Red finally woke up as they were traveling through Viridian Forest. The whole forest had been transformed into one of Viridian's biggest Halloween attractions: The Haunted Forest. Fortunately, the Forest would not be starting until seven o'clock, so it was still open for public travel.
"This place gets creepier and creepier every year they do it" Green said with a shudder.
"It's not so bad" Red said in a comforting way. He was walking behind Green, and seemed to be very obsessed with staying behind her at all times.
"What's with you?" Green asked in annoyance.
"I'm waiting for the right moment to knock you out and tie you up until I have time to get rid of this costume and burn it" Red said simply.
'Or is it because there is an opening in the back of Green's skirt that you're staring into?' Ash though. Verbally he said: "Umm... Green? There's a hole in your dress."
Green began subtly swinging her hips back and forth. "I know" she replied. Suddenly, she whirled around and punched Red between the legs, since her feet were constricted by the costume. The poor boy let out a quiet wheezing sound before falling to the ground.
"Pervert" Green muttered. "And now you've got dirt on your costume."
Ash face palmed. Obviously, Green had placed that opening there on purpose. He helped Red to his feet and continued walking.
"I knew that was a bad idea" Red sputtered quietly. "But she did it on purpose, I'm sure." He scratched at the costume he wore.
"This thing is going to suffocate me! I swear, if I don't get it off within an hour, I'm gonna flip out!"
Gary moved behind Red and muttered in his ear: "I think I can arrange that."
A minute later, Red doubled over in pain.
"What's wrong?" Ash asked.
Gary moved over to Red, as if he were actually concerned about the nonexistent injury. "There's something wrong with his leg."
Blue turned to try and help, but Gary waved him away. "I can take care of it. You guys keep going."
Blue shrugged and ushered the rest of the group around a corner.
Gary quickly pulled a pocket knife out of- you guessed it- his pocket. A few seconds later, the ruined costume lay on the ground in shreds.
"You realize she's going to kill us both, right?" Red said worriedly.
Gary smiled. "Only if she can catch us in that restricting- yet incredibly sexy- mermaid fin."
"What if she takes it off?"
"Then we'll have to outrun her in a pair of jeans."
"She didn't have any jeans from what I could tell while I was... er... plotting."
Gary grinned. "Then that will be a very interesting chase."
Aaron was relaxed.
He looked onward at the creatures before him. Whizzing around wildly, the Unown were a sight to see.
"They're becoming even more restless" a worried assistant informed him.
"Yes" Aaron muttered. "It is only a matter of hours, maybe even minutes, before we'll have to let them out."
The assistant paled. "You're actually going to release them?"
Aaron turned to him with a smile. "The frequency waves I asked you to pulse into the cage are still online?"
"Yes."
Aaron turned fully to face the man. "Would you like to know what those waves are?"
"Certainly sir."
"They convey a message" Aaron said, turning back to the cage. "The message is in Latin, at a pitch just at the top of the Unowns' hearing ability, which is much higher than a human's mind you."
Walking closer, Aaron touched the wall of the cage. "The Latin message is being encoded into the minds of every Unown. As we speak, they are receiving instructions to travel out into the night and fulfill their goal."
The assistant was shaking slightly. "And... what is that sir?"
Aaron chuckled. "The Unown can warp reality. I'm simply going to make this, and a good while afterwards, the most memorable Halloween ever."
The assistant was not impressed. "That's stupid."
Aaron grinned even wider. "To you, maybe. But, it will certainly not seem stupid to the, ah, victims." He turned to another scientist. "The cage must be opened in exactly twelve minutes and twenty-three seconds." The scientist complied, typing the numbers on a keypad. "Ready to release, sir."
Aaron looked out on the town of Saffron City.
"Soon" he muttered. "Soon..."
"You... Did... WHAT?"
Red turned his head in shame as Green screeched her displeasure at him.
"Do you have ANY idea how long it took me to make that? I spent an entire weekend getting all the details right!" tears filled her eyes. "Instead of liking my work, you protest against it. Then, when I make you put on the outfit I worked so hard on, you just tear it to ribbons and leave it there?"
There was a loud thumping noise. Green had punched Red once again. The force made Red's eyes pop out of his head- metaphorically- and he coughed up a bit of blood.
"Calm down Green" Gary cautioned.
As Green turned, Gary saw the most horrible look he'd ever been able to imagine on the girl's face. This was the face he imagined Medusa would have, except, it didn't have the mercy of turning people to stone.
"You are just as bad as him" Green said quietly. Gary knew he was in trouble. When Green was loud and abusive, it meant she was mad. When she went quiet and started speaking softly, she was going to kill you.
