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Ghost-Trainer
By : Almister
Category: Pokemon > General
Views: 3155 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, I make no money from this story.
Chapter List
- 7
- 8
                Atticus blinked, finding himself floating in an endless sea of darkness. It was cold, empty, it wasn't so a lack of light as it was filled with nothingness.

                Hey...

                Was he falling? He couldn't tell. Which way was up? He couldn't even tell if he was moving.

                Atticus? Can you hear me?

                There was something out there. Moving. Disrupting the natural void around him.

                Please. Come back to me Atticus. I know you can hear me.

                A light, a soft shimmer in the distance that he didn't so much see but feel. He knew on some base level that something was there. It resonated somewhere within him, tugging gently on him as he drifted.

                I'm right here. You know where to find me. I'll be waiting.

                Slowly, as if a fog was lifting, the world began to return. It started within him, a feeling of warmth returning to his body. He became aware of rough cloth surrounding him, and a musty smell of old blankets. The quiet sounds of creaking wood and the pitter-patter of rain on a roof. His eyes opened, and his vision swam, slowly focusing in to the view of an unfamiliar ceiling.

                Don't move. A quiet voice ordered when he tried to sit up, the sudden surge of pain encouraged him to obey. A familiar face leaned over him, wet blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed to shimmer with life. She gave a small smile, reaching down to brush across his forehead with an icy hand, relieving him of some of his fever.

                I know you can go right through me... Emily said, sitting down upon his lap. But for now, pretend I'm real, and you can't get up while I'm sitting here. We need to have a talk.

                "Emily." His voice was cracked from misuse, he wondered absently how long he was out, and how dehydrated he was as a result.

                Don't you Emily me! You nearly died! I can't believe you'd do something so stupid! I don't even know what you did and I can tell it was stupid of you!

                I could touch you... I could actually grab hold of you... Does that tell you how close you came to death?

                "I know... I'm sorry." Atticus muttered, feeling ashamed for putting her through what he did. "I just... I lost control. I became a monster."

                You're not a monster Atticus.

                "But what if I am? You saw it first hand, the things I could do, they aren't natural. It wasn't human! To a normal person they would be horrifying. Perhaps the Purists are right. Perhaps there is no place for me in this world."

                You are wrong! You are not a monster Atticus. I was a normal girl growing up remember? I had no special powers, and I never saw you as anything other than my closest friend. You are a person, just like everyone else, and you deserve all the rights anyone else does. When I saw what you had done I was terrified, but it was fear for your life, not anyone else's.

                "I just... I don't think I am normal though. Beyond all this Medium and Ghost nonsense... I wonder sometimes if I do feel emotions, or if I just realize I should feel them, and fill in the blanks."

                What brought this about?

                "When I was dying, I felt myself go numb. I could feel emotions, but they were removed, locked away so that I could acknowledge them and then ignore them. When it all came back I realized that it's not all that different from my day to day life."

                You're not some kind of sociopath, if that's what you're wondering.

                "Aren't I? My closest friend is dead, and I never really cried for you. Not even at your funeral. Not even a single tear."

                It's cause I'm not gone. I may be dead, but what have you really 'lost'? I lost a ton, but I try to focus on what I still have left. You? You lost physical contact with me, sort of. If you cried because of every girl you might not ever sleep with, you'd drown yourself in tears.

                "Alright, maybe you have a point, but you're still not going to be here forever. This journey will come to an end, and you'll be gone for good."

                Yes, if everything works out and we get our happy ending I'll pass on, like I promised. But that's a big if, and a long way off. You know there are stages to dealing with death in the long term. People who are told they are going to die don't grieve right away, neither do their families and friends. You have a long time to come to terms with my death before I really go anywhere.

                A crack of lighting heralded an increase to the rain outside. Finally taking stock of his surroundings properly, Atticus sat up in bed with a groan. "Where are we anyways? I don't remember even making it to route 15."

                That new kid brought you and Miko off the trail on route 15. We're in a supposedly haunted house that a few travelers occasionally use for shelter.

