Preparing for Battle

The first thing that Serena noticed when she woke up is that she has the world's most splitting headache. At first, she didn't want to open her eyes because she could practically feel the sun's heat on her face, so she knows that if she opens her eyes she will be meet with a face full of sunlight that can cause her headache to get worse. Just when Serena was about to let herself fall back to sleep when last night's events flash through her mind like a slide show, the morning after Ash's capture, the plan, the trap, removing the Specter's hood to reveal an unrecognizable Ash underneath it, and the last thing she saw before blacking-out is the horrible smirk on Ash's face.

"ASH!"

Serena abruptly sat up and jerk her head left-to-right in hopes to find Ash and that everything she saw last night was just a horrible dream where she is going to wake up to see Ash's smiling face. Her heart instantly drops when she sees Shaggy, Scooby, the Lumiose Siblings, and their Pokémon laying there unconscious beside her, her screaming showing that it had no effect to wake them up. It didn't help that she saw Velma and Daphne sleeping while sitting up against the tree and Freddie and Stan laying on the ground in the awkward positions Ash left them.

"No... No!" Serena quivers as she wraps her arms around her knees, tears now flowing down her eyes. "Ash, please... Y-You couldn't have..." Despite her strong belief to deny it, Serena couldn't ignore what she saw last night. She buries her head into her knees when she begins to cry her heart out. Seeing that evil look on Ash, it didn't belong on him. It's too much...

Her sniffing finally help her friends wake up, eventually Shaggy and Scooby as well. Like Serena, they all had terrible headaches when they open their eyes to the Sun. "Serena...?" Bonnie mumbled sluggishly while trying to regain her senses with her brother, who had a worse headache than her since he had impaired vision. Hearing their friend crying caught their attention, they look at her before noticing the rest of the unconscious people around, it made their hearts drop once they realize what they saw last night was true. Soon the Lumiose Siblings hug their crying friend, with Bonnie crying herself.

"Like man, I had the weirdest dream ever..." Shaggy mumbles while rubbing his tired eyes. Both his and Scooby's minds are still sluggish to follow be aware of the kids crying right next to them. "We, like, captured the Specter, and it turns out it was Ash the whole time. Like, that was the most ridiculous thing I've ever-" He stops once he and Scooby full acknowledge the distressed. "Oh, it wasn't a dream..."

Wordlessly, the two both wrap the children up in a hug in hopes to someway comfort them. However, they knew it was pointless.

Meanwhile, Freddie, Stan, Velma, and Daphne have finally regain their senses and are now waking up. Although their heads hurt from getting hit last night they still manage to stand up while being slightly woozy. "Is everybody okay?" Freddie questioned while rubbing his head.

"Like man, do we look "okay" to you?" Shaggy sarcastically asked while indicating to the crying children. This makes Freddie wince, knowing he probably asked a stupid question.

"Then I guess what we saw last night is true." Velma said formally, not taking notice of how distressed the children are. "Ash is the one behind all of this."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Everyone jumped when Serena screamed, even those who were hugging her had to let go when they notice how enrage she was with Pikachu looking the same on her head. "A-Ash would never do something like this! He's just so... So.. AHH!" Serena once again scream while kicking her legs for a bit before resuming her crying position. Now more awkwardly, Shaggy wrap an arm around her while Pikachu softly pats her head.

"I have to admit it, but I think Serena's right, Velma." Daphne said hesitantly, unsure of what to do when seeing the young girl crying like that. "Ash was a nice boy, he saved Shaggy and Scooby back at the Hotel and he stood up for Shaggy when we made fun of his old voice."

"Don't forget, Ash was the person the Specter was after." Freddie adds in. "Not to mention he wasn't even born when some of those Specter attack happened in some parts of the world."

"Okay, so let's say Ash isn't behind all of this." Velma reluctantly said once she realized she's out-numbered. "But what could explain what we saw last night? Ash must have a reason on why he attacked us."

"You don't think that thinking that I betrayed his family had something to do with it?" Stan spoke up. "Because I'm pretty sure he had a heck of a good time elbowing me in the face like that!"

