Author's Note: I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed this story in the last chapter. I'm real please to see that it's already gotten a bit of attention. By the way, not long after I worked on Best Wishes Revised, I put up a rough timeline of this Pokemon AU on my profile page. This story has already been added to it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Chapter 2: The Baron Mansion
Officer Shannon O'Hara Jenny was a bit more laid back than the rest of her clan of law enforcement professionals. She shared her family's desire to uphold the law, yet didn't want to be posted in a city with a high crime rate like Celadon. So when Shannon was assigned the post of Lavender Town, it was a dream come true. Lavender Town was one of those sleepy little villages where everyone was friendly and the worst crime was littering. The only major incident of crime was a raid on the Tower of Memories that happened twenty years ago. So the last thing Shannon expected to get that afternoon was a call saying that someone had found a dead human body.
By the time Shannon got to the cemetery outside the Tower of Memories, the area where the body was found had already been surrounded by crime scene tape. Kneeling over the body of Edger Gates was a man who looked to be in his mid thirties with sandy brown hair wearing glasses and a tweed jacket with leather patches on the elbows, along with a pair of latex gloves. This man was the town's human doctor and the closest thing they had to a medical examiner, Dr. Clint Waldo.
"Well Clint, what've we got?" Shannon asked as she walked up.
"I'm no expert like one of those big city medical examiners," Clint began as he looked up from the body, "but it's my professional opinion that this man is dead."
"Very funny." Shannon sarcastically replied. She then noticed the face of the corpse. "Holy shit! This guy's Edger Gates! He's the richest lawyer in town."
"Not to mention the drunkest." Clint added as he pulled out the liver probe inserted into Edger's body. "I saw him a couple nights ago at Blake's Tavern. He really tied one on."
"It's a miracle he never wound up in my drunk tank." Shannon remarked. "So what killed him and when?"
"Well I can place time of death sometime around midnight last night." Clint answered. "As for what killed him, I can't say for sure until I open him up. But I can tell you that he wasn't shot, strangled, or stabbed."
"So it wasn't murder then." Shannon assumed.
"Now I didn't say that Shannon." Clint pointed out. "The fact is I don't know what killed old Edger yet, but I can tell you one thing. Whatever he saw last night before he died scared him shitless."
"What makes you say that?" Shannon asked.
"You kidding? Look at his face Shannon!" Clint told her. "Plus Edger's hair's as white as a sheet. When he was alive, he was a little grey around the edges but his hair was as black as a piece of coal."
"Oh yeah." Shannon recalled as she put her hand to her chin. "Well I guess the question is, what did he see? And what the hell was he doing out here at midnight?"
"Hey, I'm just a humble doctor. Figuring that stuff's your department." Clint reminded her. "Anyway, the girl who found the body's over there."
Shannon looked across the field and saw Misty in Ash's arms. She looked very shaken up. The rest of Ash's traveling companions were there as well, along with Julius Baron.
"Hey, isn't that the guy who's planning to run for mayor in the next election?" Shannon realized as she pointed at Julius.
"Yep, Julius Baron." Clint confirmed. "Looks like a good chance to meet your next boss."
"You really think he has a chance of beating old man Fuji?" Shannon asked.
"Hey, Mayor Fuji's run unopposed for the last fifteen years." Clint pointed out. "Plus he's getting on in years. And this Baron guy's pretty smooth. I wouldn't be surprised if this town was in for a change."
"Well whatever." Shannon shrugged. "Right now, I've gotta figure out what the hell happened to Mr. Gates."
"Yeah, first things first I guess." Clint agreed. "Hey, you wanna grab a beer at Blake's later tonight?"
"Only if you're buying." Shannon replied as she walked off.
Shannon lifted the crime scene tape and walked up to Ash and Misty. She could tell that the young trainers were more than just friends. There was also something about Ash's Pikachu that reminded Shannon of something but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Before Shannon could open her mouth to ask a question, Julius walked up to her. "Excuse me Officer Jenny. I'm Julius Baron."
"I know who you are Mr. Baron." Shannon told him.
"Yes, well I just wish to know what you're doing to find out what happened to Edger Gates." Julius explained. "You see he's… or rather he was a friend of mine."
"I only got here just a minute ago sir." Shannon informed him. "Now if you'll let me do my job, I can get to the bottom of this."
"Yes, of course." Julius replied. "Forgive me."
Shannon turned her attention back to Misty. "So you're the girl who found the body?"
