Scene 57: Phantom Playtime

After the events from the previous day, Kari is exhausted. She decides to sleep in, though when the Pokémon start running around the room, jumping on top of furniture, she has no choice but to wake up. Poliwag jumps straight onto Kari, making her lurch forward. A second pounding comes when Eevee chases after him.

Now fully awake, Kari looks around the room. Sandshrew is rolled up in a ball of blankets at the foot of her bed, Metapod is sitting on the windowsill enjoying the sun, Arbok has found the TV remote and seems to be swaying to the music playing on a commercial, almost in a trance. It's not until Kari notices Bulbasaur rummaging through her backpack does Kari pull herself out of the bag. Hungry, Bulbasaur had allowed himself access to Kari's stores of Pokémon food. She sighs, "Alright, alright, I'm up..!" A crash comes from the other side of the room as Poliwag accidentally knocks over the bedside lamp. Both Poliwag & Eevee turn to look at Kari, their faces guilty. With Kari's eyes low, she gives another sigh.

After getting dressed, breakfast, and a long apologetic conversation with the nurse behind the counter, Nurse Merry, Kari decides to give herself a tour of the town. Nurse Merry stops her, "If you're looking for a local place to visit, you should definitely check out the Pokémon House. It's just up the street here." Kari nods, thanking her for the recommendation and runs off.

She knew Viridian City was a smaller city than most, but this place was even more-so. The houses were small and quaint & the locals walking past stopped to talk to one another, as if they'd known each other their whole lives- which they most likely did. It didn't take long for Kari to locate the Pokémon House. As she approaches the home a girl comes walking out.

She has a kind face and shoulder-length hair. Just behind her a baby Cubone comes running out, followed by a couple of its friends. They all stop to stare at the stranger. Noticing their distraction the girl looks up, "Oh, hi! I didn't see you there." She introduces herself as Reina, head volunteer for the Pokémon House. The girls shake hands, "Mr. Fuji's gone camping with his granddaughter for the weekend, so I'm taking care of the place till he returns." Reina offers to give her a tour of the facilities, much to Kari's delight.

Reina tells Kari about Mr. Fuji and his grand idea to renovate his home into a place for orphaned Pokémon to be cared for. Inside is an abundance of Pokémon Food and Treats, soft multi-colored cubicles for the little ones, each with their own bed and wide assortment of toys. The Pokémon come running forward wanting to meet & play with Eevee. Kari uses her Pokédex to check the data on an Azumarill, Pichu, and Magby. An Oddish passes her feet, followed by a small Igglybuff and the same Cubone from before. He seems delighted to be held by her. Reina smiles sadly at him, petting him gently, "All of these Pokémon were left alone, one way or another. Whether they were lost, or, like this little one here, their parents died." Kari looks around at them again… How sad.

Her mind immediately goes back to being in the hospital with her mother- to the rainy day when they were all dressed in black… She shakes herself, trying to get it out of her mind. "How did its parents die?" Reina makes an annoyed face, "A while back, now, an evil group of men were here. They hunted Pokémon and didn't care if they were hurt. Team Rocket was their name." Eevee stops running at the sound of the name. Kari gulps.

"T-team Rocket, huh? That's… terrible…" She clenches her fists… Them again… Reina holds Cubone up high, smiling. She spins him around, "But ever since that boy came and drove them all away, we've been ok, haven't we?" Cu! Cubone! Kari tries for a smile. She can tell that Reina wanted to change the subject.

"Oh! Have you been to the Pokémon Tower, yet?" Reina stops spinning to look at Kari. She shakes her head. Reina offers to show Kari the way, but she's sure she can manage. The Pokémon Tower isn't something you could really miss. It was a tall structure that overtakes the entire town. "As a place for Trainers to lay their beloved Pokémon to rest, some people have claimed it to be haunted..~!" Reina's voice echoes through Kari's head. A shiver passes through her spine. As they arrive at the bottom of the steps, Kari has a strange feeling.

She and Eevee look at one another. Maybe they shouldn't go, but… Reina is smiling at the look on Kari's face, "But I've also heard rumors of super rare Pokémon being found there, so it's a must-see for any traveling Trainers!"

