If May had to be honest, ghosts creeped her out.
If you thought about it, ghosts were essentially dead pokémon. Ghosts were cold, dead, lifeless creatures. They watched the living through their pupil-less eyes. They grinned at people like the freakin' Cheshire cat. And they seemed so disturbing eager to have new souls to join them.
They were so unsettling...
The more May thought about being surrounded by ghost pokémon, the bigger the lump in her throat grew. She twisted a lock of her brunette hair around her finger nervously.
Why oh why had she agreed to go to Mt. Pyre?
"Hey, May... Are you feeling alright?" May jolted slightly as she felt someone place a warm hand on her shoulder. She knew who the owner of the masculine voice was immediately. Still, that did not set her mind at ease.
She forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat.
"I-I'm fine, Ash. Don't worry about me," she blurted out, gently swatting Ash's left hand away while his right hand cradled Pikachu. It was sort of a lie, but she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Ash. She bit her lip and prayed that he couldn't notice her anxiety. But his concern was still much appreciated...
Only little kids are afraid of ghosts! Get a grip on yourself, May!
May could feel herself start to breathe a bit easier, but it was hard to ignore the rows of gray tombstones surrounding them. Not to mention, the inside of Mt. Pyre was pretty dim with only the occasional lantern to illuminate the path in front of them. She could hardly make out Ash's tanned face, and he was standing right beside her!
"You're looking a bit pale, May. Are you scared?" Max piped up. He was on Ash's other side, and May knew from the slight edge in his tone that he was playfully taunting her.
Not surprising, because he was the one who suggested that they go to Mt. Pyre in the first place. Heck, he even bet a hundred pokédollars that she wouldn't be able to climb to the summit without chickening out.
She desperately wanted to prove him wrong.
"Of course not," May retorted. "Are you scared, Max?" When they first arrived at the base of the mountain, she noticed the way Max walked unusually close to Ash. It would have actually been cute, but he was sweating bullets as he did so...
"NO WAY!" Max yelled a bit too loudly. An old couple nearby started grumbling, and a stern voice shushed Max sternly.
Max's cheeks were puffed out stubbornly, almost making him appear like a chipmunk. He folded his arms across his chest as Ash chuckled light-heartedly and Pikachu smirked while perching himself atop Ash's head. May let out a small giggle.
"Max, we came to honor the departed souls but if you're too scared then we can just-"
"I-I'm not scared..." Max mumbled.
"If you say so... But-"
"Ack! What is THAT?!" Max interrupted Ash again. His eyes almost bulged out of his eye sockets as he gaped at something ahead of them.
May could feel the lump reforming inside her throat. She almost didn't want to look for fear of what she might witness, but she did anyway.
A pair of glowing, blood red eyes.
A wide, crooked smile.
And a deformed body, barely visible among wisps of purple fog.
May froze. Ash blinked. Max yelped.
"GAH!" Max exclaimed, rather unintelligently as he scurried to a tombstone and ducked behind it.
May wanted to say something witty. Perhaps point out that Max's bet was completely bogus because he was clearly scared out of his wits. But quite frankly, she was frightened too. She didn't move a muscle.
They watched the shadowy figure float around aimlessly for a few minutes before the glowing eyes faded away silently. Ash and May didn't make a peep while Max was still huddled behind the tombstone.
"Is it gone...?" Max spoke after a few moments of awkward silence. He squinted at Ash and May's faces and adjusted his glasses hastily. Ash nodded slowly before approaching Max.
"Maybe we should leave. You're terrified, Max." Pikachu nodded his head in agreement but Max pouted.
"I'm okay," he insisted, while standing up shakily. "I-I'm gonna go see the summit. I'm definitely NOT scared!"
"But you're shaking-"
"Th-That's just your imagination, Ash!" Max cried before adding, "I'm going ahead, because I'm not chicken!"
With that, he spun around on his heels and hurried down the dark corridor, as May rolled her eyes. Clearly, that last remark was directed at her. Meanwhile, Ash chuckled a bit at Max's childish behavior.
"Well then," Ash said, after quickly surveying their dreary surroundings. "Should we go after him?"
May considered refusing, but if she did that then Max would make fun of her to no end.
She nodded. "Y-Yeah! I'm gonna go to the summit, too!"
Ash laughed. "You really want to win that bet, huh?"
"I'm proving that I'm not chicken!" May huffed, forcing her legs to carry her forward. She marched swiftly ahead of Ash as he casually strolled behind her.
"Whatever you say, May," Ash teased.
"Oh, shut up."
