Chapter 7

Down Under

The other protagonist group of this story, Professor Layton, Luke, and Sherlocnyan began their search for Hiroki and the legendary sword, Excalibur. They encountered a mischievous Yokai named Reynard the Thief, but thanks to some Yokai allies they made, they were able to defeat Reynard the Thief and got back their belongings. They continued their adventure by going to the subway station to get to the British Library.

The trio arrived at the subway station. This station was one of many stations that make up the London Underground, the world's oldest and famous subways in all of England.

"Ah, the London Underground. They are so much grander than the subway at New York," Sherlocnyan commented.

"You've been to New York City before, Sherlocnyan?" Luke asked, making Sherlocnyan gasped a little.

"Um, yes, I, ah….say what's going on over there?" The detective cat yokai changed the subject while pointing to a commotion.

Luke and Prof. Layton noticed the commotion. A different subway train was ready to go, but it was at a stop due to a kid not wanting to go inside the train.

"Harry! Stop being stubborn and get on the train!" The mother yelled.

"No! I don't want to get on!" The boy replied as he pulled himself back while his mother tried to pull him in. The other passengers looked worried and becoming impatient.

Even the conductor was having a trouble. "Please, young man! Please get on the train! We'll be delayed!" The conductor said.

"That young boy sure is acting stubborn," Luke remarked. "He'll get crush if he doesn't get on that train!"

"I agree, Luke, but I don't think it is that he is stubborn, but something is causing him to be stubborn," Prof. Layton pointed out.

"Very keen eye, Professor!" Sherlocnyan exclaimed. "Quickly, lad! Use that Yo-Kai Watch at or near that boy!"

Luke pressed the button on the watch, popping out the lens and shooting a light beam near or around the stubborn boy.

The light revealed a shadow, and soon a form appeared. This one was a humanoid boar, bigger and taller than the kid. It had dark brown skin, black legs, and 2 tusks with some mud. On its backside was horizontal black stripes, and a big letter "S" with a black circle on his chest.

"Is that another Yokai?" Luke asked.

"Indeed it is, Young Luke. That's Stubboar, an Englandian Yokai from the Tough Tribe," Sherlocnyan revealed.

Stubboar-Tribe: Tough, Attribute: Earth

"Stubboar?" Luke questioned.

"He is a Yokai that looks like a boar and when he inspirits someone, that person becomes stubborn in everything," Sherlocnyan explained.

"If we don't stop Stubboar, that boy will get into trouble, more than he should,' Luke stated.

"I agree, Luke," Professor Layton said. "Let's talk with him first."

"Excuse me, Stubboar..." The smart professor asked kindly.

"Huh? Can you see me? That's a surprise, coming from an adult human!" Stubboar snorted.

"Pardon me, but I would like to ask you to stop inspiriting this young boy and leave him be," Professor Layton said. "It would be very appreci…."

"Sorry, good sir! I am not moving an inch!" Stubboar said.

"What are we going to do, Professor? He seems to be very stubborn to do what we say," Luke said, looking worried.

"No worry, Luke. We won't give up that easily," Prof. Layton assured.

"Stubboar, if we do something for you, then perhaps you can stop inspiriting the boy?" Sherlocnyan suggested.

"Hmmmm...Yeah, I guess there is one," Stubboar said. "How about you solve this puzzle I'm trying to figure out the answer to, and then maybe I will let this kid alone."

- Puzzle 006 –

Who or What am I?

"It cannot be seen, yet it can be noticed by everyone. When it is strong, something can be pushed by it, not everything will be pushed. What is it?"

"Something that can be pushed by it, not everything though..." Luke repeated.

"It sounds like a good riddle, but what could be the answer?" Sherlocnyan thought aloud.

"Yes, I wonder…." Prof. Layton said as he pondered his mind. He looked at another subway that just passed by the station, not stopping at all. It was an express train and it was moving very fast that a wind blew when it passed through by.

That was when the professor found the answer to the riddle.

"I see. The answer to the riddle is...wind!" He answered.

"What!? How is that possible!?" Stubboar gasped as his power dwindled, leaving the kid alone.

"Huh? What happened?" The kid asked as he just obeyed his mother and went on the train. The train finally moved and left the station platform.

"I don't get it! I was stuck on that riddle for a week!" Stubboar exclaimed.

