Episode 38: Pikachu, Where Are You!?

It's nighttime. A group of people in a park of a city have gathered around someone in a crowd. The person they are watching is man wearing suit and tie. He also wears some sort of earpiece to a communication device of some kind. In front of him is a Dusklops. The man declares, "Alright, for my next performance I will be demonstrating a feat of stunning skill and beauty. Dusklops, use Will-O-Wisp!" Dusklops summons several orbs of blue fire. They begin to dance and flutter in circles around Dusklops. The audience oohs and ahhs.

Suddenly, someone screams and points up to the sky. They shout, "It's back, the Wraith has returned!" Descending from the sky is a giant Dusknoir. People begin to run and scream.

The man with the Dusklops shouts, "So you have returned, this time for my Pokémon have you!? I won't let you without a fight! Dusklops, use Shadow Ball!"

"Dusk!" The Pokémon attacks with an orb shadows that is sent flying at the behemoth of a Pokémon. The attack dissipates harmlessly upon impact.

The giant Dusknoir then makes a piercing shrieking noise. It opens the mouth on its chest, revealing an orb of darkness inside of it. The orb begins to suck in everything around it. Dusklops is pulled off its feet and towards the orb.

The trainer shouts, "Dusklops, no!" Dusklops disappears inside the giant Pokémon, and the Pokémon closes its mouth and flies back into the sky. The man shouts, "Curse you Wraith!"

It's now morning. Ash, Brock, and Brenda are strolling into a city. Brenda asks, "So is this it? Is this Starside City?"

Brock nods. "It sure is."

Brenda cheers, "Yay!"

Having finally arrived in Starside City, site of Brenda's next Pokémon Contest and first double performance, our heroes are ready for whatever is coming their way, or at least that's what they think.

Ash points up ahead. "Hey, what's going on over there?" He's pointing to the park where events of the previous night transpired. There's a crowd of people watching from outside a perimeter and a several police officers investigating the area. They all run to the park and push their way through the crowd until they make it up to the police perimeter.

Brock says, "It looks like a crime occurred here."

A voice from behind him declares, "That's a brilliant deduction."

Brock turns around to see that an Officer Jenny has said this. He instantly declares in his dream-like state, "Thank you Jenny, thank you so much. If you would allow me to make another deduction, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever-"

His proclamation of love is cut short by an uppercut from Meteorfight. Brock is sent flying.

Ash asks, "Officer Jenny, what happened here?"

She corrects, "That's Detective Jenny. I specialize in solving Pokémon-related crimes."

Ash nods. "Sorry. Detective Jenny, what happened here?"

A voice says, "Allow me to answer that." Everyone turns to the right to see the trainer from the previous night approach them. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Malcolm, Pokémon Coordinator extraordinaire." He looks off into the park. "I'm afraid that last night I was the latest victim of the Wraith. I had come here all the way from the Hoenn Region to participate in this contest and show of the beauty of my Dusklops to the folks of Tenno, but it was snatched away last night by that awful Wraith. It was the most terrified I've been since the time I almost drowned as a child."

Brenda asks, "The Wraith, what's that?"

Detective Jenny answers, "It's a giant Dusknoir that's been stealing Pokémon here for the past several weeks. With all the coordinators here for the Pokémon Contest it's been worse than ever the past several days."

Ash shivers with fear. "A giant Dusknoir? There's no way that exists, right?"

Pikachu adds, "Pika?"

Another voice says, "I'm afraid that it is very real." Everyone looks towards the new voice to see Mr. Contesta, the Pokémon Contest judge and Contest Director. "And if these attacks continue, I'm going to have to call this year's Starside Contest off. It's too dangerous."

Brenda objects, "But Mr. Contesta, you can't cancel the Pokémon Contest. There are so many coordinators like me who are counting on this contest to get their next ribbon. Think about how sad they'll all be if this contest is cancelled."

Mr. Contesta shrugs. "I don't know. I wish I didn't have to, but I can't have more Pokémon being stolen. If someone could catch this Wraith before tomorrow, then maybe it could go on."

Jenny then declares, "Don't worry Mr. Contesta, you've got the best detective in Tenno on this case. I'll take care of your ghost problem."

Brock, apparently having heard all of this, suddenly appears and declares, "And we'll help too Jenny."

Jenny nods. "I'd be glad to have your help."

Mr. Contesta nods. "Thank you kids. The fate of the Starside Contest is in your hands."

Malcolm adds, "And so too is the fate of my Dusklops. Please find it."

