Hello everybody! It took me two weeks, but I finally got chapter sixteen up! I was less excited about this chapter personally, but I still think it was pretty well-written and doubt that anybody will hate it. I have been very busy at school lately, so getting some free time to write has been difficult, but I am starting to find a dew timesavers with homework (like using my study hall period to actually work instead of goof-off) and so I think these next few weeks will be easier for me. Like always, I don't want to say much about this chapter because it will give away everything, but as you can tell from the title, we're back in Lavender Town, and Ash is going to go Haunter hunting. I want to make this clear for anyone who has not noticed, that now most of my chapters will have a decent time skip between them, thus allowing me to move forward with the fic at a faster pace, and allowing the readers to get to the action a little quicker. I mentioned this last time, but I know it threw some of my readers for a loop, so I just wanted to say it again in case you missed it. Also, due to the time skips, you'll read about Pokemon which Ash has caught that I didn't write about, which is of course because he caught them during the time skip. Therefore, I would really appreciate it if (and I promise I'm not being a jerk here) my commenters wouldn't ask me how he caught every Pokemon that I mention. It's just for the sake of time and my sanity that I've made these time skips, so please don't think I'm being lazy here or anything. As I said last week, I've insured it so that these skips will not take from the substance of the story, and that they will actually be a major help in getting us to the "meat and potatoes" of the fic sooner. Anyway please read and REVIEW.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies including, but not limited to, 4Kids, The Pokemon Company, Game Freaks, or Cartoon Network. The characters written within this fic are soley based upon the fictional characters created by these companies, and the story is not meant to, nor will it, receive any monetary funding.

Characters' Ages:

Ash: 16

Brock: 21

Misty: 17

Dawn: 13

Delia: 40

Oak: 55

Gary: 16

"Finally!" Ash cried as the car entered the small town. It had been five weeks since the two had left Pewter, but they had yet to actually reach Lavender. Although Misty's temper constrained him from saying so aloud, Ash knew she hated going here because she was afraid. Therefore he went along with her suggestion that they "take their time getting back" and make sure they caught all possible Pokémon in the area.

"Will you stop your whining?" Misty asked, irritated. She was aggravated partially because he had complained several times about wanting to go to Lavender, and because she suspected he had picked up on her fear of returning to the area. "If we hadn't followed my advice you wouldn't have caught all those Pokémon, and you'd be behind!"

"I wasn't complaining!" Ash shot back, aggravated at her impatience. "I was just saying that we're finally here!"

"Fine then," she said, forgetting the petty argument as she saw the looming tower which they had visited six years earlier in the distance. Although she hated to admit it, she did hate being in this area, both because it scared her and because of what happened the last time they had come.

"You can just drop me off near the front and I'll go in," Ash told her as they drew closer. He cut short from saying "if you're scared" mostly out of fear that she would harm him in some way.

"No way!" Misty replied, pulling the car to the side of the road and taking the key out of the ignition. "I'm not some scared little girl." She also felt slightly emboldened by the fact that it was noon and therefore much brighter outside than it had been the first time they had come.

"Alright," Ash said, getting out of the car. He and Misty then proceeded to get out of the car and walk towards the large mansion together. As they neared the entrance, Ash noticed the lack of people in the area.

Why is it always so empty around here? he wondered inwardly, though he suspected the ghost Pokémon probably had something to do with it.

"Well, here we are," Misty said hesitantly as they approached the front doors. She slowly reached for the door, growing increasingly worried as her hand closed the gap, and the split second before she entrapped the knob between her fingers the door flew open, knocking her and Ash back.

"Whoa!" they cried simultaneously as they landed several feet away.

"What's going on?" Misty asked worriedly, looking around, but finding nothing out of the ordinary.

"Pika-pi," responded Pikachu, shrugging. He had been resting on Ash's head before being thrown off by the sudden impact.

"I agree with Pikachu," stated Ash. "I have no idea."

Catching her breath from the sudden adrenaline surging through her body, Misty stood up and made a valiant effort not to appear scared.

"Well, let's get in there guys," she said, marching back towards the open doors. "Those ghost Pokémon can't mess around with me and get away with it!" She proceeded to walk through the doorway, which led to utter darkness inside the mansion.

