7/76

Rory went straight to bed when they got to his apartment. He sat in the dark, the Phantom’s words running round and round his head. "Read about you in the paper. Read about you in the paper." His guilt was almost overpowering and radiated off of him in hues of cloudy blue and midnight black. The aura was so strong Ferro could see it through the kitchen walls. In all their years together, the Lucario had never seen Rory like this. He wanted to go and sit with his trainer, but someone was waiting for him outside.
Ferro opened the fridge and put a small bottle of milk into an old camera bag. It was the one he had used for years before Rory had gotten him a new one last Christmas. He still preferred it to the new one, but it was tattered and worn, unfit to safely house an expensive camera. He then grabbed a bowl, and some microwaved steak, wrapping that in tinfoil before putting them both in the bag. He was ready to go.
Ferro stepped out onto the apartment’s balcony. It was a cold night. The autumnal winds softly whispered around the Lucario, his blue fur keeping him warm. In front of him, the dark shadow of Lumiose Tower stretched tall into the sky. It was once a bright beacon; it’s lights having illuminated the entire city, but now it was under renovations, and the once marvelous lights had gone out, letting the city be reclaimed by the night.
On the right side of the balcony, connected to the building, was a gutter that went down to the street. It wasn’t too sturdy, but it was safe enough to let Ferro slide down it. The streets below were illuminated by the warm glow of streetlights that lined the sidewalks, little imitations of the great Tower, but their light didn’t cover everything. There were still plenty of shadows all around, each one of them holding potential danger. Around every corner was the chance that Ferro would disappear and never be found. He would have to make this visit quick. He ducked into an alleyway. He knew it was dangerous, but this was the meeting spot he had been using ever since he had met his friend.
“Took you long enough,” said a Glameow that was laying on a dumpster. She pretended to watch with little interest as Ferro set out the bowl. “I could’ve already had the leftovers at Amie’s and gone back to my little cave.”
“But Amie’s wouldn’t be as good as this,” Ferro said, putting out the milk and steak he had brought with him.
“True. I guess that’s why I waited.” She jumped down from the dumpster and began to eat, trying not to show how much she enjoyed the food, but Ferro could tell. He didn’t even need to read her aura. It wasn’t often Glameow got such good food, being an alley cat and all. Ferro and Rory had offered to let her live with them, but she declined every time. She had been owned once but had found that life boring and left it to live on the streets.
Ferro waited patiently as she ate, and when she was done not a crumb was left of the steak, and not a drop was left of the milk. “So,” Ferro began. “What’s the news from the streets?”
“Always business with you,” Glameow purred. “Never want to just stop and chat, ask how I’m doing.”
“Well… how are you doing?”
“Mostly fine, but this annoying Lucario keeps bothering me with pointless questions,” she chuckled.
“Ha ha,” said Ferro flatly. “They’re not pointless. It’s important to keep up to date with what’s happening in the city.”
“Then let’s cut to the chase. You want to know about The Phantom.”
Ferro’s ears perked up. Glameow had read him like a book, something she happened to do quite often. “What did you hear?” he asked quickly.
“Nothing much, but the Beedrills at the park were buzzing about how one of them had gone missing. Not caught by a trainer or anything, just vanished.”
“As if into thin air…” This was strange. The Beedrill in the park were a tight-knit hive. They always knew each other’s location. For one of them to just disappear… the only reasonable answer was that The Phantom had struck again. “Guess that makes seven now.”
“Guess so,” said Glameow. “You’re not worried about yourself, are you? The Phantoms going to come for a Lucario sooner or later.”
Ferro had tried not to think about it, but she was right. The Phantom would come for a Lucario sooner or later, and here he was, practically serving himself on a silver platter. But the truth had to be found, and The Phantom had to be stopped.
“Whatever happens happens, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little scared.”
“What do you think he does with the missing Pokémon?”
“Who knows.” It was one of the biggest questions of the whole affair. Why was The Phantom taking Pokémon? What did he do with them? And then there was the other question of how he made Pokémon disappear. Too many things Ferro simply didn’t know. There would be plenty of sleepless nights spent pondering over them to come.
“Anything else you’ve heard?”
“Well, lower-level Pokémon have been disappearing at night.”
“Oh?”
“Not like Phantom disappearing, they come back in the morning, but I’ve been seeing less low-level Pokémon at night. I don’t know if it’s because they’re bothered by the Z-A Royale and are hiding, or if there’s something else going on.”
Ferro’s mind quickly ran through a few alternative possibilities, maybe they were getting together to train or just to chat, but it felt like there was something more to it. “Keep an eye on that. Maybe ask some of them what’s going on if you see them. I can already smell a story.”
“Whatever you say boss. But only if you keep bringing me food,” Glameow said playfully.
Ferro chuckled. “Alright you glutton. At this rate you’ll be a Purugly in no time.”
Glameow’s smile dropped. “Please don’t joke about that.”
Ferro realized what he had said. “Oh! Right. Sorry.” Evolution was a sore subject for the Catty Pokémon. She loved being able to roam around the city, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, slinking through narrow alleyways, and dodging trainers who tried to catch her. But when she evolved, she wouldn’t be able to do those things anymore. She’d be a tank, built more for battle than acrobatics. She wasn’t ready to give up the life she loved.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment before Glameow spoke. “Well, goodnight Ferro. Please stay safe. If you go missing, then who will bring me food?”
Ferro smiled again. “If The Phantom comes for me, he’ll find I’m a lot harder to take down then a Beedrill.” He punched the air a bit to make his point. Glameow laughed. “He’ll be terrified.”
After another goodbye, the two parted ways, returning to the safety of their homes. As Ferro climbed back up the gutter, he couldn’t help but think about the future. How long would The Phantom’s crime spree last? How many Pokémon would disappear? And if The Phantom did come for him, what would happen? Would Ferro be able to fight him off, or would he end up another victim? He just didn’t know, and that terrified him. He looked up, towards the dark tower watching over the city, and wondered if he would ever see its lights again.