Blazing the Competition - Pokémon SI

Chapter 24 – Spectral Menace

“We finally made it. Thank you for being our guide Tranquill.”

“Quill!”

It was dark out but despite that the small settlement surrounding the tower wasn’t completely devoid of light sources. Despite being so far removed from civilization the streets are paved with cobblestones and surroundings are lit by street lamps. However, instead of a normal color the street lamps give off eerie blue light. Upon further inspection I noticed that these street lamps more closely resembled old school oil lamps from the preindustrial era.

“I wonder which person has to light them up every day before sundown?”

“Vi Vi.” “Those aren’t oil lamps, there are Pokémon inside!”

“Wait, isn't that like Pokémon cruelty? Can you hide for a bit Tini? I’ll go see what’s up with those streetlamps.”

My Pokémon dutifully hid inside my backpack again. While I brought out a piece of nylon rope in order to get a closer look at those streetlamps.

“Tranquill, can you wrap this rope around that streetlamp? I want to get a closer look at the Pokémon inside.”

“Tranq!”

The bird Pokémon complied with my request by tying the rope around the streetlamp. Just before my first attempt at climbing to the top of the streetlamp I started hearing clomping noises. Not wanting to get into trouble with the locals I hurriedly slid the rope back down and kicked the evidence away from my person.

The source of the sound was a small blue colored golem with a rectangular swirl on its front end. The Pokémon was wearing a snazzy handyman’s outfit with a tool belt and everything.

‘This is my first time seeing this species in person.’

Golett, the Automaton Pokémon. It is said that Golett was instructed to protect people and Pokémon by the ancient civilization that created it. Ancient science fashioned this Pokémon from clay. It's been active for thousands of years. Its movements are powered by a mysterious energy. It has continued to move since ancient times, so its power may soon run out.

‘That last bit of the entry seems a tad grim.’

“Uhm excuse me Golett?”

“Lett?”

“Can you tell me which Pokémon are trapped inside these street lamps? Are they in need of rescuing?”

“Lett Go!?”

The golem Pokémon waved its little arms in the air obviously trying to assuage my concerns about all these trapped Pokémon.

“Golett says that the litwick inside these lamps light up the streets voluntarily. There are these little panels inside their lamps which they can use to jump out if they feel the need to.”

“Wow that’s something, using Pokémon as a light source that’s a first even for me… Hey Golett, would you happen to know where a friend of mine resides? She’s from Hoenn wears ceremonial flowers in her hair and has a penchant for letting her ghost type Pokémon prank innocent bystanders.”

“Go… Lett!”

“Golett says he knows the human you are talking about but that he still has a job to do replacing some water damaged pavement. You can stick around while he gets the job done and he’ll show you afterwards.”

“That’s great Golett if we all chip in you’ll be done twice as fast.”

We all walked together towards Golett’s job site. Tranquill was getting tired from having to fly all day long, so I recalled her inside my poké ball for a deserved rest. This being a job to replace a broken tile I called out Numsy. The little camel was having a heated discussion with his fellow ground type about the best types of soil for digging holes. Naturally I could only understand half of what was said but that half was enough to gouge the topic of their conversation.

“Okay Numsy let Golett take the lead here, okay? I am pretty sure you have no experience replacing broken tiles.”

“Num num!”

We quickly arrived at our destination. One of the houses had a set of broken tiles right at the start of their runway.

“So how are we going to do this? We will need a grout saw to remove those tiles without damaging any adjacent ones.”

Going completely against my preconceived notions, Golett just started stomping the broken tiles with his feet. I was about to correct the little golem before I noticed only the damaged tiles were being cracked.

“That is an amazing application of Stomping Tantrum. See here Numsy? Golett only damaged the tiles that needed replacing, that is some pinpoint geokinesis right there. Golett, can I borrow that scraper from your toolbelt? I’ll get to removing the broken shards and leftover adhesive.”

“Lett.”

Together we got the job done lickity-split. We did have to wait two hours for Golett’s premix of grout and tile adhesive to set. I used that waiting period to ask Golett all sorts of pointed questions.

“So, I am assuming you originally lived inside Dragonspiral Tower. What was that like? How does your species get along with all the dragon types that live in and around the tower?”

“Lett Lett Go.”

“He says most of his family stay in stasis until certain conditions are met at which point, they reactivate themselves. The dragons living inside the tower didn’t disturb their sleeping forms.”

“Interesting… and your trainer was the one who woke you up from your age long slumber?”

“Lett!”

“Yes, humans entering the tower is grounds for reactivation. He got caught by the unofficial leader of this settlement. Incidentally she is the same person who is hosting your friend.”