                "Supposedly?" The young Medium swung his legs over the edge of the bed, slowly testing out how strong he was.

                We haven't seen any ghosts yet, although it makes no sense that a house like this would still have electricity and running water if nobody was here. Are you sure you should be getting up? You've been out for two days.

                "Yeah. The injuries are mostly to my soul. They hurt but I can't really make them worse by moving around. It'll be a long time before I can do something like that again though."

                And it'll be an eternity before you actually do something like that again, right?

                "If I'm in danger of dying anyways, what else can I rely on?" Atticus shrugged, wincing as he rose to his feet.

                All the more reason I'm stepping up the training. It's our Pokemon's job to protect you as my proxy, all of them feel bad for not being strong enough to help you.

                "Speaking of the Pokemon, where are they? Where's everyone else as well? They didn't just dump me in a bed and take off did they?"

                The Pokemon are off playing around in the house somewhere, Miko is making dinner, and Dan was supposed to be watching you. That kid get's distracted so easily.

                "Right, well, let's go explore then shall we? I need to stretch my legs." He rose to his feet, fumbling about to get clothing on, after realizing he had been stripped down to his boxers. With Emily following alongside him the two explored the house, peering into rooms as they passed.

                It was exactly as Emily had described. The house was empty, showing not a single sign of anyone having lived there in years, save for the occasional garbage left behind by trainers using it for shelter. Most rooms had furniture covered in old white sheets, a few rooms had dusty bookshelves, most surprisingly written on computer programming.

                The door to the third floor was locked, so the two decided to put off their exploration of it until later. At the end of the hallway they peered into the final room, a grand wide space full of sheet-covered instruments. "Hey! I wonder if they're still in tune?" Atticus asked out loud, stepping into the dusty room. "I haven't played since a few years ago, when Ms. McGreggor moved away."

                We had lessons together after school on Wednesdays, for three years. You were always better than me.

                "I wasn't that good, I just had a good ear for music, and you never practiced. Let's see..." Throwing the large sheet off of the piano he coughed at the cloud of dust that rose up into the air. Pressing 'middle C' softly he hummed along with the note. "It's out of tune, but not terribly so. Remember that old duet that we played for the recital?"

                Ugh, how could I forget? It took weeks of practice to get it right.

                "Only because you kept bumping my elbow when playing. You never could keep your arms at your sides while playing. C'mon, let's play for old time's sake." The Medium pulled out the bench and sat down, testing a few notes to check on how badly tuned the piano was.

                You're kidding right? I can't touch anything remember?

                "We've been working on it. Just sit for now." Atticus patted the seat next to him, and the ghost floated down to join him. "Alright, place your hands over the keys and close your eyes. You said that I'm anchoring you to this world right?"

                Right. My other friends and family have let go, they have no choice. My Pokemon are all Ghost types by necessity, so they can't really keep me here. You're the only person that gives me purpose. Without purpose no ghost can remain in the world of the living.

                "Alright then, focus in your memories. Think back to our piano recital. Do you remember how nervous you were?"

                I remember. My palms were all sweaty, and I kept hyperventilating. Our parents were in the audience, third row on the right side. I started hiccupping right before we were supposed to go out on stage.

                "What was it again? B, F-sharp, C-sharp, Hic?"

                Ha ha, laugh it up. We had to restart three times because of my stage fright.

                "Remember what I told you though?"

                Close your eyes and imagine that it's just the two of us. Playing only for each other. That and 'Keep your damn elbows to yourself or I'll boot you off the bench.'

                "I was focusing on the first part." Atticus laughed, as the storm continued on outside. "Just remember what you felt when we finally played the song perfectly. Think about all of the emotions, and then press B."

                There was a pause for a few long seconds, and then an off-key note rang out, warped by the built-in acoustics of the music room. Emily giggled, looking down at her hands in shock an pressing another key. Her fingers passed through it, and she frowned, trying again to recapture the feeling. "Do you remember the rest?" She nodded, keeping her eyes closed. "Let's play then. Three, two, one..."

