Raya, the Growlithe

  It’s one of those days when my trainer walks around as if her life depends on it. But today is a beautiful day. I can’t sense any danger.

  And I’m probably right. Or maybe I’m not. Depending on how you look at it.

  For example, the old man with the pale moss on his head was mean. He was a problem. For sure! Here, however, there is an excited tension that my trainer keeps associating with something called Halloween. Sounds harmless.

  When I take a deep breath, I can smell caramel apples and pumpkin and biscuits – which somehow also contain pumpkin but also something else that I don’t recognise. The only thing I know for sure is that my mouth keeps watering when I think of treats. But the tasty bits aren’t being handed out yet. Instead, oddly enough, everyone is admiring the colours in the room, the slightly misshapen paper Zubats on the ceiling, the cobwebs in the corners, and the little plastic pumpkins they can fit in their hands and which taste awful. But that’s okay, because Domino seems happy with what she’s created.

  Her outfit tonight includes a hat, and although she doesn’t actually wear hats unless the sun is shining, she keeps adjusting it. Whenever I look at her, she conveys the image of a Growlithe in disguise. Of course, I can’t say for sure that she’s planning to disguise herself as a purple Growlithe, but her false teeth, with which she can barely speak, hint at it. After all, thanks to my fangs, I can’t speak either. At least I think so.

  Maybe she’ll tell me what she was thinking at bedtime. After all, she often talks to me and the others. Mostly with Ying, but we’re all important to her.

  This time, though, she’s planning something no one but Conia has a place in. They both just leave, abandoning us Pokémon and Zir. Immediately afterwards, I can smell sweat, which doesn’t remind me of warm days but of a person whose nervousness is huge. Zir walks up and down, occasionally tugging at the collar of his red-orange-black-coloured clothes and regularly glancing at the Rotom Phone. He’s part of the plan, I think, and he seems to be dreading his task.

  Finally, I swing myself off the sofa. My claws clack on the floor, and I think I am scaring this man even more, but when he looks down at me and gives me an awkward smile, everything seems fine.

  Humans are weird.

  “Hey, furball! Better get back sleeping, or are you planning to set something on fire?”

  A sideways glance brings Lum to the fore. He is sitting in front of the sofa, his eyes narrowed to slits. His snort seems unhappy, and when I finally sit down to tilt my head to understand him better, he seems to click his tongue.

  “I’m seriously wondering what all this nonsense is about. Halloween is a time for Ghost-type Pokémon. I could understand if Mirra gets something out of this rubbish. But why are the humans getting involved?”

  “Because it’s a festival created by humans to honour ancient traditions,” interjects Mimikyu. She sits on the edge of the table and looks down at us. “It’s just a pleasant time for Ghost-type Pokémon, too.”

  “Still stupid,” snorts Lum. “I’m sure Coro would say the same thing.”

  “You ... miss Coro?” Finally, Ying joins us.

  “No,” replies Eevee. “But at least he had a bit more brains than the average of this team.”

  “Mean as always.” Mimikyu waves off with a black claw before turning away and grabbing a biscuit, which I would also like to eat. But she certainly won’t hand it down when I ask because all eyes are on Lum and no one is interested in the food on the table.

  No one but me.

  Still, I can’t help but open my mouth and take a breath to ask her for some treats – wishes I can’t utter since Ying walks over to Golduck and Skarmory and Lum’s ears droop.

  “Are you sad too because we can’t get any biscuits?” If he says yes, we could get some treats as a team.

  “Do you actually think about anything else apart from fighting, eating, and sleeping?” His dark eyes move in my direction. “I’m amazed Coro put up with you. You’re ... strange.”

  “You do miss Coro, don’t you?” The last time I saw him was after Domino came back to these quarters and we all took a break. He looked completely different then, with a colourful beak. He’s even taller than me now, and when he looks down at me these days, his eyes match his fiery words.

  Fiery. He taught me that word.

  “I miss him too,” I add. Then my gaze fixes the table again. “It would be nice if he were here. I bet Coro would throw down some biscuits for us.”

  Instead of responding to my words, Eevee shakes his body and puffs out his chest fur. “By the way, Halloween is also a festival where people scare each other. At least Domino has set out with this Conia to scare this snarky guy to death!”