“I am assuming all of the Litwick lighting these streets are also hers?”

“Go.”

“She has many ghost type Pokémon. We all live around the tower.”

“Do you want to head out? The chances of somebody walking on these tiles as they are drying up is almost minimal. It’s getting kind of dark out here and we still haven’t had dinner yet.”

“Num num!”

Upon mentioning dinner Numsy immediately woke up from his stupor the little camel became bored about halfway into our conversation and just went to rest on the side of the road. Golett was still a bit reluctant but after some further zigzagooning(badgering) from me, he accepted my proposal to move on. Golett guided us back to what seemed to be the biggest property in the settlement it was protected by a big fancy gate and the front yard housed a wide-open pond a perfect living accommodation for any water types of the owner may have.

“This is one extravagant house the proprietress must be loaded. So where do you usually pass the day Golett?”

“Go…”

Our ghostly friend gestured towards a small white chapel covered in Egyptian style hieroglyphics similar to the ones we came across inside the relic castle. This small building was obviously built for the intended purpose of housing Pokémon that tended to live in old ruins like yamask or golett. Evidently the property owner took considerable measures to make her Pokémon feel at home.

We walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. The doors to the house seemed to open up automatically since there was no human or Pokémon standing behind the threshold to receive us. I scanned the darkened corridor of the main hall for a while before summarizing my conclusion to the rest of my companions.

“Okay Numsy, Golett I’ve experienced situations like this one before. In all likelihood one of Phoebe’s ghost is hiding in the house’s natural shadows waiting for an opportune moment to jump scare us. Golett can you turn on the lighting? We’ll wait outside till the lights are on. Golett…?”

Golett who was standing just behind us seems to have wandered off to his part of the property ruining my initial plan. Being a fellow ghost type he’d be an unattractive target for any hijinks, making it safer for him to wander around the villa. Golett’s wandering off on his own meant one of us would have to brave the insides of this most definitely haunted villa.

“Num!”

“Not it!”

I watched Numsy who had managed to beat me holding one of his stubby hooves against his snout before I had fully realized our precarious situation.

“Numsy, you…”

“Num num.”

“Fine but you will have to watch over the egg. I can’t risk dropping it out of fright.”

‘Now how to avoid being pranked…’

“Ahem… PHOEBE!!! I know you are in there! I won’t fall for any of your tricks! Turn the light back on and stop acting like a child!”

‘Now to wait the appropriate amount of time, giving her ample opportunity to come to her senses.’

Disappointingly predictable the culprit doesn’t cease her nefarious actions by revealing herself forcing me to come get her. Now I would in any other instance ask one of my Pokémon to light up one of my torches with their flames, but I didn’t want to give the owner of this villa the impression that I was an arsonist. Slowly shuffling my feet further along to make sure I didn’t fall for the classic fake floor or wire trap pranks I made my way further into this opulent home.

“Where are the light switches? A villa like this should have plenty of battery powered lamps even if power cables don’t go this far out into the routes.”

The entryway was filled with sconces holding large unlit candles. I figured the owner must be some type of romantic who was hooked on only using candles for lighting her home. I was mildly annoyed since I didn’t have a lighter with me until I remembered that I have multiple solutions latched onto my trainer’s belt.

“Rena come on out!”

My foxy friend materialized out of her ball. Still a bit drowsy at this time of day it was natural she was already asleep in her ball.

“Pix pix!”

“Sorry! Could you please light some of these candles for me? I can’t see a thing.”

“Pix…”

Realizing my need for her was warranted she reluctantly gave me a pass for this one time. I picked her up and held her close to one of the sconces decorating this hallway.

“Just a little flame, okay? We don’t want to burn this place down.”

“Vuuul!”

The little fox voiced her displeasure at my cautioning advice making it clear she understands that it would be a bad idea to blast a single candle wick with a full-on attacking move. Rena opened her mouth to release some sparse amount of embers into the direction of the candle. Her efforts paying off immediately as the candle lit up giving us a modicum of vision into our surroundings. At last being able to observe our surroundings. The sole flickering light created multiple shadows on the ground each potentially housing a ghost type ready to pounce on us.

“Thanks a bunch Rena. Return!”

I recalled my vulpine companion so she could continue her nap. It made no sense to me for both of us to be pranked at the same time. And unlike me Rena did have the potential to damage the property in a fight or flight moment. With the candelabra in hand, I navigated myself further into the house.

‘It makes no sense to keep looking for Phoebe. Guess I’ll just go to the kitchen and prepare this night’s dinner for the team.’

