Author's note: Heyo!
This drabble's dedicated to Bluewolfbat! Gotta admit, this one was hard for me. Inspiration and motivation didn't truly hit me until I managed to make it part of an actual episode. Then it all came flowing in!
Hope you like it!
Oh, also... if you wish to make a request, you must review first! Then I don't get spammed by requests that don't even comment on what I've already written! Naughty, naughty! This is one of the reasons why asking for OCs is risky. XP
Too Spooky
"(But, when she looked up...)" Buizel said dramatically, "(she saw her growlithe, hanging from the ceiling... blood dripping from a slash across his neck...)"
Everyone gasped in horror. "(That's what the dripping was?!)" Pachirisu shrieked.
"(Yeah.)" Buizel turned on the flashlight. It shone a bright light on his face, starkly contrasting with the darkness around him. "(So who was under her bed, licking her hand...?)"
The group screamed, and Buneary - scared out of her mind - dove into Pikachu's side for comfort. She buried her face in his warm fur, seeking refuge.
"(Oh... lord...)" Chimchar mumbled, sounding like he was going to be sick.
"(Whoa...)" Aipom muttered, "(metal...)"
"(Uh... Buizel...)" Pikachu said awkwardly, "(isn't that a bit much?)"
"(Yeah!)" Turtwig cried, sounding annoyed. "(We're trying to make Chimchar feel at home, not traumatise him even more!)"
Buizel chuckled as he turned off the flashlight, earning a sigh from Turtwig.
Taking a shuddering breath, Buneary couldn't help but agree with the tortoise. While the idea of telling scary stories had sounded fun, Buizel's story had been a bit much. Especially since - as Turtwig had said - they were doing this for their newest member, Chimchar. The poor guy had gone through such a tearful breakdown earlier, when the rest of the team had praised his efforts in the training battle. So Pikachu's idea had been to tell scary stories to break the ice, and get him more comfortable with the group.
... Jeez. Buneary had to wonder just what horrors Chimchar had been through on Paul's team to have such a breakdown. Though, after hearing Paul call him useless a few times, she could probably guess...
Absolute jerk of a trainer.
She glanced behind herself at the pink blanket that lay on the grass. Dawn had laid that out earlier, and some of the team had even eaten their pellets on it. The reason it had been laid out, though, was so that all the pokémon could sleep on it later.
It wasn't often Buneary slept outside, and she couldn't help but wonder if all twelve of them would even fit on the blanket. Even so, she'd be sure to grab a spot next to Pikachu. She grinned cheekily to herself.
"(Okay, whose turn is it?)" Staravia asked.
"(Please don't be as scary as that one!)" Sudowoodo cried in anguish.
"(Yeah...)" Happiny agreed, holding onto the rock tree, "(scary...)"
"(I...)" Piplup stammered, "(I-I can handle another one, no problem! Bring it on!)"
Croagunk said nothing, choosing to stare off in another direction.
"(Oh, I'll go next, sure!)" Pikachu replied.
"(Go wild,)" Buizel said, tossing him the flashlight they'd borrowed from Brock.
"(Wah!)" Pikachu scrambled to catch it. When he had a good hold on it, he let out a sigh of relief. "(Okay...)" Composing himself, he sat up straighter.
Letting go of him, Buneary also sat up straighter, eager to hear his scary story.
"(This forest...)" Pikachu continued, his gaze panning over the trees surrounding the open field they were in, "(on top of this high cliff... is known by a name.)"
"(A name?)" Aipom asked, intrigued.
Pikachu looked back at the group and nodded. "(Yeah. It's known as the Moaning Forest.)"
Buizel folded his arms. "(Why's it called that?)" he asked.
"(It's pretty normal most days... and most nights...)" Pikachu waved his arms dramatically in front of him. "(But something strange happens on the night of a full moon...)"
Pachirisu gasped. "(Tonight's a full moon!)" he cried.
Buneary glanced up at the night sky, confirming that there was indeed a full moon out tonight. Well, that explained why it wasn't too dark out...
"(On the night of that full moon... a brave pokémon followed the moaning...)" Pikachu continued, "(... only to find it was someone under a blanket!)"
Everyone stared at him.
"(... A... blanket?)" Chimchar asked unsurely.
"(Yeah!)" Pikachu replied enthusiastically. "(So the pokémon walked up to it, thinking it was some stupid prank. 'This is what we've been afraid of, all this time?' he asked. So he lifted up the blanket, to expose the troublemaker... but, as soon as he did...)" He turned on the flashlight, shining it on his face dramatically. "(... it swallowed him whole!)"
