Disclaimer: I do not claim any of the Pokemon characters used in this chapter, because they are all property of Satoshi Tajiri and I haven't stolen the rights from him yet. I bet he has people try that all the time, actually; probably has to have bodyguards and stuff.


It was a rare day when Team Meanies didn't have anyone to harass–or, more precisely, when Gengar wasn't able to harass Kitty like he wanted to. But with the constant rains keeping everyone indoors, he wasn't able to waltz into her base and have a conversation with her as she drank her mandatory bowl of tea. He was a ghost, so the rain wouldn't bother him–but when he went intangible, he couldn't hold the bowl, and he wasn't about to get soaked just to put a scowl–or smile–on Kitty's face. No matter how pleasing either sight was.

His frown deepened when he thought of how boring his second day trapped inside was going to be. What can I do? Scare Medicham? Listen to Ekans snore? There's not much to do around here. Indeed, most of his entertainment recently had come from teasing, plotting and thinking about Kitty, and now that he was stuck indoors he felt his sanity begin to slip. Medicham was restlessly organizing envelops they had salvaged from their mailbox that morning, and Ekans had curled up in his corner to sleep the sluggish day away–that lucky snake. Wish I could just take a nap, he mentally grumbled, glaring at his oblivious teammate as he paced on the wooden floorboards of his newly refurbished base. Staring at his feet reminded him once more of Team Foxfire's leader, and he raised his gaze to look at the storm outside as, against his will, his thoughts wandered to her.

He didn't know what to make of her anymore; the umbreon had proved to be much different than her previous form, and he was starting to wonder if that scarf had altered more than just her appearance. Or maybe she had changed because of her adventures? He wasn't sure of the long-term side effects of traveling across the most extreme terrain of the land, or barely surviving Rayquaza's hyper beam–or returning to this world when she was going to the next. For all he knew, she was being her original self after regaining all of her memories. He couldn't place a claw on what specifically was so strange, but some instances heavily hinted towards it.

Such as my new base. He examined the deep purple walls and wide windows, imagining the arrogant smirk the mankey had carved into the wood outside as he continued his pacing. I saw the extra bag she gave them. While she doesn't have much purpose for them otherwise, she didn't have to tell them to do this. It was a nice gesture. He grinned as he remembered the flabbergasted look on Medicham's face when she realized she would have to sleep inside a building that looked exactly like her leader. So far, she hadn't refused to do it, but he was sure she wasn't too happy about it. If I told her who suggested this, she would have another reason to hate Kitty.

At this thought, a curious frown marred his smug expression as he glanced at the fighter. What is her problem? She's been rather moody every time I come back from bothering Kitty. What is she, jealous or something? He scoffed at the ridiculous idea. No, she's just a whiny, controlling person. She'll just have to get over it.

Speaking of the fighting-type, she glanced at him and gave an exasperated sigh, causing him to stop. "Are you done pacing," she asked sarcastically, "or are you planning on wearing a hole in your new floor?" She eyed his feet scornfully, which gave him a sudden urge to start walking once more, but he decided that irritating her wasn't as rewarding as someone else's ire and went to avoid further confrontation.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." When she looked suspicious, he smirked and waved a claw dismissively. "Kekeh, anything interesting for when the weather clears up?"

Giving him one last frown, she flipped through the letters once more and mumbled, "Um . . . well, here's one from an ariados: "My daughter's got a nose for trouble, and I'm afraid I can't keep up with her. Can you help me watch her so she doesn't cause a mess?" Sounds like someone has family issues," she added with a snort.

"Sounds easy enough," he replied, flexing his claws as he restrained himself from going back to pacing. "Now, if only the weather would clear up . . ."

"Fat chance of that happening soon." She explained when he frowned at her dubiously, "Castform sent a weather report out, and it seems there's some sort of typhoon brushing against the coast. That's where the storms have been coming from. It'll be a few days before it all calms down again, and then we'll be flooded with missions."

His frown grew larger at the startling news, realizing that this would leave him sitting at home for a long while before a rush of work forced him to be out from dawn to dusk . . . leaving no free time to bother Kitty. Now that's unacceptable. He made his decision in a heartbeat and started towards the door, ignoring the lightning that flashed threateningly outside and the indignant stuttering from the pokemon behind him. Just as she asked what he was doing, he flashed a cheeky grin and told her casually, "I'll be out for a bit, so try not to strangle Ekans in his sleep or burn the base down while I'm gone."

"B-but–it's raining!"

"Kekeh, I'm sure you'd find a way to make damp wood burn."

"That's not what I–hey, get back here!"

Her aggravated groan followed him outside, causing him to smirk mischievously before the freezing rain reminded him to become intangible so he could walk to Kitty's with ease. The thought of seeing her surprised expression caused him to quicken his pace, and he wrote off the grin on his face as anticipation for future groans and eye-rolling. With a real plan set in his mind, and the likelihood of seeing Kitty becoming more possible with every step, Gengar finally felt at peace.


Theme: At Peace

Lots of dragon-y love (and cookies!),
~DL ("Dragon Lover")