A/N: Hey peeps ^_^ Since Halloween is coming up in a few days I thought I'd do something for it. This is my first AAMRN and I don't think it's too bad. Well, on with the story and I hope that it's enjoyable ^_^

A/N 2: Layout was changed at a later date to make it look better. I changed the writing too and fixed some spelling and grammer mistakes ^_^ Drop me a line if you spot anymore. Thank you.

'Thoughts are like this'

Ages: Ash: 13, Misty: 14, Brock: 16

"Isn't the weather beautiful? Ohh I really wish we could be at the beach" A fourteen-year-old, red headed girl clasped her hands together.

"Ohh come on Misty, we're nowhere near any beaches" A spiky, black haired thirteen-year-old boy replied. A yellow rodent-like creature sat on his shoulder. "What do you think Pikachu?"

"Pika pika, pikachu pi pika pikapi" It rubbed its belly. The boy laughed.

"What did Pikachu say Ash?" Misty asked him, putting a hand on her hip.

"Pikachu doesn't really care for the beach, he wants some ketchup"

"Sounds like Pikachu all right, always thinking about his stomach" An older boy said. He had dark brown spiky hair and dark skin. "We'll be eating an about an hour"

"But Brooock, I'm hungry now" Ash moaned.

"Piiiika" Pikachu joined in Ash's moaning.

"Like trainer, like pokemon" Misty rolled her eyes and turned to Brock. "You think we should give these animals something before they start to snack on us from hunger" She grinned at Ash and Pikachu mockingly.

Ash narrowed his eyes at this remark. "Well at least we're not scrawny little blabber mouths!"

"Excuse me!?" She marched over to him and grabbed his collar. "If I was you Ash Ketchum, I'd learn when to shut your trap!"

"Look who's talking!" The two started another quarrel. Pikachu wandered over to Brock and yawned while watching the two.

"Tell me about it. It was amusing when I first came with them, but it's like a chore now" He shook his head and sat down with Pikachu to let the fight run out.

It was half an hour later and the two had gone from name calling to pulling of hair and scratching each other. Ash had a considerable amount of scratch marks on him from Misty's long nails. Misty's hair was now down and in a total mess. Brock had had enough.

"Pikachu, would you do the honours?"

Pikachu was more than happy to agree and stood up, wandering towards the teens. "PIKACHU!" He yelled at the two first, hoping to get their attention. When this didn't work Pikachu lost his temper. Sparks started to fly from his cheeks and there was an eruption of electricity. Ash and Misty yelled in pain and fell to the ground. They were smoking and twitching from the electricity. Pikachu smirked with satisfaction and Brock stepped forward.

"If you two lovebirds are quite finished, we will continue"

Ash and Misty blushed at this and nodded to each other. They collected themselves and their bags and walked away from Brock. He stood there dumbfounded.

"Well that went well. Wonder why they didn't yell at me?" He shrugged it off and followed them. It wasn't until about another half an hour later that he found out what they were doing. He walked behind them with his hands clasped together in front of himself. "Ohh come on guys, please talk to me!"

Ash and Misty continued to ignore him. Then an idea came to him. "Dinner time" They stopped and looked back at him. It had been ages since they had eaten anything and they were all hungry now. Pikachu cheered and ran back to Brock, jumping up and down. Brock laughed. "Ok Pikachu, I've got a ketchup bottle in here with your name on it. But I guess there is nobody else for dinner. Just you and me then"

Ash turned to Misty. "Has Brock gone blind?"

Misty rolled her eyes. "Yes Ash, Brock has gone blind," She told him sarcastically.

"Really? Ohh then he won't see me do this then" He picked up Brock's bag and emptied all the contents out. He started to poke through the stuff.

"Ash! Brock isn't blind you fool!" Misty couldn't believe Ash was being so stupid, again.

"He isn't?" Looked over and sure enough Brock was staring at him annoyed. "Are you sure? His eyes looked closed"

Misty shook her head. "How dense can a person be?"