"Like, man, I don't think Ash would be that mad at you to do that." Shaggy admits while patting Serena's back softly. "He gets mad, but this is like a whole new level. It was like I couldn't even recognize him."

"Especially those red eyes," Scooby shuddered. "That's going to give me nightmares for the rest of my life..." He failed to notice that his words made the children realize something, even Serena stopped crying but her eyes widen in horror while lifting her head up a little.

Whenever they like it or not, they have seen a similar look on Ash's face not too far back, which was before they even meet Mystery Inc. They have stopped by Dahara City where they meet Hoopa, the Mischief Pokémon. While staying there, they had a bad run-in with Hoopa's other form, which caused a big battle between Legendary Pokémon. They didn't have time to remember all the details, but they did remember Ash catching the Prison Bottle that contained Hoopa's Unbound Form.

Upon contact, Ash became possessed by the Unbound Form, although he did tried to fight it. They watched in horror as Ash's body became engulfed in a dark aura and his eyes began to glow red. Now that they think about it, those red eye are similar to the ones they saw last night. This, however, didn't make them feel better once they realize the condition their friend is in.

"A-Actually, we might have an idea on why Ash is acting like this..." Clemont nervously stuttered out, making the grown-ups' attention turn towards the horrified children. "Y-You see, this isn't the first time Ash's eyes glowed red like that..."

So Clemont began to explain about what happened in Dahara City, with Bonnie making a few comments and Pikachu nodding its head to agree with a few things. The only one who didn't participate in the storytelling is Serena, who is still too horrified to speak. She didn't know what to think the first time she saw Ash possessed, but she could tell it hurt when he tried to fight. Just imagining what he's going through right now was enough to fill her eyes with unshed tears.

Once Clemont finished the story, he had mixed reactions from all the adults. Shaggy and Scooby had launch onto each other and are now gripping each other tightly as they stare at the kids in horror, Daphne had cover her mouth with both of her hands as tears begin to fill her eyes, Freddie had lost control of his jaw and now flies are open to a new home in his mouth, Stan was staring at them with an unreadable expression before letting out a small "Meh...". Velma, however, had this expression that what Clemont just told bored her.

"So, let me get this straight." Velma said emotionlessly. "You mean to tell me that Ash was once possessed by a Pokémon with identify problems and now he's being possessed by the supposedly real Specter?" Seeing the Lumiose siblings nod their heads made her sigh in exasperation. "I think you kids watched too many horror movies with Shaggy and Scooby..."

"SHUT UP!"

Velma had to duck her head when a rock came flying at her when Serena screamed at her. She look back to the younger girl to see Serena glaring at her deeply, even the people near here had taken a few steps back in fright. "YOU DIDN'T SEE HIM! HE WAS TRYING SO HARD TO FIGHT IT! B-But then it began to hurt him... An-And if that hurt him before, imagine what's it doing to him..." Once she got all of that out, Serena resume her crying position, making her friends awkwardly pat her back.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Shaggy finally spoke up. "Look Velma, I know you're like a scientists, but maybe what these kids are saying can be true. Like, just last night Ash called himself Guo-Mo. Isn't he the guy who was obsessed with the Terra Eclipse and they never found his body? W-Well, I think we just found it last night..."

Velma sighed, but reluctantly agreed. "Okay, say if Ash is possessed by the spirit of Emperor Guo-Mo, who is also the Specter that's been attacking this camp, what are going to do? He has everything he needs to complete the ceremony and the Eclipse is coming in a few hours. Even with the Pokémon's help, how are we going to beat Guo-Mo?"

This made everyone become silent. She's right, not only Guo-Mo is a complete madman, but he's a madman who has knowledge on magic. If they charge in there with their heads up in the clouds then Guo-Mo could destroy them right there on the spot. That way Ash will never be free or forgive himself for letting that happen. A few seconds later, they heard someone clear his throat.

"Uh, I might know someone who can help us..." Stan said hesitantly.

