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Pocket Monsters Chapter 11: A Town of Ghosts
"…"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Ok, seriously, this place is just giving me the creeps." Were the first words out of Pokémon Trainer Red's mouth.
Words that Cal Kestis found himself agreeing with as the two friends stood in the center of the place known as Lavender Town. Their bikes were parked at a small area where travelers would leave their items behind, chained to several metal stands to not get stolen.
They had arrived not too long ago, earlier in the day and…
Well, one doesn't need to be a Force Sensitive like Cal to feel the strange, perturbed and uncomfortable air permeating across the town. Red felt the hairs on the back of his head stand upright, shivering every now and then, looking around as if hoping to find the source of the chill.
As for the Padawan of the duo, this whole place set him on edge. The Force here was fluctuating in a matter that he had never experienced before.
And all of it stemmed from the large tower situated in the far right corner of the village, isolated and appearing desolate. All the same, Cal felt something unnatural and disturbing radiating from that tower and it only further set his nerves off, not understanding just what that monolith-looking building was supposed to be.
The Force swirled around like a typhoon and the feeling was so intense, Cal's senses kept getting overwhelmed and he had to forcibly "disconnect" himself from the Force so as to not collapse. He had never felt anything like this other than that horrifying feeling of all the death of so many Jedi running through his entire body.
This had happened a number of times now but he truly wished his master was here right now. He was the wisest, bravest and strongest Jedi Master he had ever known aside from Grandmaster Yoda.
Master Jaro would have been able to make sense of this place.
Shaking his head, Red walked away from Cal, going up to the closest denizen of this town. He put on a friendly smile, hand raised with a question in mind only for the person to give the boy a suspicious look and walk away without a second glance.
Thrown off by the response, the boy remained undeterred, approaching the next person close by… only to receive the same treatment from a moment ago.
"What the heck?" Red murmured, scratching the back of his head, frowning at the way the denizens of this town were behaving.
He tried asking for some form of aid, be it what the deal with the town was or an umbrella as thunderclouds loomed in the skies above.
All he got was the cold shoulder from each person he approached.
"The hell is everyone's deal?" Red impatiently said now, going back over to Cal. "Is this Lavender Town or Leave 'em there Town?"
"This whole place feels off." The Jedi Padawan remarked, squirming in place.
"Tell me about it." His friend grumbled, shifting about in place.
The crack of thunder spooked the boys slightly, the Pallet Town native gritting his teeth with a wince.
"Jeez man, this place screams ominous." Red then looked over to the other residents of this town, all giving the pair and their Pokémon varying looks of suspicious glares. "The people aren't any better."
"The Force is… I don't even know how to describe it." Cal quietly whispered. "I've never felt anything like it."
His friend looked a bit disconcerted, a grimace appearing with his body shuddering a moment later.
"Yeah, that too." Red murmured. "But that still doesn't explain the way everyone is acting here. It's like I stepped on their Growlithe or something."
Cal could only continue to look around, the pair walking through the town as the rain continued to drench them from head to toe. In their walk, the duo with their Pokémon passed by a slightly elevated dirt mound and at the head was a small tombstone.
Curious, Kestis stopped in his tracks momentarily to look down at it to read the name inscribed upon the rock.
"Doduo." He quietly said, catching more tombstones out of the corners of his eyes. There were at least two dozen more close by with more not that far.
"What the heck is this place?" Red asked, having realized his friend had stopped.
"A graveyard." Cal stated, an easy answer to come up with having one look at the place. He saw more graves but also the other residents of the town giving a wide berth between themselves and the graveyard, giving even greater looks of suspicion that outmatched the ones they had received moments ago.
"What the heck is their deal?" Red asked aloud, having seen the looks the graveyard was receiving as well. "I would get being suspicious of newcomers to your town but ain't this a place where they should at least show some measure of respect? They're giving a stink eye to the dead for cryin' out loud."
Cal couldn't help but agree with this statement, finding the behavior of the people of Lavender Town to be less than welcoming.
"You'll have to forgive them, young ones." Spoke a sudden, elderly voice from behind, jolting the two trainers and their Pokémon in fright. "They've become slaves to their own suspicions."
Both trainers and their Pokémon whirled around to see an older gentleman walking by them with a cane, crouching down to the grave they were closest to. He inclined his head forward, clasped his hands together and let out a prayer of some sort.
"Uh, what're ya doin'?" Red asked cautiously, steadying his heartrate from that jump scare.
"Ah just paying my visit and respects to my departed Doduo." The older man said with a fond tone yet a tinge of pain was evident in his voice. "He lived a long and happy life and we have many memories shared together. But even that has to come to an end. A ripe old age, by my side for nearly my entire life. I couldn't have asked for a better companion and friend."
Red and Cal shared a look with each other before the former surprised the latter when he moved to emulate the elders' respect for his Doduo. The Padawan quickly followed suit, a shift in the Force as he said his respects to the departed.
"Oh my," The Elder smiled at the two. "Thank you both, dearly. I take it you love your Pokémon as much as I did mine."
"You know it, Mr…"
"Mr. Fuji." He at last introduced himself. "And let me be the first to welcome you to Lavender Town. Now come, let's get you and your Pokémon out of this downpour and heat you up with some tea."
Cal felt a bit awkward and rude in being offered something he felt he didn't really do anything to earn. "Uh, sir, you don't have to-"
"I won't hear any of that." Mr. Fuji said with a dismissive wave of his cane. "It's the least I can do after being introduced to my hometown in such a negative fashion. Come, come, the rain isn't letting up anytime soon."
Feeling a nudge on his shoulder, Cal turned to Red, seeing his friend gesturing his head towards the old man, a silent message of "might as well".
Not seeing any other reason to reject the offer, the duo with their Pokémon followed Mr. Fuji to his home.
After an hour or so, both boys were well rested on top of dry and their Pokémon were much happier to be out of the rain and dreary atmosphere of the town as a whole.
