A/N: Eeep! So sorry about the format issues. I'm currently trying to fix these problems, so please bear with me...thanks!
AJ was exhausted. Somehow, being asleep for three days did not leave him at all refreshed. He felt as if he had been up for three days instead. As he sluggishly made his way into the lobby of the Pokémon Center, he did his best to explain to Melody what happened. All he knew was that after he made it to his room and fell asleep, that was when Haunter "kidnapped" him and Eeveen, and he told her as much.
"Blitzle shit." Melody didn't seem to believe him, and she folded her arms as she stared sternly. "So AJ, you feel like telling me the truth here?"
AJ sighed. "I just know what I saw, I guess. Everything after I went to sleep was part of that Haunter's nightmare. How about you? What happened?"
"You mean, to me?" Melody shrugged. "Nothing. I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard you guys shouting at someone. When I went to knock on your door, an Eevee shot of there like a bullet and almost hit me! It took me a second to realize that the insane Eevee was just Eeveen. I guess the giveaway was when Lunaria and Solaris went cuckoo yelping and squeaking after him."
"Did I do anything weird either?" AJ asked her.
"You weren't any better. You were ranting on about a ghost and you just ran right after him, shouting and waving your arms around like a madman. Of course, I went after you guys. I was worried. I just about panicked when you two all of a sudden collapsed in the lobby."
AJ tried to think about it a little. Somehow they apparently acted out what happened in the dream a little. Maybe that too was Haunter's doing. He looked back up just in time to notice a frantic Eeveen standing in front of the exit to the Pokémon Center, having a bit of a stand-off with Cheren. Apparently, he wouldn't let him leave.
"Come on, Cheren!" Eeveen complained, darting to and fro as he tried to go around him, "I'm not interested in being haunted!"
"I can't let you go alone!" Cheren folded his arms, "I won't budge an inch until we have a plan of action here."
"I told you what I'm going to do!"
AJ couldn't help "Glad to see you're doing well."
Eeveen spun around, pointing an accusatory finger at Cheren. "AJ! Make him move! We can't just-"
"Eeveen!" Cheren grabbed him by the shoulders and firmly pushed him onto a bench, "Settle down! Take a deep breath. If you just rush out there-"
"Settle down?!" Eeveen shook his head. "You weren't the one who got dream-napped!"
AJ took up a seat next to Eeveen. "Look. Running out there alone isn't gonna help. Let's go to the hotel together."
"What?" Cheren clearly didn't expect that response. "You too, hm?"
AJ quickly recapped his tale to Cheren. He wanted to solve this quickly, and Eeveen's impatience was contagious. "Listen. Whatever's going on could be a big problem if we don't figure this out. Are you going to help us, Cheren?"
"Of course. If this Pokémon attacks again, more people could be in danger." Cheren seemed reluctant in spite of his words. "I'm just concerned about you two. Are you sure you're okay? You aren't Pokémon. I can't imagine getting attacked by a ghost is at all healthy. You and Eeveen should stay behind and rest."
"Actually..." Eeveen transformed into his Eevee form. "I kind of am a Pokémon."
"You know what I mean!" Cheren shook his head at the smirking Eeveen as he resumed his human form. "I have to insist on this. Melody, help me out here."
AJ turned to Melody. "Come on, Melly. You know it can't wait..."
"Me?" Melody scratched her head, "Well, I can't blame you guys for wanting to solve this right away. I think we should see it through as soon as possible."
AJ smiled at her, relieved. Maybe she was on his side after all. "Melly..."
"Really? Am I the only one who sees the danger here!?" Cheren shot one of his stubborn glares between all three of them.
"That's not...ugh!" AJ sighed and smacked his forehead with a palm. "Fine, fine. I'll do whatever you want after we get this solved, okay!?" AJ stood up. "Let's do this." As he left the Pokémon Center, Cheren did not get in the way again. Instead, AJ saw Eeveen and Melody trail behind him, a still reluctant Cheren taking the rear.
Cheren sighed in resigned frustration. "For the love of Mew, I hope I wasn't this crazy four years ago..."
AJ stood in the lobby of the hotel, somewhat puzzled. Maybe he was simply over-tired, but the hotel somehow looked much neater in the daylight. It was clean, modern, and overall average-looking. There were several people chatting in the hall, and the receptionist greeted the group with a grin. This was not at all like the dingy, run-down mess he saw last night. "Hm. Somehow it looked a lot worse in here earlier."
"What are you talking about? It's exactly like it was last night." Melody replied, "What was it like to you?"
"Dirty, dusty, run-down, and just plain yuck." AJ walked across the lobby, heading for a nearby stairwell. "Haunter said we'd find our answers in the basement."
"Then here's as good a place to start as any." Eeveen started to descend the stairs ahead of AJ. "I just hope Haunter keeps its word."
AJ paused. "Hang on a second." He wanted to be certain his pal was by his side this time. He drew out Thorn's Pokéball and released him, sighing in relief when the familiar turtle appeared by his side. Thorn seemed equally pleased, and he nuzzled his trainer's leg.
AJ smiled and scratched the Grotle in his favorite spot just behind his head-plate. "It's been a while, huh boy. Ready to go?"
"Grotle, gro." The Pokémon replied, nibbling at his pant leg slightly.
"How about a Flash, Thorn? Let's get some light in there."
"Gro!" Thorn's shell lit up and started to glow, illuminating the passageway. The stairs lead right down into a large room, barely lit by Thorn's luminescence.
"Everyone ready?" AJ asked.
Eeveen nodded. "Uh huh. I've got the girls right here." He nudged Lunaria with a leg as he patted Solaris, who had draped herself over his shoulders like a purple boa.
"My team's ready to go." Cheren responded. "Patrat and Lillipup are both raring to go."