"It makes all sense," Sherlocnyan said. "A wind is something you cannot see, but it can be noticed by everyone."

"And it can push something, but not everything," Luke added. "A clever answer, I would say for myself."

"Well, I'm beaten. Thank you for solving the riddle for me. I may be stubborn, but I keep my word and as a reward, here is something for ya." Stubboar gave the professor his Yo-Kai Medal, which showed Stubboar eating snacks stubbornly.

"Thank you, Stubboar," Professor Layton replied.

Just then, the subway that would take them to the library just arrived. They all got on board and went on their way. In about 5 minutes, they arrived at their stop.

As soon as they exited the station and reached the above the ground, they were near the front of the British Library.

"British Library, London's most famous library. This place holds many pieces of knowledge gathered around the country and the world," Sherlocnyan remarked.

They went inside the library, but when they did, they soon realized something was wrong.

"Hey, what's up with this line of people?" Luke asked. Once inside the library, a line of people waited at the front desk.

"Hey, what do you mean you don't know where it is? I need it for my research paper!" A young man with a backpack complained.

"Don't you know where I can find this book?" A lady in a white gown and shirt asked.

"Where is the bathroom!? I can barely hold on any longer!" Another man in jacket complained as he held on.

"Sorry, but no clue," librarian replied.

"That librarian seems not doing her job right," Luke said.

"That's strange. I know that librarian. She is very helpful, but it looks like she's having a trouble," Professor Layton stated. "Luke my boy, you know what to do, right?"

"Yes, Professor!" Luke used the Yo-Kai Watch and beamed the light over near the librarian.

Another Yokai revealed itself. This one was a large gray stone with a mouth, light brown, droopy eyes, and dark-brown eyes. It wore a black bowler hat, brown suit, black shoes, and a monocle on his left eye.

"It's another Yokai!" Luke exclaimed. In response, people around him "shhh" at him. "I mean it's another Yokai."

"That Yokai is Noclue," Sherlocnyan said. "Anyone he inspirits will say 'no clue' to everything."

Noclue-Tribe: Mysterious, Attribute: Earth

Noclue noticed the trio as well as noticing the Yo-Kai Watch. "Hey, you have that watch. So, you can see me?"

"Um, yes, Mr. Noclue. We can see you," Luke replied. "What are you doing here, inspiriting this librarian? You know that you are kind of making her do her job poorly."

"No clue," he responded.

"It looks like to me that Noclue won't leave the woman alone. We got to use confrontation for this one," Sherlocnyan admitted.

"Then, we got to summon one of our Yokai allies," Professor Layton said.

- Puzzle 007 –

Defeat Noclue

"Who do we summon to handle Noclue the best; Is it Reynard the Thief, Glooud, Stubboar, or Reconahound?"

"I think I know who to pick," Luke said. "Come out, my friend! Calling, Reynard the Theif! Yo-Kai Medal, set on!"

Summoning Shady!

Marvelous thee! Gusty, free banshee! Sing, song Shady!

Reynard the Thief!

"Are you sure to summon him, Luke?" Professor Layton asked.

"You will see, Professor Layton," he replied. "Reynard the Thief, can you help us stop Noclue?"

Reynard the Thief quickly swiped Noclue's monocle.

"Hey! That's mine!" Noclue went after Reynard the Thief, which is doing turned the librarian back to her normal self.

"Good job, lad! You made Noclue unspirit the librarian!" Sherlocnyan praised.

Reynard the Thief gave Noclue back his monocle after learning his lesson.

"I had no clue that I was causing such trouble. I promise I won't do it again as long as I don't get swiped by a thief," Noclue decided. His body shined, and his Yo-Kai Medal appeared.

"That's another medal, Professor," Luke stated.

"Good job, Luke and it seems that the librarian is back to her old self. Let's now ask her if she knows about any materials on Excalibur," Professor Layton decided.

They went to the front desk and asked the librarian.

"Oh, so you want to know about the Excalibur, Mr. Professor Layton?" She asked.

"Yes, maim. It is part of, um, something I am looking into," he answered.

"You're quite a curious man, Professor. Of course, I know where you can find the materials," she said as she began typing something on her computer. "The books about Excalibur and the Arthurian Legend are located at section A-111. It is on the second floor at your right."