Kari tries rubbing her arms, as if the cool air around them was the reason for her sudden chills. In order to complete the Pokédex, make new friends, and catch more Pokémon, she'd have to steel her nerves and push forward! Kari takes a deep breathe, closes her eyes, and runs forward- screaming. Whatever was in here wouldn't scare her away that easily!

It's extremely dark, and little Kari has always been bad with directions. Within the first 20minutes, her and Kari get lost… She laughs to herself before reaching for the Pokéballs along her belt. She releases all of her Pokémon, "Alrighty, guys, it seems that we're a bit lost here, hehe…" They all groan. She tries to cheer them up, "But it's alright, it's alright! We'll find our way out of here together! Aaaand, as soon as we do we'll head back to the Pokémon Center for a good meal! What do you guys say?" They all cheer, running off.

For a time they stick together, but every so often, one of the Pokémon would get distracted and lose their way. Kari goes left and then right, up a staircase, through a doorway, up a second set of stairs and around a few rooms, each full of tombstones. Arbok has somehow found his way to an open balcony, overlooking the town; Sandshrew & Bulbasaur have located a door that opens up to the roof; Poliwag stops to smell the roses sitting on a pedestal while Kari walks with Eevee and Metapod farther ahead.

Every now-and-then she points out a deign on the tombstones. Some are simple with the names of the Pokémon buried there, others have erected statues of their precious Pokémon Partner to remember them by. At first she thought this would be a scary place to visit, but after seeing all the flowers and ornaments decorating the graves, she feels kind of happy. This wasn't all that mysterious or foreboding- this was a place to remember your loved ones and to honor their memory. Meta-metapod..!

Kari turns to look- all of her Pokémon were gone! She calls out for them but no answer. Eevee and Metapod look at each other as Kari scratches her head, "I thought we were gonna find out way out together, not get even more lost..!" She looks at the others, "Let's go back and try to find them." They nod.

As Kari makes to turn the corner they just came from, something hits her on the back of the head. She turns to see a small toy- a rubber toy soldier some Trainer must have left for their Pokémon Partner's stone. She looks at it, confused. Kari then looks around at the room… Wasn't she the only one here right now..?

Setting it down on the nearest plaque, Kari continues on. Just a moment later, there's a soft squeak nearby. She turns quickly and sees that the toy soldier was now on the ground. She goes to pick it up and gives it a look, "That's… weird…" She stands and places the toy once more. This time, before she can even turn to leave, the toy is flung clear past her face, nearly hitting her. Kari is frozen. Eevee and Metapod are staring with wide eyes.

The toy squeaks again and slowly, Kari, Eevee, and Metapod turn to look. It was just floating there..! It hadn't hit the wall, hadn't fallen to the ground, or anything! The rubber toy soldier was just floating several feet off the ground..! Kari's mouth is trembling. It's as if she wants to scream, but the sound just won't come..! Then, as if wanting to play, the toy flies back towards them. Kari ducks and the toy is caught by some unseen force.

Back and forth the toy is thrown, from one side of the room to the other. Along with the movements there is now the sound of voices. Eevee and Metapod jump into Kari's arms, shaking. She backs herself into a wall. The voices are getting louder and mixed in with it is the squeaking toy. A thud echoes off the walls. As if things could get worse…

Kari looks to her right and sees a hoard of balls tumbling down the staircase: it's as if every bouncy/ rubber/ toy ball from the Pokémon Tower had been thrown down all together. The squeaky toy falls to the ground and is replaced by some kind of juggling act. Next thing she knows, something seems to be pulling at her. Kari screams at the touch.

From their perspective locations, each of her Pokémon stop to listen- Kari was in trouble! "No-no-no-no-nooo! I'm sorry I bothered you- that I disturbed your slumber, or whatever, but please leave me aloooone!" She does everything she can to pull away, but the thing- whatever it was- has a strong grip on her arm. As Kari struggles, her Pokédex falls out of her pocket. Kari is in tears now, but along with the scary sounds all around her, Dex begins to speak. He shows a picture of a Pokémon named Haunter, then Gastly, and a Gengar. Eevee recognizes the images- of course!

Eevee tries to call to Kari, but she's still freaking out. Having been discovered by the device, the Pokémon see no point in hiding themselves. Kari is picked up by a Haunter and is forced to join its juggling act. A pair of Gengar nearby have found the toy soldier and seem to be enjoying the different sounds it makes; meanwhile, a whole group of Gastly are flying overhead, laughing at the scene. One of them breaks away and joins the juggling Haunter.

