Who You Gonna Call?

[darth meanie]

I started this story on fanfiction.net a while back, but it just hasn't gotten a lot of hits. So I'm trying to garner more support for it by posting it here!

If you please, post a review on my fanfic profile as well!
Who You Gonna Call

Please wait to post until I post all 5 chapters.
Chapter 1: Go Go Ghostbuster
Chapter 2: Gengar Grief
Chapter 3: Mismagius Misfortune
Chapter 4: Hoenn Ho!
Chapter 5: Bloody Banette

 

[darth meanie]

Go Go Ghostbusters!

It was late night in Ecruteak City. The houses had closed, the lights were off, and the small ancient town was silent. No one was there, except for the lone figure crossing the roads, who moved along through the city as if it was as clear as day. He reached for a key and opened one of the most prominent buildings on the new side of the town, opposite the old city with the Burned and Tin Towers. Not too long later, a second figure came the same way, with much more fumbling. This other, smaller figure came with a small biped and a smaller quadruped at his sides; he also entered the Ecruteak City Gym.

The first character hid in the shadows when his follower entered. The man smiling unseen reached for a Poké Ball, flinging it silently at the figure.

A Ghastly threatened the trespasser, diving at him with ethereal malice. The newcomer, a young teenager, was unshaken, sidestepping the ghost while his companions reacted; the Sneasel attacked with a Night Slash and the Umbreon with Faint Attack. The boy did not appear concerned by this turn of events at all. He may even have expected it.

"Making sure I was on my guard?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of, course," the man said, revealing himself to be an adult of about 30 years of age, wearing simple blue garb that contrasted with his blond hair; he was Morty, the Ecruteak City Gym Leader. "If you can't take a little surprise you certainly won't make it in the line of work you're looking for." His voice had a smooth quality, but was slightly scratchy.

"Clearly I can," the boy countered in a low, quiet voice.

Morty did not respond. His piercing eyes gazed over him, his second sight allowing him to see what visible light did not betray. His eyes darted all around the adolescent, from his short dark hair, to his equally drab shirt, his cargo pants and his dark blue shawl over his shoulders. Morty finally settled on his eyes, the ghost trainer's hazel eyes settling on the other's dull grey ones. The deeper things he saw were unclear though. The boy had experienced more agony than is usual even for most adults, but Morty could not see the cause. The boy also had unusual determination, possibly forged by the same source of his pain. His motivation though was the most blurry, Morty unable to grasp any idea of why the kid had come here, or why he wanted to do what he wanted to do. The boy did not have anything other aspects worthy of alarm, or at least none he could see. Neither darkness nor naïveté nor any significant weaknesses displayed themselves. The gym leader relaxed. He was not hiring a psychotic.

He laughed. "Boy, you've got… spirit isn't the right word. Determination, that's what it is." The blond man shrugged. "That's an interesting line of work you've got planned, for a boy who's only thirteen. Most kids want to be Pokémon masters, but you? You want to fight ghosts. Never seen anything like it."

"Not only ghost Pokémon." The raven-haired boy corrected him. "I want to take down aggressive or destructive Pokémon that attack people,
and bring them to justice."

"Is there justice for Pokémon?" The blue clad ghost trainer commented. "Can a wild Pokémon really be held accountable for its actions? I suppose that's a philosophical argument for another time though. But you still want to fight ghosts. Ghosts and Darks in particular, so you come to me to ask for a commendation, so you can make a living of it. A letter of recommendation from me is going to take more than a snazzy outfit or boundless determination though, and you really don't fit those categories too well anyways. You need to prove that you can fight ghosts, and the tough ones at that."

"I expected as much,"

His sharp eyes gazed towards the battlefield of his gym. He lightly tossed a Poké ball, releasing a Pokémon. Misdreavus.

"Umbreon, this is your fight." The boy said, and the dark moonlight Pokémon strode forward to face its foe.

Morty looked at the trainer before him, and he nodded.

"Misdreavus, use Mean Look!" Morty commanded, and the ethereal Pokémon sent an intimidating glare of malice towards Umbreon. Umbreon bared his small fangs and snarled at the ghost, egging it on.

"Now use Perish Song!" Morty followed. His opponent only smiled, as Misdreavus, rather than singing a song of death, began to simply hiss and screech, accomplishing nothing.

"I expected a Perish Trap, so I had told Umbreon to use Taunt." The boy explained, the Umbreon, flaunting in it success glared at the Misdreavus.

Morty whipped out a Poké Ball, returning Misdreavus, but failed to do so; the beam would not connect.

"I also had him use Mean Look to prevent you from changing strategy. You're in for it now."

"How did you get your Umbreon to do that? You never said a word." Morty asked, bewildered and curious.

The boy shrugged. "A Misdreavus will always use Perish Song if it first uses Mean Look. I taught my Umbreon to know that. Also, Faint Attack!"
The Umbreon lunged at the ghost, throwing a quick punch in her face, making her cry out in pain.

Morty had almost no options. Between Umbreon's resistance to ghost moves and excellent defenses, none of Misdreavus's standard attacks would have any effect, and his final option, Psywave, was useless against Dark types. He went with his best option, which he knew could only at best slow the opposing Pokémon down.

"Curse!" Morty said regretfully, and his Pokémon sadly relinquished most of her own life force to spite her foe.

The Umbreon followed up with another Faint Attack, and the Misdreavus was rendered unconscious from the blows. Morty reluctantly withdrew his Pokémon.

"Savage Umbreon you have there," Morty commented, the mentioned Pokémon growling at its opponent. "Alas, it won't be of much use against… Gengar!"

A Poké Ball flew forward releasing a large and imposing ghost, a trickster and powerful attacker. Umbreon began to snarl but was suddenly racked with pain as the curse shot through his body. The boy grimaced at the pain afflicting his Pokémon, knowing that Gengar could stall and destroy Umbreon. He would have to take advantage of the lull in the fighting the Gengar would make when it substituted or protected to avoid damage. Moonlight would nullify the damage taken so far effectively.

"Show no mercy, Gengar! Focus Blast!" Morty exclaimed, throwing his opponent off balance at the surprise move.

Gengar closed its eyes and stretched his arms to the sides, summoning a bubble of energy around him. Umbreon began to dash to attack, but the Gengar released the swirling energy, throwing the little Pokémon back, unconscious.

"You changed your strategy. It threw me off guard." The boy said.

Morty shook his head. "No, you were looking at it wrong. I never cursed so I could stall you out; I cursed to ensure Focus Blast would defeat Umbreon. You've got to open your mind to all tactical possibilities." Morty admonished.

The figure opposite him fidgeted, returned his Pokémon to its resting place, and picked another sphere from his belt.

"Murkrow," he said, and a small, ominous black bird entered the arena. It studied the Gengar carefully. Unlike its Umbreon counterpart, the Murkrow seemed much more cautious, and exacting. Generally more dangerous than fury. Morty knew he had sent the Murkrow rather than the Sneasel, or another Pokémon, because it was not weak to fighting attacks because of its secondary flying type. A smart move, but Gengar is a Pokémon of versatility as well as power.

"A smart move, but not smart enough," the gym leader laughed. "Thunderbolt!"

An electric current began to run through the Gengar, ready to tear through the defenseless bird when its trainer called out, "Sucker Punch!"
In a flash, the Murkrow appeared directly in front of the vulnerable charging Gengar. With what almost looked like a smile on the bird's face, it gave two sharp jabs with its wings to the Gengar's face, knocking it out with revolting precision.

"Interesting," thought the victorious challenger. "It smiles even when unconscious."

Morty recalled his Pokémon still smiling. "That was one of the best matches I've had in a good while. Brutal and short, but fun. Of course, your team was entirely comprised of Pokémon designed to defeat the Pokémon I use."

"That's all the more reason for you to let me take this job, I'll clearly be just as efficient as I was in here. If you just give me some contacts, I can capture dangerous Pokémon and stop them from hurting people!"

"Just as efficient?" Morty asked, suddenly becoming more serious, the crispness of a recent battle extinguished. "Did you think you were efficient in there? You tried to stay two steps ahead of me, and it let you knock out my Pokémon, but it also got your Umbreon defeated. You over thought the battle, and you cannot afford to do that. You need to think on your feet, react to the environment now, not the environment after the next exchange of blows, or your strategy will blow up in your face. Besides, do you really think that wild Pokémon will be as easy to predict as I am? I was never comfortable with this anyways. A Pokémon Hunter is basically just a glorified mercenary."

"Mercenaries fight for profit."

"How is that different than capturing for profit?" Morty asked snidely.

"I don't hurt people, or people's Pokémon."

"Alright, so let me ask you something. Why? Why do you want to be a Pokémon Hunter? It lacks the prestige of Pokémon training, or the income at the high levels, and you look like you could make it there, with practice."

"I want to help people. Pokémon battles are glorified cockfights."

"Don't lie to me, because we both know you don't believe that. You and I just had a Pokémon battle right here, and you certainly didn't hold back or seem squeamish. You can drop the red herring, it won't fool me."

The trainer was silent for a moment. It might have been a while since he had a conversation with someone much smarter than he was. The boy looked up and saw the leader, staring at him with his auburn eyes. Lying would get him nowhere.

"I'm not sure." The boy began. "Something about the trainer lifestyle never appealed to me. Regardless of the reason, I know that this is what I want to do."

That was at least half-true.

"Why Ghost Pokémon though?

"Everyone needs a specialty."

"That is true, but it also doesn't answer my question."

The boy paused again. "The team I have just seemed to assemble itself. It would be especially effective against ghost Pokémon, thus I specialize."

Again, a statement that was at least true in part. Morty knew what he needed to know at least; he did not need to pry into the boy's psyche, he had already done that.

"Fine," Morty said. "Lavender Town. Find Mr. Fuji. There has been some ugly aftermath from a gravesite relocation project. He'll tell you what you need to know. Clean it up and he'll give you a contact for future jobs."

"Thank you sir," the boy said beginning to leave.

"Darcy," Morty said, the boy turning back. "Watch your back. I promise you, this is not going to be an easy job."

"Thank you," Darcy repeated, leaving the gym for good.

"I hope I didn't make a mistake," Morty said to himself, giving his Gengar a revive. "I hope he doesn't get killed either. What do you think?"
The Gengar looked at its trainer, contemplative, then gave a mad cackle and flew around the building.

"Same as usual," Morty sighed, recalling his ghost and returning home. It was late, after all.

So he had succeeded. His aspiration was finally going to be fulfilled. Morty never even noticed his biggest problem. Darcy began to run out, excited, but stumbled and panted for breath.

" It would be a shame to be undone now, having come this far, by a fainting spell." Darcy thought. He clutched at his chest, his heart fluttering. Doubt began to gnaw at him. He had managed to convince Morty, but maybe that was for worse and not for better.

"You could seriously die! Did you really think the challenge was to get past detection of your condition? You probably would have been better off letting him know, maybe he could have stopped you, and you could have lived to see the age of fourteen." He thought.

"The only reason I'm here, and not in that bed, is because of my determination." He answered himself. "If I gave into fear now, I would be undoing everything I fought and struggled for. If it wasn't for the painful physical therapy, I might not be alive today. "

He reached for a Poké Ball. A red laser pierced the darkness, releasing the darkness Pokémon, Murkrow.

"Fly," he ordered, stretching out a rough part of his sleeve. The crow sunk his talons into it and lifted the boy into the air.

"Azalea Town," he said, and the bird flapped its wings and flew across the moon south to the small town nestled in a valley between a dark cave and a mystical forest. Darcy had one last thing to put in order before he left for Kanto.

As his bird finally made it to Azalea, Darcy could see that the house indeed had its lights on, its owner still crafting one of his works. When Kurt had time to sleep the boy would never know. Hoping he was not disturbing him, he came to the door and entered.

"Who's there?" The man at the workbench asked, but he had a suspicion. He put down the apricorn in his hands and turned to find his friend.

"Darcy Chase?" he questioned happily. "It's good to see you; you've been such a stranger. What are you doing up so late?"

"Morty gave me a job, I'm gonna need some of the apricorns I've lent you back. You haven't been tampering with them have you?" Darcy asked his parents' old friend.

