From: Cat-Gonk (catgonk@azureheights.com) Subject: [PW!] Nine-Tenths of the Lore. Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000/07/02 >>Drifting forwards, Night Shade briefly considered attacking the other >>Haunter, but instead floated on past. The girl was by herself, save >>for a boy on his way to the target ranges, Night Shade could attack >>her, possess her and roam about the University without anyone >>noticing. She wasn't running particularly quickly, or stylishly for >>that matter, appearing to be somewhat of an airhead. >> >>"Even better", thought Night Shade, "nothing in there to stop me from >>getting in." >> >>------ >> >>Kirsty could see her friends chasing after the now-airborne Pteryx, >>and ran towards them. Despite her lack of Pokemon knowledge, she was >>smart enough to realise that something was wrong. >> >>Jon, on his way to the target ranges, was almost bowled over by Kirsty >>as she rushed forwards. Before he could ask what was happening, he saw >>the small, distant figure of a baby Aerodactyl, and realised what was >>wrong. The target ranges could wait, he thought, his friends needed >>his assistance. >> >>------ >> >>Night Shade swore to herself as she realised there was another person >>nearby, and prepared for her first real battle as a Haunter. > > >Jon called back his Ninetales on the run, and instead signaled for Jolteon to >come ahead. Jogging to a point where he was making slow progress on Kirsty, he >pushed buttons in his Pokedex, switching up some Pokeballs. > >The switching done, Jon resumed the near-sprint as he threw two more Pokeballs. > >"Here we go! Alakazam! I choose you, Butterfree!" > >The combined quartet of human and Pokemon now left Kirsty in the dust, giving >her a wave as they went by. > >The pack turned a corner in a small, dense grove. Jon could see the others >ahead, but it took effort to reach them. When he finally arrived, Jon could >see that Spook had the Haunter more or less stopped from going anywhere beyond >the small clearing they were in. Jon joined the other two trainers. > >"What's the plan here, guys?" Jon asked, smiling. > >Damian looked at him over his shoulder. "Oh, it's you, Jon. I thought Kirsty >was right behind us..." > >Jon shook his head. "No, I passed her a while back. She should be here >soon..." ------ The only thing she saw was a bright, sparkling light. Kirsty's body slammed into the ground as the psionic blast threw her backwards into the ground. Not even knowing who or what was attacking her, Kirsty picked herself up off the ground and attempted to run away, but another Psybeam struck her in the back and brought her down again. Though Night Shade was deliberately trying to keep her prey alive, Kirsty didn't stand a chance against the powerful blows, her Pokemon, even if they were with her, would not have been able to defend their mistress against such a powerful foe. Bruised and broken she lay face down in the dirt, drained of her will to continue what was a pointless struggle. Picking up the young trainer by the head, her disembodied hands able to reach across her face, Night Shade held her upright, body swaying lifeless like a rag doll. All Kirsty could make out in her blurred field of vision was a thick purple mist covering her body, its freezing touch telling her unresponsive body to shrink back from the cold. Night Shade took a deep breath, though she wasn't sure if Haunters even needed to breathe, and began the process. ------ "Seriously guys, where's Kirsty?" said Jon. "I wasn't that far ahead of her, and she was running." "She'll turn up soon," said Damian, having grown accustomed to the blonde wondering off on her own accord to examine whatever pretty object or Pokemon had taken her fancy. ------ Night Shade's ethereal body began to lose its shape, the clearly defined body of a Haunter fading into a thick purple cloud which enveloped her prey. Only her hand remained, Kirsty's head in its grasp. Kirsty wanted to scream. She felt the gas seeping through her mouth, eyes, nose and ears, its icy touch flowing through her lungs, her veins, chilling her body. Attempting to break away, she found that her body would not respond to her ever-increasing fear and anxiety and hung motionless as the gas invaded it and all went black. Fingers twitched. Something moved her head from side to side, and flexed her arms. Kirsty's now-purple eyes opened to the world, burning with a dark, malignant power. "What are you?" thought Kirsty, unable to open what she still thought was her own mouth to talk, unable to run on legs that were no longer hers, imprisoned in her own body. "I'm Kirsty Williams," said Night Shade, "now." ------ "Hi guys! What's going on!" The group turned away from the tense action of the chase to see what the voice was. It was Kirsty. "I knew you'd beat me," she giggled to Jon, while another laughed deep inside her. TBC.... (I should have made this post heaps longer, oh well, I guess I can always go back and rework it sometime in the future.)