Welcome to another entry in Traveler! This entry is a different length than other companion stories, since it is longer than a one-shot but being planned to be only nine chapters long. Additionally, the format and the content also differ from other stories, but that will be detailed in the story itself. I will say that this story has major spoilers for all games taking place in Alola, and spoilers for parts of the Traveler series itself. Other than that, I do not own Pokémon, and enjoy!

1. Scary Start

Welcome to a tale of hauntings.

A place of tricks and treats.

A story of lost souls, and wandering spirits.

An account whose characters are the mischievous, the playful, the terrifyingly adorable, and the downright menacing.

Yet they all have one thing in common…

And that is…

Their Ghostly Goals!

And what are these goals exactly?

Well, to spook and scare all opposition, and make it to the top of Pokémon Ultra Moon's Pokémon League.

Every single ghost in existence is invited to this challenge, and they will give it their all.

With a few restrictions, of course.

For starters, all ghosts come from a faraway land called the Pokémon Bank. This means that they will receive more experience in battle, but will have trouble fighting and obeying commands if they receive too much. Almost all ghosts start at level 1.

Starting ghosts also have rules of their own. Ghosts called legendary are still allowed. However, they start at levels higher than 1, and thus can only be traded in once it is ensured they will obey commands. All legendary ghosts are available. The Pokémon called Oricorio, Rotom, Lunala, and Hoopa are allowed, but they must remain in forms that allow them to be Ghost Type for the entirety of the run. Conversely, Arceus and Silvally are not allowed due to the difficulty of trading them over with their respective items. Pokémon that can evolve into Ghost Types are also allowed, even before they evolve. However, I am not allowed to capture any Ghost types other than what I start with or am traded during the run. If a Pokémon capture is mandatory, I must not use that Pokémon.

Pokémon experience has a few rules too. The ghosts won't be fighting wild Pokémon very often, due to already having extra experience gains. Pokémon Refresh and the Experience Share will not be used except in cases of emergency. Poké Pedalgo and Festival Plaza will not be used in this particular file outside of tutorials. There's also an area called the postgame that is not required to be completed, although I may decide to do it if it interests me.

However, the ghosts are not alone in their fight, and may receive help from more corporal sources. Corporal sources such as Pokémon Ultra Sun and Sun. Pokémon Ultra Sun and Sun are completed files that have almost everything. Pokémon may be traded over to these files for things such as the Move Relearner, evolution items, leveling up using Poké Pedalgo, and services from the Festival Plaza.

Most of the ghosts come with the default moves, with a few exceptions. Such exceptions will be pointed out within the playthrough. All of them also have default abilities with random natures. None of them will be bred for better traits, and I do not plan on using EV training unless I have no other option. Customization and photos will not be used for this run.

With all of the rules out of the way, my last explanation is the reason why I'm doing this run. One reason is because this run is called a monotype run, and it's one of the few challenges that I have not completed successfully. Ultra Moon is one of the more difficult games in the series, and Ghost is not a very frequent type, so I figured this would be a decent challenge.

Another has to do with story reasons. Ghostly Goals is part of a series called Traveler. Traveler has a character called the Mold Breaker. The Mold Breaker loves using Ghosts and has a strong bond with them. This character eventually receives a Pokémon called Marshadow, but only after going through a test in which she must navigate areas using Ghost Types. This area may not be Alola and her team may not be exactly the same, as newer games come out or her character wields different Pokémon. However, this run will give me an idea of the types of challenges she will face, what she will be expected to overcome, and how strong a team of ghosts could realistically be. Unlike some of my other logs with Traveler, this log will not be replicated fatefully because of the above reasons. Furthermore, it will not become a story of its own, instead becoming part of a book in the series called Mold Breaker. However, it still covers many important events in that book, and in its protagonist's development. Therefore, it is still considered part of the Traveler series.

Finally, this log will not go into a lot of the story aspects of Ultra Moon. This is because Traveler changes the story of Alola, and the Pokémon universe at large, drastically. Furthermore, I already have some other logs that comment more on the story of the games, so doing it again is fairly repetitive. However, be warned that there will probably still be spoilers for the games inside this log, and maybe even some pertaining to story.

With all this done, it is finally time for the spooky start!

After a few cutscenes, it's finally time to choose the Pokémon to lead with. Although I won't be using this Pokémon, it's still important. The reason is that which Pokémon I choose determines some of the ones that I fight for the rest of the game. There are three choices: Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio. The former two both evolve into Pokémon that ghosts are weak to. However, the latter does not. So in order to fight Popplio and its forms throughout the game, I have to pick Rowlet. As for how this all works, I will explain later. It's also worth noting that Rowlet is not nicknamed, because it's basically the tutorial.