"Of course," Kurt said. "I've some level balls, fast balls, love balls for you. Should make Pokémon Hunting a much easier task. Remember that you have to hit the Poké Ball in the center of the Pokémon's energy, or else my Poké Balls won't work. They are craftsmanship, after all."

"Where would that be in a ghost?"

"I've no idea," Kurt laughed, handing him a small sack containing the Poké Balls. "Darcy, you've been like a nephew to me. Be careful. Don't let that heart beat you, but don't beat it either."

"I won't. I promise." Darcy accepted the bag.

"Where are you heading?"

"Lavender Town, in Kanto." Darcy explained, a bit of pride welling within him. "I don't know the details, but it sounds like something along the lines of a mass uprising of ghosts."

Kurt was silent.

"It won't go down like that,"

"I know," Kurt replied, "But I still worry. That's dangerous, no matter who you are."

"If I died easy, I wouldn't be here now." Darcy said, leaving the door.

Kurt sighed, and got back to work. He'd known the kid since before he was born, when his parents were pregnant. They had had to move to Goldenrod, because it was the only place with adequate medical facilities to support a boy born with a failing heart. He'd made a point of getting to know the kid to appease his friends, but didn't expect to like him. The child had proven to have an incredible will to live, and his stubbornness behind that weak heart of his had not only saved the boy's life, but also made the two friends. To most he may seem hard to like, but knowing him from childhood made him impossible not to like. If only his parents knew what their son was up to.

"We hope to see you again!" the pink haired eccentric said from behind the counter, handing a tray of four Poké Balls to Darcy. He left the Pokémon hospital and summoned Murkrow.

"Fl…" Darcy began, but saw the state of his Pokémon. Flying a thirteen year old boy that far had taken a toll on the poor bird, healed or not.
"Idiot." He thought. "Let your Pokémon rest. Besides, you're not in the shape right now to go to Lavender Town. Wait until tomorrow, fly to Goldenrod, take a tram to Saffron, and fly to Lavender Town then."

He let his Murkrow rest and stepped back into the Pokémon Center. He needed a room for the night after all.

 

[darth meanie]

Gengar Grief

When Darcy awoke, he did what he did every morning; he immediately, instinctively brought his right hand to his left wrist, felt for the pulse, and waited. It was about 65 beats per minute. He was fine. He began to get out of the cot in the Pokémon Center, and changed out of his pajamas into a more fitting outfit for travelling. He rarely walked on foot though, for miles of walking in a day tend to have negative effects on people with chronic stage II Heart Failure. He felt sorry for his Murkrow, who, weighing less than ten pounds had to carry a boy thirteen times his weight for miles. Which was why he was taking an easier route for his bird, it was only a short flight north over Ilex Forest to Goldenrod, where he could catch an Electric Tram to Saffron City, just a short road separating it from Lavender Town. He would live to walk that far, at least.

The nurse at the Center gave him a heartfelt goodbye and good luck, something Darcy would likely be in considerable need of. He walked through the automatic doors of the hospital and found a bright sun greeting him. Azalea Town was beautiful this time of year, with a quaint charm possibly enhanced by the ancient forest surrounding it. He should feel a warm connection to it though; he may have never lived there, but it was his hometown. Not that this was the time for this. Lavender Town was in need of his help.

"Murkrow," the bird Pokémon burst from the orb that held him. His talons gently gripped his master's shoulder as he lifted them into the air, and soared over the forest. It had a different personality from above than it did inside it; while the forest floor seemed timeless, mystical, and cold, the canopy was vibrant and full of life, Ledian nesting, Spearow flying, Sentret and Aipom using their appendage-like tails to swing from branch to branch. Flying was definitely an advantage of training Pokémon, something that no one else could feel. The view, the wind in your face, was something that he was very grateful to experience. After being used to his own weak body to propel himself, flying with a Pokémon was a surreal time. The water along the road he travelled over glistened with the morning sun, and the city just ahead seemed vibrant. The bird, upon reaching the city limits, came to a stop for a rest.

"Well done," Darcy said, thankful towards his faithful bird. "You deserve a good rest." The darkness Pokémon seemed to smile at the gratefulness of its master as he was summoned into his master's hand to be called when needed.

The boy headed north, towards the station for the tram. The city was not as impressive at ground level, within the borders. While the main streets were shining, and the Pokémon centers, Shopping center, and Gym were all eye-catchers, when Darcy drifted past the tourist attractions and visitor stops he noticed a slow decline in upkeep. The alleys, away from the public eye were covered in graffiti and litter piled up. Not everything that looked good on the outside was as good on the inside. He'd noticed this many times on his trips to the hospital he took in his childhood; as they moved from the suburbs through the seedier areas of downtown to the hospital. He still remembered the exact route.

"Watch where you're going!" a female voice cried out.

Darcy, having bumped into someone, looked up to find the voice had a body. "Tourists think they own the place," the voice muttered, its body, that of a young brunette girl about a year younger than he in a short black dress, stormed in the same direction as Darcy was headed.

"I've lived here longer than you have," Darcy said, angered slightly when he realized that the girl had bumped into him.

"I really don't care," she stated, not looking back and still walking just a little ahead of Darcy on the mildly trafficked sidewalk.

This occasion would not have been remarkable if it were not for the fact that they were headed in the same direction, and, as Darcy eventually realized, the same location. The girl seemed less than excited by the prospect, showing a mild paranoia about having this raven-haired boy behind her for five city blocks. Moving faster would have been embarrassing in this big city, so she just lived with the boy moving just behind her. When she did eventually reach the gate for the Magnet Train she quickly closed the door behind her, an action Darcy merely brushed off, but the girl was already beginning to pester him.

When he opened the door, he found her trying to get through the checking without a pass. She smiled and pouted and said that she must have left it at home and she "couldn't miss the train," or else she'd get in trouble. She eventually got through the man at the door unhindered. Darcy on the other hand produced a rather expensive pass he had purchased, and stepped through the security gate without fanfare. Noticing the guard's lack of interest, he doubted even he believed the brown-haired girl's story.

Loading on to the high-speed monorail, he moved to the side of the car opposite the girl. Transit would be about thirty minutes, so he ran through his head things to do in the meantime. Breathing exercises would be the best use of his time; he could both relax away his current tension and concentrate on the task he had. Closing his eyes, he began to slow his breathing, breathing deep and exhaling fully. His mind soon found that there was almost nothing he could do to prepare for the task ahead, so his mind began to wander.

He began to reminisce. It was only two years ago that he was introduced to Pokémon training, although then he was still constricted to stay at home, not yet healthy enough to look out for himself like the rest of the children his age. It was Murkrow that he was first introduced to, a boy by the name of Gold helped him catch the darkness Pokémon as he passed through town. Gold was a nice kid, helping him out like that. He saw his battle with Whitney afterwards; he'd never understood how he won after Whitney's Miltank crushed his Quilava with her Rollout. Whitney didn't understand either. Darcy was both embarrassed and smug about his gym leader's defeat. The smugness left when he thought he stood a chance against her as well. If they were to fight again today, she wouldn't stand a chance though. At least that's what he told himself.

His second capture was less fond, a Ghastly. After a few days it became painfully clear that ghost Pokémon were not easy to train. When another trainer came through town though, going by the name of Silver, he was glad to unload the flustering Pokémon on him, in exchange for a Sneasel egg the boy had accidently spawned at the day care center just south. The Sneasel proved to be a close ally to him, and her battling skills proved a great asset in the few battles he participated in; while Sneasel was not as calculating as Murkrow, her sharp claws made him just as efficient.

Eevee was a gift. Bill was visiting his family when he was attacked by a wild Pokémon, a Teddiursa. Bill never was skilled at Pokémon battling, his Flareon was a pet first and a Pokémon second. Darcy happened to be in the right place at the right time and his Sneasel used a quick Brick Break attack to knock it out quickly. Bill thanked him and gave him the Evolution Pokémon as a gift. Eevee seemed to flourish in the new environment.

Ironically, it was against the Ghastly he had previously owned that his Eevee evolved into an Umbreon; Silver was passing through, now with a Haunter, and his old Pokémon proved to be very loyal to its new master. His other Pokémon had been fainted, so Eevee was the only Pokémon he had to go against Haunter, who had already defeated Sneasel. After a rather crushing series of Night Shades, Eevee absorbed the moonlight overhead to become Umbreon, and defeated the Haunter. While horrendously loyal, Umbreon had developed a savage personality in battle, very defensive of his sickly master and aggressive towards his opponents. Not that his master was sickly anymore.

His fourth and final Pokémon was one he had only caught recently, in a trip to the national park. Just before his thirteenth birthday, Darcy managed to enroll in a bug catching competition. His catch, a Scyther, was unfortunately young and clumsy, barely making third place. That could only be remedied with training though.

The Magnet Train pulled to a stop, breaking Darcy from his trancelike state. Forgetting the girl, he disembarked to the station and looked around. Saffron City was definitely an impressive place, skyscrapers towering and wide, clean, even streets much more organized than the sprawl of Goldenrod. The city had definitely begun a clean-up campaign since the days of corruption not too long ago, with Sabrina crushing a rival gym, an isolationist barricade set up around the city preventing anyone from entering, and of course, Silph's infiltration by Team Rocket. He passed by their enormous tower, which reflected the sun like a mirror off its glass walls. Yes, the city was certainly stunning. That was not the purpose of his being here, he remembered, and the boy, recollected, began to head east towards Lavender Town.

The road between the two cities proved less hospitable than Darcy should have credited it, the sun, although tolerable, certainly did not help around the second mile of walking, and he was only halfway there. Pain was also beginning in his chest, and the boy certainly didn't need to hurt his heart anymore. It wouldn't stop on him if he continued, but he'd pay for it later. Regretfully, Darcy pulled out his Poké Ball.

Murkrow floated in front of him, prepared for orders.

"Sorry," he apologized to the bird. "Take me to Lavender Town."

The bird gave a short cry in response and clamped on to his masters' shoulders. Lifting him up into the air, they began to soar towards the old town in the east.

Below him, he noticed a bicyclist also heading towards the village, a girl, brunette, wearing… a black dress?

"You've got to be kidding me," Darcy remembered, thinking that this was no coincidence. He passed her by though, and soon arrived in Lavender Town.

The Pokémon Tower, once a hallowed resting place for the dead Pokémon, was now a radio station, and the graves had been moved to the south. No wonder the city was in need of his services.

Darcy found Mr. Fuji's house without difficulty, for he had apparently taken the liberty of placing a rather large sign in front of his house with his name on it. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

"Come in, come in, the door is unlocked," a cheerful voice proclaimed.

Entering, a man a little past middle age stood inside. Surrounded by Pokémon, a Cubone, Aipom, and another species he didn't recognize were all with him. He seemed to be one of those jovial types who just became more and more content as years went by; Darcy was more than a little surprised that this was the person who had hired him.

Looking closer, Darcy noticed a stark contrast. The Pokémon with Mr. Fuji looked abused and unhealthy. There was some sort of trauma that happened to the Aipom, while the Cubone looked emotionally troubled. Darcy was slightly unsettled by this, not only by the fact that the person he was working with had abused his Pokémon but that he seemed so jolly otherwise.

"What can I do for you?" the man asked with a smile.

Composing himself, Darcy responded. "Morty of Ecruteak said that you needed a Pokémon Hunter. Ghost problems. Those happen to be my specialty; I'm certain he sent word ahead of me about my proficiency."

"I need to remain professional about this, no matter what. This is my one chance to establish myself," he thought.

"Ah, I actually received it not too long ago today, you made good time. Unfortunately, the spirits of this city occasionally become restless. It was about four years ago that a killed Marowak managed to control the entire tower, possessing the occupants. A boy named Red managed to appease it, being only ten at the time, by driving away her murderers."

"Her son is right here," Mr. Fuji motioned towards the injured Cubone on the floor. "The Team Rocket members had abused it, so me and my volunteer house have been nursing it back, but it still has some scars, physical and emotional."

Darcy suddenly felt like quite the bastard. He fell even more silent than he already was, listening to his contractor continue.