"Thank you, Mr. Fuji." Cal graciously said, holding a cup of tea up at the old man who simply waved the gratitude down.
"Nonsense, no thanks needed my boy." The elder kindly said. "I am simply rectifying the lack of greeting you two received from my town. Think of this as repayment."
"Great repayment." Red cheerfully said, holding up his cup. "This tea is amazing."
"Why thank you, young man." Mr. Fuji happily said. "It's of my own recipe."
Whilst Red continued to enjoy his drink, his friend Cal turned his attention to the tall tower that could be seen from the window he sat near.
The ginger-haired Jedi held an intense and somewhat nervous gaze in the direction of the tower. Ever since coming here, that building has held Cal's attention, the Force radiating from it like a nexus. It permeated the air in Lavender Town and if he were to make some kind of educated guess, might be the cause of the behavior of the townspeople.
"Quite a sight, is it not?"
The Padawan jolted in his seat slightly, turning to see Mr. Fuji standing behind him, his eyes focused on the large building.
"That there is the Lavender Tower. For many years, the people of Kanto believed that the spirits and souls of Pokémon gathered here. The tower you see before you was erected by the people of this town to honor their Pokémon that have passed on. It is the final resting place of many Pokémon. Though it shouldn't come as a surprise that many ghost Pokémon now inhabit the tower as well."
"Ghost Pokémon." Kestis repeated, a deep frown marring his features.
"Ghosts?" Red said aloud in confusion. "Are you playing a trick on us or something, Mr. Fuji?"
The elder shook his head. "None of that sort, young man. Many astral Pokémon now reside within the tower, finding the air to be to their liking."
Fuji then let out a sigh, shaking his head. "I do not understand what has happened. The Ghost Pokémon never bothered anyone who visited the tower save for some of the more excitable ones. They always allowed those who wished to pay their respects to do just that. But lately, the ghosts have become aggressive and the aura in the town, well, I need not tell you the result of it."
Cal and Red glanced at each other, the former once more looking at the tower.
Thinking back to his time in Pallet Town before his departure, he remembered the book Professor Oak gave him as a beginner guide to Pokémon. In it was an assortment of information regarding the various types of Pokémon one may find on a journey through the world of these amazing creatures.
The Dark type was one that Cal dwelled on every now and then, something he still couldn't quite comprehend or even be comfortable with.
But another type that he hadn't given much thought to since reading about it was the Ghost type.
Pokémon that were just Ghosts, spirits that remain in the physical world having not moved on.
What would they be like, he wondered.
"Whoa!" Red suddenly exclaimed, jolting the Padawan out of his thoughts.
"What's wrong?" Cal asked in slight alarm, turning to see Red holding a piece of paper and looking at it intently.
Before he could ask what was on it, his friend wordlessly flipped the paper around for him to see.
It took Cal a moment to register what he was looking at. After a second, the Jedi saw it was a picture.
One of Mr. Fuji with a two-headed Pokémon and-
"Blue?" Cal said aloud in surprise.
"You know the lad?" Mr. Fuji asked in surprise.
"You bet we do, he's our rival!" Red declared, before amending. "Well… maybe not Cal's, but he's definitely mine. He's like me and Cal here with our Pokédex's. Professor Oak gave one to each of us and we're tasked with filling it out on our journey."
The elderly gentleman hummed aloud, stroking his beard in thought. "He came to this town only several days before my Doduo passed away."
"Where is he now?" Cal found himself asking.
Mr. Fuji pointed at the Lavender Tower with a more grim visage.
"He went to the tower. I told him of its importance as I did with you and he ran toward it figuring something was going on there and perhaps dispelling the heavy air affecting the town. But… he hasn't been back in two weeks."
"Two weeks." Kestis repeated, complexion paling somewhat.
Red looked at the tower with his teeth clenched slightly. "Blue ya idiot, what are ya doin'?"
"I am deeply worried for him." Mr. Fuji spoke up. "In recent times, many who have gone into the tower haven't returned. Several of the townspeople are also in there and heaven knows what has happened to them."
Both Pokedex trainers now regarded the cemetery tower with a greater degree of wariness.
For Red, though he finds Blue to be annoying at times with his attitude, he can't deny that his rival is an incredibly talented trainer. To not be heard from in two weeks is disconcerting.
Cal had a similar mindset though it was regarding how Daisy and Professor Oak would feel if something were to happen to their family member. He owed Blue's family a great deal since coming to this world, a debt that he feels will be difficult to repay.
"We gotta go in there." He suddenly declared without even thinking about it. "If Blue is still in there and something's happened to him, we need to help him. And that's just him. Other people need our help too."
Red was surprised by this sudden declaration yet not a moment later, he grinned at the notion, flicking a thumbs up.
"Hell yeah, Cal, let's do it."
"Are you certain, boys?" Mr. Fuji worriedly asked. "If the tower has become dangerous, you'll only be putting yourselves in such danger."
"No need to worry about it, Mister." Red said confidently. "We've got our Pokémon and we've got each other. Blue went in alone but with the two of us, we'll watch each other's backs."
Mr. Fuji appeared hesitant at first but seeing the resolve the two boys shared made him acquiesce, nodding at them both.
"Alright, but be careful, the both of you. That tower is likely very dangerous by now. Don't do anything drastic."
"We will, Mr. Fuji." Cal respectfully said.
The two left Fuji's house moments later, walking toward the Lavender Tower, noticing the rain was still going.
"So what's the plan here, Red?" Kestis asked. "Are we just gonna rush right in or-"
"I'm not that stupid." Red said, waving his hand. "Nah, we gotta go at it one step at a time. Figure Pika and Zee can use their electricity to light up the place cause it looks way too dark and moody for me."
Cal didn't respond to that, focusing on the building, feeling the Force emanate from it.
What he felt was undoubtedly one of the most unusual and rather frightening feelings from the Force he had ever experienced. It was hard to describe, frankly, as he had never felt something akin to a lingering spirit in the Force before.
Ghost Pokémon.