  My heart leaps. “But isn’t that a bad thing? It’s not right to kill someone.”

  “That’s just what they say.” Lum twitches his nose. “Maybe we should try that, too. With Zir.”

  “Killing him?”

  “Scaring him, you airhead!” Gallantly, Lum moves just the same instant Zir dashes out the door. Wherever he’s going, Eevee sits down on the threshold of the exit and looks at me as if I’m the only one he could ask for help. “Are you coming or what?”

  Sure enough, he rolls his eyes and his tail swishes tensely from right to left, but he sits there until I follow him. He’s nice, I can’t deny that.

  Lum’s paws are so quiet that I produce noise for both of us. It’s tiring, but when I step harder with each leg, my footsteps echo, and Eevee looks at me with wide eyes, as if he’s trying to tell me something. He’s probably amazed at how loudly I can walk while he can’t make a sound.

  Until we reach the stairs that will lead us down, my paws are all that accompany us – or rather, the volume of them. Only then does Lum turn completely in my direction, his small, pointed teeth bared.

  “Stop walking like you’re a damn Mamoswine!” He perks his ears before pointing to the steps with one foot. The glare from the neon lights on the ceiling is a little blinding. “Unless you want me to throw you down there.”

  “All right,” I reply with a gentle wag of my tail. The sharpness of his words is only for my own good, I’m sure of it. Lum and Coro are a lot alike in that respect, and it reminds me we’re not complete and that Coro is spending Halloween with someone else.

  But that’s nothing I should worry about. Domino has let him stay somewhere else because he’s happy there and wants to meet someone, and when all that’s happened, he’ll be travelling with us again, and we’ll conquer the world together.

  “Come now.” With a nod, Eevee points down the stairs, then takes the lead.

  “Where are you going?”

  Immediately I look around until I spot Mirra, her Zorua head bobbing back and forth.

  “Lum wants to kill Zir,” I reply. “But just for fun.”

  Mimikyu’s whole body stiffens within seconds. Then she lets out a sharp hum. “I think ... I’d better go with you.”

  Eevee certainly won’t mind. So I wag my tail, nod my head up and down, and then jump down the first few steps.

  The walls around us have none of the warmth that Halloween brings. It’s so bare that they look kind of creepy, and the light is so strong we barely cast any shadows. Only further down, in the room that spreads out at the bottom of the stairs, are there decorations on the walls. Boxes. Lots and lots of boxes. And in between, Zir, who comes a little closer to each one to read the labels.

  I can’t help but stretch and almost trip over my paws. The steps somehow get smaller and smaller. “Do you see that? Do you think those boxes are alive?”

  “Focus, Raya,” Lum fires back, and the hiss behind it tickles my ears. “We’ll wait for our cue and then scare him. As soon as Zir flips one of those light switches, we’ll-”

  “Okay, okay,” I interrupt him. He doesn’t have to keep telling me. When it’s dark, we’ll kill Zir. Or something like that. Even if I still don’t think it’s a good idea. But Lum is the smarter one of us, and if he says it’s okay, he’ll probably be right. Besides, we still have Mirra with us. If something bad happens, she’s sure to have some advice. “We’re doing Halloween!”

  “Oh, Arceus...”

  The concrete floor of the cellar scratches my paws, emphasising the clicking of my claws, and when I start dancing because it sounds kind of funny, I can’t hold back the amused growl. It’s just too much fun! I sound like a super-fast Ponyta trying to complete a race, and behind me are thousands of pursuers I will fight with my flames as soon as-

  “Raya!” Eevee’s hiss interrupts my story, and even though it’s been so vivid in front of me, I understand why he’s looking at me as if I’m ruining Halloween right now. I’ve allowed myself to be distracted. Even Mimikyu behind me chuckles softly.

  “Won’t happen again.” I take a deep breath to swell my chest. “But after we’re done with Zir, do you think he’ll give us candy? Biscuits? Treats?”

  “Of course. Especially because humans love to share their things...”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “You’ve experienced that before? Domino hardly ever eats sweets...”

  “You know, I was born from an egg, in case you’ve forgotten.” He sounds a little sarcastic. “I don’t know anything except you.”