Exiting the hallway, I found myself in the living room adjacent to the all-inclusive kitchen. Unlike what I would expect from a home without any electrical lighting the rest of the villa was fairly futuristic. The variety of kitchen appliances was truly staggering; they even had a berry blender from Hoenn right on the kitchen worktop.

“This’ll be sweet. I've always wanted to try blending my own pokéblock.”

One of the balls latched onto my belt popped open revealing my floating rabbit Pokémon.

“What are you making?”

“It’s what the coordinators use to make the fur and scales of their Pokémon extra glossy. You put an appropriate number of berries into the blender and the machine has multiple settings to adjust for coarseness, temperature, pH, and there’s also a compartment for any secret ingredients you want to add to the mix. These babies cost a ton, so most coordinators use the publicly available ones inside contest halls.”

One might find it a tad presumptuous to start using someone else’s kitchen appliances before even being introduced to the owner of said appliance. However, I didn’t feel like wandering around the house until one of Phoebe’s ghosts got the jump on me. Making dinner for my Pokémon seemed to be a more productive use of my time while waiting for the inevitable. After I plugged in the blender’s electrical cord, I pulled out numerous tupperware containers holding my team’s supply of berries.

“What berries do you think would go well together?”

“Magost and… Pecha!”

“…Fine but you will have to share some of those pokéblocks with the others. Pokéblocks are more like supplements, not a substitution for a full meal.”

I brought out my cutting board to cut up the aforementioned berries into manageable slices. While I was busy preparing dinner, Victini started exploring the living room. The rabbit was mildly curious about the television hanging on the wall of the living room. I went unaccosted until I motioned to open up the lid of the berry blender.

“Yaaaaaaaa!!!”

“Arceus!”

Situated at the bottom of the blender was a familiar childlike mask shooting off into the air and giving me mild heart pangs. Quickly reassessing the situation, I soon found my bearings.

“Heya Yamask, you remember us?”

“Yaaaa.”

The ghost having finished his spiel quickly nodded his assent to affirm my question.

“How are you liking life outside of Relic Castle so far? Is Phoebe treating you well?”

“Yaa Yaamask.”

“Yamask says Phoebe and his seniors on the team are showing him all the ropes of living outside with humans.”

“Hmm… and that wouldn’t happen to entail how to scare the living daylights out of innocent bystanders?”

“Yaaa….”

“Its fine if you want to fit in, but don’t let Phoebe’s wiles trick you into believing that is how all humans want to be greeted.”

A creaking noise was heard behind me. I turned around fast enough to spot Phoebe popping out one of the kitchen’s many cabinets. She somehow managed to stuff herself inside a 48-inch-high kitchen wall cabinet.

“Don’t you listen to him sweetie. Egon’s always been bonkers. That was a great prank you sure got him good.”

“Yaaaaa!”

‘It won’t be long until this one becomes a no-good troublemaker like the rest of her team. I always presumed this type of behavior was to be expected from ghost types, but if Phoebe is the one encouraging these hijinks… I might have a decent shot at capturing a more sensible litwick of my own.’

“I knew if we put out the berry blender, you’d try to make some pokéblock! You are too predictable, Egon.”

“Well at least I wasn’t the one stuffing myself in a closet in order to get the jump on an unsuspecting visitor.”

“Why you…!”

Just like that me and Phoebe kept bickering until the pokéblocks were ready. The Numsy and Yamask having grown used to the byplay between Phoebe and me just lounged around on the couch watching a rerun of the ugly Ducklett until dinner was served.

“Food’s ready, come on out everyone!”

The rest of my team materialized around the coffee table eager to fill their stomachs.

Each of their bowls had their names engraved so it was obvious for everyone who gets what. Phoebe and her Yamask sat on the living room couch content to watch us enjoy dinner.

“So Phoebes, have you already found a specter you want to team up with?”

“Yep! And she’s a total cutie too. For now, though, we decided it was best that she remains inside the tower until we book it back to Hoenn. That way she can say goodbye to all her friends.”

“So, what Pokémon species did you catch? I was under the presumption that only litwick lived inside the tower.”

“I caught my precious Lampent just yesterday. However, litwick aren’t the only species of Pokémon that have made the tower their home. Elygem and Beheeyem roam the upper levels. Something about the tower being the tallest building in this region really appeals to them, and they don’t mind sharing their living space with other Pokémon.”

“Phoebes, you know what this means don’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The bet on who would crack first and catch the other’s preferred type! Now, I believe you owe me a solid?”

“That doesn’t count! Lampent is also a ghost type!”

“We didn’t say anything about our preferred types overlapping! In any case I don’t need much from you. Just waive our previous agreement on me spending a month on Mt. Pyre.”