Were they like apparitions or ghosts of the Force or something else? Every Pokémon has the Force so what would a Ghost Pokémon qualify as?
"Cal!"
The boy shook his head, turning to Red who was tapping his foot impatiently.
"Dude, snap out of it, we're almost there."
Cal looked back at the tower and blinked at how close they were now.
"Whoa, I didn't even realize." He murmured.
"What's on your mind, man?" Red then gave a more skewed look. "Is it… is it a Force thing?"
Cal gave an iffy hand motion. "Something like that only way, way more complicated. I don't even know how to explain it, honestly."
"Are ya getting any weird feelings you can describe?" The Pallet Town native found himself asking a bit nervously.
"This place is giving me the creeps, I can tell ya that much." Cal freely admitted.
Red snorted, shivering a moment later. "No disagreements from me, bud. Let's just get this over with."
Both boys nodded, holding up their hands to push the doors open only to pause.
They held that position for several seconds until Red let out a nervous laugh.
"Eh-heh… you're also feeling that too, right?"
"Y-Yeah." Cal shook his head rapidly, trying to dispel his hesitation. "But… no turning back now."
Red grunted, shivering slightly until both boys pushed their respective doors open… into a darkly lit first floor with multiple tombstones for them to see.
…
"Ok, this is just unfair." Red deadpanned. "Either they built it this way or it's cause of those Ghost Pokémon he mentioned."
"Yeah… this is a bit much." Cal muttered, squirming at the pressure the place was giving off.
His friend next to him released a disgruntled sigh, dragging his hand over his face.
"Urgh, I know we're gonna regret this." He grumbled under his breath, reaching for his belt to release his chosen Pokémon.
Pika was sent out along with Zee a second later, the two Pokémon looking at the graveyard before turning back to their trainers.
"Yeah, we know." Cal said apologetically. "But we already promised Mr. Fuji and we gotta see if Blue is still in here."
The Pikachu and Magnemite shared a look, both slumping slightly yet they put on brave faces as the group all walked forward into the tower.
A dreaded feeling came over them, Red let out an annoyed moan, shaking his head to keep himself under control.
Cal kept his right hand hovering over his Poke balls and lightsaber, feeling a bit twitchy at the droning ambiance the graveyard gave off.
The Force didn't help in soothing his nerves as the whole place just gave off a bad feeling. Like before, there was this pressure that surrounded them all and Cal felt that had he been a more seasoned Jedi, either he would have been able to tune it out or would have found it suffocating.
"This place is a heck of a lot bigger on the inside than the out." Red noted, looking up at the high ceiling.
Cal only nodded in silence, eyeing the many graves they were walking between.
"Oh, I'm gonna regret doing this." Red whispered, cupping his hands over his mouth. "Hello? Blue? Anyone?"
"Red?!" The Padawan said in a panicked voice. "What're ya doing?!"
"I gotta try something." He lamely replied. "Besides, aren't we here for-"
*DRIP*
"GYAAAH!" The two boys and two Pokémon almost jumped out of their skins upon hearing something behind them.
They all turned to see-
"Stupid water." Red grumbled, watching water drop from the ceiling.
"This place is the worst." Cal declared, trying to shake off the growing sense of unease.
The Padawan turned around…
… and was met with a face that could only be described as something from his nightmares.
"BLEH!"
"YAAAAA!" Cal yelled, flipping away from the face, Red turned to see it only to shriek.
Pika and Zee also freaked out, rushing to be to their trainers' sides, Pikachu jumping into Red's arms and Magnemite hiding behind Cal.
What they did not expect was the face to then begin to laugh hysterically, morphing into another shape.
It turned into that of a dark, center sphere with a light purple gas surrounding it. Large white eyes formed followed by a mouth with a small pair of fangs.
"Gagagaga." The shape laughed, floating about happily at the reaction it garnered from the group.
"What the hell is that supposed to be?" Red questioned nervously, pivoting his body to keep his Pikachu out of sight from the astral being.
Before either of them could speak or react, the translucent spirit vanished. They were startled for a moment when suddenly, the creature reappeared, eyes bugging out in different sizes and tongue sticking out.
"GAH!" Red and Cal jumped back and the spirit laughed uproariously.
The latter had his hand over his chest, trying to calm his beating heart, watching the amused entity float around in the air, almost looking like it was rolling with laughter.
"Is that a… is that a Pokémon?" Cal questioned.
His confirmation came in the form of his Magnemite floating forward, letting out a few challenging buzzes.
The ball of gas stopped its laughing, facing the floating electric steel ball only to make another face, eyes lightly popping out and the ball began hooting with laughter a second later.
By this point, Red had recovered and was now looking at the floating sphere in bewilderment.
"What's its deal?" He asked, looking between it and Cal. "Is it trying to scare us off or just amuse itself?"
The answer came in the form of the sphere suddenly appearing behind Red, making the trainer jump in the air.
It began hollering, almost looking like it was crying at its accomplishment, moving up and down, literally laughing its face off.
"I think it just likes scaring us." Cal assumed, now feeling far less perturbed by the being before them.
He had already pulled out his Pokedex and held it up at the sphere, the automated voice of the device speaking a second later.
"Gastly, the Gas Ghost Pokémon. Gastly can make itself invisible and can cloak a target with its gaseous body, putting it to sleep. It can sneak into any place it desires but can be blown away with a simple gust of wind."
"Gastly, huh?" Cal muttered, putting his Dex away as he eyed the Ghost Pokémon that was now floating before them with a mischievous smile in place.
"So this is what we've been worried about?" Red asked, looking at the floating Pokémon with some trepidation. "This clown?"
"Gaa?" The Gastly tilted itself in midair and then, its eyes fell off. "GAA!"
"Whoa!" Red and Cal exclaimed in shock only to halt at the sound of the Pokémon laughing again.
The sphere flew down and the mouth literally ate the eyes before they reformed back in place.
By this point, the two boys couldn't help themselves and actually snort at the action.
