Just as we stepped out onto the sixth floor, a flashlight beam attacked my face and forced me to stop. "Hey, you! What are you doing here?" hollered a voice.
Using my own flashlight, I discovered a green-haired man standing at the other end of the room. He wore a black uniform with a grey belt, gloves, and boots. A bright red R was on his shirt.
"Ha! A human opponent. We can handle that. Let's go, L-" Suddenly, Haunter materialized right in front of us, making me shriek. "Haunter?" It looked back at me and snickered. "Do you...want to fight?"
"Hey, kid, quit ignoring me and tell me why you're here!"
I snapped out of fear mode. "I hardly think that's any of your business! This is a public place, after all."
"Mouthing off, huh? Let's see how smart you are after I beat you! Go, Drowzee!" He threw a Poké Ball. A different yellow and brown Pokémon appeared before him. "Teach them not to mess around with Team Rocket. Psybeam!" Drowzee raised its hands and fired a multicolored energy beam at us.
Haunter flew into a tombstone and vanished; the Psybeam collided with the grave and destroyed it. After coming back into view, the ghost started to cackle.
The Team Rocket agent growled in frustration. "Again!" Drowzee fired one Psybeam after another.
Haunter avoided each attack with ease.
However, after several attempts, Drowzee managed to graze the Ghost Pokémon. It seemed to not be damaged, but it no longer showed signs of its goofy nature. Putting its hands together, Haunter formed a ball of black energy and hurled it forward.
Drowzee took a direct hit from the attack and collapsed.
"What attack was that, Dex?" I asked.
My Pokédex quickly responded, "Shadow Ball."
"Drowzee use Poison Gas!" Drowzee blew out a cloud of purple smoke from its long snout.
I made a face. "But, isn't Haunter a Poison-type?"
Haunter laughed again before flying right into the poisonous cloud.
A moment passed by.
Then Drowzee got launched into the ceiling. The sudden rush of air cleared away the smog, revealing Haunter with a fist engulfed in black energy.
I beamed at Haunter's battle prowess. "That must've been Shadow Punch."
Not willing to give up, the TR agent ordered another Psybeam.
Unable to dodge in time, Haunter got hit by the super effective attack and groaned in pain, falling to the ground.
"Haunter, are you okay?" I tried running over to help, but it insisted I stay back.
Returning to the air, Haunter made itself glow in a purple light. It rushed forward and sent its fists flying at an incredible speed. The attack blasted Drowzee back with an incredible force, knocking the creature into its Trainer.
"Nice use of Payback!" I commended.
Haunter held up a thumbs-up.
Recalling Drowzee, Green Hair went to retrieve another Poké Ball.
Acting quickly, I thrust my arm forward and pinned the man back against a wall. My forearm remained tight across his throat. "I'm in no mood for ghosts, but even less for you bastards. That ghost downstairs. You got past it somehow, right? Tell me how!"
"Why would I?" he spat.
I snapped my fingers.
Luxio responded by snarling and showing his teeth, blue sparks coming off his tail.
"You'll get fried if you don't," I answered.
Admitting defeat, the man unlatched a strange pair of goggles from his belt.
"What's that?"
"It's called the Silph Scope. You can see ghosts with it."
I hesitantly took the item, still holding a hand to his throat. "If this is a trick..."
He grabbed at my hand hoping to pry himself free. "It's...not! It was developed by the Silph Company, and fully tested. Believe me, it works. Now, get off me, brat."
"I hope you burn in hell." Remembering Haunter's presence, I smirked. "You don't happen to know Hypnosis, do you?"
Haunter waved his hands in the air, firing several white rings of energy. After taking a direct hit to the face, the man's eyes quickly shut. Snores escaped him as he slumped to the floor in a deep sleep.
"That should keep him out for a little while."
Haunter grinned and applauded his own efforts. Luxio and Pikachu thanked him for the help.
