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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
- 5
- 6
- 7
                Atticus stood before the mirror in his room at the Pokemon center, taking in his appearance for the first time since he'd left on this journey. His skin still possessed an unhealthy sort of pallor, his eyelids still sunken and darkened, drawing attention away from his brown almost-lifeless eyes. Brown hair hung messily down over his forehead, throwing his entire visage into slight shadow. He looked, for lack of a better word, haunted. As if he'd seen more in his life than most people ever would in a lifetime. In a sense that was correct.

                Tonight was the night that he'd finally have to either put up or shut up about this Purist business. Too many people out there were willing to talk about how 'awful and terrible' the movement was, but when push came to shove they'd merely watch as people died around them. It would be dangerous, he'd been reminded over a dozen times already. Playing spy was always a risky move, and if things went bad he'd be right in the middle of it.

                Still... Taking a step, even a small one, in the right direction was the right thing to do.

                Emily hadn't returned yet, presumably she was still searching for the Kirlia, Selene. If she had found her, she'd likely stake out the place, waiting for the right time to strike. It was up to Atticus to play along with the initiation, collect whatever information he could, and if necessary, be the distraction. Dimly he wished Emily had left one or two of the Ghosts with him, for security, but there was no time left to worry.

                Pulling on his hiking boots, and wrapping himself in his old jacket, Atticus left his room. The sun was setting, and his new 'friends' would be waiting.

O~O~O~O~O

                It figures, that they would hide her here. Emily floated around the perimeter of a small cabin near the edge of the village. The Purists, apparently, had been using it as a base since their arrival. Selene was kept in the basement, in a cage, and under guard from at least one member at all times.

                She'd been there for almost a full day now, and there was never less than four people in the cabin, either sleeping, eating, hanging about or on watch. Sneaking in, of course, would be no problem regardless. Breaking out with a very solid Kirlia was the hard part. At least the little Psychic type was in good condition. Fading bruises suggested she'd been abused at some point in the past, but it seemed the Purists had moved on to more entertaining things.

                She picked up movement from the front door, and floated down to investigate. Sure enough the entire entourage of Purists had gathered near the front. Ben, their fearless leader stood before them, seemingly ready to give a speech.

                "Alright you lot, listen up. We've got two new recruits to test tonight, I'll be bringing them around later. I'm not so certain of these guys, so we're giving them a little pre-test. If they pass, we'll start bringing them into the group, and eventually give them a shot at their first kill. If they fail... well you all know what happens then."

                The group actually laughed, and gave a few cheers at their bosses statement. "Something about that Atticus guy bugs me, so keep an eye on him. He may seem like an idiot, but I don't trust him. If he blows this test, I'm giving him to you Jess."

                "Anything you want boss. We all know I'm the best at what I do." The brunette purred, pressing up against the older boy. "I hope he fails though, I'm getting all excited just by thinking about it."

                Ben shoved her off of him roughly, following up with a slap that echoed in the quiet night. Jess seemed to moan with the hit, and sat on the ground rubbing her face for a few moments. "Our main goal is to recruit, killing people is just to cover our tracks. The whole lot of you have been getting out of control lately, and I won't have you risking this entire operation because you can't keep it together."

                "Y-yes boss." Jess stammered, rising to her feet again. The entire crowd seemed more subdued when he continued.

                "Everyone is getting sloppy. I want everyone but Todd to go to the yard tonight. Organize a tournament, it's about time you got back in the habit of training hard. Todd, you're on guard duty tonight, we haven't had an incident yet, but stay sharp. That Kirlia is the only think keeping Miko cooperating, and she's been a large boon to our group."

                "And remember. If I find out you touched that Pokemon..." He turned to glare at the boy, about age 17, leaving the rest of the threat unspoken. Jess, however, sized the boy up and licked her lips suggestively. "Well, what are you waiting for? Move it! Tommy, Jess, you're with me. Let's go pick up the rookies."

                As soon as the group was gone Todd managed to stop shaking and released three Pokemon. A watchog and Sentret scattered to different points around the cabin, while a Woobat flew up to the eaves to rest. Turning, the trainer returned to the interior of the cabin, content to watch TV.

                Okay guys. We've got three Pokemon and a trainer to take down before we can get Kirlia out. We have to be as quick and quiet as possible, so he doesn't call for backup. Hexen, you take the bat. Bozu, you take Watchog, he looks strong. Nox, you take down Sentret. Ventus, that leaves the trainer for you, just like we discussed okay?