"Uh, yeah. My name's Misty." The redhead confirmed.
"How'd you find the body?" Shannon asked.
"Well, I was walking through the graveyard when I tripped over… that body." Misty explained. "I didn't see what it was until I started to get up."
"Was there anyone else around when you found the body?" Shannon inquired.
"…No. No, I was alone." Misty answered.
"The rest of us were inside the tower when Misty found the body." Ash explained. "I was the first one who found her with it."
"Was the person Misty found murdered, Officer Jenny?" Diane asked.
"We don't know anything for sure yet." Shannon told them.
"Well if Edger was murdered, I trust you'll do everything in your power to find his killer." Julius assumed.
"Don't worry Mr. Baron, I'll get to the bottom of this." Shannon assured him. "In the meantime, I think I've learned all I can here. You can all leave, but I'd appreciate it if you'd stay in town for the next few days."
"No problem." Morty assured her. "We'll be available if you need us."
With that, Shannon began to walk off, only to stop when she figured out what Ash's Pikachu reminded her of. "Say, did any of you people used to travel with a guy named Brock?"
"Ash and I did a few years ago." Misty answered. "Why?"
"Your friend hit on my cousin in Fuchsia City a couple months ago when she was directing traffic during an accident clean-up." Shannon chuckled. "My cousin has kind of a temper, and to teach your friend a lesson she threw him in a cell for a night. If you run into your friend again, you might want to tell him to steer clear of Fuchsia for awhile."
"Sure, no problem." Ash replied.
Shannon continued to leave. As she walked off, she couldn't help but feel that Misty was holding something back. Like she wasn't telling the whole story. Shannon didn't know how, but she got the feeling that Misty and perhaps Ash were both somehow involved in whatever was going on.
On the top of a rocky hill on the outskirts of Lavender Town near the path leading to the Kanto Rock Tunnel sat the opulent white mansion owned by Julius Baron. The two-story house was well maintained and had a beautiful courtyard with a fountain in the front. It was to this mansion that Julius had led Ash and the others right after the incident at the Tower of Memories. The main hall of the mansion's interior was more gorgeous than the outside. The floor was checked with green and tan tiles and the first thing the group noticed walked in was the magnificent marble staircase.
Walking down the stairs as soon as Ash and the others entered the mansion was an older-looking woman with long brown hair and deep blue eyes. She had on a white long sleeved shirt with buttons down the front and long black pants.
"There you are darling." The woman spoke to Julius as she walked up to him. "I was beginning to wonder where you were. Did the funeral run long for some reason."
"No, I'm afraid not." Julius sighed before turning back to Ash and the others. "Everyone, this is my wife, Patricia."
"Oh, you must be Cynthia's friends." Patricia realized. "It's lovely to meet you all."
"Patricia, I'm afraid I have some dreadful news." Julius informed her. "Edger Gates is dead."
"Dead?" a shocked Patricia repeated. "What happened?"
"We don't know. But there's a chance that it might be murder." Julius answered.
"Murder? But who would murder poor Edger?" Patrica wondered. "He may have been a bit of a drunk, but he'd never hurt a soul."
"Officer Jenny is looking into the matter now." Julius assured her. "I'm certain she'll find out what happened."
"Excuse me, Mr. Baron?" Misty interrupted. "You said earlier that Mr. Gates was a friend of yours?"
"Yes, Edger and I went back a long way." Julius answered. "But anyway, it seems my wife and I are being inconsiderate. The five of you and your Pokemon must be tired after your journey here."
"I'll get someone to show you to your rooms." Patricia offered.
"Actually, if it's all the same to you we'd like to see Cynthia." Ash replied. "It seemed like she had something important to talk to us about when she asked us to come here."
"Very well. Cynthia's using Julius's study for her research right now." Patricia revealed. "Oh Miranda?"
On Patricia's call, a young woman with shoulder-length light blue hair and green eyes entered the room. She had on a black maid's uniform with long sleeves and a wide skirt that ended just above her knees.
"You called, Mrs. Baron?" Miranda asked.
"Please show our guests to Julius's study." Patricia requested.
"As you wish ma'am." Miranda replied with a bow before turning to Ash and the others. "If you'll all follow me please."
Miranda the maid led Ash and the others through the halls of the ground floor of the mansion. In moments they had arrived in a large office with polished wood walls and large shelves full of books. Sitting at the large ornate desk looking over an old parchment was a woman with long blonde hair and a tired expression wearing a sleeveless light blue shirt. Ash and the others immediately recognized the woman as Cynthia.
