Second to last chapter of this arc. I would kick up the rating of this chapter to PG-15. Why? You'll see.
More questions are raised in this chapter but no answers. I'll get on those later. I liked writing this chapter. I thought it was fun to play around with. I hope you like it as well. It's longer than all the others. Now enjoy!
Chapter 16: Nightfall Part 1
“I see; your sister was taken by the Black Organization and you’re trying to get her back.”
“We have a similar situation with a different syndicate. I’m sure you’ll be able to get her back.”
Walking from Ilex Forest onto Goldenrod City, the three trainers bumped into Lorin, a young boy who seeks to release his sister from the Black Organization’s grip.
The sun was beaming down on them from the middle of the sky. Clouds had been absent, the blue backdrop seeming to go on forever. A slight wind blew over them, some leaves picking up.
“What is that?” Kaylie asked, pointing to a large building not too far ahead of them.
The building appeared broken, dust covering even the outside. One of the two pillars that stood outside the front door was on its side. Most of the blue paint had been chipped away, the wood showing that the building stood there for quite some time. As they walked up to it, they could feel a cold feeling emitting from the house.
“This house is huge,” Hope commented. “It’s the biggest one I’ve seen.”
Just then, a sharp scream was heard coming from the house. Without saying anything, Lorin dashed in, the door squeaking as it was thrown open. With a nod, Jayden followed him. Kaylie sighed, her and Hope running in soon after.
The inside was very narrow, a staircase to the right. Running up the stairs, Jayden landed on a large second floor. There was very little light, all the windows being blocked by curtains or wood panels. He took in a breath, but soon found himself coughing, dust invading his lungs. There was a patting on his back and when he turned he saw Kaylie, smiling at him.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Jayden replied with a slight cough. “Where did Hope go?”
“She’s checking out the downstairs. We ran into Lorin and he said he heard shuffling somewhere in the house.”
“Then that means we have to check out up here. Stay close to me. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Grabbing her by the wrist, Jayden led Kaylie across the floor, coming to a door. Pushing it open, they came to another large room. This one appeared to be a second sitting room. Dusty couches and recliners were here and there. A portrait hung to their right, a large man in the picture. He seemed very familiar to Jayden, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. He knew he saw that skeletal structure before, came across that same beard somewhere else. Another door lay on the opposite side of the room, barely hanging on by the hinges. The darkness made it impossible to guess what had been in there.
“I’m going to go see what’s in that next room,” Jayden told Kaylie. “You stay right here.”
Responding with a nod, Kaylie held her breath as Jayden crossed the room slowly. When he came to the door he peered in, still not able to see anything.
“I can’t see anything,” he said. “It’s too dar-”
Just as he spoke something shot out of the room. Ducking his head, Jayden barely dodged whatever had rocketed right by him. Another cold feeling passed over him, shivers shooting up his spine. He motioned for Kaylie to get down, the girl hitting the floor instantly. Looking up, he saw a ball of purple mist hanging in the middle of the room. Inside the mist he saw a small sphere. When the mist turned he was met with a pair of sad eyes.
“Is that a Gastly?” Jayden questioned.
The sphere opened its mouth when it heard the word Gastly, revealing two large fangs. It flew over to where Jayden was, appearing before him in a split second. Smiling at him, Gastly motioned for a table next to one of the couches. Walking over to it, Jayden saw that a Poké Ball lay on it, a piece of paper next to it. Picking up the paper, he wiped the dust off of it, trying to make out the fancy cursive writing.
“What is it Jay?” Kaylie asked, peering over at him.
“It’s a Poké Ball and some kind of note. This Gastly wanted to show me the Poké Ball for some reason.”
“
Dear son, inside this Poké Ball is a Pokémon that I wanted to give you,” the note read. “I know you’ve wanted to start your journey and with this Gastly you’ll be able to do just that. I must take my leave for now, but do not fret. I will return. Take care of your sister Daniel. I will be back soon. I will write you a letter every day when I get to Kanto. They will rue the day they made Jayden Sector join the fight! Sincerely, Dad.”
As he read the last few sentences, Jayden’s mouth dropped. His hands started to shake slightly. The letter he was holding was for his dad. The Gastly that floated by him was supposed to be his dad’s. Several thoughts shot through his head, all of them confusing the boy.
“What is it?” asked Kaylie, standing up.
“My dad used to live here,” he whispered. “This note is from my grandpa and this Gastly is my dad’s.”
“That’s insane.” Kaylie walked over to him, looking over the note herself.
Gastly smiled at Jayden again, letting out a sharp scream. “That’s the scream we heard. So it was you all along, Gastly?”
