[PW] "Haunting My Dreams" Part Two: "Ascent Into Darkness"

From: Tech Weaver Mask (theover-powerer@webtv.net) Subject: [PW] "Haunting My Dreams" Part Two: "Ascent Into Darkness" Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000-10-27 10:21:33 PST [Cue montage] Announcer: Last time, in PokéWars! [Lavender Town sign] Smasher: Aw, man! Not Lavender Town! Rush: What's wrong with Lavender Town? It's your hometown. [Shadow Walkers carrying away Joey] Smasher: About every six years, Friday the thirteenth and Halloween fall into the same month. It's known as Dark Friday around here because the Shadow Walkers supposedly emerge from the shadow world and kidnap children in their sleep. Rush: The thirteenth? Dude that's today! [Smasher at bedroom window] Smasher: JOOOEEEEEEEEYYYYY!!! [Smasher arguing with his grandfather] Grandfather: We can't save him. Not yet. You are not ready. You'll require training before you can face the Shadow Walkers. We have two weeks before it's too late to save him. Two weeks.... Grandfather: Until All Hallow's Eve. [Cut to intro sequence] [Smasher walks onto stage with a portable stereo. He presses play and the theme from "Halloween" plays. He stops the tape when it's done, bows, and walks off stage.] [Cut to title screen] Episode 9: "Haunting My Dreams" Part Two: "Ascent Into Darkness' Written and directed by Chet "Tech" Weaver. [And... action!] "Clear your mind of all thoughts," Grandfather said. Wearing his usual Channeler's robes, he sat cross-legged in the darkness. "Focus your mind on the spirits around you. Do you sense them, Adam?" There was a short pause before Smasher said, "Yeah. I sense them." He also sat cross-legged, dressed in much the same way as his grandfather, except that Smasher wore his trademark Marowak-skull helmet. "Remember, there is a force that exists in our universe," Grandfather continued. "It binds and permeates all, living and not living, material and immaterial. Pokemon use this force to power their attacks and abilities. Humans, too, may channel this force and us it for their own abilities." "Gotcha," Smasher confirmed. "Now, focus on a single point in front of you. Imagine the spirits moving in towards that point; Concentrate their energies into a ball before you." Smasher wrinkled his face in concentration. The spirits around him flowed about, spiraling in front of him. A ball of darkness began to grow. At first it was a little dot, but soon became as large as a golf ball. The ball's position wavered as it continued to grow. "Concentrate," Grandfather urged. "Hold it in one place. Use your hands if you think it will help." Smasher put his hands around the ball, holding it steady. By now it was the size of a baseball and growing rapidly. It soon grew through his fingers and around his hand. He could feel the dark energy's coldness, but the ball was beginning to lose its form. "Don't worry about holding it's shape," Grandfather continued. "Keep it in one place. Draw the spirits into it until all the ones around you are in that ball." The mass of energy was now roughly the size of a basketball. Its amorphous shape writhed violently as Smasher attempted to hold it in one place. It shrank to the size of a softball before exploding into wisps that disappeared with a tiny, tittering giggle. "Aw, I'm never gonna get it," Smasher groaned with defeat. "Don't be so hard on yourself," his Grandfather said. "Nightshade is a difficult technique for a human to master. This enhanced version can be just as hard. I had a hard time learning it myself when I was your age." "But Halloween's only a couple days away! What if I'm not ready?" "You will be ready Adam. Be strong. You will save Joey." "Why do I have to learn these attacks? Why can't I just use my Pokemon?" "Your Pokemon may not be enough to defeat them. You will have to fight them on your own." "Yeah, but..." "Listen, I have something that may help you." Grandfather reached into his robe and pulled out a small, plastic package. Smasher looked at it quizzically. "A condom?" Smasher asked. "Oops! That's a different lesson," Grandfather said, tossing it over his shoulder. He searched though his robes once more and pulled out a short, three-pronged weapon with a long central prong. "The Sai of Spirit," Grandfather explained. "It has been in our family for generations, passed down from grandfather to grandson. I now give this weapon to you. It will greatly enhance your ability to control the spirits." Grandfather turned the sai around, gripping it by the center prong. He handed it, handle first, to Smasher. Smasher could feel it's ancient power as the weapon was handed to him. "Wow...." Smasher remarked. "Go ahead and try it," Grandfather urged. Smasher held the Sai of Spirit in front of him, gripping it with both hands. The prongs began to crackle with dark energy. The energy wove itself into a dark, ovoid shape that extended above the ancient weapon. The lights in the basement turn on, causing Smasher to lose his concentration. The spirit blade burst apart into giggling wisps yet again. "What are you two doing down here?" Smasher's mother asked as she came down the wooden steps with a load of laundry. "I thought you were going to the graveyard?" "We were," Grandfather explained. "But then it started raining, so we came down here. Besides, there are plenty of spirits down here. This house is built on an Indian burial ground, you know." "Oh, it is not," Mom said, loading the washing machine. "Of course it is," Grandfather said. "Why do you think you got this house so cheap?" ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^ "Lemme outta here, you creeps!" Joey demanded. "Or I'm gonna tell!" "Tell whom?" questioned the dark, lanky creature before him. It's voice was a low, hissing rasp. "Who are you gonna tattle to about the Shadow Walkers, hmm?" "I'm... I'm gonna tell my mommy!" Joey threatened. The laughter of the Shadow Walkers filled the room. Their raucous cackling echoed off the stone walls. "Your *MOMMY*!?" another Shadow Walker guffawed. "You're trapped in a cage!" The creature shoved the cage for effect. It swung menacingly above the pit. "How do you expect to contact her, boy? Magical telepathy!?" The room roared with laughter again. A larger, darker figure stood up from his throne, anger visible on the many eyes that adorned his body. "Silence!" the figure bellowed in his deep voice. "Have some respect, you fools! This child is our guest of honor!" He approached Joey's cage, his cape trailing behind him. He grabbed it to steady it's precarious swinging. "Forgive them," the dark one said, his voice carrying a somewhat flamboyant trill. "We only get out every six years or so, so you can imagine that it has an... adverse effect on our social skills..." He turned and walked back to his throne. "This is all for effect, you realize," he continued. "This dungeonish top-floor of the Pokemon Tower, the birds cage swinging over the seemingly bottomless pit. It doesn't even have to be here. We could have the battle after school by the monkey bars if we wanted. But there's something to be said about flair. You can't be a good villain without flair. That's why I bought this cape. You like?" "Yeah," Joey answered. "It looks cool." "Oh, you're just saying that." "No, really. I wish I had a neat-looking cape like that." "Really? Maybe I'll bring you one the next time we're in the neighborhood. Unless we defeat the chosen one, in which case we'll just simply enslave you along with the rest of the planet." "Huh?" "Oh, did I not tell you? I do so enjoy revealing plot information. We Shadow Walkers go about the many worlds challenging their chosen ones. If we win, we invade their world and plunge it into a millennia of darkness. If we lose, we simply try again six years later. But this year is an extra-special occasion. Not only does Halloween and Friday the Thirteenth fall in the same month this year, but it's the beginning of a new millennium for you people as well! "With all the new millennium, apocalyptic prophecy, Y2K bug kind of stuff floating around I thought that it would be just smashing if that end-of-the-world-as-you-know-it stuff did come true! And there I would be, in its center, building a bridge into the Dark Millennium! Bwa! Ha ha ha ha ha haaaa! Laugh with me!" The Shadow Walkers burst into laughter once again, their voices echoing out into the streets of Lavender Town. "Can I go home now?" Joey asked. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "...But if I don't fight them tomorrow, I'll never see Joey again," Smasher said over the video phone. "Typical villains," Amber said on the other end of the line. "They always need to get you in a clever trap instead of just killing you on sight. At least it gives you a chance to defend yourself." "Do you really think it may be a trap?" Smasher asked. "According to my Grandfather, this hexanual battle is a tradition in our family since at least the Dark Ages. If they were going to cheat, they would've done so already." "Well, it is the year two thousand. There was a lot of stuff floating around last year about the end of the world. I wouldn't be surprised if the Shadow Walkers were extra-motivated this time to fulfill some prophecy, even if it was a few months ahead of schedule." "Don't you mean behind schedule?" "No, the new millennium starts in 2001." "Really? I thought it started this year." "Nope." Amber paused for a moment. "So you're, like, destined to save the world from evil? That is So Cool. I never knew anyone who was had a destiny. Unless it was to wind up like their parents or be a Pokemon Master, but nothing as cool as being some super-hero." Nick entered the room. He handed Smasher a bag and said, "I think I fixed it. Kinda hard to