Jenny nods. "We'll do our best." Mr. Contesta and Malcolm leave. Ash, Brock, Brenda, and Jenny depart from the crowd.

Brock declares, "Well gang, it looks like we have a mystery on our hands."

Ash then asks, "Is it even a mystery? I mean come on, Pokémon are being stolen by a giant Pokémon. Doesn't this have Team Rocket and one of their robots written all over it?"

Brock thinks and nods. "Yes, that could be it…"

Jenny asks, "Team Rocket, you mean like the gang from the Kanto Region? There have been no reports of them in Tenno."

Brenda answers, "There's a group of three of them that like to follow us around. They're not much of a threat, which is why you haven't heard of them here until now."

Brock suggests, "Well, the logical course of action would be to question Team Rocket."

Brenda asks, "Question them, how do you plan on doing that?"

Ash thinks. "Wait, I've got an idea." He cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, "Hey team Rocket, Pikachu is right here and ready to be stolen!"

Sure enough, a group of three emerge from a nearby crowd and toss aside their disguises, revealing Team Rocket. Jessie declares, "Prepare for trouble now that you've finally surrendered!"

James adds, "Make it double, we're-"

Ash cuts him off, "Wait, stop, I wasn't actually surrendering Pikachu."

Jessie and James pause awkwardly in a mid-motto pose. Meowth demands, "Then why'd you say that!?"

Brock says, "Because we need to ask you a couple of questions."

Jessie unfreezes from her pose and shouts angrily, "You mean you lied to us!?"

James shouts, "There's nothing worse than a lying twerp!"

Wobbuffet appears and shouts angrily, "Wobbuffet!"

Ash sighs with frustration. He then demands, "Look, I want you three to give back all the Pokémon you've stolen as the Wraith!"

Jessie and James look to each other and then begin to laugh hysterically. Meowth, Wobbuffet, and Mime Jr. all join in the laughter.

Brenda asks, "What's so funny?"

Jessie laughs, "You are twerps."

James laughs, "You really think that we're that Wraith?"

Meowth laughs, "It's so not our style!"

Ash demands, "How is it not your style? A giant Pokémon, probably a robot stealing Pokémon. That has your name written all over it."

James shakes his head. "No, because we are proud here at Team Rocket. If we stole a Pokémon, we would advertise it. You'd know if we were the Wraith."

Meowth adds, "Besides, the Wraith has been here for weeks. You know we haven't, as we've been following you twerps."

Jessie adds, "And I don't want to see the contest cancelled either."

Brenda is confused. "Wait, what do you care about the contest?"

Jessie, remembering that her entrance in contests is a secret, backtracks, "Oh, um, never mind that last statement."

Brock then says, "They are right though, they have a solid alibi for the past few weeks."

Jenny looks them over carefully. "Are you sure?"

James says, "I swear, just this once, we're innocent."

Brock nods. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Jenny nods. "Alright then, you're free to go."

The moment she says that, the three of them dash off. Brenda sighs. "There goes our only lead."

Brock's thinking. After a moment, he says, "I suggest we wait until later tonight to continue our investigation."

Jenny nods. "That's a good idea. The Wraith only comes out during the night, maybe we'll see it."

Ash gulps and asks, "Is it the wisest idea to try to find the giant ghost?"

Brock nods. "It's exactly what we need to do."

It's now night. They have regrouped. The city around them seems eerily empty. Brenda asks, "Where'd all the people go?"

Jenny answers, "With an attack from the Wraith happening just last night, people are scared, so they're staying inside."

Ash nods. "Can't blame them either."

Brock says, "Alright gang, I suggest we split up to look for clues." In a sudden change of tone, he adds, "I'll go with Detective Jenny."

Brenda sighs. "I better go with those two to make sure Brock doesn't cause any problems."

Brock, back to normal, says, "So that leaves Ash and Pikachu to look in the opposite direction." Everyone nods.

Who's That Pokémon!?

Singing in eerie voices, they wander town streets on the night of the new moon. Anyone who hears their song is cursed.

Brock, Brenda, and Detective Jenny are now in the park where the previous night's incident took place. Detective Jenny has a magnifying glass out and is observing the area with close scrutiny. She says, "If that Wraith left behind a single clue, I'll find it."

Brock and Brenda are searching in some bushes. Brenda complains, "Well I'm certainly not finding anything."

Brock looks up from the bush and notices something out of the corner of his eyes. He says, "Hey, look over there, it's Mr. Contesta." Brock points to the other side of the park, where Mr. Contesta is walking. He seems to be avoiding any attention.

