Pokemon : An Unexpected Journey
Chapter no.194 Is that Black Fog ?

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The entire floor of the Lavender Tower and subsequently the graveyard was in ruins. The tombstones were engulfed in flames, and the Ghastly population was captured and transported to the Rocket bases somewhere on the planet. There were no traces of Haunter either, however few they were initially. The graveyard looked completely alien now, not a single thing reminiscent of how it was a couple of hours ago.

Just like the SS. Anne, before the attack and after the devastation had been wrought on it by Team Rocket.

However, the entire battle had resulted in a pyrrhic victory at best, on both sides. Executive Butch had come in with an army of grunts, each having a single Umbreon at command. He had with him, his precious Magmortar, several Houndoom, and that powerful Dusclops. Sure, he had accomplished his mission—the Ghastly were captured and transported instantaneously to the Team Rocket Base, but the cost had been paid by his entire army.

Not a single grunt, nor any of the Umbreons were left alive. The Houndoom had their entrails expelled out, yelping in pain at the corner. His Magmortar had suffered several injuries and would in all probability, need a lot of treatment before he would be of any actual use in the future. The only one still active was the Dusclops, who was currently, locked in a shadow-ball battle against the three ghosts of the Gastly-line.

Butch stared in horror, as he felt himself surrounded. He had lost, horribly so while the brat's pokémon were still up and battling. And then there were the ghosts to be considered, and the overly powerful shadow-energy flaring the middle of them, formed as a result of colliding otherworldly energies.

Wait.

An idea germinated in his mind. It would not be without cost, but he had lost a lot. What did a single pokémon even matter now? He could always get more. Besides, if done right, it would surely kill the kid, as well as the ghosts. If he were lucky, that powerful; Scizor and Charmeleon would be affected as well.

Yes, revenge did taste good. Butch grinned.

He plucked out a single remaining Pokeball from his waist. This, he reminded himself, was a pokémon he had meant to use as a quick exit. Never in his mind had he even suspected that he would need to use it so soon.

The Pokeball released red light, condensing into an Abra, as the psi pokémon looked up at its owner.

"Get ready to teleport." Butch barked, holding on to the somewhat frail arm of the little psychic. One more attack and he would recall Magmortar, escaping before the flames from Hell consumed everything in this place.

"Magmortar," he ordered, as the fire-breathing behemoth managed to stand, ready to fire at his command. "Use fire blast on that shadow ball collision."

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Fire Blast. A rather powerful fire-type move, in which the caster creates a concentrated mesh of scorching flames, before propelling them toward the victim, who is then scorched in an all-consuming blaze. When used by someone like Magmortar, who had some of the highest stats in all fire types in the world, it was a fatal weapon of destruction. Considering that ghostly energy was a good conductor of fire, an accurate example being the infamous will-o-wisp itself, the addition of such an attack on the colliding shadow-balls could only mean one thing.

Destruction.

Austin was taken aback as he witnessed the fiery spitfire Pokemon send out its blazing attack towards the colliding ghostly energies. The intense heat emanating from the fire was almost unbearable. He watched in horror as Scizor and Charmeleon, who were standing just a few feet away, were caught off guard and unable to react in time to avoid the incoming disaster.

In that moment, Austin forgot that he was not armored like Scizor, nor was he covered with Charmeleon's nigh impenetrable hide. He forgot about the danger that awaited him, forgot about the heat and the flames. All he could think about was saving his precious Pokemon.

His mind flashed back to a time when Raticate had sacrificed itself to save his life. Austin could feel his heart pounding with fear as he remembered that fateful day. But this time, he was not going to let any of his Pokemon die. Not on his watch.

With a sudden burst of energy, Austin leaped towards Scizor and Charmeleon, his lungs aching as he let out a yell that echoed across the battlefield. His eyes glowed with an intense crimson red hue, as the chains around a crimson sphere inside Austin's mindscape loosened. A wave of aura escaped, shocking Austin, but the aura seemed to converge into a barrier that engulfed everyone.

Perhaps it was his subconscious desire to protect his Pokemon or maybe it was just his survival instinct, but Austin was not going to let anyone die. Not even if it meant sacrificing himself.

"I won't let anyone die, even if it kills me!" Austin yelled, his voice ringing with determination.

The world exploded in a blinding light and a deafening roar of fire. The sound of the explosion was so intense that it reverberated across the entire battlefield, shaking the ground beneath their feet. The heat from the flames was so intense that it felt like they were standing inside a furnace.

.....

Austin stood his ground, his eyes narrowed in determination. The shockwaves coming out from the colliding shadow-balls pushed him back, but Scizor was there to help him. He ignored the pain that he was feeling all over his body, ignoring the putrid smell of burnt corpses. After all, he needed to save his pokémon and his family. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

The battlefield was a scene of chaos and destruction. Smoke and dust obscured his vision, and he could barely make out the shapes of the other trainers and their pokémon. The once verdant grass was now scorched and blackened, and craters littered the landscape. The air was thick with the acrid smell of smoke and burning flesh, and the ground shook with the force of the ongoing battle.