Ash gaped at her a second as she entered, amazed at how quickly her timidity gave way to her anger at the abuse.

"When she's fired up, she can do anything," Ash told Pikachu, as he placed the electric Pokémon back on his head and ran to catch up with his fiery friend inside of the dark area.

As he ran inside, he noted that the temperature dropped several degrees from what it was outside. He remembered the same sensation the last time they had come to the haunted house.

"Misty?" he called out into the darkness. He had expected to find her immediately inside the mansion, and was surprised to realize that she was not even within ear shot. Growing worried, he called out again, but still to no avail.

"Pikachu-pi," Pikachu stated, above its master.

"I know Pikachu, I'm a little worried too," Ash said, taking a few more steps into the mansion. He felt an odd presence surrounding him and his Pokémon as he continued his slow and cautious trek into the house, and it put his nerves on edge.

I'm not worried about Haunter, Gastly or Gengar, he thought to himself. It's those new Haunter that I'm freaked out about.

As he thought this, he suddenly heard a creaking sound several feet to his right. Deciding that he desperately wanted to see and not just feel about the expansive building, he reached for one of his newest Pokémon, which he had brought in the case the mansion was not lit up.

"Magneton, go!" he yelled. The large metallic Pokémon emerged from the pokeball and Ash gave his order. "Use Flash to light up our path."

"Mag," the Pokémon responded to his request, surrounding its body in electrical sparks and immediately illuminating the surrounding area with a yellow-tinted light that Ash found comforting.

"Good job Magneton," Ash complimented. "Keep up the good work."

Ash and his Pokémon then proceeded to walk through what appeared to him to be a large living room, which he had only partially seen the last time he had come due to his falling unconscious rather quickly upon entering the facility. Because of his nerves, Ash supposed, Pikachu climbed off of his trainer and kept pace with Magneton in front, also sending off sparks to light the way.

Pikachu senses something, Ash noted, as Pikachu suddenly stopped and perked its ears.

"Pika," it growled, shooting off larger sparks from its electric sacks. It jerked its head to Ash's left, where he saw a long, dark corridor.

"Pikachu!" the Pokémon cried as it suddenly sprinted off in the direction of the corridor, leaving Ash and Magneton alone.

"Misty must be over there!" Ash told Magneton. He ordered Magneton to follow Pikachu and the two of them ran to the hallway together.

Unfortunately, after about thirty seconds Ash realized that he could no longer see the sparks flying from Pikachu's furry face. Worried, he continued at a jogging pace down the seemingly endless hallway, rushing by countless doors. Though he knew that Pikachu or Misty could have been in any of the rooms, his gut instinct was to continue straight on to find them.

"Magneton!" screeched his steel Pokémon, catching Ash off guard and causing him to scream in response.

"What is it?" he asked, very alert after seeing his Pokémon stop right in front of him and begin to repeat its name.

"Magneton, magneton, magneton," rambled the electric creature.

Pikachu's difficult to translate, Ash thought, but Magneton's impossible.

A second later, Magneton grew silent and ceased shooting sparks from its metallic body. Deciding that things were growing too weird, Ash reached for Magneton's pokeball and pointed it at the now invisible Pokémon.

"Return," he muttered as the red light emerged from the center of the pokeball and hit his Pokémon, withdrawing it into the safety of its capsule. As Ash thought on this, he began to envy the Pokémon.

"Wish I could just be called back into a pokeball," he muttered. He thought of the other new Pokémon he had brought with him, a Staryu and Kangaskhan, and realized that he had no other Pokémon which could use Flash. He had assumed that two would be enough, but unfortunately had been proven wrong.

"Guess I'll go in here," he said to himself. In spite of there being no one within earshot to listen to him, he found it a great comfort to make some noise.

As he creaked the door open, he was both surprised and relieved to find an open window near the back of the room, with curtains swaying to and fro from a lofty breeze outside. Eased by the sight, Ash exhaled and looked about the room for a light switch, but could not find one on the walls.

"Misty! Pikachu!" he cried from inside the room as he grew frustrated with his fruitless attempts to find a source of light in the mansion. "Where are you?"

