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Ghost-Trainer
By : Almister
Category: Pokemon > General
Views: 3126 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, I make no money from this story.
Chapter List
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                "I don't believe this..." Atticus sighed, moping along the path towards White Forest. He had sent out their new Drifloon the night before, and Emily attempted to integrate him into their group. It was slow going, the Ghost-Flying hybrid seemed content to do its own thing most of the time, but luckily the 'game style' training method interested the Pokemon enough for it to take part. The real problem was that 'Ventus', as Emily had decided to name him, decided to attach himself to Atticus' neck while they travelled.

                It wasn't a huge problem, as unless he decided to manifest he had no actual mass, and when he did he only weighed about two pounds. Still, it seemed the Pokemon knew exactly how much it annoyed everyone, and took every opportunity to do so.

                Cheer up, I think he makes a great fashion accessory. Emily giggled, soaring on ahead while Hexen and Bozu darted about, playing among the trees.

                "That's great, because he won't listen to you if you tell him to stop." Atticus grumbled, hitting a rather sore spot for the spirit girl. "He's probably our strongest fighter at the moment, but he won't follow orders. What if he just decides to jump in on a fight? Most trainers wouldn't laugh something like that off as an accident. We should probably keep him in a Pokeball, till he starts to listen."

                Awww, Ventus wouldn't do something like that. He knows better than to make us put him away in that cruel little ball, doesn't he? Emily cooed, reaching over to scratch the ghost's head. Ventus merely continued bobbing in the wind, as if nothing had happened.

                "We're almost to White Forest. It'll be nice to eat a real meal for once, instead of prepared travel rations."

                Do you seriously think with your stomach? We can't let our guard down once we reach there. Honestly we should take care of any business as quickly as possible, and then move on. It's not our problem.

                "It is our problem. They're actively hurting people like me. If anything I should report what I know to the Police. I'll see if they can do anything. I'll try to stay out of trouble, but if they come after me, they're going down. Using whatever force necessary."

                Oooh listen to Mr Tough Guy all of a sudden. They're my Pokemon, they'll listen to me, not you. We can't take on too many trainers at once anyways. Keep your head down, restock on supplies, and move to the next town.

                "What if they're all like this though. You heard people talking, the movement is spreading. It's all over the radio, people are protesting, holding rallies, vandalizing Pokemon Gyms. It's not just Unova either, Hoenn, Sinnoh, even far off places like Johto and Kanto are affected. I'm not sure how much longer it'll be before it all blows over." Atticus sighed. He was caught off guard when Emily floated down to embrace him from behind, the familiar cold sensation washing over him.

                I just wanted to go on a journey. See the world, catch some Pokemon, challenge some gym leaders, participate in a tournament. Why does the world have to go crazy right as it's my turn to live the dream?

                "If the world wasn't crazy, I doubt I'd be travelling around playing proxy for my dead girlfriend." Atticus quipped.

                Oh, so I'm your girlfriend now am I?

                "Ah, well... who else are you going to date?"

                Smooth. I'd slap you for that, but it'd just give you brain freeze. There's an idea. Come here you jerk!

                Atticus ran ahead laughing, dodging attempts from Emily to catch him. Ventus, stop him! She called, and to his surprise the string around his neck unwound, and grabbed a hold of his backpack. He was jerked off his feet when the Balloon Pokemon manifested and inflated, raising him several feet off the ground.

                "Hey, no fair, put me down!" Soft giggles met his complaints, as Emily casually floated right through him. Atticus immediately broke out into goose bumps and exhaled fogged breath. "J-j-jerk! That's c-cold!"

                Hmm, so you're my only option huh? I guess I could do worse. Still, a relationship could be problematic don't you think?

                "You mean like me getting frostbite from kissing you? Yeah, just a slight setback. Can you call off Ventus before he decides to fly up a hundred feet and drop me?"

                Fine, fine, let him go Ven. The Pokemon, surprisingly enough, obeyed, dropping Atticus unceremoniously to the ground, and reattaching himself to the human's neck. There's a lot of problems huh? And I guess, with everything going on in the world, they must not seem too imporant.

                "Don't be silly, I'm only on this trip because of your dreams. The rest of the world can go to hell in a hand basket as long as it doesn't tough my home... After you become a champion." Atticus said, smiling up at his companion. "I promised to help you do everything you ever wanted to do."

                You say that now but...

