Misdreavus, the Friendly Ghost
Rating: PG
Genre: General/Humor
Disclaimer: Nintendo owns the rights of these characters. I own the idea.
Summary: Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu are looking for a Ghost Pokémon to defeat Sabrina, which means a trip to the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town! Based on Episode #23 in the Pokémon anime with a similar plot to the movie Casper as well as a twist to the original Pokémon story.
Author's Notes: After watching Casper the other night, I had to give into the urge to write a spin-off using Pokémon, including the "other ghostly trio." Come on! You should have seen that one coming!
Chapter One
"I can't believe it!" moaned an eleven-year-old boy named Ash Ketchum as he sat on a bench in one of Saffron City's parks. "I lost my gym battle because my Pokémon were no match to Sabrina's!"
One of his companions, a little yellow mouse full of electricity, hoped onto his lap and hugged him, hoping to make his master feel better. "Pikachu!" he chirped.
The black-haired boy smiled and hugged his friend close to his body. "Thanks, Pikachu," he said. "You tried your best on the field today. Better luck next time, right?"
"Pika!"
"Providing that there still is a next time, Ash," reminded Misty, the redheaded Gym Leader of Cerulean City Gym. "You saw what Kadabra did to your Pokémon!"
Ash sighed, feeling a warm sensation of embarrassment creeping onto his cheeks. "Yeah, I know."
"And remember what Sabrina's father told us if you want to win your next badge," added Brock, the Petwer City Gym Leader. "We must go to Lavender Town and catch a Ghost Pokémon."
"G-G-Ghost Pokémon?" Ash felt his legs begin to tremble in fear at the thought of catching a Ghost Pokémon. His first encounter with one of the three supernatural creatures was a few days before his match with Sabrina on the coast of Maiden's Peak. A Gastly disguised himself as the ghost of the legendary maiden who waited on a cliff for her lover to return and attempted to make men to fall in love it with, including Brock and James from Team Rocket. According to the legend, the man never came back to the arms of his maiden, and she never left her spot until her body became a stone statue rooted into the ground. The Gastly's job was nothing more than to keep the legend alive by haunting the bay area as the ghost of the mysterious maiden.
"Oh, come on, Ash! A real Pokémon master is never afraid of a Ghost Pokémon after he encounters his first one," said Misty. "You should have been over that fear by now!"
"How can I get over it after what Gastly did to Charmander, Bulbasaur and Squirtle?" cried Ash. "He found their weaknesses and they chickened out! I'm sure that if I find another Gastly, he'll do the same to them again!"
"Do you want to become a Pokémon master?"
"Well, yeah!"
"Do you want to win the Marsh Badge?"
"You bet I do!"
"And do you want to win enough money so you can buy me a new bicycle and I can leave you alone for good?"
Ash pondered about the redhead's point for a moment and then replied, "I guess."
"Then you better get going to Lavender Town and catch a Ghost Pokémon!" shrieked Misty.
"All right! All right! Calm down, Misty! We'll leave tonight."
"Ash, I think we should leave now," suggested Brock. "Lavender Town is only two hours away, and the sun is about to set for the night."
Ash and Pikachu looked at the western sky and noticed that the sun was turning orange as it slowly began to set. "And by the time we get to Lavender Town, we are more likely to catch a Ghost Pokémon?"
"That's my assumption."
"Well, let's get going then." Ash slipped his green backpack onto his back, and led his group of friends onto Route 9, the road that would lead to their destination: the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town.
Little did they know, they were not the only ones going to the strange building. They were unaware of a group of rare Pokémon robbers that were following them behind bushes. The leader of the trio, a young girl with long platinum red hair slicked back on head, peaked through an opening and giggled to herself. "Those twerps think they can catch a Ghost Pokémon and win the Marsh Badge."
"Jessie, I don't think going to Lavender Town is such a good idea," said her male companion with long platinum blue hair. "Besides, the Gastly we met not too long ago was powerful than any Gastly we have seen. I mean he turned himself into a mongoose and scared your Ekans!"
"And he tricked me by becoming a ball of yarn since us cat Pokémon love to play with yarn!" added Meowth, their talking and crafty Pokémon.
"Quiet, you two!" hissed Jessie. "James! Meowth! I need you two to listen to my plan. We are going to get to the Pokémon Tower before those twerps do and catch every Ghost Pokémon we can find. Then we'll use them again Ash and his friends, and since Ghost Pokémon are nearly invincible, we can use them to get that Pikachu!"
"You can go, Jessie. Meowth and I will stay right here in Saffron City!" said James.
"Mm-hmm!" said Meowth.
