I’ve never been one for getting close to people. I just feel that I cannot keep them safe if I get too close to them. Ever since birth, I’d always vowed to keep people distant from me. Unfortunately, there was one exception.

Catey.

She was such a sweet girl. She didn’t cast me away like a lot of people do with ghost pokemon. She understood me, she cared about me. I loved her more than anyone I had ever met.

But it didn’t last. Just like all relationships I’d ever made, it ended quickly and painfully.

I first met Catey when I was doing what I always did. Searching for a body. An abandoned doll, or toy is a suitable, how should I put this… “residence” for a Shuppet. And, I had managed to find one. But, so had she.

The toy I had chosen was on top of a heap of garbage. She was quite a young girl at the time that she found me, she just happened to pick it up.

‘What a cute little thing!’ she hugged it close to her ‘Hello’

I didn’t move. I felt safe in her arms though. I’d never experienced this before. It felt comforting.

‘I’m gonna take you home’ she said, taking me away from where I’d found my new body. I didn’t object.

She cleaned me up (I still hadn’t moved or said a word by this point) and sat me on her bed. She didn’t have any other toys, just me. I stayed as still as a statue as she put me under her bed covers.

‘Okay, you stay under here. You need rest’

I obliged. I stayed still until she walked out of the room, her mother calling her downstairs for dinner. As soon as I heard the door close, I started moving again.

Since I had the ability to float, I searched around the girl’s room. Her room was quite dark for a girl of her age. Instead of being pale pink or sickly pastel colours that most girls rooms usually were, her room was dark shades of purple. You could even suggest the colours were gothic.

She had a shelf on the far wall of her room. I floated over to it. There was a music box sitting on the shelf. It was the only thing in there that was bright, since it was a pale shade of pink. I stared at it for a moment or two, but then I heard footsteps coming up. I rushed back to the bed and went still again. I had no idea why I hadn’t shown my true identity yet, but I just felt that she would be scared and would cast me away. I didn’t want that to happen again.

‘Hello’ she said, walking over to her bed and sitting on it ‘Sorry I took so long’

I starred at her. Her eyes were very bright.

‘You know, you look a little bare, Mr Doll’ she said ‘I better make you some clothes’

She stood up and picked me up again. Leading me into another room, I saw in the corner a spinning wheel.

‘Okay, just sit on here’ she put me on a desk ‘And I’ll make you some clothes. You’ll look so cute with a hat and a jacket!’

She sat at a stool and started spinning thread. I watched her in amazement. She was very talented.

I could also tell that she was unhappy. You see, Shuppets are attracted to the emotions of envy and vengeance. The reason why I was sitting on that pile of garbage was because she was feeling like that, and I had chosen to let her “accidentally” find me. She was so angry. I couldn’t tell why though. The way she hid it so well was startling. But, being what I am, I could detect her true emotions.

‘There’

She put a hat on me and a cloak. I stayed still.

‘You’re such a sweet little doll’ she said ‘…but…you can come out now’

I was startled.

‘Yes, I know you’re there little Shuppet. You can come out now’

I waited a moment, and then rose up out of the doll.

‘I knew it’ Catey said ‘I could sense that something was different about you’

I was astonished.

‘But, I also watched you through my key hole. I finished my dinner long before I came in’

She didn’t seem to be scared of me. On the contrary! She was happy I was here!

‘Oh, one thing’

She walked over to her music box and picked it up.

‘I think you like this? Am I right?’

I looked down at it. It was playing a sweet melody. It relaxed me. It was soothing.

‘This was given to me by my father…before he…’

I could sense a sadness.

‘Anyway’ she said, changing the subject ‘it’s one of my favourite things. I love it so much’

I looked into her eyes. She looked into mine, and smiled.

She was the first and best friend I’d ever made. She took care of me years after that. She became a trainer when she was old enough (me as her partner) and travelled around the world catching other pokemon. By that time, using the doll that she had found me in, I had evolved and had a name. My name, was Thorne.

It was blissful going on adventures with Catey. I never wanted it to end…but it did…when we met him.

Akuji.

That Zane Akuji. That delinquent boy that was feared by some, and disgusted by all. Most people said he was bad. They were wrong.

He was evil. Pure evil.

He had no emotions in him except for greed, anger and selfishness.

I wish I had never met him. That Catey had never met him.

I know that I should have been protecting her, but I blame Akuji. It makes me feel better about myself to know that I have someone I can blame. Even though I know that it’s not my fault, remorse for the girl that I loved so much takes over any sensible thoughts. I wish that Akuji had died instead of her. She didn’t deserve the pain that he gave her. She was such a sweet girl. Why would anyone want to harm her? WHY?

It sickens me to recount this tale…but…it has to be done.

Well, we of course all know the Ninetails Legend. Akuji was that human who became a Gengar because he was foolish enough to grab one of the tails.

However, there is more to that story that most people know.

I should know, because I was the one who was there when it happened. I was the one who watched Catey die before my eyes. I was the one who watched Akuji run away from the scene.

Catey had seen the way Akuji had treated his Pokemon. She had been angry and ran after him. I had followed her, but unfortunately, we had found the very place where Ninetails was rumoured to live.

‘Hey!’

Akuji turned around to face Catey ‘What?’

‘I don’t think that is any way to treat Pokemon!’ she had yelled ‘It’s horrible! You should treat pokemon with kindness’

‘Yeah, well what are you going to do about it?’

‘Stop being so mean!’ she said running towards him. He glared at her and pushed her to the ground.

‘Don’t push me, kid. I’m not the kind type, and you don’t want me to use my Pokemon on you, do you?’

Catey glared back up at him.

But, that is when Ninetails appeared. The Pokemon had a beautiful aura around it. It seemed to glow with a natural light.

‘Woah! A Ninetails!’ Akuji had said, looking awestruck ‘Okay Gardevoir, this is your chance to show me what you can do’

Gardevoir nodded. Turning to face Ninetails, she started using a move to heighten her power and defence.

‘Stop messing around, you stupid pokemon!’ he said, hitting Gardevoir.

Gardevoir cringed. Catey gasped and stood up.

‘That’s it!’

She ran at Akuji, jumping on him, trying to attack him.

He threw her off, which caused her to hit a near by wall. She slammed hard against it, and fell to the floor. She was paralysed.

‘I am sick of you!’ he said. Now that she couldn’t move, he had her cornered. He started throwing rocks at her, shouting insults. It was horrible to watch.

I had enough. Using all the power I could muster I used an attack on him which caused him to fall to the floor and shudder with pain.

‘No!’ Akuji yelled. He stood up so quickly it caught me off guard and caused me to fall to the ground, the power of my attack backfiring and hitting me.

‘Now’ Akuji said, making his way over to the Ninetails ‘Let me see’

He made a grab for the Ninetails, who leapt out of his way, but wasn’t quick enough. Akuji grabbed one of the many tails.

I managed to rise up and walk over to Catey, who was still lying on the ground. I was so intent upon keeping Catey safe that I didn’t see what was happening with Akuji and the Ninetails.

Catey was bleeding badly. She had cracked her head when Akuji had thrown her, and life was slowly leaving her. She didn’t speak, or move. She didn’t even open her eyes.

It was just me and her. I kneeled beside her, and was silent, watching the girl who I loved more than anyone else slip away from me.

And that’s when I knew…

That Akuji, that killer, that murdering piece of filth needed to be punished…

But he had gone, as had the Gardevoir. But I knew already that I wasn’t yet strong enough to defeat him in battle. But he was going to suffer one day. One day, he would feel my pain.

Love had been in my heart, but now it was replaced with feelings of vengance.

It was my revenge of the heart.