"This is not like the last time; the renovations of the tower have completely removed the graves and unloaded them to the south. The spirits are angered, and I need someone to calm them. We do seem to know that they are centered around some sort of charismatic leader, a Gengar, the only one among them. Capture it, and I can pay you 20000 in Poké, as well as give you my contact."

The pay was even better than he had expected. He'd only have to take down a lone Gengar to get his pay, as well as the more important contact. A good contact was the best job security in the world after all.

"Where can I find my mark?" Darcy asked.

"At night he can roam anywhere in the city, causing chaos. In the day, he lies in the underground portion of the new makeshift cemetery. It is in a tunnel just south of the city. To think that they just dumped graves down there, its disgraceful."

"I'll leave at once."

"Don't be an idiot!" Mr. Fuji yelled, grabbing the boy by the shoulder. "You won't see it, the rest of the ghosts will be there like its army. You'll be crushed!"

"I can take care of myself." Darcy said coolly. He reached into his bag and procured a Silph Scope, attaching it to his face.

"Sneasel, release!" he said, and his Sharp Claw Pokémon revealed herself, donning a Cleanse Tag on the red plumage over her left ear.

"I think I'll manage. I am, after all, a specialist." With that, Darcy turned and left the building, heading directly south. As he headed towards his mark, he couldn't help but notice the brunette girl heading towards the same house he just left. This was… very interesting. Darcy couldn't help but feel a confrontation in the near future, and not just with the Gengar.

The Gengar would be manageable though. The Silph Scope would allow him to spot it before it saw him, and the Cleanse Tag would drive away the weaker ghosts, allowing him to concentrate on the Gengar. A foolproof plan.

The graveyard did not seem haunted from outside. There was a restlessness about the area that contrasted with the town. The town had a laid-back and tense feeling, while this had a tense and restless aura about it. The tunnel, which qualified better as a cavern, did loom ominously. Tombstones were lying around it, broken and fallen. If he were a ghost he certainly would be outraged. Darcy reached a hand up to the side of the Silph Scope attached to his face, and toggled a switch. Ectoplasmic energy was at the top of the scale, so concentrated that he was able to form a very good idea of the layout of the cave. It was composed of a narrow path that opened up into a large antechamber. That's where the Gengar was certain to be. Flipping another switch on the specs, he walked into the cave.

It seemed to become instantly dark when he entered, the light almost stopped at the threshold. Ghastly and Haunter with angered faces were pushed back from the Sneasel next to him, making low wailing sounds, probably to inform their master of the intrusion. Night vision and ghost vision filters activated on his headgear, when he entered the central chamber he found his mark, angered and prepared to fight. Without hesitation it lunged through the barrier the Cleanse Tag had formed, preparing a Shadow Punch for the Sneasel.

The Gengar was confident, seeing only one opponent. The wild Pokémon certainly didn't know about Sneasel's signature attack that would soon change that.

"Beat Up," Darcy called, and his three other Poké Balls flung themselves open, his four Pokémon suddenly surrounding the surprised ghost.

Flurries of punches, bites, pecks, and scythe swipes suddenly hit the ghost. He was not expecting this, and began to retreat.

"Scyther, Sneasel, Pursuit." The Gengar regretted that choice when two Pokémon with sharp appendages slammed into him. He was playing into Darcy's hands now. The Gengar did not appreciate that.

It turned to the Sneasel with what looked to be a punch. Darcy was not worried, preparing to order a Night Slash when the hit made contact, not as a punch, but with an openhanded smack, and not with Sneasel, but with the Cleanse Tag.

"Knock Off," Darcy realized. Gengar could not learn that move without extensive, specialized training though. It mattered little, because his Pokémon were suddenly swarmed with the same effect as Sneasel's Beat Up but a hundredfold. Soon, they'd go for him as well. He needed to capture the Gengar now. he had only one way to stop it.

"Scyther, attack Gengar now! It's the only way!"

Scyther, in pain from the swarming ghosts and being the weakest Pokémon on his team was miserable from his master's command, but began anyways. Its wings spread and it flew towards the opposing ghost. By having Scyther, his lowest level Pokémon, attack Gengar, his level ball would become incredibly effective, since the Gengar was clearly of high level. He just had to wait for the Gengar to turn its attention.

There. With a smooth motion despite the turmoil around him, he lobbed the ball at the Gengar with a perfect throw. The ball whizzed straight towards, then straight through, the ghost, who seemed rather happy about the trainer's failure. It held the Scyther triumphantly in the air, and looked at Darcy with a face that killed, screaming that he would be next. Kurt's special craftsmanship was only effective when the Poké Ball hit the center of a Pokémon's energy. With a ghost Pokémon though, that point did not exist. Darcy reached for an Ultra Ball, knowing that it would fail, when the Level Ball bounced off the cave wall, heading backwards back towards the Gengar. Passing through again, although oriented incorrectly, the ball activated, summoning the ghost inside of it without any change in momentum, hitting Darcy directly in the gut, knocking him down.

The cave fell silent. If the capture failed, Darcy knew he would get no other chance. His Pokémon were sprawled on the ground, defeated, and the Gengar would surely kill him before he had another chance. The Poké Ball on his stomach began to shake, rolling on his sore stomach, making him shudder as his insides churned, his heart beating quickly. Once, twice, thrice, and there was a satisfied ring from the Level Ball, as if a bell had just been struck. The Gengar was his.

Their leader gone, the ghosts scattered, knowing that they could not oppose someone that powerful. Lucky him too, because they certainly could. Darcy found his other four Poké Balls and recalled his bruised Pokémon. Getting to the Pokémon center was now his first priority. Still shaking, he lifted himself up and walked towards the cave entrance, relatively unscathed, but certainly unsettled.

-000-

"We hope to see you again," cried the eerily familiar nurse behind the counter of the Pokémon Center. It was nearly evening, and Darcy began to head towards Mr. Fuji's house when the homeowner in question found the boy. Excited, he ran over to him.

"Thank goodness you're okay, I was worried about you. Did you catch the Gengar?" Darcy lifted the Poké Ball in question to his contractor's face, showing the Level Ball off.

"Well done, my boy. May I see it?" he asked.

Darcy nodded, pressing the button on the center, shooting out a red beam that reconstituted the undead Pokémon. The Gengar growled and turned to its new master.

"I sure hope you don't expect me to be your ***** now," the Gengar said disdainfully.

"What?" Darcy exclaimed in confusion at the Pokémon.

"Is something wrong boy?" Mr. Fuji asked.

"Did that Gengar just talk? And cuss?"

"Don't be daft, I've lived in this town for a decade, and I've worked as a Pokémon researcher. Most Pokémon can't even understand proper
human speech, and none can speak it. Only a select few can even use telepathy."

"Don't listen to him," the Gengar taunted. "Just because you're crazy doesn't mean you're wrong."

"You can't say that, I'm your trainer!"

"What are you babbling about boy?" Mr. Fuji asked, now concerned about the boy's mental health."

"I'm telling you, the Gengar can talk, and won't shut up," Darcy said, facing the laughing Gengar and pointing at him.

Mr. Fuji saw the Gengar, floating next to Darcy with a tired look on his face, silent and bored, while Darcy pointed directly away from him
enraged and confused.

"Do you see the Gengar right now?" Mr Fuji asked, hopeful it wasn't what it seemed.

"Yes, he's right there," Darcy replied, his finger not moving.

Mr. Fuji sighed. Darcy did not know why, the Gengar was talking as clear as day. What was with asking if he saw him too? That could not
possibly be disputed.

"Darcy," Mr. Fuji started. "Gengar is right behind you. He hasn't made a noise."

Instantly Gengar vanished from Darcy's view. The Gengar was indeed right behind him, silent and bored. It yawned a bit, and then looked back at Darcy.

"But… I saw… never mind. Return." Darcy said as he summoned his new ghost back. He looked at the Level Ball carefully, and was certain he could make out the word, "*******."

"I'm going to go ahead and ignore what just happened. Here's your pay." Mr. Fuji handed Darcy a substantial roll of bills. "Also, I can show you your contact. By lucky chance, it turns out she is here as well. I'll introduce you two."

"No way, it can't be," Darcy thought, but it was.

The frustrating, brown-haired, blue-eyed girl was his new contact.

"Darcy, meet Melissa Bertille, one of the best Pokémon Hunter contacts in the business." Mr. Fuji said proudly, leaving the two to discuss business in the Pokémon center lobby.

"It is so nice to meet you," the girl said with excessive cheer and open arms. "I'm certain we'll work just great together, after you captured that Gengar and all. Did Mr. Fuji pay you?"

Darcy nodded and produced the bills. Melissa snatched them and put them in her purse.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, outraged.

"Silly, this is my down payment! A good contact like me isn't cheap you know," she winked with the last two words.

Darcy just stood still in disbelief.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll only take a third of your pay on any of the jobs I get you from here on out, and trust me, you'll make more, fast, if you're any good." She walked up to him and put her face to his face. "You are good, aren't you?" She asked softly. "Someone as good as me doesn't need to depend on a mediocre hunter to get by, you know."

"I'm good, but how do I know you're any good?" Darcy demanded. "Maybe I should find a different contact."

"I've got five jobs lined up already if it makes you feel any better," she pouted.

It was at this exact moment that Gengar decided to make himself present. Darcy's Poké Ball burst open unexpectedly, his new ghost floating by his side.

"What are you doing out of your Poké Ball?" Darcy demanded.

"What are you doing out of yours?" The Pokémon demanded.

"Who are you talking to?" Melissa asked curiously, sitting on a couch staring at the boy who had just asked the strangest question to the wall beside him.

"Why can't they see or hear you?" Darcy hissed in a quieter voice.

"Beats me, but it's hilarious," the Gengar noted.

"Why can I hear you?"

"I don't know. I must be something special though, because there is certainly nothing special about you."

"You're going into the PC and staying there for all eternity."

"I think not."

"What's stopping me?"

"The fact that if you try to, I'll hit you in the chest with a Thunderpunch and put you in cardiac arrest. Is that good enough for you?" The Gengar grinned an unnatural, gleeful smile.

"Darcy, we've got work to do!" Melissa said. "There's a flock of Murkrow attacking in Jubilife City, an insane Banette in Oldale, a Mismagius witch in Blackthorn, you're getting all of these done!"

"What have I gotten myself into?" The Pokémon Hunter thought as his two new allies tortured him. This career path was going to be a very unique adventure.

 

[darth meanie]

Mismagius Misfortune

"We ride to Blackthorn first. That job will expire tonight, so we better get on it." Melissa explained, drawing a Poké Ball.

"What's the job?" Darcy asked, frustrated by his new partner, and his new partner.

"Skarmory, Go!" Melissa called, and a large metallic bird, nearly six feet tall burst out of a red laser, warmed by the evening sun. Said sun glinted against its silver wings and shone in its yellow eyes as it let out a happy screech to see its master, lightly tugging on her hair in his beak.
"Pryce is incapacitated at the moment, and there's this Misdreavus wreaking havoc in the city. They need someone to get rid of it. Clair will be able to handle it soon, so we need to stop it before the offer gets taken down."

"What happened to Clair?"

"Slipped and hurt herself in Ice Path."

"Oh,"

"You'd think one of the best gym trainers in the world wouldn't slip on her own backyard!" she chuckled, mounting her metal bird. "There's one more thing. This Misdreavus doesn't look like a Misdreavus anymore. They say it evolved, but they can't."

"I think they can. Someone found a collection of stones underneath Sinnoh. Some of them have the power to make some Pokémon evolve. I've heard of it, I think it's called Mismagius."

"Hmm. So you do know a thing or two about Ghost Pokémon. Here I thought you were just making it up as you went along."

"Was that a test then?" Darcy asked. Working with this girl was going to be an uphill battle, he knew.

"Let's get going." Melissa dug her heels into the sides of her iron bird.

"Wait!" Darcy said. "All I've got to fly there is my Murkrow, I can't get there before nightfall, and he won't be in any shape to fight."

Melissa sighed, not happy at all with the outcome. "Get on," she said with an air of superiority, reminding him that she was doing him a favor.