Everyone continued to stare at him.
"(... Because it was a blanket ghost!)" Pikachu clarified.
After a long pause, Buizel burst out laughing. "(Wow...)" he said, "(a blanket ghost.)"
Aipom laughed along with him. "(That's kinda laaaame!)" she agreed.
"(... Lame?)" Pikachu asked, his ears drooping as he turned the flashlight off. It made a knot twist in Buneary's chest.
"(It... could have been scary, if told right...)" Pachirisu added awkwardly. "(Maybe...)"
"(Aww, but I really tried, though...)"
"(Really?)" Piplup asked incredulously. "(That was your best effort?)"
"(Uh...)" Buneary piped up, "(I... thought it was scary!)" Everyone looked at her. "(Yep. Terrifying! Won't be able to sleep well now.)"
Pikachu gave her a sad frown, causing the knot in her chest to twist tighter.
"(Just admit it, it was lame,)" Buizel said. Aipom laughed in response.
Buneary looked between them desperately. "(N-No, it's-)"
"(Woooo, I'm the blanket ghoooost!)" Aipom taunted, waving her paws around.
Buizel fell back, blocking his face with his paw and pretending to look scared. "(Ohhhh, so scary!)" he cried.
Aipom leaned towards him, grinning maniacally. "(Imma gonna get ya!)"
"(Noooo, don't get me!)"
Piplup, Pachirisu, Sudowoodo, Happiny and Staravia all burst out laughing. Even Turtwig and Chimchar - usually the sensible ones - looked like they were holding in laughter. Croagunk was still staring off into the distance, looking like he hadn't even been listening to the 'scary' story.
Buneary stared, not sure what to do.
Glancing back over to Pikachu, she tried to think of something to say to cheer him up. She blinked in shock when she saw he wasn't there.
Looking around, she strangely couldn't see him anywhere. Where the heck was he?! He'd just been there a second ago! She'd only taken her eyes off him for a moment and he'd disappeared?!
After a moment, she heard moaning. Creepy, ghostly moaning, and it was coming from behind her. Her rolled ear springing up in surprise, she swivelled around to look.
Behind her was the pink blanket that Dawn had laid out for them to sleep on. Except there was a figure underneath, waving its arms as it approached and trying to look intimidating.
... Except the shape was very familiar.
"(What the heck is this?!)" Buizel asked incredulously, while clearly trying not to laugh.
"(I hunger...!)" the figure said in a ghostly voice. Except the language it was speaking was familiar, too.
Chuckles rang out across the campsite, and the figure wilted slightly.
Her heart pounding in desperation, Buneary tried her best to salvage the situation. "(O-Oh no!)" she shrieked. "(It's the- the blanket ghost of the Moaning Forest!)" She shuffled backwards across the grass, making a show of escaping and screaming. "(S-Save me!)"
Everyone collectively burst out laughing.
Huffing, Buneary slumped in defeat. She watched with a sad gaze as the blanket was pulled off by the figure wearing it, and Pikachu's sad gaze met her own.
He huffed and turned on his heel, still holding the blanket. "(I'm gonna go see if Brock needs help with anything...)" he grumbled. Walking away, he pulled the blanket for a few steps, letting it drag across the floor.
Eventually letting go of it, he continued onwards, not looking back.
Buneary's heart ached for the poor guy. He'd tried so hard, and fallen so short. Maybe telling scary stories just wasn't his thing...
The group continued telling scary stories around the campfire for a while. Thankfully, none were as scary as Buizel's had been, and they also weren't as... interesting as Pikachu's had been.
Turtwig yawned. "(Man, I'm beat...)" he mumbled. "(Scary stories sure do take it out on ya...)"
"(Yeah...)" Chimchar agreed. He glanced around a little nervously. "(Uh, thanks, though, guys. That was kinda fun.)"
"(No problem!)" Staravia replied, beaming.
Piplup patted a flipper to his chest. "(Of course, mine was the best story, am I right?)" he asked smugly.
"(Nah, that was Buizel's!)" Aipom replied with a cheeky grin. "(His was metal!)"
Buizel gave a bow. "(Thank you, thank you,)" he replied, causing Piplup to fold his flippers and pout.
"(I liked Buneary's!)" Pachirisu said happily. "(It was cool, and not too scary!)"
Buneary giggled bashfully. "(Aww, really?)" she asked. "(Thanks!)"
"(Sudowoodo's!)" Happiny said, waving her tiny arms in glee. "(Good story!)"
"(Oh, wow, thanks!)" Sudowoodo replied, saluting. "(I thought I did a bad job, too!)"
