From: Ghostyhead (cussingsnake@tesco.net)
Subject: [PW!] Minor Domestic
Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon
Date: 2000/06/19
(I know it sucks, but give me time...)
PW! - Minor Domestic
"Wak! Marowak! Maro!"
Raine's eyes snapped open. Her instincts took control, making her roll
clear of the bed, throwing the sheets aside as she leapt. Just as her head
cleared the pillow, a sharp twang came from above, closely followed by a
metallic thud. Raine carefully got to her feet, her brain finally
registering what had just happened. Where her head had just been, a
wickedly sharp sword was now driven through pillow, mattress and bed.
From another room came the unmistakable sound of a Haunter chuckling.
Raine, almost unfazed by the near-miss, fumbled around her bedside cabinet
until her hand closed on a Pokéball. The morning sun streamed in through
her window and the sounds of traffic were beginning to filter up to her
ninth-storey apartment.
On the opposite side of the room, Meche was leaning on her bone club, an
unmistakable look of relief on her face. Raine nodded thanks to her before
creeping through into her small living room, trying to make as little sound
as she could, stepping from one pile of discarded clothing to another.
Meche followed at a distance. Her trainer's morning routine was just that
by now, but she still enjoyed seeing the Haunter get his just desserts from
time to time.
Sure enough, as Raine peered around the doorway, Spaceghost was hovering
over the television, wiping tears of laughter from his slitted eyes.
"Hey! Ghosty!" Yelled Raine, leaping into view, the Pokéball aimed
squarely at the hapless Pokémon.
"Haunt?" Managed Spaceghost, turning. He raised his hands to ward off the
beam, but it was too late. With a flash of red light, the little ghost
vanished into the ball.
"Murderous little sod," murmured Raine as she dropped the ball on the table.
"Don't think that's all you're getting, either. This is the last time,
Spaceghost, you hear?"
Meche strolled casually into the room, throwing her club into the air and
catching it. Her trainer had gone into the apartment's tiny bathroom and
she was getting hungry, so she wandered over to the refrigerator and pulled
out a pack of eggs.
"Keep an eye on Ghosty, will you?" asked Raine, her voice echoing from the
shower.
"Maro." answered Meche, breaking an egg into a frying pan. Being owned by a
trainer with a somewhat hit-and-miss approach to feeding had led Meche to
develop a few new talents in the years they had been together.
"Thanks for the warning, by the way," continued Raine above the sound of
water. "One of these days they'll invent a ball that can actually hold him
for more than ten minutes."
"Wak. Marowak." agreed Meche, glancing across at Spaceghost's Pokéball.
"At least it was only one sword today."
"Wak?"
A loud crash sounded from the bathroom, followed by another metallic twang
and a string of swearing from Raine. Wrapped in a towel, she burst through
the door dripping with water and a little blood from a small cut on her leg.
Meche glared at Spaceghost's ball, from which was emanating muffled
laughter. "Make that two swords." Muttered Raine, before turning and
stomping back into the bathroom. Meche sighed and returned to her cooking.
It was about half an hour later, and Raine was walking down Celadon City's
packed high street, breathing in the morning air. The breeze felt relaxing
after her brush with domestic death. A sound on the edge of her hearing was
irritating her, though. It sounded like a crowd cheering. Oh well, she
thought. Probably just a parade or something.
Even Meche looked happy as she wandered along next to her trainer, throwing
her bone from hand to hand and humming something tuneless.
"You know, Meche, I think I'm going to let Ghosty have a bit of exercise,"
said Raine. The little Marowak suddenly looked worried.
"It's not like that time he blew up the corner shop, after all." mused
Raine, hunting in her pocket for the Haunter's Pokéball. "I wish I knew
where he was getting those swords, though."
(note: The shopkeeper of Jerry's Antiques, in Saffron City, was putting his
kids through college on Spaceghost's sword habit. Jerry had long since
stopped asking why a Pokémon wanted antique swords and how he was getting
the money. You should too.)
With a flash, Spaceghost's ball opened. A couple of people who lived nearby
and recognised Raine immediately screamed and dived for cover, and were left
feeling a little stupid when the ball released nothing more than a scrap of
paper.
Meche stamped on it to stop it blowing away, then passed it up to Raine,
since for all her talents, the Pokémon had never quite got the hang of
reading.
"Oh shit." breathed Raine. A chill ran down her spine as she realised that
the crowd noise sounded awfully like a series of small explosions and
screaming.
The scrap of paper drifted to the floor as Raine and Meche dived through the
crowds towards the noise.
GOn DesTROYing StUff. BACk sOOn. LuV SpACEghSt
Ps.. DiE bTCH