"Ms. Cynthia, your friends have arrived." Miranda informed the former Sinnoh Region champion, causing her to look up from her work.
"Oh, thank you Miranda." Cynthia replied. "That'll be all."
"Yes ma'am." Miranda bowed before turning back to Ash's group. "If there's anything else I can help you all with, don't hesitate to ask." With that, she walked out of the room.
"It's good to see you again, Ash." Cynthia greeted. "I trust you didn't have any trouble coming here."
"There was one thing that happened, but we can talk about that later." Ash replied. "Why'd you ask us to come here?"
"I found some information about the coming battle that we're all involved in." Cynthia explained. "I'm sure you haven't forgotten about that."
Ash knew very well of what battle Cynthia was talking about. He had seen that battle in a vision shown to him by the Legendary Pokemon Ho-Oh not long after he had captured it, a battle where he, Misty, and several others were to fight an enemy known only as the Dark One.
"Trust me, I haven't forgotten about that for a moment." Ash assured her. "But… I can't help but wonder if that battle is really going to ever happen. It's been years since I last saw that vision."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Cynthia revealed. "The parchment I'm studying is part of a manuscript written by a monk from Johto who had multiple visions of the battle against the Dark One. In it, he wrote of all the events that will lead to that battle. Unfortunately I'm having a lot of trouble translating it. The monk wanted to keep what he wrote a secret, so he wrote it in an ancient language that hasn't been used in eight hundred years."
"So if you figured out what the manuscript said, you think it can help us figure out when this battle is supposed to happen?" Misty asked.
"That's right. But this language has me completely baffled." Cynthia sighed. "I came here to Lavender Town because Julius has a few books in his collection I hoped that would help. But so far I haven't been able get anywhere with it."
"Um… perhaps I could be of some help." Diane sheepishly offered. "I mean, I'm not certain but I think I've seen that language before."
"Oh… and you are?" Cynthia asked.
"This is a new friend of ours, Diane." Misty explained. "We met her on the way here. She's a Pokemon researcher, and pretty smart."
"Well then, feel free to give it a try." Cynthia replied as she held out the parchment to Diane.
Diane took a deep breath and took the parchment from Cynthia. Looking at the top line, she began to read aloud. "And in her rage, the false prisoner shall call upon the power of the lord of nightmares to strike down the king of marauders. Though the fall of the king shall bring peace to the land, the Dark One shall add the king's strongest subjects to his army."
"That… that was very impressive." An amazed Cynthia praised.
"Oh, it was nothing." Diane replied, her face turning bright red. "I saw this language used in a remote temple in the Sinnoh Region. It took me a few weeks myself to translate, but I'm sure you would've gotten it soon enough."
"I've been struggling with that text for months." Cynthia revealed. "You said that you had figured out how to translate this language in a matter of weeks?"
"Well yes, but as I said it was nothing." Diane insisted.
"Give yourself some credit Diane." Cynthia praised. "What you've just done is simply… remarkable."
"All praise aside, what did that passage mean?" Sabrina asked.
"It's one of the events that will lead up to the battle." Cynthia explained. "The next step is to figure out what individuals the passage was talking about."
"The false prisoner…. Ash, you think that the manuscript might be talking about Marie?" Misty wondered.
"Yeah, I think you're right." Ash agreed. "And Darkrai might be that lord of nightmares the manuscript's talking about."
"Who's Marie?" Cynthia asked.
"Our friend, Marie Dantes." Ash explained. "Years ago, her psycho cousin Andre framed her for a crime that sent her to jail. She got out of there by joining Team Rocket, but when she ran into Andre again she used her Darkrai to knock out Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, so she could leave the organization and get her revenge."
"Then the king of marauders could be referring to Giovanni." Morty deduced.
"If that's true, then the battle with the Dark One might be a lot closer than we think." Cynthia replied.
"So just how close are we to this battle?" Misty asked.
"I won't know for sure until I translate the entire manuscript." Cynthia answered. "Diane, it would mean a lot if I had your help with this."
"Oh… it would be a great honor to work with you, Cynthia." Diane agreed. "But… if you don't mind me asking, what's this battle that all of you are talking about?"
"There you are!" a voice suddenly interrupted. "I was wondering when you'd be getting here."
Walking into the room was a young man with blonde hair wearing a green sweater vest with a white shirt and tan slacks. He looked like a much younger version of Julius.
