章 31: Ch 31. Preparations
When Ares woke up, he was refreshed as if he had finally gotten the rest he so desperately needed. His mind was focussed again, his body now fully operational after running on fumes for so long.
Stretching himself, his body releasing soft but somehow quite loud snaps as he loosened his joints. He felt stiff, as if he had been stuck in one position for too long, which could certainly be possible, as he was always surrounded by his pokemon when he slept.
Ares got up and began to prepare breakfast. Pikachu helped as well, as did Mew. It was a happy occurance, as Mew didn't really help out with anything to be honest. She was always just going along for the fun. Helping out didn't mean it was fun for her, so she always skipped. At this point, Mew was helping Pikachu mold the rice balls. Pikachu's rice balls looked pretty decent, while those made by Mew were a bit out of shape, some had weird protrusions, while other completely fell apart. Mew looked in distaste at the poorly shaped balls she had made, deciding to give it a finishing touch with her psychic energy to make it a bit more pleasing to look at.
Which helped only just a little.
Still, it was nice to see Mew do something for a change. Mew worked hard at making the rice balls, looking proud at the end result. They looked decent, if you kept in mind this was the first time Mew ever laid her hands on the rice as it was being processed. She was good enough for a beginner. The rest would just take practice and time.
"Good job. They look delicious."
Ares replied, as he finished more than a few rice omelettes and some soup to go along with it.
Happy with the praise, both Mew and Pikachu took a spot on the table as they began to chow down. They seemed to enjoy the taste even more than usual, surely being due to the fact they had made their own food, which made it worth it.
It was strange though, as the amount of pokemon present didn't really add up with the pokeballs he had on his waist. If he saw correctly, there was one pokemon too many amongst his own.
Looking at the pokemon present, Ares went over them one by one.
Pikachu, Mew, Lucario, Umbreon, Pidgeot, Lucario, Clefairy and... a Gengar?
"Who's this?"
Ares asked as he pointed at a lone Gengar sitting at the edge of the table. A hint of trepidation and despair filling him at the sight of the Gengar, though the reason why was a mystery to him. His pokemon were a bit distant from the Gengar, not speaking to it at all. Seeing their reactions, his mood darkened as well, as there surely was a reason they acted this way. His instinct told him to trust their judgement. He always trusted his pokemon, as they put as much trust in him as well.
[He's the cause of your nightmares.]
Mew said as she recounted her tale from last night.
Ares remained silent, partially feeling glad the missing parts of his memory were being filled up without the clear details, while a simmering anger was slowly rising in him. While the memories of his dreams were absent, a lingering fear and despair seemed to rise again, amplifying the trepedation and despair had had been feeling even more than before.
His heartbeat was rising so rapidly, it felt as if it would burst out from his chest. Cold sweat had soaked his back, shivers running down uncontrollably as his hands were shaking from the cocktail of emotions he was currently experiencing. Some things remained, even if forgotten it seems. Emotions and trauma were things that were hard to get rid of, even if the memories accompanying them were forgotten.
"So that's it. So it was Gengar's doing then."
Ares whispered, a hint of vehemence in his voice that wasn't there before. He had read about Gengar's before. They were a species of pokemon that preyed on other pokemon and people for life force. It is regarded as their food, though Pokemon food would suffice as well. Seeing that this Gengar had specially chosen him as prey indicated he was vulnerable to ghost-type Pokemon, something he didn't even wish for someone else, let alone himself.
"He does look docile now. What did you talk about?"
Ares wondered, why was this Gengar so quiet? It had tormented him for days on end, which should be an achievement. This Gengar should feel pretty proud of itself. Gengars in general were usually mischievous, liking to prank others, even if it leads to injuries. This one in front of him was just eating the food that he and the other pokemon had made, silently observing the situation around him. It was on guard, but it also seemed impatient, glancing at him every now and then with a hopeful glimmer in his eyes as well as...determination? What did the Gengar want from him that made him have such hopeful little eyes.