Suddenly, he heard a noise from within the mansion's hallway, resembling the noise of footsteps on concrete.

"Oh crap!" he cried suddenly as he heard the noise again, this time much closer to the room which he was standing in. Deciding he needed to stay away from whatever, or whoever, was making the noise, he quickly shut the door and ran to hide behind an antique couch that was placed a few feet in front of the window. He squat down and listened for the noise again.

However, he received a noise even more disturbing to him; the opening of the room's door. Gulping as quietly as he could, he reached for Kangaskhan's pokeball.

Kangaskhan can't hurt ghost types, Ash suddenly remembered, placing the pokeball back on his belt and reaching for his Staryu instead. Waiting with the pokeball in his grasp, Ash suddenly heard light footsteps coming towards the couch, and then a voice.

"I want your soul!" screamed a very high-pitched, very familiar voice. At that moment, Ash's face turned into a scowl and he poked his head above the couch to glare angrily at the smiling redhead beaming back at him.

"You!" he declared, pointing accusingly. "You scared the life outta me!"

However, Misty was too caught up in her own humor to heed his words of anger, and she held her sides as she continued to look at his face.

"You-you should've s-seen your f-face!" she said between gasps for breath and laughter. "I-it was p-priceless!"

"It wasn't funny," Ash said, folding his arms and staring back at Misty with all the contempt he could muster. Unfortunately, seeing Misty so happy was beginning to unnerve him a little and he could feel a small smile trying to make itself apparent on his sullen face.

"Aw, c'mon Ashy-boy," Misty coaxed, coming off of her laughing high. "It was a little funny, right? I mean, you honestly thought I was missing. You were really scared"

"That's right," Ash agreed. "I thought you were missing and was scared. Just like you thought I was dead and you were scared, remember?" As he said this, he finally allowed his face to break into a triumphant grin as he saw Misty's smile diminish.

"Uh, no, not at all," Misty replied, awkwardly placing her hand behind her head and staring up at the ceiling as if inspecting it for a real estate agency.

"Well I do," Ash said in a sing-song voice. "I was unconscious from that chandelier, and you were begging me to wake up."

"I-I was just a stupid little kid," Misty told him, flustered by his remarks. "That was years ago. I scared you just now."

How does he know what I was doing while he was unconscious? she wondered.

"Besides," Misty continued, hoping to take control of the argument once more, "I remember a certain ten year old trainer gawking at me when he first saw me in a bikini at the beach." As she reminded him of the event, she suddenly realized the implications of her comment, and felt her cheeks redden slightly.

Ash too blushed a little as they stood in awkward silence together for what felt like an eternity. Normally, Misty's comment could have just been considered her trying to get the best of Ash, but since their uncomfortable encounter in the hotel back at Pewter, neither of the young trainers found themselves able to make it a day without blushing at some insignificant comment.

What is she implying? Ash asked himself as he stared at Misty. Does she think I like her or something?

At the same time, Misty was wondering how Ash interpreted her seemingly harmless remark.

He knows I get caught up when we're arguing, she reasoned. I'm sure he's not over-thinking it. After all, he's Ash.

Despite both of their thoughts however, neither one of the teenagers said or did anything for a full five seconds as they stared at each other from across the couch. Then, realizing the tension in the air, Misty decided to break the clamoring silence.

"Anyway, where's Pikachu?" she asked quietly, shuffling her feet.

"You mean he's not in on this with you?" Ash asked, breaking out of his stupor at the news.

"What?" Misty asked in return. "No. I figured he was hiding somewhere in here."

"No," Ash replied. "He heard something and went running off down this hallway. That's why I figured he heard you."

"I don't think it was me," Misty said, worry growing in her voice. "I was hiding in that hallway to your right when you went running down this corridor."

"Then we have to find him!" Ash cried, running around the couch and out the door. "C'mon Mist!"

Misty followed him hurriedly. Although she was very worried about Pikachu, she had to admit she felt a little relieved to have the subject changed so abruptly from her and Ash's nonexistent attraction.

"Is he in there?" she asked as she reached Ash, who was opening the door to the room next to the one they had just been in.