Darcy awkwardly climbed onto the metallic bird, not exactly comfortable with a second passenger, which it indicated by taking off just a moment
before Darcy could secure himself, giving him a nice shake as the bird streamlined its body into a graceful glide. It flew like a torrential thunderbolt to the west, passing 160 miles per hour as it jetted over Saffron, then Celadon, Viridian, the Pokémon League, and to Mount Silver. This was flight, this was speed, being held by nothing but your legs around a Pokémon that could burst through the atmosphere like nothing. Between the thin air, intense winds, and natural fear of such speed, height, and insecurity, Darcy's heart took off like a rocket, straight into his throat.

"If I fall unconscious, I'm dead," he knew, gritting his teeth to stay awake. The rush of air became even faster as Skarmory took to a dive, reaching speeds over 200 miles per hour with the acceleration provided by gravity. If his heart did not fail him, the G-Forces would. It was in a moment though that Skarmory leveled out and slowed down, preparing for a landing. It was nearing Blackthorn now, and began to scan for a place to land.

"Boo!" Yelled Gengar as he pushed Darcy off from a still reasonable height, laughing as his master who plunged about three stories and landed on the grass. "I can already tell that will never get old."

Darcy rubbed his sore rump as he struggled back to his feet, his heart now pounding in his head. He looked around. He was in the east part of Blackthorn City, the sun was about to set and Melissa and her affectionate Skarmory were just landing, the former angered and the latter amused.

"You idiot!" Melissa cried, getting off her mount. "You could have killed yourself. Are you completely incompetent? If you die on me, I can't make any money until I find a new Hunter!"

"Glad to see your concern," Darcy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, and fatigue. He cracked his neck and got up, the brunette girl still angry with him.

"Falling off a flying Pokémon? Do you expect to catch Pokémon and get jobs pulling stuff like that? I should just find someone else to work for. My skills are in high demand. Very high demand."

She continued on, the Gengar enjoying the display and Darcy becoming more irritated, until he finally snapped.

"What made you so needy that you have such a massive superiority complex? What the hell do you think you're compensating for?"

She paused. She had not expected that. There was no need to answer his question though, all that was necessary was that she shrug it off, and maybe tone it down. Not much though, he needed to know his place.

"Listen; let's just get to the police station so they can fill us in on the details." Melissa said, subdued in voice and words but not in body language, which still demonstrated a visible anger. "Just get that Mismagius in your Poké Ball."

-000-

"Catch the Pokémon, and you'll get 10000 Poke for the job. Get it done by tonight though, or its no deal." The police chief said, a woman in her late 20s with a cyan hairdo.

"I'm certain we work a better deal than that," Melissa replied, confident in her negotiating abilities. "This is only one of several jobs we have lined up, and some of the others are pretty competitive.

"This is why I hate working with bounty hunters," the police chief sighed. "They always try to sweeten the deal. You don't have me fooled though; you're in no position to bargain. If you were worried about losing those other jobs, you would have done them instead of this one, and we have less to lose if you bail than you do. I'd suggest you take what's been offered young lady; it's the best it's going to get. If you'd like to continue though, I'd be happy to drop the starting price."

Melissa's face contorted ever so slightly. "You caught me. Give my cohort the details."

"The ghost Pokémon,"

"A Mismagius, I understand." Darcy interrupted.

"Is that what they're called? No one here had ever seen one. I would have checked online, but she tore apart the power lines. Communications are down, the hospital and Pokémon Center are running on emergency power, but that won't last. She was last seen in the Ice Path. If you catch her there, you'll be in good shape."

"Let's go, Melissa," Darcy said, getting up and checking his Poké Balls.

Melissa got up and left the police station. They began to walk north, towards the Ice Path entrance, until they were out of sight, at which point Melissa suddenly shoved him.

"What do you mean, let's go? I think you missed something important. I get the jobs, I negotiate, I handle paperwork, transportation, travel, taxes and everything. The only thing I ask of you is to catch the Pokémon they tell you to."

"Aren't you supposed to be my support team?"

"Oh, no problem," Melissa said with a huge sarcastic smile. "Support!" she punched her fist into the air. "Now get going!"

"Don't worry, I'll watch you," an ominous voice called to Darcy alone.

"Let me guess, you'll watch me, and do nothing else, no matter how bad the situation gets." Darcy whispered as Melissa was around. Last thing he needed was a girl with that oversized of an ego to call him out on voices in his head, or a heart condition.

"You wound me master!" the Gengar replied with feigned disappointment as he made an exaggerated gesture as if he was just stabbed. "Knowing you, I'll probably laugh as well."

"I suppose that's as good as we'll get." Darcy grumbled, climbing up into the tunnel of the Ice Path.

"Sneasel," he called, beckoning his companion.

A red-feathered weasel-like dark animal arrived for the first time into her natural habitat. She seemed to have a certain joy, being introduced into her natural habitat. The air was cool and crisp, although too much so for her master's tastes. This was a business trip though, not a vacation. All three of them: Darcy, Sneasel, and Gengar, began to walk through the claustrophobic tunnel, searching for the wailing ghost that had caused so much trouble.

There it was. A purple Pokémon from pointy hat to legless torso, it instantly fled at the sight of the three.

"Pursuit!"

Sneasel tore towards the ghost, ready to devastate it with her most powerful attack, when she lost track of the ghost. She was nowhere to be found.

A cat and mouse game ensued, slowly meandering through the tunnels searching for the ghost. Then there was a long open spot, where she had no place to hide.

"Pursuit!" But again the Pokémon fled. Darcy ran towards the fleeing ghost.

Wham. Darcy executed a smooth, nearly flawless face plant into the ice.

"See, I told you I'd laugh," Gengar chuckled, a tear coming to his eye. "Are all humans as incompetent as you?"

Darcy slowly pushed himself back up, but the frozen field made it nearly impossible to keep his balance as he gripped the wall for stability. Gengar continued to laugh, but Sneasel, seeing she could not find the Mismagius, returned to help her master.

After some awkward fumbling, Darcy regained his composure and continued with his two companions toward the last seen location of the ghost. Eventually and surprisingly the found themselves at the other entrance of the tunnel. The Mismagius was now racing towards Mahogany Town!

Darcy whipped out his Pokégear and called Melissa.

"This is going to get complicated, I've been trailing the ghost, but she's been dodging our attacks; we're near Mahogany Town."

"Are you hurt?"

"No, but…"

"Are your Pokémon hurt?"

"Not really…"

"Then goodbye," the wrist bound communication device sang as it hung up.

"It's going to take a long time to get used to her, pesky girl," Darcy thought as he hurried toward the city to the west.

-000-

"It completely ignored anyone here; it just came in, then headed straight north? Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" the man said, puffing out his chest. "You don't see a Pokémon like that every day, you know."

"Anything I should know about before I head north? Obstacles, weather conditions, anything?"

"Now up that hill is the Lake of Rage, settled nice and snug between Mt. Mortar and Ice Path. It's one dangerous place, there's something mystical about it, and it's full of Gyarados! Those things will tear you apart!"

"Great, this is exactly what I needed." Darcy complained, already tired from the hiking he had had to do. He was already feeling very lightheaded from the cardiovascular exertion, something he could not take for granted.

"And now I've got to go up a hill. Murkrow," he called somberly.

The bird never complained, never hesitated to chauffeur his master around, regardless of how difficult it was. Which was what made it that much harder to ask of it. With a determined cry, the small bird lifted him into the air.

Darcy wished that there was an easier way, but Umbreon and Sneasel could in no way help him around, and Scyther did not have the necessary appendages for flight. Unless Darcy wanted to arrive with several deep wounds. Gengar was out of the question.

Soon Murkrow reached the lakefront, about twenty feet above the shoreline, a sudden downpour striking the area. Suddenly, Murkrow involuntarily released his grip on his master, and Darcy, for the second time that day, fell to the ground.

"I was right! That would never get old!"

The Mismagius was floating over the lake ominously, the dark color of the water heightening the effect of her glowing body. She would not run from this fight, but why? The lake surely was not any better suited for her to fight in than the path, so what did she have to gain? His Pokémon
were very capable of fighting in this terrain.

"Scyther," he drew his Poké Ball, and a young hunting mantis manifested before him.

"Murkrow, Dark Pulse. Scyther, Pursuit. Gengar…"

The ghost just smiled and waited for its command.

"Never mind. Go!"

His two Pokémon began to attack when something entirely unexpected and inconvenient happened. A Gyarados emerged from the Lake of Rage, irrationally angry towards Darcy. Normally a wild Pokémon, even a Gyarados, would not have affected the battle severely. Another rose from the lake though, then another, and two more. Eventually seven different Gyarados were looking towards the Pokémon Hunter on their lakefront, none with pleased faces.

Energy pulsed from the Mismagius. "My God," Darcy realized. "She controls them,"

It was then that seven colossal sea serpents began to attack.

Two began to charge Hyper Beams, while two others began to move rapidly, likely preparing their Dragon Dances. Two more fired Hydro Pumps, while one began to go in for a Crunch. Darcy emptied his last Poké Ball, containing Umbreon, and even he was more timid in the faces of these.

"Gengar, use Thunder!" Darcy cried, knowing that it was the only way to take the Pokémon down.

"Hmmmm," Gengar contemplated. "You've put me in a powerful position. I don't throw away power."

The Hyper Beams fired, one narrowly missing Scyther, the other squarely hitting Umbreon. The two Dragon Dancers were finished, and began to lunge in with their friend to tear apart Darcy's Pokémon.

"We'll talk terms later, just do it!"

The dark clouds above crackled with energy, and pillars of lightning crashed down onto the various Gyarados, defenseless from electrical attacks and especially vulnerable in the rain. Whatever spell Mismagius had cast over them had broken, whether of fear or of thunder, and they fled back into the murky waters whence they had come.

"Thank good- Gah! What are you going to do to me?" Darcy jolted, the Gyarados suddenly seeming like the lesser of two evils.

"Don't worry your empty little head over it," the Gengar grinned. "When the time comes, you'll know. You'll know."

Darcy turned back to the Mismagius, expecting her to be weak and confused. On the contrary, she seemed more confident than ever. The waters beneath her began to churn, and the ghost suddenly summoned massive blue flames and threw them at Darcy and him team. The Pokémon took no damage as the flames passed, but cried out in pain as they were burned. Will-o-Wisp.

Darcy had no time to use his Full Heals, the ghost could attack before he could finish and laugh as she threw flames again. He would have to go on the offensive.

"Murkrow, Dark Pulse."

The burnt bird fired out dark purple rings at the ghost, who did not attempt to dodge, but took it, laughing at the seemingly null damage she took. It then summoned a Shadow Ball.

"Umbreon, Intercept!" Darcy commanded, knowing that Umbreon's impressive defenses could withstand an attack. Umbreon was knocked down by the blast though, and looked weak afterwards, as if it had instead just eaten a Focus Blast. The glowing Mismagius began to summon another attack.

That was when Darcy realized it. While the Gyarados distracted him, Mismagius was able to use Calm Mind, perhaps four or more times. Special Attacks would do nothing to her, and her Shadow Balls were going to hit for massive damage. Physical Attacks would not be effective either due to the burns. He had been outplayed, but that did not mean he was going to give up. This Mismagius was making it hard not to.
The cackling she-ghost let more blue fire fly around the group, creating a swirling inferno all around. The Lake of Rage began to swirl with an unbridled fury, as the raw power from the Mismagius cracked the air and knocked Umbreon off his feet, flying towards Mahogany town. A recall from the Poké Ball rescued it from a likely death, but nothing seemed to be stopping this witch.

A flurry of physical attacks was the best hope. Perhaps then she would be weak enough to capture.

"Sneasel, Beat Up!"

His various Pokémon gained newfound strength, and dashed over the water towards the Mismagius, prepared to rend the apparition asunder, but they were suddenly repulsed by the power flowing from her. There seemed to be no hope left; the energy from the ghost was swirling around the entire lake, the rain poured with fierceness, the trees swayed to her will. No wonder she was able to tear the city apart.
There was still one more option though.

"Murkrow, Whirlwind!"

