Gengar and Gallade

It was late. The flow of people along the city sidewalks was slowing. Most were in a hurry, to get home, to get to a party, to get to an appointment, to get somewhere else. A woman trying to hold onto a full basket and dial her cell phone was unwittingly asking for an accident. The accident obliged, catching her heels in a crack and causing her to stumble forward.

Someone caught her. At first, she thought it was some skinny teenager with odd tastes in clothing. Fresh white and spring green wasn't a fashion trend that she was aware of. But then it was apparent that his body was too slim and his head was not quite human-like. It was a Pokemon.

Still, it was polite enough to bend over and pick up a stray package that had fallen out of her basket. When he handed the underwear box to her, she was briefly glad that it was a Pokemon helping her. Blushing, she slipped it back into the basket. "Thanks," she mumbled, then went on her way.

The Gallade nodded. "You're welcome," he replied, then went on his way.

He walked down the street on his errand. True, he could have teleported and made this menial task much quicker. But he wanted to soak in this moment alone, reflective... quiet.

The night streets weren't exactly quiet. There were still cars and motorcycles rumbling along the roads. The lights overhead hummed and attracting buzzing bugs. Apartments he passed by had blaring radios, loud conversations, noisy machines. It was different though, and in that difference he could be reflective.

Arriving at the parking lot of the convenience store, he paused and wondered why he was doing this. He had been loyal and obedient to his Trainer for years. He had defeated many difficult opponents and achieved many lofty goals. All that, and what did he get out of it? Moving into a frantic city where the best thing to happen all day was running a simple errand? It didn't seem fair. He was still young, he should be able to...

Although he was standing, his shadow jumped out in front of him and made a rude gesture. He tensed for a moment, but soon realized what was going on. He stepped forward with his right foot and extended both of his arm blades. "Looking for trouble, shadow?"

It appeared to laugh, bringing out identical blades and waving them about like a bad kung-fu actor. In contrast, the Gallade made several quick jabs with his right blade, then followed up with a graceful slash of his left. The shadow brought both of its arms over its head, then sliced them down in a motion of brute force. He responded by retracting his left blade, then shooting Psybeam at the ground.

The false shadow popped right out of the ground, transforming into a hulking dark purple beast. It had ghostly claws on bulky arms, nothing suitable for mimicking a graceful sword artist. Still, he had a broad grin. "Hey Ray. It's been a while."

He sighed as he retracted his right blade too. "Good evening, George. And yet you still look like a fool when playing at my shadow."

The Gengar held his claws up and shook his head. "I ain't got no interest in following your smarmy style. How's the jerk doing?"

"You're just angry that he traded you off." Ray paused a moment, considering that it was a fair reason for his former teammate to dislike their Trainer. "He's all right. Does good at his job, has lots of friends, that kind of thing."

"Boring. I'm glad to be on my own."

"So what exactly are you doing? Pestering me for old time's sake?"

"Could be. Nah. I was looking for you, actually."

Skeptical of this, he put his hands on his hips. "For me?"

George nodded, but the glint to his eyes suggested something was up. "Yeah, for you. What are you doing on this lovely night?"

"That's none of your business."

In his usual spooky manner, he was soon standing next to Ray instead of in front of him. "Oo, are we being evasive tonight? You're not evasive unless it's something you really dislike."

"It's nothing, really, just picking up some things from the store."

"Like what things?" Enjoying his discomfort greatly, George grinned to show his sharp teeth. "I know you won't lie to someone you know."

"You know me way too well," he grumbled.

"So what is it that's got us all tensed up tonight?"

"It's just a stupid errand, but it's the only excuse I've had to leave the house all day. I'm picking up some baby formula and diapers."

To Ray's surprise, George seemed almost pleasantly surprised. "Is that so? The jerk and his woman had a baby?"

"Twins, actually," he replied, relaxing some at how the news was taken. "Two boys. It's been quite exciting the past year."

He chuckled. "Nice, twins. Sounds a bit too exciting, if you ask me. You all getting settled into the domestic life, then?"

"It's only as long as the twins are little. When they're older, we'll go back to traveling and camping like before."

"Yeah right. Sounds like you're stuck being a homebody."

"Just temporarily," Ray argued, getting tense again. "Our, sorry, my Trainer is all for heading back out to the wilds when the kids can handle it. He likes to tell all the great stories, like how we explored those old mines and found that Dawn Stone just in the nick of time to keep me from evolving into a Gardevoir. And even ones with you, like how you intimidated all the Gastlies into leaving us alone in the graveyard that night..."

George waved that off. "Ah, then he's turning into a storyteller like all the others. I've talked to a bunch of other guys, and they say that once the humans start having kids, then it's all over for you. Your best days are behind you."

"No they're not," he replied, although there had been many times that he had thought that exact thing today.

The Gengar chuckled, then pulled out a large coin and tossed it over. "You keep telling yourself that. Or, I've got an offer for you."

He caught the coin and looked at it. Made of copper, it was marked with an Octillery on one side, and a name on the other. "A bar token?"

"I'm heading out on a quest of sorts, with some guys. It'll be quite an adventure, but I doubt any human would come along with us. We were talking about what and who we might need and I knew immediately that you would be an immense help. That is, if you'd come along."

"I'm a loyal Pokemon," Ray said sternly.

George nodded. "And so am I, to those who deserve it. That is why I came looking for you. Are you really going to stay loyal to someone who's going to restrain you to home for the rest of your life? And what difference is there between how he treated you and how he treated me?"

"He's not about to trade me."

"Are you sure? You keep your blades pretty sharp, don't you?"

"Of course. I'm proud of them."

"So what's he going to do when his woman complains about having a bladed Pokemon around their kids?"

"I wouldn't hurt the twins."

"But you know how mothers can get."

"She knows I wouldn't harm them."

"Okay, then you just keep telling yourself that it's not a bad thing to be stuck as a homebody, only getting out at odd hours to serve the crying babies. Or, you can drop by that place some night this week and talk with us. But this week, mind you. After that, I'm sorry, but you're on your own." George then dematerialized back into the shadows and left.

Part of Ray's mind told him it was best to throw the Octillery bar token away. But it wasn't strong enough to make him do it. More of him feared that George was speaking the truth, that his best days were behind him thanks to those two brats. Not that he'd tell anyone that he thought of the twins as brats who were stealing his Trainer's attention and love.

Even after all this time apart, George knew him much too well. Ray went in to pick up the formula and the diapers. But as he paid for them, he wondered if he had the nerve to run away.

…

Ruby/Sapphire entry: Sometimes, on a dark night, your shadow thrown by a streetlight will suddenly and startlingly overtake you. It is actually a Gengar running past you, pretending to be your shadow.

Gallade Diamond/Pearl entry: A master of courtesy and swordsmanship, it fights using extending swords on its elbows.

This is the original version of A Mundane Story, so go check that out if you like this. I like the issues this story brings up; you don't see them very often.