When they shot me a look, I weakly nodded. "Y-Yeah, thanks. I appreciate your help, too, ghost or not." My eyes drifted down to the weird goggles sitting in my hand. "Seeing ghosts, huh?" Getting an idea, I rushed everyone back downstairs.
Returning to the fifth floor, Paul and Grotle struggled to battle the ghost. The Grass-type had already taken some damage, while the ghost looked unscathed.
"No matter what attack we try, it doesn't work. What do we do now?" Paul cursed.
Seeing that they wouldn't attack, the ghost took its turn. It used Shadow Ball on its opponent, sending the Pokémon crashing into multiple tombstones.
"Grotle!" However, Paul knew his Pokémon had been taken out, so he recalled him.
Now with the momentum on its side, the ghost went at Paul next.
I jumped in between them. "You're no longer a threat, you damn ghost!"
"Rosa?!"
The Silph Scope fit perfectly over my head. "You better freakin' work."
Once the goggles powered up, I focused on the ghost. The shadowy blob shuddered before morphing into a fully-fleshed, outlined figure: a tall, bipedal creature strikingly similar to Cubone.
"Is that...Marowak?" I gasped.
"What?" Paul asked from behind me. "Can you see the ghost?"
"Here. See for yourself." My jaw hung open as I handed over the Silph Scope. "That means the ghost is Cubone's mother."
Marowak raised her club and gazed at us. "Get out. Leave this place!" she said, her voice pleading for us to listen. "You shouldn't get close to them!"
My heart felt heavy. "She's trying to chase us away...from Team Rocket?"
A cry suddenly echoed from the stairs behind us.
We turned to find a small brown Pokémon clearing the last step. "Cubone?"
Screaming loudly, he ran straight past us and over to the ghost, holding his arms wide open. To the naked eye, Cubone hugged thin air, but when Paul handed back the Silph Scope, I saw Cubone embracing the ghost of his dead mother.
Marowak hugged Cubone back, both shedding tears of joy over their reunion.
"It was just Marowak," I smiled, removing the Silph Scope. "All this time, she was just worried over her baby."
"No reason to be concerned over the ghost anymore," Paul added.
Marowak and Cubone embraced for just a bit longer. Then, Marowak's spirit slowly turned from purple to green. She floated away from her baby and up into the air, fading away into nothingness.
Cubone gazed at the spot where his mother previously stood, his eyes no longer looking sad and lonely. He lifted the bone in his hand and howled as loud as possible, able to finally move forward.
Smiling, I stepped over to Cubone. He heard my approach and craned his neck to look up at me. "Hey, Cubone. Thanks for that."
Cubone nodded his head.
"Come on, then." I held out my arms. "Let's go get Mr. Fuji back." With Cubone's permission, I picked him up.
★
We soon reached the next floor. Two other Team Rocket men had just awakened their green-haired friend. "Are you okay?" asked one agent with red hair.
"And where's the Silph Scope?" demanded another with blue hair.
Green Hair could barely remember his own name. "It...It was..."
"This thing here. This is what you're looking for, right?" Paul asked, chucking the item back at their faces.
"Who...are you?" replied the defeated grunt.
"I'm the guy who came to kick you out of this place!"
Cubone furiously waved its club in the air, wanting to beat all three men senseless for the death of his mother. Though I understood his feelings, I tightened my grip on his tiny, flailing body. "You can't battle these guys. Just leave it to Paul, okay?"
"You obnoxious brat! Koffing, get them!" Red Hair tossed a Poké Ball, wanting revenge for his comrade.
"A Poison-type?" I said, eyeing Paul. "What'll you use? Grotle isn't a good matchup."
"I'll just use-" Abruptly, a yellow Pokémon materialized before Paul. "Abra?!"
Abra nodded back at us, waving a hand at Haunter. The ghost Pokémon cheered and clapped for its friend's timely arrival.
"About time you showed up," I laughed.
"I'm counting on you, then," Paul said.