The reason for choosing Rowlet is soon revealed after. There is a Pokémon Trainer called Hau, and he chooses Popplio. Hau is fought many times throughout the game, so I will also be fighting Popplio. Hau will automatically choose whatever starter the player is strong against. Which means that if I had chosen either of the other two, I would've had to constantly do battle against them. That's not particularly something that would have been enjoyable.

Regardless, there's the game's first battle… It's just a tutorial, so it's hardly worth mentioning… Choose some super effective attacks, and I win. Also, I battle against a Spearow… Hardly worth the bother…

It seems I have to head to Iki Festival next, but there's a bunch of Trainers along the way… Other than a lot of Trainers battling me at once, they don't seem to pose much of an issue… There's another battle with Hau, but it's as easy as the last…

Unfortunately, the tutorial still continues, and now I need to head to the south… There are more Trainers there, but they go down without a struggle… At last, I enter the professor's lab, and a new partner is mine…

Well, sort of…

The professor gives me a Rotom, but it doesn't participate in battle. Instead, it heads into the Pokédex, where I can interact with it by answering questions. Continuing to do this forms a bond with Rotom, and then it can unleash helpful and powerful abilities in battle… Some of which that can really turn the tide… So I'll be interacting with it probably just as much as with the regular team, even though I don't have any of those powers now… Fitting that a Rotom becomes a permanent part of the ghostly gang…

Speaking of the ghostly gang, the tutorial is finally over, and I can get my members of my team for real!

Now, the challenge truly starts!

And that is all by getting to the first Pokémon Center.

After a brief explanation of how the Centers work, I'm free to browse my PC.

And that's where I have the first look at the contenders.

The first is Ragged, a Shuppet. He only knows Knock Off, despite being a pure Ghost Type. His evolution is solid, and it can become even stronger with a Mega Evolution. Unfortunately, I can't get that Mega Evolution in this run, so he is passed over.

Next is Greta, a Misdreavus. She has the useful ability in Levitate, and can be evolved easily with a Dusk Stone. She also has a fairly varied moveset and good moves to start. Her set is Growl, Psywave, and Spite. This means she can damage the common Normal Types without being hit by their attacks. That is immensely useful, so on the team she goes.

The third ghost is not so lucky. His name is Sprout, and he's a Gastly. He has Lick and Hypnosis. He is unfortunately Poison and Ghost. His stats are good, and he's immune to one of the most debilitating status effects in the game. But this comes at the cost of being weak to Psychic Types, which ghosts should normally be able to handle. And he doesn't learn much in the way of poisonsous moves. His final evolution is also difficult to get, and I can't even use its full power thanks to Mega Evolution. So I won't be using him…

Jan is next, and she's unfortunately not that useful either… She starts with Constrict and Minimize. As a Driftloon, she's one of the few Ghost and Flying Types in the game, but she's extremely frail and doesn't possess good moves… I might use her if I'm desperate, but I have something else in mind…

That something else isn't poor Forest, though… He's a Phantump, which means his stats aren't the greatest, and his evolution is difficult to obtain. His moveset isn't bad, consisting of Tackle and Confuse Ray. He also has a good Ability that has him healed of status effects when he switches out... Unfortunately, there's not much else to him, and there are better options out there…

One of which is Nicole, an Oricorio. She's the only other option for a flyer, and she learns mostly Flying Type moves. However, she also has a unique move called Revelation Dance that changes Type depending on what Type she is. It's pretty powerful, and since she's currently Ghost, so is the move. It's her only move of that Type though, so I'll be relying on other ones. She also has Pound for neutral damage, but it's much weaker. Seeing as she's better than the other option, she's currently on the team.

The next poor soul isn't, though. She's Inga, a Froslass. She's also the only Pokémon to already be evolved, coming with powerful moves like Powder Snow and Ominous Wind. Unfortunately, she's rather frail, and the Ice Type is fairly weak. She might be an option if I desperately need an Ice Type, but it doesn't seem that way.

Moon, a Duskull, is another one that won't be used. He has Leer and Night Shade. His evolutions are slow, but powerful defensively, with the last one gaining a massive boost in attack. Unfortunately, it takes quite a while to get there, and he isn't anything impressive by himself. So I pass over him.

The next one, Cameron, I don't. He is a Litwick, and he has the ability to completely resist fire attacks, using them to power his own. He comes with two good offensive moves, matching both of his Types. His stats and movepool are both good, so he's a contender. However, there's something else I want to try, so I will just keep him in mind.

Theater is another interesting one. He's a Yamask, which gives him an excellent Ability in Mummy. It also gives some good defensive stats. He has the moves Astonish, Protect, and Disable. Not a bad Pokémon, but something I've used before. I would like a little variety.

