BPart Thirty- Curiouser and Curiouser (like i care over something as trivial as spelling!!)/bp
pp
pHonestly i didn't know what to expect when i entered the room, but i certainly didn't expect to see what i saw.
pThe Gaki sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers steepled beneith his nose, leaning slightly forward and tracking my every movement. His eyes were cold, but no longer swirled as they had when he was a ghost. He had smelled us, he had heard us outside the door before we even entered the room. I motioned for Kyo to stay back a while. Something in his aura was untrustworthy, dangerous.
pJosh narrowed his eyes and allowed a small smile to play across his lips, it was obviously unnatural to him. He paused a moment, as if considering my name before saying it. When he did, it came out a hiss of letters, especially the "A" and "S." He grinned as he said them, as if it were a pleasent surprise to be seeing me. "Mantis..."
pHe looked unwell; starved and much thinner then he should have been. I could tell from the way he moved that there was a hunger in him for whatever it was Gakis took. He was a phantom, i had not expected him to actually ilook/i starved. Could ghosts and gakis feel starvation? Aparently so. "What happened?" I asked him softly, keeping any tone out of my voice that might hint surprise or fear or even worry. "You're a supernatural thing now, you're not supposed to reflect physical weakness."
p"Hmm.." Josh closed his eyes slowly and thoughtfully, as if savouring the darkness under his eyelids and dropped his hands. "You haven't done much extensive research, have you?"
pI narrowed my eyes threateningly, almost unaware at the waves of psy-energy that were sweeping off me. I wasn't going to be threatened by someone who wasn't even alive.
pThe Gaki's eyes flicked open suddenly and glared at me. "As a Gaki i'm only vunerable in my human form. Not only to attack but to disease and hunger as well. Does this bother you, Mantis?" this time he spoke my voice with a growl behind it. "Would you prefer i change into my real shape and loose what control i have? Four perfectly good meals are sitting in this house right now if you happen to be a Gaki. Curious to find out what it's like to have your blood drained?" he grinned again, making it hard to tell if he was serious or only bluffing that last remark.
pI folded my arms, i wasn't afraid of him. Gaki or no, he was vunerable to psy attacks. "You're trying to frighten me. It won't work."
pHe sat back with a look of contemplation a moment, speaking aloud softly. "Fear, hmm? Perhaps that's what i eat. Hell knows there's little enough of it on THIS island." His eyes took a far away look, as if he was seriously thinking that over.
pI wasn't going to sit here and play Clarice Starling while he played Hannibal Lecter. I raised the amount of psy-energy around me to a level that would have been painful to anyone. Indeed, he winced a little and looked at me. "Why did you run away from Lavender, Josh? What's going on there?"
pAgain, his eyes took the calculateing look. "The present already?" he said quietly. "I was hoping we'd catch up on what's happened since we last met, Mantis. Tell me, how's Soshika doing?" His eyes were cold but the way he spoke my sister's name held no malice.
p"I think you already know, the way you're looking at me."
p"No, please." he grinned evilly. "tell me your take on the situation."
pI scowled. "Frankly it's another errand i don't want. She literally loosing her mind and i have to go find the scraps of it to put it back together."
pHis eyebrows went up, aparently he hadn't expected me to have figured that much out. "Rather difficult method of doing a simple thing. What do you think caused this..." he paused a moment, choosing his words carefully. He iknew/i already, he just wanted to hear me say it. "Illness."
p"We initially thought maybe it was a computer virus that was affecting the pokemon in her, since pokemon can be stored and taught things via computer. They're almost bio-computers themselves." I paused, thinking. I was close to something- very very close. The Gaki knew that. He was bringing me to it in his own way. "We found out though that other Pokepeople get that virus too, only not so severely sometimes. Except me."
p"You're close," he said cheerfully. "Extremely close to what's really wrong with her. Do you remember Y2K?"
PWhen all the computers had crashed around the year two thousand. That had been an adventure, because entire pokemon species had been whiped out in on swift stroke that proved nothing but some very big very expensive and very smart computers didn't know how to count to two. A glitch- a glitch in all the computers that became a virus and crashed them. Except a few that had been specially designed to count that high.
p"Holy shit," i said, sounding an aweful lot like Kyotoshi.
pJosh grinned and stood up. "You've got it."
ppbPart thirty-one-the Cavelry begins to arive!!/bp
pI stood staring at Josh for a while, halfway not believeing it. I forced myself to get a grip and stop staring. "Well you've helped me. Are we going to trade?"
pThe gaki grinned eerily from ear to ear. i didn't like the way he was looking at me, somewhat like he was watching a little child blunder towards the edge of a cliff. "I could help more. What are you willing to do?"
pI hated back-and-forthing. but it had to be done. "The other pokepeople and i are willing to get you your tower back. We've found a weakness in the Metala Myuus."
pHis eyebrows went up. "really? that's interesting. I'd fight myself but.." he closed his eyes and grinned again. "in my current condition, i don't think i'd have much of a chance."
p"Will you help or not?"
pHis eyes opened, burning like fires. "Yes. but not because you're willing to get my tower back. This is because i treasure your sister. Understand?"
pI nodded. Even a gaki could feel emotions i guessed.
pHe stood up, looking even more frail when he wasn't sitting. a chill went up my spine- he was quite nearly a living skeleton. "You'll need me to navigate you around the tower, find the strong points for psy power. But to help your sister you'll have to go back to the place where it all started."
p"Cinnibar." my expression was serious as anyone could get. I nodded. "Alright. We'll meet you outside the tower in three hours."
pI didn't wait for the gaki's reply, i left the room and motioned to Irin and Kyo that it was time to go. Irin and i began to Teleport, when Gengar yelled to us. "I'll be seeing you shortly!" she called cheerfully.