"Thank you very much," Professor Layton replied.

The trio went to the second floor of the library and found the section of shelves. There were many books on the shelves but only took out that talks about Excalibur and other related information.

"These are all the books that Hiroki and I used to research about Excalibur," Sherlocnyan said. "If we can find where the sword is, the answer must in these books somewhere."

As they skimmed through the book for a few hours end, Professor Layton noticed something with a shock on his face.

"What's wrong, Professor?" Luke asked.

"This book...is missing some pages," he answered.

"What!?" Sherlocnyan gasped, but quickly toned down his voice. "What do you mean, Professor?"

Luke looked at the book. "You're right, Professor. There are missing pages in this book."

"How could that be? What kind of horrible person would do such a thing?" Sherlocnyan looked upset.

"It seems like the missing pages were torn off by someone. Maybe we should ask the librarian who used to saw this book before we arrived," Professor Layton suggested.

Suddenly, the librarian came over to them instead. "Um, excuse, Professor."

"Oh!" He gasped.

"Oh, sorry if I surprise you, sir, but there is something I want to say that may pique your interest in your study of the subject," she said.

"Oh, you do? Do tell," he said.

"There will be a special exhibition at the National Gallery tomorrow night. It will be about the old English legend. It is opened for the public, so I thought to share this information with you," she explained.

The information caught the trio's interest.

"I see. Thank you very much," Professor Layton replied. "Also, may I ask something?"

"As always," the librarian said happily.

"Who was the person who checked these books before we arrive?" He asked.

"Oh, well let's see...I believe that there was one man, an Asian man who checked these books about some weeks ago. As of late, there was one man who arrived here before you arrive, sir," she said.

"Professor, it must be that man!" Luke whispered. "He was the last person to check these books before we did."

"I agree with the lad here. The Asian man is definitely Hiroki," Sherlocnyan whispered, too.

"I see, and what did the last man look like?" He questioned.

"That's hard to say. I can say that he was wearing a trench coat and brown hat, but I couldn't tell his face as it was hidden under the hat and the neck collar of the coat," she explained.

"Very well. Thank you for being helpful," he said with a grin.

"Off to the National Gallery then!" Sherlocnyan declared.

The trio headed to the National Gallery next. Once they arrived near the front entrance of the National Gallery, Sherlocnyan looked a bit attentive and tense.

"What's wrong, Sherlocnyan?" Luke asked.

"I don't know, but I have a strange feeling that someone or somebody is following us," he whispered.

"What? Really?" Luke said.

"Actually, I had the same feeling, too. I feel that more than a glance, but some people are actually keeping an eye on us," Professor Layton said. "And I think I know who they are."

"Luckily! I have a keen eye to detect who's following us," Sherlocnyan stated. "Let me assist you, Professor!"

- Puzzle 008 -

The Stalker

"With my keen eye ability, I can find small detail on the person I see. I sense a suspicious person looking at us right now!" Sherlocnyan explained.

Professor Layton and Luke looked around closely. Luke saw a couple at the fountain, an old lady walking with her pet dog, and some children playing. The professor noticed a single woman with shades and cloth over her hair. He decided to walk up to the woman.

"Pardon me, maim? Have we seen somewhere?" He asked.

"!" The woman looked gasp.

"Eureka!" Sherlocnyan exclaimed.

"Who are you, Miss? Why have you been following us?" Luke questioned her.

"Now, now, Luke. Please be a gentleman. This young lady is a person that we know of," Professor Layton said.

"Huh?" He looked confused until the woman revealed herself.

She took off the shades and the cloth over her hair, revealing a pony-tail style light caramel, brown hair.

"Flora!?" Luke gasped.

"Flora, what are you doing here?" Professor Layton asked.

"Sorry to follow you both again, but I was curious to know when I saw you two going all over places," Flora explained. "So, I decided to follow you and…."

She looked down at Sherlocnyan. "Also to find out who is this adorable cat that's been with you."

"Huh? Flora…can you actually see Sherlocnyan?" Luke asked.

"Oh my!" Sherlocnyan blushed as Flora got little too close to him.

"Flora, this is Sherlocnyan and he is a Yokai," Professor Layton stated.

"A yo…kai?" She asked.

