Here There Be Ghosts! ....and a Gym Battle [Open]

Acedia sat on a park bench, tossing an odd stone from one hand to another. Occasionally the stone would pulsate purple, showing hints of the life inside, but it otherwise remained dormant and still. The boy seemed lost in thought and exhausted, after spending almost all of his money to travel to Kanto, then making the long trek all the way to Pewter, where he was planning on eventually fighting Brock.

He lightly yawned and stretched his arms up and over his head. Setting the stone beside him, he laid down, and started dozing off. Well, what started off as a light doze became a heavy sleep with his arms hanging off the sides of the bench, and a fine stream of drool running down his cheek. His body twitched on occasion, as if he were having strange dreams, which he was. Fully asleep, he wouldn't stir unless someone or something decided to wake him.

Z arrived in Pewter. First thing he saw: Un guarded objects. he pouncd to steal the stone.

"Lay your hands off of me, you thief!" The stone launched itself out of Z's grip, and Pride's entire self burst forth, a whole lot of annoyed Spiritomb. "Tell me why I should not kill you for that? Unthoughtful thief."

Suprisingly, Acedia continued to sleep through Pride's outburst.

"A Spiritomb? Drago use Thunderwave!" Drago obeyed and sent the wave of thunder at the pokemon.

A ghostly laugh echoed through the area Z was. As the Thunder Wave launched at Pride, he once again disappeared into his keystone, causing the electricity to go over the top of it. In doing this, it hit Acedia instead.

"Wha-?" He asked sleepily, apparently not very affected by the attack. "Pride, who's he?" The ghostly laugh continued to echo, but Pride did not emerge from the keystone.

Z told Drago to fire a Thunder Wave at the keystone.

Acedia noticed the attacking trainer, and immediately jolted up. "Please don't tell me Pride didn't do anything to you while I was asleep. I apologize if he did, but it's his evil nature, I'm trying to curve him of it."

Pride burst from his keystone once again, and lazily used a Pursuit to hit and destroy the oncoming Thunder Wave. "It will take more than that, pathetic mortal."

Acedia glared at Pride. "Insulting little prick," he muttered.

"Argh, the owner is awake." And he jumped in the bushes, determined to have that Spiritomb. He decided to follow the boy untill he had the chance to get it.

"That was...odd," Acedia said, looking at the bushes that Z jumped into. "What did you do to him? He was obviously attacking you for some reason. And did you have to do that laugh? It freaks me out."

Pride chuckled"I was a good little Spiritomb while you slept. It was only when that little prick had the nerve to grab me that I showed myself." A purple glow surrounded the keystone Prde hovered above, and levitated, allowing him to float next to Acedia. "Besides, I wouldn't waste an ounce of my power on him."

"Says the level 10," Acedia laughed, continuing to walk.

"You better watch yourself. This cursed state won't last forever, and when I'm human once more, I'll kill you first."

Acedia didn't seem phased, and shrugged. "You and I both know you need me to make that happen. Only a reformed spirit can lose their curse, in the mean time, we both have to deal with each other."

Pride didn't respond, and Acedia fell into silence. The two continued walking.

Z was still following, wondering where they where going.

Acedia didn't quite know where he was going, and simply wandered in the woods. Pride, feeling a hint of his old power, grasped it before it could slip away, and felt a surge of dark energy pulse through his body. It was minuscule but still there. Not mentioning it to Acedia, he remained silently drifting by his side.

Acedia felt as if he were being watched, and glanced around. Seeing nothing, he shrugged, and came to the conclusion Pride was probably making it happen.

Z and Cross got closer, they went on the roof tops. They kept following the boy and the Spiritomb.............

Acedia continued to feel as if he were followed, and looked around once more. Suddenly, he heard a faint noise above him, and looked up. Noticing Z, his face became curious. "Hey, you're that kid from before, aren't you?"

Pride glanced up with discontent, keeping silent.

Z pounced of the roof, he took a sprint and tried to grab the Spiritomb.

Pride burst out laughing as Z's hand went through his body. "Keep trying that, maybe it'll work next time."

"What is your problem!?" Acedia asked, stepping back from Z.

"Maybe" And he tried to grab the keystone. Before knowing if he had grabed it or not he pounced onto a ladder and ran away from roof to roof.

"Oooo, a roadtrip. How fun," Pride said, his Keystone tethering him to the running boy. "What exactly do you plan on doing after this step, seeing that I can't be caught?" He seemed to treat the robbery as a huge inconvienence, and gave a snide tone as he talked to Z.

Acedia watched the boy run, now only a dot in the distance. "That poor kid," he said, "Pride is going to hurt him." Sighing, he bagan to climb the ladder and follow Z. Arceus, please let me get there in time.

Z noticed, jumped in a salto, landed in a tree and ra for the woods, a put some kind of leather baned arounf the keystone, it was suppose to stop Spiritomb from moving.

Acedia leasirely followed, knowing Pride would eventually slow the boy down.

Pride laughed when the band wrapped around the keystone. "That could work, if I had any sort of limbs." His laugh died down to a chuckle, and a purple glow surrounded the keystone, levitating it and allowing Pride free movement, and yet he remained by Z. "How about you let me go on my merry and happy way, and you don't die. Sound good?"

Z banged Pride against a tree and kept running.

Pride burst out laughing again, having gone through the tree. "Such idiocy, haven't you learned that spirits go through solid material. If you don't mind, I'm taking my leave." Pride continued lvitating himself, and turned around, heading toward Acedia.

Acedia almot reached where Z had jumped off to land, and leaned against the rail of a roof, trying to spot the two.

Z kicked the Keystoe before summoning Duskull to battle and asking him to use Dark Pulse.

The Dark Pulse was more of an irritation than anything else, and Pride glared at Z. "THAT IS IT!" A dark aura surrounded Pride, and instead of attacking Duskull, he turned his attention to Z. Using the small bit of energy he had kept in store, he caused a torturous pain to travel through his entire body. It would be enough to make the most pain tolerable man fall to his feet.

Z slightly bend his knees. "YOU CALL THAT PAIN? DONT MAKE ME LAUGH!!!!!! NEXT TO STUFF IVE HAD, THIS IS A PLEASURE! THIS ISN'T PAIN, PAIN IS GROWING UP WITHOUT ANNYONE THERE FOR YOU!!! PAIN IS LIVING ON THE STREETS BEING CONSIDERD AS A RAT!!! PAIN IS HAVING TO FIGHT, BULLY, AND STEAL YOUR WAY THROUGH LIFE!!!!!!!!!!" Z kicked the keystone with so much power it flew in a tree. Drago used Thuder Wave, Cross used Night Slash and Skull used Dark Pulse.

A beam of red light prevented any of the attacks from hitting, and Pride disappeared. The source of the light was Acedia, gripping the Pokeball he had just returned Pride to. He looks out of breath but relieved as he gripped the Pokeball tightly with both hands, preventing Z from being able to take it, and also keeping Pride from forcing his way out.

Though Pride was inside his Pokeball, his voice still echoed and laughed from within Z's mind. Such miniscule pains, it said, I've lived for a thousand years, watching all that I love and know die over and over again, being sealed away and barred from taking action. I'm cursed to live in the wrecked form, and am reduced to a shell of my former glory. I ruled the streets that you eventually called home, and lost it all to this curse. Once I'm free, I'll rule everything once more, and you'd better run for your life when that happens. You think you know pain? You will when I return and find you.

(Pride's coolness factor just went up 40% XD)