[He proposed that he would become your pokemon and help keep other vicious ghost type pokemon in check. In return he wants to eat your negative energy, like bad dreams and negative feelings. I proposed he should just scram before I hunted him down.]
Mew commented, her distrust about this particular Gengar plain to see, as was her disgust.
"..."
Ares didn't know how he should feel about this. When he looked at the Gengar in front of him, he couldn't help but think he was a danger to him. It would be best if he disappeared from his sight. It was never a good idea to keep a ticking time bomb at his side, especially if it caused harm for his health.
Mew seemed to know what he was thinking, as she smiled brightly.
[It seems like you have been deemed too dangerous to keep around.]
Mew grinned, as a blast of psychic energy was directed at Gengar. Pressing Gengar with force against the ground, some kind of blackish red liquid began to pour out of his body as gashes started to appear. He glared at Mew as an anguished mixture of laughter and cries poured out from his mouth.
Even if he was a ghost pokemon, the psychic energy of Mew was too much for him to bear. It was like he was being torn apart.
Gengar grimaced in pain, his form sinking back into the shadows. Gengar glared once more at Mew before his presence completely disappeared as he quickly fled from Mew to avoid further injury. The temperature that had been slightly cold began to rise again as Gengar truly seemed to have left.
Ares sagged down in his chair, the tension that previously put his body on edge suddenly disappeared, leaving him shaking and shivering even more in its aftermath. It seems his body sensed the danger Gengar posed all too well, as it had been in standby, ready to flee at any time. Not that it was necessary, with Mew at his side to protect him.
"I feel like he got off too easy. Maybe it is because I don't remember what my nightmares were."
Ares muttered, feeling a bit uneasy about it. Gengar had seemed to be in a lot of pain, but he didn't feel like it was enough for some reason.
[I think it is best you don't remember. Besides, with a pokemon such as this Gengar, he is sure to be around somewhere. Once they decide to haunt someone, they will try to do so again. He got more than a warning today, so he should stay away if he treasures his life. Just know that if he comes closer again, I will make his disappear from this world for good next time. Of that you can be sure. No one messes with my friends, even if it started out as a prank.]
Mew giggled at the thought, covering her mouth with her paws. The thought of tearing the Gengar apart passed through her mind more than once, as gruesome ways to torture the Gengar came to her. Fortunately Ares didn't know how to read minds, otherwise his image of her might change completely. Mew was rather vindictive after all.
"Thanks for that. I'm not sure if I or my pokemon are strong enough against this Gengar. He felt rather strong."
[It isn't surprising, as he was leading the other ghost Pokemon during the disappearance occurrence on the previous route. He needs to have some form of strenght to rule over them.]
"Then we need to be even more prepared than before. Mew, I would like you to train with Lucario. He might be strong, but he has too little experience to truly let it shine in battle. As you are a lot stronger than him, I want you to spar with him daily. Not for nothing ofcourse."
Ares showed Mew a booklet filled with sweets recipes, a picture of them near every recipe.
"You can choose on you like after you finished sparring."
Mew glanced at the little book, snatching it from his hands as she leafed through it. With a sparkle in her eyes, Mew giggled in excitement.
[Don't worry. Leave it to me to beat your bestie into shape.]
"Then I will be counting on you."
Ares replied, earning an amused chuckled from the rest of his pokemon, with the exception of Lucario, who only looked annoyed but resigned with the new teacher he got. He was sure to drag in Umbreon as well, as Umbreon was the perfect counter against ghost pokemon.
[And I will whip you into shape as well, training your mind to guard itself against mental attacks. What will you do when we aren't there to protect you?]
Mew chuckled, patting a wryly smiling Ares on the head as she dragged Lucario with her.
While Lucario was stuck with Mew for the time being, Ares would focus on training his other pokemon, as they needed to become stronger as well. Looking to the side, Ares saw Lucario dragging Umbreon along, the latter dejectedly following behind as he too knew what was at stake at the moment. They did not have any luxury to rest with a ghost ready to haunt them.
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