tell since I don't know what was originally supposed to be. I figured out how it works, too. I'll... uh, tell you about when you get off the phone." "Hey, who's that?" Amber asked. "That's my step-dad, Nick," Smasher answered. "He's cool." "Who's this?" Nick asked. "Your girlfriend?" "So you're telling people I'm your girlfriend now, huh?" Amber remarked coyly. "No, Nick, this is Amber," explained Smasher. "Oh, yeah," remembered Nick. "The dyke." "EXCUSE ME!?" exclaimed Amber. "Ah, geez," Nick said. "That's bad, isn't it? I meant to say lesbian, really, I mean.... I'll just be going now." "I'm sorry about that," Smasher apologized as Nick left. "I don't have any of his genes. I've inheirited none of his characteristics. I barely know the guy. Who are we talking about again?" "It's okay," Amber said, almost laughing. "It's fine. He just caught me off guard, that's all." "So, are you going to fly over and see me off?" "I can't. I have plans for Halloween." "What? It could be the end of the world as we know it, and you're not going to attend the Ultimate Battle Between Good and Evil?" "Well, think of it has having supreme faith in your world-saving abilities. If you win, there's no need for me to change my schedule. I wish I could be there, though." "I wish you could, too. I'll video tape it for ya." "Cool. I'll be rooting for you." "Thanks." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "I still can't believe you trained a Clefairy to use a video camera," Grandfather said. "It was easy once I got him to stop eating the tape," Smasher explained. Accompanied by Cliff Diver the Clefairy and Shuriken the skateboarding Staryu, Smasher and his Grandfather ascended Lavender Town's Pokemon Tower. Each floor had progressively fewer children daring each other and double daring and double-dog-daring each other to go up the next level. Near the top floor, which apparently required something more than a quadruple-bypass-super-dog-Krypto-sundae-dare-with-ice-cream-and-a-cherry-on -top to get enough courage to enter on this particular Halloween, children ran by screaming on their way down. It was not the Shadow Walkers that scared them off. At the final stairway, an apparition appeared. It rose up from the ground in a purple mist and formed into the shape of large Marowak. It swung its bone club at them as they approached. "Easy, Gaurdia," Grandfather said. "We're here for the Shadow Walkers." Gaurdia exhaled a plume of chilled air before leaning forward to sniff at Grandfather. With a grunt of recognition, the ghostly bone keeper stood aside to let them pass. "Was that...?" Smasher asked as they went up the final stairway. "That was Gaurdia," Grandfather explained. "She is the Marowak that died years ago defending her young from Team Rocket. She now haunts the Pokemon Tower to keep her young and other children from evil when it shows up here. She may want to evacuate the tower tonight. Who knows what will happen." Smasher stepped out onto the torch-lit top floor of the Pokemon Tower. He marveled at the gothic stone arches and columns that supported the structure. The arches intersected at one point in the domed ceiling where a cage hung from a chain above a seemingly bottomless pit, most likely an illusion for dramatic effect. What wasn't an illusion was who was inside the cage. "Joey!" Smasher exclaimed. "Adam!" exclaimed Joey. A steel bars suddenly dropped behind Smasher, cutting off the floor's only exit and preventing his grandfather from following him in. "Grandpa!" Smasher exclaimed. "Don't worry about me, boy," Grandfather said. "It is your destiny to fight and defeat them! Go! I have faith in you!" "All the faith in the world isn't going to help you now," a voice from behind said. Smasher turned to see all sorts of dark, lanky creatures emerge from the shadows snickering evilly. A stone pillar across the room turned, revealing itself to be a large throne. The creature seated in it stood. Its body was completely black and groved in odd patterns. Large, white appeared on its form, some with black tendrils over them. It stood, pulling part of his dark cape in front of him "I am Argus, leader of the Shadow Walkers!" it announced, throwing his cape back dramatically. "Soon, humanity's reign over this world shall end, and the Dark Millennium shall begin!" "Well, I am Smasher, Extreme Pokemon trainer!" Smasher announced. "And I'm here to kick your butt!" The Shadow Walkers cackled darkly. "We shall see about that," chuckled Argus. He produced a black staff, topped with a semi-circle and a large, white eye. "Arise, my dark legions!" Argus raised his staff in the air. The room shuddered and the earthen floor heaved upward. It became apparent that even the very top floor of the tower contained graves as Pokemon in various states of decay rose from the ground. "So that's how you're gonna play it, huh?" Smasher said. "Ya