Chapter Four
Into the Lighthouse

The lighthouse was tall, with peeling, faded stripes twisting around to the tip of the high tower. I didn’t like it that much; it looked about ready to topple over and smash. I wasn’t afraid of it; it was nothing like that, really. I was not scared. It’s just that it was so unstable, yanno? Nearly all the windows were busted and inside, well… I could barely breathe through all the damn dust.

“Nice décor,” Jake commented lightly, glancing about. We were in a circular room with faded white sheets over every bit of furniture. Cobwebs were hanging everywhere. There was a single faded painting on a wall, too old, dusty and covered in cobwebs to distinguish what was painted onto the canvas. It looked like people had actually lived in this place. I didn’t think people could live in a lighthouse. Tamika returned Button to her pokeball.

”Hey Trudi, it’s probably going to get pretty dark as we go up. Maybe your Zubat… What’s his name again?” she asked. I sighed.

”Krankznnig,” I mumbled. Tamika smiled and nodded.

”Maybe Krankznnig could help us navigate. He is a Zubat after all,” she continued with a cheery grin. Yeah, right. Krankz couldn’t navigate himself out of a cardboard box. But Miss Psychopants there would probably whine constantly if I refused to let him help. I could hear her now.

‘Oh honestly, Trudi! Goodness, Krankz will be able to help us! Goodness, honestly, don’t be so stubborn, goodness. Honestly!’ Needless to say, I released Krankz.

“Sandwiches!” he screeched upon release, flapping about in a tiny circle. I ran my hand through my hair. This was going to be a long journey, wasn’t it? He fluttered around me like an annoying, loud-mouthed moth as I explained the situation to him. After a moment, he decided to just lie on his stomach on my shoulder and lazily point the way from there. The lazy buggar. I sighed and looked at Tamika and Jake, who were lifting the sheets off furniture and looking for the Sandshrew.

“Well, okay, it’s looking like Rikao isn’t here. So I guess we better jus’ go then. See yer around and nice to meet yer, Jake,” I blabbered and tried to leave, but Tamika grabbed me by the back of the collar and hauled me towards her. I scowled at her and glowered, but she just rolled her eyes at me.

”It’s alright if you’re scared, Trudi,” she commented all-knowingly. “Seriously. If you’re scared of the ghosts, that’s fine. Just stick by us and…”

“Scared! I ain’t scared! Why would yer think I’m scared?” I bellowed. Tamika released the back of my vest top and I brushed myself down, avoiding eye contact. “I’m just really thinkin’ it’s, well, dangerous! I’m not scared, I’m, err… I’m aware.” Jake and Tamika snorted with laughter. I blushed with slight anger and embarrassment. My fists clenched. Tamika and Jake were so annoying! I didn’t want to be here and they were laughing at me for wanting to leave? Sheesh. You couldn’t do anything anymore without somebody twisting it into a joke at your bloody expense.

“Alrighty then, little Miss Aware,” Tamika said with a chuckle. I glared at her. What was that supposed to mean? It sounded like the start of a bet to me. Bets and dares often had bad consequences, but I could never refuse them. I never wanted to look stupid or scared by turning a dare down. Jake was smirking so broadly I thought his face might snap clean in half. Apparently he thought this was extremely amusing.

“I’m not scared,” I growled between gritted teeth at him. He raised an eyebrow.

“Never said you were,” he replied quickly.

“Your face gave it away!” I snapped back. Tamika gave me a sharp look for snapping.

“Well, then, Trudi. If you’re not scared, why don’t you go up there and go find Rikao yourself?” she asked me, a sardonic grin on her face. I felt Krankz shudder slightly on my shoulder and hit me lightly on the side of my arm with his wing, but I ignored it. He was a damn bat; what did he have to be scared of up there?

”Fine. I will. Just you watch. I’ll be comin’ back with Rikao in a flash,” I replied and turned my nose toward the ceiling as I started to walk calmly up the partly broken stairs to the next floor. I entered and looked about. It smelled of decay and rot in there; it wasn’t pleasant. However, it was lighter in there than below. It was a sort of grey light. Not that that makes any sense.

”Rikao?” I called, stomping over to a chest of drawers and spilling each onto the floor in turn. Forgotten, dusty clothes and mothballs poured out of them as I tore them out of the chest. I threw aside an old, stained sheet that covered a grimy red armchair and ducked down, checking underneath.