"Uh, hi there." Ash spoke to the stranger. "And you are?"
The young man suddenly realized that the room was not entirely empty. "Oh. Sorry for barging in like this. You must be the people Ms. Cynthia had my dad invite up here. I'm Carter Baron, by the way."
"Nice to meet you." Ash replied. "I'm…"
Carter ignored Ash and turned to Diane. "That's quite the outfit you're wearing Dawn. So what's the gag?"
"Oh not again." Diane sighed heavily.
"There you are Carter." Another voice interrupted. Everyone looked to see Dawn and Piplup standing in the doorway. "What are you…?" In moments, Dawn noticed Diane was in the room and became angry. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I could ask the same of you?" Diane replied.
"Uh, Dawn? Why is there a nerdy-looking version of you here?" a confused Carter asked.
"Carter, meet my sister Diane." Dawn replied. "Diane and everyone else, meet Carter, my boyfriend."
"Not to sound nosy babe, but how come you never mentioned you had a twin sister before?" Carter asked.
"We're not close." Dawn answered. "Carter, could you give me a few minutes with Diane?"
"Yeah, no problem." Carter replied. "Nice meeting you all." With that, Carter quickly left the room, shutting the door behind him.
"Get out! Now!" Dawn ordered Diane.
"I will most certainly not!" Diane shot back. "I have as much right to be here as you do."
"I don't want you ruining my weekend with Carter, now leave!" Dawn told her.
"I don't know what's going on here, but if Diane is leaving than so am I." Cynthia interrupted. "I need her help with some very important work."
"I don't care!" Dawn angrily replied. "If you want to go with my sister, than go! I won't stop you! But she's not staying here!"
"Being my sister doesn't give you the right to order me around!" Diane told her.
"Both of you… cut it out!" Misty shouted at the top of her lungs, causing the two sisters to flinch. The room fell completely silent.
"Misty, is something wrong?" a concerned Ash asked.
"…I lied before when Officer Jenny asked if I was alone when I found Mr. Gates' body." Misty revealed. "Just before I found it… I ran into Dusk."
"Wait, Dusk is here too?" a shocked Dawn asked. "What's she doing here?"
"I have no idea." Misty answered.
"You know my other sister as well?" Diane realized.
"We met Dusk at the same time we met Dawn." Ash answered.
"Diane… Dusk isn't as crazy as we thought." Dawn admitted. "I know it seems crazy, but she really can see the dead and talk with Ghost Pokemon."
"Don't be absurd!" Diane argued. "That fantasy of hers is merely her way of coping with the trauma she experience when she was three."
"When Dusk disappeared that week when you were kids, she ended up in the Distortion World." Ash informed Diane. "She ended up there because some nut job of a scientist in the area was tinkering with some invention that blew up in his face."
"The Distortion World?" Diane repeated. "The realm ruled by the mythical dragon, Giratina?"
"The Distortion World is no myth, Diane. I was there with Ash and Misty once many years ago." Cynthia revealed. "Ash, if what you're saying is true, how did Dusk return to our world?"
"Giratina sent her back." Ash answered. "Ever since that happened, Dusk said she was able to communicate with Ghost Pokemon and see the spirits of the dead."
"Then perhaps what happened to the girl you're speaking of awakened some latent psychic ability of hers." Sabrina theorized.
"So then… Dusk isn't insane?" Diane realized.
"Not the way we thought at least." Dawn answered. "The things I saw that time with Ash and Misty proved to me that Dusk's powers or whatever you want to call them are real. But I'm sure they've also driven her nuts."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Ash told them.
"If that truly is the case, then we need to bring Dusk in and find her the help that she needs." Diane decided, ignoring Ash's words.
"That might not be easy." Dawn told her. "That day when Dusk ran off while you were at those ruins in Johto, Dusk ran into Arceus. For some weird reason, Arceus gave Dusk a newborn Giratina."
"I see…" Diane replied. "It must've happened only a few minutes before I encountered Arceus."
"You met Arceus too?" a surprised Ash asked.
"That's correct." Diane confirmed as she reached into her coat pocket. "And when it happened, Arceus gave me this." The object Diane pulled out of her pocket was a sparkling Pokeball that was blue on top and white on the bottom. "This Pokeball contains what was then a newborn Dialga. Which means I'm most likely the only one who stands a chance against Dusk and her Giratina."