"Ivory's okay too." Melody said, already walking down the steps. "C'mon. Let's get this over with."
AJ followed her, Eeveen and Cheren taking the back. As he and Thorn reached the bottom of the stairs, he was greeted with a strange sight. The room looked like a utility and storage room. There was a big water heater in one corner, and stacks of boxes lined the walls. What caught his eye was the set of doors, nearly hidden by a stack of boxes. AJ got the feeling that whatever was here was supposed to be kept there. Why else would someone go to the trouble of hiding these doors? AJ moved the boxes aside, and with everyone's help, the job was very quickly done, revealing a rather intimidating set of double-doors. The big, steel doors were wrapped in...twine?
No. It wasn't twine.
As he approached the doors, he noticed that the twine was in fact, painted metal wire. It was firmly wrapped around the doors and between the door-jamb, ending in a rusty, open padlock. Now that he was closer, he could see dots of rust all over the metal and between the braids of wire. It looked like nobody had opened these doors in a long time, years at least. As he reached for the padlock, AJ saw the lock suddenly swing open and drop off, clattering to the floor at his feet. He withdrew his hand in a start, looking back at his companions. Their expressions all mirrored his own confused astonishment.
"Did that just...fall off on its own?" Cheren asked.
"I-I didn't even touch it! It just popped off all by itself...!" AJ was beginning to get a bad sense of déjà vu. This was too much like last night! Or, several nights ago, as it were.
Eeveen asked, "Is whatever Haunter wants us to see in here? I got a funny feeling-"
As if answering his nervous question, the wire unwrapped itself from the doors, landing at AJ's feet in a pile like a limp snake. AJ found himself backing away from the doors as they creaked open of their own accord, shedding little flakes of rust as they parted. Thorn's light only revealed a forked, concrete corridor, leading somewhere off into the distance to his left and straight ahead.
"I'm seriously creeped out now." Melody said, seeming to speak for everyone. "Something's definitely here...and it wants us here too."
"Keep your Pokémon close, everyone." Cheren let out his Lillipup as he spoke, "Don't take any unnecessary risks."
Melody nervously edged closer to AJ as she unleashed Ivory. "Um, it looks like the path branches off ahead. Maybe we should split up. We can-"
"NO!" AJ and Eeveen blurted together. AJ looked back at Eeveen, pausing and allowing him to continue, "Are you nuts?! I bet that's what it wants us to do. Horror movies are just like that too! Split 'em up, pick 'em off one by one, then-"
"Quit it!" Melody waved a hand at Eeveen, "Yeesh, sorry I mentioned that."
AJ ignored the argument behind him. His attention was on a faint, purple light that seemed to be flickering down the path leading straight ahead. The light was distant, but it was definitely there.
"What are you staring at?" Cheren asked. AJ ignored him. He was focused on the light drawing closer. Just what was that thing?
"GET IN THERE!"
AJ barely had time to flinch at the shrill shriek before something shoved him hard from behind, forcing him to stumble into the corridor. AJ spun around just in time to see the doors slam shut in his face. He froze in bewildered terror for a moment, searching for who, or what did this. Nobody spoke for several long moments, and they were clearly just as spooked as he was.
"Gaaah!" Eeveen shot forward suddenly, grabbing one door, "Lemme out of here, you jerk! This isn't funny!" Eeveen's yanking and pulling yielded no results. The doors did not budge one inch, no matter how hard Eeveen seemed to tug on it. A soft giggle from behind the door made AJ back away again, and Eeveen simply froze up, still clinging to the handles.
"Something's very wrong!" Cheren commented, "Who would do this to us?!"
Who indeed? AJ shook his head. "I guess we don't have a choice now. We have to go further in here and-"
"No we don't! This is too much!" Eeveen was grabbing his head and cringing, "It's last night all over again! I can't take another kidnapping! I can't! I-!"
"Eeveen!" AJ grabbed him roughly and shook his shoulders, "Get a grip! Panicking is just gonna make it worse!"
"AJ..." Eeveen was shaking in AJ's grip. AJ found himself at a loss for words. What could he say? He was scared too for Mew's sake! Whoever does crap like this was seriously wrong in the head.
"Look, standing around and freaking out won't get us out of here." AJ looked up at Cheren, who was standing further down the corridor at the intersection. "Let's just concentrate on getting out. Then, we'll figure out who's messing with us."
"And kick his ass!" Melody chimed in, earning a nod and a "Wak!" of agreement out of Ivory.
"Y-yeah..." Eeveen still sounded spooked, but at least he seemed to regain his composure a little. He pulled out of AJ's grasp and straightened himself up sheepishly. "I'm sorry."
"How about this way? It's as good a start as any." Cheren was starting to make his way down the path leading straight. No sooner did he do that when a violet , translucent wall suddenly sprang up in front of him! The barricade's light illuminated a strange, amorphous figure floating just behind it. It was a violet ball of energy with a glowing, green set of eyes and jagged-toothed maw. The thing's grin widened and it launched a black beam of energy, bouncing backward off the barrier as Cheren spun around and bolted in wide-eyed fright, his terrified Lillipup yelping and yipping at his heels. AJ rushed down the side-path, following an equally scared Melody and Eeveen down the hall as the thing's cackle echoed in the basement. AJ rushed into the first room he saw, which was conveniently just ahead, and slammed the door shut. More of the unnerving sounds told him that the thing was still trying to shoot the barrier down.
"W-w-what the hell was that?!" Melody sputtered.
"How should I know!?" AJ blurted back, "I don't wanna get anywhere near that thing!"
"I-I've read about this Pokémon before." AJ turned to Cheren, who seemed like he was ready to bolt again at any moment. "I-its a Spiritomb. We're in serious trouble."