“Rikao?” I cried, my voice getting slightly louder and angrier. I hoped the Sandshrew knew his own bloody name and I wasn’t just making myself look like a total idiot by yelling it. “Rikao! Come out, damnit!”

I pulled back a tattered grey curtain a bit too quickly and the rusted curtain rail creaked loudly. I jumped back to see that the curtain rail had half-detached itself from the wall.

”Bloody hell, this place is falling ter bits,” I muttered to myself. Then I noticed where the strange grey light was coming from. On top of the curtain rail a small grey bird was perched. Its grey chest rose and fell silently, in its sleep. Despite the fact the bird’s eyes were closed, these strange feathers on top of its head were flicking and waving about, sort of like tentacles. The feathers were a dull, dead grey but somehow I got the impression of colour from them. My spine tingled and I stepped back, slightly afraid of this strange creature. What was it?

Was this a new species of Pokemon? My heart skipped a beat at the thought. It looked rare, too! And it looked sorta like a ghost Pokemon, what with that creepy grey glow. That would show Tamika and Jake! Ghost-types were pretty rare. There were only, like, ten ghost Pokemon or something. I dunno, but I knew it was a small number. I grabbed a pokeball from my belt when suddenly the bird’s four eyes flew open, glowing, striking red.

I suddenly felt sick, staring into those eyes. I tried to tear myself away from their gaze but I couldn’t; it sort of had me in its grip. It looked like it was in pain as well. A screaming rang in my ears as I plunged headfirst into darkness, tumbling through an empty void. At first my body was whipped and thrown around by cold, harsh winds, but soon even that disappeared until there was nothing at all around me, other than the sickening feeling of falling…

I landed with a painful thump on the wooden floor. I dizzily opened my eyes to see Tamika and Jake crouched over me, frowning and talking to each other. I couldn’t make out what they were saying; my ears were ringing and they were all muffled for some reason. I was confused. What had just happened? Why did I feel like I had just fallen into their midst? And why was it so dark in here? Then I realised. I glanced up at the curtain rail. Nothing there. What had happened? I had no idea.

“Hey, she’s awake,” Tamika announced loudly. My head pounded as she yelled, and I resisted the urge to groan. Was she trying to deafen me or something?

“What… happened?” I said lamely. I didn’t know what else to say. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but I didn’t want to seem crazy. Tamika and Jake glanced at each other in that annoying way they did. Sheesh. It wasn’t like they needed confirmation from one another to speak. They had just met, for Rayquaza’s sake.

“Well…you were stomping about and then it all went silent,” Jake began before Tamika cut him off. He frowned slightly at her, obviously irritated at being interrupted. However, Tamika continued to talk, ignoring his disgruntled glare.

“Yes. We came up to check on you after a little while. We found you fainted on the floor. We didn’t know what to do so we just kinda sat and, err, slapped you a bit,” Tamika explained awkwardly. I looked at both of them and reached up to touch my cheek.

”Ow! If I wasn’t waking up the first time yer slapped me, yer shoulda called an ambulance or summat,” I growled at them. Tamika shrugged; Jake averted his eyes. I suspect they were kicking themselves for not thinking of that. I’d been knocked out before. Let’s just say a group of teenagers being dared to try and steal a mothering Tauros’ egg from her had disastrous consequences. I leapt to my feet and stumbled forward a few steps, still slightly light-headed and disoriented from my fall.

”Goodness… you were fainted. We didn’t know what to do,” Tamika mumbled.

“I wasn’t fainted. I’d fallen,” I snapped back, starting to regain my sense and, with that, my normal aggressive nature. “Did yer see a bird there?” I pointed at the curtain rail. They’d had to have seen it. You couldn’t really miss it. Well, okay, I missed it the first time I came into the room. But I was looking for the bloody Sandshrew. They glanced at each other – that was really getting on my nerves – and shook their heads.

“How could you’ve missed it? Little glowin’ grey bird? It had four eyes, for Mew’s sake! Four bloody bright red eyes at that,” I said, gesturing wildly with my hands. How could they not’ve seen it?

“Trudi, there was no bird there. You probably, err, dreamt it when you were fainted or something,” Jake said, looking at my dubiously, as if I was some mixed-up wacko.