May could feel the tension building in the atmosphere as they walked down the stone-paved hallways. Every so often, she would spot eyes peering at her through the fog, and she could feel her heart pounding in the chest. As she clenched her fists and kept walking, she noted that Ash was admirably composed. He was intrigued by the ghosts, but not terrified like she was.
"Hey," Ash said suddenly. "Did you see where Pikachu went?"
May stopped abruptly. "Pikachu's... gone?" As she glanced around frantically, there was no sign of the yellow mouse pokémon in the vicinity. Not even a peep could be heard.
Oh no. That uneasy feeling was starting to nag at May's conscience again...
"I'm sure he just wandered off when I wasn't paying attention," Ash replied. "Seriously though, it's going to be a pain looking for him in a place like this."
"So what should we do?" May asked nervously.
Ash paused to think for a second. "Since you wanted to see the summit so badly, how about you go on ahead while I stay behind to look for Pikachu?"
Darn it. May was hoping that he wouldn't suggest that.
"Um..." May racked her brain for a response as Ash looked at her intently. She really didn't want to go to the mountaintop without Ash in tow, but a tiny part of her wanted to looked dignified in front of him. "That's perfectly fine! I'll go by myself!"
"Really?" Ash cocked his head to one side and studied May for a few seconds. "Alright, I'll meet up with you in a little bit. Take care of yourself, May!"
May managed a smile. "You too, Ash! Heh heh..."
Her smile faltered as Ash waved and she watched the back of his head disappear into the dark fog. She slowly turned around to face a tall set of stairs.
She couldn't see the top of the staircase. It was obscured by shadows and fog.
Her knees felt weak and her heart sank.
Crap.
"Pika!"
The summit of Mt. Pyre was much wider than Pikachu had expected.
Large patches of grass were scattered randomly everywhere, and the marble gravestones were arranged in a similar manner. The area seemed like it would be an easy place to get lost.
It also frustrated Pikachu that there was still so much fog up here! The fog kept him from seeing anything that was more than 5 feet away from him. At least he could feel a few rays of sunlight on his face.
Pikachu frowned as he sniffed the crisp air. There was a burnt smell in the air, which wasn't very pleasant. Was it charcoal? He wasn't sure.
Wait a second.
He sniffed the air again.
What was that delicious... drool-inducing... tantalizing aroma?
Pikachu's stomach growled, and he could feel his mouth begin to water.
Food! Food! It's FOOOOOOOOD!
The scent was faint, but Pikachu eagerly scampered around, sniffing the air like a bloodthirsty mightyena. Where in the world was it coming from?
His eyes widened as he spotted something unusual. Unlike the dark green blades of grass it was surrounded by, there appeared to be a patch of white material lying on the ground.
He approached cautiously, before lunging onto the white patch quickly. It appeared to be a bedsheet. Probably the remains of a traveler's camp. It looked abandoned, too.
The scent was definitely coming from there. He could see a small lump under the bedsheet.
Pikachu grinned cheekily as he lifted the bedsheet and wiggled under it. The scent was definitely stronger down here! He could smell berries. Sweet, succulent berries!
As he pulled his entire body under the bedsheet, the material lowered itself over him. He felt the soft material against his back, but he didn't care. All the while, he was only concerning himself with the thought of how lucky he was to find a treat in a place like this!
Soon his hunger would be purged!
Unfortunately, he was so distracted by the prospect of obtaining food that he forgot one detail.
It was dark under the bedsheet.
Pikachu rolled over, intending to throw the bedsheet off, but the stubborn thing was thicker than he thought!
He rolled over again, getting more and more annoyed each second. It was like being restrained by a pesky weedle's string shot! And he hated that feeling! That was one thing he DEFINITELY didn't miss about Viridian Forest back in Kanto.
Pikachu only continued to tangle himself in the bedsheet the more he struggled.
What the...?! There seemed to be an endless amount of fabric. How big was this thing?
Pikachu tried to bite at the bedsheet but it was more durable than he expected. He briefly considered releasing a thunderbolt, but he decided against it since he might shock himself.
Dang it! All he wanted was some grub! Was that too much to ask?!
Somehow, Pikachu managed to climb onto his feet.
He stumbled around in a daze before he began to hobble down a stone-paved path. He struggled to free himself from the bedsheet as he continued stumbling around.
His efforts to wrestle with the fabric were sadly in vain. He still couldn't see anything... Nor did he know where the edge of the bedsheet was.
"H-Hey! Is someone there?" Pikachu's ear perked up. "...Who are you?!"