  “But how do you know that, then?”

  He looks at me like I’m slow on the uptake. Then his face scrunches up and his ears flatten. He might not even know what makes him think that way. But in those seconds there is serious doubt, even in me. What if Zir doesn’t share a thing with us? What if he doesn’t come back from the dead after we’ve killed him?

  The sudden clicking in the background snaps me out of my worries. Nothing has changed in our surroundings, and it’s just Zir’s satisfied hum that makes me think he’s switched off the light, even though it’s still on. Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. Maybe he simply made a mistake and switched on the light again.

  But when absolute darkness falls over us in the next blink, I almost feel as if I’ve been transported back to the day I lost the fight against the moss man and his coffin.

  “What ... just happened?” My voice trembles as I address Eevee, who I can barely make out in the darkness. “Do you want me to start a fire?”

  “No.” Lum’s voice sounds unusually pressed too. “The light’s gone out. Good timing, isn’t it? We ... We should go ahead with our plan.”

  “You’re sure this is a good idea?” Mimikyu tunes in but is no longer visible in the darkness down here.

  “The best idea in months!” replies Lum.

  “But ... what I’m wondering ... Zir switched the light off on. Why ... is it off off now?” My ears twitch. “Like ... really turned off. Here. Shouldn’t it be on? Somehow?”

  “As much as I hate to admit it ... it should be...”

  Darkness also exists in Poké Balls. Sure, the Ultra Ball I now live in is more comfortable, and the blackness isn’t as intense, but it doesn’t compare to this basement. My chest suddenly feels tight, and the anxiety puffing up my fur rises as Zir lets out a desperate sound.

  We immediately stumble over to him. He’s standing in front of one of those boxes, the front open, pointing his Rotom Phone at the levers, and just as we look up at him, he flicks the switch again. Light flickers, but the switch snaps back down. A bit like magic.

  “Great...” Zir’s murmur gives me some peace despite this. This sudden turnaround is clearly nothing unusual for him, and the worry in my body is unfounded. “Why do those things always happen when I’m alone? First one switch, then the other... We should have thought of something else...”

  Hands braced at his sides, he lets the Rotom fly calmly beside him, and just as he’s about to inspect the switches, his gaze settles on me.

  “What are you ...? Just the two of you? Three of you? What are you doing here?”

  His attention feels great. At least we can’t kill him this way, and we can get a few treats as soon as he’s got the light right. He’s just about to lean down to us – presumably to stroke and praise us for following him so bravely – when the bulbs down here are switched on. The sharp brightness suddenly blinding us makes my eyes squint.

  “Again?” Zir protests. “You didn’t flip the power switch for the basement lights, did you?”

  Blinking, I open my lids and then shake my body vigorously.

  “And I assume ... none of you were at the light switch either...”

  I don’t know what he’s getting at or what the difference is between a power switch and a light switch, but we didn’t touch a thing. At least I’m sure we only touched the ground beneath our paws.

  It takes me a few blinks to get used to the new brightness. Simultaneously, there’s this gasp at my side which can only be Eevee’s, so I glance towards him. But asking him what happened seems strangely unimportant. His eyes are so round I can’t help but look in the same direction as Lum – at a pumpkin hovering calmly in the air behind Zir, threatening to lay a hand on a switch in the box.

  Can we even talk about a hand here?

  “We’ll make you disappear!” It shouts its plan at us in a high, joyful voice, causing Zir to turn to face it. “Get ready for a spook-tastic night!”

  “Don’t you dare!” Without hesitation, Zir jumps towards the Pokémon and grabs the switch it wanted to flip. So this is probably the important switch. The one for Domino and the plan, which I haven’t quite figured out yet, but I think I’m on to it.

  The Pokémon flinches back with a rasping cry, surrounded by an orange glow. It looks like it’s building up in front of Zir to emphasise it can hold its own against him and probably somehow against Lum and Mirra and me, too. But then it hovers a little further back as Zir reaches out to it.

  “You want to keep us prisoners? We’ll show you that our path is unstoppable!”

  I’m not even sure where its voice is coming from, but the Pokémon doesn’t hold back with its next war cry, so even my tail gets all puffy as I move closer to Lum.