“How many times do I hafta say it ter get it through yer thick little heads? I did not faint! The bird did sommat and then I just sorta… fell, okay? No fainting. I fell into a dark hole-thing, landed ‘ere with my eyes closed and then opened them! I did not faint!” I repeated stubbornly, fists clenched and teeth gritted.

“Alright already. Sheesh.” Jake held his hands up in front of his face defensively. I simmered quietly, muttering. Tamika cleared her throat, apparently not too happy about the spotlight momentarily being snatched from her grasp. We both looked at her.

”Shouldn’t we be going to find Rikao? Honestly, we’re never going to find him just sitting around here, now, will we?” Tamika yelled brightly, grabbed both our arms before she continued to go up the stairs, two steps at a time. This was incredibly painful for Jake and I, who were being half-dragged along. Krankz fluttered ahead, disgruntled about being left out for a while now. I clicked my tongue, trying to signal for him to come over, and he fluttered over and hovered near my right ear.

“Yer ‘saw’ the bird, right?” I whispered to him.

“Well… Trudi-human fainted and I got off your shoulder. Something was on that metal-pole, yes, yes. Seemed sort of like bird. I can’t see, remember, Trudi-human? I was going to check but then I heard other fleshy-human-friends come up the stairs. I was distracted for a second. I checked around again but then nothing was on metal-pole thing,” he chattered quietly. I frowned. So the bird was there? Or was I just cracking up, considering the fact that my ‘proof’ was from a rather dubious and, well, demented source. I wasn’t going to seriously start trusting Krankz, was I? The insane little buggar couldn’t see at all and flew into things, despite being able to use a sonic radar built into his own little body. No. It wasn’t really a good idea. I should just forget about it. But I did not faint, I knew that much. It was getting steadily darker, and when we wound up on the next floor, the only light we could see by was the dim cracks of light that shone through the boarded-up windows. Other than that, we were in complete and total blackness. I shuddered as a cold breeze passed by me. Wait… there weren’t any windows in here. A breeze was impossible. I stumbled back slightly, catching my foot on something.

”Ow! Trudi! That was my foot!” a high-pitched voice said out of the gloom. I scowled and steadied myself on the wall. Well, what I thought was the wall. Instead I ended up falling backwards, staring up at the cobweb-strewn ceiling. Glad as hell nobody could’ve seen that, I picked myself up and tentatively crept forward, the floorboards creaking beneath my feet. Jake and Tamika followed my example; I heard them start to sneak about. Why we were keeping quiet I had no idea. It was just sorta something we did. You know when you go in a library and without thinking you end up whispering? It was sort of like that.

“Rikao?” I whispered, “Rikao, come out.” I was having no luck. I bumped into something that made a noise of slight pain. I glanced down to see Kisu’s dim outline in the murk. I grinned nervously, stepping away from the baby Sneasel. I had completely forgotten about her. Krankz was nearby; I could hear the fast-paced flap of his wings. And, more to the point, I could hear his head making contact with stuff and what I could only imagine to be Zubat profanities.

“Wingtips!” he cried out loudly. Har, wingtips. I would have to keep that one in mind.

”Mind your manners, batty, ” a croaking voice sounded. I froze and backed away from the source of the voice, bumping into Tamika and Jake on the way. Krankz screeched and flapped madly towards us. Suddenly, a grisly face appeared out of the darkness, bloodshot eyes glowing yellow and sharp, yellowing fangs exposed beneath salivating lips. I screamed like hell and heard Tamika screaming as well. She grabbed me by the arm and – from what I could sort-of see – grabbed Jake as well and started running, hauling us behind her. She dashed up the stairs with lightning speed, screaming all the way. Krankz was bashing into things, screeching and flapping his tiny wings like mad to keep up with Tamika’s sprinting pace. Suddenly, we emerged into a slightly brighter light. Tamika released us and wobbled over to a large, faded black armchair and slumped in it. I opened the ripped curtains, allowing more light into the room. Jake rubbed his arm, a sore red mark appearing where Tamika had grabbed hold of him.

“That, ladies, was a Haunter,” he announced. We all turned to stare at him.

“And what, gentleman, is a Haunter?” Tamika breathed, panting slightly from the run.

”A Haunter is a ghost Pokemon. Rare in Nache. I would’ve caught it if you two hadn’t bloody dragged me off.” Jake kicked a small chunk of wood on the ground.