                "Everything." Atticus reaffirmed, setting off once again down the road. "There's a few rituals in my Uncle's old book that could help. He travelled the world in his days, collecting and comparing information with other Mediums. I'd kind of like to do that myself if there's time. I should have the whole thing read by the time we hit Celestial Tower, and we can do Mt. Pyre in Hoenn as well, while we're there."

                Rituals like what?

                "Stuff like, calling back spirits temporarily from an important object of theirs, to putting up barriers to prevent ghosts from manifesting or even entering. It's really need stuff."

                How would that help... us?

                "Oh, uh, well... there's one ritual that allows me to temporarily..."

                Temporarily what?

                "Die. I mean like, have my spirit leave my body. It sounds a lot worse than it really is, trust me. And I think it's preferable to having you possess someone just to go on a date."

                I... I don't think you should do it.

                "Well I can't right now anyways, the ritual needs preparation time. I can make Spell Tags and Cleanse Tags if you like though."

                What do those do?

                "Spell Tags are used when Ghosts manifest to make them more... real I suppose. It makes them stronger as long as the tag is inside of them. Cleanse Tags basically give off a 'disquiet' of their own, helping to repel Pokemon and People."

                Since we're still training, I'll pass on the Cleanse Tags, but Spell Tags sound handy, how many can you make?

                "I'll start working on one tonight, it should be done by the time we hit White Forest. With the system we're using I'll have to hold on to it when the Pokemon aren't manifested."

                Whoa, hold on a second, do you feel that?

                "Hmm? Whoa! Yeah, I just felt it, what do you think it is?" Atticus stopped and closed his eyes, letting the odd feeling wash over him. All of the ghosts in the party quivered in anticipation, feeling an odd energy saturating the air. "I think... I think it's coming from that way!" Atticus said, pointing in a westward direction. Emily nodded and took off in its direction. "Hold on! I didn't say it was safe!"

                What could possibly harm a ghost?

                "You'd be surprised!" The Medium called, struggling to keep up with his airborne travelling companions. It took nearly an hour to find the source of the disturbing energy, which said a lot about the strength of it. The team eventually came to a stop at the bottom of a large jagged cliff, where a tattered cloak hung from a rock about a hundred feet up.

                "Is that it?" Atticus asked, opening an old tome from his backpack to look up any information on it.

                It reeks of energy. It's like that old lady's perfume shop back home, it sort of 'smells' good, but its overpowering.

                Atticus agreed. There was no real way to describe it, he had been born with a sense that most people didn't have. He could 'see' ghosts the same way he could 'smell' the energy coming from the flapping fabric. "Here it is, I think it's a Reaper Cloth. 'A torn off piece of the veil between life and death, said to be caused by a strong spirit passing over.' It's used to make Dusclops evolve into a Dusknoir."

                It's so soft...

                "Don't touch it! I have no idea what it does to human ghosts! Just, put it down and come down here." The Medium called up to her, even growing up around the shrine hadn't prepared him for something like this.

                Don't be silly, I'm fine! Look! Sure enough she held the cloth in her hands. It was larger than he expected, long enough for someone his age to wear comfortably as a cloak. Hmm, I have an idea.

                Swooping down with the cloth in her arms she draped it ceremoniously over Atticus's shoulders. He shivered involuntarily, it smelled like an ancient tomb, long since devoid of any life at all, and felt like being absolutely alone in the dark. His senses sharpened, and he became aware of each and every ghost around him, regardless of whether he was looking at them.

                "I don't feel comfortable wearing this." He said, shifting nervously beneath the oppressive feeling of the cloth. "I feel like... like I'm being crushed beneath the weight of my own mortality."

                Ah, but... Check it out. Emily said, pulling the cloth snug around him. I can touch the cloth, and you can touch the cloth, as long as it's between us...

                She leaned in, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. He felt her presence, along with a delicious pressure that he hadn't felt since that final night of her life. There was no cold, nor heat or any other sensation, just the comfort of a hug in the total emptiness of a lightless void.

                Atticus closed his eyes, feeling himself slip away into the embrace, as if it was his soul itself that hovered in the abyss. He felt the tight grip of her arms, wrapping themselves around him tighter than the cloth. He felt her chin rest upon his shoulder, and her head press against the side of his face. He felt her chest pressed up against his own, and noticed the disturbing lack of breathing or pulse.

                And then she stepped away. At once the comfort vanished, replaced with the oppressive claustrophobia of being alone at the bottom of an ocean of shadows. Something moved in the darkness, and Atticus panicked, throwing the cloth off of his body.

