Haunting Admissions

By: PikachuTrainer

Part Two

Characters: Ash, Misty, and Brock. Oh, and the Pokémon of course!

Disclaimer: No, I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story. If this is similar to anyone else's work than it is unintentional. This story is mostly told from Ash's P.O.V. Now, on to the narrative...

...

"Huh, what's going on?" Ash wondered as he waved his hands frantically in front of his face. Then he remembered, "Pikachu!?!" He whipped his head around and noticed his Pokémon sitting, dazed, upon the ground behind him. "I'm glad your okay, buddy." He said, reaching out to pick his best friend up, but he was startled by the lightness of his Pikachu. His Pokémon seemed to weigh nothing and Ash suddenly realized that he could look straight through him as well. The navy sleeping bag behind him seemed more real than he. Pikachu hastily perked up in Ash's hands and gave him an inquiring glance.

"Pika cha?"

"I don't know, I think this has something to do with what that Haunter was talking about. That Misty and Brock would feel the burden of life without me. Wait a minute," his breath stopped, "were not dead are we?"

"Piikaaachaaaa." Pikachu whined and hid his face in his paws in despair.

"No, it's okay, buddy. I'm sure that's not it." Ash whispered, though his countenance paled slightly, "We will get through this, I promise." Pikachu just buried his head in Ash's jacket.

"Look, we'll just go speak with Misty or Brock and they'll help us sort this out, okay?" With that, he forcibly put up a cheerful front and walked out of the tent towards a small fire that seemed as if it was just starting up in the clearing. He straightened his back, unconsciously reached for his Pokémon League cap, fumbled blindly searching for it but gave it up when he couldn't locate it, and entered the campfire's light, smiling hopefully.

"Misty, Brock, I know you guys are just going to get angry at me for getting in to such a mess but I need your help and," his voice trailed off, lingering on in the air for a second with indecision, "guys?" Ash gazed between the two trainers, willing them to move, or to acknowledge him in some small way, even if they decided to shout. They didn't. Misty was eating a rice cake ravenously, stuffing several into her mouth as she listened halfheartedly to Brock's narration on the finer points of rock Pokémon. Neither so much as flinched when Ash waved his hands in front of them or screamed at them in the loudest voice he could muster. Ash ran his hands distractedly through his hair and sat down heavily upon one of the logs Misty and Brock had lay surrounding the fire. He tuned into his friends conversation in the hope that one of them would notice that something was wrong.

"Misty, there is a large difference between Ground and Rock type Pokémon." Brock stated in a frustrated tone. "For one thing, Rock is weak against Ground but not weak against Ice or Water like Ground is. Also, Rock is not immune to the Electric type but it is resistant to the Fire, Flying, Normal and Poison types. Honestly, I don't understand how you can get them so mixed up."

Misty fumbled blindly for an excuse to abscond from the discussion, and quickly hit upon the fact that Ash was not present to share her misery with her. She cleared her throat, "You know Brock, wouldn't it be better if Ash was here for this discussion? He is the one, between the pair of us, that is more likely to train Ground or Rock Pokémon in the near future."

Brock seemed as if he was rather unconvinced that Misty's only motive was to include Ash for his own benefit, but he, nevertheless, stopped his tirade, fortunately in its infancy, and looked around to see where the young trainer might have got to. At this, Ash sprang up from the log and accompanied the pair to the tent where they had last seen him. He wondered what they would say when they found that he wasn't there, and if they would feel at all sorry for the way they had treated him. He smiled softly, even though he wasn't sure that what had happened to him was exactly what he had wanted, he was still rather excited about the prospect of obtaining retribution for the slights he had endured earlier. With folded arms and bowed head he watched as first Misty, then Brock entered the gloomy tent. He watched as Misty raised her eyebrows in perplexity and exclaimed, "Hey, where's Ash?"

Brock gazed around with a similar expression, one that quickly turned to annoyance. "Has he gone off by himself again?"

Misty snorted and laughed, "Bet you he heard about some 'tough' gym-leader and went off to prove himself. Ash flushed and drew himself up indignantly, trying, and failing to catch his friend's attention.

There was a pause. "Would he leave without his hat?"

Misty turned around to see that Brock was pointing gravely at a rather threadbare, red and white Pokémon League cap, sitting forlornly in a corner of the tent. Her eyebrows lowered in perplexity. "Ash would never leave without his hat. It's lucky..." Her voice trailed off uncertainly, "Maybe we should search for him. He can't have gone very far and besides, he left the rest of his Pokémon here. I'm sure he just went for a walk."

Ash started and realized the thing that Misty had pointed out; he had left the rest of his Pokémon, Pigeotto, Charizard, Wartortle and Bulbasaur, in their Pokéballs in his backpack. With a slight sigh he walked over to the pack and put his hand on it, expecting it to go straight through as it had through the floor.

It didn't.

As his hand came to rest on the zipper he felt it grow solid under his fingertips. With a cry of elation he pulled on it and saw it move. Ash smilingly opened his backpack fully and picked up one of his Pokéballs in his hand. Then he laughed, threw it into the air and caught it again. He was about to take another one out when he heard a shriek, and accidentally dropped the Pokéball to the ground. He whirled around to see Misty standing in the entrance to the tent, hand over her mouth and face completely pale, she was also pointing in his direction. Ash felt guilty for a second, a very quick second, but then a devilish grin snaked across his face. With a crow of mirth he slowly picked up the abandoned Pokéball and waved it about in the air, making ghostly noises.

Brock, who had left the tent earlier but was now standing behind Misty, let his jaw fall open in shock. Unfortunately, Ash thought, he quickly regained his senses and took out one of his own Pokémon, a Vulpix. With a war cry the small Pokémon, it greatly resembled a fox with six tails in the shade of burgundy, leapt forward from where it had been released from its Pokéball and gazed at Ash, or at least looked right at him, in bewilderment.

"Vul.." It asked Brock uncertainly.

Brock seemed greatly confused. "Of course I'm not asking you to attack Ash. I'm asking you to battle the ghost Pokémon over there."

Vulpix paused, one ear flicking to the side of its head while the other strained forward intently, "Vulpix, Vul...Pix" It stated in conviction.

Brock slowly brought his head back around in Ash's direction, horror dawning in his eyes, "Ash?"

...

Author's note: Wait!?! How is it that Vulpix can see Ash? What is going to happen next? Well, you'd have to read the next part to find out. I'll try to get the next parts up soon. Anyhow, thanks for reading!