Brenda asks, "Why would he be walking through the park in the dead of night?"

Jenny nods. "Yes, it does appear suspicious. I suggest we follow him." Brock and Brenda nod in agreement. They sneak behind some bushes and begin to follow him, being careful not to be seen.

Brenda steps on a twig, causing it to crack. Everyone quickly ducks for cover under the bushes. Mr. Contesta looks back nervously and asks, "Hello? Is anyone there?" After a moment of no reply he shakes his head and continues on his way. Brock, Brenda, and Jenny continue to follow him.

Mr. Contesta stops when he makes it to a row of payphones. He puts some money into one and dials a number. After waiting a moment for the other end to pick up, Mr. Contesta says, "Hi, it's me." A moment for the other end to speak. "Yes, so the Pokémon Contest has been cancelled. I'm free to do other things now." There's another pause. "Alright, I'll see you later." He hangs up. He looks around briefly, just missing the hiding Brock, Brenda, and Jenny, and then walks away.

Brenda says with some surprise, "Was it just me, or did Mr. Contesta just sound like he wanted the contest to be cancelled?"

Jenny nods slowly. "Yes, that is very suspicious. Come on, we have to find more clues."

It's Gourgeist!

Ash and Pikachu walk alone down a sidewalk. Ash comments, "Of course there's a giant ghost on the loose and they leave just you and me to go after it. They said to look for clues. What kind of clues?"

Pikachu shrugs and answers, "Pikachu," sounding like its saying "I don't know."

"Then I guess we should just keep on moving. Maybe we'll get lucky." They walk for a little while longer. Ash suddenly stops when he notices a sign on a building next him. "Hmm…this sign says that the food here is all you can eat." Ash looks down to his stomach and it rumbles. Pikachu's does too. Ash grins. "No one ever said we couldn't look for clues while grabbing a bite to eat."

Pikachu nods in agreement. "Pika." They turn to go into the restaurant.

Two massive meals later, a pile of plates has accumulated at Ash and Pikachu's table. Various patrons of the restaurant are stealing quick glances at Ash and Pikachu with surprise and disbelief at how much they've eaten. Ash says, "I think I'm going to get another plate. You think you could go for another slice of pizza Pikachu?"

Pikachu nods excitedly. "Pik pik."

Ash nods back. "Alright, I'll be right back." He gets up to go back to the buffet, but a man in a suit stands in his way. Ash says, "Excuse me sir, I was just heading back to the buffet."

The man shakes his head. "No, no more food for you. You've eaten vastly more than your money's worth."

"But the sign says all you can eat, and I can eat more."

The man shakes his head angrily. "The sign means all a normal person can eat. You sir are not normal. Get out of my restaurant."

This frustrates Ash. "Fine then. You'll never see me here again. Come on Pikachu." Pikachu hops down to Ash's feet and the two march out.

Once outside, they're back to walking down the sidewalk. Ash remarks bitterly, "False advertising they have there."

Pikachu nods in agreement. "Pika."

Ash suddenly comes to a complete halt and looks down at the ground ahead of him. Pikachu looks up at him questioningly. Ash asks, "Hey Pikachu, did I just get really fat from all that food, or is that not my shadow?" Ash is referring to the shadow cast in front of him by a streetlight behind him. It is obviously not his as it is much larger than he is.

Both Ash and Pikachu slowly turn their heads behind them. Floating there is the Wraith. It lets out an ear piercing shriek. Pikachu screams with terror and leaps into Ash's arms. Ash shouts, "Let's get out of here!" They begin to run away.

The Wraith shrieks again and then floats after them. Ash and Pikachu turn and run into a run-down warehouse to try to hide. The door is too small for the Wraith to fit through, but after another shriek it rams through the doorway, breaking it in.

In a chase montage, Ash and Pikachu are chased all around the old warehouse. No matter where they go, the Wraith follows. They crisscross the floor several times trying to get away, but the Wraith sticks to them. At one point the Wraith opens its mouth and attempts to suck Pikachu in, but Ash and Pikachu manage to leap down onto a lower floor to get away from the vacuum. They then run behind a large storage container and breathe a collective sigh of relief, thinking that they're safe. They're wrong though, the Wraith is actually waiting for them there. They run back out. They try running into different chambers, but always the Wraith follows them. They just can't get away. Finally, they just run back out of the warehouse in an attempt to find somewhere else to hide.

Brock, Brenda, and Jenny are still combing the park for clues. Out of nowhere they hear Ash and Pikachu screaming. They look back to see them running towards them. Brenda asks, "What's wrong guys? You look like you've seen a…" She trails off when she sees the Wraith following them.