"N-now, let's not be too over-reactive about this" Gary stuttered.
Green's eyes burned with hate as she prepared to attack.
"Oh, look. We're here!" Ash said loudly.
Gary and Green realized that they had still somehow made progress while they were arguing. Pewter City stretched out before them.
"How the crap did that happen?" Gary asked.
Drew and Harley approached the group. Harley was wearing the same outfit he always wore, which made him look like a Cacturn. Drew had on a white toga and was holding an old-fashioned lyre.
"The Cacturn and his Greek master" Yellow commented. "Nice choice."
"What's Greek?" Drew asked in confusion.
Next came Paul. He was wearing what appeared to be a roll of toilet paper which had been wrapped around his entire body.
"A mummy. That's a classic" Dawn marveled. "At least he didn't dress up in that other costume with all the entrails hanging out and-"
"Let's not mention that" Paul said loudly.
Kenny was dressed up as the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. Barry was a Flaffy. He stood there in embarrassment in his pink jump-suit with white cotton sewn onto it.
"Flaffy is manly" he protested.
The last person who had left the house ahead of the others was Conway. He was dressed as a Slowking, and was currently trying to avoid being knocked over by the weight of the live Shelder which he had placed on his head.
"You spray-painted a Shelder and are using it as a hat?" Sapphire asked. "That's Pokemon cruelty! You should leave that poor Shelder alone!"
Conway straightened his glasses. "Actually, this Shelder belongs to me. And it was her idea in the first place."
Meanwhile, another group of people was approaching. Ash turned to see who it was.
"Brock! Misty!" he cried. Quickly, he dashed over to where they stood.
"What? No hug? Not even a "Hello"? What kind of greeting is that?" Lt Surge, leader of the Vermilion City Gym complained.
"It's good to see you too Surge" Ash said, which appeared to be what the Lieutenant was looking for.
"It's good to see you as well Ash" Erika, the Celadon City Gym Leader said jovially.
"Sure is" Jasmine, the Fuchsia City Gym Leader smiled. "Sorry, my father wasn't able to make it."
"That's fine" Ash assured her.
Jasmine was dressed in a purple ninja outfit, similar to the ones Gary and Blue wore. Erika's costume was quite unique, and seemed quite contrary to her usual style. It was a giant Victreebel arranged so it appeared to be eating her. There were even little blood spots around her neck to add to the effect. It was a wonderfully terrifying costume.
Lt Surge was dressed as a military commander- no doubt the actual uniform he had worn while in the military- along with an arsenal of painful-looking weapons. (Ash suspected that these were real as well.)
Brock was dressed as a tree. What imagination! What creativity! It nearly scared Ash to death.
"OMGAWSH! You're a frickin' tree and you're gonna kill me Brock!" he screamed in mock horror.
Brock did his best not to smile. "Thanks for the vote of confidence bird boy."
Misty stood between the two and stopped them from approaching each other. She was simply wearing a bathing suit that she usually wore around the Gym. Ash was sure she must be freezing. "Break it up guys!"
Ash and Brock had come up with a plan after Ash returned from Unova. They pretended that their time apart turned them into feuding enemies. So far, the only one who had figured it out was Misty. It really wasn't that hard to notice. They were more joking around than arguing.
Brock growled in annoyance and slunk away. This revealed the last two members of the party: Sabrina, the Saffron City Gym Leader, wearing a Kadabra costume, and Emerald.
Emerald wore a grey jump-suit with two yellow streamers flowing out from behind, as well as a long black arc stretching across the front of it like a closed eye. His face was grey with makeup, and he had arranged his hair into three points. One went up, and two went to either side. At the end of each tip was a blue piece of fabric.
"What are you Emerald?" Ruby asked.
Emerald looked up with hatred in his eyes. "Pissed" he replied, before somehow jump-kicking Ruby in the chest with amazing force and flexibility. The poor boy gasped for air as he bent over in pain.
"You left me at the airport" Emerald rasped. "If I hadn't found Sabrina and gone with her, I never would have made it out" he turned to Sabrina. "I guess it's nice to be stuck in a city with a psychic."
Sabrina shrugged. "I simply had a premonition that I should kick over a garbage can, and that was that."
"Well, it's a good thing you made it" Red said, finally having recovered from being attacked by Green.
Emerald shrugged. "It's all good now that I've kicked this idiot" he gestured toward Ruby, who was curled up and muttering about internal bleeding. "Are you guys up for a night of candy and horror?"
Everyone nodded their agreement.
"It's time" Aaron announced.
