I suppose my prayers got a one way trip into the celestial trashbin..
Brock was still kept captive at the Ketchum residence, where he had been reluctantly helping Ash's mother out. It was hard to work with him in the first place but fortunately for her the famous puppydog look managed to control him for over an hour already. The unavoidable eyes were directing Brock from the unattainable, the door, back to his 'job'.
"Who I actually came for.." he stuttered, while obediently shuffling back to the kitchen after another failed attempt to escape.
"Is Ash!! I know Brock! You care for him just as much as I do. I can see that. Your just like a dad to him. And dads must also be able to cook. And how fortuitous that you seem to be quite good at it. Don't you feel great about that!!"
"Yes yes of course ma'am but.."
"Oh and cut the madam thing. Just call me Delia. Like you will be able to keep up that polite talking for the next four hours anyway!"
"Four hours? But but I dont want.."
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing" replied Brock, escaping her gaze.
/&-&\
"It's OK, nothing to worry about." he assured her again.
"So... we can like...we are not...dead" asked may timidly, holding Ash's transparant waist.
She could see right through him, not what she wanted. Looking down would make her see her own body. So she did the opposite.
Ash, supported by no solid ground, held the girl in his arms and nodded. He said nothing. Like he knew what to say. His experience in this was very limited. He knew his presence already supported the girl. He did want to mess up by saying something stupid.
Haunter was watching them distanced, near the shadowy roof a few yards next to the window. Ash, while holding May's head on his shoulder, established eye contact with him. Haunter was surprised someone could see him, but quickly corrected himself by recalling the fact they were, the same.
May felt slight movement, and moved her head up. Ash was caressing her locks, and slowly released some upon feeling her head moving. She looked up, into his eyes. Her blue bangs loosely falling back into position. He was statically peeking over her. She could see a slight blue reflection in his eyes. It emitted from somewhere behind.
Scared of whatever was behind, she cautiously turned to what Ash seemed so fixated at, maintaining a tight grip around his left hand.
What floated in her view did not surprise her. It was Haunter, the Pokemon she had seen knocking out Ash and…make him like that. It was probably the same thing Haunter did to her. Though that was not yet confirmed. The hypnotizing gaze Haunter seemed to push into anyone coming into eye contact with it made her fright rise up again. It trapped her in her movement. She tightened her hold on Ash's and as it was the only physical thing she was still feeling.
"Haunter, how can you hurt her like this?" The boy asked briskly.
May looked at her friend, finding an indignant expression on his face. His question still reverberating in her mind. While Ash knew the Pokemon had no way of answering his question specifically he did require at least a humane response.
It was always grinning. That incessant grimace that could be seen on each of his species emphasized the character of the Pokemon. The one present in the Oak residence was no exception.
Ash hid his feelings well from the Pokemon as from May. He had absolutely no control over the ghost and he knew very well that his previous attempts to gain it had all led to failure. Their hands tied together where the only thing preventing not only May, but also Ash from freaking out. Though he acted very mature under the situation he really was uncomfortable with being a ghost. The first experience in being ethereal was pleasant, though it had always been a very scary memory to see your very own body lying on the floor, lifelessly waiting for your spirit to return.
The nocturnal Pokemon was neither capable nor planning to respond verbally to the boy's serious question. Ash expected the Pokemon to go laughing out loud again, yet it did nothing like that except keeping the usual grimace glued to its face. It flew in the direction of the floating couple while reducing its altitude. But instead of stopping near the floor, right beneath Ash and May, it went right through it.
Following the Pokemon with their eyes made both Ash and May meet up with their physical forms again. One body lying on top of another, a tranquil image, yet frightening for the bodies' owners.