"I have no idea," Ash responded bluntly. "It's too dark in here to see anything."

"I can help!" Misty said, reaching for a pokeball on her waist. "I choose Starmie!"

An instant later, the large starfish Pokémon emerged from its pokeball and began to light up the room using the large jewel in its center.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Ash wondered aloud as he thought of the Staryu he had recently captured.

"Because I'm the water master," Misty replied, winking at the trainer beside her. "It'll be a while before you can think on your feet like me."

"Yeah, right," Ash responded, rolling his eyes. He scanned the room quickly, but found that the room was empty. "I think we're doing this wrong."

"What do you mean?" Misty asked.

"I mean, Pikachu's strong, but he's not tall," Ash explained. "So I figure he's probably in a room that's door was already open."

"Makes sense," Misty replied, shrugging. "Starmie, get in front and walk down the hallway."

Following the water Pokémon, Ash and Misty kept their eyes peeled for any signs of Pikachu, but by the time they had reached the end of the hallway, they had neither seen nor heard anything out of the ordinary.

"Maybe he went back to the entrance," Misty said with a shrug. "I mean, this place is pretty creepy."

"That's true," Ash replied. He would have been more worried if the hallway had given some indication of his friend being there, but due to the lack of evidence, he found himself agreeing with Misty.

It is a pretty intimidating place, Ash thought as he and Misty turned around and followed Starmie out of the corridor and into the main living area again. Much to Ash's relief, Pikachu could be seen standing on top of the fireplace's old mantel.

"Pikachu, there you are!" he cried, running towards his friend, who was remaining oddly quiet and still considering the circumstances. "We looked all over for-Ah!" Ash suddenly cried out in fear as he grew close enough to find that his Pokémon's eyes were glowing a scarlet red color.

"What is-Ah!" Misty cried out as well as she approached Pikachu from behind Ash. "What's the matter with Pikachu?"

"I dunno," Ash said, timidly stepping back from the electric mouse. "But I don't think we wanna find out either." Deciding that he didn't want to leave his friend behind, but not quite sure of the problem, Ash stood next to Misty examining Pikachu from a distance for a full minute, debating within himself what the right thing to do was.

On the one hand, he's my best friend, Ash reasoned. On the other though, he looks demonic.

"I have to help him," Ash finally said, catching Misty off guard.

"What?" she asked. "We need to get the police or somebody to help."

"Yeah Mist," Ash replied, rolling his eyes sarcastically. "The police have been such a great help so far."

"Still," Misty said, not wanting to risk disturbing Pikachu, "we don't know what's going on here. He may be possessed or something."

"It doesn't matter," Ash replied, determined. "I have to help him." With this resolution, Ash took a step forward, but soon regretted it as his Pokémon suddenly shot off a Thundershock attack at him, forcing him to fly backwards.

"Pikachu!" screeched the Pokémon as he released another electric attack, this time at Misty. However, Misty, in lieu of what had just happened to Ash, hit the ground before the attack could make contact, and the resulting impact of the electric attack against the wall of the house, which had been struck in Misty's absence, caused the old mansion to shake slightly.

"Sorry Pikachu!" Ash cried out as he stood up and threw a pokeball into the air. "But I can't let you hurt us." As the pokeball opened, Kangaskhan, which Ash had caught at the Safari Zone a few weeks earlier, emerged.

"Skhan!" roared the Pokémon as she stretched her arms and focused on Pikachu. Although it was still rather dark, both the open doors of the entrance and Pikachu's electricity-covered body provided enough light for everyone to see what was going on.

"Mega Punch!" Ash cried, knowing that his best chance of helping his friend was to knock him out of consciousness.

"Skhan!" screamed the Pokémon again as it sprinted towards Pikachu and brought its fist back for a mighty attack. However, just as the Kangaroo-like creature released its energy and attempted to make contact, Pikachu jumped out of the way and allowed Kangaskhan to punch the fireplace instead. As Pikachu's electric attack had done, Kangaskhan's Mega Punch caused the Mansion to moan as it withstood the attack.

"Look out behind you!" Ash ordered, as Pikachu charged its electric sacks for an assault.