"That's where you're wrong." Dawn told her as she pulled out a sparkling Pokeball of her own that was pink on top and white on the bottom. "I checked out those ruins a few months after Dusk ran off, and while I was there Arceus gave me a Palkia."
"Then that mean… all three of you have one of Sinnoh's legendary dragons." Ash realized.
"Misty, am I correct in assuming that you think Dusk had something to do with Mr. Gates' death?" Diane asked.
"I just don't know." Misty replied.
"I'll admit that Dusk is a little out there, but I don't think she's the kind of person who'd kill someone." Ash cut in. "There could be something else going on here."
"Well whatever the case, Dusk must be brought in before she hurts herself or someone else." Diane decided. "Which means I need to be close at hand if and when she reveals herself. Am I making myself clear Dawn?"
"…Okay fine, you can stay here at the mansion." Dawn finally agreed. "But while you're here, I want you to steer clear of me as much as possible."
"Only if you agree to do the same." Diane replied.
Shannon walked into the morgue at the Lavender Town hospital. Inside, Clint was sewing up the opening he had cut into Edger's chest to do the autopsy. Shannon was quite glad she had not arrived a few moments sooner. She had never seen the inside of a dead body before, and did not want to start anytime soon.
"Ah, right on time Shannon." Clint greeted. "Bet you're wondering what killed old Edger, huh?"
"That'd be nice to know." Shannon replied. "So, what did kill him?"
"As far as I can tell, it was a massive heart attack." Clint answered. "And my guess is that it was caused by massive fright."
"So wait, you're saying that Edger Gates literally died of fright?" Shannon asked.
"Pretty much." Edger confirmed as he removed his gloves. "Guess you can close the books on this one."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Shannon told him. "There are still a few unanswered questions. Like what was he doing at the tower that late at night? And what scared him so badly that he ended up dying of a heart attack? Until I can figure that out, this case is still wide open."
"You got a point there." Clint admitted. "But let's call it a day for now. I'm sure we can pick this up in the morning."
"Yeah, it is getting pretty late." Shannon agreed.
"You still up for that beer?" Clint offered.
"Sure. And how 'bout swinging by my place afterward?" Shannon suggested. "After a day like today, I could use your company."
Dinner at the Baron mansion was tense to say the least. The meal began as soon as everyone had gathered in the large dining room that housed a table that could seat twenty. Since the dinner had started, the entire room was silent and think with tension. Part of it had to do with the mystery of Edger Gates' death, but another part was because of the tension between Dawn and Diane. The entire time, the two sisters had been glaring at one another.
"It is so nice to have the house so full of guests." Patricia remarked in an attempt to start up conversation. "Don't you agree darling?"
"Huh? Oh, very much so." Julius replied. "Cynthia, I've been told that Dawn's sister has been a great help to you in your work."
"Yes, I should be able to translate that manuscript in a matter of days with Diane's help." Cynthia replied.
"If her talking doesn't bore you to death first." Dawn remarked under her breath. The room again fell silent.
"So Dawn, how did and Carter meet?" Misty asked in an attempt to restart the conversation.
"What? Oh, I ended up competing against Carter in a Pokemon Contest in Saffron last month." Dawn explained. "He really gave me a hard time in the final round."
"Yes, but in the end there was no way I could win against such a strong and beautiful Coordinator such as Dawn here." Carter praised.
"Oh you." Dawn blushed.
"I can see why my sister is interested in you Carter." Diane cut in. "It seems she can't resist such cheap flattery."
"What did you say?" an offended Dawn replied.
Before an argument could break out, Miranda walked into the room. "Forgive the interruption Master Baron, but Mr. John Braxton has come to see you."
"Oh. I suppose I should've been expecting this." Julius replied. "He's probably just as disturbed by Edger's death as I am."
"Is this guy a friend of yours Mr. Baron?" Ash asked.
"John, Edger, and I go quite a ways back." Julius confirmed. "Well don't keep him waiting Miranda, show Mr. Braxton in."
"Actually, Mr. Braxton insists on speaking to you in private sir." Miranda informed him.
"Oh very well." Julius sighed. "Send him to my study. I'll meet him there shortly."
"Yes sir." Miranda replied before leaving the room.
Julius left the dinner table early and entered his study to find John Braxton waiting for him. John Braxton was a thin-looking man with unkempt olive-green hair and brown eyes. He had on a long black coat with a grey shirt and blue jeans. Right away, Julius noticed how nervous and pale John looked.
"Good lord man! You look terrible!" Julius declared as he shut the door to the office. "Are you all right John?"