"Guess he's harmless." Kestis said, cautiously approaching the Gastly who was bobbing around with a happy and proud smile. "It just wants to scare us for a laugh."
"Yeah, only for itself." Red wryly said, eyeing the Pokémon with a hint of hesitation.
Standing in front of it, the Gastly didn't seem to notice the Jedi Padawan until a hand wafted through its body.
"Whoa," Cal muttered. "You really are a spirit."
The Force exuded in a very unique fashion from this Pokémon compared to those he had encountered or captured. He didn't know how to describe it really as, frankly, he had never encountered something like this.
Then again, this whole planet was unlike anything he had ever experienced so every new obstacle was a new encounter.
The Gastly seemed to have noticed the hand passing through it and in response, it wafter right through Cal's body, making the boy shiver and twitch about, patting his body down.
"Whoa!" He let out, flailing his hands about. "What was that?!"
"Gagagaga." Gastly chortled, hanging upside down with a derpy face.
Cal found himself abruptly snorting, letting out a small chuckle. This Pokémon was almost as outgoing as his Wooper.
Getting an idea, he called out his Wooper who looked around the area before spotting the derpy-faced Gastly.
He gasped in disbelief before he began jumping around, making faces at the Gastly. The Ghost Pokémon was surprised momentarily before joining in, the pair making goofy looks at each other.
Red's prior mood of fear and trepidation evaporated at the sight of the two Pokémon, now laughing aloud at the pair.
"Looks like he's made a new friend." He said, guffawing at Hopper splashing the Gastly with water before spinning on his head.
Cal chuckled at the interaction, glad to have something to alleviate his initial hesitation about coming here.
But it was in that thought that the Jedi remembered why they were here. Getting serious once more, he turned back to Red, gesturing his head at the set of stairs that would lead them up to the next floor.
Seeing this, Red mirrored his friend's mood, nodding as both boys moved to go up the steps…
When the Gastly reappeared in front of them.
"Ga?" It appeared troubled by their path, looking back and forth between them and the stairs. The Pokémon gained an alarmed expression, shaking its head rapidly, now actually blocking their path.
"Huh?" Red was surprised by the gesture. "You don't want us to go up there?"
The Gastly nodded its head rapidly, adopting a nervous and worried expression as it let out a few small calls in hopes of discouraging the two trainers.
Cal frowned at this, looking past the Pokémon, and up the dark steps.
Releasing a sigh, he shook his head and gave an apologetic shrug to the Gastly.
"Sorry little guy, we made a promise. We have to do this."
Gastly's expression wilted upon hearing that.
"Gaa." It said in a saddened voice when it shook its head. It now looked at them determinedly and hovered in front of the steps, almost looking like it was daring them to get through.
"What the- hey, come on, now's not the time for this." Red complained. "We gotta get up there and see what's up there. There could be people trapped by ghosts not as friendly as you."
"Gaa." The Gastly petulantly retorted, shaking its head in denial.
Cal crossed his arms at the behavior, put off slightly by this Pokémon's adamant refusal to allow entry for the two of them. Whatever was waiting for them in the higher levels of the tower, it was enough to spook a Ghost Pokémon of all things.
Certainly not something Cal would have ever considered or thought of.
Force this place was weird.
Seeing that the Gastly would not budge on this matter, the Padawan opted for a different approach.
"Why don't you come with us?" He offered, holding up an empty Poke ball. "This is your home so you know it better than we do. We could use the help."
This definitely surprised Gastly and Red, the former looking at the Poke ball in a scrutinizing fashion.
"You sure about that, Cal?" Red spoke up. "You did just say this is his home. Would be unfair to take him away from it."
"I can release him after we do our job here." Kestis said, gazing directly at the Gastly now. "Whaddya say? Wanna help us clear out what's troubling this place so much?"
The Gastly appeared nonplussed by this offer, seemingly ready to reject the offer when he surprised the Jedi by licking his face.
Cal began shivering, almost jolting about with a feeling of electricity running down from his face all the way down to his toes.
"Wh-wh-what th-the h-h-h-hell?!" Cal stammered, the Gastly laughing uproariously, Hopper laughing behind Cal.
Zee, who had been observing all this, simply zapped the Gastly lightly for what it did to his trainer.
Gastly yelped but still laughed boisterously, nudging its face against the Poke ball and a moment later, disappeared into it.
Red chuckled, patting his still-shaking friend on the back.
"Whelp, looks like ya got a new friend."
"G-G-Goodie." Cal stammered out, the effects of the paralysis slowly wearing off.
He called out his newly acquired Pokémon, the Ghost having its mischievous smile directed at him.
"Wa-was that really N-necessary?" The padawan grumped out.
"Gaaa!" Gastly flicked its tongue again, its face turning upside down before snapping back into place.
Cal had a flat look that twitched a few times from the lingering Lick before he managed to shake it off, refocusing on the task at hand.
"Ready?" He said to Red, the Pallet Town trainer now getting serious again and nodding.
Kestis recalled Hopped but kept Zee and his new Gastly out with Red having Pika as well. They climbed up the steps and we were on the second floor of the tower.
Not wanting to be caught off guard, Cal pulled out his lightsaber, not igniting it but keeping it at the ready for whatever would come their way.
They didn't encounter anything yet the Padawan noticed the mist that seemed to be permeating at their feet.
He didn't dwell on it all that much as he and Red moved onto the next floor and it was at this point did the red-haired boy notice the mist on the ground. Only it was a good degree higher than the last floor.
"What is with this fog?" Red noted, palming one of his other Poke balls.
Pika let out a nervous sound, resting atop the head of his trainer.
Cal's thumb trailed over the activation of his lightsaber, a foreboding feeling coming from the Force.
The Dark Side…
There was a presence here that set the Jedi on edge and Gastly's reaction didn't help.
Before any of them could make a move, however, a translucent shape formed in the fog, catching the eye of Red.
"Hey, what's that?" He pointed at the shape, Cal eyeing it trepidatiously.
