A/N: Written as a Trick or Treat 2017 exchange gift for spoke.
On this nature bountiful Earth, the pumpkin patch farmer did not have many enemies. Sometimes he had to worry about insect pokemon nibbling at his crops before the buds rose, or a shortage of water in the dry weeks.
But then there was the lone pumpkaboo that defied the farmer and did as it pleased. Over the years, the ghost pokemon had learned the trade of craftiness; be still.
That was it. Pumpkaboo was still until the last moment.
Pumpkaboo had been searching for a suitable home for to rest its pumpkin. Hiding in the forest was quite the feat, especially when predator pokemon were attracted to bright, orange pumpkins and attacked them. Pumpkaboo could take care of those predators; all the same, pumpkaboo preferred having peaceful nights. Besides, having a fresh, constant batch of pumpkins was a dream come true.
This pumpkin patch was paradise!
Pumpkaboo skirted under the radar while the farmer had been busy and jumped in a pile of pumpkins as soon as it left the forest surrounding the patch. It had floated between the pumpkins in the field to keep its visibility low. No worry was necessary, because humans couldn't keep track of movements in such a wide sea of pumpkins.
The farmer was none the wiser to pumpkaboo's ploy as he went about his business and diligently ripped out the vines and roots for each pumpkin on the opposite side of the field. The farmer wiped at his brow, hard at work and engrossed and careful, drinking from a water bottle.
Indeed, Pumpkaboo knew what this was in preparation for—visitors to come and pick one all for themselves. Gleefully, pumpkaboo cackled to itself. The yearly tradition that humans picked out pumpkins was its favorite time of the year! The chaos was wonderful. Humans picking up small and big pumpkins to put on their windowsills, or in front of their doors for trick-or-treaters. It was a marvel watching humans be picky over pumpkins and pick the best ones. If pumpkaboo had a say in it, it understood the sentiment. Pumpkaboo always looked for the best pumpkin to use! It would not live in a bad pumpkin.
Pumpkaboo wished humans would pick its beautiful pumpkin sooner than the others. So it could prank them! Humans were silly, and pumpkaboo had to be patient.
Of course this pumpkakoo wanted, above all else, to cause mischief wherever the opportunity arose. Pumpkin patches were perfect hang out spots for pumpkaboo! Its eyes may be a problem. But who really noticed its eyes when so many other pumpkins were surrounding its body? The farmer was too busy to always notice stuff like that. If its eyes flashed and visiting humans noticed, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference if it were the sun or a sinister pokemon immediately. None of the curious humans ever seemed to get it right until pumpkaboo revealed itself.
But that foolishness, as well as the human's wavering lifeforce when they were scared, was what pumpkaboo loved! Those were its reasons to cause mischief.
Obviously, this was another reason pumpkin patches were paradises. On the other hand, farmers managed to chase poor pumpkaboo out near the end of the fall season, and pumpkaboo had been searching ever since last fall for its new home. Now, it wondered, how long could it stay?
Well, in this case, it would just have fun and not worry.
Weaving through the patch, it bumped into the big, round pumpkin bodies around it. Perhaps it would upgrade to another pumpkin later. But it was too focused on the "perfect" spot. Some of the rows were too far away from the farmer's house. Not enough action to see. Piles of pumpkins made it hard to squeezed between them, and pumpkaboo would never ruin its own pumpkin or force its pumpkin between other pumpkins. It had to blend in!
Finally, it found a neat little spot closer to the farmer's red and white house. An area between the pumpkins made it a delightful place. Pumpkaboo landed there, immediately at home, knowing in its heart this was where it should be.
Pumpkaboo dug into the soil with the feet on its pumpkin body. Soil flew in all directions, and pumpkaboo tested out its height and width, pushing its black ghost body in to test it out. Just because it was a ghost didn't mean it didn't need a place to rest itself in the ground. The ground was the most comfy place! Also, the hole camouflaged it from sight, giving its pumpkin body an extra realistic look.
"Pump!" pumpkaboo cackled to itself proudly. Not only did it have a perfect place among the pumpkins in the patch, but pumpkaboo would not be discovered. Eventually.
Move over pumpkin farmer, pumpkaboo was in town!
Now all it had to do was wait for the farmer to come and the game between pumpkin and man would begin.