                Getting four nods of agreement, Emily watched as her Pokemon floated into position. Alright everyone, manifest and wait for my signal... Now!

                The ghosts reacted simultaneously, emerging from the shadows to attack their victims. The Woobat was the first to drop, taken out by a Shadow Sneak followed by an Astonish. It dropped from the roof with a heavy thud, but the other guards were too occupied to notice.

                Nox lead with a Hypnosis, causing the Sentret to sway in place, mind fogging over as the suggestive thoughts invaded its mind. The little rodent gave no struggle as poisonous Smog began to fill its lungs, and it soon toppled to the grass unconscious.

                Bozu was less discrete, shooting from the shadows with a Sucker Punch. The guard Pokemon stumbled backwards, caught off guard by the sudden attack, and Bozu used the opportunity to knock away the berry it held. Forced on the defensive, and without a trainer to direct it, the Normal type flailed wildly until several more blows to the head took it down. Emily shook her head at the display, for every great thing about her first Ghost Pokemon, subtle he was not.

                The four ghosts floated inside to find Ventus, leads wrapped around Todd's neck, hovering several feet off the ground. The trainer was flailing wildly, but as discussed, there was nothing in reach of his arms or legs to find purchase on. As soon as the trainer went limp the Ghost gently lowered him to the floor without a sound.

                Perfect! Well done everyone! The Ghosts all beamed with the praise, cheering and posturing as if they had just won some game. Alright, to the basement, we need to free the Prisoner.

                Convincing Bozu that they needed to break the lock off the door took some time. The Ghost couldn't understand why they couldn't just phase through the door, and took great pleasure in demonstrating his skill every time he was asked to hit the lock. Eventually Nox, the most level headed of the group, said something that Bozu took as a challenge. Within seconds the lock clattered to the floor, and the door swung open.

                The basement was cold and damp, more a cellar than a part of the Cabin itself. In the far corner sat a rather small cage, with rusted iron bars, and a large padlock on the front. Within the cage sat a small Pokemon, wrapped in a ratty-looking cloth.

                Hey there... Emily said, slowly approaching the cage. If the little Pokemon could hear her, it gave no sign, instead continuing to lay unmoving against the back bars. Damn... Alright, Nox, can you talk to her? Try not to scare her, but tell her we're here to bring her to Miko.

                The Gastly materialized, immediately causing the Psychic type Pokemon to look up in fear and begin to shiver. The Ghost murmured a few words, his voice echoing oddly about the room as he spoke, and the caged Pokemon seemed to overcome her fear. Struggling to her feet, the Pokemon, now quite obviously a Kirlia, wandered over to the front of the cage, peering out into the darkness.

                The other Ghosts took that as their cue to reveal themselves, Bozu first, then Ventus, and finally a reluctant Hexen. The fear from before came back slightly, in the presence of so many ghosts, but Selene, the Kirlia, managed to remain standing.

                I don't know how to get her out of the cage. The lock looks thicker than the one on the door. Do you think she's strong enough to teleport? Just a few feet out of the cage?

                The Gastly repeated her question, and the Psychic type began to franticly wave her arms and shake her head. Ask her why not? Emily prodded, confused by the behavior. The little green-haired Pokemon replied to the ghost, who gestured at the empty space his trainer occupied. Looking towards Emily the imprisoned Pokemon began to mime a very dramatic death.

                She'll die if she teleports? Nox shook his head, gesturing towards the town. They'll kill Miko, if she tries to escape? Getting a hurried nod from all of the Ghosts, Emily twirled in place a moment to think. Tell her Miko is safe. My friend is with her, and they'll come meet us the moment they know Kirlia has escaped.

                That seemed to do the trick. Selene concentrated a moment and there was a brief flash of light. She reappeared a foot outside of the cage, and fell to the ground unconscious, the last of her energy spent. Ventus floated over and grabbed her around the middle, floating up to carry her as the party made their escape.

O~O~O~O~O

                Atticus stepped into the cafeteria, peering around for any sign of the Purists from yesterday. The room was largely empty, aside from one kid around his own age sitting at a nearby table scarfing down bowl after bowl of miso instant ramen. "Uh... Hey." Atticus said, calmly approaching the boy.

                He was hunched over the table, arm wrapped possessively around his food, wearing a matching red and white baseball hat and jacket, as well as jeans and running shoes. From a glance he seemed taller than Atticus, more muscular too, not that it was hard. He was like a coiled spring, a delicate exterior belying inner strength.