ready, Shuriken?" Shuriken put his skateboard on his back and stepped forward, battle-ready. "Camera rolling, Cliff?" Cliff gave Smasher a thumbs-up. "Alright! Shuriken, Golbat, Ice, Pikat-shoo, Rush! IT'S TIME TO GET EXTREME!!!" Smasher reached for his belt and threw out four PokeBalls. The Pokemon called out as they appeared. "GolBAT!" "Cubone! Buh-bone-bone!" "Pika-CHU!" "Let's raise some HOWWWWWWWLLLLLLL!!!" "ATTAAAAACK!" Argus cried out. The undead army charged menacingly. "Golbat, Pikat-shoo! Confuse Rays and ThunderWaves, now!" Golbat's light blinded the zombies as waves of electricity rippled through them. "Ice, Earthquake! Rush, Fire Blast!" The zombies were rocked and roasted by the combined attacks. An undead Abra leapt above them and flew straight at Smasher. He flung a PokeBall at it, catching the corpse in midair. "Pikat-shoo, Surf quick!" The water level in the room rose drastically. The tide spiraled, flushing the zombies and Shadow Walkers down the hole in the middle of the room. Argus stood his ground. "Adam!" Grandfather called out. "The pit is really a portal to the Shadow World!" "Is that important?" Smasher asked. "Well, you're brother's hanging over it, and there weren't any pits in the other floors." "Good point." "The final battle begins NOW!" Argus bellowed. He raised his staff in the air. "DARK POWER!" A wave of darkness erupted from the staff, knocking Smasher's Pokemon against the wall. Smasher was intentionally unaffected. "Now it's just you and me, hew-mon," Argus growled. He flew up into the air. "Right," Smasher agreed, recalling his Pokemon. He pulled the Sai from his belt and began charging it with dark energy. "DARK BLAST!" shouted Argus. He thrust his staff in Smasher's direction, firing a dark energy blast at him. Smasher dodged and the energy in his sai dissipated. "Dang it!" cursed Smasher. Argus sent more dark blasts at him, keeping him on his toes. "Focus, Adam, focus!" Grandfather urged. "How can I focus," began Smasher, dodging Argus's blasts, "When he... keeps... shooting me!" "It's like a Pokemon battle," Grandfather explained. "Open with your state changers, then go for the big guns!" "Gotcha!" Smasher said. He swung an open palm towards Argus. "CONFUSE RAY!" A flash of light emanated from Smasher's palm. Argus threw an arm over where his face should be, as if to shield his eyes from the light. He then swung back, releasing another energy blast at Smasher. "Try to paralyze him!" Grandfather called out. "The lick attack!?" Smasher called back, ducking yet another blast. "I hate that move!" "It's not your tongue! It's a phantom tongue! You won't taste anything!" "I know that! I'm just not comfortable using it!" Smasher reared his head back. He then shot forward, opening his mouth. A frog-like tongue stretched across the room, whapping Argus in the face. "GAH!" cursed Argus. "YEECH!" cursed Smasher. "I thought I wasn't supposed to taste anything!" Grandfather shrugged. "DARK BLAST!" "NIGHTSHADE!" Smasher lashed out with his Sai, sending forth a rippling wave of dark distortion. The attacks colliding, exploding with energy. Smasher tried charging the Sai again, but Argus's attacks proved to be to quick. "This isn't working," Smasher said. He put the Sai away and pulled a bag and his skateboard out of his backpack. Out of the bag he pulled out a cybernetic glove. "What's that?" Argus asked. "It's called the Turbo Fist," Smasher explained, putting the glove on. "Stolen from Cinnibar Labs over a year ago, it wound up on the black market and eventually found its way to Lavender Town where it was the subject of a local gang war." Smasher got on his skateboard and skated, buidling up speed as he went around the room. "This little baby slices, dices, even makes Julienne fries and Pokemon attacks, such as..." Smasher skated up a wall and kicked off. Flying at Argus, he swung an electrically charged fist at him. "...THUNDER PUNCH!..." Argus' body crackled with electricity as he was flung across the room. Smasher was in his element now. He skated up another wall and kicked off again, this time with flaming fist. "...FIRE PUNCH!..." They repeated the process again. "... MEGA PUNCH!..." "...ICE PUNCH!..." "...and DYNAMIC PUNCH!" Argus slammed into the ground. Smasher soared into the air once again, falling skate-board first towards his foe. "But of course nothing beats a good, ol' fashioned GAURDRAIL SMASH!" "DARK POWER!" Argus released a wave of dark energy, flinging Smasher into a wall. "Okay, I guess something does beat a Gaurdrail Smash," Smasher admitted weakly. Argus floated back into the air and zoomed towards Smasher. Smasher swung the Turbo Fist, but Argus caught him by the wrist and crushed the circuitry. Smasher went for his sai, but Argus smacked it away with a backfist. The dark warlord picked Smasher up by the collar and tossed him across the room like a