                Music rang out into the abandoned house, distorted and off rhythm as both old friends tried to once again synchronize to each other after many years. Despite the roughness it possessed a noticeable rhythm, and drew attention from the other residents. Atticus laughed when Emily's icy elbow passed through his arm during the twelfth measure, and she giggled along with him as they continued to play unhindered.

                "Well, I must say, even your music is a little bit creepy." A voice called from the doorway, pulling both musicians from their memories. "Wasn't that a duet?"

                "I had help." Atticus shrugged, facing the doorway where Dan stood, blocking the light from the hallways. "Were you looking for me?"

                "You weren't in bed, I was worried 'till I heard the music. Your hand must be feeling better, your Shuppet had to practically shatter it to get you to drop the knife." The Fighting-type trainer shrugged, gesturing out into the hallway. "You can explain all that over dinner, I think Miko wants to know more as well and you must be hungry."

                "Yeah, food sounds good right about now." Atticus agreed, rising to his feet and following the fellow trainer down to the dining room.

O~O~O~O~O

                Dinner was quite the spectacle. Like when he had first met him, Dan spent most of the meal hunched over his food protectively, only this time he actually had to spend time fending off constant attacks from his Mienfoo. The two apparently had a fierce rivalry, as Emily explained she'd seen them fighting constantly after arriving at the house. They had boundless energy, and every perceived sleight would set them off, triggering a long drawn-out battle of martial arts that took them all over the house.

                It was fascinating to watch as the two duelists crossed chopsticks with skill that would put most swordsmen to shame. The little sticks of wood flashing through the air between the plates, clashing against each other in futile attempts to find weaknesses in the other's guard.

                Miko, having shared several meals with the boy already, had the foresight to reserve a portion of the food for herself, Selene, and Atticus. The trio ate at a reserved pace, putting conversation off until the meal was finished. Dan's other Pokemon, while not as violent about their food as the trainer, had equal appetites and together the group ate the vast majority of the meal.

                "I'm glad you're up and moving about. When we fixed all of your visible wounds and you still didn't wake up we began to worry." Miko said, placing her chopsticks down on her empty plate.

                "Ah, I did something stupid, but I'll recover in time. I'm in no danger anymore, so no need to worry." Atticus said, embarrassed for causing the two any worry.

                "What was all that anyways? When I caught up to you it looked like you were about to kill yourself." Dan said, finally realizing there was no food left to fight over.

                "It's a bit of a long story, I'll have to start from the beginning if you two want to hear it." Atticus said, fixing the pair with a rather serious look. The two trainers both nodded, figuring they didn't have anything else to do but sit and digest for a bit.

                "Right well... I'm a Medium. It runs in my family, we've been protectors of our village shrine for generations. I've been able to see ghosts for a very long time, not just Ghost Pokemon but the spirits of people as well."

                Dan scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "Ghosts don't exist. Sure Ghost Pokemon do, but everything about them being 'dead Pokemon' is just superstition. They're just Pokemon with supernatural abilities."

                "Human spirits normally don't linger long after they die. Usually for a Medium to see one they have to be present at the time of someone's death. My friend, Emily, died about a month or so ago. She's still with me."

                Silence. Nobody in the room knew quite how to react to such a statement. "The duet from before..." Dan murmured.

                "She was playing the second part. It's her dream to be a Pokemon Champion, so she's training an all Ghost-type team. I'm helping her out by being her bridge to the living world."

                "So you're her... Ghost-trainer?" Miko asked, smiling slightly at the joke. She had listened patiently to the explanation so far, showing no outward reaction either way.

                "Right. Anyways, normally my abilities are limited to just seeing and speaking to ghosts, not a very big deal."

                "So what happened back in White Forest?" Dan asked, impatient with the story.

                "There is a taboo among Mediums. It is said that we live with one foot in the grave our whole lives. We can perceive the veil that separates the land of the living from the land of the dead, and that gives us a warped perspective on life and death. What I did back at White Forest was called Channeling, and it's a terribly foolish thing to do." Atticus took a deep breath, knowing that even Emily was listening to the explanation.

