Ghost in the Hall

It was a normal day for Tina and her Pokemon. The sun was high in the sky, which was clear of any clouds. A flock of Pidgey flew overhead, headed east just as they were. Tina was headed to Hearthome City, where she'd enter the next Pokemon Contest. Skipping along at her side was her Umbreon, Luna. The moonlight Pokemon had a cheerful expression plastered onto her face. It was nothing uncommon for the ebony creature as she was always the most upbeat of Tina's Pokemon.

Looking down at Luna, Tina smiled and shook her head. "You just can't stop smiling, can you?"

In response, Luna looked up to beam at her Trainer, eyes closed in glee. "Umbreon!" She said cheerfully before continuing to skip along the dirt road.

"Of course you can't." Tina muttered, finding her Umbreon to be quite annoying at time but lovable most of the time. "Well just remember that once we get to Hearthome City you've gotta be on your game, okay? We won't have time to mess around."

Nodding her head without looking at Tina, Luna continued to skip then began to sing a song that Tina could not recognize. You are truly something else, Luna.

Tina looked over her shoulder, staring at the large rocky form that was Mt. Coronet. They had travelled through the dank, dark caves of the mountain two days ago, getting lost more than enough times. Xander, Tina's Typhlosion, lit the way with his fiery mane while Lexi the Luxray bashed away rocks that were in the way. They came across some wild Pokemon, mainly Geodudes that Lexi has mistaken for crumbly rocks. The angry Geodudes were taken down with ease by Tina's Dewgong, Celia. Refusing to go into her Pokeball, Luna stayed at Tina's side, shivering from the cold and trembling in fear of what they might find. Once they had reached the exit, and thankfully the right one, they rejoiced with excitement.

Now they were almost at Hearthome City, where they would win their next contest ribbon. Just thinking about the competition brought a smile to Tina's face. There were so many new moves she couldn't wait to try out on an actual stage. And she had a brand new outfit and new seals for her Ball Capsules.

"Um!" Luna cheered, calling Tina's attention to her.

Looking down, Tina saw that her Umbreon was staring at something. Following her gaze, Tina saw that they had reached their destination. Before them stood the wonderful Hearthome City. It was a rather large city filled with people and Pokemon. There were many things to do and see, but all Tina was interested in as the Contest Hall. Spotting the ornate building in the center of the city, Tina set off to register for the next contest.

After registering, Tina headed off to the dressing rooms. Luna followed at her side, her crimson eyes darting around with excitement. Finding an empty room, Tina claimed it for her own and swapped her normal Trainer gear for her contest attire. She pulled on the blue sequin dress and accessorized appropriately before tending to her Pokemon.

She decided to use Luna and Violet, her Vileplume. Pulling a shimmery ribbon from her bag, Tina fastened the cloth to Luna's neck, tying it into a neat bow that sat off to the side. For Violet, Tina slipped on an anklet made of shimmery shell stone. Taking their Ball Capsules, Tina adorned the plastic devices with seals.

"Alright, ladies. Are we ready?" Tina asked her Pokemon. She held their Pokeballs in her hands.

The two Pokemon cheered, Luna jumping into the air while Violet bounced gently. Smiling, Tina returned the Pokemon to their Pokeballs then slipped the Ball Capsules on. Confident that they were going to win the contest, Tina headed to the backstage area where she would wait for her chance to impress the judges.

As she walked down the brightly lit hallway, she couldn't help but overhear several Trainers reporting missing Pokemon. Curious to know what had happened, Tina peered into one of the rooms where a short girl spoke to the resident Officer Jenny.

"I turned around and my Pokeball were just gone! All of them!" The girl was hysterical. She held her head in her hands while she cried, ruining her perfect makeup.

Officer Jenny placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to calm her down to get more information from her. Her Growlithe spotted Tina at the door and began growling, taking a step closer to her. Officer Jenny looked up with narrowed eyes. "You there! How are you!?" She demanded.

Jumping at the tone of Jenny's voice, Tina poked her head in. "My name's Tina. I just overheard a few people saying their Pokemon were missing. I just wanted to know what's going on." She clutched the Pokeballs in her hands; she didn't want to lose them.

Looking her over, Jenny came to the conclusion that Tina was not a threat and relaxed. "I don't know what's going on, but I'll figure it out. No one snatches Pokemon from my city and gets away with it!" She declared and turned to her Growlithe. "We'll catch the criminal and teach them a lesson, right boy!?" Growlithe barked in agreement.

Static came from the speakers lining the hallway and everyone stepped out to listen to the announcement that followed. "The Pokemon Contest has been postponed due to several Pokenappings. Until the matter is resolved and the missing Pokemon have been returned, the contest will not go on. If you have any information leading to the missing Pokemons' whereabouts, please see Officer Jenny immediately. We hope that the unfortunate Pokemon are returned safely. Please do all you can to see that they make it back to their Trainers. Thank you."