A smirk crept onto the girl's face as she said in a cunning voice, "Fine then. James, I will make sure the Boss fires you and sends you off back home to your 'cruel family,' and Meowth, I will make sure you do not get that promotion you've been dying to have so you can kick the Boss' Persian out of the picture and become his new 'Top Cat.'"
Within one second, her two partners in crime came rushing at her feet, groveling and begging for her forgiveness. She smiled evilly, knowing that she had the boy and the cat at her every command. Wait until I catch a Ghost Pokémon of my own as well as that Pikachu, she thought. Then we'll see who shall get that promotion!
Somewhere in the sleepy town where the creepy Ghost Pokémon toward stood, two mischievous children, a boy and a girl, chased each other on an empty street. They were playing Tag, and the little boy was It. "I'm gonna catch you, Maggie!" he said.
"No, you can't!" taunted the little blonde-haired girl, sticking her tongue out.
As she turned right at an intersection, the boy stopped in his tracks as he watched his friend vanish in a gray haze that covered Lavender Town. "Maggie!" he called. "Maggie, come back here! Don't go that way!"
But there was no reply. Panic began to race his mind, fearing that the little girl was stolen by the Ghost Pokémon that lived further down. He had heard the stories of the creatures that watched over the Pokémon Tower and protected the souls of dead Pokémon that were buried in the building. Some residents of Lavender Town claimed that the local Ghost Pokémon preyed on the souls of children who were foolish to enter the Pokémon Tower and play silly games beyond the doors.
Hoping that the haunted tales were not true, the boy followed little Maggie's trail into the haze. The cloud was thick and cold, but once he had made it to the other side, he found the girl looking at the haunted tower in awe and in fear. He grabbed her hand, but she pulled it away. "Maggie, let's go home," he pleaded.
"But Billy, this is the Pokémon Tower!" said Maggie. "This would be the perfect place to finish our game!"
"No, it isn't, Maggie! This place is very scary, and there are ghosts in there!"
The blonde girl looked at her redheaded friend and giggled. "Are you a scaredy cat? You're a boy, Billy! You shouldn't be scared! Besides, I would love to see a ghost for once in my life."
"This isn't funny, Maggie," scolded her friend. "We need to go home now!"
He reached for her hand once more, but she ran toward the wooden door, which resembled a mouth of a ghost, most likely a Gengar. In fact, the building was designed to look like a monster with horns on the side of the red roof, two windows for a pair of eyes and a large brown door for a large mouth.
Maggie opened the door and slipped into the lobby of the Pokémon Tower. The room was empty, save for the furniture that was covered by large white sheets. Cobwebs and spider webs hung from the corners and along frames of mirrors and portraits. The receptionist's desk had been unused for such a long time that it had layers upon layers of dust and more webs covering the antique cash register.
"H-H-Hello?" asked Maggie, shuddering at the sound of her echo in the empty building. "Is anyone here?"
"Maggie," whispered Billy, "let's go!"
"Not until I see a ghost!" The little girl wandered around the lobby, continuing her search. "Hello? I said HELLO!"
"Hiya!" squeaked a little yet playful voice.
Billy and Maggie froze in fear. They looked at each other and then looked at their surroundings. "W-w-who's there?" asked Billy.
A giggle filled the room and the voice answered, "My name is Misdreavus."
"Where are you?" asked Maggie.
"Right here!"
"Where's here?"
A match was lit and the flame revealed the voice's identity. It was a small grey Ghost Pokémon with ruby irises and flowing grey hair, its ends tipped in red. One would assume the creature was a female ghost because of the red necklace it wore and what appeared to be a grey flowing dress beneath its head.
"Hey, there! Nice to meet you!" greeted Misdreavus.
Instead of a friendly greeting from the young intruders, he received the response he normally received. Both children screamed in fright and ran out of the Pokémon Tower toward the direction of their homes, disappearing into the haze that was still surrounding the streets Lavender Town.
But little Misdreavus frown and hung his head, shuddering from the cold wind that had entered through the open door and blew out his flame. "All I wanted was a friend," he murmured.
Above him, he could hear his uncles laughing from the top floor of the tower, most likely praising him for his most recent scare. He sighed as he disappeared into the darkness once again, knowing that he would never be happy like the other Pokémon thanks to his uncles terrifying everyone in the small town and to his breed.
He began to feel certain that he would end up being a lonely Ghost Pokémon for as long as he will stay on Earth.
Okay, I am fully aware of the fact that Misdreavus can actually speak. But I have my reasons! And besides, doesn't this already remind you of Casper? I can't wait to write the next chapter!
TheGoodWitchoftheNorth