                "The veil that keeps life and death separate holds beyond it tremendous power. It's this power that Ghost-type Pokemon draw on for many of their attacks. A Medium can theoretically reach across the veil, becoming a conduit for that energy to flow into our world, like a temporary tear in the veil. But the veil doesn't exist in any dimension that we can understand naturally. We can't reach out and touch it, or fly up and reach it, to actually grasp the veil we need to push ourselves to the point that we are almost dead."

                "It's easier than it sounds, believe it or not. Mediums can push our spirits to that point while keeping our bodies safe, so we don't need to get stabbed to reach that state of being. The problem is it still feels like dying, we can lose ourselves in the process. Our senses dull, our morality and emotions fade, we lose bits of our humanity by the second while we hold onto the link. One of the biggest risks is for the Channeler is reaching that point where we look at life and see no reason to stay, and merely fall entirely across the veil."

                "So it's a trade off then, risking death for a power boost? That doesn't explain what happened though." Dan said, looking quite confused.

                "Right. The second, and much stronger risk is 'Possession.' It isn't an actual being taking over the Channeler, but the power that floods them causes them to start thinking like a Ghost. Everything sort of twists around, so that abstract concepts become as clear as the laws of physics, and things like the value of life lose all meaning. I was so willing to kill myself to kill Ben because at that point I didn't appreciate my own life as having any purpose."

                "Harsh. So how do you get around to controlling that sort of thing?" Dan asked.

                "I don't. It could be months before I heal enough to even try again, and even then I don't want to use that sort of power. The people who do, Mediums who become Channelers, I can't understand them at all."

                "This girl that follows you. Emily, was it? Is she here right now?" Miko asked, changing the subject.

                "That's right, she's sitting here, on my right." Atticus replied, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

                "It's nice to meet you then, Emily. I think you're the one who saved Selene, right? You have my thanks. I suppose I should share my story then?" The quiet girl asked, glancing around. "It's not much of one really. When I was young I found that I had a really good sense for what others were feeling. I could tell if someone was upset, even if they were trying really hard to hide it, and I could tell if someone was happy without even being near them. It grew to the point where if I was feeling an emotion strongly, others around me would pick up on it and start feeling it too. I once nearly caused a riot at school because I was angry.

                When I was around eight my parents began fighting. They tried to hide it from me but I could feel what they felt, and I knew it was happening. At that point I felt that if I could only become happy enough, if I could love them enough they'd reflect it at each other and it would save the family. It didn't work. No matter what I tried I couldn't stay happy, I'd cheer up both my parents, but then they'd fight and I'd feel all that anger and sadness. Then that anger and sadness would be pushed back on them, making everything worse. When I was ten my parents split up, my father went to White Forest to live.

                Living with my mother wasn't the same anymore. I did my best to help out, to not be a burden now that it was the two of us, and she was working all the time. I learned to cook and clean, always coming home from school right away to be helpful. Still, I was alone for most of the time, which suited me just fine. I was wary of getting close to people, still feeling like I caused my parents to split up. Eventually, on my 11th birthday, my father sent me a Ralts egg.

                My mother was hesitant to let me keep her, but I promised to take care of her, like everything else at home. She hatched about a month later, and we bonded instantly. I found that because of my gift, and her Psychic nature we could communicate on a level greater than most people and Pokemon. We became best friends, I taught her everything I could, even going to the internet when she had questions I couldn't answer. She made me a better person, encouraged me to find friends, helped me get over some of my social phobia, and most of all she helped me control my powers.

                When I was thirteen she evolved into a Kirlia, and our relationship became... closer. Where before her mindset had been that of a child, now she was more of a teenager like me. Due to how close we had become, it was impossible to hide anything from each other, even if we wanted to. It wasn't long before one night we became intimate. We kept up our relationship in secret for almost a year, until one day my mother came home from work early and found out. She disowned me, giving me just enough money to get to White Forest, where my father was supposed to live. He hadn't contacted us since my eleventh birthday but that didn't seem to bother my mother.