He notices Eevee and Metapod and smiles widely. He disappears and reappears just behind them making them both jump. GAaaa~stly~! Laughing and just purely out of playful excitement, the Gastly licks them both. Eevee and Metapod are stunned. Gastly returns to the human girl, enjoying her terrified expression.

Out of a nearby door, Poliwag arrives. He looks around the room, is confused by all the Pokémon and toys lying about, but when he locates Kari across the way he jumps into action! Desperate to save his friend, Poliwag goes in for a Pound Attack- he's surprised when the attack doesn't make contact. Instead, he hits the opposite wall. Brushing himself off, Poliwag tries again, but it's the same result. Though he's unable to move due to the Paralysis, Eevee speaks to Poliwag. He explains about the Ghost-Type Pokémon ability to avoid physical attacks. Poliwag nods, acknowledging the advise. Poliwag uses a Water Gun against the Haunter and the Gastly. Both are taken by surprise and they drop Kari.

She turns and sees the little Poliwag. He jumps atop one of the tombstones and attacks the others, but fighting by himself, his little Water Gun isn't enough. The Gastly from before floats ahead of the others. He's laughing at the Poliwag's attempts and taunts him by vanishing again and again. The others that are watching just continue to laugh. Poliwag is getting annoyed now. Kari stands, "Don't listen to them, Poliwag! It doesn't matter that they're Ghost Pokémon. You can beat them, I just know it!"

Something pulls from deep inside Poliwag- some kind of surge of power..! A hot blast of water comes out and at the same time Poliwag's body begins to glow! The others watch as he begins to evolve, Sandshrew and Bulbasaur having just arrived. Kari goes to pick up Dex and checks the info- not only did Poliwag evolve into Poliwhirl, he also managed to learn the move Scald! The Gastly and other Ghost Pokémon are flying away out of fear of getting burned. Some fly through the walls and ceilings, others just completely disappear. Finally, after several minutes, the room is clear.

Poliwhirl stops to take a breathe. He flinches, surprised by Kari grabbing him from behind in a tight hug, "Thank you- thank you- thank you for saving me, Poliwhirl!" He blushes. With the Ghost Pokémon gone Eevee and Metapod's Paralysis has worn off and they go to join the others. Kari looks around, "I think I've had enough of this place, don't you think?" They all agree. Out of a nearby window Arbok's head pops in- he's only just found his way back to them…

Nearly an hour later, they've finally found their way back outside. They all slump to the ground, happy to be out of there. Kari sighs, "You know, I'm not a big fan of Ghost-Type Pokémon..~!" Almost on cue, Gastly appears. They all jump. Kari has her fists up and the others are ready to fight, but that's not why he was there. He shakes his head fervently. Kari looks around at the others, her eyes narrowing, "Ok, then… So why are you here..?"

Gastly looked almost embarrassed to say it. He couldn't meet her eyes and when he caught Poliwhirl's, he turned away sulking. Kari looked between the two of them. Her head drops to one side, "You're not upset that you lost to Poliwhirl, are you?" Gastly pouts at her remark. She can't help but laugh just a little. She looks at the others who all give her a nod. Kari steps forward, "Hey, Gastly!" He looks up, "If you promise not to play anymore pranks on us, you're more than welcome to join our team. What do you say?"

He immediately perks up at the offer. He flies forward and gives Kari a Lick. She trembles from the paralyzing attack. She shakes it off, trying to push the eager Pokémon off of her, "Heeey~! You'll be able to play with us all the time now, but you've really gotta calm down!" They all laugh at his enthusiasm, happy to have a new friend along for the journey.

{{Current Team: Eevee, Metapod, Arbok, Sandshrew, Poliwag - Poliwhirl, Bulbasaur}}

Total Pokémon: Eevee, *Pidgeot, *Raticate, Metapod, *Beedrill, Ceffairy, Spearow, Ekans, Sandshrew, Goldeen, Poliwag, Jolteon, Drowzee, Horsea, Tentacool, Magikarp, Psyduck, Slowpoke, Magnemite, Voltorb, Zapdos, Elekid, Gastly…