Night fell over Cerise Park; All of the pokemon within it got ready for a peaceful night of sleep, and the nocturnal creatures got prepared for a night of fun and games. Zubats, Hoothoots, and other such nocturnal creatures began to fly about the enclosed space, while the Rattatas scoured through the tall grasses. However, while they all enjoyed their night of fun, they all demonstrated a sort of tension throughout their bodies as they went around the park. Because, they all knew; Night time was the time when Ash's Gengar was most active. Most of his jokes, pranks, and scares were done in the shadows. You could never really know when he would strike, as even if you thought you had him cornered, his invisibility would usually get the upper hand on even the most perceptive pokemon. And then there was the 'set-up pranks,' the Pranks he'd create for the already sleeping pokemon there. He had become an infamous legend, a curse, to the pokemon there. Everyone, save for Ash's own team, feared him. Not that it seemed to affect the Gengar much, anyhow.
However, tonight seemed to be a bit different. Usually, Gengar would make his presence known to all of the Pokemon within the park by scaring the daylights out of one of the occupants so hard that their scream was heard within the dome. Not tonight, though. Just dead silence; It led many pokemon to wonder if it had somehow fallen asleep. With Gengar seemingly out of commission for tonight, many of the nocturnal pokemon continued on with their night, playing, flying around and enjoying the habitat to their heart's content. All the while, the Gengar in question simply sat in a Glade within one of the forests, looking up at the glass dome and counting the stars.
It was a stupid tradition he got when he was waiting for his original master to come back. He'd look up at the night sky and count stars; If he counted more than 100 stars, then that meant his master would definitely come back. It was a stupid game that he made up, and would constantly change the rules of when it suited his needs. If he counted less than a 100, then he'd say that he actually needed 95 stars, or 90 stars. It was stupid wish fulfillment, but it was one of the only things keeping the pokemon from just giving into despair. Little did he know, his master wasn't coming back. The son of a bitch had abandoned him to rot in this stupid estate for the rest of it's life, and had his new master not helped him, he probably would've still been here. Waiting for something that would have never happened.
I mean, the joke was on him at that moment, right? How stupid was he to think that his only master, someone who he had respected with his entire being and loved wouldn't just leave him there. Because screw Gengar, right? How dare he gain trust for someone who he grew up with all his life? From a stupid Gastly who really thought this kid cared about him to an idiot Gengar who believed he was gonna come back to get him. As if anyone really cared about him! Him and his stupid curse! The only thing the Gengar was good for was messing up other people! He instantly replayed what his old master had said in his mind over and over, his hands balling up into fists from anger and pain. 'But when that thing was around? It was awful!' 'I couldn't win a battle and every Pokemon I tried to catch would get away!' 'No matter what I did, it was nothing but bad luck!' 'I should've never caught that thing, anyways.'
That line was the tipping point for Gengar. He almost conjured a Shadow Ball reflexively, as if to attack that bastard one last time, but, before he could throw it, he stopped himself. Taking a few deep breaths, the Shadow Ball would dissipate into nothing as he sat down. Sweat beaded his forehead. The pokemon looked at his hands, afraid that he might do it again. Again, he thought back to his old master's words. Was he really just a curse? A burden on others? He remembered a few days ago when his new Master, the kid, tried to win against a battle against some snot nosed brat that challenged him. He clearly had the advantage, but somehow they lost. Though the ghost type played it off, he was deeply afraid that it was the 'curse' again. He thought that, maybe if he wasn't owned by that cruel old master, he would be freed of the curse. But no. He was the curse. This burden that people carried around until they got sick of it and left him.
The ghost-types' vision blurred as he replayed all the memories he had with his master since he was a Gastly. They had just happened to meet when his old master was dared to venture into a haunted house. Of course, at the time, the Gastly was more focused on scaring people than anything else, so when the kid instinctively threw a pokemon ball at him, he wasn't sure what to do. He was caught rather simply; Fitting for someone as pathetic as he was, he supposed. As soon as he was let out, he was bragging to all of his friends about how he caught him. His friends seemed to focus more on him than anything else, and though the Gastly thought this was normal, only now does he realize that he was nothing more than a bragging piece. Something his old master toted around to show that he was a 'natural pokemon trainer' or some kind of bullshit.