Variety like Transparent the Nincada. Transparent is a bit of an interesting gaze as his stats don't really matter. What matters is that he eventually leaves behind a Pokémon called Shedinja. Shedinja is a ghost with only one HP. However, it also has Wonder Guard, allowing it not to be hit by anything that isn't super effective or causing indirect damage. It's a pretty good ability, but it also makes the Pokémon rather frail. And once again, it takes Nincada a while to get there, so not worth it at this time.

There is a Pokémon that is worth it, though. And that is Merry the Spirtomb. She is a combination of Ghost and Dark, which makes her weak only to fairies. She is a bit slow, but has a good moveset, even from the start. She comes with Pursuit, Confuse Ray, Spite, and Shadow Sneak. Not to mention she has fairly good offensive stats. So I will be taking her with me.

A Pokémon I won't be taking with me is Alanna. She's a useful type in Ghost and Steel as a Honedge. She already knows Tackle, Swords Dance, Destiny Bond, and Shadow Sneak. Unfortunately, she's not all that powerful until she reaches her final stage, and it takes a while to get there. Her final stage must also be played strategically, trading offense for defense constantly. So I won't be using her.

There is someone I will be, though. His name is Sinbad. He is a Dhelmise, and is a Grass Type as well as a Ghost Type. His ability, Steelworker, also allows him to do extra damage with Steel Type moves. He already has a fantastic move set in Absorb, Growth, Rapid Spin, and Astonish. So he's going with me.

The next contestant, Abraham, is my favorite species of all time, Mimkyu. He has a fantastic Typing and Ability, along with Swords Dance, Scratch, Astonish, and Copycat. Him joining the team is a given.

The next Pokémon, Mineral, can't say the same. He's a Sableye, with Leer and Scratch. Unfortunately, his stats aren't that great, and he can't get access to his Mega Evolution to make them better. So he's just inferior to Merry,

Sandbox the Sandygast is an interesting choice because he has a good moveset and Typing in Ghost and Ground. He already has Absorb and Harden. Unfortunately, he's very slow despite having good defenses. But seeing as he is the only one of his Type for now, I'll probably consider using him.

The next Pokémon is Valkyrie, a Cubone. She's interesting because she evolves into a Ghost and Fire type, but only in Alola. That form is something I've never used before, so I want to try it out. However, her only move is Growl, so she will need to rely on the others for a while.

That's the full team of six, but there's still a few Pokémon remaining. I suppose I should go over them.

There is Wisp, who is a Rotom. He is an Electric type with Levitate, which is immensely useful. Unfortunately, he is crippled by the loss of his forms, and tends to be mainly supportive. It's already seen in his default moveset: Astonish, Thunder Wave, Thundershock, and Confuse Ray. Useful as he is, I don't need a supporter, so I won't be using him.

The next one is Ruin. He is a Ground and Ghost type with Pound, Astonish, and Defense Curl, and is a Golett. Unfortunately, his Ability makes it so he can't wield items at all, and it takes him a while to evolve. Basically, Sandbox is the better choice.

There's Marlin the Rowlet. There's not much to say about him, seeing as he is the same species as the Pokémon that was used in the tutorial.

The final member is Sally, a Frillish. She gets good defenses and offenses and when she evolves, but that's a ways off, and she's rather frail until then. She currently knows Bubble, Water Sport, and Recover. I'm not interested in using her now, but she is my only Water Type, so she may see use later.

More contestants will join later, but for now that's all them.

Rowlet was level 10 when the tutorial was done, so I'd like to get my six to around there.

Luckily, it's something I find easy, but tedious.

There's a Pokémon called Slowpoke that gives a lot of experience and its only attacking move is Tackle. Since everyone save Valkyrie is a Ghost, Tackle can do no damage, and I can slowly whittle the opponent down. That also allows me to get everyone in the fight, allowing them all to get experience and making training much faster. Since they're all leveled, they gain experience quickly, and become level 6.

After that, it's a chore finding more Slowpokes, and the ghosts level slowly. They can also do much more damage, so it's mostly switching in and out. Regardless, a few more fights, and everyone is at level 8. Greta gains experience faster than the others, so she is at level 9.

Regardless, I gain some new tools for my trouble. Valkyrie finally gets an offensive move in the form of Bone Club, as well as another defensive move in the form of Tail Whip. Merry gets an upgrade with Feint Attack over Pursuit. Nicole gets Growl and Peck. Abraham sees himself using Double Team. Sinbad now has a fantastic move for this point in the game, Mega Drain.

So not too much gameplay, as there is introduction to the Pokémon within and the rules. But next time this run will really kick off, as my Pokémon head toward their ghostly goals.