"(Nah,)" Aipom replied, "(still better than Pikachu's!)"
Another round of chuckling rang out amongst the group - except for Croagunk, who still hadn't said anything - and Buneary couldn't help but feel bad for the mouse again. Maybe later, she could find a way to cheer him up, or something...
She paused as she heard a strange sound. It kind of sounded like... ghostly moaning?
Turning around in surprise, Buneary saw the pink blanket again. Once again, it had a familiar shape underneath it. It was slowly advancing on the group while making strange sounds.
"(Pfft!)" Buizel said in amusement. "(Oh really? We're doing this again?)"
"(Oh, the scary blanket ghost is back for round two?)" Aipom asked, also in amusement.
More chuckles rang out across the group.
Suddenly, there was a tired sigh as someone approached. "(Hey, guys, I'm back...)" Pikachu said, walking into view.
Everyone stared at him.
"(The humans are ready for bed whenever,)" he continued, "(so when you're done, then-)" He caught them staring at him, so he stared back. "(... What?)"
Buneary's heart leapt straight into her throat, and she couldn't breathe. Gasping out feeble attempts at words, she pointed at the blanket.
"(Hmm?)" Pikachu asked. He looked to his side and saw the shape of the blanket. He squinted slightly in confusion. "(Wait... who's that?)"
"(D-Dude...)" Aipom stuttered in fear, "(if that's not you, then... then who is it?!)"
"(Uh...)" He slowly advanced on the blanket.
Something primal inside Buneary wanted to rush forwards and push him out of the way, but fear kept her rooted to the spot. "(W-Wai...!)" she weakly tried to say.
She watched with bated breath as Pikachu reached down for the edge of the blanket. Well, maybe it would be fine! Maybe it was just a wild pikachu in the area or something, who was just messing around! Yeah, that was probably it! It certainly wasn't a ghost, hiding under a blanket, waiting to ambush the unwary!
Pikachu started lifting the blanket to check underneath. Buneary's heart stopped when she saw something dark ooze out from the bottom, crawling across the floor.
Before she could speak, it rose into the air, forming the shape of a large, black, clawed hand, which lunged at Pikachu, clenching him in its grip. He screamed, desperately struggling for freedom, as it dragged him under the blanket.
There was immediate chaos as everyone leapt to their feet, screaming and running for their lives.
Buneary felt herself racing towards Dawn in her panic. In a moment of clarity, though, she skidded to a stop and turned back, her heart thudding against her ribcage. Oh god, Pikachu!
She was sick to her stomach with fear, but she couldn't just leave him there! Gulping, she steeled every ounce of courage she had with a deep, sharp inhale.
Forcing herself forward, she raced towards the blanket. Underneath, she could see the slightest hint of Pikachu's tail, so she dove for it. Sliding on her stomach on the grass, she waited until she was close enough, then grabbed it and yanked. Pikachu came tumbling out of the blanket with a shriek, crashing into her and rolling.
Jumping to her feet, she grabbed his paw with her own and pulled him up. "(Run!)" she screamed, pulling him away as fast as she could.
He obeyed, though the look on his face would forever haunt her dreams...
"I really don't get what's going on..." Ash said with a huff.
Standing far back - and still holding Pikachu's paw - Buneary watched as a few of the pokémon poked around at the pink blanket with sticks. Buizel was frowning determinedly, Piplup looked like he was trying not to bolt, Aipom was shaking nervously, and Turtwig and Staravia looked very cautious.
Well, it seemed that, for whatever reason, the ghost had left, but she wasn't taking any chances yet. She didn't want to go anywhere near the blanket, until they were certain the ghost wasn't going to come back.
"Yeah, I don't know what's the matter..." Dawn agreed worriedly. "Is something wrong with the blanket I laid out?" She looked over at Pachirisu, Chimchar, Sudowoodo and Happiny, who were huddled together around the humans' legs. "Some of the pokémon are just refusing to sleep on it..." She looked back at the blanket. "And the others are just poking at it..."
"Hmm..." Brock replied, "even I'm baffled by this one... Clearly, something must have happened..."
Buneary didn't have the faintest clue how they'd ever explain this one. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to sleep on the blanket anymore, but, again, how would she even explain why not?
She turned to Pikachu, who was staring into space. Kind of like Croagunk was still doing, except Pikachu had a much more far-off gaze.
"(Hey, uh... Pikachu?)" she asked.
After a moment, he slowly turned to her. "(... Yeah?)" he replied.
"(Do you... still wanna sleep on the blanket?)"