Unfortunately for Kangaskhan, the order came too late as Pikachu shot its body forward at the creature in a Volt Tackle and made direct contact with its empty pouch, causing Ash's partner to cry out in pain as she hit the ground with a "thud".

"Kangaskhan!" Ash cried out worriedly. He knew it wasn't a good idea to send out a newly-caught Pokémon against his experienced friend, but he realized he had no other options.

"You really need to think ahead!" Misty yelled at him, as if reading his thoughts.

"Starmie, Psychic, now!" cried the water trainer, taking control of the situation.

"Hyaa!" shouted the Pokémon as it glowed a blue aura and surrounded Pikachu in a similar hue. Slowly, Pikachu was lifted off of its feet and hung several feet in the air.

"Now what do we do?" Misty asked Ash, eyeing Pikachu cautiously. She knew Starmie couldn't hold its attack forever.

"Now who's not thinking ahead?" Ash asked sarcastically. However, he realized the need for quick action, knowing that Pikachu would eventually find its electric capabilities again. "Magneton, go!" He threw a pokeball as he said this, and his steel Pokémon emerged once again.

"Use Thunder Wave on Pikachu!" he ordered.

Immediately, the cluster of Magnemites levitated to Pikachu's height and separated from their usual connected appearance to surround the yellow rodent. They then released a blue discharge of electricity, which forced Pikachu to remain still and rendered him unable to use any electric attacks.

"Great job!" Ash complimented, seeing his plan work. "Misty, we gotta finish him off, but be careful!" Although Ash knew it had to be done, he still hated the fact he was having to battle his best friend.

"Right!" Misty said, nodding. "Starmie, use Hydro Pump!"

At her command, Starmie shot a large stream of water directly at Pikachu from the tip of its pointed "head". As the water made contact with Pikachu, he went flying and hit the ceiling; no small feat considering the roof was at least three stories high.

"Chuuuu!" cried the yellow mouse as it began its plummet towards the ground.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried. He quickly ran towards where he estimated his friend would fall, and just barely made it with enough time to save his Pokémon from an abrupt end.

"Pika, pi," mumbled Pikachu quietly, as its red eyes began to return to their normal black color.

"Haunter, haunt!" Suddenly, a Haunter appeared, seeming to emerge from Ash's Pikachu's body.

"So you were the reason for this!" Ash yelled, angry at the ghost Pokémon for its bad deed. "You really hurt Pikachu!"

"Haunt!" screeched the ghost Pokémon, as several other Haunter appeared behind it. It stuck its tongue out at Ash, almost hungrily, and began to drift towards him and Misty, who were slowly backing into a back corner of the room together.

"These must be the same Haunter from the gym," Ash realized aloud.

"You think?" Misty asked, annoyed at his late reaction. "We've got to figure a way out of this Ash."

"I know," replied Ash impatiently. "What am I, stupid?"

"You don't wanna know the answer," Misty replied, worry apparent in her tone as she witnessed the oncoming Haunter. "Do something Ash!"

"Right," said Ash, remembering the situation. "Magneton, use Thunderbolt!"

"Ton!" screamed the metallic Pokémon, as it shot a large voltage of electricity at the group of ghosts. Several were hit, and at first began to retreat. However, Ash soon realized that they were not retreating, but rather going after his Magneton now.

"Magneton, come back here and help us!" Ash cried as Magneton began to run away from the Pokémon chasing it. Unfortunately though, his new Pokémon was too distracted.

"Guess we'll have to handle this," Misty remarked to her Starmie. "Use Hydro Pump!"

At her command, several more Haunter scattered away, or were forcibly ejected by the powerful water move. Unlike the last time they had encountered the ghost Pokémon, Misty and Starmie seemed to be faring well in this battle.

"Now use Psychic!" Misty commanded.

Once again, Starmie lit up, and several Haunter started flying across the room, unable to control their movement.

"Hyaaaaa!" screamed Misty's starfish Pokémon suddenly. Misty turned to find that a Haunter had snuck up behind it and was currently pounding it into the ground with a series of Shadow Punch attacks.

"Starmie, return!" Misty commanded, as she saw several other Haunter drawing near to her Pokémon. She was not about to make the same mistake that she had made before by leaving her Starmie out for the Haunter to feast on.