Several people in the room looked up in confusion. "What time is it sir?" one asked.
Instead of answering, Aaron turned to the scientist at the control panel for the Unown cage. "Is the timer connected to the release?"
The scientist simply nodded. He gestured to the display, which read: 00:25:4. Barely more than twenty-five seconds.
(AN: The digits on the countdown are: Minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.)
Aaron nodded. "Let it be known to all that this is a day that will be remembered throughout the ages! I, Aaron, Conqueror of the Unown, am about to unleash a horror upon this world that has never even been comprehended!"
He turned toward the cage. "These Unown will warp the very fabric of time and space, causing darkness, and horror. The world will finally know the true meaning of FEAR!"
At the last word, the timer hit zero. The cage opened, and the Unown burst out.
"I got a Tootsie Pop!"
"I got some gumdrops!"
"I got a Snickers bar!"
"I got a rock."
The group had separated into smaller units. Red, Misty, May, and Drew were grouped together. As they traveled through Pewter City.
"Why did they all give me a rock?" Red asked. "Do I look like Charlie Brown or something?"
Drew smirked. "It's probably because you don't have an actual costume!"
Red threw a scowl at him. "I've got a great costume!"
"Yeah" May snickered. "One that hasn't been washed since the day you got it."
Red's face took on the hue of a beet. "I just washed it a week or so ago."
"Do you even have any other clothes?" Misty asked. "Those are the same ones you're almost always wearing. In fact, I think the only reason you got those is because you outgrew the other outfit which you used to wear all the time."
Red scowled. "Can we just move on?"
The others agreed, and the next house was approached.
This time, Red decided to have Pika do a "trick" for the person in the house. Pika stood up on its back legs in front of a lady as old as the city plus about eighty-five years.
"That's not a real Pokemon" the lady insisted, thinking that Pika was an actual Tepig.
"Yeah, it's from the Unova region" Red insisted.
The woman sniffed. "There are only two Regions that I care about: Kanto and Johto. Any others are as good as made-up to me."
With that, she dropped a rock into Red's bag.
Cursing quietly, Red looked down at the thirty-six collective rocks sitting in his bag. The only other object in the bag was a toothbrush supplied by the Pewter City dentist.
"Darn you Green! Why did Pika's costume have to be so lifelike?"
It was then that Drew noticed an ominous cloud of what appeared to be fog moving toward them.
"What kind of fog is that?" Drew asked.
Red shrugged. "Probably some kind of experimental thing they're doing for the Haunted Forest."
"But it's coming from the direction of Saffron City."
Red straightened up and realized that the gloom was, indeed, coming from the vicinity of Saffron, or possibly Celadon.
"It's probably some malfunction with their equipment" he shrugged.
May perked up. "It would have to be a pretty bad explosion to cause that much of a cloud."
"Drew is right" Misty declared. "There's something unnatural about that fog."
Red, the idiot that he was, decided to investigate the hazy wall.
"Don't touch it!" Misty called. But Red was already standing in the haze.
"Nothing is happening" he announced.
Slowly, the others moved to join him in the strange fog.
"what do you think it is Drew?" Misty asked, turning to the boy.
Drew looked confused. "Quis per haec vir tu dico?"
Red looked at Misty in confusion. "What did he say?"
May piped up from behind them. "He asked: 'Who is this man which you name?' In essence, he is asking who you are speaking to, since you appear to be speaking to him, but he does not know the name."
(AN: I couldn't get an exact translation. This was the closest.)
"How do you know that?" Misty asked. "And why wouldn't he recognize us?"
"Do you not speak Latin?" May asked. "It is the language of my forefathers. I learned it..." she drifted into thought. "I do not remember where I learned it.
"As for why he said that, I would not know. Perhaps you mistake him for someone else?"
Red was very confused. May should know above anyone else that Drew had been with them the whole time! They couldn't have mistaken him for another guy with green hair and a toga.
Yet, there was something oddly different about her. Her voice had taken on a strange accent. was it Arabic? Red wasn't sure.
"Oh, and next you're going to tell us that you don't know who we are either, right?"
May nodded. "Indeed, I do not. I do not even know how I got here. Could you possibly direct me back to my home?"
"Okay..." Red muttered. "That's creepy."
"It's like they have amnesia or something" Misty agreed.
Drew muttered something in Latin, and May translated. "He says that he also seems to have lost his way. He requests to know if we are still in Florence."
"Wait..." Red said slowly. "You mean like Italy?"
"What's Italy?" Misty asked. "And where the heck is Florence?"
"I do not know myself where this "Italy" place is" May replied. "I assume it is far from my homeland of Orre?"
