It was All Hallow's Eve, a night of spooks and scares, of spirits and sweets. And for Ash Ketchum, one of boredom, as he had wound up halfway between towns as night fell.

"I don't even have a costume to go join in if I make it to town," He sighed.

"Pika," Pikachu said, which wasn't a whole lot of assistance.

And then he heard the voice whispering.

"I can help you with both problems..."

"Huh? Who's there?" He asked, as a glow emerged from the trees, a floating ball of light.

Pikachu let out a cry of surprise, but Ash was remarkably unfazed by the ghostly orb.

"...Uh, are you a ghost pokemon? Maybe with a psychic subtype? I've never seen anything quite like you before, except maybe.... Oh! Are you a Gastly?"

The orb gave a glow that seemed... puzzled.

"Um, no, I'm not a pokemon but I suppose I am kind of a ghost and a psychic.... It's a long story but I can help you, Ash. I can give you a 'costume' that will take you to town faster, and let you join in the festivities."

"Oh, you're a regular ghost then, and you're able to turn me into a pokemon? I turn back, right?"

"Um... yes. You seem rather... unsurprised by this. A lot of people run away when I try to help."

"Pika," Pikachu added, neither Ash nor Ghost understanding.

"It's.... also a long story I guess," Ash said.

"Oh, fair enough. But yeah, you'll only be a pokemon for the night, and you'll still be human shaped, sort of. Maybe a fast or flying one to reach town sooner?"

"Braviary. It's pretty big, and I can carry Pikachu easier."

"Okay then. This went a lot faster than usual," The spirit said, confused.

"Oh, wait, what do you get out of this?"

"...I might get slightly more powerful and be able to scare away Ghost pokemon easier. They keep trying to fight me."

"Well, I guess that seems okay."

The spirit hovered a moment, glowing brighter, as Ash also glowed. His silhouette in light began shifting and twisting, feathers growing on his arms, a tail of feather emerging, and a beak-like shape emerging from his face. And then the glow ended, and Ash looked himself over.

"Whoa...."

His new wings/arms had red and black feathers, the former on top and the latter as underside colouration. He saw his hands and feet were now talons, and felt a crest of feathers on his head.

"Yeah, this is great! Thanks, random forest ghost that probably took a chunk of my soul, see you later!" Ash said, taking off picking Pikachu up with his feet, to the electric pokemon's slight protests.

With a gust of wind, Ash was flying towards town, leaving the glowing orb behind.

"Well... I guess he's happy with it. Wonder if anyone else is coming down the road," it whispered, and faded back into the trees.