"I guess we gotta run for it," Ash said, realizing they were out of options. He knew he couldn't send his new Staryu into the battle, positive that the result would be the same as when he sent his new Poliwag into battle over a month earlier.

"But they're blocking our path!" Misty pointed out, backing further into the corner as the Haunter hungrily approached her.

"We've got no choice, c'mon!" As he said this, Ash grabbed Misty's hand and, while cradling Pikachu in his other arm, began to sprint through the ghost Pokémon.

"Ahh!" he yelled as he felt his body begin to go numb due to the extreme cold of the Pokémon. He had never realized that ghosts felt like this. He continued to try getting through the cluster of purple Pokémon, but as he felt the feeling in his legs leave him, he knew that he was fighting a losing battle.

"Ash!" he heard Misty yell. He was not sure if she said anything else because at that moment he lost his hearing abilities. His sight began to diminish and everything around him became a blur as he fell to his knees. Just as he began to close his eyes for what he was sure to be the last time, he noticed that the blurred Pikachu in his arms was glowing brightly.

"Whoa!" he yelled, suddenly receiving feeling once more in his body, and looking down to witness Pikachu unleashing a powerful Discharge attack, which surrounded Ash and Misty in a large sphere of electrical power, and pushed away all of the Haunter.

"Run for it!" Misty cried, realizing that a path had been cleared by Pikachu's electric attack, which had managed to knock out most of the Ghost Pokémon.

"Wait!" Ash cried as she tried to pull him towards the door. He was still holding her hand.

"What is it?" she asked, annoyed at his inability to move.

"Look at these Haunter!" he said, spreading his arms out in front of him. "I'd be an idiot not to catch some." With that, he took several pokeballs from the pockets of his khaki jeans and began throwing them at the Haunter. Of the ten pokeballs he threw, eight of them retained the wild Pokémon, while the other two Haunter remained resilient.

"Awesome!" Ash cheered as he ran around to scoop up the pokeballs. Despite his happy demeanor, he too was anxious to exit the building.

As he and Misty ran towards the entrance, he withdrew his Kangaskhan and left the mansion with a large grin on his face. However, his grin vanished when he saw Misty's car. The Haunter whom they had encountered weeks ago was using Thunder Punch repeatedly on Misty's old car, as several other Haunter cheered him on.

"Oh my gosh!" Misty yelled angrily. "How dare you!"

"Haunter, haunt!" replied the grinning ghoul as it noticed the redhead screaming. Slowly it and the others began to wander towards Ash and Misty, apparently unfazed by the sunlight which was brightly shining in the mid-afternoon sky.

"Uh-oh," Ash remarked, backing away to run in the opposite direction. He looked down at Pikachu, but could see that his buddy was too weak to be of any use in the situation.

"C'mon Mist," he urged. He had never released her hand, so all he did was pull her away as he began a mad sprint through the woods which surrounded the mansion.

"Haunter!" he heard several Pokémon scream behind them as they made their way through the maze of trees and foliage. He knew that they had the upper-hand due to their ability to move through solid objects, but he felt that the adrenaline surge he was experiencing would guide them to safety.

"Gastly!" Ash suddenly heard a Pokémon yell behind him. Looking back, he was surprised to see a Gastly facing the Haunter which were chasing him and Misty deeper into the woods.

"Gengar!" shouted another ghost Pokémon, appearing from nowhere next to the Gastly.

"Haunter!" yelled one more Pokémon, again appearing from nowhere next to the Gengar.

"It's them!" Ash cried, realizing that these were the three Pokémon he had met six years earlier when he came to Lavender.

All three of the friendly ghost Pokémon began to glow a blue hue, similar to that of Starmie earlier, and soon all of the opposing Haunter were shot off into the distance.

"Almost like they're 'blasting off again', huh?" Ash asked jokingly as he witnessed the ghosts disappear into the blue abyss.

"Yeah," Misty snorted. "How are we gonna get to the Pokémon Center though?"

"I dunno," Ash replied. "Maybe those three can help us out." He then began to run, but realized that he and Misty were still holding hands.