Pikachu knew that voice. He would recognize that slightly raspy tone almost anywhere.
It was Max!
Max could get this bedsheet off! But where was he, exactly?
Pikachu wobbled with the bedsheet over him, but he started to make his way towards the sound of Max's voice.
May shivered.
She had been walking for quite a while now. It felt like hours had passed... Then again, it was hard to keep track of time since Mt. Pyre was so dark.
Oh well. It wasn't like the time was her only concern at the moment.
The occasional eerie creak put May on edge as she ascended yet another set of stairs. She glanced behind her for the millionth time, before forcing her shaky legs to carry herself up.
She was determined to make it to the summit, so she bit back a yelp.
"Just a little more," she told herself. "You can do this..."
She heard a low growl behind her. Her shoulders immediately tensed and her lower lip began to quiver.p
May peeked over her shoulder again, and she felt her heart threaten to leap our of her throat.
A dark silhouette was moving in the darkness. She heard that subtle growl again.
Then she saw the edges of a billowing blanket. A blanket?
It was a shuppet.
"Eep! Don't come any closer...!" May tripped and fell on the stairs as she tried to run away. She crawled her way up the stairs frantically, slipping and stumbling over her own feet.
She probably looked pretty pathetic sprawled out on the stairs like that.
Please please PLEASE make it go away!
As she got closer to the top of the stairs, something caught her eye. It was just a sliver, but it was something bright.
Her prayers had been answered! Finally... She could see the light!
Oh, thank Arceus!
May gasped out in relief as she hurried up the stairs.
Light! There was light everywhere!
Well, sort of. There were several long clouds of white fog with cracks of sunlight, but even that was a drastic improvement from earlier. The air felt so cool on her skin, and she felt refreshed.
The shuppet from earlier was gone. It probably decided against following May to the summit, which was perfectly fine with her!
She was so pleased with herself that she didn't even regard the mass quantity of graves still scattered about.
May strolled along, heaving more sighs of relief. Ha! Once she found Max, she was going to rub it in his face!
He was probably quivering behind another tombstone anyway.
May hummed to herself happily as she continued to walk along the path. Why not take a few moments to walk around the summit and relish her "victory" for a little while? She would look for Max afterwards. Besides, she felt like she deserved it.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" May jumped back, startled.
Well, looks like she wouldn't have to search for Max at all. Not when he was scrambling right towards her.
"Hey, Max!" May exclaimed. "I made it to the summit, so it looks like you were wro-"
Max ran past May, disregarding her completely. As he ran by, May noticed the expression of pure terror on his face.
"Oh, so NOW you're scared!" May called after Max. She expected him to come back or at least stop to protest.
But he didn't.
"I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" Max cried as he disappeared into the fog. May sighed.
Sometimes Max could be such a drama que-
"Chuuuuuuu..." May paused. Did she hear something?
No, that was just her imagination...
"Chuuuuuuu..." She whipped her head towards the source of the noise.
"Augh!" May fell onto her rear end as she stared at the figure ahead with wide eyes.
It was another blanket covered figure. She couldn't make out much else because of the fog, but she didn't plan to stay here just so she could see the figure in closer detail. The figure started to come closer.
"CHU!" The figured roared, apparently angry.
"Eeeek! St-Stay awaaaaaaaaay!" May scrambled to her feet and bolted away as fast as her feet would carry her.
Where had Max even run off to? Well, she would worry about that later, when she's not being followed by this ghost!
Urgh. Not that May would admit it out loud, but it would've been nice to have Ash with her at that moment.
"M-May!" She froze, wondering if it was wise to stop, but when she saw Max huddled behind another tombstone, she felt a slight surge of relief. She quickly darted to where he was and huddled behind a nearby tombstone.
"D-Did you see that ghost too...?" Max asked through a hushed whisper.
May could only nod as she pressed her knees against her chest and tried to stay quiet.
"I-It looked mad..." Max's voice trembled. "I'm scared...!"
Oh, she would be merciless to Max later once they got themselves out of this predicament.
"Just shut up, or it'll find us!" May hissed.
Max slapped a hand over his mouth, but it appeared to be too late. They had drawn someone's attention.
May heard the rustling patches of grass as someone approached the tombstones.
Oh no...
They were getting closer...
May clutched her hands against her chest.
Where was Ash when you freakin' needed him?
The rustling stopped and May could see a long shadow being cast over the tombstones. She prayed that it wasn't the ghost.
"Oh, hey! I found you-"
"NOOOOO! Please don't kill me! I swear I'll eat my vegetables tonight!" Max cried as he brought his arms over his face in self-defense.
