[Haunting Admissions]
[By: PikachuTrainer]
[Part Three]

Characters: Ash, Misty, Brock and the Pokémon.

New Character: Aradia. A psychic trainer who helps the trio. She is my creation so please do not steal her.

Disclaimer: If I owned Pokémon pocket monsters like Jynx and Mr. Mime, *shivers in fear*, would not exist and there would be many Pokémon with cute little pink bows on their heads. Oh, I don't own the Ring around the Rosie song either. I'm really sorry if this story is similar to anyone else's work but it is unintentional if it is. Hopefully the story will become more original later on. It's mostly, actually probably all, told from Ash's P.O.V. Now, on to the narrative...

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

"Yup, it's me" Ash muttered, knowing that no one would be able to hear him and thinking that his revenge wasn't as enjoyable as he had hoped it would be. He sat down onto his sleeping bag, exhaled in resignation, and waited, expecting silence. He was astonished when, instead, he was rewarded with a chorus of shouts from the front of the tent. He jerked his head up in time to witness an ashen faced Misty sink to the floor, sobbing. Brock seemed to have fallen onto the ground in pure shock.

Ash immediately grew concerned and asked loudly, "What happened? What's wrong?"

Misty's response was hysterical; her breath came in noisy gasps and her whole body shuddered as tears rolled unceasingly out of her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she wailed, "I was horrible to you earlier, calling you names and laughing at you, and now your dead, and I can't take it back! It must be all my fault. If I would have just appreciated you, you..." She swallowed and her brow furrowed. Then her face took on a curious cast, "Where's Pikachu? How did you die? I don't see your body anywhere." She wiped her nose on her arm and looked around the tent suspiciously, almost as if she suspected Ash's voice was a gruesome joke or charade.

Ash hesitated, wondering what to say. He assured her that his buddy was all right but, technically, it was his friends' fault that he had accepted the Haunter's offer and he instinctively knew that saying so would cause even more anguish to mar Misty's face.

The silence in the enclosed space grew interminably long as he struggled to come up with a new tale, but no inspiration came. Finally, just when Misty's countenance was reddening in a valiant attempt to keep her anger in check, Ash told the truth, though by now he was completely ashamed of his actions. It didn't take long for him to regret ever speaking aloud in the redhead's presence.

Misty, almost calmly, stood up. Her face was completely blank, not even a single twitch of the eyebrow gave any indication that she felt any emotion at all, and her arms were crossed lightly in the manner a judge gives to the guilty person on the stand. Her eyes were detached, but unnervingly critical. Ash cursed and scuttled toward the back of the tent, cringing. He knew, even though it would be impossible for anyone unfamiliar with his friend's behavior, that the girl's anger had reached maximum velocity. It was seething in a boiling, writhing mass below Misty's imperturbable surface. If it blew, it would be as all encompassing as a tsunami to a small island. Nothing would be left in its wake.

Brock's visage, by contrast, was angry but not to the point of murder, for Misty looked quite capable of it. His eyes were scrunched in irritation and his arms were folded but he also seemed distressed, as if he actually cared about what Ash was going through. Ash hadn't expected that, though he was glad of it. He was even more surprised when Misty proposed going to a physic for help with the situation and then killing the haunter that had done this to Ash.

A few hours' later Misty, Brock and Ash walked into the Pokémon Center in Saffron City. Misty walked up to the resident Nurse Joy, since Brock was rather indisposed at her appearance, and gently asked if she had time to talk. Ash noticed that the woman bristled at the interruption as though it were an insult. "We are quite busy right now with sick and injured Pokémon so please make your questions brief."

Misty seemed taken aback by the abrupt change in attitude from the usual nurses but plowed recklessly on anyway. "Nurse Joy, we are in desperate need of help. We need to find a psychic trainer who would be willing to help us. Do you know of any?"