                He wasn't there. He hadn't lived there in years. I was stuck in a town I didn't know, with no money or home. I... I abused my powers to get a job and place to live. I went to school when I could, but refused to make friends, for fear of them finding out about Selene and I. Again, we kept up the ruse for a year or so, and then the Purists came. I did my best to stay out of their way, but one night they just showed up at my door and... you know the rest from there."

                Again the room filled with silence. Sure, being romantic with a Pokemon was odd, but when he stopped to think about it, Atticus couldn't find much fault in their relationship. Pokemon weren't mindless animals, despite what Purists claimed. They could understand when someone spoke to them, bond with their trainers, display complex ideals like loyalty and bravery. Aside from shape and a language barrier they were practically human themselves.

                "So... You're gay then?" Dan asked, nearly causing Atticus to facevault. "What? You and Selene are both girls aren't you? It's hard to tell with Kirlia, even the guys wear skirts, but Selene is a girl's name."

                "Y-yes. Selene is a girl." Miko mumbled, Atticus could faintly pick up on her embarrassment.

                Dan seemed oblivious. "So, a lesbian Pokemon-loving Psychic. You are so lucky the Purists didn't kill you on the spot."

                "I'm not a real Psychic. Empathy doesn't even really count by most standards." Miko replied, still emitting waves of embarrassment.

                "You just need to train then. That's why all those Psychics make the pilgrimage to Saffron city and the like, to train their abilities up from being parlor tricks to something useable." Dan shrugged.

                "Perhaps she's like me, and doesn't want to gain the full extent of her powers?" Atticus cut in.

                "Why wouldn't she? You I can understand, nearly killing yourself doesn't seem like a pleasant way to gain strength, but Psychics don't have that kind of downside do they?"

                "They do." Miko interjected. "The step up from Empathy is Telepathy, or Mind Reading. It's kind of a misnomer though. It's not like looking at someone's thoughts like a book, or a computer screen. It's like... Like there are barriers that separate each individual from each other. When you become a Mind Reader it's as if you can tear down barriers between yourself and another, you become a single person, sharing a single mind. They can't feel it because they don't normally have the gift, but your thoughts mix together. You end up thinking everything they are thinking, from current thoughts to past memories, and when it ends you have to somehow call your mind back and reset the barrier. The biggest challenge is retaining your own identity."

                "Harsh. Try learning Telekinesis instead, it seems like a useful trick." Dan shrugged.

                "Seriously? We both bare all to you and that's all you can say?" Atticus asked, taking the pressure off of Miko for a bit.

                "What do you want me to say? Your powers all come with awful prices, it sucks. You want to keep crying about it? Or maybe you can try working towards a goal like everyone else in the world does." Dan said, crossing his arms across his chest defiantly. "You want my life story now? Fine."

                "I come from a long line of Aura Adepts, all of us lived and trained in this Dojo far off in seclusion. My father is the current head, and I was his firstborn and supposed to be his heir. My mother died in childbirth, leaving him with just me. When I was two he decided he wasn't going to raise a 'Princess' and started training me. He dragged me all over the world, to the harshest places, for survival training.

                I've climbed mountains and fallen off cliffs. I've learned the hard way which berries are safe for humans and which are for Pokemon only. I've nearly lost limbs to frost bite, and broken almost every bone in my body at least once. Along the way my father would constantly challenge me to spar, I'd always lose and he'd always be disappointed. He'd piss off wild Pokemon multiple times my size and make me fight them. I didn't always win, but he never interfered.

                Finally, when I was fifteen the trip stopped. He stood in front of me and said 'If you truly wish to learn how to fight, learn from Pokemon, it comes naturally to them. From here you go alone into the world. Catch Fighting-type Pokemon, but only those you can beat with your own body, train alongside them, and come before me when you are ready. That will be our final battle, the only one that really counts.' Then he was gone, leaving me with no money, no clue where to go or what to do. Now, a year later, here I am."

                "Harsh." Atticus deadpanned, more for revenge than to be a jerk.

