadly, I cannot afford to let you go.
"You can trust us!" Taylor yelled, struggling in his bonds.
"Ghast, ghastly, ghast." The Ghastly said, and Hypno appeared to think for a moment.
Ghastly says you did not try to attack it on sight. Hypno looked at Keji, Most trainers would battle a Ghastly on sight, in order to capture it.
"All of my Pokémon are my friends, ask Oddish!" Keji yelled, a bit angered by the lack of trust, "I never attacked them on sight!" Ben yawned.
"Oddish, Odd!" Oddish said, being released from the paralyzation.
"Hypno, Hyp, Hypno?" Hypno said, aloud.
"Oddish, Oddish, Dish, odd, Oddish!" Oddish said, nodding.
Your Oddish speaks well of all of you. It thought after a moment, its voice ringing in their heads again, though it sounded calmer, kinder now, Yet I still do not know if I can trust you, you could still tell of our home here. It thought for a moment, and appeared to be conversing mentally with its friends.
Ben walked to Keji, "Together we could catch all of these guys." Keji glared at him angrily, and he threw up his hands and backed away. Zubat flitted on his shoulder, and sat there.
I have decided that you mean us no harm, it said finally, but I still believe there is a danger that you will tell of our home, so I will accompany you.
Keji's mouth fell open, "You're coming with us?!" He asked, almost yelling in surprise.
It is the only way. Hypno's neutral, apathetic voice said, and it rose.
"So, you'll be my Pokémon." Keji inquired. Hypno glared at him, and turned to Taylor, who's ropes instantly fell off.
"Hypno, hyp, hypno." It said, and Ghastly nodded, sadly.
I will never belong to you, human, I mearly accompany you so you do not tell of our home. it said, and stood next to him, We will leave now.
"Ummm... OK." He replied, looking at Rei, who shrugged. Oddish smiled, and resumed its usual place on Keji's shoulder.
You keep your Oddish out of its Pokéball? Hypno wondered as it lead them out a concealed door in the back of the room.
"It doesn't have a Pokéball, it follows me willingly." Keji replied.
I think I may get to like you human. It said, and Keji could swear he saw a smile cross its face for a brief moment.
The sun was setting when the fivesome exited the mysterious mansion, and it shone its golden rays across the damp country side. Ben turned from the group, to leave.
"Well, ummm... thanks Ben." Keji said, turning away himself. ben smiled slyly and trotted quickly off into the horizon, tossing a new Pokéball from hand to hand. Inside the mansion, the newly appointed master of the household, Ghastly, flitted through the house, followed by five Dittos, searching for the sixth.
As the storm floats through the sky, dissipating, one can't help wonder where it'll form next. Who'll be caught in the rain in the future? Keji seems to get alot of rain in his life, but at least he has another friend... sort of... Hypno may be a little strong willed, but he'll make a great companion... maybe.
Catch all the action at Keji's Pokémon Gym!