  “What is it talking about?” My whisper is just enough to make Eevee’s ears stand up.

  “That we’re fucked,” he replies, and before I can even ask, the air in the room appears to vibrate.

  Every hair on my body trembles as shadows form that don’t seem possible under this harsh light. And more pumpkins emerge from them, their eyes shining like flickering lanterns, until they are swallowed up by brightness and the eerie glow disappears. Still, there are three of them now, and even if my fire could put them to flight, Eevee has advised against my flames.

  “Get them, friends!” The leader of this little horde wastes no time as it points its little tendril at Zir, and the other two chase forward.

  Our human stumbles back, unable to defend himself, while the two Pokémon circle around him, making amused sounds that sting my ears.

  “Feel the power of Pumpkaboo!”

  Should I try flamethrower? I could throw myself into the fight and take a bite out of them; they are pumpkins, after all. And Conia has made pumpkins into treats. Biting and using fire at the same time would cook every mouthful. But I think whatever I could do would end up with someone getting mad at me, and generally it’s best if I wait for Domino, anyway. She’s smart. She can decide.

  So I sit down under the box of switches while Zir spins around, Mirra starts a switch war with the leader Pumpkaboo, and Lum takes a few leaps towards the human to swat at a Pokémon with his paw. In between, laughter erupts, and I don’t know if it’s coming from the Pumpkaboos or if I’m just imagining it all because my stomach is growling. Hunger does strange things to a Pokémon.

  Then, again, I can’t even concentrate on my stomach, which tightens and aches as one of the Pumpkaboos collides with my nose. It jerks my head back but doesn’t hurt much. The pumpkin is hard, but not hard enough to bend my snout. Still, the tip throbs and I have to blink a few times and pull my nose back to see my surroundings clearly again. The Pumpkaboo hovers a few centimetres beside me, at least as confused as Zir, who throws his hands over his head.

  “We’re in a serious mess!” Lum’s roar thunders in my ears, and as I look over at him, he’s just dodging a tendril swipe. “We need to get this under control before worse happens!”

  But what can we do? The Pumpkaboos are flying around like orange-coloured projectiles, amused by our circumstances and not caring how long all this is supposed to go on. Maybe they’ll carry on until we’re all starving, and then I’ll never see the table laid with all the goodies, or even Domino, again.

  In the next breath, the light fades again. Suddenly it is terribly dark. I can see Rotom glowing in the switch box, while the Pumpkaboos create a ghostly glow in which shadows grab at everything and everyone.

  It’s a moment in which Zir whirls around and pushes one Pokémon far away, causing it to slam into the wall and fall to the ground. Score at one for Zir. But only until long, pink hair grabs his wrists and-

  My thoughts falter as I glance to the side and see the giant pumpkin with the carved laugh that looks as if it wants to eat me. I’m probably too small, though, because this Pokémon is only interested in Zir. I’m just air!

  “A Gourgeist?” Zir’s horror is so shrill I almost jump on my paws. It would probably be better if I contributed something. Domino would understand. It’s not as if I want to burn everything down.

  Briefly, I look at Lum, who has taken the situation into his own paws. He lashes out at a Pumpkaboo, leaping at it, and causing his opponent to flinch. The black fur on the pumpkin moves now and then, while small, white teeth flash through.

  “Eat that, you little monster!” The next moment, Lum jumps back. Energy gathers around his body, enveloping him before detaching in form of bright stars, chasing towards the pumpkin.

  Maybe I can create something similar and help Zir so we can finally go back up and eat. But I can barely get a paw in. Out of nowhere, the previously downed Pumpkaboo appears in front of me, hissing menacingly. I have no clue why it’s so angry with me, but if it likes a fight, I’ll show it the benefits of heat. They might even taste okay...

  Just the thought makes my stomach rumble, and I can already taste hot pumpkin on my tongue. The growl escapes my throat quite wilfully. “You look delicious...”

  Eventually, I chase forwards, straight towards the Pokémon, to open my mouth. There are only a few centimetres separating me from my dinner, but the creature is quicker than expected. Within a second, it disappears from my sight and catapults so far up I can’t even reach it.