He never liked that big opening coming from the ceiling of his rocky home. Whenever the night ends the sunlight always shine through the opening, which he hates. Ever since what happened, he could never go out in the sunlight. Even now with the body he has and the hood over his head, he still refuse to be near the sunlight. However, this day he decided he might consider liking the opening. Because this gives him a chance to see the Eclipse block out the Sun and give him the power he needs to conquer this world.

"You know what's my favorite part of the day?" 'Ash' asked to the inner person inside him as he walks closer to the opening that brings all the sunlight in. "It's when the Sun goes down. Now, I won't ever see the Sun again once I'm done with it..." Standing there in the middle of the sunlight is a round pedestal where something round can fit in it.

'Ash' reach into his cloak and took out the Crystal Ball. He can see the Crystal Ball reflecting his new face underneath the hood, his red eyes glowing with gleam while a sinister smirk is plaster on his lips. "Don't worry," 'Ash' told the inner person when it began to protest. "I promise I won't hurt your friends when I rule. Just as long as they don't get in my way-" When 'Ash' was about to place the Crystal Ball on the pedestal, his own hands began to lock up, stopping him from moving his hands.

'Ash' stares at his hands in confusion, why can't he move them? Without warning he felt his head explode from a headache, causing him to cry out and drop the Crystal Ball on the pedestal just so he could clutch his head as the pain kept coursing through his head, making him cry out whenever he felt the pain intensify. It finally struck him, literally, on who is causing this pain, and he did everything he can to fight back.

"What... What are you doing?!" He yelled, doing everything he can so that he remains in control. However, he can feel his control wavering when he notice his hands are changing shape, unsure of which one they should listen too. He didn't realize it at first, but he could feel himself speaking words that weren't his own.

"I-I won't let you...use me for your sick plans!" Ash, the real Ash, screamed, gaining temporally control over his own mouth. That was all he could do since the Specter is still in control, but that didn't stop him from giving up. He kept on fighting no matter what happened.

But, that also didn't stop the Specter from fighting as well. "N-NO! YOU CAN'T! I WON'T LET US SEPERATE!" He screamed, gaining control over the mouth again. However, that didn't stop Ash from fighting for his body back. Soon the two souls found themselves in a battle against wills, where one took control the other one tries to get that control. The battle ends up taking toll on Ash's body since it didn't know which one to listen too so it ended up flashing between appearances.

The battle took a drastic turn when Ash finally gain control over his body again and, acting quickly, smash his hand against the pedestal and sent the Crystal Ball crashing onto the ground. Even though the orb didn't break, it was enough to send the Specter over the edge. "ENOUGH!"

Everything became quite after that, the only sounds that can be heard are the Specter's heavy breathing, trying to calm himself down. After a few seconds, the Specter waited for Ash to try something again, even awaited the horrible headache to come. After a few seconds, the Specter knew that Ash eventually stopped but is still glaring at it from the inside.

"You know, I was being honest when I said I'd leave your friends alone if they leave me alone," He growls, picking up the non-damage Crystal Ball and is now staring at his reflection. "But after that little stunt, you better hope that I don't see them step a foot towards the Cliffs. Otherwise, they won't be here to see me rule."

No response from Ash.

Knock. Knock.

"Who's at the door?!" Everyone who are behind Ranger Stan after he had finish knocking jump when they heard Madame Macabre's loud voice through the hard wooden door. Although, it was more of a fearful jump for the children since they haven't met the old hag yet. They heard a few locks turning before they saw the door open slightly to see the most hideous face they have ever seen in their entire little lives. "Didn't ya read the sign? I'm on vacation!"

"Hello, Mary..." Stan mumbled, looking very uncomfortable and annoyed at the moment. Madam Macabre's eyes widen before she shut the door at their faces, then they heard more locks turning before the door opens again to reveal Madame Macabre staring at Stan with wide eyes.

There's a awkward silence after that. When Freddie was about to say something to stop the silence, Madame Macabre beat him too it. "Did ya come here to finally be my boyfriend, Stan?" She quickly asked, looking extremely eager for the answer.

"Wha-NO!" Stan quickly declared, looking very unhappy about that topic. "No! I'd told you, you old hag, a thousand times I won't be your boyfriend! Especially after what happened!"