"Let me explain myself, young lass!" Sherlocnyan said proudly.

After 30 minutes of explanation, Flora joined the trio.

"Wow! That's so fascinating," Flora said excitedly. "So, you already met some Yokai so far?"

"Yup!" Luke nodded. "Thanks to this Yo-Kai Watch, we can use it to see the Yokai."

"Exactly," Sherlocnyan boasted.

Professor Layton went over to the group and said, "I obtained some information about the exhibit. It looks like we will have to wait tomorrow night to see the exhibit."

"I see…" Sherlocnyan said, looking a bit sad, but quickly changed back to his good mood. "No worry, though! We will continue our investigation somewhere else."

"Hey, what are you three troublemakers doing here?" The foursome turned around and met with another familiar face.

"Ah! Inspector Chemley. It's been a long time since we last met," Professor Layton greeted. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, fine," he said impatiently. "What are you three doing here?"

"We will…." Luke was stopped by Sherlocnyan, but fortunately, Detective Chemley couldn't see a Yokai.

"It is best to not tell this inspector the reason why we are here," Sherlocnyan stated. "Telling the truth to the police may jeopardize our investigation and Hiroki's safety."

"That is a good point," Professor Layton whispered.

"What are you whispering about?" Inspector Chemley asked.

"Oh, just an inner though, Inspector," Professor Layton said. "May I ask why your men and yourself here at this grand National Gallery?"

"Huh? Well, I guess I can tell you that…in small detail," Detective Chemley said. "The Scotland Yard hired my men and me to guard the gallery for tomorrow night's exhibition. I'm going to meet the man who will be hosting the exhibition."

"I see," Professor Layton said.

"Professor!" Sherlocnyan whispered. "I think it is the best idea to tag along with this inspector and talk with the man. If we get some information from him, maybe we will come close to find the Excalibur!"

"Oh, that's a clever idea!" Luke agreed.

"Me too," Flora nodded.

Professor Layton already knew this would be a good opportunity. "Inspector Chemley, how about we assist you with your job?"

"Huh? You three assisting me! No way! I can handle this case this time and I don't need your help!" Inspector Chemley argued.

"Is that Professor Hershal Layton? DE Hershal Layton!?" Everyone turned to the voice, knowing that the voice belonged to a man.

The man presented was a tall, middle-aged man with a long black beard, black hair, blue eye, and fair complexion. His outfits composed of the dark purple suit with red and black striped necktie, a pair of black shoes, and trousers with the same color, like his suit.

"Well, this is such honor for the London's greatest mystery solver to be here in my presence!" said the man excitedly as he shook the professor's hand. "It's pleasure to meet you, Professor Layton. My name is Hoth, Milo Hoth."

"It's an honor to meet you, too, Mr. Hoth," Professor Layton replied calmly. "This is my assistants, Luke Triton and Flora."

"Hello, Mr. Hoth. It's nice to meet you, sir," Luke greeted.

"Hello sir," Flora said shyly.

"I was just talking with Inspector Chemley to give him some assistance," Prof. Layton explained.

"I see! That is a splendid idea!" Mr. Hoth decided as he held around Prof. Layton's shoulder and walked together, forcing him to walk with him.

"With both the police and the famous puzzle solver, Professor Layton on my side, nothing will get through my defense and the special exhibition tomorrow night will be safe as sound!"

Luke, Flora, and Sherlocnyan followed them from behind, leaving Inspector Chemley.

"I didn't even get to say anything!" She grumbled.

Hello guys! This story is thought to be dead, but it is not! I am back.

This chapter introduces two more new Englandian Yokai; Stubboar and Noclue. Stubboar is a Yokai from the Tough Tribe who inspirts anyone to become stubborn. He used to be a normal boar, but during his and his family's night forage, he didn't escape with his family when they heard a noise in the urban area. He decided to go back for a food for his family, but ultimiately, he was killed by a hunter.

Noclue is a Yokai from the Mysterious Tribe. He used to be a normal human being who didn't know much of anything. He turned into a Yokai when part of Stonehedge fell over him. Both these Yokai OC are created by johannvanguard. Though I only changed Noclue's tribe from Tough to Mysterious.

Well, I hope you like the return of this story and I am still accepting any OC for more Englandian Yokai (please check one of the past chapters for OC submission form).