Abra turned to face its opponent.
"Sludge Bomb, Koffing!" The rotund Pokémon fired multiple globs of filthy sludge from its mouth.
Abra teleported out of the way of each and every projectile.
"Tackle!"
Koffing somehow moved into Abra's blind spot, sending it into the floor.
"You alright?" Abra made a low cry before rising to its feet. Now looking pissed off, it started to glow. "Uh?"
"It's evolving!" I gasped.
Abra grew taller. Its tail increased in volume, and two mustache-like tufts of fur sprouted from its thin snout. Also, red markings appeared on its body: a star above its narrow, deep-set eyes, and three wavy lines on its abdomen. In addition, the Pokémon now wielded a silver spoon in its hand.
"Whose that?" Paul muttered.
Paul's Pokédex analyzed the newly evolved Pokémon: "Kadabra the Psi Pokémon, and the evolved form of Abra. It emits special alpha waves from its body that induce headaches and cause machines to malfunction. The more danger it faces, the stronger its psychic power."
"Awesome. Ready to battle, Kadabra?"
"Heads up! An evolved Pokémon needs to be outnumbered, and quickly. Go!" Green Hair and Blue Hair both sent out Pokémon: a Golbat and a Voltorb. Alongside Koffing, they attacked together with a combination of Thunder Bolt, Air Cutter, and Sludge Bomb.
Kadabra closed its eyes for a moment to concentrate, and using its new power, it bent the spoon in its hand with its mind. Immediately, the incoming attack took a sharp turn and slammed into the wall, completely missing the intended target.
"That was Kinesis!" I announced.
The opposing Pokémon shot off another attack combo.
Paul reacted quickly. "Psybeam!"
Kadabra obeyed and launched an attack to defend itself.
While all Pokémon were busy exchanging attacks, Green Hair summoned a Zubat to further outnumber Kadabra.
I reacted quickly. "Oh no, you don't. Haunter, get 'em!"
Haunter attacked Zubat with Hypnosis. Once the bat fell asleep, the ghost rushed forward. Glowing red, Haunter flew straight through its victim. This drained Zubat of all its energy and knocked it out in one hit.
"Hypnosis and Dream Eater. Perfect!"
Returning to the main fight, Kadabra had taken out Golbat and Voltorb with a combination of Disable and Night Shade. Koffing still seemed able to continue, though. "Smog!" Just like Drowzee, it released a poisonous cloud into the air.
"Uh oh. We need to get that poison out of here," I said. Then, an idea appeared. I eyed the Pokémon in my arms. "Do you know Bonemarang?" Cubone nodded, so I set him on the floor. "Then, please use it to clear away the smog!"
Cubone threw his bone like a boomerang. The combination of the weapon's spinning motion and its circular path managed to blow away all the smog, giving Paul and Kadabra a clear shot.
"What happened?!" cried the grunts.
"Alright, Cubone!" I cheered.
"Now finish this, Kadabra!" Kadabra used Psychic, slamming Koffing up into the ceiling and down into the floor.
"It can't be...!" gasped Koffing's trainer.
"We lost to a couple of runts?!" added one of his buddies.
"I'm gonna remember you for this, kid. It's not over!" The man recalled Koffing and then fled past us with his two friends. All three disappeared downstairs.
Once they were gone, I lifted Cubone into the air with a smile on my face. "All right, we did it! We beat Team Rocket!" He happily waved his arms. Haunter, Luxio, and Pikachu also celebrated with us.
"I'm pretty sure Kadabra did most of the work," Paul said, glancing over at the Psychic Pokémon at his side. "Thanks for the help."
Kadabra blinked.
Haunter flew over and fist bumped its newly-evolved friend.
Not wanting to waste time, Cubone barked at me and gestured towards the stairs going up to the seventh floor. "Oh, right!"
We all hurried up to the final floor.
"Mr. Fuji?" I called when we got there.