The Darkness Pokémon began to flap its wings to summon a ferocious gale, one more powerful than the ones that the Mismagius commanded. The ghost realized what was happening, and began to redirect the winds back at it, to counteract the gust intended to rob her of her newfound powers. A clash began, both pushing against the other, but with that burn gnawing at Murkrow's health, he was not likely to succeed.

The Mismagius was distracted though. A sneak attack would do no good though, he had no angle to attack her from. What he could do though, was give Murkrow the edge. He pulled out a Full Restore, and angled it towards his flying bird. It was no replacement for the care of a Pokémon Center, but in the short term it would have the same effects. He pulled the trigger of the medicinal gun.

The bird's eyes began to shone, he flapped with more intensity as the heat died down and the wounds began to heal. Mismagius didn't stand a chance.

She knew that too; she had stopped her winds. Murkrow had accumulated a huge amount of energy, and was ready to release it. With a word from Darcy, a massive gale galloped upon the ghost, about to trample her, when it struck a blue energy field that canceled it out. She had Protected.

Mismagius did not take kindly to the attempts that Darcy was making. Blue flames swirled again as the ghost prepared to envelope the group once more. A hot inferno, even more intense than the first, shot towards Darcy and his team. Umbreon leaped to protect his master, falling unconscious as a result. The flames still burnt Darcy as they flew past. The pain was nearly unbearable; he could see his Pokémon slowly, one by one, fall to the ground, unable to continue. He began to do so as well. Despite all the noise, from the swirling waters to howling winds and wailing Mismagius, it seemed so silent.

"She burnt me! That ***** burnt me! I'll kill her!" Suddenly broke the trance-like state Darcy was in.

A purple blur flew across the water, smacking the ghost with a quick uppercut. She began to fight back with a Shadow Ball, but to no avail, Gengar was too fast as he swooped behind her with a Sucker Punch, followed by a Shadow Punch. The Mismagius, even after powering herself up with Calm Minds, stood no chance. A Shadow Ball made contact, slamming into Mismagius and shooting her towards the lakefront, beaten. Now was Darcy's chance. Dropping to one knee, he reached for a Poké Ball. He retrieved a Love Ball, which would be especially effective due to the gender difference of Gengar and Mismagius. If Darcy hadn't been burned, he might have appreciated the irony. A quick toss and a beam of light captured the ghost. A few shakes, a click, and the Pokémon was captured.

Darcy almost smiled but shuddered instead as the pain intensified. He reached his Pokégear and dialed Melissa one more time.

"Did you catch that ghost yet? It's nearly midnight and if you don't by then, we won't get paid!"

"Don't worry, it's in my hand right now."

"Alright then, meet me back here." Melissa replied nonplused.

"I can't." Darcy explained. "My Pokémon and I are injured, I need you to extract me."

There was an uncomfortable pause. "Where are you?"

"At the Lake of Rage," but the call suddenly ended.

Darcy looked around. Without a powerful ghost controlling it, the Lake of Rage seemed nearly tranquil, the cloud cover changed from ominous to cool and the water was no longer quite as murky, although it still didn't seem safe. His Pokémon were beginning to stir but were in no condition to travel; he finally reached to recall them as he dropped to both knees, from exhaustion as well as pain. He suddenly felt something against his back, shake his bag, and heard a spraying noise. Curious, Darcy turned to find that Gengar had helped himself to a Full Restore. Seeing his master look at him, he smiled brighter, and came up to Darcy.

"This is for catching that ***** before I killed her," he grinned, and everything went black for Darcy.

 

[darth meanie]

Hoenn Ho!

Darcy awoke with a sudden start. He looked around, trying to take in as much as possible of his surroundings. He could see he was in a dim room, with blinds trying to shut out the warm light on his left. He reached his left arm over towards the other to check his pulse but was restricted by a sudden tightening in his wrist, an IV. He was in a hospital. Was the battle that fierce?


On his right, he noticed, were a few monitors. His pulse was at 49 BPM. It was no wonder that he did not feel any good. He rested there for a few moments, trying to recall anything he may have forgotten in the past day. How long his last day was; he was probably experiencing burnout. He had travelled to easternmost Kanto, captured a very angry Gengar, was roped in with a narcissistic, materialistic, self-righteous girl, and suffered burns from a Mismagius after trailing it for over two miles, at least one of which was in a frozen tunnel, all in one day. Suddenly Darcy was less surprised by how bad he felt and more surprised by how good he felt.


"Especially considering the nightmares," he thought, shuddering. He had not had any for a while, but here he had nothing but them.


Seeing no reason to stay awake and still feeling tired, he slowly felt himself return to sleep, the scratchy sheets clinging to his skin as he hoped for a quiet sleep.


-000-


"Wake up, Darcy. Wake up!" A brown haired woman shrieked as she shook her only son, a mere kindergartener who was refusing to respond to any stimuli. "Call 911!" She yelled to her husband as she cradled her son, his heartbeat slowing to a crawl.


Darcy himself could still hear his mother, if only barely, and muffled. He could not see anything, move, or speak. He could feel himself being shifted, heard the sirens, and felt the acceleration of the ambulance, but he could not tell what was going wrong.


He was very weak, weaker than he had ever been. Was he going to die? He could not hear Mom any more either. Everything was silent. Was he dead already?


"Of course you are," a voice said. "You are weak. You are too weak to live. So now you must be dead."


The voice became an angry, formless spirit. "You are nothing to no one. Come with me, and finish."


"I won't." Darcy replied feebly. "I won't go yet. I'm strong enough."


"Let's see how strong you are then," the voice boomed, and then everything was pain.


Outside of his nightmare, he laid on the hospital bed, sweating, his pulse rising beyond anything normal for sleep. Gengar sat at his feet, with a big smile and raised hands.


Nightmare was a very fun move.


-000-


A nurse walked in to check on her patient, stepping towards the dark-haired boy in front of her, sleeping. He stirred at her presence.


"I'm sorry," she awkwardly apologized, loudly enough that instead of soothing the boy it woke him.


She was a brunette, probably an intern or medical student judging from her youth and clumsiness in the patient's room.


"It's okay," Darcy comforted. He started to lift himself up but then decided the effort was too much. "In fact, I should thank you. I was having a nightmare."


The girl was obviously lightened by the fact that the boy had not been disturbed. "I'm sorry to hear that." Her voice was much lighter as she tried to make conversation as she checked his vitals. "What did you dream about?"


Darcy paused for a moment as he turned his head to the window. The daylight was cascading down through the tiny gaps in the blinds, flickering on his face. "It was about a time when I went to the hospital when I was little."


"Your pulse is high right now," she noted. "It must have been one intense dream. Oh yeah, my name is Doctor Sanders and, I'm your doctor. You'll probably be out of here soon; tomorrow morning would be my guess."


"It was," Darcy muttered. "That's probably not the reason why it was so high though. I have arrhythmias."


"Oh, well that makes my diagnosis a lot easier." She laughed lightly.


"How did I get here?"


"A girl called and said you were at the Lake of Rage and injured. We sent in a helicopter to pick you up. You weren't in critical condition, but you had suffered a lot of fatigue, had some minor burns, and a bruised face."


Darcy suddenly remembered his last few moments of consciousness. He was not pleased.


"Can you tell her I'm awake?" Darcy asked. He did not feel particularly eager to see her, but she did save his life, even if she did not lift a finger. Besides, they had to plan their next route.


"I can't, she left." The medical student said to a Darcy who was at first incredulous, but then realized how likely that scenario was. "She checked to see if you made it, but once she knew you were stable she left the hospital. Do you know her?"


"I wish I didn't…" Darcy muttered as he reached for his Pokégear and scrolled through his contact list.


"Oh, Darcy! You're up finally. I was wondering when you'd wake up. You know it's almost 4 PM now. You do? Where have I been? I went to a hotel to get some sleep, and then went shopping! Why would I stay in the hospital all day? Well you are fine, aren't you? When are you going to get out of there? Tomorrow? I can't wait that long. Ugh, then I've got to come to deliver the Mismagius. See you then. Bye!"


Darcy looked at the blank screen on his gear, brought his hands to his face, and started rubbing his eyes. That girl was going to be the end of him.


-000-


Some time had passed, and Darcy was finally relaxing when a pesky girl opened his room door with little regard for the occupant. She was wearing not her black dress she had worn earlier, but a different outfit, one most likely purchased during the aforementioned shopping. Specifically, she donned a somewhat tight blue T-shirt, a short red skirt, and a white hat, with white shoes and long white socks on her feet. She actually looked pretty, if it were not for that face she was making. Her features were contorted in a way that said she was not certain whether using pretended sweetness or legitimate indifference would more likely get her way.


"Hey there Darcy," she smiled, choosing the former. "I need to get that Mismagius down to the Blackthorn Police to show we caught it. Would you get it out for me?"


Darcy sighed, reached for his belt, and found the Love Ball. He handed it to her and she beamed a surprisingly convincing fake smile, which was wasted on Darcy who had become used already to the girl's machinations.


"Oh, yeah, they say they're going to have to confiscate it. Security measures or something. Hope you don't miss it."


Darcy thought about the last Pokémon he had hunted. He decided he would not miss her.


Melissa scanned the room quickly, her mind absorbing whatever extraneous information there was around her.


"I thought you'd be out of here by now," she stated, disconcerting Darcy with her nonchalance. "Why are you still in that bed? We need to get to Hoenn soon, the ship leaves in a few hours.


Darcy groaned. "Doctor said I was going to be in here for the night."


Melissa defaulted to her aggressive form. "If you're going to need to take a rest after every other mission, I'm not going to make any money! Take better care of yourself next time."


There was a second layer to her voice, one that Darcy failed to notice, which had only the slightest tone of actual concern. It was impossible to make out, not even Melissa noticed it.


"Oh yeah, your cut," She dismissed, tossing the first profits Darcy had yet to see to his chest. It was about 3000 Poke in hard currency. It did not even cover his expenses catching the Mismagius.


"There's more of that in Hoenn. This was a poor job, in retrospect. They were not that desperate. Dewford City has a nasty Banette its dealing with though, and Brawly is defenseless to stop it. Fighting Gym, ghost Pokémon; bad for him, good for us. Apparently, the puppet took a liking to knife fights. Hey, with you in the hospital I might be able to haggle another 10000 out of the city. The whole region has been pretty desperate ever since the damage Groudon and Kyogre savaged on the land, so we don't have much competition. I guess I should be thanking you for hurting yourself!"


Darcy gave another groan as the girl by his bedside crunched numbers. Why did he have to be a Pokémon Hunter?


-000-


"Is that all you've got?" the trainer with a guttural voice said from behind his Misdreavus as Darcy assessed the situation, or what remained of the situation. Murkrow had finally fallen to the trainer's Misdreavus.


"I guess it is," Darcy admitted, returning his prized bird to his Poké Ball. His opponent did the same. The eleven-year-old boy averted his eyes, still reeling from his latest and most humiliating battle in a string of defeats at the hands of trainers travelling through his cities. The lone boy who watched the battle left straight away.


"You'll never make it as a Pokémon trainer like that," the tall green haired boy scoffed. "I don't think you have what it takes. You couldn't win even with a type advantage after three rounds!"


Darcy silently accepted the words of his competitor. Everything he said was true, after all.


"I hope you aren't going to enter the league, are you?"


Darcy almost admitted that he was entered, but thought better of it. That line of conversation could only lead to a discussion of his humiliating loss against Whitney. Her Miltank steamrolled him without taking any damage.


"Good." The trainer said, interpreting his silence as a no. "You should go and find some other talents of yours, because it sure isn't Pokémon."


Darcy watched as the boy walked past him for the Goldenrod City Gym, collecting what fragments of his ego he could. At least he could take comfort in the fact that he, like everyone Whitney faced, was going to lose. No one beat Whitney the first time, no matter how prepared they were.
The thing that frustrated Darcy was more complex than just losing a few battles, or being teased by some hotshot trainer who thought he was the best. It was the fact that he was right. Darcy was not kidding anyone with his badge case; he was woefully unprepared to take the gym challenge. His battling proficiency was not his biggest obstacle though. It was his heart. The weak little organ faintly pumping in his chest had kept him helpless all of these years and he would be helpless on his own.