Squinting his eyes at it, Kestis saw a stout, duck-billed creature walking out of the fog. "It looks like… it that a Pokémon?"
"It's a Psyduck." Red noted when more "lights" appeared over gravestones, the shapes of other Pokémon appeared.
"What is all this?" Cal warily asked.
Suddenly, the Psyduck that first appeared rushed forward and pounced. In an instant, right before their very eyes, the skin literally melted off the Pokémon, leaving nothing but its skeleton that let out a shrill cry with sharp teeth in its bill.
"GYAAAH!" Red yelled out.
Without missing a beat, Cal ignited his lightsaber and cut through the Psyduck skeleton.
Its remains collapsed to the ground, a pile of bones left behind.
"A rotting body?" Red said aloud, kneeling to inspect the fallen Pokémon. "Are all of them just rotting corpses?"
"They're probably being controlled." Cal quickly said and Gastly let out a sound that seemed to be confirming his suspicion.
The other corpses shambled after them, the pair and their Pokémon running back.
They were about to take them on when they noticed something.
"They've stopped." Cal said, seeing they now held a sizable distance from the walking corpses.
Red's eyes spotted the fog encompassing them and noticed how they stood at the very edge of its whilst no fog surrounded them.
"It's that mist." Red quickly said. "If they're in there, that's what's making them move, what's controlling them!"
Cal narrowed his eyes at that, noticing the mist had a purple tinge to it.
He glanced at his side to his newly acquired Gastly who was glaring at the mist before he turned back.
Taking a deep breath, Cal opened himself up to the Force, allowing the energy of the universe to flow through his being and enhance his senses. The pressure that came with this tower increased tenfold for the young Padawan as he actually felt his legs almost buckle.
The presence of the dead, the spirits of lingering Pokémon, all of it almost overwhelmed him. It was to the point that even Red felt something off, looking over at his friend who now fell to one knee.
"Cal!" He exclaimed in concern, instantly by his side. "You ok bud?"
"Y-yeah." Cal muttered, shaking his head as he cleared his thoughts. Looking again at the mist, his vision zeroed in on a particular shape with a sharp, sinister set of eyes. "There! In the haze, I can see the eyes."
Red's head snapped up in the direction his friend was pointing and instantly saw a pair of malicious eyes glaring back at him.
"It's that thing in the haze." Red declared with gritted teeth. "It's what's controlling the dead Pokémon."
"Ga Ga Ga." Gastly said aloud, sounding like he was confirming the statement.
"It's in the haze right?" Cal rhetorically asked, pulling out a Poke ball and calling out the mon inside. "Alright then Arc, clear it out with a Whirlwind!"
His Starly came out and in an instant, flapped its wings hard, whipping up multiple winds that blew away the haze that surrounded the dead Pokémon.
In an instant, the corpses collapsed as the gust of wind blew away the mist.
Said mist then concentrated to a single point and from it formed a Pokémon. The eyes were similar to that of Gastly but the rest of the body was distinctly different.
Similar to Gastly, the Pokémon had a gaseous body. It had a round head flanked by three large, spiked protrusions on either side with the same triangular eyes as Gastly, small pupils and a mouth with a long, pink tongue. The gaseous body had its head curve into its mouth having several pointed teeth. Disembodied hands with three clawed fingers floated in front of its body with the rest of it tapering into a jagged tail.
"What is that?" Red asked, quickly pulling out his Pokedex.
"Haunter, the Gas Pokémon and evolved form of Gastly. In total darkness, where nothing is visible, Haunter lurks, silently stalking its next victim. Its tongue is made of gas. If licked, its victim starts shaking constantly until death eventually comes."
"Well that's not creepy at all." Red grumbled, pocketing his Poke ball and readying himself for a fight.
"Ga Ga!" Gastly angrily moved forward, now glaring at the Haunter who beheld a malicious, mocking smirk.
"Is this why you didn't want us going up here?" Cal found himself asking, seeing the Ghost Pokémon nod.
"If it's an evolved form, that means this one is stronger than our new Gastly here." Red murmured, palming at his poke balls.
With a thoughtful frown, Cal recalled something about Ghost Pokémon that he recalled reading up on from the book Professor Oak gave him. They were immune to physical attacks from Normal and Fighting Pokémon and they were most weak to other Ghost Pokémon and Dark types.
He then remembered that one of his Pokémon in particular had several Dark Type moves of his own.
Quickly recalling Zee and Arc, Cal brought the first Pokémon he ever caught.
Kaiju came out at the ready with a steel focus.
"Gastly may not be as strong as that Haunter but with Kaiju backing him up, we've got this."
"Dang it." Red said, hating the lack of type advantage he had which would have helped a great deal right now. "I got nothing but Pikachu that may help out but let's see if Saur can add to the mix."
Red called out his Bulbasaur to join in with the rest and they all faced the Haunter that seemed to be laughing mockingly at them.
It wagged its three-clawed hands about and suddenly, a small flicker of fire came from below it before a plume of flames came right at them.
"WHOA!" Red yelled out as he, Cal and their Pokémon all jumped out of the way of the fire.
"What was that?!" Cal exclaimed, getting up to one knee.
Red called back Bulbasaur and sent out his Poliwrath, the water Pokémon dousing the lingering flames. The black haired trainer paused, looking at the flames for a moment.
"Hand on a sec… I know only one guy who would attack like that."
The Pallet Town trainer looked back over at the Haunter, more specifically, at the person who was now visible beneath him.
Standing next to the person was a bipedal Pokémon with red scales, a cream-colored stomach and chest with a tail that was on fire.
"Blue!" Red shouted in recognition, making Cal pause momentarily for him to see if it was indeed the first trainer he ever met on this planet.
"It is Blue!" Cal exclaimed, relief flowing through him to see that he was… alright?
In an instant, the Jedi felt a reverberation in the Force, making him freeze up again. The way he was standing beneath the Haunter coupled with the deadly face both he and his Charmeleon shared was off-putting, to say the least.
On top of that, the entire aura Blue exuded was completely different from the usual calm, cool and collected air he always gave off.