Ash pushed Brock's sleeping bag out of the way and spotted something. "Hey, what's this?" He picked up a magazine and his eyes went wide. "BROCK!"

Brock looked over and his face turned a bright red. He ran over and snatched the magazine from Ash, stuffing it back into his bag.

"Brock that's not right! I mean, there were pictures of pmuph umhp" Brock had slapped his hand over Ash's mouth.

"Don't say another word about this" His voice sounded angry, but his face was a brighter red than before.

Ash nodded his head, a little nervous towards Brock. Brock let him go and went back to cooking. Ash remembered seeing Brock sneaking out some nights and opened his mouth to mention it. He quickly decided against it. 'If I ever want dinner, I'd better shut up'

Misty felt slightly uncomfortable right now. "Ehh guys, I'm going for a walk" She turned and headed off. It was only about five minutes before Ash and Brock heard Misty's scream. She ran back into the camp all panicky. Ash ran to her.

"Misty what's wrong?"

"I... saw..." She was trying to catch her breath.

"You saw what?" Ash looked worried. What if it was some evil monster out to eat them? He shivered.

"I saw a, BUG!" She spat out the last word.

Ash's jaw dropped. "You got me all worried about you just because you saw a bug?!"

Misty looked surprised. "Ash you... you were worried about me?"

"Ehh, well... you're my friend, of course I worry about you" He turned his head away to hide his blush. 'I can't believe I just said that!'

"Well, yeah, I knew that's why. There's no other reason" She blushed herself and turned away. There was an awkward silence before Brock spoke.

"Hey, if you guys are talking to me again, dinner's ready"

Both of them welcomed the change in subject. "Brock old buddy old pal, we wouldn't not talk to you"

"Yeah, just save the sweet talk and eat" He sat down and began eating his portion.

Ash and Misty sat apart from each other and started on their meals. As they ate they felt a drizzle starting to fall. "I don't believe it. The sky was clear just moments ago" Misty complained.

They quickly gathered their stuff and started to look for cover. The drizzle had turned into raging rain.

"Where are we supposed to go? Most of the trees around here are... dead" Ash stated. They had come to an area of the forest where all the trees seemed to have ceased living. Their branches were bare and the wood looked like it was rotting.

Misty looked around uncertainly. "I don't like this guys"

Pikachu spotted something in the distance and pointed it out to Ash. It was a decrepit two-story house. "Hey guys, we can go in there for the night"

"You have got to be kidding Ash! That place looks like it's going to collapse any second!" Misty glared at Ash and then at the house.

Brock pushed them along. "This is no time to be picky. We'll have to make do with it"

They pushed the front door open with a loud creek. It echoed through the empty halls. They stepped in and looked around. The interior was surprisingly modern. The door slammed shut behind them, which made them jump. Darkness enveloped the room.

"I can't see a thing in here anymore. I don't like this at all. Can we please go?" Misty pleaded. There was the sound of a pokeball opening and the room lit up. Ash's Quilava stood there in the middle of the room with its flame burning brightly.

"We can't go anywhere else. The storm is really bad outside and there's nowhere else to take shelter for miles" Brock stated as Ash walked around.

"There's a staircase here. There should be a few bedrooms in a place this big" He darted up the stairs with Pikachu in tow. Pikachu's cheeks sparked and he used a Flash attack to help lead Ash through the darkness. "I'll tell you guys if I find anything" He called down to them and disappeared around a corner.

Misty looked worried. "Brock, I don't like Ash going off like that. You know him, he'll probably get into trouble someway or another"

"You know as well as I do that Ash does what he wants, when he wants" He crossed his arms and looked over at her. "He'll be fine, don't worry about him too much"

Misty glanced back at Brock from the corner of her eye then looked back up the stairs. Pikachu's Flash could still be seen lighting the way. Suddenly the Flash vanished and a few moments later Ash could be heard yelling. Misty didn't think twice and ran up the stairs with Brock behind and Quilava leading the way. "ASH!" She cried out. They followed Quilava down a long and winding corridor that came to a dead end. Misty scanned around. "Brock, where has he gone?"