"He's dead Julius. Edger's dead!" John reminded him.
"I know. I was there when the body was found." Julius sighed.
"He was at the tower, wasn't he?" John assumed. "He said he was going there last night. That's what got him killed."
"What the devil are you talking about?" Julius asked.
"It was that thing Julius!" John told him, his face looking very crazed. "That thing is what killed him!"
"You're not making any sense." Julius told him.
"Like hell I'm not!" John declared. "You know what I'm talking about Julius. It's been almost twenty years to the day since we committed that deed at the tower. And now that thing has come back for revenge! It wants our blood Julius, and either one of us could be next!"
"Good lord! You're not serious, are you?" Julius asked. "That pathetic creature is dead. There's no way it come back for revenge."
"Tell that to Edger. He told me last night he was feeling guilty about what we did twenty years ago and was going back to that wretched tower to try and make amends." John revealed. "And because of that, the thing killed him."
"I don't believe that for a minute." Julius insisted. "Besides John, even if that creature has come back, out of the three of us you should be safe. Edger and I were the ones who did the deed because you had too weak a stomach for what had to be done."
"My hands are just as dirty as yours!" John declared. "They're dirty because I was too much of a coward to stop you and Edger that day."
"We had our orders." Julius reminded him. "That creature wouldn't have died if it hadn't gotten in our way."
"We crossed a line Julius!" John insisted. "You knew that just as much as Edger and I. That's why we all left the organization that day! We tried to rub the slate clean and start new lives for ourselves. But we can't erase what we've done Julius. And now that thing is back for our blood!"
"You're being ridiculous John." Julius told him. "Go home and get some rest. It will do you a lot of good."
"Fine. I'll go." John agreed. "I just thought I should warn you that the time of our judgment has finally come." And with that, he walked out of the office, slamming the door shut behind him.
John walked alone out under the night sky. The wind swept dead leaves through the empty streets of the small village. Lavender Town had gone to sleep for the night. As John headed home, he constantly saw the Tower of Memories looming over him in the distance. To him, that hollowed monument to Pokemon was a constant reminder of what he, Edger, and Julius did those twenty years past. Why he and the others continued to stay in that town was beyond him. The only reason John could come up with was that perhaps they all stayed there out of guilt.
As John continued to his house, he suddenly found that he was in the cemetery around the Tower of Memories. It seemed that he had been walking towards the tower without realizing it. That graveyard was the last place that John wanted to be. Especially after what happened to Edger. Just as he was about to turn and leave, John heard a sound in the distance. It was the sound of something being dragged.
"Hello?" John called out. "Is anybody out here?"
"…Marowaaak!" a putrid voice answered back.
John's blood ran cold. He knew in an instant what creature had just spoken to him. John began to run as fast as he could, but the sound of that dragging from before was still behind him and coming closer. John made it out of the cemetery, but the dragging sound continued to come closer. The sound of what John determined was a dragging bone stayed with him as he continued to run through town. He never expected the thing to be able to leave the tower grounds. The things grudge was greater than John thought.
As soon as John turned a corner he saw someone in his path. It was Dusk, and floating next to her was a small shadowy Pokemon that was essentially a sort of head with tendril-like arms at its sides and a hook-like tail hanging beneath. Around its small black eyes were large red circles that had bumps at the bottom that slightly resembled tears. With its hook-like tail, the Pokemon carried a golden mask with the face of a beautiful woman. John knew the creature to be a foreign Pokemon called a Yamask.
"Good evening Mr. Braxton." Dusk cheerfully greeted. "My name's Dusk. The Yamask here with me is my friend, Helen."
"Get out of my way!" John shouted. "You have no idea what's after me right now!"
"Oh, but I do Mr. Braxton." Dusk replied. "She's really angry about what you did twenty years ago. Running isn't going to do you any good."
"Marowaaaak!" the thing's voice called again. John knew that it was right behind him.
"Looks like it's time to play." Dusk grinned as she pulled out a Pokeball.
Against his better judgment, John turned around to get a look at his pursuer. As soon as he saw the thing, a scream echoed through the entire town.
Author's Note: One thing I've discovered as I've done more and more writing is that one seems to get a feel for how long a chapter is going to be. There was a lot I had to set up in these last two chapters. One thing I ended up pushing ahead in this story was revealing that Diane had a Dialga. I was going to save that revelation for the climax, but I sort of felt like it wouldn't be that much of a surprise.
Please review and let me know what you think.