                Short blonde hair poked wildly out the baseball cap, clashing slightly with his tanned skin. Atticus coughed quietly, trying to draw the boy's attention. The mysterious trainer's head shot up, revealing a very delicate, almost beautiful face, complete with honey-brown eyes. "Wuzzup?" He mumbled, mouth still full of noodles and broth trailing down his chin. With some effort he managed to swallow what was in his mouth before continuing. "I'm Dan, you here for the Purist thing too?" The voice sounded soft for a boy, but the way he spoke was definitely masculine.

                Atticus shook the offered hand, noticing the fingerless gloves the boy wore as well. "Yeah, something like that. You know what we're getting into?" He asked, trying to get a feel for whether or not Dan would be an ally or enemy.

                "Heck yeah, it's why I'm loading up on carbs." He gestured to the pile of bowls. "You should eat some too, you look half-dead. I mean you pull it off better than those goth kids but seriously, how can you be a trainer and not have a tan?"

                'I pull it off?' Atticus pondered, knowing Emily would be teasing him if she were there. "I do a lot of training at night." He shrugged, taking a seat as well.

                "Yeah? A Noctowl at heart huh? Not me, up with the sun and all that." Dan said, sliding another bowl of noodles over.

                "Somehow I can just picture you climbing mountains at dawn. Are you always this energetic?"

                "Only when I know there's a good fight coming up. Do you think any of those guys are strong?" Dan asked, grinning wildly.

                "Eh, Ben has to be, since he's the leader. I hear Jess is sadistic and violent, but really I haven't seen any of their Pokemon since getting here. Which is alright I guess, they haven't asked about mine." Atticus said, shrugging and leaning back into his seat. Shouldn't they be getting picked up around now?

                "Yeah, Jess gives me the heebie-jeebies. Her flirting with me is bad enough, but I get the feeling she'd rip out my heart and show it to me ya know?" Dan said, shuddering slightly.

                "Yeah, she's one to watch out for. I'm not sure how strong the others are, but if they're part of the main group they must be serious fanatics. I've heard stories about what the initiation process involves." Atticus said, not even needing to fake the nervousness in his voice.

                "Yeah well, I'm not too worried about it. Just follow my lead, I'll get you through this in one piece cutie." Dan said, giving him a wink and a smirk.

                'Cutie? Is he gay? And he's marching right into a group of Purists? I mean I'm doing something similar but still... Gah, why am I blushing!' The medium's head spun, trying to refocus in the situation. Before he could come up with a retort the doors opened, their escort had arrived.

O~O~O~O~O

                They walked for about twenty minutes to the edge of a large clearing, hidden from view of the town by the forest. The trip was done in silence, aside from Dan's occasional whistling, and nobody seemed to notice Atticus leaving a trail of brightly colored candy behind them as he walked. The plan relied on Emily being able to find him once Selene was safe.

                When they arrived at the clearing they were treated to a rather impressive sight. About twenty trainers were present, paired off and battling with their Pokemon. Unlike most trainer battles these were no sparring matches, each Pokemon fought tooth and nail, seeking to absolutely crush their opponents. Already several sat off to the sides, injured but receiving disappointed scowls instead of medical attention.

                Ben caught Atticus' glance. "We don't suffer weakness in our organization. Coddling and befriending Pokemon like 'Trainers' do is folly. Pokemon are animals, pure and simple. They're beneath us, and we need to treat them like it. In training they push themselves to the limits of their abilities, holding nothing back against their opponents. If we are satisfied, we'll bring them to be healed when the night is done."

                They passed an area where a Deerling was facing down a Boldore, and Atticus turned to watch. Delaying the group would be an unintentional bonus to his observations. "Deerling, Take Down!" Fixing a determined look on its face the little grass-normal type charged its opponent, building up an impressive amount of speed.

                "Boldore, Endure!" As ordered the large rock Pokemon dug in, taking the blow head on. The Deerling's charge bounced off, cracking the rock but sending the lighter Pokemon to the ground in a heap.

                "Deerling, again!" Came the trainer's cry, drawing Atticus' attention back towards the battle just as he turned away. The meek Pokemon rose shakily to its feet, limping forward slowly and then breaking into a run. Once again it built up speed and charged the Rock type Pokemon, again cracking it but injuring itself in the process.

                "Again!" Atticus shut his eyes, trying to block out the vision of the adorable little creature breaking itself upon the immovable rock just to please a trainer that would never be satisfied. Pushing down his anger he turned to follow after the group.