"Over...here," a voice coughed.
Recognizing the speaker, Cubone leapt out of my arms and ran. At the center of the room, an old man had been tied up to a shrine. He slowly opened his eyes and turned to the Pokémon approaching him. "Cubone?"
Cubone gnawed at the ropes binding his arms behind his back.
"You came to save me," the man continued. "I'm grateful, but what are you doing in a place like this?"
"He couldn't sit still," I laughed.
Paul went over to help Cubone cut at the bindings.
"Who are you?" asked the old man.
"I'm Paul, and that's Rosa."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Fuji," I said. "We heard Team Rocket was causing you all some trouble so we decided to chase them off."
"Well, then I owe you my gratitude as well." Then, he gazed down at the baby Pokémon now sitting in his lap, noting his cheerful expression. "And I see that Marowak's restless spirit finally found the peace it desperately sought. And we have you both to thank for that as well."
"It was nothing," Paul replied.
"Ever so humble," I grinned.
Haunter suddenly popped into my field of vision, making me jump ten feet into the air.
Everyone else laughed.
All the Pokémon, Paul, and I escorted Mr. Fuji out of the tower. He and Cubone had a moment to catch up, where the latter voiced all of his frustrations about Mr. Fuji recklessly confronting the crooks.
Mr. Fuji apologized several times.
★
When we returned to the Pokémon House, everyone rejoiced that the old man had safely returned. Several of the volunteers left to go spread the word of Team Rocket's defeat and the reopening of Pokémon Tower. Within no time at all, residents and tourists alike flooded the tower's front entrance.
Reina was thrilled to see Mr. Fuji, and to finally hold Cubone. "When I hold Cubone like this, he's just so warm," she giggled as she tightly embraced the little Pokémon. He hugged her back.
"Isn't he?" I agreed.
Luxio and Pikachu remained in the room to play with Cubone and Reina, while I went back out to the lobby. Sitting down at the long table near the kitchen, Paul and Mr. Fuji chatted over a stack of black and white photographs.
"Enjoying yourself?" Paul asked as I approached.
"Sure am," I replied, turning my attention to the old man. "Those Pokémon are super happy, and it's because of this place. It's a really great thing you're doing for them, Mr. Fuji. On their behalf, thank you very much."
He chuckled. "I should be the one expressing my gratitude. Thanks to you both, our town has returned to normal. We can once again visit Pokémon Tower, and as you saw, Cubone has finally opened up to being with others. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."
My ears turned vibrant red. "We're happy to help."
"Hey, Rosa. Look at these." Paul beckoned me over to the photo pile.
I gazed upon a huge collection of black and white polaroids. Each one had varied amounts of people and Pokémon smiling at the camera. They all looked extremely happy, which gave me a warm feeling.
"Quite a collection," I said with a smile. "Are all these yours, Mr. Fuji?"
"Indeed."
One of the photos had a young man with the same eyes as the old man standing before us. A Bulbasaur sat at his side, making my eyes widen. "Were you a Pokémon Trainer?!" I excitedly asked.
He gave a hearty chuckle. "One of the best, if I do say so myself."
"He told me that he knew Professor Oak as a Trainer," said Paul.
"Oak sure was a tough one. Not once did I best him in a Pokémon battle."
I picked out an image of a small family: a man holding a young boy, presumably his son, a woman standing at his side, and the same cute Bulbasaur from the other photo. "And is this your family?"
"Yes, from way long ago. My wife unfortunately passed away a few years ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry." My gaze focused on the young boy. "What about your son?"
"He's working as a scientist here in Kanto. He does call from time to time."
I made a small smile. "That's good, then."
"Is this your grandson?" Paul plucked a third polaroid from the pile.
When I peeked over his shoulder to get a look for myself, my breath hitched.
"No, no. That's a young man who passed through Lavender Town several years ago. A nice kid. Unfortunately, due to my old age, I fail to remember his name. Ricky? Richard? Reggie?"