“Hmph. I knew that... you two?” I asked in a dangerous voice.

”Okay, fine, fine… Tamika. Sorry, Trudi.” He sighed. I rolled my eyes. That kid had no backbone whatsoever.

“If you knew that, why were you screaming and running?” Tamika asked, smirking. I felt myself go slightly red. Why was it that I was stuck with these two?

“Because, uh, well, I needed to, erm, ah, I’m allergic ter ghost types!” I spluttered. Tamika giggled madly and Jake snorted with laughter. “What? It’s true!”

“Trudi, seriously, you cannot be allergic to ghost types. They have no form, for Mew’s sake,” Tamika breathed between laughter.

“Well I am!” I said, trying to regain the dignity I had just thrown to the floor. I might as well have taken off my clothes, danced butt-naked and sang ‘I’m an idiot, nya nya nya! I’m an idiot, whoo!’ “I’m allergic ter them.”

“You were fine with the idea of coming here and catching a ghost Pokemon before,” Tamika commented.

“I remembered I hadn’t taken my medication!” I lied pathetically. They rolled their eyes and began to argue with me about me being a terrible liar. It was true, I was. I held my position anyway. I meant, admitting you lied is just plain pathetic. Suddenly, a loud thump distracted us from our pointless quarrelling, and I turned to see a giggling Sandshrew, lying on his back as if he’d just fallen down the stairs.

“Rikao?” Jake asked in a confused voice. A small brown creature rolled down the stairs after him, a yellowing, cracked skull helmet on her head. The Cubone stumbled over and lay on her side.

“Yerr… Aemm Rikao. Who are you, though, to ask ferr my – hic – name?” the Sandshrew hiccupped. Tamika and I exchanged glances.

”You’r--you’re--you’re totally drunk!” Jake stuttered, staring in shock as the Pokemon waved at me and Tamika. I frowned. Okay. The legless Pokemon grinned sheepishly and called out a strange word, which just sounded like a load of gibberish to me. Suddenly, a pair of strange purple Pokemon floated down from the ceiling. They both seemed to be composed of a foul-smelling gas and had large, bright white eyes. They also had insane grins and tiny fangs, not something you’d want to be left alone with in a tall, abandoned tower.

”Gastly, the pre-evolved form of Haunter,” Jake informed us, seeing our quizzical looks. Ah yes. Because that explained it. That explained why one of them had three bottles of beer floating near it. One bottle floated over to the Sandshrew, one to the Cubone and one the Gastly began to gulp down. The other Gastly floated over to us, grinned at Tamika and I. Strangely enough it was actually a friendly grin, not an insane, I’m-going-to-rip-your-teeth-out-and-enjoy-it grin. A pair of wine glasses appeared either side of it and a bottle materialized, filling the glasses to the brim with red wine. A glass whooshed into my hand.

”Err—err--thanks?” I stuttered, for lack of anything to say. The Gastly smiled at me, blew a raspberry at Jake, winked at Tamika and then floated back to its companions.

“What just happened?” Tamika asked. For once she sounded completely at a loss for words.

“Well…uhm…it looks like Rikao made some friends,” Jake said in a flat voice, though his face was definitely showing his confusion. I glanced at the wine and experimentally took a sip. It wasn’t too bad.

“Okay… Trudi, you’re not planning on joining them, are you?” Tamika snapped.

”Well, they look like they’re havin’ more fun than us,” I mused. Currently, a Gastly had materialized cards and dealt them to its companions, looking over its ‘hand’ of cards suspiciously.

“Checkmate!” it declared. Rikao groaned and a shot of tequila appeared by his side. After a moment of chanting from his friends, the Sandshrew gulped the shot down and the glass disappeared into the thin air. I was really confused. I had absolutely no idea what was going on and it was starting to get me a little annoyed. Krankz inched his way towards the group, but I tugged him back by his wing. The other Gastly floated over to Jake and poured its beer all over him, leaving him dripping and smelling like an old drunk.

“Wha—wha--what was that for?” Jake asked, trembling from both cold and fear of the strange ghost Pokemon floating in front of his eyes.