How could he be so stupid? That he couldn't see something so obvious even back then? Is he just as idiotic as his old master? The Gengar could barely keep it together any longer, and, for the first time in what felt like years, he began to cry. It wasn't loud, it wasn't dramatic, and it certainly wasn't anything special. He just silently began to sob, as tears began to flow down from his face. He tried to cover his eyes with his hands to stop it, but nothing could stop the dam that had been ruptured within his eyes. He really did appreciate the kid, don't get him wrong. But three years of abandonment by someone he had trusted and loved was not going to just go away with his master being replaced. He couldn't blame him, though. They can't talk to each other, and Gengar can't really splurge his feelings to the Human. He could always talk to one of his team mates, he supposed, but he figures they probably only think of him as a burden on their team. The reason why they aren't winning. The reason they aren't doing as well as they could be. Besides, the ghost-type had a reputation to uphold of being the 'prankster' or whatever they label him as. He wouldn't want them to see his pathetic self like this right now.
"Gengar…?" A familiar voice would shatter the silence he had grown so accustomed to. Turning around, the Gengar would spot the Dragonite the kid had on his team. The ghost-type was a solitary type, so he can't say he really knew the Dragonite outside of being overly affectionate; Too affectionate, if you ask him. Then again, he barely grew up with any sort of affection between him and his old master, so he doesn't really have a frame of reference for that type of stuff. Instantly, Gengar would wipe his face off, trying to hastily put his mask of 'mischievous punk' back up. Standing on his feet, he'd face the dragon with a nonchalant demeanor.
"The hell do you want?" He curtly asks, eyeing the Dragonite. It's not common to see the Dragonite up so late; What the hell was it doing…?
"Pikachu noticed you leaving a while ago… He woke us up to see what was wrong, seeing as how you usually seem to sleep near the laboratory." The Dragonite would explain, before Gengar would groan. Dammit, that little yellow bastard really was perceptive. He swore the electric type was asleep before he left, but I guess he didn't check hard enough. Sighing, Gengar shrugged.
"Well, you found me. Now, piss off." Gengar would snap at the dragon, who seemed to almost flinch in response. It seemed… Concerned? What the hell was it concerned for, Gengar wondered.
"I heard something crying over here, though. Are you sure you're ok, Gengar?" The dragon asks, tilting their head in a questioning manner. Blinking in surprise, the ghost almost seemed to shrink a bit, before clearing his throat. Arceus dammit, how much of his little 'episode' did this dragon witness? He was trying to think of all the possible answers, trying to explain himself, before he felt two scaled arms wrapped around him suddenly. Letting out a squeal of surprise, the ghost found himself trapped in a rather heartfelt hug from the Dragonite, who doesn't seem to mind the ghosts flailing and screeching.
"HEY, HEY, HEY! PUT ME DOWN, DAMMIT! I'M FINE! I'M FINE!" Gengar screeched, but that didn't seem to stop his teammate from putting him in a gentle bear hug.
"No, you're not. I don't know what happened, Gengar, but people who are fine don't cry." Dragonite adamantly stated, before Gengar's lips quibbled a bit. Dammit, dammit, dammit! He's not supposed to cry like this! Gengar eventually found solace in Dragonite's shadow, much to the Dragon's dismay. Looking around, the dragon would forget to check in the most vital of places; Their own shadow. While Gengar hid in the shadow, though, something strange happened. Usually, when he hid was when people and pokemon alike revealed their true nature. Because they usually dropped the act the second he was out of their sight. However, he could almost hear the unmistakable sound of crying after a while, before he turned his attention to the dragon. Sure enough, tears were beginning to form in the corners of Dragonite's eyes, as they began to whimper and sob.
"Wh-what did I do wrong, Gengar…? I… I just wanted to help…! Please, come back…!" The dragon-type would cry out. Of course, Gengar didn't buy into it at first. He thought it was just some act they were trying to pull to seem like they were all broken up and guilt trip the ghost, but after at least 5 minutes of them blubbering like a baby, the ghost type had to admit that they probably would've stopped a while ago. Maybe they're just really dedicated to the bit? As 5 minutes turned to 8 and they showed no sign of stopping, Gengar had to reconsider their thought processes. Silently, he emerged from their shadow, unsure of how to calm the crying dragon… Until they enveloped him in another hug, surprising Gengar again when they put him in an absolutely crushing bear hug.
"Gengaaaaaaaaaarrrr…! I'm so sorryyyyyyyyyyy! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…!" The Dragonite would blubber, much to the chagrin of Gengar. What the hell were they sorry for, they did nothing wrong! Unlike the ghost.