                "Why doesn't it just use a grass type attack?" Atticus asked, playing up the 'idiot routine' for the sake of his cover.

                "It's not about winning. They're trying to break its spirit, turning it into a tool that never hesitates to obey its master." Dan said, his voice noticeably darker after taking in the area around them. The scene repeated over and over, with a certain amount of variation to it. Pokemon were being forced through tasks that would either injure or harm them, pushed well beyond their limits before being allowed to rest. At the far end of the field real battles were taking place, the Pokemon fighting with a ferocity that even wild Pokemon never exhibited.

                "As it should be. Pokemon are meant to be tools, pets, subservient to their masters. When we tell them to jump, they don't ask how high, they just jump, praying it's high enough to satisfy us." Ben called over his shoulder, leading the pair to the very back of the clearing where a small hill rose from the ground.

                "And it's never enough." Dan muttered, the brim of his hat shadowing his face.

                "Gather around everyone. I'm glad to see you've all taken to stepping up your training. Your Pokemon may all be exhausted now, but as time goes by their strength will only flourish. Tonight we have a special occasion, two new 'trainers' who wish to ascend to our prestigious level." A round of applause rose up from the gathered crowd. "Now, since we don't have any fitting sacrifices for their first 'Cleansing', we'll have to put off making them official Purists. Never fear though, we can still make you initiates, so long as you pass a simple test."

                Dan clenched his hands into fists, and took a step forward, his voice ringing confidently through the clearing. "What have you got for me?"

                "This here..." Ben began, raising a white oval with pink green triangular markings on it over his head. "Is a Pokemon egg. A Ralts egg to be precise." Miko, who had been standing to Ben's side since he had called everyone over, looked up in horror. "Psychic types are one of the biggest problems in our world. They get into the minds of their trainers, and they twist them, turning them into puppets. My question to you, Dan, is... Are you a puppet?"

                "I am a slave to nobody." Dan said, voice full of confidence.

                "Good. Then call out a Pokemon." Ben said. Jess was at the man's left, grinning widely at the proceedings. Dan unclipped a Pokeball form his belt, and tossed it forward, releasing a Mienfoo.

                "Being a Trainer is one thing, but being a Master means rising to a higher level. Your Pokemon probably trust you, they probably respect you after travelling alongside you for quite some time. But I wonder, will they obey you? Even if you order them to do something no Pokemon would ever do? Your challenge, your test, is to make that Pokemon crush the egg."

                The crowd went silent, waiting with baited breath for what the Trainer would do. Figuring it was now or never, Atticus made eye contact with Miko, who had retreated to the back of the crowd. Mouthing the password he prayed that the bluff would pay off. Emily should have had more than enough time by now.

                "You hear that Mienfoo?" Dan asked, getting a nod from his Pokemon. "Well then..." He paused, reaching up to turn his hat around backwards. "Do it."

                Whatever those present were expecting from the command, the explosion of action that followed certainly wasn't it. As soon as the words left the Trainer's mouth the little weasel Pokemon shot forward, landing a solid Mach Punch to the groin of the nearest Purist, followed by a debilitating Jump Kick to the jaw of another. Two more Pokeballs were dropped, revealing a Croagunk and Heracross, that immediately joined the fray, not even waiting for the Purists to call their Pokemon.

                Within seconds the Pokemon had seven of the 'Masters' down for the count, the remaining ones were left scrambling to find Pokemon that weren't tired. Miko immediately made a grab for the combat knife on the belt of the Purist before her. By the time he realized what was going on the blade had dug its way into his kidney, dropping the boy to the floor in agony. The Empath darted forward in the wake of the confusion, seeking safety next to Atticus.

                "Now you've done it, 'Todd, Kill the fucking Kirlia!'" One of the Purists barked into his Pokegear, fuming when he received no response.

                By now several other Pokemon had joined the fray in an attempt to fight back. A Rhyhorn charged past the Fighting Pokemon, intent on taking out the group of Trainers. To everyone's further surprise Dan rushed forward to meet it, grabbing the Rhyhorn around its horn and halting its advance.

                "Down!" He yelled, cocking an arm back and striking the Rock type Pokemon in the forehead with an open palm. The beast lurched, staggering to one side as another palm slammed down on it. "Stay! Down!" More and more strikes slammed into the Pokemon, until it finally slumped to the ground unconscious. Turning to face the bewildered trainers, Dan wiped his nose, grinning cockily at the group. "Well? Who's next?"

