Pumpkaboo


It is said to carry wandering spirits to the place where they belong so they can move on.


The spirit was restless being that it should have been picked up the moment his body had fallen.

Readjusting himself on the chest of his old self, a light soft glow came over the hill. The brownish Pokemon with the orange pumpkin like body had arrived. His safe passage to the next phase has come.

The Pumpkaboo was uncertain about all this, delivering spirits was fine. Every year on Hallows Eve they came and danced in their beautiful, shimmering colors.

But seeing the body of a spirit was another thing. It just hoped that the death wasn't too painful, hopping its way up the hill the first sign of a body was a broken wing reaching up from a lump. Pumpkaboo felt the urge to hurl pulling at its gut. It didn't want to move forward any further.

The spirit pulled away from his body, changing from the black of a tethered spirit to the dark maroon of a wandering one. Gulping, the Pumpkaboo held its ground as the spirit came closer.

"You've come to deliver me?" he asked.

Nodding its head the Pumpkaboo closed its eyes. A greenish grey light cloaked the spirit. As if taking a deep breath the maroon light was drawn slowly towards the Pumpkaboo.

Disappearing from the eye, Pumpkaboo's stomach lit up as a spirit settled in for the ride.

The Pumpkaboo walked in silence before it realized it had no idea where it was going. Taking a deep breath it asked the spirit quietly, "I don't mean to be offensive…but, I need to ask you some questions."

"Sure," was the spirit's response, "what is the question?"

"Um, what were you in your past life?"

"A Spearow."

That explained the wing, gulping, Pumpkaboo continued.

"Oh, so the Spirit Forest it is…"

"I didn't know there was more than one option, but yes I would like to be in a forest. Was there more?"

"No…well, it wouldn't be my place to ask."

"Just ask."

"How did you die?"

"If I answer that question, I want to be able to ask my own."

"Okay"

"I died protecting my family, is it possible for me to haunt them?"

"Uh…" Pumpkaboo lapsed into silence. Most Pokemon didn't have successful haunting experiences.

"No, well here is my question."

"It's not that, it's just that most Pokemon don't want their loved ones to suffer. And technically you cannot interact with the living, so you could only watch you family. Plus you already asked your question," it spoke rapidly.

The Pumpkaboo was mostly worried that whatever had torn the Spearow into pieces wasn't going to be scared of a single Pumpkaboo.

"I was attacked by a human."

It was as if the word 'Human' gave the Pumpkaboo a heart attack, out of all the things Pumpkaboo needed to hear was that there was a human around.

"I've been sitting on that body forever, calm down."

Shivering like a Growlithe away from its mother's warmth, the Pumpkaboo sped up. The sooner it was in the Spirit Forest the safer it would feel.

"Why are you afraid of humans?"

Refusing to respond, the Pumpkaboo adjusted its path to go through a lot more underbrush. The more stuff around it the longer it will take for a human to get to it.

"Is it because a human pulled out your fangs?" The steps of the Pumpkaboo faltered for a few seconds before the pace resumed.

"Are you going to answer my question?"

Every movement seemed magnified, every breath, every rustle. Trying to disappear, the Pumpkaboo refused to make a single sound. But it didn't matter anymore, it had already been noticed. The shifting of the large Pokemon was hard for the spirit to notice, but the uptight Pumpkaboo felt it. The quiet shake of the ground sent it running, ignoring the protests of the spirit.

"Fight it! You have to fight it…why won't you fight it?"

It was weak, it knew it was weak. It wouldn't win with the Pokemon hunting it. The Pumpkaboo kept its mouth shut. It had no fangs because of a human and his Pokemon partner. It would never be picked by a trainer. It would instead live its life dangerously delivering spirits with no way to defend itself.

"Fight it! You at least have some moves to use, turn and man up!"

"I'm female, and I am not strong. I can't win, plus with my fangs I can't do much can I?" the Pumpkaboo snapped.

Speeding up, the labored breaths of the monster behind them never came.

"Maybe it could tell you don't have your fangs anymore," the spirit stated, his voice hinting he was not impressed. The darkness came closer from a point on the horizon, a gloomy forest full of scraggly roots and decaying leaves.

"Not impressed."

In a spark of dark purple light, the Pumpkaboo landed successfully on the other side of the border. The illusion faded, revealing a well-cared for forest lush with life…well spirits.

Golden spirits came closer as if wondering how well the Pumpkaboo had survived the crossing.

Groaning, it turned slowly back onto its feet. The spirit within it pulled at the cage, taking a deep breath the Pumpkaboo released it. In a whirl of light, a golden Spearow was formed.

Perching on one of the fresh branches, the Spearow's back was to the Pumpkaboo.

"If you want to stay as a deliverer of spirits, you need to get stronger. You won't make it anywhere if you stay like that."

Taking a deep breath, the Pumpkaboo started turning to head back.

"Don't turn away, to conquer your disadvantage you must get stronger. Wallowing in your own misery is the way to a terrible life, strengthen yourself. You want power don't you?"

Watching the purplish illusion of the forest the Pumpkaboo and the spirit had just traveled through, it turned slightly.

"I will find my own way. I'm sure of that…enjoy your afterlife."

"Don't join me too soon," the spirit called.

But the Pumpkaboo was already gone.