Hearing this made Madame Macabre frown. "Then why are ya here, Stan? Come to steal more of my Crystal Balls?"

Before Stan could say anything, Freddie speaks up. "Wait, so that Crystal Ball the Specter stole last night was Madame Macabre's?"

"T-THE SPECTER?!" Madame Macabre screamed, looking completely terrified and pale. "YOU YA'LL GAVE THE CRYSTAL BALL TO THE SPECTER?! WE'RE ALL DOOM! DOOM I SAY!"

"Will you be quite?!" Stan shouted, silencing the hag. "Look, the Specter stole it, alright? We came here because we need your help, get in!" With that, Stan push Madame Macabre into her shop, the others following awkwardly behind.

"Do they know each other?" Clemont whispered to Serena, who is looking slightly better since her mental breakdown but her eyes are still red from all her crying.

The honey-blonde helplessly shrugged. "Maybe they used to date once?"

Once everyone had entered the shop, Stan began to explain what's happening. During the story, Clemont kept a close eye on Bonnie since he didn't trust anything he saw in the shop, especially since Shaggy told him he got that voice-changing vial from here. So when Bonnie went to touch something, he grab her arm to stop her. When Stan finished, Madame Macabre has a thoughtful look on her face.

"So the Specter's been Guoie the whole time, eh?" She kept that face for a few moments before shrugging and walking over to a cabinet. "Eh, can't say I'm surprise. Nevah like that guy from what the vision smoke told me 'bout him."

"So you can help us get him out of our friend?" Clemont asked, he and his friends looking at the old lady with hope in their eyes.

"Well, it won't get him out of ya friend." Hearing this made the children slump down in defeat, making Shaggy pat their backs in comfort. "But I do have something for ya'll to deal with Guoie." This perks the children up as they all watch Madame Macabre open the cabinet to reveal rows of colorful smoke bombs with crystalized decorations on the outside.

"Uh, smoke bombs?" Velma asked. Although she still didn't believe that the Specter is a real spirit and the concept of Spiritual Possession, she is curious to know what type of insane method Macabre has for them.

"Not just any smoke bombs, girly." Madame Macabre said as she picks one up. "These smoke bombs carry a special gas that clouds a spirit's senses. If ya'll get Guoie to breath into this here gas, then he'll be coughing ya friend's lungs out and your friend can gain his body back." This makes the children smile. But when Clemont was about to take one from Macabre's hand, she drew her hand back.

"Now hold on a sec there, sonny!" Macabre told him with a wave of her hand. "I don't just give anything away for free! It's going to have to cost ya!"

"Oh boy," Stan sighed before he walks up to the hag. "Okay, what how much do you want, you old witch. To be honest, I rather put my money in an alligator's mouth, but since Taku's nephew is in trouble. I guess I'll be willing-"

"The price is that ya have to date me, Stan!"

"WHAT?!" Suddenly he feels like giving away all of his money wouldn't be a bad idea if he didn't have to hear those words again." Uh-huh! No way! Zilch! Not happening lady! I am not going to let you bribe me into trying to date you! I'm still mad about what happened the first time when you stole my hands, you're lucky there are kids in this room! Otherwise I would have given you that same certain gesture again!"

"Scoob, get the chair..." Shaggy whispered to the dog, who nods sternly before sneaking off.

"So, you can forget it, you old hag!" Stan continues. "Besides, the kid can handle himself find without your help! Who knows, maybe being ruled by some lunatic won't be so bad after-"

SLAP!

Everyone in the room jumps when Serena marched towards Stan and slapped him hard in the face. Stan, not expecting the attack, whips his head to the side once the hand made contact. Soon everything became silent, no one dare made a sound. They only thing that they can hear are Serena's heavy breathing, who has her head down so that her hat can cover her eyes, which now prevents them from seeing her expression.

