ContestShipping One-Shot Series

by Cakedecorator

Title is pretty self-explainatory. I may be basing these off of other episode plots, as well as a few song-fiction one-shots, amongst other things, but all of these one-shots are ContestShipping, so I hope you all like it. Please read, review, favor, and if you have any suggestions, let me know! Rated T for kisses, and the OCCASIONAL swear.

31. Phantom Of The Opera Bonus Chapter!

May I present my newest one-shot "Phantom Of The Contest Hall" - A Phantom Of The Opera story with less songs, and with Pokémon Contests! May is a Coordinator working at the Petalburg Contest Hall as one of the helpers with the shows from behind the scenes. There are rumors of a mysterious, so-called "Contest Ghost" lurking about, too. However, when yet another mishap puts the Prima Donna of the hall, Jessie, in harms way yet again, she walks out, putting that night's Contest in jeopardy! However, May steps up and saves the show, but this is a catalyst for some more disasters…

---

An older man was looking around at an auction to see the items on sale. It was at the Petalburg Contest Hall… Or rather, what was left of it. After such a long time after rumors and incidents in the area, it became neglected, and soon, it was decided that everything in the building had to be either sold or destroyed.

This man had green eyes, there was a Roserade at his side, and he was holding a walking cane; his hair was slightly thinning and losing its green color, and he looked around at the merchandise. He soon laid eyes on a particular item: a Vigoroth-shaped music box, and his eyes fell sadly.

"So… That's the music box she talked about…" He said, as he looked at it intently; his Roserade seemed to notice the sadness in its trainer. "It's exactly as she described, right down to the nearest details… I wonder… Will it still work even after we're all gone?"

Roserade looked at its trainer sadly; it knew full well what he was talking about, so it was also displaying the same feelings that the older man was.

"All right, everyone, step right up!" The auctioneer said; the older man looked and saw a chandelier that seemed to be done with repairs, and he recognized it immediately. "Now, the next item on sale is a chandelier that was found in pieces; some of you may remember those rumored incidents in connection to the mystery of the so-called 'Phantom Of The Contest Hall' some years back. This is, in fact, that very chandelier, but it's been repaired. Now, let's see if we can shed some light on that mystery and see if we can scare away the Ghost Pokémon of the past…"

Turning on the chandelier, it seemed to rise back up into the barracks of the hall, and as if by magic, it seemed like everything was going back to the past before the incidents started...

---

It was a beautiful day in Petalburg City, and the local Contest Hall was bustling with activity inside. There were Coordinators inside the hall, all practicing with their Pokémon, and getting ready for the show the coming night.

"Now, Frillish, use Mist, then follow up with Psychic!" A woman with blue eyes, and red hair said, as she was training her Pokémon for the Contest.

A pink Frillish, thus a girl Frillish, released white smoke out of its mouth, and then its eyes were glowing blue before manipulating the Mist with Psychic to surround the Pokémon in the white clouds to emphasize its ghostly nature.

"Now, Amoongus, use Hidden power!" A man with green eyes and blue hair commanded.

An Amoongus crossed its arms before becoming outlined in green energy. It then opened its arms to form three orbs of energy, before spinning around, and firing the orbs in random directions; they ricochetted around the Amoongus before its trainer made another command.

"Stun Spore!" He shouted.

Firing orange dust with sparkles out of its waving arms, the Hidden Power orbs were stuck in place.

However, up in the catwalk of the building, someone was watching everything going down, but it did not seem like he or she was too interested in the exchanges happening down below.

"Nice work, Frillish!" The red-haired woman said, before giving out a haughty laugh and smile.

"Jessie, you'll be perfect for this Contest tonight, as always!" The blue-haired man said, as he recalled Amoongus to its Poké Ball.

"No, not with that excessively simple appeal." Zoey, a girl with spiky, orange hair, and red eyes said, in reply, as she was finishing up an appeal with her Mismagius, which included the use of Psywave.

"As you can see, everyone at our lovely Contest Hall is practicing really hard with their Pokémon." The Petalburg Nurse Joy said, as she came in, leading two men behind her.

"Keeping an appeal simple can help you in a contest, but if you're too drab, you'll lose in the first round. Remember: your Pokémon are the stars of the show, not the Coordinator." Zoey said, trying to help Jessie with her appeals.

"I don't do complex!" Jessie said, indignant on doing things her way.

"You need to step it up…" Zoey began, about to rant.

"That's Solidad, from Pewter City; she's our head coach for the Coordinators here at the hall." Nurse Joy began, as she made the necessary introductions.

"Now, Jess, you can't get all worked up, or else the Pokémon will pick up on your feelings and it can ruin the entire thing," James said, trying to placate Jessie; he knew her temper tantrums were never ones that one wants to experience. "Let's try Pumpkaboo and see how it works."

"Ugh, fine…" Jessie said, before sending out her Pumpkaboo. "Shadow Ball!"

Pumpkaboo released a dark, purple-black ball of ghostly energy and it rose into the air.

"Now use Dark Pulse!" Jessie commanded; Pumpkaboo shot a pulse of black-purple rings that were attached to another and it hit the Shadow Ball, causing it to break into black-purple sparkles.

"See?" James said.

"That would be James, our main male contender; he'll often compete and do double appeals with his friend, Jessie." Nurse Joy said, as she presented the main two Coordinators.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy, gentleman," A woman with salmon-pink hair, blue eyes, and with a Slowbrow by her side said, as she came over to Nurse Joy. "Could you kindly get offstage?"

"Oh, please forgive me. Gentleman, this is Solidad, our mistress of Contests, often working alongside Zoey." Nurse Joy said.