                He staggered to the ground, panting rapidly to chase the fear from his body. Emily looked on in worry, and placed an icy hand against his forehead to calm him down. "I don't think humans are meant to wear that." He said, when he had finally caught his breath.

                Well we're taking it with us, we'll need one when we find a Dusclops. Let me try something. Stooping down she collected the cloth, throwing it around herself like she had done for Atticus. It doesn't bother me. It actually feels like an old blanket, kind of like the one I had as a child. It's like its heated too, I haven't felt this warm and dry since before I died.

                "Good for you, why don't you wear it then. I'm never putting that on again, even if I do need a hug. The panic attack isn't worth it." Atticus grumbled.

                Hold me then.

                "What?"

                You give me a hug now, and see if it bugs you when you aren't wrapped in it.

                Seeing the girl was dead serious, Atticus sighed, and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. Like before there was no sensation associated with it. It was like touching a sheet draped over a statue, except there was no texture to the cloth. There was no heat, no sound, no sense at all to tell him there was something there if he were to close his eyes. Yet a tiny part of his brain filled in the gaps, reminding him of the curves of her body, the smell of her hair mixed with rainwater, the barest hint of breath washing across his ear. It was that small part of his mind that told him he was hugging Emily, his closest friend, and not some strange sheet draped across a ghost.

                The moment ended, and he stepped back, seeing the girl's face smiling back from under a makeshift hood. It works! We'll have to get it modified, make it into a proper cloak, with sleeves so I can hug you back. Oh, and if we find more we can make it into a full outfit, I can have changes of clothes! It'll be wonderful to get out of these perpetually damp outfits.

                "Ah, you'll have to find a way to get rid of your current outfit, unless you want to wear a Reaper Cloth dress over the wet clothing." Atticus reminded her, cutting off her excited train of thought.

                Well, till then, a simple cloak will have to do. Can other people see me when I wear it?

                Looking closely Atticus squinted at the boundaries to her form, picking out the slight blur to where the edges should be. "It doesn't look like it. I think wearing the cloak makes it turn invisible."

                Oh, we should get one for you then, going invisible is definitely handy. Especially if you can go through walls.

                "Absolutely not. I'm in no hurry to get eaten by some kind of Ghost-Dragon." Atticus said, shaking his head. By this point he had started back on the trail towards the path. "The cloth lets ghosts interact with the real world better. What do you think it lets the living do?"

                Ah, right. I guess the afterlife is a scary place for the living.

                "I'll be most disturbed if we find enough of those things to make you a full wardrobe. I highly doubt there's more than one or two in a region." The Medium said.

                So, trade with other Mediums. They're likely to find stuff like this occasionally right? I highly doubt they use them to make clothing. Can a Dusclops evolve from wearing a gothic dress?

                Atticus snickered at the image for a moment, before continuing on to the path. "Well I'm certainly not getting someone in White Forest to work on that for you. We'll need to find a tailor we can trust not to ask why I need a Reaper Cloth cloak made."

                In the mean time, I'll work on getting rid of the clothes I'm stuck wearing. Honestly I'd prefer it if I was wearing my funeral attire. I really liked that dress.

                "Alright, but don't be surprised if you get rid of your clothing, and have a hard time getting it back." Atticus laughed at her scandalized gasp.

                I'm not going to go flying around Unova in an old sheet and nothing else!

                "I think you could pull it off." The Medium ran ahead again to avoid her now that she could actually knock him down.

                I'm so getting a pair of gloves made at least. Not being able to touch things sucks! I can't even use Pokeballs or the Pokedex.

                "Next you'll be asking me to petition for a Sylph Scope for every trainer, so you won't have to rely on me at all." Atticus grumbled.

                Shush you. You know I adore you. Girls love boys who catch Pokemon for them, and buy them expensive clothing. I'm not really serious about my complaining.

                "I know." Looking over with a grin he reached out and yanked the cloak, causing her to squawk loudly as she was pulled to the ground. "It works both ways you know."

                What will I do for clasps and buttons and stuff? Since most things can't fade out I doubt most metals can even attach to the fabric.

                "There's a guide in here to working with the cloth. I'll need to make scissors and buttons out of Spooky Plate." Atticus said, patting the book.

                Let me guess, that's also rare and expensive?

                "Quite."

                Did I mention how awesome you are?

                "Let's just go. I want to make camp near White Forest, and be well rested before going into town."