Helplessness was all he knew, between repeat visits to hospitals and struggling with basic tasks. No one would ever believe that he would amount to anything but a liability to everyone around him. Not even his parents thought he could ever be great. He returned home, knowing that the life he was living was all for naught.


-000-


"That's why I'm a Pokémon Hunter," Darcy remembered.


-000-


Once again, Darcy's sleep was restless, Gengar still enjoying the unspecified payment he exacted from Darcy for attacking the Gyarados. Gengar could not help but feel a little disappointed though. Casting a nightmare is usually a palette for ghosts to express their creativity, a way to find hidden fears and craft them into masterworks of terror. Darcy did not allow for this though; his inner demons were too loud and obvious for any challenging exercises. The boy's psychology did not allow Gengar to be both creative and effective, and the disparity gnawed at the spirit.


He would just have to make do with what he could.


Darcy's restless sleep further deteriorated him for when he awoke to his contractor's obnoxious machinations against him.


"Alright Darcy, your EKG is normal, or as normal as it can be. That's what the doctor said at least. I got you discharged already. We need to get you to Olivine City in a few hours, so wake up! The nurse is going to remove your IV soon, and I got your stuff right here so you can get into your clothes. Speaking of your clothes, we need to get you some new ones, that outfit is horrible. Is that supposed to be a cape?"


Darcy found he could not shut her out, no matter how hard he tried.


Within the span of a few hours, Darcy found himself brutishly caressed out of the hospital in a way only Melissa could and into a department store for a new outfit. He was paying of course, but Melissa was choosing his new clothes.


"Here, you can wear this shirt without looking like you're colorblind," she said handing him a plain white shirt with a single thick blue horizontal stripe.


Darcy had to admit the girl had taste, and in retrospect his old clothing was rather silly. He finally settled for the white shirt, which she had layered with a thin black jacket and complemented with dark jeans. The outfit was just as versatile but not nearly as contrived as his old one. After paying for the outfit though he found himself nearly broke.


"All I've got left is a few hundred Poke," he said mournfully, examining his nearly emptied wallet.


"Great," Melissa replied, taking the money. "That's just enough to cover the ferry to Dewford City!"


Darcy started to complain. "I think I've lost more money with you than I've earned!"


Melissa stopped outside of the store and turned towards her client. Her voice dropped into a practiced whisper. "Would you like to just quit right now? Is your pay not satisfactory? There's 40 grand coming in the next job if you know what's good for you, so I suggest you shut it and get ready to earn it tomorrow!" No longer quiet, she built up into a near yell, emphasizing her point with a swift punch to Darcy's shoulder.



There was no doubt this girl knew how to… Darcy did not know what the word was for what she did. It was some negotiation or power game she played, one that Darcy did not know. It is hard to win at games when you do not know the rules.


Darcy started to rub where she hit him, and then stopped, realizing he would be showing weakness. Instead, he simply muttered, "I'm not in this for the money," more to himself than to Melissa.


"Really?" She eavesdropped. "You're not in this for money? You wouldn't mind if I took your cut then would you?"


Darcy regretted ever mentioning it. She was being particularly annoying today. Maybe she was exacting revenge for his not working for two days, or his need to go to the hospital. He had a feeling that things were going to get better at some point, although he didn't know when that point was.


"Sometimes things get worse before they get better," he thought.


-000-


It was nearly half past two when the two arrived in Olivine Town, riding Skarmory together in a fashion no more comfortable than the first time. When Skarmory was preparing to land Darcy suddenly lost his tangibility, and he plummeted toward the ground, landing rather clumsily on his feet but immediately collapsing afterwards in an undignified crash.


Gengar was floating above him, laughing at his own antics. "I think I found ourselves a running gag," he broke the fourth wall.


Darcy grimaced as he turned to the ghost. "You've been making yourself scarce lately," he noted.


Gengar nodded. "True, it was all for the element of surprise. Speaking of surprise, consider your debt to me nullified.


That was a surprise. "Any particular reason?" Darcy questioned nervously, not trusting his Pokémon for one second.


"There is a reason in fact: your nightmares aren't any fun. They're all the same thing about a near-death experience of yours. Seriously, you need some variety in your fears!"


"You caused those nightmares!"


"Yes, and I have to admit, I am flattered. When you needed to find something to attribute death to, you attach it to my own kind. That ghosts like me have acted as avatars of your fears is a great honor." Gengar taunted.


"I'm starting to think you do this on purpose!" Melissa said with an air of annoyance, landing her Skarmory. The Skarmory seemed to find this as funny as Gengar did though, having adopted its master's opinions but not her personality.


"Really, why do you do it Darcy? Do you enjoy it for some twisted reason? Why, Darcy, Why?" Gengar further teased, relishing the chance to form a united front with Melissa against him.


"Let's just get to the ship." Darcy said, dismissing his bruised behind and ego. Things get worse before they get better.

 

[darth meanie]

Bloody Banette

Darcy looked over the side of the ferry as it prepared to go out to sea. The fee had cost him nearly all of his money, but if Melissa were right, it would all be worth it. If she was right was the key though, and she had yet to be. Honestly, she had not been much help to him yet. She took his first payroll and got him hospitalized in his last mission. Things were not going well, but she would never admit it was her fault. She was not one liable to take the blame for anything.


"Darcy," she surprised him. "We should get to Dewford by tomorrow morning. Don't screw this one up, and we'll both have lined our pockets."


"What do you mean, don't screw this one up? I haven't messed anything up yet." Darcy did not feel upset yet, but he was afraid she might force him to lose his temper.


"You certainly didn't do anything right with Mismagius incident anyways. I'm just being encouraging." Melissa said with her syrupy sweetness.


"You really aren't being encouraging and you know it. You like to press my buttons for some reason, and I don't know why. If anything I should be asking if you got a good job, ever since we started this partnership I've lost money while you've made it." Darcy was nearly out of patience, something that rarely happened.


"Don't patronize me. You'd be lost without me. My services are invaluable, so just remember that I can walk out at any moment." Melissa reverted to her cold, soft voice. Those two voices, her sweet voice and her cold voice, seemed to be the only ways she spoke. Darcy was certain he had had enough of her games.


"Are you that insecure? Are you really going to act superior every time you're challenged? It's so immature. Stop pretending to be so great when you aren't."


Melissa was about to respond, her temper building as much as Darcy's when they were interrupted.


"I'm the captain of this ship." A middle-aged hefty man said proudly. "Welcome aboard!"
The two teens gave unenthusiastic replies tempered by the fact that they were speaking to the captain.


"If you two have a dispute, you should have a Pokémon battle. I have a battlefield set up on this ship if you want to use it. Nothing helps you think straight and relieve tension like a battle."



Darcy and Melissa looked at each other. With the degree of tension there was, it could not hurt.


They followed the captain to a marked off rectangular field on the deck. Melissa assumed one side and Darcy the other. It was a small field, but Darcy doubted that either of them was going to be throwing around anything big.


"Is a three on three match good for you?" Melissa asked.


"I'm fine with that." Darcy replied.


Melissa pulled out a Poké Ball, threw a quick pose, and lobbed it towards the field. A red beam of light hissed to reveal a Pokémon. Darcy quickly identified it. It was a biped, yellow skin, star on his forehead and a spoon in his hand. It was a Kadabra.


Darcy smiled. "Are you asking for a beating Melissa?" he asked, as her Pokémon had a horrible type disadvantage against all of his Pokémon.


"You'll see," she grinned. Darcy tossed his own Poké Ball towards the field.
A dark blue Pokémon with striking red plumage stepped onto the field and sized up her opponent. She felt her trainer's confidence and smiled. To others psychic Pokémon were an anomaly, a mysterious species with strange powers. To her and her kind though, they were nothing. She understood them better than they understood themselves; they relied on a power they only sought to understand, but she fought with inner strength.


"Sneasel, Fake Out!" Darcy commanded as his snow weasel dashed along the ground to surprise her opponent with a quick first move.


"Focus Punch!" Melissa cried in response.


Darcy could not believe what he was seeing. Why would she use Focus Punch? There was no chance that Sneasel would give Kadabra enough room to pull off that attack. While Kadabra backed up and prepared his punch, Sneasel struck with a quick strike, guaranteed to knock him off his feet before he could carry out his attack. To his horror, Kadabra ignored the blow and drove his fist directly into the Sneasel's gut. The Pokémon was thrown back on to the ground, the wind knocked out of her as she lay on the arena floor.


Melissa smiled. "Oh? Didn't you know that Kadabra is immune to flinching thanks to his Inner Focus? "Sneasel brought herself back to her feet. "That quadruple weakness to fighting moves must suck, doesn't it?" she teased. Sneasel shook off her daze and pain and regained resolve. She also had Inner Focus, after all.


Darcy analyzed the situation. He was lucky that Kadabra was such a physically frail Pokémon. Focus Punch was an incredibly powerful attack, as powerful as a Hyper Beam, and Sneasel was very vulnerable to that type of attack. They were hardly down for the count though, for just one good Night Slash could finish it.


"Kadabra, Miracle Eye!"


"Sneasel, Night Slash!"


Sneasel raced towards the Kadabra again, confident of her victory. The Kadabra simply looked towards the oncoming Pokémon, whispering static. Sneasel raised her claws to bring them down on the Kadabra, hissing, when it suddenly blocked her paw with his spoon. Sneasel refused to break off the attack, her claws still retching the darkness she was going to rend on the Psi Pokémon.


"Psychic."


With his power boosted by the Miracle Eye, Kadabra flipped the spoon in his hand around, grabbing Sneasel with his mind and lifting her into the air. In a bust of white noise that deafened both Pokémon and trainer, Kadabra threw the Sharp Claw Pokémon and dropped her like a ragdoll in a telekinetically abused heap, bruised and unable to continue. Darcy recalled his Pokémon. On paper he should have rather easily won, but he did not.


Melissa smiled. "Do you have any more favorable match-ups you want to try me with?"


Darcy did not answer, but replied with a lightly thrown Poké Ball, releasing his first Pokémon, Murkrow.


The bird flew overhead the Kadabra, who, although only suffering a direct hit from Fake Out, was beginning to fatigue. Unlike his evolved form, he could not sustain his powers for long.


"Shock Wave," Melissa said. Her Pokémon collected energy for a wide, dispersed blast of electricity, impossible to avoid.


Darcy however commanded his Murkrow to do what he did best. "Sucker Punch!"
Melissa gasped in surprise that she had been outplayed, and Murkrow dashed towards Kadabra at a blazing speed and gave the Pokémon a quick uppercut with his wing followed by a long punch to the side. Kadabra was down for the count. Melissa recalled him to her Poké Ball, smiled, and replaced him with a much more favorable match-up. Her Poké Ball released a small Pokémon, although it was bigger than Murkrow by a sizable margin. It had a mixture of features both cute and touch, and had a very prominent tail with a lightning bolt shaped blade on its end. It was a Raichu. He looked at Murkrow, turned back towards it master and let off a quick bark before preparing for battle.


"Thunderbolt!" Melissa commanded.


"Dark Pulse!" Darcy countered.


Both Pokémon lobbed their best attacks directly at each other. Two separate rays of energy, one dark and one light collided in midair. The two attacks danced for a few moments, both trying to better each other when the energy finally collapsed in a sonic boom. Smoke clouded the area between the two Pokémon. Melissa was surprised though when a sudden blow struck her Raichu, still recovering from the expended electricity, from the Murkrow as he spun like a turbine, ramming his beak into the electric mouse's face. Melissa's Pokémon, crying out in pain, suddenly released an involuntary burst of electromagnetic waves around him, causing Murkrow to end the attack. Raichu fell to all fours, breathing heavily, and Murkrow grimaced as best as a bird could, electrical discharge still sparking around the dark bird. It perched on the ground, trying to regain his strength.


"Way to use your Static!" Melissa said, raising her arm into the air as a cheer. "Now, finish him off with your Volt Tackle!"