This is serious. There's no way we came all the way to Hearthome City just to have some loser ruin this contest! Tina thought and turned to Officer Jenny. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to help you find these missing Pokemon."

"I'd really appreciate it." She nodded and headed down the hallway. "Let's get to work!"

Following Officer Jenny, Tina looked around for any clues she could find. Then the lights went out. Every light in the Contest Hall went dark. A few screams filled the hallway and startled cries followed them. Something pushed against Tina, knocking her to the ground. She felt the weight of her Pokeballs leave her grip. "No!" She scrambled around in the darkness, feeling around for her Pokeballs.

The lights came back on. Tina blinked away the colorful dots blurring her vision and looked around for her Pokeballs. They were gone. She looked up to see several other Trainers crawling around in search of their Pokemon. Picking herself up Tina looked at Jenny who was on the floor as well, her Growlithe was missing.

"My other Pokemon." Tina muttered and rushed down the hall to her dressing room. She snatched her bag and reached inside. Relieved that her Pokeballs where still there, she pulled them out. Choosing her Luxray, Tina threw the ball into the air and watched as it opened, releasing Lexi with a white flash of light.

"Lexi! We have to find Luna and Violet and all the other Pokemon!" Lexi nodded and headed off the down the hall with Tina. Tina had taken her Trainer belt out and fastened it over her dress. She clipped on her remaining Pokeballs and returned to Officer Jenny.

"The two Pokemon I had with me were taken, but these four are still here. I don't think they took the Pokemon left behind in the dressing rooms. Just the ones in the halls." Tina informed the policewoman.

"That's odd. Why would they just take the Pokemon in the hallway?" Jenny scratched her chin in thought. "I can't figure it out."

"I don't know, but we have to find these Pokemon." Tina looked around, deciding where to start looking first. Something scurried around the corner and Tina immediately took off, ignoring Officer Jenny.

Lexi ran ahead of her and turned the corner. A flash of yellow light came from the end of the hall just before Tina rounded the corner. Lexi stood in the middle of the hallway, growling at something invisible. Her fur stood on end and her tail stoke straight up in the air.

"What is it, Lexi?" Tina stared at the empty hallway, wondering just what Lexi saw. And then something flickered into vision, like a light bulb flickering to life. Tina stumbled back just a bit as a Haunter stared at her with piercing eyes. Its menacing smile stretched all the way across the width of its body and it bobbed up and down in the air while a dark aura pulsed around it. It reached out with a claw-like hand and scratched at the air inches away from Tina's face.

"Luxray!" Lexi roared and shot a bolt of electricity at the Ghost type, causing it to recoil in pain. Lexi looked over her shoulder and nodded.

"What? Is this what's been stealing the Pokemon? A single Haunter?" She questioned her Luxray then looked back at the Haunter. "Well? Have you? Did you steal our Pokemon?"

The Haunter disappeared only to reappear behind Tina. It grabbed her shoulder, earning a startled scream from her. It pulled her back and she faded with it as it disappeared into a shadowy void behind it. Lexi grabbed hold of Tina's dress, pulling at the hem, trying to save her Trainer, but her efforts were to no avail. The hem of her dress ripped and she was pulled back into the void.

When her body has solidified, Tina found herself in a dark room. The lights flicked on, blinding her and causing her to shield her eyes from the fluorescent rays. She heard the familiar voice of Luna and looked down to see her nuzzling her leg. Violet came running from a corner to hug her Trainer.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright!" Tina dropped to her knees to embrace her Pokemon, overjoyed by the fact that they were unharmed. Looking around she saw the other missing Pokemon. They all fine, but not a single one was scared. "I don't understand. Why aren't they scared?" She turned to the Haunter. "Why did you bring them here?"

The Haunter turned around and searched for something. It returned holding a ball. It dropped the rubber ball and watched as it bounced before a Vulpix ran out to catch it. A pleasant smile crossed the Haunters face, well as pleasant as a Haunter's smile can get, as it watched the Vulpix bat the ball around before kicking it back towards the Haunter.

"You just wanted someone to play with." Tina shook her head. "You didn't have to take all these Pokemon. All you had to do was ask nicely if you could play." A serious look graced her face. "But you have to let them go. Their Trainers are worried about them. And I'm sure they miss their Trainers."

The Haunter looked out at the crowd of Pokemon, each one a little saddened by Tina's words. Nodding, the Haunter pointed to a door. Crossing the room, Tina opened the door to find that it was a stairwell. "This will get us out of here?" She looked over her shoulder. The Haunter nodded again. "Come on, guys! Let's get you back to your Trainers." She ushered the Pokemon up the stairwell as Luna and Violet led them back to the main floor. Before leaving Tina turned to the Haunter. "You should come up with us. Maybe we can find you a Trainer." Joy filled the Haunter and it gladly went up the stairwell with her, eager to find a new friend.