The nurse's face softened at the anxiety she witnessed in the redhead's manner and quickly thought about it. "Well, Sabrina is the most powerful trainer but I'm afraid she is traveling in Johto at the moment. Marcus is incredibly busy organizing the Psychic Trainers' Convention and Marie is sick with the flu." Her gaze took on a thoughtful air for a minute before she spoke, "The only trainer who might be willing to help you at the moment is Aradia. She, however, is somewhat competitive and might be unwilling to aid you if you cannot best her in a Pokémon match. I'm very sorry that that's the best I can do for you at the moment but all of Sabrina's trainers went with her on the crossing."

Misty's expression looked troubled but she tried to hide it as she gave a worried "Thank you."

The trek to the Psychic Trainer's house was brief and soon Ash was standing on a well-trimmed lawn occupied by a neat, gleaming white domicile. Brock walked up to the door, painted a striking russet, and lifted his hand to knock. Before he could even touch the door it opened and a slight girl stepped into view of the travelers. The girl seemed as if she was around the age of seventeen, with shoulder length silver hair whose bangs stuck errantly in front of her eyes. One of which had a glorious silvery sheen to it while the other was a dull color the shade of mud. Her clothes were vivid, a brilliant, scarlet formfitting long-sleeved shirt with ginger slashes across the sides and crimson jeans and shoes made up the outfit. She let out a sunny smile when she saw the two trainers and motioned them in with a cheery wave. Brock and Misty glance at each other, Ash knew that this girl was not what they had expected after the conversation with Nurse Joy. It hadn't been what he had expected either. After Misty sauntered in the girl made as if to close the door and then froze, head cocked to the side. Her eyes followed Ash as he walked inside.

"My name's Aradia," she grinned, "I'm assuming you need my help with Rosy over here."

Misty's brow furrowed in perplexity, "Rosy?"

Aradia's smile broadened, "Yeah, you know, Ring around the Rosie, Ashes ashes we all fall down? Your friend has quite a unique problem you know. Normally when the body dies there's no way to bring it back but his body ain't dead. It was just transformed."

Shaking his head at the girl's complete disregard for his condition, Ash questioned, "So, is there a way to make me alive again?"

The girl beamed, "There should be but I'll have to see if I'm right in my assumptions. Stay very still Ash." Taking a deep breath, Ash readied himself for whatever the girl had in mind, hoping it wouldn't be painful. Aradia strode forward, paused in front of Ash and placed her hands in his cold ones. Immediately, his whole body became stiff and images began to pass over his eyes. The Haunter using its sinuous words to gain Ash's trust, the feeling of drowning in resentment, observing his hand as it fell through the floor. Then another picture, one that he hadn't seen before billowed up in his mind. It was shadowy and seemed frayed around the edges but it seemed to be a man, features indistinct, smoking a cigar and carelessly watching a viewing screen. Then his vision returned and he saw Aradia breathing heavily while her hands were shaking as if she had contracted Parkinson's. Her face, eerily, never lost its cheery countenance.

She spoke, "A man of anger stalks his prey
Unwilling is he to let it escape
Many are his followers
The fog so completely could take
Thy ashes in its wind
But the decision do not hurriedly make
Angel of devils or devil of angels"

Ash shook his head and blearily mumbled "What?" But by this time Misty seemed to have had enough. Ash knew that she was a firm disbeliever in psychics at the best of times but by the end of the afternoon with Aradia her nerves were shot and she was, most likely, beginning to think the silver-haired girl was one day short of a week. She abruptly made a move to leave and felt a tightening around her wrist, pulling her back.

With an exultant grin the psychic let go of her telepathic hold on the trainer, "You can't leave yet. You should know by now, nothing in this world is free. I demand a Pokémon battle in payment. The rules are," she thought for an instant before nodding in elation, "If you win I leave you alone and let you go, but if I win," she chuckled, "well, I need something to practice my craft upon."

Author's Note: Hey, I actually made up a character for this part. Go me! Anyway, hope this is long enough and wasn't too boring. I'll try to get the next part up soon. Poor Pikachu, I'll also try to include him more in the next chapter.