"May, your homeland is Hoenn" Misty replied. "Why would you think you came from Orre?"
May's expression took on a contemplative look. "I have heard of Hoenn, but I am sure I've never been there."
Red stood in shock. "It's like they've both had some type of brainwashing to make them think they're people who they're not."
Drew attempted to speak, but this time, it came out quite differently.
" Como sprechen tu Babylonian?" Drew asked. It sounded as though he had just strung several different languages into one sentence.
"Umm... no. I speak English" Misty replied.
Drew looked puzzled. "No comprendo. Tu sprechen Dutch?"
"English?" Red asked. "You speak English?"
A look of realization covered Drew's features. "You speak in a tongue which is not often used by my people."
"What language would that be?" Misty asked.
"Helvanic Greek" Drew replied. (came up with that on the spot. IDK if it's an actual language) "It has not been used by my people since the Trojan War."
"The Who-Jan War?" Red asked.
(AN: These people don't know about our cultures and such, except Red and Yellow. Smart kids.)
Misty looked at Red. "I don't think he even knows what this place is" she turned to Drew. "Do you know what the word Pokemon means?"
"Never heard of it" Drew replied. "Is it some sort of pastry?"
"We're in trouble" Red said with a moan.
Meanwhile; Yellow, Silver, Dawn, and Diamond were down the street.
"How long have we been walking?" Diamond asked. "I have three pieces of candy so far."
"Shut up and wait" Dawn replied.
"That's it!" Diamond said, switching into a fake Transylvanian accent. "My appetizer tonight shall be Lopunny blood!"
Dawn laughed and pushed him away. "I'm sort of glad you don't have any candy yet. The last thing we need is a hyped-up Dia on sugar."
It was then that Diamond noticed the strange fog bank rolling in from in front of them.
"Let's run through that fog bank and see who will be the first to run into something" he proposed.
"I thought you wanted candy?" Yellow reminded him."
"I'll just take yours- but only if you can catch me!" he took off running.
"What kind on incentive is that?' Yellow called.
Diamond stopped and looked back. "C'mon, just see what it's like."
Yellow sighed and led the others to where Dia was standing. "Not like there's anything else to do right now..."
As they approached, Silver noticed that something was off about the fog.
"Does that fog seem a little... unnatural to anyone?" he asked.
"Not really" Dia replied. "It looks a little like a-" his reply was cut off abruptly.
"Dia? What's the matter?" Yellow asked.
A tendril of fog lightly caressed Dia's neck. He stood there for a moment, before clutching his chest and letting out a long howl.
"What the?" Silver asked in astonishment. He ran over to Dia, but suddenly seized up as well.
"What's up with you guys?" Dawn asked. A tendril of fog licked at her elbow, and she stiffened and collapsed as well.
"I knew something was screwy about this fog" Yellow muttered, receding from the brackish haze. "If I just stay ahead of it, I can-" she gasped as a nearly invisible wisp of the stuff made contact with her stomach.
Then, the changes began.
Dia's painted face transformed. Real skin replaced the makeup, but in the same chalky white color. The overlong fangs melted and fused to his actual teeth. His nails grew long and pointed.
Silver's costume melted and warped as rubber burned the skin away, before becoming a new layer of skin itself. Silver's teeth bulged and sharpened. The fake fur became real, twisting and warping to its new shape.
Dawn's costume melted into her skin, which was immediately covered in tan fur. Her hair receded into her head, and the ears became real. The cotton transformed into fur, and she soon resembled an average- if a bit tall- Lopunny.
Yellow's long hair pulled into her head until it was short-cut in true military style. The weapons she held became real- no longer simple toys. These were weapons which could kill.
Dia stood up and gave an animalistic snarl as he turned around. "So... thirsty."
Zeroing in on his prey, he took a step toward Dawn.
Dawn, who had somehow retained her ability to speak, look at Dia in confusion.
"Dia? What are you doing?"
Dia simply continued approaching her silently. Dawn began to wriggle away. Her bone structure was different, so she was moving very awkwardly.
"Sooo thirsty" Dia repeated in his strange accent. "And you look good enough to eat!"
Dawn gave a small shriek of fear. "Dia! What's wrong with you?"
Dia now stood directly above her. He began to lean over, the smell of iron thick in his mouth. His lips parted to reveal two huge fangs.
Dawn screamed in horror. Dia paid no attention. He grabbed her head and turned it sideways, leaving her neck exposed.
There was a loud crack as Dia was flung away. Dawn simply sat in horror, thinking about what had just happened.