"R-Really...?" They finally heard her speak, but it came out as a faint whisper. However, her friends and the two cowards know she's about to explode again so they took steps backward. "M-My best friend is out there... Probably suffering as we speak..." Finally Serena picks her head up to reveal her enrage face with tears threatening to fall. "A-And... A-AND YOU'RE THE REASON WHY THAT HAPPENDED IN THE FIRST PLACE AND YOU CAN'T EVEN LET GO OF YOUR STUPID PRIDE JUST TO SAVE HIM! I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE YOU!" With that, Serena ran out of the shop, sniffing all the way, leaving everyone staring after here.

"Um..." Stan trailed off, now feeling guilty. "Macabre, can I talk to you in the other room?" Soon the two elders left the room, leaving the young folk alone and stare at where the honey-blonde girl had run off too.

"Uh, Daph?" Shaggy begins hesitantly. "I think you like might want to go out there and talk to her."

"Wait, what?" Daphne quickly questioned. As far as she knew, Shaggy and Scooby understood these kids the best and know what goes on inside their heads. "Shouldn't you and Scooby go out there? She hardly knows me, and you two know her the best."

Shaggy nods. "Yeah, we, like, do know her, Daphne. Which is why since we know what's going on with her, you're like the best person for her to talk too right now." With that, Shaggy lightly push Daphne towards the door. Daphne took one last nervous look towards the cowards and children, seeing their encouraging smiles finally convince her to walk out the door.

Luckily, Serena hadn't gone far since she is sitting right on the steps of the shop. She sat there while resting her head on her hands with an annoyed look on her face. Hearing footsteps coming near her cause her to look up to see a nervous Daphne walking over to her, making the young girl jerk her head away from the older girl as Daphne sits down next to her.

"So... You care a lot about Ash, huh?" Daphne decides to start up a conversation, but that only cause Serena's frown to grow deeper.

Now Daphne's really nervous. She couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself for not taking the time to know these kids like Shaggy and Scooby have done. So she decide to observe the young girl before her. Even though she's just looking at her now, she could defiantly tell that Serena has strong feelings for Ash. It's almost like she loves... Wait a minute.

"Wait, are you-?" She stops when Serena looks up at her with a face that almost dares her to finish that sentence. "Are you-... Do you like him?" Serena didn't give her a straight answer, but she turn her head away with a huff. This indicates that Daphne is correct in her observation. "Oh..."

It became silent after that, Daphne unsure of what she should say since Serena obviously doesn't look like she's in the best of moods. Finally knowing what to say, Daphne begins. "You know, there's nothing wrong with having a crush on someone. You see, I have a crush on-"

"With Fred, I know..." Daphne stares at the young girl jaw-dropped. How did she know about it?! "Shaggy and Scooby told me."

"Um..." Daphne starts off nervously again. "Look, I'm not here to talk about crushes. But, if you really do like Ash, why not tell him your feelings?"

This cause a light layer of blush to appear on Serena's cheeks as she stutters, "W-Well, I would... B-But..." This makes Daphne smile, understanding her nervousness.

"Hey, I'm not complaining." She told her as she begins to stand up. "Just saying though. If you tell him how you feel, then maybe you could bring him back." With that, Daphne went back into the shop, leaving Serena to her thoughts.

Tell Ash how she feels? That sounds like telling a Clamperl to go live in the desert. Of course she wants to tell Ash her feelings, but is it the time? Thinking about the evil look that the Specter made through Ash's face filled her with determination to save him from the suffering he's going through. She didn't care about her fears of rejection anymore, she just wants the real Ash back.

"Serena!" Serena shoots her head up when she heard Bonnie called to her from the shop. "Get back in here! Stan manage to get those smoke bombs from Madame What-Ever!" Hearing this brought new hope into Serena as she hurries inside to see Stan dumping all the smoke bombs into a burlap sack while Madame Macabre stares at him with a creepy smile.

"So it'll be on the docks near the sunset, ya hear?" Macabre asked, looking very eager. "Make sure to dress up nice and fancy. Also bring a limo-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you want." Stan said impatiently before dumping all the last smoke bombs into the sack and slinging it over his shoulder. "I'm not stupid. I'll pick you up in time for the date." This makes Madame Macabre smile before disappearing back into her storage.

"You actually agreed to go on a date with Madame Macabre?" Serena questioned, to which Stan nodded.

