So I couldn't resist working on the Yokai Watch rewrite fic I wanted to do, whoopsie.

Some quick info before I start:

1. This will be primarily based off the video games, though there will be some anime elements here and there.

2. I will be writing yokai as simply that: yokai. I don't like the whole Yo-Kai thing, it kind of bothers me to be honest? I'm sorry if that's not anyone's cup of tea!

3. Since the localization uses US Currency, and the original version of the game (I'm assuming) uses Yen (and you can see Nate use a 100-yen coin in the anime), I've decided to take a third option and use Y Dollars from Wibble Wobble. Think of it like Pokedollars, if it helps to understand it?

4. I do love the original canon, I love Yokai Watch. I don't claim my fanfic to be better than canon, I know I still have a ways to go on improving my writing. I don't expect people to like this, especially if they are not pleased with the changes I have for my rewrite.

With all that out of the way, please enjoy Yokai Watch Re!

Unexplained occurrences happen every day, but if you possess the Yokai Watch, you'll be able to see the elusive yokai: invisible spirit-like entities responsible for life's daily annoyances. But beware, because when a yokai enters your life, things will never quite be the same.

–

It was a warm, sunny afternoon in Springdale, clouds drifting lazily across the sky. School had ended for the summer, leaving the kids free to play and relax until fall rolled around. One such kid, Katie Forester, was headed toward the park in town to meet with her friends Eddie, Bear, and Nate for a day of bug-hunting, net in her hands and bag full of containers for the bugs as she ran toward the three boys.

"There you are, Katie!" Nate commented. "So, are you ready for the bug hunt?"

"Yup! I've been looking forward to this all summer!" Katie answered, nodding. "Eddie, Bear? Are you guys ready too?"

"Heck yeah I am!" Eddie confirmed, raising his net triumphantly in the air. "I'm gonna catch the largest bug, just you wait!"

"Heh, good luck!" Bear smugly replied, puffing out his chest. "I'm going to snag a beetle bigger than any bug any of you have ever seen!"

Katie couldn't help but smile as their friends tried to outdo each other in their claims of who could catch which bug. She wouldn't say it aloud, but she was sure she'd find the biggest bug out of their group.

"Okay, on the count of three, we start the hunt!" Eddie declared. "One…two…"

"Three!" the four shouted, taking off in different directions. Katie headed past her elementary school and up toward Mt. Wildwood, slowing down as she approached a break in the tree-lined path. She could see a particularly large beetle on a bush, and she slowly crept toward it, net at the ready.

'Just stay still…' she silently ordered the bug before raising her net and bringing it down on the beetle. She snagged it just before it could take off, and she cheered.

"Yes! Gotcha!" she declared, taking out the bug and placing it in one of the containers she had. Once that was taken care of, she walked deeper into Mt. Wildwood, approaching the shrine. The shrine's caretaker was sweeping as Katie walked near it, the two waving at each other as she looked around.

'Now, if I were a bug, where would I be…' Katie thought, glancing around. She spotted an orange butterfly fluttering around, and she took off after it. It started flying north, leading her down a path of trees as she swung her net over and over, missing the butterfly repeatedly.

"Come on!" Katie complained. "Just let me catch you!"

Eventually, she managed to snag the butterfly, and she sighed in relief. "Thank goodness…!" Katie mumbled, placing the butterfly into another container before looking around. She quickly realized she was lost. She had visited the shrine a few times, and had noticed a path leading past it deeper into the forest before, but…she had never been this far into the forest before. Something was drawing her forward though, despite the fact she should have been trying to get back to the shrine…

Katie reluctantly walked forward, eventually coming upon a tree that reached up to the sky, a gray machine of some sort at its trunk. Upon closer inspection…it resembled one of those capsule machines she had seen at the general store, the orbs within it were a myriad of colors even though Katie could see dust had long since settled on the prizes. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to see what she got from the machine…?

She rooted around in her pockets and pulled out a 100 Y Dollar coin, inserting it in the machine and twisting the handle on it. A gray and white orb rolled out of the machine, and Katie yanked on the halves in an attempt to open it.

"Come on, open…! I didn't just waste a coin on you, you stupid–!"

The orb came apart, and something burst out of it, a swirl of blue letters and light forming in the air. Katie's heart raced as the wind whipped around her, eyes widening. Did she unleash a monster of some sort?!

"O-Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she yelped, ducking and covering her head.

The wind came to a stop, and a voice she had never heard before spoke. "Ahhh…190 years can give you such a crick in the neck!"

Katie slowly looked up to see a white…ghost of some sort stretching, a grin on its face. "My goodness, I haven't been outside that machine for so long! It feels good to be free at long last!"

"Who…Who are you?" Katie asked, nervously.

"I am the yokai Whisper of the Slippery Tribe! It is an honor to meet you!" the ghost responded, bowing.

"W-Whisper? Yokai? What…?!" Katie stammered, unsure of how to respond.

"Are you alright?" Whisper asked, straightening up and noticing how terrified Katie looked. "I apologize if I scared you in any way! I have no intention of causing you any harm, I assure you!"