O~O~O~O~O

                That night Atticus sat near the campfire, meticulously painting small symbols on a paper tag. There was an art to it, he realized, that likely wouldn't come for quite some time, despite all of the instructions in the big book of ghosts.

                Just as Aura was tied to physical energies, and Psychic energy was all mental, Ghost energy came entirely from spiritual force. It made things complicated, as anyone could tell you how difficult it was to sort out emotions.

                When they talked about Shuppet, in the Pokedex it mentioned they feed on grudges. In truth it was more accurate to say they fed on feelings of anger, envy, greed, jealousy, or hatred. There wasn't one single source of food for them. Any kind of negative emotion could feed a ghost. It was like how some Pokemon were herbivores, some were carnivores, some were omnivores. Some ate rocks and minerals, some at electricity, some got their energy directly from the sun. Some ghosts ate fear, some ghosts ate hatred.

                Perhaps, if he was getting philosophical, the reason there were no ghosts that ate love and tolerance and happiness, was there simply wasn't enough food for them in the world.

                What's on your mind? Emily asked, floating down to rest beside him. The cloth around her gave her enough presence to actually rest against the ground when she wasn't focusing on phasing through it.

                "Do you resent it? Being forced to have a team of only Ghost-types?"

                She took a moment to think about it. I had it all planned out. I wrote out all the best idea's I'd ever come up with. Which paths to take, which Pokemon to catch. Which gyms to battle and in which order and using which Pokemon. But things change.

                "You died..." Atticus whispered, looking down at the crackling embers in the fire pit.

                Not just that. Things changed because you're here with me. I feel bound to you, like I can't go too far from where you are. But at the same time I feel free. Like I don't need plans, or maps, or any sort of guide to how I'll do things. Having you with me changed everything.

                "So you don't mind having only Ghost-types for company?"

                Nah. When the disquiet doesn't affect you, they're kind of adorable. Plus they're a lot of fun to train. It's like they're perpetually children.

                "Well, think about it. Every living thing grows up, needs to hunt for food, find a mate, settle down, have a family, raise their family, etc. etc. What do ghosts do? Hunting for them is either scaring people or loitering around houses for food. They live incredibly long lives, and reproduce on a whim. When you don't fear death, there's no incentive to grow up."

                So they're essentially children forever. That explains a lot. Especially when they take their jokes too far and someone gets hurt. They don't understand our fear of death, just that it's a good source of food.

                Glancing across at his friend Atticus noticed her far off expression. "What's wrong?"

                Just thinking... About children.

                "Ah... I'm sorry." What else was there to say about something like that? Hexen floated over, sensing the mood, and Emily absently stroked the Pokemon's hair. "Did you want kids?"

                Not till I was much older. I wanted to travel the world, win a few championships, make our town famous. Then return home to settle down, possibly marry the idiot I grew up with, have a few kids and let them grow up alongside my team. I could picture a daughter chasing my Ninetails around the living room.

                "I guess dreams can die as easily as people."

                Easier. I'm still here. My children never will be.

                Atticus threw his arm around the girl, pulling her close so that she could lay her head on his shoulder. It was hard to tell, with her being perpetually soaked, but he swore he saw her crying.

                It gets hard sometimes, to see the light at the end of the tunnel. To remind myself why I'm still here. I can't imagine how awful it must be for spirits that don't have any purpose, to just wander aimlessly about the world. They must go mad.

                "They often do."

                Promise me you won't let that happen to me?

                "Of course. Some of your dreams are gone, but there's more still left behind. We'll make it through this, no matter how hard it gets for both of us." They sat in silence for quite some time. The only sound the crackle of the fire, and the occasional giggle or shriek from their Pokemon in the distance. Eventually Atticus began to yawn, and Emily forced him to sleep.

                I'm going to go look for a Ghastly. We should be close enough to White Forest by now. Having four Pokemon will help.

                "M'kay." The Medium muttered, half asleep in the warmth of his sleeping bag. The now familiar icy sensation in his lips returned, and he fell asleep with a smile.

                That night he did not dream of foreboding sleepy villages on the horizon, nor the horrors that laid within. Instead he dreamt of Emily, in an empty void filled with points of light, wearing a gothic black dress made of Reaper Cloth, and matching elbow length gloves. In his dream they danced together in that void, to a tune both beautiful and sad, until the last light winked out in the distance, and he awoke to the sound of chirping birds.
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Ghost-Trainer	By : Almister Category: Pokemon > General Views: 3126 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, I make no money from this story.

Ghost-Trainer