"Uh, I guess we don't need to be doing this anymore," Ash said, laughing slightly in order to ease the tension as both he and Misty stared at their intertwined fingers. For the first time since they had made the contact, Ash felt his heart thump noticeably in his chest, and for a moment he hoped Misty didn't notice the slight pulse in his shirt.

"Guess not," Misty replied, equally embarrassed. They released hands and stood there for a moment, once again staring at each other.

We've been doing this a lot lately, Ash noted as he looked into Misty's green eyes.

"Gastly!" cried the ghost Pokémon from behind Ash suddenly, causing the trainer to jump.

"Whoa! Hey there guys!" he greeted as he turned around to face the trio. He was surprised as he realized that they were still living in the tower, and had not been captured or evolved.

"Haunter, haunt!" Haunter said, reaching out his hand and shaking Ash's.

"What's he saying?" Misty inquired, curious.

"I dunno," Ash replied honestly. "Maybe they're glad we fought off those Haunter."

"Gastly!" replied the levitating head Pokémon next to Haunter. He was nodding his head vehemently.

"Well, no problem!" Ash replied. "Glad we could help out. Besides, I needed to catch a Haunter anyway."

"Guys," Misty interjected suddenly. She was not as good a friend with any of the ghost Pokémon, and therefore more determined to heal her Pokémon than reacquaint herself. "Can you possibly get us back to the Pokémon Center in Saffron City? Our Pokémon are very injured."

"Oh yeah!" Ash said, remembering his poor Pikachu. "Can you get us back there?"

"Haunter, haunt, haunter!" cried the ghost Pokémon, nodding happily. It picked up Ash and Pikachu effortlessly and began to drift towards the sky with them. Following his friend's lead, Gengar picked up Misty and began to drift off with her too, with Gastly following them.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A couple of hours later, Pikachu, Starmie, and Kangaskhan were all in the Pokémon Center being taken care of by Nurse Joy, and Ash had called Professor Oak to retrieve a few of his more experienced Pokémon to avoid another disaster, much to Misty's approval.

"So are you guys gonna head back home now?" Ash asked, as the sun began to set in the Saffron sky. In addition to their business in the Pokémon Center, Ash and Misty had spent some time playing around with the three ghost Pokémon, but Ash was growing tired from the day's events, and thought that they probably wanted to return home as well.

"Gengar, gen," replied Gengar, shaking his head.

"Whaddya mean you're not ready?" Ash asked. "We can't play forever, you know."

"Haunter, haunt," responded Haunter, pointing to Ash's pokeballs on his belt.

"Oh," Ash replied, surprised. "Do you wanna pokeball as a souvenir?"

The three Pokémon shook their heads in response.

"Do you wanna say hello to some of my Pokémon then?" he asked, confused as to what the three wanted to do.

However, once again the trio shook their heads.

"Then what is it?" Ash asked, completely confused.

"Ash, I think they wanna join you!" Misty cried out in aggravation. "Though I don't know why they'd want such a simple master."

All three of the Pokémon nodded in response to Misty's comment.

"Really?" asked Ash, surprised. The last time he had visited them, they were content with living in the tower and playing together. "Why do you wanna go with me now?"

"Maybe they don't like living in the mansion anymore because of all of those troublesome Haunter," Misty told Ash.

"Is that it guys?" Ash asked, looking at the three ghosts as they stood in front of the Pokémon Center.

Once again, the trio nodded in unison, and Ash broke into a big grin.

"Well then, of course you can come with us!" he cried happily. "The more the merrier! I just wish I hadn't caught all those other Haunter now."

"Why did you catch all of those Ash?" Misty asked the trainer, remembering how eager he was to capture the ghost Pokémon earlier. "You only need one to fill in your pokedex, you know."

"Of course I know that!" Ash yelled at her. She was always assuming he was incompetent as a trainer, and it often irked him. "For your information, I caught them because Haunter are pretty rare, and I was thinking I may be able to trade for some rare Pokémon with them to help fill up my pokedex later on…so there." As he wrapped up his explanation to the redhead, he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Whatever," she said, turning her back on him. However, inside she could not help, but be impressed by his logic.