                "Whatever, I'm going to stretch my legs. We can decide what to do once the storm stops." Dan said, getting up and leaving the room.

                Miko merely pulled Selene into her lap and began brushing the Pokemon's hair, humming a soft tune. "Can you two really communicate?" Atticus asked.

                "Language is a complex thing. For humans it's a combination of syllables, pitch, emphasis and body language, most of which comes instinctively. Pokemon communicate on a different level, where syllables play only a minor role." Miko replied, after taking a moment to think. "Miko and I have developed our own language based on emotions. There are hundreds of emotions that we are capable of defining as distinct, so to speak me and Selene just send waves of fluctuating emotions, varying in intensity, and with body language as needed."

                "Can you really fake emotions that easily?" Atticus asked, still unsure about his own ability with them.

                "Oh no, when we fake emotions to communicate it's quite obvious that they are false. But even then there is an underlying current of what we are truly feeling, which helps us understand one-another." Miko explained.

                "Are... Are my emotions real?" Atticus asked, not certain if he wanted the actual answer. He felt Emily's arms wrap around him, and he was grateful of her company.

                Miko turned to look at him, as if examining him for something. "You are... removed, from your emotions. It's as if you must consciously choose to embrace them."

                "That kind of makes sense. It's said that Ghost-type Pokemon feed on emotions. I think it's more that feeling emotions makes you more 'alive', allowing them to exist more strongly in the world of the living. When they have no more source of emotion, or reason to care, they fade away for good. Since I'm similar to them, I need to feel in order to survive, but pushing emotions aside gets me closer to the veil." Atticus pondered, leaning back to think. After a few minutes of silence, he suddenly rose to his feet. "I'm going to take a walk. There's hot water in this house right? Maybe a shower will help clear my mind."

O~O~O~O~O

                The walk did indeed help clear his head. It also got him lost in the rather large building. It took him around ten minutes to find the door to the second floor bathroom from Miko's directions. Lost in thought he didn't bother to knock, merely pushing the door open and stepping inside. A sudden rush of steam snapped him out of his daze, and he glanced up to see Dan, clad only in a towel around the waist. They made eye-contact for a few seconds, Atticus's face growing hotter as his mind put everything together, before the Medium darted out of the room and shut the door.

                "T-t-tits!" Atticus yelped, leaning against the wall of the hallway.

                "Yes. Tits. They aren't really a big deal honestly, don't you have the internet on your Pokenav?" Dan replied, stepping out of the bathroom still clad only in a towel.

                "But... Why? Why do you have breasts?" Atticus stammered, trying not to look at them.

                "Hmmm. Maybe because I'm a girl?" Dan deadpanned.

                Atticus snapped out of his panic and thought back. True, Dan had never actually mentioned her gender, Atticus had taken it for granted from her clothing and attitude, still...

                "My dad never wanted a daughter, and never got a son. So he raised me like this, and it's how I feel comfortable. Honestly, gender doesn't really matter to me a whole lot." The Fighting-type trainer shrugged, scratching her wet hair.

                "Daniel, could you please wrap your upper body as well? It's indecent." Miko commented from down the hallway. Dan shrugged sheepishly and covered up.

                "You knew? Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Atticus rounded on the Empath.

                "I figured you knew, what with the mutual feelings of attraction coming from both of you." Miko replied.

                "I am not attracted to this cross-dressing Neanderthal!" Atticus yelled.

                "Who are you calling a cross-dressing Neanderthal!" Dan yelled back, pushing the Medium up against the wall.

                "Ahh! Neanderthals are so violent!" Atticus mocked.

                "Would you two knock it off? You're going to break something, and Atticus is still recovering." Miko called, sighing at once again being forced to be the responsible one.

                "Tch. Fine, I'll get out of your way. Have a shower, you smell awful Ghost-boy." Dan muttered, gathering her things from the bathroom and stomping away.

                Sighing, Atticus stepped into the bathroom, hoping the warm water would wash away the stress of the day.
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Ghost-Trainer	By : Almister Category: Pokemon > General Views: 3155 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, I make no money from this story.

Ghost-Trainer