He blinked at her, then slowly turned his head back to where the blanket was. "(... I dunno. Though Dawn got upset when she thought we wouldn't... and it's for Chimchar... for, like... solidarity and stuff... so...)"
She looked at him in concern. "(... Will you be able to sleep?)"
"(... Probably not, no.)" His gaze went really far off again, like he was gazing into the depths of hell itself. "(Not after the things I've seen...)"
Jeez... the poor guy had really had it rough.
After a moment, her face lit up with an idea. "(Wait... maybe I can help!)"
He slowly turned to face her again. "(Huh...?)"
Eventually, after determining that the ghost wasn't coming back - and after much coaxing from the humans - the pokémon tentatively lay down on the blanket. Quite a few were nervous at first, but they seemed to settle down after a little while.
Pikachu was lying on his front, somewhat curled into himself, as Buneary lay next to him. She rested a comforting paw on his back to try and ease him into sleep.
"(... This is a little embarrassing, you know,)" he whispered.
She giggled soundlessly. "(Yeah, but will it help?)" she asked, also in a whisper.
He glanced away awkwardly, a light blush on his face. "(... Maybe.)"
She beamed at him. "(Then I'll keep doing it. Okay?)"
"(... Sure.)"
After a quiet, pleasant moment nestled into him, a thought occurred to her. "(Oh and Pikachu?)"
He looked back at her curiously. "(Yeah?)"
"(Turns out your scary story was the best, after all.)"
He stared at her for a long moment, until the lightest of smirks appeared on his face. "(... Heh.)"
Well, gee... she'd just wanted to join in, Mimikyu thought to herself. She pouted as she slithered along the ground, her pikachu costume flopping around slightly as she moved.
She'd been watching that group of pokémon tell scary stories to each other, and had wanted to be a part of it. The problem was, she was a bit shy, so making friends didn't really come easy to her. So she'd thought it would be fun to wear the blanket and pretend to be a ghost for laughs.
... But they'd all screamed and run away! She pouted again. Why did this always happen? Sure, she was a ghost-type, but...
"Mimikyu!" a feminine voice cried out in surprise. Stopping, Mimikyu looked up, into the face of her trainer. She was out of breath, her black bob cut was messy, and she was tightly gripping her weird red glove hat in one hand. "There you are!" She put her free hand to her chest, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness..."
From out of the bushes emerged five pokémon that Mimikyu was very familiar with. Brionne, Fomantis, Salandit, Mudbray and Trumbeak.
"(And where do you think you've been?)" Trumbeak huffed, ruffling his feathers.
"(We were so worried, girl!)" Brionne cried, her flippers on her cheeks.
"(Making us trek all over in the dark...)" Fomantis grumbled, swiping at the ground with her leafy scythe.
"(How do you think you made poor Selene feel?!)" Salandit snapped, standing up on his hind legs to point at their trainer.
Mimikyu couldn't help but feel guilty. "(Sorry...)" she mumbled.
"(Just make sure it doesn't happen again,)" Mudbray said sternly, stomping his hoof into the ground.
"(It's just that I found another campsite, and wanted to make some friends, so-)"
"(Ohhh no,)" Trumbeak said, frowning. "(You remember what happened last time!)"
"(Yeah, and the time before that...)" Brionne added, looking a little awkward.
"(Yes, and the time before that!)" Salandit snapped, landing back onto all fours.
"(Stop causing so much trouble...)" Fomantis grumbled.
"(Perhaps learn how not to scare people before deciding to make friends,)" Mudbray stated sternly.
Mimikyu lowered her head, and the head of her pikachu costume drooped with it. "(I'm sorry...)" she replied.
"Whew..." Selene said. "Well! Now that everyone's accounted for, shall we get back to camp and sleep?" She smiled brightly at all six of her pokémon. They responded positively, so she nodded. "Right! Let's go, gang!" Turning on her heel, she headed back to the campsite.
The rest of her pokémon followed, with Mimikyu taking up the rear. She slowly slithered along, still feeling guilty about everything.
"(Hey, girl,)" Brionne said, slowing down to drag herself along beside her. "(It's okay. One day, you'll get it.)" She beamed. "(And, until then, you've got us, alright?)"
Mimikyu looked up at her unsurely. "(Are you guys my friends?)" she asked.
"(Of course we are!)" Brionne looked over at the group. "(Right, guys?)"
The other four turned around, giving varying smiles and nods of encouragement.
"(Most of 'em are grumpy,)" Brionne continued, "(but they're just worried about ya! We all love ya really!)"
Mimikyu couldn't help but beam brightly inside her pikachu costume. "(Thanks, you guys~)" she replied happily.
The End