Brock looked just as worried as Misty was. "He came down this way so he should be here, there's nowhere else to go"

A lump formed in Misty's throat and she swallowed hard. Her gaze met the floor where there were a few drops of red liquid. She knelt down and looked at it closer. She gasped and turned to Brock. "Is this what I think it is?"

Brock looked at the drops and a worry line formed on his forehead. "If you think it's blood... then you're right"

Now Misty was even more worried. "I knew we shouldn't have come in here!" She stood up and slammed her fist against a wall. Some plaster broke away and fell to the ground, breaking into pieces on contact.

Brock placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "We'll find him. He is able to take care of himself at times like this"

Misty caught her breath and nodded solemnly. Quilava sniffed the drops and stood on its hind legs, looking towards Brock and Misty with the question of 'Where is my trainer?' written on its face. Misty patted the pokemon. "Don't worry, we'll find him" Quilava smiled and started to look around. Misty wished she were as confident as Quilava was about finding Ash, but deep down she had her doubts.

~*~*~

"Brock is has been two hours and there is still no sign of Ash" Misty's worry was now through the roof. They had found nothing over the last to hours that would help find Ash. Quilava was getting tired and its flame was dimming.

Brock shook his head. "I know. Right now I think we should get some sleep and we can start looking again in the morning"

"We have to keep looking!" Misty snapped back at Brock in anger. How could he even suggest stopping?

"Misty there's no need to yell at me! Quilava is tired and we need its flame to guide us around. If its flame is gone there is no way we could find Ash. We'd probably just get lost ourselves!"

Misty lowered her head. "Alright, I guess you have a point there"

Brock nodded. "Well, let's get sorted for the night" They found a room on the second floor and laid out their sleeping bags. Quilava curled up at the bottom of Brock's bag. It wasn't long before Misty heard the familiar sound of Brock's snoring. She twisted and turned in her sleeping bag trying to sleep, but every time she came near to drifting off, Ash would come to mind and she would be awake again. "Ohh Ash, where are you?" She mumbled and closed her eyes, finally falling asleep.

~*~*~

Thump, thump, BANG!

Misty awoke with a start. "Wh... what was that banging?" She looked over to Brock's sleeping bag. "Brock? Brock wake up a second" She crawled over and shook him. Getting no response she pulled the top of it open in aggravation. "WAKE UP!" She felt something was wrong. Brock should have said something by now. "Brock?" She dug around in his backpack and pulled out a box of matches. She struck one against the side of the box and it lit up. She held it over the sleeping bag. Her eyes widened. "It...it's empty" She looked into Brock's empty sleeping bag and shivered. "Where has he gone now?" Quilava was missing also. Misty started to feel really scared. She looked around the room and found a thick candle on a mantle place. Struck another match and lit it. She pocketed the box and carried the candle.

She left the room and looked up and down the dark hallway. She walked down the hall keeping one hand on the wall. Her hand touched a spot on the wall that was damp and cold so she held the candle up to it to see what it was. "Ohh no" The wall was red, but not with paint. Blood covered the wall and it covered her hand. She quickly pulled out a tissue from her pocket and wiped it off her hand. Her breathing started to quicken from fear and she ran down the hall. "Ash, Brock, where are you?" She called out. "I'm afraid" Her voice was now only just above a whisper. She heard something and listened more closely.

"Misty..."

The voice sounded familiar to her. "Misty..." It called again. She was sure of it now. "BROCK!" She cried and ran towards where she thought it was coming from. There was a door at the end of the hall and she pushed it open. The candle illumined part of the room when she stepped in. "Brock? Are you in here?" She heard a low groaning coming from the far side of the room. She went over and the candle lit up that part of the room, showing the body of a sixteen-year-old boy lying there. Misty knelt down next to him, placing the candle beside him. She studied Brock's body and shivered. He was covered in blood. His clothes were all torn and large scratch marks covered him. "Brock what happened to you?"