rag doll. His back hit the wall hard and he slid down to the floor. "ADAM!" yelled Joey. Smasher pulled himself to his feet. In an instant, Argus was at his side. He swung his staff, sending Smasher to yet another side of the room. "DARK STORM!" Argus leveled his staff at Smasher. Several blast of dark energy flew from it, beating Smasher into the wall. He fell limply to his knees. Argus floated between him and the pit. "I never dreamed it would be this easy," Argus announced. Smasher struggled to his feet. "It won't seem so easy when I shove my foot down you're throat," Smasher said, the strain in his voice negating whatever threateningness the comment would've had. Argus humphed, his distaste apparent in his many eyes. "I tire of this game," Argus said. He pointed his staff at Smasher again, charging it with dark energy. "It's time we end this. AETHERIAL....." A deafening screech filled the room. Everyone covered their ears and cringed in pain. That's Cliff, Smasher thought to himself. He used Metronome and got Screech! The Screech eventually faded out. Argus stood to his full height. "That was unpleasant," Argus commented. "But it only delayed the inevitable... AETHE.... huh?" One of Argus began to swirl. It broke off from his body and fell to the ground. Another eye followed it. Then another. "NO!" exclaimed Argus. "My armor! It's falling apart!" "Looks like you forgot I carried insurance," Smasher quipped. "Mutual of Clefairy!" "ADAM!" Grandfather called out. "Use the attack I taught you!" "I can't!" Smasher replied. "I lost the Sai!" "Forget the Sai!" Grandfather shot back. "It's worthless! I bought it at a pawn shop for twenty bucks! You can do it yourself!" "Right," Smasher said. "I'll try." "Don't try it! Do it!" Smasher put his hands before him, gathering the spiritual energy around him. Grey mist spiraled around him gathering into a ball of energy in his hands. Argus landed on the ground. His defense greatly lowered, he now looked like any other Shadow Walker. He saw Smasher gathering energy and swung his staff. "AETHERIAL BEAM!" Argus shouted. A stream of black energy flowed from Argus 's staff. Smasher stood his ground and the energy spiraled into the sphere before him. "He absorbed it!" Argus exclaimed. "Unbelievable!" "Believe it," Smasher quipped. The ball burst and the energy gathered around his Turbo Fist, glowing brightly. "AEEEEEETHERRRRRRIIIIIIALLLLLL... FORCE!" The energy blast filled the room with light. It broke through the wall of the tower and lit up the night sky. Argus was thrown back, and he fell into the pit. The room began to quake as hurrican-force winds swept around the room. "YOU MAY HAVE DEFEATED ME," Argus bellowed from beyond, "BUT YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE FROM HERE ALIVE!!!!" "This room only exists as long as the Shadow Walkers are on Earth!" Grandfather yelled as debris began to fall. "We've got to get out of here now!" "But there are bars over the doorway!" Smasher called back. "And Joey's still stuck in the cage!" "Help me!" Joey cried. Suddenly, the chain broke and the cage fell. It stopped moments before falling into the pit. Gaurdia became visible and brought the cage over to the door. Smasher joined them as Gaurdia ripped the cage open and ripped the bars out of the doorway. "Let's get out of here," Smasher said, picking up Cliff and Shuriken. They barreled down the stairs as the room collapsed in on itself. Smasher's parents met them at the next floor as the stairs disappeared. "Are you okay, Mr. Fuji?" Nick asked. "We saw the light coming from the top of the tower and we wanted to see if everything was alright." "Yes, we're fine," Grandfather said. "And how many times do I have to tell you? Just call me 'Dad'!" "Mommy!" Joey said. He ran up to her as she knelt down to hug him. "Oh, Joey," Mom said, crying with joy. "Did those mean Shadow guys hurt you?" "Nah, they just taunted me and fed me scraps," Joey answered. "I'm fine, really." "Oh, Joey," Mom sniffed standing up. "I believe these belong to you," Grandfather said. He handing Smasher the Sai, a PokeBall and a PokeFlute. "PokeFlute, cool," Smasher said, accepting the items. "Too bad we missed Halloween, though," Joey said. "There's always next year, honey," Mom said. "Oh, come on," Nick said. "Halloween's far from over! It doesn't end until the last trick-or-treater goes home, until the last house runs out of candy, and the last party-goer leaves! And it's still gotta be Halloween somewhere in the world." "And I have my costume!" Smasher said, pulling his Marowak costume from his back pack. "And I brought Joey's for no good reason!" Mom announced. "And I brought F-18," Nick said. "We can fly anywhere and trick-or-treat all night!" "Let's go!" Smasher said. Gaurdia watched as the family went off to celebrate. She smiled to herself and silently faded away. To be continued...