“…Half”

“What?”

“You still have to spend two weeks at my home because Lampent is also a ghost type.”

Partially amused by this rare display of childlike behavior, my first inclination was to agree with her compromise on the bet, but I wouldn’t let her off with just that.

“It’s a deal but only if I get pranking immunity for the rest of the night and tomorrow. Otherwise, the deal’s off.”

“Fine…! But know that you are really missing out. Me and my team have come up with some great material while you’ve been away.”

“Yes, that’s what worries me. And don’t force little Yamask to go along with these juvenile pranks!”

“How else is he going to get his fix of negative energy? I am a girl on the move! We don’t spend enough time on Mt. Pyre so he can’t feed off the lingering grief.’

“The celestial tower is one big graveyard, there is enough negative energy to go around! Whatever… anyways, do you know when the owner will get here? I don’t want to make a bad impression by falling asleep before making our introductions to the hostess.”

“Big sis Kira is attending a midnight séance, by the time she gets home it will be way past our bedtimes. No worries, Egon just get some sleep in. Tomorrow, I’ll give you a special super-secret tour of the celestial tower that not even tourists can get.”

‘Big sis!? That relationship must have progressed faster than a bullet train. Well, I guess I can afford to be more lax in my demeanor if Phoebe likes her this much.’

“Okay team it’s bedtime! Tomorrow we’ll go out and find ourselves a new friend.”

“Vuuul!”

“Num num!”

“Dar!”

Phoebe pointed out one of the guestrooms that was still empty. The room was opulent with its own candle chandelier and adjacent bathroom. Leagues above any league assigned shared hostel room. Unlike the center dorms this room also had multiple Pokémon beddings making me not have to share my own mattress with the rest of my team. I didn’t mind bunking together with Victini and Rena, but Numsy had a snoring problem and sleeping together with him was detrimental to the eight hours of sleep this body needs to keep functioning properly. I immediately dove beneath the blankets to get a good night’s rest.

The following morning, I woke up from the light filtering in through the drapes. It was the first time I got a full night’s rest while at the same time sharing a residence with Phoebe and her team, which immediately put me in a great mood. The rest of my Pokémon were also mildly stirring on their beds showing signs of waking up. Not wanting to disturb the final spurt of their rest time I tried to sneakily slip away into the bathroom to freshen up quietly. Showers being a lot more noisy than drawing a bath I opted to go with the latter option. As I slipped inside the tub I realized that this would be the first time I took a relaxing bath since earning my trainer’s license.

“Ahh this hits the spot.”

“What are you doing?”

Victini, already awake, seems to have followed me inside the bathroom. The rabbit Pokémon landing on the edge of the bathtub.

“It’s called bathing. We humans sometimes do this when we want to clean ourselves and relax at the same time. It’s similar to using the shower but takes longer.”

At this point, having gotten curious, Victini was dipping her toe pads in the warm water to verify my claims. This came as quite a surprise since none of my Pokémon have shown any inclination to survey water, no matter the temperature. Victini shivered a bit after dipping her extremities beyond the water’s surface but didn’t appear to exhibit any major discomfort.

“Did the owner of the house come back last night?”

“Yes! I felt her come back last night.”

“Good, I'll finish up here and afterwards we’ll go introduce ourselves.”

“Me too!?”

“Of course, the proprietress has a large amount of ghost types scurrying about. I am sure that at least some of them must’ve seen you last night. We might as well take this opportunity to get you an extra friend.”

I finished bathing and after trying in vain to tame my messy hairdo I came out of the bathroom. My Pokémon already woken up by the sound of my draining the bathtub.

“You guys can go watch some TV in the living room while I prepare breakfast.”

“Nitan?”

“The big box with the black screen in the living room, Rena knows how to work it. While staying with us in Lavaridge she hasn’t missed a single episode of her favorite show Chansey’s Anatomy. Just make sure she puts on a series everyone likes.”

“Vuuuul!”

“I am not saying that the show is bad, it's just that everyone has their own preferences.”

As I was arguing with the little fox, I heard a commotion from the room next to the guest room where we spent the night.

“Egon!!! Let’s visit the tower today!”

An enthusiastic Phoebe popped out this time seemingly not being followed around by any of her ghost types. I however knew that she had at least one of her Pokémon hiding in her shadow most of the time.

“Hold your rapidashes! My Pokémon still need to eat. Oh, also… I figured the owner of this house has a bunch of ghosts roaming around making hiding Victini meaningless. Can she keep a secret?”