"I-I'm sorry for disturbing your slumber!" Katie apologized. "I'm sorry, I got lost while hunting for bugs, and then I found that capsule machine, I didn't know it had a yokai in it!"

"Oh, no, my dear, please do not worry! I am eternally grateful for you having freed me!" Whisper assured, bowing again. "In return, I request to be your butler and guide to yokai!"

"S…Sure?" Katie answered.

"Wonderful! Oh, and to celebrate our meeting and your freeing me, I present you with this!" Whisper declared, taking out something that resembled a pocket watch, a pink cover with hearts decorating it and the clock hands set against a background of multiple colors. It was suspended from a pale blue strap.

"Um…what is this?" Katie asked, looking it over as Whisper gave it to her. "It's a very cute watch, I have to admit, but…"

"It is a Yokai Watch!" Whisper explained. "It allows you to see other yokai like me! Give it a try now!"

Katie put the watch on and held it up, fiddling with it for a few moments before the cover popped open, a purplish light shining from the cover. Her eyes lit up as she scanned the area with her watch.

"This is kind of cool!" she noted. "So what do these yokai look like?"

"They can be nearly anything!" Whisper explained. "From titans that tower over even the largest of skyscrapers to the tiniest of mice! It all comes down to what their powers are, and what they were in their previous lives!"

"Wait, previous–" Katie began but was interrupted when the Yokai Watch picked up on a blue-green bird that looked…rather sad, if she had to be honest. It was drooping, it had a miserable expression on its face…

"That is a Buhu, and it is from the Eerie Tribe!" Whisper explained as the yokai became more visible. "When it inspirits people, it causes their mood to plummet quite rapidly!"

"A…A what? Boo-hoo?" Katie repeated, confused.

The Buhu sighed. "Aw man, do I have to fight you guys? I'm really not feeling up to it right now, sorry…"

"Wait, fight? Whisper, in case you haven't noticed, I am an 11 year-old girl! I have had no training in self-defense, how do you expect me to fight something I couldn't even see before now?" Katie pointed out.

"Don't worry, I won't let you get harmed!" Whisper assured. "Though…I don't have much in the way of fighting powers myself, a-ahaha…"

"Seriously? Then what are we supposed to do?!" Katie questioned.

"Don't worry, human!" a buzzing voice assured. A yokai that heavily resembled a cicada in armor, a tiny sword in its hands. "I will protect you!"

"Another yokai? Today just keeps getting more and more crazy…" Katie remarked.

"That is Cadin, from the Charming Tribe!" Whisper explained. "He can fight!"

"Okay, one, I would really appreciate being told what all these Tribes are later! And two, how do I know it's on our side?" Katie asked.

"I don't like to see humans in danger due to yokai! Rest assured, madam, I will protect you!" Cadin assured. Katie could see the sword shake in his hands when she squinted. That didn't give her a ton of confidence…

"A-Alright, then! Do your best!" Katie cheered.

"Right! Whirlwind!" Cadin shouted as he delivered a tiny storm of cuts to Buhu. Buhu grunted in pain before charging at Cadin and slapping him with its wings, knocking him backward.

"Hang in there, Cadin!" Katie encouraged.

"I'm doing my best! I think it's time for me to unleash my Soultimate move!" Cadin decided. "Cicada Slash!"

His sword started glowing, and he sliced at Buhu multiple times, sending it crashing to the ground. Once it was clear Buhu would do no more harm, Cadin returned his sword to its sheath.

"We won!" he announced, looking proud of himself.

"Nicely done, Cadin!" Katie cheered. "That was amazing!"

"Aw, it was nothing special," Cadin responded, a slight blush on his cheeks as he folded his arms. "I'm happy to help!"

Buhu gave a sigh as it got back up. "I lost…boo-hoo…" it whined.

"Hey, are you okay?" Katie asked, hesitantly approaching Buhu.

"I'll be fine, I guess…since you beat me, I guess you should have my medal," Buhu answered. A small, silvery medal formed in Buhu's beak, and it handed the medal to Katie. Upon closer inspection, it had an image of Buhu on it.

"Oh! Thank you…?" Katie responded, surprised.

"Yeah, yeah…see you," Buhu answered before vanishing in a puff of purple smoke.

"Before I leave as well, take my medal as well!" Cadin said, taking out a medal similar to the one Buhu gave Katie but with an image of Cadin on it. "Medals allow you to summon yokai whenever you need them!"

"I-I see…?" Katie replied, trying to process that info.

"In any case, I must be off! Until we meet again!" Cadin said before vanishing in a similar puff of purple smoke.

"You're off to a wonderful start!" Whisper praised. "Already you have two yokai as your allies! You can only get better from here!"

Katie didn't respond at first, staring at the medals, then at the watch, then at Whisper. "…I've gotta tell my friends about this!"