"Something's wrong with him." Kestis immediately said, making Red take a moment as he looked Blue in the eyes, followed by his Charmeleon and then to the Haunter.
"Crap," Red snarled. "It's that damn Haunter! He's controlling them!"
"Pokémon can do that?" Cal said more than asked, disturbed at that fact.
"We don't have time." Red declared. "Cal, I'll keep blue busy. You take out that Haunter."
Without waiting for an answer, Red rushed in, his Poliwrath and Pikachu assisting him while Cal simply stood back up and ran at the Haunter.
Though it was a much stronger, evolved form of Gastly, it still couldn't take on three individuals at once.
Cal had ignited his lightsaber, startling the Pokémon quite a bit.
Rather than see if it could get hit by it or not, the Haunter opted not to test that theory, rapidly dodging and moving away from the Padawan.
This was just what Cal was hoping for.
"Alright you two, Kaiju, go in for some payback, Gastly, Night Shade."
The dual combo attack from the two Pokémon hitting the Haunter on both sides was all that was needed to knock it out for the count.
It fell to the ground, flattening into the floor before vanishing entirely.
A gasp was heard a moment later, Cal looking over to see light coming in and Blue on his hands and knees, breathing heavily.
"Blue." Cal said, running over to him with Red on the other side.
"Easy Blue." His fellow Pallet Town native advised. "Your mind might be a bit jumbled."
With a blurred sight, the brown-haired boy looked back and forth at the two beside him, recognizing their clothes and hairstyles.
"You two?" He muttered, getting his bearings back. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Duh, saving your behind." Red said, moving to help him up. "Mr. Fuji told us all about you rushing in like a stampeding Tauros and not coming out."
"He asked us to see if you were still in here and alright." Cal added on.
"Feh," Blue grunted, standing on his own two feet in a slight daze. "That old codger didn't need to do that."
Despite the statement, it was easy for the other two boys to detect he didn't really mean anything by it.
"Still, thanks." He said, shaking his head to clear his vision more. "Didn't realize what happened before it was too late."
"What did happen?" Kestis immediately asked. "How did you get yourself controlled like that?"
At that question, Blue's question darkened, his face morphing into a sneer.
"It was cause of him." He venomously said.
"Cuz of who?" Red asked, put off by this vitriolic statement.
"That bastard in charge of all this." Blue said, spinning about and walking directly to the next set of stairs that would lead up to the next floor. "It wasn't the ghost Pokémon here but that ninja freak. He's the one causing all the disturbance in the tower. In the town. Thinks he can put a spell on me, does he?"
"Put a spell on you…" Cal murmured, looking down for a moment until remembering where Oak's grandson was going. "Wait, wait, wait, Blue, hang on a sec. Don't just go rushing up there after what just happened to you."
"Why the hell not?" He snapped back impatiently.
"Duh, think for a second." Red lightly shoved him. "It was probably cause of your first time rushing this place that you got caught by whoever put you under that Haunter's grasp. I know I can be impatient and all but come on Blue, I know you're smarter than that."
From Blue's perspective, hearing this from Red of all people actually mortified him somewhat, turning his head away with brisk 'tsk'.
Loathe as he was to admit it, they were right. He did rush right into this situation recklessly and for almost two weeks was under the control of someone else.
Now wasn't the time for a repeat.
"Alright then, what do you suggest?" Blue inquired, having reigned in his anger.
Rather than answer verbally, Cal stepped forward, frowning at the steps that led upward and closed his eyes. Once more, the flow of the Force washed over the young Jedi, this time being more prepared for it despite feeling the pressure that was amplified in this building.
Focusing on his surroundings and what lay ahead of them, the Padawan's head twitched slightly, trying to get a proper feel of what was waiting for the trio on the next floor.
This didn't go unnoticed by the other Dex holders, one of which felt a strange shift in the air.
"Wha-what was that?" Blue said in alarm, turning to Red. "What did he just do?"
"Whoa~ you can feel it to?" Red said in surprised excitement. "Did you get like a weird tingle? Like all your senses just got really amped up?"
The young Oak looked at the cap wearing trainer in surprise. That was exactly what he felt just now.
"Do you know it?" He asked straight away.
Red gave him an iffy hand motion in response. "Only what it's called and some other barebones knowledge about it. Cal knows more but he's still a-"
"There's a couple of Pokémon waiting for us up there." Cal abruptly interjected. "I'd say about two but with how this tower is, there could likely be more."
Blue narrowed his eyes at him. "How can you tell?"
Cal gave him a shrug. "It's the Force, Blue. I'll explain later on. Let's get going already."
Rather than argue with him, the two Pallet Town boys nodded, letting the Padawan lead them up the steps, their Pokémon by their sides.
Cal had Kaiju up front with his new Gastly floating over him. Blue was right behind him, his Charmeleon looking around at anything and everything that may pose a threat to his trainer.
Making up the rear was Red with Poli, the large Poliwrath likely the strongest Pokémon they have right now.
The three trainers were tense and as ready as one can be going off of what Cal said.
Two Pokémon were waiting for them so they knew that much. But the Jedi of the group also said there could possibly be more due to the strange air of the tower that prevents Cal from a more precise feel of the place.
And like that…
"MOVE!" Cal shouted at the top of his lungs.
The three boys had a shadow wash over them, all seeing a purple viscous raising itself above their heads.
"Poli!" Red shouted, his Poliwrath jumping forward and unleashing a torrent of water.
The impact of the concentrated water blasted against the purple slime, sending it scattering apart.
Upon landing on the floors and walls around them, a hissing sound was heard with steam rising from the slime bits.
"What the-" Cal did a double take, eyes becoming a bit bug-eyed. "Acid?"
"It's that bastards Muk." Blue said, running up the steps. "Move!"
The boy and their Pokémon ran up the steps, getting past the acid and now stood in the next floor of the tower.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
They all froze, heads turning in the direction of the voice.
Blue immediately snarled, taking a step forward whilst glaring at the source of the voice.