This photograph had Mr. Fuji beside a teenager wearing a short-sleeved jacket and hat, and a Pikachu stood on his shoulder. The instant I saw the boy's face, a dreadful feeling twisted my gut, and I wanted to vomit.
"Rosa? Are you alright, dear?" asked Mr. Fuji.
I only just realized that I made little effort to hide my sickened expression. "O-Oh, yeah, I'm alright," I muttered with a grin and rubbed my head. "Sorry. Just spaced out a little. I find myself doing that more than I care to admit."
"Nothing new about that," Paul teased.
"Quit it." I punched his arm as I took a seat beside him, blocking out the photo from my vision-and hopefully soon, my memory.
"Now, Rosa, Paul here informed me that you both are working to become Pokémon Trainers, and that you both received a Pokédex to help on your journey."
"That's right."
"Then, here's a question: who was the one who invented the Pokédex?"
"That's easy. Professor Oak," Paul answered.
"Correct." Mr. Fuji closed his eyes, thought to himself, and then happily smiled. "Oak was always a wise man. When we both were young Pokémon Trainers, Oak was one of the best. I don't recall ever beating him in Pokémon battles, not once."
Paul's eyes lit up with excitement. "Reina said you know lots about Pokémon. I was curious to find out if you had any tips or information for us."
"Hmm." Mr. Fuji remained silent for a while, allowing thoughts and countless years of experience to provide him with his next words. Finally, he spoke: "Unfortunately, the advice I have may not quite be what you're looking for."
Paul sat back in his chair. "What is it?"
"You see, I think any quest to become a Pokémon Trainer will fail without a key component: love, for your Pokémon, and for others."
"Love for Pokémon?" I repeated.
"And others?" Paul added.
We looked at each other for a moment. Then, my face caught fire, so I turned away.
Abruptly, Mr. Fuji rose from his seat. "With that idea in mind, I do believe I have something that may assist both of you on your quests." He stepped away. He promptly returned holding a small, wooden box with a neat pattern carved on the top. The old man set it on the table before us.
"What's in the box?" Paul asked.
"Well, open it."
Paul and I exchanged a look.
We ended up opening the box together. Two strange, catseye marbles sat in the box's velvety interior. The first looked yellow with a curvy, yellow and brown pattern at the core. Purple was the dominant color for the second marble, with red accents.
"Gems?" Paul and I gasped.
"Are you sure you want to give us something so valuable?" I questioned.
"These stones don't have any value as gems," replied Mr. Fuji.
"Oh. Well, then what are they?" Paul asked.
"If you keep going down the path of the Pokémon Trainer, then no doubt you'll find out soon enough. Heh." He walked away.
Paul and I said nothing. We just stared down at the gems.
After a moment, I decided that we both should take one each. "Which one do you want?"
He responded by pushing the box towards me. "You first."
"You sure?"
"Of course. I do have manners," he needled.
"Oh, really? I couldn't tell." I considered the two marbles, and took the purple one. "I'll take this one."
In response, Paul took the yellow one. "This one's mine, then."
Not knowing exactly what to do with my newest novelty, I slipped the marble into a tiny, hidden pocket on the inside of my bag, the same pocket that held my rainbow feather. The artifact sparkled for a moment when my fingers brushed against it.
"Cubone, come back!"
Suddenly, Cubone burst into the room crying very loudly. Reina, Luxio, and Pikachu chased after him. He ignored their pleas to slow down, hobbled over to us, and jumped up into my lap.
"I-Is something wrong?" I stuttered, rubbing Cubone's back as he gripped my shirt.
"Sorry, Rosa." Reina paused to catch her breath. "He found out you were leaving soon and got upset."
I blinked in surprise. "That true? Do you not want me to go?" Cubone met my eyes, shook his head, and went back to hugging my chest. My heart exploded. "Oh, Cubone, you're too precious!"