Whisper's smile faltered for a moment. "Wait, you wish to tell your friends? Are you sure that's a wise idea?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"Yes! Look, I was just on Mt. Wildwood to hunt for bugs!" Katie explained, gesturing to the forest around them. "And I have no idea how long I've been up here, and my friends are probably worried for me! I don't want to leave them out of the loop on this, I'm just one kid who stumbled upon all…all this by accident! Please, just let me tell them!"

Whisper hesitated before nodding. "Very well, if that's what you feel is best."

He paused, then gasped. "Oh, I completely forgot, I didn't even get your name!"

"Katie. Katie Forester," Katie responded, holding out her hand for Whisper to shake.

"A pleasure it is to meet you, Ms. Forester!" Whisper replied, shaking Katie's hand. "I'm sure this is the start to a wonderful friendship!"

Katie nodded as she began to retrace her steps back toward the exit of Mt. Wildwood. "I'm surprised you didn't start singing about how I've never have a friend like you, to be honest."

"Eh…? What do you mean by that?" Whisper asked, curious.

"Oh, never mind," Katie responded, shaking her head.

–

Eddie, Bear, and Nate were waiting at the park for Katie when she finally returned, twilight settling upon Springdale. Nate's eyes lit up as Katie ran into the park.

"Katie! Are you okay?" Nate asked.

"You've been gone for hours!" Eddie explained. "We were just about to go looking for you!"

"I-I'm okay, I'm okay!" Katie assured. "Though you won't believe what I've been through, honestly!"

"What happened? What, did you see a ghost?" Bear joked.

Katie held up her Yokai Watch. "Actually, yes, I did see a ghost. Er…a yokai, actually."

"…a what," Bear flatly responded, raising his eyebrows.

"Whisper, time to show yourself!" Katie declared, and Whisper revealed himself to the three in a cloud of smoke, posing. Nate, Eddie, and Bear's eyes widened.

"W-We're all seeing that, right? It's not just me?" Nate asked, looking at his friends in shock.

"Don't worry, I am very much real!" Whisper assured. "I am Whisper, a yokai of the Slippery Tribe and Ms. Forester's self-appointed butler!"

"Wait, butler?!" Nate, Eddie, and Bear said at once.

"Katie, what the heck did you find at Mt. Wildwood?" Bear asked, alarmed.

"Slippery Tribe?" Eddie repeated.

"Does it have something to do with that watch?" Nate asked, looking at Katie's new watch. "You weren't wearing it earlier today…"

Katie nodded. "It's a really long story, and I don't know where to start, honestly…" she confessed.

"Ms. Forester freed me from the machine holding me prisoner on Mt. Wildwood, and in return I gave her the Yokai Watch and pledged to be her butler!" Whisper explained. "I was worried about showing myself to other people, as people's reactions to yokai tend to…vary."

Whisper paused, glancing at Nate for a noticeable moment before clearing his throat. "In any case, while I cannot be all of your butlers or give you Yokai Watches, I can certainly provide information on yokai whenever you four need it!"

"So like that tattle ability from that one game for the Game Sphere! What was it again?" Eddie mumbled, looking lost in thought.

"I suppose so, yes," Whisper decided, nodding even though he doubtfully knew what Eddie was referring to. "But for now, I will be staying with Ms. Forester until further notice!"

"I feel like Little Bo Peep, honestly," Katie admitted. "I never expected this to happen when I went up to Mt. Wildwood…"

Whisper, at the mention of Little Bo Peep, transformed into a more sheepish version of himself. "I'll always be there for ewe!"

The kids couldn't help but burst out laughing at the terrible pun as Whisper returned to normal, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Okay, that was pretty funny!" Katie admitted as they stopped laughing. "I guess this won't be so bad, having the Yokai Watch!"

"I hate to interrupt us having fun and all, but it's almost dinner time!" Nate realized. "I'm starving!"

"Let's meet at the riverbank tomorrow morning!" Katie suggested. "Whisper, would you be okay telling us more about yokai tomorrow?"

"Of course, provided nothing else comes up!" Whisper agreed.

The kids headed off for their respective homes as the sun continued to set, unaware that that day was the last relatively normal day of their summer vacation.

–

Meanwhile, in another realm entirely, a yokai that resembled a man dressed in white with tentacles for a beard sat on a blue throne, white tentacles sprouting from its back. Another yokai that resembled a snake of some sort, its colors grayed out, was in front of him.

"So, Slitheref, what's this I hear about a human coming into contact with a yokai?" the yokai on the throne questioned.

"Our spy, Pinkipoo, said that a human had freed the yokai Whisper from his prison, and has obtained a Yokai Watch, Lord McKraken," the snake answered, bowing its head.

McKraken scoffed. "And who is this human?"

"A human girl who calls herself 'Kaytee'. We do not know if she is the heir who went missing several years ago, but we are looking into it now," Slitheref responded.

"If she is the heir, I order you to dispose of her however you see fit. I cannot have any challengers to the throne!" McKraken ordered. "And destroy that Yokai Watch while you're at it, there is no need for a yokai and a human to be friends!"

"Of course, Lord McKraken," Slitheref answered before slithering away.