From: Ghostyhead (cussingsnake@tesco.net)
Subject: PW! - Wash That Ghost Right Out Of My Hair
Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon
Date: 2000/06/21
PW! - Wash That Ghost Right Out Of My Hair
Raine rounded the corner at full speed, skidding a little and grabbing a
handy lamppost in an attempt to keep her balance. Before her was a scene of
chaos. Smoke filled the street, and a few small craters stood either as a
testament to Celadon City Council's tragic lack of road funding or a few
well-placed Explosion attacks from a certain Haunter.
"SPACEGHOST!" Raine screamed, expecting an all-out ghostly tantrum.
"This is the absolute last time! I have HAD IT!"
Meche came bounding around the street corner, panting a little with the
effort. She skidded to a halt next to Raine, then noticed something and
tapped her trainer gently with her club.
"Maro."
"WHAT IS IT?" yelled Raine. Surprised, Meche took a step back. Raine
immediately felt guilty.
"Sorry. Just a little wound-up right now." she said, crouching down to
Meche's level. The Marowak nodded her agreement and patted Raine on the
shoulder. Suddenly remembering herself, Meche pointed across the street
towards the Pokémon Centre, from which the occasional flash of light
emerged.
"Maro! Marowak!"
Carefully, the two picked their way through the smoke and street rubble.
The last few people and Pokémon had fled a few minutes ago, leaving the
street empty and strangely peaceful.
Inside the Pokémon Centre, things were somewhat more tense. Nurse Joy
crouched behind the main desk, glancing across at two of her faithful
Chansey as they finished stacking the Centre's remaining Pokéballs in the
emergency transporter. One of the Chansey waved to indicate that they were
finished, and Nurse Joy tentatively reached up and tapped the 'send' key.
"I'm really going to get him this time." muttered Raine as she and Meche
skirted around a wrecked car and reached the bottom of the Pokémon Centre's
steps.
"No more messing about. The minute I get him back in a ball, it goes down
the toilet."
"Wak?" Meche had heard this threat a few times before, but never with any
force behind it. Now, however, things had taken a more sinister tone.
Despite herself, she was a little worried.
"Marowak."
As the flash from the transporter died down, Joy allowed herself a partial
sigh of relief. At least, she thought, the Pokémon were safe. Less could
be said of her and the Chansey. She sighed and picked up her only weapon, a
chunk of metal piping, which had been shaken loose in the last attack.
Nodding to her two pink assistants, the trio got ready to face their
attacker again.
As if sensing her readiness, the dark shape burst out from one of the
(thankfully empty) treatment rooms again, flinging the doors wide with its
three-fingered hands.
.Just as Raine and Meche kicked the Centre's main doors open so hard that
they made a dent in the wall.
Raine's Spaceghost-catching instincts kicked in as she expanded and aimed
his Pokéball in one motion. This time, however, the little Haunter was
ready for her and easily dodged the red beam. Laughing, he extended his
middle finger, executed a perfect three-point turn, and sped off down one
of the Centre's winding corridors.
Meche ran a few steps in pursuit but, realising that her little legs would
never catch Spaceghost in full flight, she skidded to a halt and glared
angrily in the general direction he had taken instead.
Raine was about to follow herself when she noticed Nurse Joy attempting to
climb out of the wreckage which had once been her desk, albeit with little
success.
"Aren't you the girl who came in last month with the injured Haunter?" asked
Joy, hopping free of the tangled mess. Raine worriedly took in Nurse Joy's
tattered uniform and the lobby's scorched walls. She knew when a rant was
coming. After all, Spaceghost had caused her to hear enough of them in his
time.
"Um..yes." she murmured, fearing the worst.
"So that." Joy began, waving her arm to take in the destruction around them,
".was."
Meche nodded her head solemnly. Raine tried to be helpful.
"Mmm. That was the time he thought it'd be fun to drop swords from the top
of the Celadon Mansion." She recalled the incident in painful detail. "We
would never have got him down without Meche and her bonemerang."
The Marowak looked modest, a tricky task at best when lumbered with a skull
for a head, and twirled her club.
Another detail occurred to Raine.
"That one was two hours WMT, as I remember. Although I think he got out
after about half."
Joy looked puzzled. "WMT?"
"Washing Machine Time. Sounds cruel, I know, but it's the only thing that
puts him off."
Meche sweatdropped.
"You put him in the.?"
Raine looked guilty and nodded.
"In his Pokéball, though."
I should probably be against that sort of thing," said Nurse Joy. Taking a
quick look around her ruined Pokémon Centre, she shrugged.
"I think I'll let it slide, just this once."
"Do you remember what I told you at the time?" asked Joy, still remarkably
calm.
"Um. the thing about no Pokémon being truly evil?" she ventured. She knew
perfectly well what Joy had said, and she knew what she and Meche thought of
the sentiment in light of Spaceghost's antics.
Joy nodded, an unusually nasty look on her face.
"I may be prepared to revise that."
Raine grinned, and all three turned to face Spaceghost's point of escape.
"Let's get him."