                "So? What's the plan?" Atticus asked, both him and Miko had their backs to the fellow Trainer as the remaining Purist surrounded them.

                "This is the plan! Find the Purists, get them all together, beat the stupid out of them!" Dan laughed, cracking his knuckles and sizing up the remaining competition. "Five bucks says none of these mooks lay a finger on me."

                "You're insane!" Atticus yelled, looking around franticly for any sign of the Ghost Pokemon.

                Dan merely laughed, a loud confident noise, and grinned further. "You're here for the same thing aren't you?"

                "Whatever, just keep them off of us, the cavalry is coming." Atticus muttered.

                Three more Pokeballs opened ahead of them, and the assortment of Pokemon inside were swept easily by the fearsome Fighting Types that Dan had released. Four more Purists tried to close in, holding sticks, knives or chains. Each one hit the ground with a thud after receiving a vicious beat-down from Dan. Atticus cringed as some of his strikes hit with a sickening crunch.

                "Man, don't you guys drink your milk? I hope being murderous psychopaths has good health coverage." The boy taunted, trying to coax more of the Purists into attacking. Seeing none of them willing to attack Dan instead charged recklessly, bowling over two of the remaining opponents and opening up on a third with a flurry of blows. Atticus could barely follow the movements, wishing he had some sort of self defense training so that he could help. Miko cowered behind him, looking about franticly as emotions of fear anger and pain washed over her.

                Sorry I'm late. A familiar voice rang in his ear, and he felt ethereal arms wrap around him. You really suck at leaving trails you know that? You're lucky ghosts are good at seeing in the dark.

                "I think I've made a new friend." Atticus murmured, gesturing over to Dan as the boy in question found himself surrounded. He ignored the odd look from Miko, figuring he could explain later.

                Better go help out then. Okay! Go for the trainers! At her command the Pokemon commenced their spectral assault, Ventus constricting arms and airways, Nox hypnotizing a boy into a sitting duck, Hexen scaring one into flinching, and Bozu knocking a knife from a Purist's hand. Dan quickly took advantage of the sudden distraction, knocking out the remaining humans and jumping back to stand next to his two allies.

                "Whew, that was fun! What they lacked in skill they certainly made up for in numbers." Dan said, stretching out as if he'd just finished a warm-up.

                "Do you often fight Pokemon barehanded?" Miko asked, fixing the boy with an odd look.

                "I'm quite handy with a Bo staff too." He quipped, as the stillness in the night was interrupted by slow clapping. "Ah, I figured you two idiots would have taken off."

                "Actually, we were waiting for you to tire yourselves out." Ben called, emerging from the shadows beneath a tree. "So, we've been infiltrated, by a Fighting trainer and a Ghost trainer, looking to rescue the Empath from our clutches hm? I should have guessed. I don't suppose you'd do the honorable thing and face us in a Pokemon battle?" He asked, smirking as Jess stepped forward to stand beside her boss.

                "Hell N-" "You're on!" Atticus' reply was cut off by Dan's outburst. The energetic boy jumped forward, cracking his knuckles.

                "I'll take the Fighting trainer, he's more my type anyways. I can just picture how beautiful his screams will be." Jess taunted, removing a wicked looking whip from her belt and striding off to an empty section of the clearing.

                "Guess that leaves you and me, Ghost boy." Ben grinned, moving in the opposite direction. "This is a Master battle, so you know. We'll be fighting alongside our Pokemon, I hope a shrimp like you puts up a decent fight. None of the rest of your kind have."

                You have one advantage at least, I'll be directing the Pokemon so you don't need to split your attention.

                "One Pokemon at a time, but I'll be nice and let you use as many as you've got." Ben taunted, pulling his first Pokeball. "Let's roll, Donphan!"

                Ventus, he's all yours! The two Pokemon took to the field, Ben's Donphan stomping the ground in anticipation. If Ventus felt threatened, it didn't show it.

                "Miko, Selene is waiting at the arranged location. Get going." Atticus said, preparing himself for the coming battle.

O~O~O~O~O

                "So, you know the rules?" Jess taunted, letting her barbed whip uncoil to the floor.

                "Honor among monsters, will wonders never cease?" Dan quipped, lowering himself into a fighting stance.

                "One Pokemon at a time. We fight alongside of them. Battle's over when you run out of air to scream with." The girl grinned, cracking the whip once. "Go get him Golbat!"
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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