Finally. The lights of Goldenrod are directly in front of me. Won't the gang be surprised when they see me?
I'm not fully human anymore. I've been changed, and now I'm part Pokémon.
I'm part Gengar now.
And that includes the powers.
I've been searching, wandering through this forest for the past to weeks. I've perfected my skills. I can fade, disappear, melt into shadows, move through solid objects. Just like a true ghost.
Hmm. He's been waiting for me. I can sense him.
I put my thumb and middle fingers into my mouth, listening to the shrill whistle that sounds as I blow. Instantly a Haunter fazes up out of the ground before me.
He looks like he belongs to a gangster. This Haunter's color is deep violet, nearly black, and his eyes glint with suppressed rage. But I can only see his eyes slightly, just the part that comes above his Black Glasses.
"Invader," I acknowledge. He grins at me, then begins circling my head.
"Master, you've changed," he states. "I can feel it and see it. Is this what happened when you disappeared?"
"Yes, Invader, it is," I reply. I reach up and feel the pointed spikes that are now my ears. Then my hands move to the back of my head, feeling the rows of spines that run down my back. My partner nods and continues to circle my head.
"You have something to report, don't you?" I ask. Invader stops before me and takes off the glasses. Something in his eyes tells me that there's been a disaster.
"Ryan has taken over as gang leader," he says. I can feel my right eye twitching.
"What about Chris?" I ask tightly. Invader has begun to fade slightly, toying with the glasses in his hands.
"Chris is dead."
My eyes close. Chris. My beta, my second in command, my best friend. "What happened?" I ask quietly.
"After you vanished Chris started to lead. I had stepped back, since I didn't have you to lead me." Invader looks at me, then glances back down again. I know my deep amber eyes are hard.
"Chris and Sophie…" he chokes there. Sophie, Chris' Haunter, had been Invader's partner…and mate. I nod, bidding him to continue. He takes a deep breath, then lets it out.
"Chris and Sophie were scouting alone, just outside the hangout. Ryan snuck out behind them, almost as quiet as you. Chris still heard and turned, Sophie with him. I saw a flash of gunmetal, heard a shot, watched as Chris fell.
"Envelop had the advantage over Sophie, since he's still a Gastly. He surrounded her and…" Invader chokes again.
"Killed her," I finish. Invader nods. Many people believe that ghosts cannot die. That is a misconception in a sense. Ghosts can absorb one another, one taken into another and, in a sense, dying.
If ghosts could cry, he would have already had an emotional breakdown. But ghosts can't cry. S neither one of us can properly mourn our losses.
What we can do is wreak our vengeance.
"Come on, Invader," I say as my form begins to fade. "We have some business with a certain traitor and his Gastly." He catches the glint in my eye and disappears. I can still feel his presence, as he can feel mine.
Cloaked in shadows, we head into the city. I try to avoid the lights. They are amazingly irritating to the Gengar side of me. no matter. My goal is in sight.
The gun shop is near the center of town. All its lights are dark, of course. It's almost ten o'clock at night. I slip through the door rematerializing with Invader at my side.
The store was made for Jennies to buy guns or get them repaired. Of course, guns are also sold to civilians. And with the Thief attack, my friends and I never have to pay. But now the battle is personal.
"Here, master," Invader calls softly. I walk over…oh, dear Lugia. A shotgun.
"Ryan used this?" I ask in a whisper.
"No, he used a pistol," Invader replies. "This will be good payback." I feel the grin creeping onto my face. It's been said that revenge is a dish best served cold. So long as it's bathed in warm blood, I don't care what temperature the dish is.
I lift the gun, testing its weight, trying to envision the feel of the shot.
This will show that backstabber just who's boss in the back alleys of Goldenrod. I turn and walk out, fazing back through the door. Invader follows, carrying ten cartridges. Which reminds me. I open the gun…perfect, already loaded. Snapping it back into place, I walk on.
Ryan, you should watch your back.
I'm still leader of the back streets' pack.
You took the life of my beta.
Now you will pay.
With blood, you will pay.