Meanwhile, May flinched. She buried her head into her knees, even though it wouldn't do any good. The person had already seen them.
"Dear Arceus," she mumbled.
Beside her, Max started to beg under his breath. "Please please please please please... I won't be a tasty sacrifice! D-Don't kill me...!"
There was a short and awkward pause, in which May lifted her head to look at the person standing above her. Why weren't they doing anything? She immediately felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment when she realized who it was.
"Oh." May picked herself up off the ground and dusted off her clothes.
Meanwhile, Ash scratched the back of his head as May gaped at him. "Whoa, you're both as pale as moomoo milk!" He exclaimed.
She felt incredibly dumb for being scared earlier. She would NEVER be afraid of Ash of all people!
"Um, Max," she said, tugging on her brother's sleeve. "It's just Ash." Max cautiously crack open one eye before he lowered his arms and gasped in relief.
Ash looked genuinely concerned as he leaned down to look at May and Max's faces. "Geez, what happened to you guys? You two don't look so good."
May opened her mouth to say something, but Max interrupted her. "Ash! I never thought I'd say this, but so glad you're here! There was a creepy ghost chasing me, and it was roaring, and I ran for my life, and I thought it was going to kill me, and it was crazy!" he babbled.
May could tell from Ash's blank expression that he was probably thinking that Max was crazy, not just his story, but he managed to laugh after a few awkward moments of silence.
That was typical of him. Always so carefree and easygoing... That actually made May feel a bit better.
"You seem preeeeetty exhausted, Max..." Ash noted.
Max's jaw dropped. "I'm serious! Ask May; She saw the ghost too!"
Ash's attention shifted to May, and she stammered, "Um... I was just... a little flustered by a shuppet! Yeah, that's all-"
"Okaaaaaaaay..." Ash cracked a small smirk. "Well, once I find Pikachu we can-"
"CHUUU!"
"It's HERE!" Max yelled as he ducked behind Ash and curled up on the ground.
May's breath caught in her throat. She saw Ash's shoulders tense up, but he didn't look afraid. Just... apprehensive.
She wished she was able to muster similar courage to stand her ground instead of feeling like a five foot tower of jell-o.
"You said it's a shuppet, right?" Ash questioned May. She nodded profusely as she willed herself not to look at the dark shadow moving in the fog a couple feet away.
She closed her eyes.
"Um, last time I checked, shuppets have only ONE point on their heads. And..." Ash squinted at the figure. "I don't think shuppets are white."
May's eyes snapped open and she rubbed her eyes. As the figure came closer, it was indeed white. And there were two points on it's head!
Did she not notice any of that in her panic?! Heck, the figure wasn't even floating! A pair of yellow stubby feet poked out from beneath the bedsheet.
Yellow stubby feet?
Ash lifted the white bedsheet and grinned. "Pikachu! There you are, buddy! Why are you going around looking like that?" He gingerly lifted Pikachu off of the ground and affectionately held him against his chest.
"Pika?" Pikachu looked really confused and a bit irritated too, but he allowed Ash to hug him.
All the while, Max's jaw had dropped and he was staring at Ash and Pikachu with a bewildered expression on his gave. May was pretty certain that she looked equally as dumbfounded.
And of course Ash HAD to notice...
"What's wrong, guys?" Ash gently placed Pikachu on his shoulder. "Don't tell me you guys were scared of Pikachu!"
May and Max merely exchanged glances.
"N-No! I knew it was Pikachu all along!" Max lied, as May stifled a few giggles.
"Sure you did, Max," Ash commented sarcastically as he helped Max to his feet. "Well, this was an interesting evening."
"Yeah, it was." May agreed, her cheek still flushed in embarrassment.
"Let's just go home already. I had enough of this cemetery!" Max cried.
"That's ironic coming from you, since you dared me to come here!" May teased.
"I'm just tired, that's all!"
"I'm sure you were tired when you were running away from Pikachu!"
As May and Max stared at each other intently, Ash laughed in amusement. "Well, it's starting to get dark. We should probably go home soon, at least."
"Yeah, that's probably best," May said with an exasperated sigh. She felt completely drained of energy. "But can you both promise me something?"
"What?" Ash and Max asked in unison.
"Promise we'll never visit another cemetery for a long, long time." Max and Ash looked at each other without saying anything. Then they both glanced at Pikachu. "What? I just don't like them, okay?"
"Agreed. Let's not come back for a LOOOOOOONG time," Max blurted out.
And they all began to laugh.