Ash shouts, "Run!"

Pikachu adds, "Pika pi!" Everyone runs

Jenny, in hastily beginning to run, drops her magnifying glass. She declares, "My magnifying glass! I can't see clues without my magnifying glass!" She quickly runs back, grabs it, and then runs away again just before the Wraith makes it to her. She tucks her magnifying glass away and returns attention to fleeing.

They all run as a group and the Wraith chases after them. After running, they find themselves at a dead end, blocked by a lake in the center of the park. Brock exclaims, "Quickly everyone, in the water!" Everyone quickly listens and jumps into the lake. They swim out, away from the shore.

The Wraith reaches the edge of the water and stops. It pauses for a moment, as if considering whether or not to go after them. It then promptly turns around and flies out of sight. It drops something as it does.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief and swims back to shore. Ash asks, "Are you sure it's gone now?"

Brock shrugs. "There's no way to know. We've just got to hope." Everyone gets out of the water.

Brenda comments, "So that was the Wraith. It sure was scary, but I guess it's afraid of water."

Ash Pikachu nod. Ash says, "That's for sure."

Jenny is looking at something on the ground. "Hey, look at this."

Everyone looks to what she's looking at. Ash realizes what it is and asks, "Did the wraith drop a cookie?"

Jenny picks it up and observes it. "Apparently so."

Ash comments, "I suppose even giant ghost Pokémon need a snack."

Jenny looks over the cookie and says, "Something tells me that our Wraith isn't even a Pokémon at all. And I think I've got this mystery about wrapped up. We just need to catch it now."

Brock declares, "Then I say it's time for us to build a trap."

Everyone's now standing in the courtyard of Starside's Contest Hall. Ash asks Brock, "Are you sure this is going to work Brock?"

Brock nods. "Absolutely." He points to the entrance way to the courtyard. "You see, this courtyard may appear to be in open space, but both the doors and roof can be activated to close this room up. We'll just be waiting in the maintenance room over there, and once the Wraith comes in here, we'll seal off all the exits."

Ash nods. "Alright, that's great. Just one question though. How do you plan on getting the Wraith to come in here?"

Brock grins. "That part's simple. You and Pikachu will act as bait. If the Wraith wants to steal Pokémon, you and Pikachu will present it with a chance to."

Ash gulps. "I don't like the sound of that."

Pikachu flat out refuses and shakes its head, saying, "Pik chu," as if saying "No way."

Brenda reaches into Brock backpack and pulls out a can. She asks, "Would you do it for a Pokétreat?" Pikachu shakes its head. "How about two Pokétreats?" Pikachu considers, but then shakes its head again. "Fine, how about three Pokétreats?" Pikachu finally nods, excitedly at that. "All right, here you go!" She tosses three treats to Pikachu, who catches them midair and quickly eats them.

Jenny declares, "Alright, now that that's settled, let's catch us a Wraith."

Ash and Pikachu are now nervously walking back and forth through the courtyard. All of the lights have been turned off. Ash shouts, "Oh Mr. Wraith, I have a nice powerful Pokémon for you to take!" After a couple of moments with no response, he says to Pikachu with some relief, "Alright then, I guess it isn't showing up. Too bad, let's get out of here."

Before Pikachu can agree, the shriek of the Wraith can be heard. Pikachu leaps terrified into Ash's arms again. Ash looks behind him to see the Wraith entering the courtyard. He backs away slowly.

In the control room, Brock exclaims, "There it is! It worked!" Once the Wraith is inside the courtyard, Brock declares, "Alright, closing off all entrances now!" He pushes a button. Nothing happens.

Outside, Ash shouts, "Guys, now would be a great time to enact the plan!"

Brenda shouts back, "Sorry Ash, something isn't working here! We're trying to figure it out!"

Brock is looking at all the controls. "I don't get it, it's like there's no power or something."

Back outside, the Wraith is still approaching Ash and Pikachu. At this point, they break out and run. The Wraith shrieks and chases after them. They run into the Contest Hall. Unfortunately, the entranceway to the hall is large enough for the Wraith to fit through and it follows. Ash and Pikachu run down the aisle between chairs and towards the stage. Once they make to the stage, it's a dead end. Realizing this, they then actually run at the Wraith. This catches it off guard for just long enough for them to run past it and back out of the hall. Once outside, they run for the exit to the courtyard and run right out.