The Raichu let his electrical power consume him as he engulfed himself in a glowing electromagnetic storm. He sprinted towards the Darkness Pokémon, planning to make quick work of him. Darcy was unflustered though.
"You'll never learn. Sucker Punch."
Despite suffering paralysis and the imminence of a rushing Raichu Murkrow prepared his attack. Raichu, still racing towards the grounded Murkrow, gave one great leap as he crashed into the bird. Murkrow however jumped into the air as well, his left wing coming under the mouse for a devastating uppercut while his right wing delivered a savage hook right after. Raichu was knocked out cold, and Murkrow flew back into the air, ready to fight again despite its paralysis.


"Quite an upset you pulled there, Darcy." Melissa commented, withdrawing her Pokémon to his Poké Ball.


"After you beat me with a Kadabra, how couldn't I?" Darcy reminded her.


Battle was an effective way to release tension. You cannot be mad when you test the mettle of your Pokémon and yourself against another. Melissa picked her last Poké Ball.


"Skarmory, come on out!" she said enthusiastically as her beloved metal bird entered the scene.


The armored grey bird was eager to spread his wings, and displayed his lovely red feathers for all to see. After taking a moment to enjoy the crisp sea air he turned towards his master, squawked with joy, and grabbed some of her deep brown hair in his beak and started to tug on it.


"Skarmory, no! Battle!" she said commandingly but happily. Her loyal bird of prey turned around to see Darcy and Murkrow on the other side of the battlefield. He gave a sudden roar and glared menacingly at the two, all too eager to engage them in combat.


"I don't think your Skarmory likes me." Darcy noted.


"He's just so protective of his Mama," Melissa cooed. "He's still just a baby." Her bird cooed at her voice, then attempted and failed to regain his menacing posture.


"Don't think I'll go easy then," Darcy warned.


"You won't get the chance. Skarmory, use Brave Bird!"


Her metal raptor soared into the sky and started a wicked dive down towards Murkrow, who was still in low flight.


"Murkrow, use Sucker Punch!" Darcy commanded. His Pokémon prepared his favored attack, but Skarmory had no weak point to hit, and no safe point to hide. He tried to dodge at the last moment, but Skarmory nailed the bird at a torrential speed. Murkrow are not known for their resilience, and the single hit brought the crow down. Darcy recalled his first Pokémon, proud of the work he had done, and amazed at just how powerful Skarmory was.


"You said Skarmory was just a baby. How did it pull off Brave Bird?"


"You like?" Melissa asked. "Skarmy here was hand bred you see. His mother was a powerful Skarmory, high-leveled."


"What about his father?"


"His father… was a Ditto. Don't ask. He inherited all of his fighting skills from his mother. Apparently, acquired knowledge is genetic for Pokémon. The point is though that you can't stop my dear Skarmory."


"You can't be stopped, can you sweetie," she said to her Armor Bird Pokémon, who cooed and grabbed her hair once more.


Darcy thought through his options. Scyther obviously would not last ten seconds with his type disadvantage and inexperience. Umbreon, while powerful, did not have any attacks that good hit Skarmory for decent damage. Murkrow and Sneasel were unable to battle. Darcy pulled out a Poké Ball, nearly shuddered, and released his latest acquisition. His powerful purple poltergeist appeared from his Level Ball with a bit of surprise. He was used to only coming out when he felt like it; being ordered out of his Poké Ball was a new, and unpleasant, experience.


"What do you want?" Gengar asked his master through the unknown medium that only they could access.


Darcy answered, "See for yourself."


Gengar looked around, noticed Skarmory's aggressive look in his eye and the battlefield and realized what was going on.


"You don't seriously think I'm going to do this, do you?"


"Just get in there," Darcy said. "One of your Thunderbolts and it's all over."


"Yeah, I don't think so." Gengar replied.


"Skarmory, Steel Wing!" Melissa interrupted. Her Pokémon rushed towards Gengar, his majestic red feathers glowing white with energy.


Gengar cursed as he dodged away from the attack, muttering obscenities at all in the general area. Skarmory was undaunted though.


"Drill Peck," Melissa followed up, and her Pokémon attacked with repeated stabs with its beak, all of which Gengar easily avoided with his ethereal speed.


"How is your Gengar so fast?" Melissa wondered aloud. "No matter, Aerial Ace!"


Skarmory reeled back and threw its wing forward towards Gengar for a vicious cut certain to make impact, but Gengar simply phased through the blow.


Neither trainer expected that.


"I'm getting really pissed off," Gengar muttered as he soared upwards, raising his hands for an attack. He threw his hands forward and started to summon a strange energy ball, a yellow orb that glowed a pitch dark purple. Bolts of energy suddenly leapt from the sphere in his hands and arced towards Skarmory, instantly blasting him with incredible voltage, the static discharge leaving the arena with an unnatural crispness. Gengar had a very terrible Thunderbolt attack.


"Skarmory!" Melissa yelled as she saw her Pokémon fall from the sky, smoking and hot from the electrical burns Gengar inflicted. She dashed on to the battlefield where her treasured baby bird fell in an undignified heap. After a short yet anxious examination, Melissa found him to be fine. He was unconscious and rather badly bruised, paralyzed and burnt, but a trip to a Pokémon Center would bring him back into fighting shape.


"Good match," Darcy commented as he pulled out his Poké Ball to retrieve Gengar.


"That Gengar of yours is something else. How'd you get hurt at the Lake of Rage with him with you?" Melissa asked, caringly reaching for her Pokémon's Poké Ball.


"I don't think he cares for me particularly," Darcy answered. Gengar was nowhere to be seen.


"There didn't seem to be a problem to me."


"Trust me, he doesn't," Darcy started when Melissa saw him suddenly bend forward and collapse to his knees.


"Hey, you okay?" she asked.


"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, coughing rather horribly afterwards.


"Is that blood?" Melissa wondered incredulously, looking at the phlegm he had exhaled.


"Don't worry about it." Darcy said. "I'll be fine."


"You look like you just got punched in the gut."


"I'm fine," Darcy insisted as he struggled to his feet.


"What's wrong with you?" Melissa asked, now as angry as she was concerned. "I'm getting you to first aid."


"That might be a good idea," Darcy admitted as he stumbled trying to walk forward.


They reached the basic first aid faculties of the ferry, where the captain was able to inspect the teenage ghost hunter.


"Looks like you took some sort of blunt blow to your stomach," he said. Melissa's eyes shot death at Darcy, who stood there silently. "Are you sure you don't know what happened?"


"Nothing happened," Darcy lied, taking a makeshift ice pack from the captain as he fidgeted with his Level Ball. "I just felt hurt all of the sudden, that's all."


It was past nightfall now, and the two made their ways to their respective cabins in the hull of the ferry.


"What the hell is wrong with you?" Melissa suddenly snapped in the hallway after making certain they were alone. "You fell over like you were just shot, and started coughing up blood. You're not telling the truth. Do you have some sort of disease, or something? I don't want my livelihood depending on someone who can't win a Pokémon Battle without falling apart. Stupid."


She had been much more considerate when Gengar got his revenge on Darcy for putting him into a Pokémon Battle, but it seemed that once she was sure he was okay she was even more aloof, as if she was compensating for caring when he was injured.


"This wasn't because I'm sick," Darcy phrased it. "I don't know, it might have been the static from Gengar's Thunderbolt."


"First of all, that's a stupid idea. How does that equate to a gut punch injury? Second of all, what did you mean, because I'm sick?" Her eyes narrowed. "You're hiding something."


Darcy was lucky enough to find the room where he was sleeping. "I'm allowed to my own privacy you know." He walked into the room. "Where's your room?" he asked.


"It's on the deck, top cabin. Because I can afford it," she teased before heading towards her much better quality amenities.


Darcy turned towards the basic bed frame and mattress with thin sheets in his room, and sat down on the bed he could already tell was uncomfortably and loudly springy. He pulled out his Level Ball and activated it.


"What is thy bidding, my master?" Gengar bowed in a deep voice.


"Why do we have this problem?" Darcy asked exasperated. "Why can't we get along?"


Gengar floated around his trainer before giving his answer. "I'm going to go with the fact that you took me out of my graveyard and decided it would be fun to keep me in a little ball on your belt as a pet. Some people think its kinky, but not me. So if you think you're going to tell me what to do, here's a little newsflash: I don't give a damn about you, and no one tells me what to do."


"Other Pokémon don't seem to have such a problem."


"Do other Pokémon talk?" Gengar laughed. "Can other Pokémon become invisible, or duplicate themselves, or shapeshift?"


"Chatot, Keckleon, anyone who learns Double Team, and Ditto, in that order." Darcy said smugly. "I suppose by extension Smeargle can do all of those things too, except he can't gain Keckleon's Color Change, unless of course he uses Skill Swap on him..."


"That's not the point." Gengar said, frustrated at his failed evidence. "I already told you though. I'm special. There's no one, no person, no Pokémon, no ghost in the world like me."


"What makes you special then? Why are you so great?"


"Hell if I know," Gengar shrugged. "It's just true."


Darcy rubbed his eyes. "Can we just try to get along?" he asked.


Gengar smiled. "Maybe."


"Really?"


"No." Gengar cackled as he flew around the room before diving into his Poké Ball. Darcy was in for a long night.


The next morning proved to come earlier than Darcy would have liked. After reaching for his arm and confirming his heart rate to be within normal deviation, he got out of bed and dressed himself to find that Dewford City was in sight. It was time to get to work. He collected his equipment into his bag and headed for the deck. Melissa had been waiting for him.


"You're finally up. Your hair is a mess." She condescendingly mentioned. Her hair by some miracle looked flawless despite the fact that it was barely past sunrise.


"How long until we get into port?" Darcy asked.


"It's not going to be long. We'll probably arrive in an hour. Make sure you're ready, I'd like to get this done as soon as possible." There seemed to be no emotion in her voice. She was all business right now.


"Me too. I'd like to be able to eat something."


They looked at the coast, darkened by the shadows. The sun had only just risen in the west.


"Don't do anything stupid." Melissa said nonchalantly.


There was a pause. "What?" Darcy asked.


"I said don't do anything stupid." Melissa repeated, turning away to do something else.


"You say it like there's a risk," Darcy said over his shoulder, not certain if he should be grateful for her concern or offended by her tactlessness.


Melissa turned around. "Is there?" she asked before walking away.


Darcy was certain he would never understand her. At least they had a better chance of getting along than he and Gengar did.


-000-


When they finally arrived in Dewford City they found the town to be fairly battered. The attacks of Kyogre, Groudon and Rayquaza had done massive damage to the entire region. The economy was in shambles; even Devon Corp. was considering closing its doors, an action that would have surely broken the region completely. The tech and industry giant was the heart of Hoenn; without it, the cities would dry up, its citizens would move to Johto, Kanto, or even Sinnoh. Dewford was a relatively isolated town, which depended on ocean vessels for access to the rest of the world, vessels that spent more and more time out of the water and in docks or shipyards. It was thus quite an event when the ferry arrived, for an impressive reception was waiting for them when they got off the ship.


"Hey, isn't that the girl who's supposed to save us?" a man asked, noticing Melissa.


"It is!" Another man said, rushing forward to greet her. "Melissa! How good it is that you have finally arrived. I can show you where you need to go now."


"I need to get to a Pokémon Center first. I'll be glad to meet you at the town hall afterwards though."


"Excellent!" The man said gratefully. "I'll see you then."


Darcy followed Melissa closely as she made her way towards the all-important institution, and nudged her as they made their way there.


"I think you forgot something." Darcy said quietly.


Melissa barely mumbled in the affirmative, clearly not really listening.


"Me. Did you tell them that you weren't the one who was going to catch the Banette?"


"Don't be silly." Melissa brushed his comment off. "Of course I didn't. They'll be more easily impressed if they don't know you exist, and impressed people are impressionable people."


"You're using sexism to your advantage." Darcy filled in the gaps.


"More or less. And it's not my advantage, it's our advantage," she corrected, handing a tray with her Poké Balls to the nurse behind the counter.


"So what do I do?" Darcy asked slightly flustered.


"Just sit outside the town hall until I get out and talk to me. It'll be fine," she assured him, taking the tray from the nurse's hands before leaving the building.