Gastly nodded, his entire body moving. Picking up the Poké Ball, Jayden clutched it tightly, blowing the dust off. Gastly hit the Poké Ball, the sphere opening and pulling the ghost type into it.
“What are you going to do with it?” Kaylie asked.
“I’m going to have to return it to my dad. When we get to Goldenrod I’ll call him and transfer it over. Besides, I’ve got a few questions for him. Let’s get back to the other two.”
“Hold on.” Kaylie grabbed Jayden’s arm, pulling him towards the door that was barely hanging on. “Let’s explore a little longer.”
Placing the Poké Ball on his belt, Jayden followed Kaylie into the next room. The darkness encompassed them, their eyes slowly adjusting. This new room appeared to just connect the previous one to another, being very small. Turning to their left, Kaylie pushed open another door. Small amounts of light filtered in through a door on the opposite side of the room as well as a window, wooden panels blocking most of it.
“This looks like a bedroom,” Jayden observed, noticing the bed and desk. Looking around, he saw posters of a man in a cape, his red hair defying gravity. Next to him was a large orange dragon, tiny wings on its back. “At least whoever lived in this room had good taste in trainers.”
Jayden walked over to the bed, seeing that it was dust free. Kaylie walked to the other side of the room, closing the door, the little light in the room disappearing. Jayden turned quickly, feeling Kaylie’s presence right by him.
“What are yo-”
Before he could finish, Kaylie placed her lips on his, pulling him close to her. Shocked, Jayden couldn’t do anything, but act on instinct. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tightly. When they broke apart, all they could do was look at each other, staring into each other’s eyes. Kaylie placed her hand onto Jayden’s chest, feeling his racing heartbeat. The two teens fell onto the bed, Kaylie lying on top of Jayden. As they kissed again, the small amount of light that remained in the room vanished. Jayden knew what was going to happen, but for some reason he couldn’t fight it. He just couldn’t say no.
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“…then Team Lustrous kidnapped my brother and I’ve been searching for him ever since. We came close to getting him back, but that damn Alexander stopped me!”
“I understand that it’s tough to lose someone you love, especially to those scumbags.”
“Sometimes it’s just too hard. I put up a good act in front of Kaylie and Jayden, but when I’m alone I can’t help but cry.”
Hope and Lorin had been walking around the first floor, slowly getting to know each other. They came to large room that appeared to be the sitting room. A large couch lay against the back wall, a large window behind that. The window was boarded up, no light coming in from the outside. A scuffle sounded from the other side, a girl falling through a door. She hit the floor hard, her brown hair covering her face.
“Marina!” Lorin called, starting to run over to her.
Before he could reach her, a man stepped out of the next room, standing over her. Lorin stopped in his tracks, looking up at the man with a snarl. The man picked up the girl known as Marina with ease, throwing her over his shoulder.
“You let her go now!” Lorin shouted.
The man looked down at Lorin, his dark brown eyes looking straight through him. Lorin drew a Poké Ball from his belt, showing no fear. Without a word, the man drew a Poké Ball as well, tossing it into the air.
“I’d suggest you get out of here before my Nidorino has to make you,” the man said, his voice booming.
“We’ll see about that,” Lorin spat back, tossing his Poké Ball into the air.
From the man’s Poké Ball came a fairly large pink creature. A large horn protruded from its head. Spikes ran down its back, stopping at the middle. It flapped its large ears before stomping the ground. From Lorin’s Poké Ball came a bipedal reptile Pokémon. The room lit up due to the flame on its tail. Its scales were a dark red, save for its tan underbelly. Much like Nidorino, it had a horn, but it protruded from the back of its head as opposed to the front. Swinging its sharp claws, it looked prepared to battle.
“Charmeleon, use Ember!” shouted Lorin.
Jumping to the side, Charmeleon opened his mouth to release a barrage of small fireballs. Compared to Cyndaquil’s, they were much larger and brighter. The embers hit Nidorino in the side of the face, the poison type flinching.
“Now follow up with Metal Claw!” Lorin continued.
Charmeleon dashed at Nidorino, his claws beginning to glow. Nidorino jumped back, his horn starting to glow as well. The two glowing body parts collided, a loud clang sounding from it. Flipping backwards, Charmeleon smirked at Nidorino, which he returned.
“Show them Double Kick,” the man ordered.
Charmeleon watched as his opponent ran around him, jumping into the air. The fire type jumped back, spewing flames onto the tile floor. When Nidorino landed, he jumped back into the air, his feet burning from the fire. Landing on his side, Nidorino pushed himself back up.
“Hit Double Kick now!” the man yelled.
Reluctantly, Nidorino charged Charmeleon once more. Lorin took notice of the Pokémon’s hesitance, coming up with a plan.
“Charmeleon, stop Nidorino in his tracks!”