"You." He venomously said.
It was a middle aged man with sharp features, spiky black hair, black garments and a red scarf.
"I'm surprised you opted to remain rather than flee." The man mocked haughtily, a derisive grin shot at the young Oak.
Cal was wary of this while Red had a completely different reaction.
"You?!" He exclaimed, pointing at him angrily. "I remember you! You're that jerk from Mt. Moon!"
The man took a moment to regard Red and recognition dawned a moment later.
"Ah yes, the annoying brat that foiled Team Rockets plans."
The reaction was instant, the three boys now glaring at the man.
"Team Rocket?" Cal repeated, discarded some of his reservations, now feeling an urge to fight. "You guys again? Do you have any idea how many people you're hurting?"
"Do you take me for a fool?" The Man taunted, now analyzing the Padawan. "Hmmm, odd clothing, a Larvitar and ginger hair? You must be the other boy Surge fought in Vermillion."
Cal blinked at that, his guard raising again.
"You know Surge?"
"Of course I do." He boasted. "He is part of the Team Rocket Triad of Kanto, like myself. I am Ninja Koga, the master of poison types."
"The only thing you're a master of is prattling uselessly." Blue suddenly said, silently pointing for his Charmeleon to attack.
The red scaled Pokémon unleashed a torrent of flames that passed through Koga who only laughed, flickering momentarily before reforming.
"It's an illusion." Cal said in slight astonishment.
Koga continued laughing mockingly at them, his projection fading and from behind it, a large snake lunged at them.
They immediately jumped out of its way, the snake landing on the ground yet it snapped up in an instant, hissing at the trainers, fangs bared.
The serpentine Pokémon was purple in appearance, narrow eyes and a pattern on its chest that has two red and yellow eyespots outlined in black, a wide black streak resembling an upturned mouth, and a black V-shaped stripe above the eyespots.
"Arbok." Blue said aloud. "Don't get to close to it. It's bite has venom in it."
"How intelligent of you." Koga's voice said from all around them. "But so naive at the same time. Arbok."
The unfinished command was enough for the Ninja Masters Pokémon. It reared its head back and shot a torrent of liquid venom from its mouth.
"Kaiju, Sand-Attack!" Cal yelled out.
His Larvitar spun about on its spot, turning some of the ground into sand before flinging it at the oncoming poison. The dirt collided with the viscous, causing it to collapse to the ground.
The rest was quickly washed away by Reds Poliwrath and Blue was on the attack.
"Ah~ so you hold a degree of intelligence." A false tone of praise came from Koga's voice.
His comments were ignored, the trio of trainers taking on the Arbok that was slithering away from them all.
It proved to be nimble and fast, having managed to get to Cal's Gastly and deliver on a powerful bite.
The Ghost Pokémon exclaimed in pain, though thankfully, being a poison type itself, was unaffected by the venom Arbok's teeth possessed. Regardless, it was still injured and needed help.
Thankfully Red rushed in with Poli, the aquatic Pokémon managed to grab the Arbok's tale and pulling him off Gastly.
What came next was certainly a surprise to Cal as he saw Poli fling Koga's Arbok away…
Right into the path of Blue's Charmeleon. The fire type Pokémon amplified the fire on the tip of its tale and cleaved through the Arbok, the upper half of its chest and head flopping down.
Outside of the tower, hovering in the air with the support of a Golbat, Koga held a small device that was in the shape of his flying Pokémon. On it, between the gaping mouth, was a screen that projected what was occurring inside the graveyard tower.
At the sight of his Arbok being cut in two, the Fuchsia City Gym leader visibly jolted, widening his eyes at what just transpired.
'So those kids have more of a spine then I thought.' Koga bitterly thought, crushing the device in his hands a moment later in a fit of rage.
"Little Worms." He snarled. "You think you can get away from this Scot free? You're on borrowed time now."
Back inside the tower, the three Pokedex trainers surrounded the Arbok, the two separate body parts oozing venom.
"Uh… I think ya overdid it, Blue." Red sheepishly said, wincing at the state of the Pokémon.
"It got what was coming to it." Blue dismissed. "This Arbok and its trainer were responsible for the whole town being as it was when I got here."
"So now that they're gone, do ya figure things will return to normal?" Cal asked the two, with Oak's grandson shrugging.
"That would be my guess." He surmised. "Koga was the one using his Haunter and other Pokémon to stir up trouble here, making it seem like the resting Pokémon were angry at the townspeople. Without him, figure it'll finally simmer down."
Well that was good to hear.
"Ga ga!"
The trio then turned to see Gastly floating around them, looking back and forth with an attentive gaze.
"Where'd that Gastly come from?" Blue asked. "Is he one of yours?"
"Yeah, we caught him on the first floor." Cal answered. "He was actually really scared of us going up here to face Koga and his Pokémon so he came with us."
"He looks kinda… on edge." Red noted with a frown.
Blue narrowed his eyes and began looking around in a sharp manner.
"He may have picked up something." He said aloud. "Another threat."
The other two Dex holders tensed up and soon, the three of them stood back-to-back.
"What do ya mean?" Red asked in alarm. "We took out Koga and his Pokémon, didn't we?"
"That doesn't mean the rest of the Pokémon are alright with it." Blue shot back. "For all we know, they can pissed off at any human or intruder into their home."
This certainly put Red and Cal more on edge then they already were.
"Gastly." Cal called out to the Ghost Pokémon. "What are you-
"Padawan." Came a disembodied voice, cutting the Jedi off midsentence.
The group froze up, their eyes rapidly darting around to locate the source of the voice.
It was then that the Jedi of the group realized what had been spoken.
Padawan.
"Padawan Cal." The disembodied voice was more clear this time and to the young Force user, far more recognizable.
A voice he knew all too well, one he once heard almost every single day.
Cal's breath hitched in his throat, his pupils shrinking to the point that they were akin to tiny dots with his face visibly paling.
"Cal?" Red worriedly said, deeply thrown off by his friend's drastic mood change.