That was when it happened.

Pure, unadulterated energy coalesced all around the shadow-balls, containing them inside themselves. It was awe-inspiring- a contraption of pure energy created to contain ghostly energy, a juxtaposition if there ever was one. The energy shimmered and crackled, holding the shadow-balls in place. Austin could feel the tension in the air as everyone held their breath, waiting for what would happen next.

And then the fire blast hit the energy shields, and the entire thing exploded out in a mixture of light and fire. The blast knocked Austin off his feet, and he felt himself hurtling through the air. He hit the ground hard, the impact jarring his bones. He groaned in pain as he struggled to his feet, his eyes scanning the battlefield for any sign of his pokémon.

"Sizzor! Charmeleon!" he yelled, his voice hoarse. "Are you guys okay?"

He couldn't see them through the smoke and dust, and his heart sank. He took a step forward, but a sudden wave of energy knocked him back. He stumbled, almost falling, but managed to keep his footing.

That's when he saw it.

( ~ Sleech ~ )

Austin felt his heart stop as he saw a shadowy tendril a few feet away from his heart stopped by his accidental aura barrier.

If there wasn't a barrier between him and the shadowy tendril then he would be on the ground with a hole where his heart used to be.

" Grrrrr "  

A loud, piercing sound filled Austin's ears as the energy barrier erupted around him. It was like nothing he had ever heard before- a combination of a roar, a scream, and a hiss. He could feel the heat and the energy, pulsing all around him. It was like being caught in the middle of a raging inferno.

That's was when he saw him.

Butch.

He was on the ground, a tendril of black energy impaled in his stomach. Another shadowy tendril paraded the head of an Abra like a trophy.

"Kekekekeeke!" Austin heard the sound of laughter, and his heart sank.

He looked up and saw it.

Austin stood frozen in terror as he beheld the monstrous white Haunter, its massive form looming over him like a god of death. Its gaseous body seemed to pulse and writhe with malevolent energy, its glowing red eyes boring into Austin's soul with a sense of dread that made his skin crawl.

The Haunter's long, blue tongue flicked out of its gaping maw, as if taunting Austin with its power. Its three clawed fingers floated in front of its body like disembodied hands, ready to strike at any moment. Austin knew he was in deep trouble.

As the Haunter tightened its grip on Butch's body, a sickening popping sound filled the air. Austin felt his stomach churn as he realized what was happening. The Haunter was popping human bodies like bubble wrap, reveling in the destruction it wrought. It was a monster, a force of pure evil that had no regard for human life.

Is that Black Fog ?!

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[ Lavender Tower - Hidden Room ]

The ancient Pokeball creaked open, as if protesting the intrusion upon its long-held secrets. The white dismembered hand emerged, twitching with an otherworldly energy. The air grew heavy with a mournful howling, a sound that echoed through the stone walls of the Lavender Tower and seeped into the very bones of those who heard it.

Agatha who was approaching Lavender Tower froze.

Beside her stood the twin sisters, their eyes widening in shock and fear as they watched the spectral faces that floated out of the walls. Grady and Brady, trembled with terror at the sight.

"It can't be," Agatha whispered, her voice barely more than a hoarse croak. "We were too late."

The ethereal malice that seeped out of the walls took the form of floating howling faces, each one twisted into a grotesque expression of pain and anger. The chill in the air grew more intense with each passing moment, and the group found themselves surrounded by a palpable sense of malevolence.

Grady and Brady looked at Agatha, desperation etched on their faces. "What do we do now?!" they cried.

Agatha shook her head, her mind racing as she tried to come up with a plan.

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[ Omake Paragraph ]

When Ho-oh dwelt in Ecruteak's Brass Tower, there was no such thing as Fearow. Spearow existed, and they were a violent pokemon that Ho-oh hated for driving humans to war with wild pokemon, but could not bring itself to destroy; it seemed time would do so anyway, for their numbers were diminishing by the day.

And then the tower burned down, attacked by an angry, power-hungry mob. Ho-Oh raised the legendary beasts from the ashes of the tower, then flew away to a Spearow flock which it reshaped in its image. The pokemon grew in size, their necks grew long, their beaks longer still, and their heads and wings changed shape into one vaguely reminiscent of the legendary bird itself. They gained a few new attacks, drill peck the most powerful, and were gifted with the power of true flight – not of moving from tree to tree for a few hours like "flying" pokemon do, but of staying aloft forever like the gods themselves, lest they be attacked in their nests while they sleep.

To this day, when a wild Spearow becomes powerful enough, they seek out Ho-oh to evolve and join the original flock of Fearow which bring about the fire bird's wrath to this day. A similar technique using ash from the burned tower has been developed to create trained Fearow, but they never seem quite as powerful as the ones in the wild: they are Pidgeot with less speed and longer beaks, not a terror from the skies sent by an angry god.