"Excuse me, weird talking Lopunny thing" a voice called. I highly recommend that you leave the area."
Dawn turned in shock to see Yellow with an actual automatic rifle slung over her shoulder. In her hand, she held a grenade, and was preparing to throw it.
"No! Dawn cried. "You'll hurt them!"
Yellow snorted. "There are only a few ways to kill a vampire, and one way to kill a werewolf. None of them involve being hit by a grenade."
With that, Yellow used her teeth to wrench the pin out of the explosive and hurled it.
"Nooo!" Dia shrieked. "I must have bloo-"
His cry was cut short by the explosion. Dia went flying back. Silver, who was still unconscious, also was pushed back several feet.
"Let's go" Yellow said simply. "They'll wake up soon."
Dawn didn't hesitate in the least.
At the same moment, Brock, Erika, Ruby, and Sapphire were traveling down an adjacent street.
When an explosion shook the ground, all three turned to see where it had originated.
Hey, look" Ruby said dreamily, still a bit loopy from his recent encounter with Emerald's steel-toed boot. "There are some pretty clouds over there."
The other three turned to see the wall of fog drifting lazily toward them.
"Let's go run in the pretty floating water" Ruby insisted. He quickly began to make his way toward the fog.
"I don't think that's a good idea" Sapphire called. "We might get separated."
"Then you come too" Ruby insisted.
Grudgingly, the others began walking toward the mist.
Ruby was frolicking about, standing just outside the bank of fog.
"Wheee!" Ruby called. "This is..."
His sentence faded away as a tendril of fog touched his elbow.
"Ruby, what's wrong?" Sapphire asked.
Ruby's expression changed to one of pain, just as he pitched forward.
"Ruby!" Sapphire cried. Running over, she felt for a pulse.
"No no no no no!" Sapphire screamed. "Ruby, you can't just be dead! You have to..."
A wisp of fog connected with the back of her neck. Her eyes went glassy as her lifeless body slumped forward on top of Ruby.
"Great, now they're both dead" Brock complained. "How am I going to explain this to their parents?"
"Brock!" Erika scolded. We have to help them!"
"How?" Brock questioned. "That fog is obviously what did away with them!"
"Them we'll just have to hold our breath and hope that stops it" Erika replied. "Come on."
They got only a few feet before Ruby began to stir.
"Look, he's okay!" Erika said. "I knew they would be fine!"
But Ruby looked different. The rotting skin of his costume now looked like actual flesh. The bones could be seen through his bloodless hands.
As Brock and Erika watched in horror, Ruby's left eye fell out of its socket into his hand. He slowly raised it back up and shoved it into place.
Next to him, Sapphire rose as well. Her lower jaw hung freely, connected only by a few tendons to her rotting head. Several of her fingers were missing, and her hair had fallen out to reveal her decaying scalp.
Brock didn't even have a chance to cry out. The fog prodded him in the stomach, and the roots of his costume instantly planted themselves in the earth. His body melted away, replaced by bark. His face vanished and became a small knot in the tree. Real leaves sprang up as the former Gym Leader stood as a proud maple tree.
Erika was understandably scared. She was looking between her two zombified friends and the tree which had formerly been Brock. Before she could even take a step backwards, the fog contacted her right shoulder.
With a shimmer, her Victreebel costume came to life. She screamed as long vines were looped around her head, pulling her downward. The Victreebel forced several vines against her legs, causing them to be pushed out from under her, allowing her to fall completely into the Pitcher Plant Pokemon's hollow body.
So there they stood: two zombies, a maple tree, and a Victreebel who's body was occasionally warped by a fist or a leg. After a few minutes, even those occurrences ended, as the Victreebel finished incasing its prey in vines.
What a surprise it would have been to anyone leaving their house, which was the case with old man Schrider. He managed a yelp of fear before the creatures which had previously been Ruby and Sapphire devoured him.
This was not turning out the way Halloween should.
AN: I'm splitting this scene into two chapters, because of my usual 2000 word limit. This chapter alone extends to almost 5000 words, so I'm calling it good here.
So much has happened here. Drew turns into a Greek dude. May transforms into a princess from the Orre Region. Red and Misty... stay the same. Hmm... odd. Yellow, the military troop, is escaping with Dawn, the Lopunny that can somehow still speak English, from Dia, the vampire, who has sworn to kill Dawn before anyone else, and Silver, the werewolf.
Meanwhile, Brock turns into a tree, and Erika is eaten by her own costume. At the same time, Ruby and Sapphire become zombies and eat a random citizen.
I'm actually starting to like this story I've written!
Even Fire and Ice have a Dark side...