The fire type grabbed hold of Nidorino’s horn, sliding back a little before coming to a complete stop. Mustering all the strength he could, Charmeleon swung Nidorino over his head, slamming him into the floor. The tile cracked, small shards shooting everywhere.
“Now go get Marina!” Lorin yelled.
Charmeleon dashed at the man, running in a zig zag fashion. When the Pokémon got near him, the man threw a kick. Easily dodging it, Charmeleon slashed at the man’s arm holding Marina. The man let go of the girl, dropping her to the floor. The fire type picked the girl up, retreating back to his trainer.
“Damn you…” the man cursed, recalling his Nidorino, holding his now bleeding arm. “You ruined the plans of the Black Organization! Someday you’ll get yours!”
The man ran into the next room, exiting the house. Lorin kneeled down next to his sister. Marina wrapped her arms around him, her entire body shaking. Lorin held her close, stroking her hair.
“It’s okay sis. You’re safe.” Lorin chuckled, smiling at Charmeleon. “Charmeleon is the one who saved you.”
Turning to Charmeleon, the girl embraced him as well. The Pokémon nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. Hope looked over them, a smile on her face as well. A single tear trickled down her cheek, breaking off and hitting the floor.
“Marina, I need you to go straight home,” Lorin told her, grabbing her shoulder. “Mom and Dad will be happy to see you. I need to help out my friend Hope here. I may not be home for a while. Take my Azumaril for protection.”
Marina nodded as her brother handed her a Poké Ball. The girl ran out of the house, not looking back. Recalling Charmeleon, Lorin noticed the tear on Hope’s face, wiping it away.
“Why didn’t she say anything? Wasn’t she happy to see you?” Hope asked, another tear streaming down her face.
“She’s been mute ever since she saw our grandmother die,” Lorin explained wiping the second tear away as well. “The trauma she must have felt…”
“I’m sorry. Why didn’t you go with her? She can’t possibly control a Pokémon without telling it what moves to use.”
“Well for starters, there are many more ways to issue a command besides with your voice. And second, I need to help you find your brother and most importantly bring him back. I know how you feel all too well and I want to help ease that pain.”
Without thinking, Hope wrapped her arms around Lorin, a big smile on her face.
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Outside the house, the group of now four stared at the house. After a quick explanation of who had lived there and the battle that had transpired, the trainers decided it was best to leave and continue onwards to Goldenrod.
“I’m glad you’ll be joining us, Lorin,” said Jayden. “I needed another guy around here. Too much estrogen for my tastes.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Hope and Kaylie asked in unison.
“I know what he means,” Lorin said with a chuckle.
Slapping them on the backs of their head, Lorin and Jayden smiled at each other, Kaylie and Hope letting out frustrated sighs. Not too far away lay a large city. There were many tall skyscrapers, the sun shining off the windows. The city seemed to stretch on forever with buildings as far as the eye could see.
“That’s Goldenrod?” Hope asked, her jaw dropping.
“It’s huge!” exclaimed Jayden.
“Yeah it’s pretty impressive,” said Lorin.
Kaylie was the only one to not comment on the city’s size. Instead she looked off to her side, an eerie feeling creeping over her. As the sun began to lower, the feeling began to take over her body, not knowing what it could have been. By the time they reached the city, the moon had replaced the sun. Even though it had been night time, the streets of Goldenrod were still packed. The neon signs had come on, music blasted from all different directions, and many people yelled at you to come and buy something you knew you didn’t need.
Heading straight to the Pokémon Center, Jayden beelined right to the phones, picking up the receiver and pushing a bunch of number right by the screen. A picture of Jayden’s dad popped up as the phone began to ring.
“♫ Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring! Phone call! Phone call! ♫” the phone blared. “♫ Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring! Phone call! Phone call! ♫”
“Arceus, that’s so annoying!” said Kaylie.
The line dropped while the screen read, “Not available.” Hanging the phone up, Jayden turned to the clock above Nurse Joy’s desk. “That’s odd. My dad should be home right now. I’ll try again later.”
“In the meantime, let’s check in and go out!” Kaylie suggested.
“It’s what she always says,” Jayden whispered to Lorin.
“Fine by me,” Hope said.
Walking over to the desk, the four trainers checked into a room, the Nurse Joy handing them four keys. As they ran to the elevator, a man dressed in a black cloak walked in, watching them, his red eyes trained on Kaylie.
“Excuse me, are you a trainer?” Nurse Joy asked the man cautiously.
The man looked at her and she instantly cowered in fear. The small amount of trainers in the center watched as he walked towards the elevator, a Poké Ball in his hand.
“Kaylie Janson, sister of Alexander Janson.” The man’s voice was rough, sounding as if he was a smoker. “I’ve finally found you.”