“For keeping Rikao in hiss pokeball, that’s what’s that’s for!” Gastly slurred. Tamika giggled and I had to admit I was stifling laughter myself. It was quite a strange, humorous situation, even if it was shared with two sinister, unpredictable ghost Pokemon. After a few more minutes (with a lot of slurred swearing and unpleasant vomiting from Sandshrew and Cubone alike), Jake found himself coated in beer, and a full baby nappy had been dumped on him (probably saving some mother somewhere out there the trouble of changing). Rotten eggs pelted his face and, of course, he was clubbed with the bone in the Cubone’s hand. Suddenly, the Cubone’s bone was flung towards me and hit me head on the forehead

”What the hell is going on?” I bellowed angrily at the Pokemon. The two Gastly turned, their eyes watering, and floated back up into the ceiling, full of dejection. The Cubone burst into noisy tears and dashed up the stairs, flapping her stubby arms about as she went. Rikao attempted to scramble after them but I flung myself forward, wrapping my fingers around the shrew’s stomach and preventing his escape. The Sandshrew squealed and attempted to wriggle free, scratching and biting.

“Ow!” I cried, “Jake, what the hell did you do to this thing?” I held the Sandshrew at arm’s length as the Pokemon writhed and slurred insults, slashing at the air around him with his tiny claws.

“What the hell did he, hic, do? He, urp, kept me in that bloody pokeball for, like, ever! I wanted, hic, ter stay in the wild,” he gabbled, near incomprehensible. Tamika bent down slightly to look straight into the Sandshrew’s eyes. I was staying out of it. I didn’t want to argue with this insane mouse over whether or not Jake should be able to carry him about or not. Kisu was sitting by Jake’s legs, staring hard at the Sandshrew.

“Well, Jake wants his Growlithe back,” Tamika said softly. “If you come with us, you can go back to your old trainer, who we can convince to release you, and Jake can get his Growlithe back. Does that sound fair to you?” Rikao glowered at her and I released him from my grip as he bit down into my hand very hard. I sucked at the bleeding wound as Rikao leapt at Tamika and balanced himself on her arm, letting out a loud belch.

“Ah dunno. How am ah meant ter know if he’s not gonna just – hic – keep me in the poker-ball again?” he garbled. Tamika glanced up at Jake and I, who were watching the situation, Jake with anxiety and me with slightly bemused interest.

“Well… he won’t. Otherwise he won’t be able to get his Growlithe back,” Tamika reasoned, looking slightly nervous. The Sandshrew pulled a face, apparently a bit irresolute about the idea.

“Hmm…how do ah know it isn’t a kinda… what’s the word? Yanno. A ruse. Con. Snare,” he blabbered.

“Sheesh…he talks with less etiquette than you,” Jake whispered in my ear and added in a murmer, “and that’s saying something.”

“What yer saying about the way I talk?” I snapped back. He looked away, pulling an innocent face. I watched, a bit disgruntled now, as Tamika attempted to persuade the Sandshrew. It was becoming less persuasion and more debate, actually, but one of the parties couldn’t pronounce their words and kept hiccupping and tripping over their own feet. Basically like any politician.

“Oh fer Mew’s sake! Rikao, if yer come with us we promise ter get yer more beer. Better beer,” I blurted out impatiently, after a few minutes of unsuccessful debate, persuasion and bribing. That did the trick. I smirked to myself; pleased I had found the solution as Jake successfully caught the Sandshrew in a new pokeball (the shrew had destroyed his when he had broken free before).

“Alright, now that’s sorted, let’s get out of here. It’s starting to get dark,” Tamika said, standing up straight. We nodded and began to walk down the stairs of the lighthouse.


“So, it seems that The Punisher has awakened, brother. So father tells me,” a girl said, her blonde hair tousled slightly by a breeze. The boy behind her, identical but with black hair rather than blonde, nodded, staring out the rain-streaked window.

“Yes,” he said shortly. The girl turned around to face her sibling, blue eyes staring hard into his.

“We cannot believe everything father tells us. He’s been different ever since… that,” she continued, closing her eyes. The boy nodded again. “I wish to find out more about the Punisher. Perhaps we will find a way to break free of the wretched town and find out more. Uncontrolled forces are stirring trouble, brother. The Punisher wouldn’t have awakened otherwise.”

“Children! There is work that needs to be done!” a loud voice shouted from below. The girl sighed and stood up, brushing dust from her white dress as she quietly made what seemed to be her closing statement.

“Yes. There is indeed much work that needs to be done.”

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