Happy Halloween, everyone! I think this chapter is just spooky enough to count XP

Poke-ball 23: Malicious

Agatha's words stung Red more than he liked to admit. He had gathered so many people for this cause, but could he trust any of them? Already many of the new Rocket grunts had either fled or acted with their own dark intentions. Giovanni wasn't doing much about it either, and he wasn't particularly trustworthy in the first place. What had he been thinking, relying on the leader of Team Rocket for support? Even if Team Rocket itself was a victim of corrupt politics, it wasn't the same as the war-time Team Rocket anymore. At this rate, it never would be. But it was all Red had for an army...

Even Blue, his long-time friend, had become so timid. Unlike Team Rocket, Red had some hope for him. He saw the old Blue coming back, bit by bit. But would he be ready in time for a real war?

"What do you think a real war is?" asked Agatha, as if reading Red's mind. Maybe she had, with the psychic powers of her Ghost-types. Said Ghost-types fought with Sabrina's Pokemon without orders."Two lines of people and Pokemon marching toward each other in the open plains? A neatly-arranged tournament where the strongest is accepted without question? A glorious free-for-all where the righteous win by the power of friendship?"

Red glared at her. How old did she think he was? Of course war wasn't like that. It involved strategy, trickery, and death. But it also involved bonds with your comrades and Pokemon. Why else would they stay beside you during such cruel battles? Those who deserted his cause had obviously either been cowards or poorly indoctrinated.

"This is a land of ghosts and demons," Agatha went on. "Victims and weapons that have lingered long past the war that created them. They will never let us forget the agony we inflicted on Johto and ourselves alike. As they should, for that should have been a war that ended all wars. You have no idea what a miracle it is that any of us are even standing here today. The last thing anyone needs in this fragile land is another conflict."

"You're only saying that because the war benefited you," Red growled.

"That is true," Agatha admitted. "But I wish it wasn't." She sighed and shook her head. "Though that is not something I expect you to understand...unless you see the truth for yourself."

"What truth?" asked Blue. He was glancing between Erika and Pikachu as he spoke.

"Do you want to know?" Agatha asked, before a smile slipped onto her face. "Of course you do. You youngsters have been too coddled." She shook her again again, before tapping her cane on the ground. "Come."

Erika floated over to Agatha.

"So you are controlling her!" Blue exclaimed angrily.

...She's what? thought Red. He had been so focused on fighting Erika, and then arguing with Agatha, that he never thought about how Erika got possessed in the first place.

Sabrina's eyes shone blue. A matching aura cloaked Erika and held her in place.

But Sabrina's concentration was immediately broken as a yellow blur slammed into her side, knocking her over. Erika, freed, drifted the rest of the way to Agatha's left side. Pikachu stood on her right, its glare empty and malicious.

"Wha...Pikachu...?" Red said somewhat timidly, before horror and anger overtook him. "Give Pikachu back!"

"Give back Pikachu, but not Erika?" asked Agatha. "My, that says a lot about you, doesn't it?" She tapped her cane, and Pikachu hopped onto her shoulder. "If you want either of them back, boys, meet me near the eastern shore of Cinnabar Island."

Her Gengar cackled, and Agatha and all her allies and hostages vanished. Though nothing else seemed to change, the atmosphere suddenly grew serene.

Red wanted to scream. Why couldn't he?

IIIIII

We're building toward the climax now (though it may still take a drabble or two to get there). Any theories on what Agatha's talking about?

Well, me and Remi are off to do NaNo for the next month, but we plan to get some more done during December.