“You have nothing to worry about, hothead. I’ll explain the situation to Kira. She usually sleeps during the morning hours as do her Pokémon. Now what are you making us for breakfast? I am starving!”

“Still being completely unreasonable…”

Most of Phoebe’s Pokémon didn’t need to actually eat food for sustenance. So only having to make one or two portions more than usual wouldn’t take any extra time.

“For your Sableye right?”

“Yep.”

Unlike the other ghosts on her team Sableye actually needed a steady dose of minerals in its diet. Their species were known to eat rocks, precious metals and gems.

“I have iron, calcium and zinc. Anything else Sableye needs you’ll have to add yourself.”

“No sulfur?”

“If I was looking to poison my team maybe.”

Just like that we spent a portion of our morning preparing breakfast. My Pokémon with Rena’s help managed to figure out how to use the television. They ultimately decided to watch a cartoon depicting a trio of spoink brothers participating in some sort of housing competition. It seemed interesting enough, but I had no idea what the Pokémon actors were saying without subtitles on. I finished up preparing the food, while Phoebe stepped in to add some extra minerals from a sealed jar to sableye’s bowl.

“Darn that stuff smells like rotten eggs. You just ruined a perfectly good bowl of pokéchow.”

“You’ll see, Sableye can’t go a day without this. It makes him super energetic and ready for a day’s worth of training.”

“You still train? I thought this was your vacation.”

“Some light sparring here and there between my team members. We’ve got to stay in shape to keep competing at the highest levels. Now come on out, Sableye!”

She released her Sableye and the first thing the little gremlin did was dash towards the bowl smelling of rotten eggs. The darkness Pokémon eating his food with much gusto. My other pokemon gave the ghost type a wide berth not wanting to be near that horrid smell. Me guessing that the odour didn’t help my team’s appetite proffered a suggestion.

“Let’s eat outside, on the porch, it’s a beautiful day out.”

20 minutes later*

“So, are we ready to go?”

“Just a second Egon! Sableye wants to know which of the spoink brother’s houses can resist the big bad Absol’s razor wind.”

After we finished eating our breakfast. Me and the team were just lazing around outside enjoying the sun’s rays.

“This is the life… When I retire, I’d like a home just like this, enjoying the quiet rural environment.”

“Why thank you young man, but I am a long time away from actually retiring.”

The personage approaching us from the garden’s side door was surprisingly young looking. If I had to estimate her age, I’d guess her to be around thirty years old. She was rather tall wearing gothic style attire and had deep purple hair. Unlike Phoebe whose dressing sense tended to lean towards bright colors and floral printed skirts, this woman dressed in a style that would be expected from a ghost type specialist. I quickly stood up in order to offer her a proper greeting.

“Thank you for allowing us to stay at your home. My name is Egon from Lavaridge town and these are my partner Pokémon.”

“Num!”

“Pix!”

“Manitan!”

“Vi Vi!”

“Quill!”

“Oh my! Such a polite group of guests. My name is Kira and I run the day-to-day affairs in this settlement. I am also a spirit channeler by trade. Phoebe told me she was expecting her friend to show up at some point.”

“Uhh yeah, she invited us to stay here for a bit. I specialize in fire types so I figured this would be a good opportunity to see if I can find a litwick that clicks with me and my team.”

“Splendid! And if you do manage to catch one, I’ll be more than happy to advise you on the basics of taking care of our beloved candle Pokémon.”

Hearing her mention the word candle I asked a follow up question.

“That reminds me. How come this villa doesn’t use any electric lighting? Isn’t it a hassle to buy candles each time you run out?”

“An excellent question. You see Egon, this is one of the few places in Unova where Litwick can spontaneously materialize in the living world. To achieve this, they need to use a specific type of candle as a medium. This is why everyone inside this settlement uses candles as a light source instead of light bulbs. It is seen by the residents of this place as a sign of good luck when their candle gets picked to house the spirit of these wondrous Pokémon.”

This was one of the key differences between my expectations of starting anew in this world and reality. It is indeed true that Pokémon produce eggs, however a good portion of ghost types don’t have the biology required to produce an egg. Instead, most ghost types could actually spontaneously form under the correct environmental influences.

“That explains a lot. Well, if you don’t mind, I’ll be off to the tower as soon as Phoebe’s Sableye is done watching that cartoon.”

I tapped the glass sliding door separating the living room from the garden. Phoebe in response gave the signal that they were almost done watching the show.

“Young man, before you go, I’d like to ask a few questions of my own. Like what species of Pokémon that is.”

Kira made a hand gesture towards Victini who during the course of our conversation started fiddling around with Glove’s flaming eyebrows.

“Oh boy.”