Haunter left them alone, and their reluctancy to watch their own bodies redirected both the teenager's view from the floor back to where they had first spotted Haunter, near the small dust-covered window at the top of the white attic wall. The sun showered its light into the darkness of the loft. Their hand's loosened their grip on eachother simultaneously, but Ash was the first to consciously notice it. He turned his head towards May, and soon his body easily followed. May noticed his movement, there wasn't anything else moving except the dust soundlessly circulating in the delicate sunlight. She looked at him, he released her hand.
The attention to Haunter melted into oblivion as they made eye contact. It was a stronger connection than the two hands tying them together before. He followed her eyes while she seemed to study his face closely, dodging the complete view of his head.
He wanted to say something again, to stand up in the awkward situation, but something beat him in that. A flashlight supported the sunlight in illuminating the attic, it came from the ladder opening.
"Can't you hear me?" Echoed a voice from down below. The same voice emitted vaguely from the receiver in Ash's pocket, the pocket on the floor.
"Hey? Ash? May? Is Haunter up there? What the hell happened???" The anxious voice desperately continued asking.
"It's the Professor" May turned to Ash.
"Pretty sure" He responded.
Ash looked at the floor opening for a second again. Then turned back to May, who was now facing him with her entire body.
"What if he finds us...them..us here" She managed to say, pointing at a random spot beneath them.
The ladder was cracking, it could be seen moving as the man made his way up. The boy looked at it, impotently leaving May's question unanswered.
The professor's head showed up, his flashlight followed cautiously. He shone it around the room before attempting to further enter the attic.
When the flashlight unawarely pointed the couple, an annoying feeling of warmth rose up in their energetical bodies. May shrieked upon the light so suddenly coming up. The feeling was getting stronger every moment, but ceased quickly after the light passed by.
Ash felt the same. Yet, frozen as ever, he seemed more resistant to it.
A loud scream was heard, and professor Oak disappeared from the opening, a loud thud followed.
"What the?" Ash exclaimed, worried about the professor.
He silently flew away from May, and settled next to the opening. Professor Oak was down below sitting on the floor, rubbing his back.
Ash beckoned the girl to come over, and watched until she complied. It was surprisingly easy to cross the area, she could get used to it.
"Is he that stupid or are we that fortunate.." Ash sarcastically commented.
"I think neither" May returned, she was right next to him now.
The boy raised an eyebrow, before finding a purple aura crossing his view, he needed no time to conclude what happened.
"You?" He started. "I should've known".
The Pokemon nervously smiled, and obliviously laughed at the elderly man below.
"He did prevent the professor from seeing..us"
"And look how!" he raised his hands to encompass everything "First he starts tormenting you, then he 'softly ghosts' you before doing the same to me, and now he drops that old man from a four yard ladder, we're lucky to not see him suffering a broken leg.."
After a short silence, may confirmed. "Yes...you're right, but you said something about being fortunate.."
"Err, Yes..but it is still wrong!"
The professor looked up to the opening, finding nothing but darkness. He remained a cringed expression on his face while he reached for his pocket, and picked a pokeball out of it.
"Mr. Mime, come out now"
A bright flash emitted from the pokeball lifted in the air. The man returned it into his white coat while the Mr. Mime formed near him.
Haunter stopped laughing, instead, it started to look disturbed over the psychic pokemon that just appeared on the scene.
It gestured towards Ash to come with him and quickly hovered skyward, further back into the attic. Ash doubted, but figured it was best to follow. He grabbed May's arm unasked and chased the ghost Pokemon.
"He will still get up here!" May worried.
"Thats why we will rejoin the living, before he sees us."
Haunter flew pretty fast, and arrived at the back wall of the attic rapidly. It scanned the area cautiously, while its typical smile returned.
"Whats it doing?" May asked weakly.
Ash tilted his head. "How should I know?"
"Well it is your Pokemon isn't it?"
"Unfortunately 'My Pokemon' does not agree with me on the 'obey your master' part that comes with the job" he replied sarcastically. While Haunter continued searching for something.