He's become a lot smarter than when we were kids, she noted.

"So guys, you wanna jump in?" Ash asked, bringing out three unfilled pokeballs and enlarging them. They were rather big, so one hit the ground, but the ghost Pokémon did not care, and in one movement they all tapped on the pokeballs. In a dazzling flash of light from the combined captures, all three were instantly ensnared and Ash hooted in victory.

"This went even better than I planned!" he said to Misty, who could not help, but smile at his rejoicing.

He may be smarter, but he's still pretty innocent.

Author's note: There you go! Like I said, wasn't my best, I don't think, but it was pretty good in my opinion. Also, I had to include it because a few weeks ago I wrote about that encounter with Sabrina before I reformed my story outline, so I knew I couldn't just cut this chapter, or pretend it didn't happen. Anyway, whether you liked it or not, REVIEW PLEASE. It's your critiscm that keeps me going, so don't underestimate the power of your opinion.

Also, I got an unusual request from one of my anonyomous readers nicknamed "Reviewman". They asked me:

Hey i think the story is great. I was thinking maybe you should bring in a new character to travel with ash and misty though.
O and i was wonderin do you actually read all your reviews (You can answer in your next chapter) cus wouldnt they get a little repetitive

To answer your question Reviewman, I do answer all of my reviews. I usually try to get to them within about three days after they're posted, but sometimes I fall a little late on this deadline, and sometimes I'm a little early! Yeah, it can get a little repetitive, but I love doing it because it insures that people will continue giving me their feedback, and it's allowed for me to actually make some friends on this site (which I hadn't anticipated).

Anyway, back to business, in keeping with tradition, here are my weekly recommendations:

"Reunited, Happily and Painfully" by MoltresFeather - Finally, MF's returned! That's right ladies and gentlemen, a few days ago I received a PM which almost made my mouth drop when I saw it. Apparently, MF was busy having a life, but fortunately that's over and they're back to writing now (ha,ha)! Seriously though, I am glad to see MF (who I consider to be a good FF friend) back on and finishing their great fic. Please take a look at this one when you get the chance and review it!

"The Last Day on Earth" by KawaiiCherryBlossom-aka-BWF - This fic's a little depressing, so I didn't think at first I would like it, but I have to say it was great! The background is a really depressing atmosphere, and most of the feelings written are dark, but she really keeps you entranced from the beginning with her subtle flashback scenes and big finale. It almost felt like a chaptered fic, rather than a one-shot, with how descriptive it was.

"12 Roses" by pikagurl23 - Sappy. Sappy. Sappy. Now that I've described the plot, let me say I never finished (or got through the first half of) this fic. I'm sorry, but I cannot bear to read too much fluff, and this fic seems to be filled with it. However, am I saying it's a bad fic? No. The writing is superb, and frankly I'm impressed she could write such a long one-shot with her subject in mind. Several of my readers have asked for more fluff in my fic, and while I may not be able to provide you with what you want, I think this girl probably has enough sweetness in her fic to give you a toothache. So please read and review it if you enjoy nice, fluffy, fics. If not, stay away and don't be a jerk.

Alright, that's it from me...or not. I have one other anonymous review I would like to respond to from chapter fifteen before I go.

Neo Vestol writes:

I'd like to see some more ghost involvment, seeing as they are the coolest type of Pokemon. Maybe when they find Haunter, it will take them out of their bodies again. That would make a great fic.

PS Please update, seeing as this is one of the few decent Pokeshipping fics that still updates.

PPS Where was Pikachu in this chapter? You must realize he exists too. Did he leave with Brock?

I am excited to hear your review of this chapter then, because I made sure to include plenty of ghost involvement. By the way, I agree with you that ghost Pokemon are among the coolest types (though I prefer dragon). Don't worry about me contuing with this fic. I am determined to keep working on it until I finish it, which won't happen for a while yet. Also, I went back to chapter fifteen and found that I had included Pikachu, though not overly-so. I had written Brock saying goodbye to him before he went the airport security check. I know that a lot of times authors tend to just forget him completely, but I assure you I never write a chapter without including Pikachu in some way.

Alright, now I'm really done! Read and REVIEW PLEASE!