He coughed hoarsely and a trickle of blood came from his mouth. "It was... a creature. Not a pokemon we've ever seen. Fangs, claws, red eyes, ohh those eyes..." Brock's breathing was harsh and short. Misty held his hand.

"You have to pull through Brock, you have to!" A few tears slid down her cheek.

"You... have to find Ash... and get out before it gets you. Take Quilava to him" Brock held out a pokeball to Misty and closed his eyes.

Misty took the pokeball and clipped it to her belt. "Brock, I can't leave you here alone. What if it comes back?"

"If it does, it will kill you too. Get away while you can"

Misty knew that she had to find Ash, and fast. She pulled out a pokeball and enlarged it. "I choose you!" The pokeball opened and a Starmie formed. "Starmie, protect Brock. Use your Light Screen if anything comes, alright?" Starmie nodded itself and Misty turned to Brock again. "Take care of yourself Brock. I'll be back soon, Ash too"

Brock smiled wearily and nodded. "Now go..."

She wasted no more time. Grabbing the candle she ran from the room. Arriving at the stairs she stopped, suddenly feeling as if someone, or something, was watching her. A shiver ran up her spine and she started down the stairs. They creaked under the increased weight upon them. About halfway down one of the stairs couldn't bear her weight and is broke. She screamed as she fell down through them.

Silence surrounded her. The sound of the rain outside hitting against the windows was the only sound to be heard. Misty opened her eyes groggily and pushed herself up. Darkness surrounded her and she crawled around searching for her candle. Unable to find it she just lit a match and surveyed her surroundings. Last thing she remembered was falling through the stairs, but she wasn't anywhere near them now. She was in a room full with the stench of rotting meat and death. There was a sudden gust of wind that blew out the match. Misty felt something breathing down her neck and spun around. There in front of her were two blazing red eyes. They stared at her and she felt her soul being searched. Misty decided that no sudden movements should be made and slowly stepped away. The eyes glowed and there was a burst of light, like a Flash Attack. She had to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness but when her eyes had adjusted, she looked around for the creature. It was nowhere to be seen but she saw something else. "ASH!" She screamed and ran over. His body lay motionless against a wall. Pikachu lay next to his master in a similar condition. Their bodies had obtained the same kind of wounds that Brock had. She rolled Ash over onto his back and looked at his handsome face that was now covered a scratches. She pushed his hair from his eyes and rubbed her hand across his cheek. He was still breathing to Misty's relief. "Ash, can you hear me?" There was a groaning sound and he moved slightly. "Ash please wake up" He moved again and his eyes started to open. Misty was glad to be able to look into his deep brown eyes again. She smiled at him. 'I love you Ash, why can I not tell you?'

He seemed not to see anything for a short while, then he looked into Misty's aqua eyes. He stared into the face of the girl he had loved since he had met her. Her orange-red hair fell around her worried face and Ash had to smile at her. "Hey Mist" His voice was hoarse and he coughed.

"Ash, take it easy" She held his hand tight which made Ash's heart skip a beat. His smile suddenly dropped to a frown.

"Where is Pikachu? And Brock?"

Misty let his hand go and walked over to the unconscious form of the little yellow mouse. She scooped him up and went back to Ash. "He's right here Ash"

Ash smiled as he looked at his best friend in the arms of his crush. "And Brock?"

Misty's face fell. "That creature got him. He's in a room with my Starmie. We need to get out of here Ash"

"No kidding" He pushed himself up and groaned as his muscles stiffened. Misty looked on with a worried expression. "Misty, I... I have to tell you something"

"What is it?"

"Well..." He cleared his throat and looked at her in the eye. Misty knew that what he was about to say was really serious. "Misty, how long have we known each other?"

Misty was a little surprised at this question. Surly he'd know but she answered anyway. "It's been about four years. Why?"

"Well, it's just that when I was attacked by that creature, all I could think about was you" He had started to blush.

"Really?" Misty blushed a shade herself.

"Yes. I was sure that I was going to die right there and then and all I wanted was to be with you, to... to hold you. Misty, I love you" Ash lowered his gaze to the ground, unsure of the reaction he was going to get. He felt her wrap her arms around him tightly and she pulled him to her in a hug.