It flew over to the top of a cupboard, and slowly pulled out a flowered cloth. A curtain or something alike. It flew the thing over the couple on the floor and totally covered them with it, while keeping some folds for air supply.
"Hey Haunter, we are not planning to stay this way, if you care.." Ash exclaimed.
Much to his annoyance, Haunter ignored him. Instead, humming as a bee, he took off to the other end of the room again, and closed the ladder hatch leading down. A blatant 'autsch' followed. The Pokemon apathetically laughed.
May let an unwanted smile seek refuge in the attic. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand but to no avail. Ash had already caught it.
He scoffed. "Funny eh? Girl you have your moods"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"First you are terrified at it, and now it is funny again." he listed her.
"So? I just adapt." she defended.
Ash noted the ladder cracking again, and quickly closed the lock.
Though, it was May too now who noticed how quickly the atmosphere changed. She couldnt have foreseen herself smiling so fast after the terrifying realization of not being physically alive anymore.
"Well, at least I am glad your not afraid anymore." he said kindly.
"Hey, I wasnt that bad.." she countered, moving up her feet.
"No, it doesn't matter"
"Really?"
He smiled softly. "Your very own body was lying on the floor, how should you respond to that without at least a little fright. Really, it does not matter, If this was also my first experience with being a ghost, don't expect me to stay calm.."
"Um..thanks" she smiled back.
"It's no problem, I ll be around if you need 'comfort' again." He teased.
She slightly blushed, not knowing what to add. She recalled the fact that she fawned over him as the susceptibe frightened young girl seeking refuge at her hero.
"Thank you" She muttered weakly, lacking any other words.
"No problem" He said, a little haughty.
"No, I mean it"
He laughed. "It's what friends are for."
She sighed, and quickly, as if she wanted to get over with it, closed in a little. "Really...Thank you, for being around"
Now it was Ash's time to blush. Her eyes were really close, and deep enough to lose yourself inside. They blinked, and after every blink their beauty emitted stronger and stronger. He was a little awkward with it, moreover he felt really unpleasant the longer she looked at him.
"Hey, I really meant it too" he humbly answered.
By the boy's expression she caught herself being a little too close, and quickly edged away, blushing.
She exhaled intentionally. "Well, now you know" .
"It's nothing" he brushed it off, again.
"I know, you said that multiple times"
"I did?" asked Ash, faking curiosity.
"Never mind, what we do now?"
Ash took a second to think, looking around the room for inspiration. Haunter circled around the room in what seemed utter boredom. He came to a proposal."We could try and enjoy the goods of being a ghost."
"Enjoy?" May echoed.
"Have I entertained you the fun sides of my experience in Saffron?"
May reminisced inwardly and drew the obvious conclusion that he didnt actually 'hate' his current form. She noticed that neither she found fearful feelings.
"I'm listening."
"Well, scaring Misty was fun, along with flying around. It is really something!"
Another sigh escaped her lips, and she noted Haunter zooming around the attic. "Is that everything?"
Ash smirked almost wickedly."Professor Oak needs something to keep him from his experiment's for a while, I guess."
"Haven't we tormented him quite enough?" May dismissed his evil plans.
He faced her again. "Come on! Just imagine how it would be to fly. You can leave gravity for a moment. You can't fall, can't be harmed and can only make fun!"
"Perhaps..."
"Ofcourse you, like any healthy person, must have at least dreamed of it."
That was it, Ash had her pinned. The Idea of flying had indeed also bounced in her thoughts for at least the blink of an eye. And so did it enter her mind again. He noticed it by her silence.
"One warning;" he added, "Don't get in touch with too much light. It is rather itchy up to unbearable if too much."
"Glad to know." she replied.
Haunter reclusively watched. When Ash moved up, and had the girl follow him, the pokemon decided to reemerge. He was actually quite happy that the clumsy Mr. Mime hadn't somehow made it up yet.
"Coming?" Ash offered her his hand. She accepted it, unknowingly of what to expect.