Luxio scowled when I threw my arms around the tiny Pokémon.
"Don't be so jealous, Luxio. You can share."
"Ah, I just had a thought," announced Mr. Fuji when he returned from chatting with one of the other volunteers. "Why don't you take Cubone with you on your journey, Rosa?"
I blinked in surprise. "You serious?"
"I think it would be a fine idea." He rubbed Cubone's head. "No doubt, it'll be a good experience for you both."
Considering the idea, I gazed at the Pokémon in question. "Cubone, would you like to come along with me and Paul?" The little Pokémon jumped onto the table and excitedly danced in circles. "That's a yes."
"No need to ask him twice," Paul laughed.
Reina pouted. "What?! But then we won't get to play with Cubone anymore!"
Mr. Fuji chuckled. "It's alright, dear. This is our ultimate goal, after all. All the Pokémon here will one day leave with kind people who'll love and care for them, and Cubone has decided who he wants to go with. Right, Cubone?"
Cubone vigorously nodded, making everyone smile.
Outside, Mr. Fuji saw us off. Both Pikachu and Cubone clung to my shoulders, and Luxio stood at my side. He looked extremely jealous. "Relax, Luxio. They won't take all my attention away," I laughed.
Not accepting it, he jumped up into my arms.
I hugged him tight. "Your jealousy is showing, mister."
"Again, just as wonderful manners as you," Paul said. "You carry any more Pokémon and you're going to have back issues."
After glancing at him, I smiled at my three Pokémon. "Someone else is jealous, too. We need to get Paul a shoulder pal as soon as possible." They all agreed with nods, making Paul scowl at us.
"Just worry about yourself, alright!"
Our "friendly" chatter caused Mr. Fuji to smile. "You two sure seem to get along."
My response was a shaky grin. "I don't know about that."
"Well, thanks again for everything, sir." Paul respectfully bowed.
The old man replied, "If you ever find yourself in any trouble, feel free to come see us."
"We'll do that. Thanks. See you around." Paul waved and then walked away to consult the map.
Mr. Fuji turned to me. "And Rosa, do take care of Cubone for me."
"I promise I will!" I reached up a hand to rub Cubone's snout. "No doubt, we're going to be a great team, aren't we?" Pikachu climbed onto my head and gave our newest team member a friendly pat on the head.
"Ah."
A gasp escaped Mr. Fuji's lips, prompting my gaze to return to the old man's face and his surprised expression. His eyes were wide as though he had realized something.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
After a moment, he shook his head. "I beg your pardon, Rosa, but may I ask something?"
"Sure."
"By any chance, do you have an older brother?"
"I do, actually. His name is Volkner. He's a gym leader in Sunyshore City. Blond hair, blue eyes, and looks grumpy a lot."
"Oh, I see." He frowned a little. "My mistake then."
I tilted my head. "Why the long face? Are you trying to find out about an old friend?"
"Indeed. Do you remember that picture of that boy who passed through here several years ago? He was an aspiring Pokémon Trainer like yourself, a very good battler but also a very kind and smart boy. He visited a few more times, and became like a grandson to me. However, I haven't seen him for some time now. You reminded me of him, so I thought to ask."
That dreadful feeling in my stomach quickly returned. "Oh. That so...?" I swallowed hard, keeping my face hidden underneath my bangs. "Sorry, I couldn't help you out..."
"That's alright. But, if you happen to encounter him in your travels at all, would you let him know I said hello? He has black hair and eyes, and wears lots of red."
All of my Pokémon looked at me curiously when I shuddered.
"Sure... I'll, uh, say hi for you, if I ever see him."
"That would be wonderful. Thank you."
"Rosa!" I glanced back to see Paul waving back at us. "You coming or what?"
"Be right there! Let's meet again, Mr. Fuji."
"Likewise. Take care, dear."
I turned to walk off, but I didn't get too far when Mr. Fuji called out to me.