  Instead, I have to retreat before Zir can crash into me due to the Gourgeist spinning him around. I don’t know why they started dancing, but Zir just gets tangled up in the Pokémon’s hair. Whatever he’s up to, it seems even more nonsensical than leaving the food behind and then getting angry with other Pokémon.

  In the end, I avert my eyes and push back under the switch box. Meanwhile, this small, mean Pumpkaboo chases in my direction to drive me into a corner. At least that’s how it seems. Maybe it wants to circle me all by itself. Or do something that restricts my space. Something like that.

  We’ll never get out of here that way. Lum is still lashing out at his opponent, Mirra is holding the light switch down with all her might, and I can’t think of anything else but letting those Pumpkaboos go up in flames. Then I could eat them, and we’d all be happy.

  With a growl, I let the vegetable within reach know I no longer want to play. Slowly, I turn my head towards the pushy pumpkin, my focus fixed on the hovering food. I have to swallow the hot saliva to stop myself from drooling. My tongue runs over my snout.

  And then I spot a glow on the side facing the stairs. A violet-blue gleam that creeps closer, causing the Pumpkaboos to shift their focus. Even Zir and Gourgeist stop their dance. They must have become friends, the way they suddenly stand so close and hold each other tightly, as if an oversized ghost is approaching.

  “What’s that?” Zir’s huff matches Lum’s gasp.

  It’s strange that everyone seems to freeze all at once, even though we also had unusual light at the beginning, which then spread into the darkness until it got light and everyone started dancing – or something like that.

  And this time, too, an abrupt change follows, blinding me as the basement’s neon lights are switched on. It takes a few blinks until I get used to the change and find the reason for the odd glow: Ceruledge is standing within range. The Pokémon of that human my trainer watches because she probably considers him as fascinating as pumpkin biscuits. He looks fascinating, too. I think his name is Amethio.

  Amethio, who appears a few steps behind his Pokémon and brings my trainer and her friend with him. Have they moved Halloween to the basement now?

  “A-Amethio, sir...” Zir’s eyes look round as he stares back and forth between this trainer and Gourgeist. “I-I... So...”

  The other simply raises a hand to silence our human. Then he speaks himself. “We should release the Pokémon before they do any damage.”

  It’s a sign for Ceruledge to do something, so it shoos the Pumpkaboos to the staircase, releasing Gourgeist from Zir’s body. Together they make a picture of little delicacies I can no longer eat but which are now floating to a better place. Conia and Domino follow them first. Amethio, meanwhile, watches us until Zir switches the light for somewhere else back on. After that, we all make our way up as well.

  The Pokémon float to the exit door and are then released by my trainer. At this point, the city lights glow on Domino’s body, and she suddenly looks a little ghostly. Or maybe it’s warming her up, because she stands there and doesn’t move, keeping us all waiting.

  “Maybe we should ... devote ourselves to the finer things.” It’s Conia who speaks up, and I applaud her inwardly. There are so many things I want to try!

  My trainer, then, nods before coming back to us and grabbing her Amethio to pull him behind. She’s suddenly so lively, so determined to enjoy the evening, that I can’t help but wag my tail. I’d like to see her like this more often. Carefree and happy.

  In the room with all the food and the rest of the team and the others’ Pokémon, the tense atmosphere is washed away. It smells good, everyone is happy, and only Lum’s ears droop grumpily.

  “Aren’t you looking forward to the treats? We’ve waited so long! And we had so much fun that I got even hungrier!”

  “Are you serious?” Eevee’s snort sweeps over my fur. “That was a disaster! We could have given Zir a wonderful scare if it hadn’t been for those stupid pumpkins.”

  “Come on, that was fun!” My tail wagging is unstoppable. “Think of all the Pumpkaboos we’ve met! And Ceruledge’s shimmer was so cool! Felt a bit like an adventure that no one would believe.”

  Lum merely rolls his eyes, a sigh on his tonngue. “Reminds me more of a fever dream.”

  “Raya?” Before I can continue talking to Eevee, Mimikyu interjects, and my ears twitch as I look up at her. “Shall I hand you something? You and Lum haven’t had a thing yet.”

  The saliva on my tongue tastes sweet. Just a little and I can go to sleep and be happy! So I run over to her in a flash – straight towards a muffin. “I want it all!”