Darcy handed the nurse his Poké Balls. He had some time to kill.


-000-


"So where's this ghost of yours?" Melissa asked, her hands outstretched as she sat in the chair at the table.


An elderly man with grey hair and a full beard spoke up, who was presumably the mayor of the town. "The Banette has been infesting the southern region of the town, especially around the gym. Brawley had to close it in fact since he couldn't handle it."


Brawley looked rather angry about the fact. "It isn't my fault." He said. "I'm a fighting gym. None of my Pokémon can damage ghosts."


"Isn't that a huge tactical error though?" Melissa asked. "To not have any attacks that can even touch your most obvious weakness?"


"It seemed like a good idea," Brawley resigned.


"Regardless, we need you to capture it. 50,000 for its head will suffice." The mayor explained.


"I put down good time and money to get here. 75,000." Melissa argued.


"60,000."


"Deal," Melissa agreed. That was the number she wanted in the first place anyways.


"Oh yes, one more thing. This ghost is very, very nasty. Some citizens tried to fight it. None came back alive. We already told you about his unique fighting style."


"Knives, yeah, I know. I'll handle it," Melissa assured him before leaving, satisfied with the promise of money. "Can I be paid in advance?"


"No," the mayor laughed. "If you die then we can't get our money back then, can we?"


"Fair enough," Melissa said as she left the room.


"I don't think she took me seriously." The mayor said.


"We'll find out if she did soon enough," Brawley morbidly noted.


-000-


Darcy sat outside the town hall. It had only been a little while, but the time gnawed at him. It was not the length of time, but the fact that he had to be hidden that frustrated him. What was the point if he got no recognition for what he did? Darcy quickly abolished the thought. Above all else, he was helping people, stopping dangerous Pokémon; that was why he was a Pokémon Hunter. A little credit would not hurt though.


The town hall was a relatively unadorned building, except it had a huge banner over it that said, "Tasty Children". Darcy did not understand at all what that was about. It probably did not mean anything good though.


"Humph," A man grumbled at Darcy. "Don't you just love Tasty Children?"


Darcy was at a loss for words.


"I love Tasty Children. I don't know what I'd do without Tasty Children."


"What are you talking about?" Darcy asked uncharacteristically nastily.


"Tasty Children! It's all the rage on the mainland. I have all the Tasty Children merchandise. You've never heard of it?"


"What are you on?" Darcy asked. "There's no such thing as Tasty Children."


"The last person who was through here said it was all the rage! It's all we've been able to talk about. What is cool right now then? What's the trendy thing to say?"


Darcy thought for a moment. "Ghost Hunting," he finally said.


"Really? So Ghost Hunting is what everyone's talking about. I'll have to spread the word!" The man ran off to tell people about Ghost Hunting. Darcy was certain he would not miss him, or this town.


Not too long after Melissa came out, showered with praise by a few bystanders. Melissa probably had not told them she was the huntress for the attention, but she didn't seem to mind it. Darcy tried as subtly as he could to motion for her. He caught her attention and she managed to make her way to him without being noticed.


"We're going to the south side of the city, near the gym. That's where the Banette will be," she said breathlessly.


"Then let's go," Darcy said, more eager than he should have been to get into some action.


As they walked south, the town became more and more barren. Store windows were broken, buildings abandoned, but it got worse as they went on. The first body they saw was a Makuhita, presumably caught in Granite Cave by a local trainer. There was no doubt that the Banette in question had considerable skill with a knife, judging from the deep penetrating wounds that cut through the Sumo Pokémon's Thick Fat.


The next body they found was even more horrendous. A young boy, younger than Darcy even, lay dead on the ground, blood crusted on his face with a mess of dried blood on his chest and on the ground, presumably from the horrible wound straight down his stomach. The sight made Darcy queasy. It made Melissa vomit.


"I think we should get our Pokémon out now," Darcy said to Melissa.


"That's a good idea," she realized.


They both drew their Poké Balls. Darcy summoned Scyther, while Melissa summoned Skarmory. Skarmory was at first angry at the sight of Darcy, after what his Gengar had done, but after seeing the state Melissa was in realized that comforting his mother was first priority. Instead of taking to the skies, he walked, right in front of Melissa, ready to stop anything threatening her. The foursome continued down the roads. The body count became higher the further they went, and no one seemed to be spared. Darcy could not believe that no one had been here yet, that he and Melissa were the only people to respond to their need, that the world was really this horrible of a place. Then they finally found the Gym, or what remained of it. Darcy pulled out his Silph Scope and examined the area. The ghost was near, the readings showed. He had probably made the Gym his home, as a testament to his superiority.


"Did you hear something?" Melissa asked. Darcy had never heard as much fear in her voice.


He pulled the scope off his eyes and looked around. He could not see anything at all. Just a dead city around him, he listened carefully and heard a sharp sound of something small moving very fast through the air.


"Look out!" he yelled as he dodged forward from any attack from the rear. He was not the target though, he deduced from the scream Melissa made. Skarmory gave a fierce roar as he shielded his mistress with his wings, the blade failing to cut his cold steel body.


"Scyther, Pursuit!" Darcy commanded.


His bug Pokémon dashed a mad dash towards the Banette busily hacking futilely at the Skarmory. Scyther lowered his blades so that they were facing upright and pointed outwards towards his opponent. Before he reached the Banette though, he turned with his blade and gave a fast stab towards the oncoming Scyther. Scyther deflected it quickly but found it to be a feint; the next cut went straight up where Scyther had no protection, glancing against the bug's head.


The Banette was incredibly skilled. He held a double-edged knife in a hammer arm grip. The two continued to duel, but Banette, despite having half the weapons that was half the size that Scyther had, was keeping the pressure. Almost every movement Scyther was making was oriented towards blocking, not attacking, counterattacking, or parrying. The Banette laughed as he did his work, doing psychological damage along with physical damage by settling for scraping Scyther with the knife instead of quickly killing him with a much less certain attack. The small damages the scrapes created combined with the mindset of inferiority they inflicted were a very effective weapon. It also made the killing that much more fun.


Banette was so confident in fact that he suddenly retreated from Scyther and levitated a little bit away, juggling his bloodied knife with a maniacal satisfaction. Scyther did not attack and instead tended to his wounds during this lull in the fighting, cementing Banette as the superior opponent. Darcy did not like the looks of this match at all. The Banette was an expert knife fighter while Scyther was an amateur swordsman. He hardly stood a chance. Darcy considered switching him out for Sneasel, or getting Sneasel, Murkrow, or Umbreon to help him.


This was more than just one fight though. Scyther needed to be able to fight for his own. If Darcy bailed him out here he would never learn to fight. It was more important that Scyther make it through this fight, and be stronger for it, than for him to leave this fight, and be safer.


"Get in there Scyther!" Darcy ordered. "You're better than he is!"


Scyther nervously but dutifully attacked. Darcy and Banette could both tell that he had the mentality of a suicide run though. He did not expect to come out alive. The Banette laughed through his zipped mouth at the thought of the coming bloodshed.


"Darcy! He's going to kill himself!" Melissa said peeking through Skarmory's wings. "You've got to bring him back."


"He's got to learn to fight. I won't let him die."


"I won't either." Melissa said. She reached for a Poké Ball. Go P…"


Melissa was interrupted by Skarmory, who shook himself to prevent her from drawing attention to herself. He could not risk drawing Banette again.


Scyther drew up with a quick cut with his right arm at Banette, who easily dodged it and made a thrust towards his chest, which Scyther blocked with his left arm. The clash of steel against hardened armor continued as Banette steadily increased his advantage. At the range they were fighting Scyther had no freedom of movement while Banette could hack and slash as he pleased. Scyther was letting the ghost control the battle.


Darcy shouted to Scyther. "Back up! Keep him at an arm's length away! Don't let him get so close."


Scyther did as Darcy told him, and played defensively, quickly retreating. Banette tried to follow up with a few thrusts, but Scyther blocked them with angled blows.


"Keep up the pressure! Fury Cutter!"


Scyther made a few fast, choppy blows, all of which Banette laughed against as he quickly deflected them against his knife. He did not seem to be fighting back even, just grinning madly. Scyther's blows became more and more powerful, as the effects of Fury Cutter kicked in. The slashes Scyther made began to push Banette back further and further. Eventually it would hit harder than a Hyper Beam. Banette would not be able to take the final blow. Scyther reared back for a finishing cut.


He stopped. The energy needed to strike Banette down would not come. He could not make the attack.


"Spite," Darcy realized. It was too late for that now though.


Banette twisted his knife around. He had played long enough. It was time to end it. He took his left hand, put it to his mouth, and opened his zipper. Scyther was crushed by the torrential hatred that poured out of his open mouth, his curse that never ceased. Scyther was brought down to his knees from the pressure of the energy flowing from the opened mouth. Banette took his knife and considered where he should cut him open. He decided that under the jaw would be the best spot.


Darcy would not let it end like this though. "Focus Energy!"


Scyther tried to gather himself despite the pain that was bombarding him. Banette drove his knife up for the kill when suddenly a hardened blade stopped the knife. A second hit disarmed the ghost. The Banette backed up, worried without his trusty knife. He attempted a Shadow Claw but met harsh resistance. He got cocky, and Scyther would not be merciful.


"Night Slash!" Darcy shouted, hopeful for victory.


A gleam of black light shone down Scyther's blade as he cut Banette straight up.


A critical hit! It's Super Effective!


Banette stumbled, utterly defeated. The combination of the Focus Energy and Night Slash nearly ensured that the hit would do the maximum possible damage, and Banette felt it. Darcy checked his inventory of Poké Balls. An Ultra Ball would be most effective here. He pulled it out and threw it at the Ghost Pokémon. It was drawn into the tiny sphere and, after battling the capturing device, was defeated.


Darcy held up the Ultra Ball proudly. Another capture, and one that, despite the morbid nature of the Pokémon, went relatively smoothly. He was not even hurt. Skarmory began to relax.


"I don't want to go into the field ever again." Melissa complained. "I don't care if I make more money if I go with you, that was messed up." Her eyes narrowed. "How could you be so stupid? You nearly let Scyther get killed, and if Scyther got killed that Banette would have gutted you!"


"It was worth it." Darcy defended. "Besides, Scyther is fine."


Scyther unhelpfully took that most inopportune time to succumb to multiple stab wounds, trauma, and blood loss.


"Alright, he's not doing too hot, but he's stronger than he ever was before." Darcy explained.


"Let's just collect our bounty. I think you're going to like what you see."


-000-


When Melissa arrived at the town hall, Ultra Ball in hand, the entire city rejoiced. They held a reception for her in front of the city's most iconic building, with a banner draped over it saying, "Ghost Hunting", in which Melissa got a medal from the mayor and was handed the check for her mercenary work: sixty thousand Poké. Darcy stood in the crowd, waiting for her to finish. She did not seem eager to though; her personality would just not give up attention. Darcy was consoled though by the substantial cut he made; he could do a lot with 40,000.


"You realize this puts you ahead of me now in profits, don't you?" Melissa asked.


"By a measly 1000 Poké, yes."


"Whatever. I've got the plans for our next few jobs." Melissa said, pulling out a map of the Sinnoh region.


"Sinnoh?" Darcy questioned. "That's the other side of the world. It's even further than Olivine City."


"It also happens to be a hotspot for spectral activity. There are so many jobs open for us we'll be set for the next two years alone." Melissa explained.


"What's the plan?"


"We go from Dewford to Slateport City, change ships and go to Canalave. We head along Route 218 to Jubilife City. There's a nasty mob of Murkrow there."


"A mob?"


"A mob. And that's only the beginning…" she began.


POST NOW

 

[darth meanie]

Um, before I start into this story (and before you post further installments), could you separate paragraphs so there's a line of blank space between each one? It's difficult to read as it is because it's this huge block of text. Stuff like that actually make my eyes cross.

Yeah... I noticed that in the middle of posting it. It looked fine in advanced.

Thanks though. Could you delete that post please?

 

[Saltare.]

ha ha ha lol As soon as I read the title,I knew this was gonna have to do a bit with ghosts. I liked it! And I didn't find any mistakes.