He wanted to first ask what that voice was that came from seemingly nowhere. But the state of his friend mattered more to him at this point.
The same could not be said for Blue Oak. Whilst he himself was worried about Cal's current demeanor, he was more concerned with the source of this result.
After that last battle with Koga, he remained on edge, ready for anything that may attack them. He wasn't taking any chances.
His Charmeleon was by his side, the reptilian Pokémon's eyes constantly shifting around their surroundings.
Cal's new Gastly hovered around them, its mischievous smile gone. The eyes conveyed concern for his new trainer, floating around the Jedi.
"Gaaa?" Was the ghosts concerned warble.
"Cal." Red said again, hand on his shoulder, slightly shaking him. "Snap out of it man, what's wrong?"
The Padawan remained unresponsive, only breathing heavily. His eyes were trembling now, his Larvitar and Magnemite on either side of their trainer.
That was when he felt it.
They all felt it, trainers and their Pokémon.
A shift in the air that reverberated down to their souls.
The thick mist that wafted in the air began moving, coalescing into a swirl before the group.
Blue stood before them, he and his Charmeleon glaring at the swirling fog.
The fog slowly began taking shape, a tall and broad figure that dwarfed all three of the young trainers.
Cal's breath hitched at the sight as the fog formed into a proper shape. One he had seen many times before.
Slowly, the mist began to take on a different, more solidified hue as the figure began to materialize.
It soon took the shape of a tall, imposing figure that dwarfed even the likes of the musclebound Lt. Surge.
Though it held a translucent body, there was still a distinct enough color to identify the purple skin, gray hair and green eyes that gazed down at the boys.
Red was a bit freaked out and Blue was ready for a fight but Cal was utterly speechless and unmoving.
The figure looked at the Pallet Town natives for a few moments before resting its eyes upon the ginger-haired boy.
"Cal." It greeted with a strained smile.
Blue and Red looked back at him then at the spirit with uncertainty.
"What is this?" The former said aloud. "Cal, what's going on?"
The Padawan didn't answer, only shakily walking forward to stand between the spirit and the two trainers behind him.
"Master Tapal?" Cal whispered, almost daring it not to be real. "Is that really…?"
"It is, my old Padawan." Jaro Tapal said quietly, the spirit lowering itself onto one knee to be more at eye level with his student. "It is good to see you once more."
Cal could only stare before letting out a strangled cry, tears leaking from his eyes before he lunged forward.
To the surprise of all, the Padawan did not phase through the apparition.
Instead, his arms were wrapped firmly around the broad frame of Jaro Tapal, clinging to him as though his life depended upon it.
The Lasat Jedi Master took it in stride, placing his arms around his student, patting his back.
"I'm sorry you had to endure so much without me, my Padawan." Jaro quietly said. "But I am here now. And I can imagine we have a lot to talk about."
Cal only laughed on his masters shoulder, tears freely falling from his face.
Behind him were Red and Blue who had been watching all this in silence, the cap wearing trainer was scratching his head.
"Uh… do you have any idea what's happening right now?" He awkwardly asked with Oak's grandson shaking his head.
"For now," Blue crossed his arms. "Let's just give him a moment. Feels like we're gonna be getting our answers soon enough."
AN
And scene.
Cliffhanger just as I return to this story, huh? Annoying isn't it?
Sorry that I take so long with these ones guys. Try as I might, life on top of my other stories usually take precedent over my more solo works.
But sometimes one just needs to read a manga, play a Nuzlocke or see the trailer to the next game Cal is in to get yourself back in the game.
So here I am and here we go.
A long awaited chapter I've been wanting to get to for some time now with Cal reuniting with his master.
And now, he has a full roster team at his disposal but does that mean that's the only one's he'll get? And… who is to say that he will play by the rules of this world if he has the option not to?
Lots to do and cover as Master and Apprentice reconnect next chapter as well as a lot of eye opening dialogue for Red and Blue to be sure next time.
For now, I shall leave you hear comrades.
Thanks for being so patient.
Current Roster
Larvitar(Kaiju): Rock/Ground
Moves: Leer(Normal), Tackle(Normal), Rock Throw(Rock), Payback(Dark), Bite(Dark), Take Down(Normal), Dig(Ground), Headbutt(Normal), Skull Bash(Normal), Rockslide(Rock), Chip Away(Normal).
Wooper(Hopper): Water/Ground
Moves: Tail Whip(Normal), Tackle(Normal), Water Gun(Water), Rain Dance(Water), Mud Shot(Ground), Mud-slap(Ground).
Starly(Arc): Normal/Flying
Moves: Growl(Normal), Tackle(Normal), Quick Attack(Normal), Wing Attack(Flying), Gust(Flying), Double Team(Normal), Peck(Flying), Seismic Toss(Fighting).
Eevee(Loth): Normal
Moves: Tackle(Normal), Covet(Normal), Helping Hand(Normal), Quick Attack(Normal), Tail Whip(Normal), Sand-Attack(Normal), Swift(Normal).
Magnemite(Zee): Electric/Steel
Moves: Tackle(Normal), Thundershock(Electric), Supersonic(Tackle), Thunder Wave(Electric), Sonicboom(Normal), Electro Ball(Electric), Gyro Ball(Steel), Spark(Electric).
Gastly: Ghost/Poison
Moves: Hypnosis(Psychic), Lick(Ghost), Spite(Ghost), Mean Look(Normal), Curse(Ghost), Night Shade(Ghost), Confuse Ray(Ghost), Sucker Punch(Dark), Ice Punch(Ice).
Pokémon Trainer Red Roster
Bulbasaur(Saur): Grass/Poison
Poliwrath(Poli): Water/Fighting
Pikachu(Pika): Electric
Snorlax(Snor): Normal
Pokémon Trainer Blue Roster
Charmeleon: Fire
Pidgeotto: Normal/Flying
Golduck: Water
Machoke: Fighting
Rhyhorn: Ground/Rock
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.