"You're good-! Just, please, let me go-!"
"N… No! Not until you're all better!" The Dragon protested, almost squeezing the life out of the ghost, as confusing as that sounds. Though, the ghost-type had a lot more on his mind than the dragon's hug, though that was definitely a top worry for him. Did… Did they actually genuinely care for him? Why? Why him, out of all his other teammates?
"Dragonite, why the hell are you so focused on me…? It's not like I'm an important part of the team-" The statement was halted by another squish from the dragon, getting a wheeze out of the ghost.
"You are though! We're all just as important as anyone else…! Don't you dare say that! I won't let you!" Dragonite would yell, Gengar's face blushing a bit from the embarrassment from the whole situation. Did they really have to announce that to the entire goddamn park…?
"Not really, but, if you really feel that way, then I guess I can't stop you. Besides, it's only a while before that kid finds pokemon better than us and forgets all about us, anyways." Gengar would darkly quip, before Dragonite would unlock him from the hug and hold him out at arms length, tears already in their eyes again. Of course, the ghost-type felt bad for making the dragon cry again, but he was just telling the truth.
"What are you saying, Gengar…? Ash would never just… Just… Leave us! No way!" They yell, before Gengar would growl.
"AND WHO'S TO SAY, HUH!? I THOUGHT THE SAME WAY ABOUT MY MASTER, AND LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME! BECAUSE I WAS STUPID ENOUGH TO TRUST A HUMAN! BECAUSE I WAS SUCH AN IDIOT THAT I DIDN'T SEE ALL THE OBVIOUS SIGNS!" Gengar would retort back at the Dragonite, tears in his eyes as well. The dragon would stare at the ghost incredulously, before bringing him in for another hug. This time, Gengar would begin to sob this time.
"I didn't know you were still dealing with that, Gengar…" The pokemon mumbles, as Gengar would cry into their blue-scaled chest.
"Every day. Every day I deal with it…" He sobs, before the dragon would pat his back gently.
"Why didn't you tell us…?"
"Because… Because I thought you'd hate me."
"Why… Why did you think we'd do that!? We all love you, Gengar! How could we hate you…?" The dragon almost seemed appalled by the idea that telling them something like that could ever lead to them hating him. Even Gengar couldn't come up with an answer to that. He just felt like it would. There wasn't any evidence to support such a thought, and the actions of his teammates always were contradictory to this idea. But, he couldn't help but not tell them.
"S… Sorry." Gengar would mutter, his body finally ceasing to shiver. The two sat in silence for what felt like hours, before the Dragon finally released him.
"You don't have to be sorry, Gengar. You have nothing to apologize for." They state, before the ghost would look off. He did, though. He just embarrassed himself and the dragon, and yet, they're standing there as if nothing had happened! If this were his old master, he would've told him to stop what he was doing and… And… The pokemon flinched from the next thought.
"Well. I'm fine now, so you can go away." Gengar would declare, before Dragonite simply stood there, staring at the ghost. After a few moments of silence, they shook their head.
"Nuh-uh. I'm staying here. With you. Until you are better." They pouted, crossing their arms and puffing their cheeks up. Sheesh, and now he has to deal with this? It was a bit endearing, the Gengar guessed, but… How long were they intending to stay here? All night? Because he's certainly not getting any better. Though, it's probably too late to argue with the dragon. With a sigh, the ghost would sit down as well, the silence between the two forming a potent awkwardness. It was then that Gengar just realized that he doesn't know much about his teammate. He never really got to interact with them much, aside from fighting. And even then, they can't really talk when they're in the middle of a battle.
"... So, are you a boy or a girl? I can't tell." Gengar asks bluntly, not really sure of any other way to put it; At least, for him.
"I'm a girl!" She responded happily.
"Oh." Was all Gengar said, as the two continued to sit in an awkward silence. True to her word, she sat with Gengar until morning arose, at which point, the other diurnal pokemon arising from their slumber… Unlike Dragonite, who seemed to be sleeping away the missed hours of sleep she had. With a chuckle, Gengar would turn invisible, before sneaking off. He's missed a lot of time in terms of pranks, but he supposed it was well worth it in some aspect. The ghost just hoped that Dragonite didn't prattle her little mouth off to anyone about that night. If she did, then he may have to give her a good ole pranking or two.