"Ah, Rosa! Forgive me. My memory's slow these days, but I just remembered that boy's name."
Planting my feet on the ground, I responded without looking back, "Yeah...?"
"His name was Red."
That sickly feeling spread all throughout my body like a virus. Trembling, I took a deep breath and fought back the powerful urge to vomit. Instead, I forced a grin on my face as I waved back.
"I'm sure I'll remember that. Bye, Mr. Fuji!"
And without another word, I ran off.
Paul and I quickly stopped by the Pokémon Center before heading out, neither of us saying a word to each other. Since Mr. Fuji's parting words, I felt uneasy and sick to my stomach, lacking the strength to even look in my friend's direction. I could sense his gaze as well as the concerned looks of my Pokémon, but I still remained as quiet as a mouse.
As we passed through the Lavender Town archway, he finally broke the silence.
"Hey."
I glanced at him.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Wh-What kind of a question is that?" I stuttered with a glare.
"You're never quiet. You sick or something? What'd Mr. Fuji say to you?"
"Oh. Uh, it's nothing. He just suggested a more direct route to Celadon rather than crossing back through Saffron."
"That so?"
I slowly nodded and then picked up the pace to move past him. My Pokémon glared at me for lying, but I ignored them.
"Then, why are you so pale?"
"Pale?" His accusation made me trip. I spun around. "I'm pale because I just remembered everything that happened in that creepy tower, so let's get away from here already!"
He shot me a grin. "Yeah, alright. Don't want you to scream bloody murder again."
"I didn't scream that loud! Your ears were playing tricks on you!"
"I don't think so. I heard it loud and clear, you screaming like a little girl, Girlie."
"I did not scream like-AHHH!" Haunter suddenly appeared behind Paul. Seeing the floating, purple body with detached hands waving gleefully frightened me to death. I fell to the ground.
Paul gave me a look. "What's wrong now?"
"T-T-Turn around..."
He did, and saw Haunter. "Oh, you're from Pokémon Tower, aren't you? No wonder she screamed again. What a wimp."
Pikachu, Luxio, and even Cubone also greeted the ghost.
I frowned, feeling a little embarrassed. "Did you forget already, jerk?!" My anger disappeared when the ghost Pokémon floated down in front of my face and proceeded to make silly faces. Shivering, I struggled back to my feet. "I just can't get away..."
"So, you two are wild Pokémon then?"
"Two?" With all my attention on Haunter, I failed to notice Kadabra's appearance. He and Paul spoke like old friends. "Kadabra, too?"
"You just wanted someone to play with, huh? That's why Haunter's like this?"
Kadabra nodded.
Suddenly, Haunter held out its short arms to me. I froze, looking to Paul for help.
He snarled. "I'm not going to hold your hand this time. Here." He stepped to the side and then pushed on my back, forcing me straight into Haunter's hug.
The Pokémon cheerfully spun me in circles, floating up and down in the air. The spinning knocked that scared feeling right out of me. Now, I feel like puking again... When Haunter set me back down, I used Paul's shoulder to keep me steady.
"So... So they...just wanted someone to play with, huh?" I said.
"Apparently."
Haunter suddenly approached me, holding out its hand to shake. I shuddered, but being a nice person, I shook its hand with a shaky grin on my face. "N-Nice to formally meet you. I'm R-Rosa."
After accepting my introduction, Haunter reached a ghostly hand into my bag and yanked out an empty Poké Ball. I panicked. "Wait! Don't-" Ignoring me, Haunter smacked the ball against its own head, getting sucked up inside. I dropped to the ground, catching the ball and hearing it click.
"Hey, look, Rosa. You did what you said you'd do. You caught a ghost Pokémon," Paul said. "Congrats."
"Don't congratulate me!"
Turning to Kadabra, Paul held out a Poké Ball. "Want to come along, too?" It did.
I frowned at Luxio, Cubone, and Pikachu. "Why does this happen to me?" They all just laughed.