SHADOW OF THE IMPALER-THE OLD MAN
It was the middle of the night when the phone rang. I awoke, groaned when I recognized the noise, and shut my eyes tight to try and fall asleep again. The door flew open and Mom came in and flipped the lights on and I sat up.
Mom? I glanced at the clock, It's twelve…
"Ash, it's Misty."
Now I was awake and she had my attention.
AT THAT MOMENT IN VERIDIAN CITY…
His limp kept him from going as fast as he would have liked to go. He was dressed in a gray jacket, with a blue vest and red tie. In his right hand was a briefcase, in his left an old wooden cane. His glasses were thick, and revealed intelligent green eyes. His pipe and a tin of tobacco were within his jacket. The old man walked over to an escalator to go and fetch his luggage.
I-Dracula-was watching Inherit the Wind in my hotel room with a "Bloody Bomber" in my right hand. This concoction is a mixture of any kind of liquor and blood, which is more necessary for the survival of the nosferatu.
My cell-phone rang on the table beside me. I picked it up. One of my subordinate companies, for the specific use of either myself or a chosen few who were worthy of direct contact, specially manufactured the phone. Three small lights were on the phone, each with an individual color. This one was now flashing red.
I pressed the speaker button and held it to my ear.
"Dracula here,"
"Vlad, I have some news."
As the light indicated, it was Lord Ruthven, my intelligence chief.
"What is it? I told you to call me only under the most extreme conditions."
"Sorry, Vlad, but this demands your attention. Albert Van Helsing is heading for Indigo and may be there now."
I could imagine the surprise on my lieutenant's face when he realized just how calm I was.
"Vlad, Albert is…"
"I am aware of the gentleman's heritage, Ruthven, and it is irrelevant. I have taken greater care in disguising my presence on this world and I sincerely doubt that he has any wish to enter combat with me at such an advanced age."
"I know that, Prince, but we don't want to take any chances. Please, Vlad, if you don't do this for your own safety then please do it for the Order of the Dragon…"
"Enough. If it ends this mindless prattling I will leave Pallet for a short time, is this satisfactory?"
"Yes, sir. Sorry, Vlad, but…"
"Just get back to work; I thought I told you to track down those two unaccounted Team Rocket refugees…Butch and Cassidy, yes?"
"Well, Vlad…that will take a while but…"
"This conversation is over. Find those two, they were the most dangerous members, you know. Goodbye."
CERULEAN CITY, NEXT DAY
At first, I thought her head was on fire; so much had her skin paled. She was hooked up to a bag full of donated blood and her blonde sister-Daisy-sat staring at her. This made me feel out of place, as I remembered the ditzy babbler that I knew before. Violet and Lily were someplace else apparently getting coffee.
Giovanni laid down, with a burdened grunt, the flowers that Mom had brought on the table by the bed. I was quiet as I regarded the redhead that slept so peacefully on the pillows gathered under her head. I've never expected that Misty could be so easily taken down; the tomboy was always so rough with us that I was surprised that her three big sisters still had all limbs attached. The first-and seemingly only-moment of weakness I ever saw in her was when we encountered Caterpie. She was driven into such a panic that I could only laugh at her, up to then she had been such a bully…
"…Forgive me, Professor, but this current emergency requires my close supervision. I hope I can entrust these precious documents to your care?"
Professor Oak nodded, "Yes, Mr. Graves, and I'm sorry about your oil rig. No one was hurt?"
"Thankfully not, Professor…I must leave now. Until we meet again, Professor…"
…I then noticed a red spot on Misty's neck. I leaned in closely to look at it. The spot was kind of like the area of a rash, you know?
Within the spot were two weird little marks that looked like something bit her…