"Yep. But don't worry, kid hates me now so he's going to okay with that looney killing me, so I don't have to worry about anything ever again!" With that, Stan left the shop to put the sack in the Mystery Machine. He failed to notice all the weirded-out looks from everybody.

"He does know that Ash doesn't hate somebody so far that he would kill them, right?" Bonnie questioned her brother, who shrugged helplessly.

"Let's just leave him to his fantasies for now, Bonnie." He told her before they all begin to make their way towards the Mystery Machine.

Suddenly Serena remembers something. "Hey, Shaggy, did you ask Madame Macabre if there was someway to get your voice back to normal?"

This makes Shaggy sigh. "Like, I tried too. But she told me this thing is going be permanent. I guess I'm stuck with this creepy voice forever..." Serena gives him a sympathetic look as they all enter the van. Now they're fill with determination to save their raven-haired friend as they set off towards the Cryptic Cliffs.

Author's Note: I have to say, I got a lot of response from that last chapter. I even got the reviewers/reviewer from my Be Cool, Pikachu!: XY and Zombies story to review on that cliffhanger. Wow, maybe I should do this to you guys more often! Anyway, yep, Ash is possessed by the Specter, otherwise known as the Spirit of Emperor Guo-Mo. Bet most of you didn't see that coming. Good news, we got to see a little of Ash in this chapter. Sorry if the Resist Scene isn't that good, I always like that type of stuff but when it comes down to writing it is very difficult. I even have to ask Joltie for help on it! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, because things are going to get suspenseful in the next!

SHOUTOUTS!

Joltie: Ha, I guess I even startled the great detective, right? You're right, I am smiling as I read all of your comments. It seems you understand what's going on now. Yeah I tried to base off the Possession around those two, they always get my interest when it comes to possession. I hope you like this chapter and that you're still surprise from that horrible plot twist! ;)

Guest: You're right about that.

Joshua Ketchum: Don't worry, he is the victim, if the chapter didn't clear it up for you. I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Steel Heart Alchemist: Wow, I really think I just killed you with that last chapter. I'm glad you're back and I hope things are going well with your stories. Aw, thank you! Do you really think I could win something like that? Well, you're half right. The Specter did tested out which boy was the Pure One by possessing them, as you can see those who have failed are left with limbo-state minds. Yeah, I've never seen any good Possessed Ash fan fictions during the XY Saga, but I'm glad you enjoy that twist! Oh, Stan nearly swearing for real... That's something from Gravity Falls if you're wondering! It really was there! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

CMC: Thanks! Nice to see you again. I'm glad you enjoy this story and the twist I gave all of you!

Blaze: Hi! I didn't have a day off per-say, but I'm back in my Scooby-Doo/Pokémon crossover stories. Ha, yeah, that was really funny. Got it from Gravity Falls.

Lightwing: Nice to see you again! :D I'm glad you're enjoying this sequel this so far.

Darkwing: Hello again! Hope you're enjoying this story and that little plot twist I left! :)

Skarloey: Hi again! Nice to know that you're enjoying all the good jokes I put in here! Oh, that voice thing was inspired by a Gravity Falls episode called Bottomless Pit. There was a scene there that made me laugh hysterical so I wanted to do that scene with the XY Gang and Shaggy. I hope that turned out hilarious.

Peter Sam: Hi! Yep, I'm back with a sequel for The Case of the Hotel Ghoul! Don't worry, I'm not planning too! ;)

Sir Handel: Thank you! This is actually a sequel to my Ghoul Story.

Rusty: Hi! Thanks, it was all thanks to Steel Heart Alchemist for helping getting the inspiration for writing a sequel. Check out their own Scooby-Doo/Pokémon crossover called Trainer's Island Curse.

Mighty Mac: Hey! Yep, I did another Scooby-Doo/Pokémon crossover and this is a sequel to my Ghoul Story. I'm glad you're liking this so far!

Cody: Nice to see you again. Yep, back with a sequel to my Ghoul Story. I'm glad you think it's creative!

sunnyflight530: Wow, it seems I manage to leave everyone jaw-dropped with that cliffhanger.