pWhen we returned to Irin's workshop, the rucas could be heard for three blocks away from the house. Music was blaring out of the house, powered by what i couldn't imagine. The lyrics filled the air and were annoyingly catchy. It was a popular song with humans and pokemon both. Irin paled.
p"oh no," he muttered softly. Kyotoshi just laughed.
p"Looks like you got a hell of a party goin on, Irin, and you didn't even know it."
pCovering our ears, we threw the door open and were greeted by three dancing pokemon and one dancing pokeperson. They were all singing along.
p"Are you a normal type like Jigglypuff?br"Or a ghostly Gengar who battles real tough?br"Yeah, thunderbolt's a great electric attack, br"till you get ground down by a Marowak!br"don't you bug me with a Caterpie,br"For a flying type the win's easy,br"Good luck with Muk and his posion gas,br"Make one wrong move n' it'll kick your grass!"
pI laughed aloud. "Raizap! Turn down the music before we all get arrested for disturbing the peace!"
p"Rai rai chu!" answered Raizap with a cute grin, preforming the Raichu Jig in response to my request.
pI sighed. all i needed was to be met with defiance. "Dad! Jasusi! Doner! iSomeone/i turn down the music and explain to me WHY Raizy's here?"
pDoner grabbed the volume dail in his paws and swung it down so the music died. Raizap continued to twirl, regardless.
p"Raizap!" i yelled, snapping her out of her dance. "Why are you here? HOW are you here?"
pthe Raichu grinned again. ::I took a trip through the PC cables! You sent for me, didn't you? That's what he said.:: she pointed to Dad with her tail.
p::gaaaaaaah um er ahhhhh...hahaha...:: Dad looked horriably sheepish. ::Well, you said you wanted some electricity. I figured you'd want some Raichuish help you're familier with.::
pI sighed, Irin looked very ill at the sight of his trashed workshop. Kyo didn't seem to mind and flopped down on the couch again. Doner ran and jumped on his stomach, bouncing up and down for unknown reasons.
p::You mean...?:: Raizap gritted her teeth as sparks started to show around her cheeks. ::You dragged me out here without any reason? RrrrrrrrrrrrAAAAAAAAAAIIIIII!!!!::
pThe workshop filled with huge amounts of electricity, zapping everyone into unconciousness. On my way to the floor i thought, well, at least we have a little help in this undertaking.
ppbPart Thirty-two- Operation Reclaim Pokemon Tower! GWAHAHAHA!/bp
pWhen i came two, Raizap and i went through a five minute show down between both our energies, destroying random objects in Irin's workshop. Irin just sat and watched in submissive shock as we wrecked invention after invention. I might have been careful, but no one KOed me and got away with it.
pWhat eventually happened is we both ran out of juice and stood their panting, glaring at eachother. "Never do that again." I told Raizap sourly.
pBetween pants, Raizap smiled cheerfully. ::Rai yai chu. hehe!::
pI growled and pulled myself up to full height. "Well, we do need your help even if i wasn't the one who sent you. Raizy you're the most charged up Raichu in Team Rocket. Think you can take out a robotic Myuu?"
pRaizap stood up and nodded solomnly. ::Rai! I'll make that myuu sorry she ever showed her face!!:: Suddenly her perky ears dropped back and she pulled a little pad of paper out from behind her and proceeded to hold a pencil in her tail and write on the pad. ::Of course there is the subject of payment. hehe!::
p"How's thirty bags of Cheetos and a few bottles of ketchup?" i cut in quickly. we honestly didn't have any time to bargain. There was no way to tell how much time had been lost while we were unconcious, and the Gaki could already be waiting. No need to make him impatiant.
pRaizap tapped the pencil thoughtfully on her nose. ::mmmmmmmmmOkay.:: The Raichu decided cheerfully.
p"Great." I pointed to Irin. "Irin, if any of your Klepto-balls are still intact, grab em. And get Doner too. Kyo!" Kyotoshi looked up from trying to balance a peice of wire on the tip of his finger. "Do you think you can still use the attacks you used to know?"
pHe shrugged indiferently. "I dunno."
pThat was good enough for me. Even if he couldn't, it didn't take all that much talent to try to grab something by the tail and swing it. "Jasusi, we may need you to call in some Zubats from Rock Tunnel. Think you can?"
p"Cree!" Jasi saluted smartly and stomped her foot, showing she deffinitly thought so. "Jasusi do mine best!"
p"Let's move."
pOne Teleport and a few sick stomachs later we were creeping around the edge of the Tower, everyone looking exceptionally anxious. Everyone except Raizap, of course, who just looked ready to kick some Metala Myuu behind.
pMy heart almost shot out of my chest when the Gaki appeared out of thin air next to me, flanked by Gengar. I had no idea how ghosts did that, but they did. Gengar waved hi and silently mouthed a greeting, but didn't say anything. I waved back. "You're going to want the tunnel entrance," Josh explained flatly, "It's the best way in. When i was chased out and..." His expression became fearfully hateful. "Changed...they were putting a control tower in the top floor. I'm not sure what it was meant to control."
p"Irin said there was more then one Metala Myuu. How many do you think will be at that entrance?"
pThe Gaki shook his head. "I'm not sure. But if you're up against odds you can't take, Gengar and I can hold them off."
pI looked from the short kid with her staff to the starving Gaki and back again. "You mean to use your Ghosts." I stated.
pJosh nodded and several Gastlys and Haunters appeared around them from the shadows. "They want their home back as much as i do. If it comes to a heavy fight, you go on ahead."
pHopefully it won't, i thought to myself. The sun had set, and the residents of Lavender still weren't back yet. Maybe they knew something we didn't, but we were sure going to find out. "Alright everyone. Follow Josh, keep low, and be ready for a fight."
pI was hoping it was a fight we could win.
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