The Wraith seems to have tired of chasing them. It stops at the courtyard entrance and shrieks. Then it opens its mouth and tries to suck in Pikachu. Ash shouts, "Pikachu, let's give it a Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu nods. "Pikaaaaaaa chuuuuuu!" Pikachu unleashes an electrical bolt at the giant Pokémon. However, the Wraith simply moves to the side, avoiding the attack. However, the stray Thunderbolt hits something behind the Wraith, what appears to be a severed power cord. Electricity travels up it and into the control room.

In the control room, all of the panels light up. Brock exclaims, "We've got power!" He presses the button again.

Just as Pikachu is being sucked away from Ash, the door above the Wraith's head slams down. First the Wraith is pushed to the floor, then the door actually cleaves through it, revealing mechanical inner workings.

Ash cheers. "Yeah, goodbye Wraith!"

Pikachu adds, "Pik pikachu!"

Brock, Brenda, and Jenny come running out. Brenda asks, "Ash, Pikachu, are you okay?"

Ash answers, "Yeah, we're fine. Can't say the same for the Wraith though."

Brenda looks at it. "Wow, it was just a robot all along. Who was controlling it though."

Ash says, "It had to have been Team Rocket. They used a giant robot to try to steal Pikachu, just like always."

Brock then says, "No, I bet it was Mr. Contesta. He wanted the contest to be cancelled. He must have set in play this elaborate ruse to make sure it happened."

Jenny shakes her head. "I'm afraid neither of you are right."

Brenda asks, "Well if it wasn't them, who could it be?"

Jenny walks over to the wrecked machine and declares, "I present to you our culprit." She rips the head off, revealing a driver.

Everyone gasps and says at once, "Malcolm!?"

Malcolm looks at them angrily and says, "You got lucky."

Mr. Contesta comes running in with several police officers following him. He says, "I heard there was a commotion here at the hall. What's going on?"

Jenny says, "We just caught your Wraith."

Contesta looks at Malcolm with surprise. "Malcolm, how could you?"

Jenny says, "I'll answer that for you. Because Malcolm isn't who he claims to be at all. There's no famous Pokémon Coordinator by the name of Malcolm in Hoenn. There is however a notorious Pokémon thief."

Brock asks, "But how did you know that Malcolm was the Wraith?"

"I first suspected him when he said that it was his Dusklops that was stolen. I immediately made the connection between Dusklops and Dusknoir, its evolved form. I was made even more suspicious when the Wraith refused to follow us into the water. I remembered Malcolm mentioning that only time he had ever been that afraid was when he almost drowned. It stood to reason that he was afraid of water."

Ash asks, "What about that cookie we found?"

Jenny nods. "That cookie was the most important piece of evidence." She pulls it out. "This isn't just any cookie, it's a Lava Cookie. And do you know where the only place you can find Lava Cookies is? The Hoenn Region."

Brenda asks, "But wait, plenty of witnesses said that they saw Malcolm when Wraith attack occurred last night. How was he in two places at once?"

"He wasn't, that's how. It was simply a ruse to throw us off his trail. She taps on Malcolm's ear piece. "This device right here served as a remote for his machine."

Mr. Contesta nods. "It was a very clever plan."

Malcolm then declares, "And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

Jenny looks to the police officers and orders, "Now arrest this man."

They both nod and say, "Yes ma'am." They move to pull him out and cuff him.

Brenda looks to Mr. Contesta and says, "There's still one thing I don't get. Why did you say on the phone that you wanted the contest cancelled?"

Mr. Contesta chuckles with embarrassment. "Oh, you heard that, did you? Please don't take it in the wrong way. It's just that my mother wanted me to pay her a visit tomorrow. I was telling her that if the contest was cancelled I'd be able to."

Brock asks, "But why were you being so sneaky about it?"

"To be honest, I was embarrassed about having to use a pay phone. You see, I lost my Pokéssistant."

Brock nods. "Alright."

Brenda asks, "So is the contest back on?"

Mr. Contesta nods. "It certainly is now, thanks to you."

Brenda cheers, "Yeah!"

Suddenly there's a shriek from the wreckage of the Wraith robot and the entire thing moves, as if trying to get up. Everyone jumps back with fear. Pikachu then peeks its head out of the cockpit, its wearing the earpiece remote. It smiles. Everyone laughs. Pikachu declares, "Pika pika chu!"

The Narrator Laughs too. Well, that's one mystery solved for our group of meddling kids. Now it's no mystery that next up is Brenda's contest. Stay tuned.

To Be Continued…

Happy Halloween everyone!