"Ash Ketchum, I love you too" She whispered into his ear.

Ash was overjoyed. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. He pulled back a little and looked at her in the eye. They drew closer to each other and their lips met in a deep, passionate kiss. They broke apart to catch their breath and they stared longingly into each other's eyes. Their moment was interrupted by a loud and horrible screech. Misty covered her ears and Ash looked around with fear. "It's back!"

There was a flurry of wings and a loud bang. A creature towered over the two teens with its mouth agape, its fangs bared and its claws extended. Misty thought it looked like a mixture of some of the most dangerous pokemon, and also of some mystical made up creatures. It screeched again and dove at them. Ash and Misty hugged each other and shivered in total fear. The creature seemed to cry out in surprise and they heard a loud thump. When they opened their eyes the creature was shaking itself, water falling off its coat. It growled and faced the door into the room. Ash and Misty looked over to see Brock leaning against the doorframe for support. Misty's Starmie stood in front of him.

"Brock! You're ok!" Misty called over.

Brock gave them a thumbs up. "You didn't think I was gone that quickly did you? Now lets try to get out of h-" Before he could finish the creature had dove at him and grabbed him in its claws. It pinned Brock to the ground and opened its mouth, heading for his neck. Brock tried to scream, but fear snatched the words from him.

"BROCK NO!" Ash yelled. He pulled himself up and pulled out a pokeball. "I choose you, Charizard!" Ash's Charizard materialised and roared. It was a lot larger than some regular Charizard from training in the Charisific Valley. "Flamethrower, and fast!" Charizard complied and took a deep breath. "Brock, keep down" Ash yelled to Brock as Charizard unleashed a huge flurry of fire. The creature screamed in pain as the flames engulfed it. It released Brock and flew up.

Ash and Misty ran over to Brock, Misty carrying Pikachu carefully. She returned Starmie and Ash ordered Charizard to use a Slash attack. Charizard and the creature engaged in a Slashing fight. The sun was beginning to rise outside and started to seep in through the single window in the room. The sunlight touched the creature's wing and it gave out a painful scream.

"What's going on?" Ash questioned, watching in fascination.

"It can't stand sunlight. That's how we can destroy it" Brock explained.

"Destroy it?" Ash looked uncertain. "I've never killed anything in my entire live other than a house plant!"

"Ash we have to! Can you imagine if someone else came in here? We're not the first victims and we won't be the last if we don't kill it" Misty motioned towards the piles of bones and blood soaked walls. Ash shut his eyes.

"Alright, this once" He pushed his hair from his face and glared at the creature struggling to keep out of the sunlight and fight Charizard at the same time. "Charizard, smash it through the wall and get it outside" Charizard nodded and grabbed the creature's leg. He flung it around and slammed it against the wall. The old wall broke easily and the sunlight streamed into the room. Charizard flew high into the sky, pulling the creature along with him. It screamed in pain and started to disintegrate. There was an explosion and Charizard flew alone. Ash, Misty and Brock smiled out to the rising sun. Ash looked over and smiled at Misty and she smiled back. They grabbed each other and kissed. Brock gasped.

"When did this happen?!" Charizard landed behind him, equally confused.

Ash and Misty stopped their kiss and laughed. "Let's just say, our night of terror has turned to a day of joy" Misty smiled. The trio left the house soon after that with Ash and Misty holding hands. Pikachu was behind with Brock trying to get a fill in on what had happened.

"I'm not sure Pikachu, but it looks like there mightn't been any more fights" Pikachu smiled and gave a thumbs up. Brock laughed. "Yeah, it is great"

"What do you mean you saved me? I saved you!"

"DID NOT!"

"DID TOO!"

Brock and Pikachu looked at each other and sighed. "Some things never change"

That was fun to write. Two days to do it but it was well worth it, I think ^_^ Please take a minute of your time to review ^_^ Good and bad welcome. And to finish off, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

~Ashla~