Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of their characters. I only own OCs and my plots.

Chapter 3- Treacherous Tombstones

Joe shook his head, blinking his eyes rapidly after the blinding white flash, then looked around. A field… they were in a field. He reached down and released his Pokémon, staring around at the, once again, unceasing landscape around them. It was lit by the light of the full moon, and dense fog limited his vision, but he thought he saw something off in the distance… a silvery light. He pointed it out to his team, and, wary of traps, he slowly moved towards it, his Pokémon following in silence, and as far as he could tell, it seemed to be getting closer. Unfortunately, he was watching it so carefully, he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and he tripped over something hard and fell, sprawling on the grass. He groaned and sat up, turning to look back at the silver light, but it had vanished. He swore, then turned around to look at what he had tripped over. It was a gravestone, specifically the gravestone of a James Furrows, 1771-1821. He stepped away from it, wary. After all, stranger things had happened already… He waited a moment, and when the occupant of the grave didn't emerge, thirsting for brains, he sighed in relief, sitting on top of the gravestone and looking around again. From where he was now, he could see that the "field" around them was peppered with tombstones, and off in the distance, he could see the foggy shape of some large building, possibly a crypt or mausoleum.

"This… this is a graveyard," whispered Joe, blanching.

"Yeah, I guess it is," agreed Graveler, her face indifferent. "What now?"

"Uhh… well, let's go check out that mausoleum," answered Joe, and the group headed towards it. It was large, ornate, and made of stone, the entrance covered by a large stone door that appeared to push inwards.

"Hey, Graveler, do you mind opening that door?" asked Joe, and she nodded, moving to do as he asked. As she went to touch the door, however, there was a bright flash of light and she was pushed back as though electrocuted. When his vision returned to normal, Joe gasped. Now floating in front of the door was a wall of glowing red symbols, swirling about. Then, as he watched, they stopped moving, and suddenly burst away, flying deep into the graveyard and disappearing into the fog. Then, he heard a sudden groaning sound echo from out of the mist, then another and another. Even as he watched, a hand, greenish and rotting, burst out from the grass by the nearby tombstone, and he cried out, "Dammit! I knew it!" and rushed towards the door, pushing frantically on it and moving it half an inch inward. When Graveler ran forward to help him, however, she was pushed back, along with Exeggutor and Tangela. Apparently the barrier could only be passed by humans.

Joe continued his assault on the door, moving it another inch or so in, but behind him, a shambling mob of zombies had formed, their putrefying limbs swinging, blood leaking from empty eye sockets, noses flaring as they moved together towards the smell of fresh blood. Not only that, but the Pokémon's attacks seemed to have no effect whatsoever on them. Joe re-doubled his efforts, and moved another few inches, but it still wasn't open enough to slip through, and his time was running out.

"This isn't working!" cried out Tangela, shooting ineffective Razor Leaves at the zombies. Exeggutor paused, then said, "You're right, we need more time." Then she turned and looked at Joe, an unusual look on her face as she said, calmly, "Joe, I have an idea. Whatever happens, keep pushing on that door."

"What're you talking about?" asked Joe, and she smiled.

"Goodbye, Joe," she said, and in a flash of white light she disappeared, teleporting directly into the flood of zombies, who stopped, turning inward to catch the easier prey.

"NO!!!" cried out Joe, and tears sprang to his eyes, but he angrily shook them away. Now was not the time. First, he had to make sure her sacrifice wasn't in vain. He pushed on the door harder than ever before, and, after a few moments, he squeezed through, recalling his Pokémon and looking around inside. It was bare inside, and near the back floated a silver key. Sighing, he walked forward, intending to grab the key, when, only a foot away from his destination, he cursed as he felt the floor, once again, falling out from beneath him. He cried out, reaching desperately for the shining silver key, but he was too late, and he fell down for the second time into darkness.