"Now, that's all fine and good, Nurse Joy, but could you please tell us why you're retiring from the ownership of this Contest Hall and sticking strictly to your duties as the Nurse here in Petalburg?" One of the two men asked; he had grayer hair than the other one, who was shorter than him, and this older man was wearing a red suit.

A girl with blue hair and blue eyes, with a Togekiss, was practicing some Appeals, and she was really proud of her Pokémon.

"That's Dawn, one of our most talented Coordinators." Nurse Joy said, as she watched.

"May Maple! Concentrate on keeping Blaziken's Fire-type moves from burning down the hall!" Solidad said, as she blew her whistle lightly; she was talking to a girl with brown hair, and blue eyes, who was training a Blaziken for the big Contest that night.

"May, are you okay?" Dawn asked, as she and Togekiss stopped for a bit of a break.

"Maple?" The shorter man with slits for eyes asked.

"May Maple; she's good at being a Coordinator, but she has yet to take the stage, so she's often a stagehand on the side." Nurse Joy said.

"Any relationship to Norman Maple, the Gym Leader?" The taller, red-clad man asked.

"Why, she's Norman's daughter; her younger brother has taken over the role as Gym Leader." Nurse Joy explained.

Everyone was still running around and training with their Pokémon for the show that night, when Nurse Joy clapped her hands and got everyone's attention.

"Everyone! Attention, please? As you know, I have plans to go back to my duties as the city's Nurse Joy and stick to those duties alone," Nurse Joy said. "In my place, I appoint Mr. Raoul Contesta and Mr. Sukizo."

Everyone started to applaud the news, and they were all wishing Nurse Joy good luck while welcoming the new managers.

Nurse Joy brought Sukizo and Contesta to Jessie, and Nurse Joy said, "This is Jessie; she's been our lead contender in the contests for five seasons now."

"I've seen all your best performances, Ms. Jessie," Mr. Contesta said, as he shook hands with Jessie. "You were wonderful."

"As expected." Jessie haughtily said.

"And our co-leader for Jessie, James." Nurse Joy said.

"A pleasure." James said, shaking hands with Mr. Sukizo.

"Remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo said. "Now, if I remember right, Jessie here and her Mime Jr. did a great Teeter Dance appeal for the Sandalstraw Pokémon Contest a few seasons back. Could you indulge us in a performance?"

"Oh, I'd adore it!" Jessie said, taking out Mime Jr.'s Poké Ball. "Mime Jr., come on out!"

Mime Jr. popped out of its Poké Ball and then Jessie sang, "Teeter Dance!"

Mime Jr. was beginning to start a hula dance, while being outlined in light purple energy; as it was getting stored up, no one seemed to notice that up in the catwalk, the figure that was watching the entire exchange had a knife near one of the ropes; his hand was gloved, but the knife was just a swiss pocket knife in itself; he swiped at the rope and then he disappeared into the shadows.

What was cut was a rope connecting to one of the lights; it began to fall to the ground, and everyone was in a panic in response. The particular light was falling on Jessie, but not only did she managed to get out of the way in time, she was out of it unscathed.

"He's here! The Phantom Of The Contest Hall!" Dawn shouted, almost singing, in fear; she was almost clinging to May, who looked up into the catwalk.

"Heavens! Do show some manners!" Mr. Sukizo demanded.

"Miss, please!" Mr. Contesta said, as he helped Jessie stand up.

"Harley! Where's Harley?!" Nurse Joy asked, as she was looking around, frantically. "Harley is our Chief of the Flies, alongside his Cacturne. He should be on top of this."

A taller man in green, in likeness to his Cacturne, and purple hair came in, with ropes and other equipment in his hand.

"There you are, Harley! What's going on up there?" Nurse Joy demanded.

"Don't look at me, Nurse Joy," Harley said. "With Arceus as a witness, I wasn't up at my post. Trust me, I didn't see anyone up there. And even if there were, then it must have been an actual ghost or something."

Once again, everyone was panicking, and Dawn said, "He's here! The Phantom Of The Contest Hall!"

"I've never known such insolence! Not remarkable at all!" Mr. Sukizo said, shaking his head in disdain.

"Miss Jessie, please; this sort of thing happens." Mr. Contesta said, making light of the situation.

Jessie lost it: she went on a rampage and hollered, "Well, yes, but they happen almost daily! And nothing's been done to stop it! You're just as bad as Nurse Joy! She didn't do anything to stop these mishaps and you've only been here for half an hour! Well, I won't be coming back here for the shows anymore unless these mishaps are stopped!"

Jessie left the building; James shook his head, told everyone, "Amateurs."

He followed after Jessie, and everyone looked at the scene in surprise.

"I'll be at the Pokémon Center if you need me." Nurse Joy said, as she also left the building.

"Jessie will be back." Mr. Contesta said, shrugging.

"Don't be so sure," Solidad said, stepping up. "I have a message from the Contest Ghost."

May shuddered at the mention of this for some reason.

"Is everyone here obsessed?!" Mr. Sukizo asked, shaking his head in chagrin.

"It's merely a welcome to his Contest Hall. He's telling you that you need to keep Box 5 open at all times for him, and his salary is due, as well." Solidad stated.

"Salary? His Contest Hall?" Sukizo and Contesta asked in jest.

"It's no joke," Solidad said, her face sardonic. "Nurse Joy often paid him 25,000 PokéDollars, but maybe you can give him more with the Vitcome De Chagny as your new patron."

"I was going to make that announcement myself!" Mr. Contesta said. "But he'll be at tonight's show with us in our box."

"But more importantly, shouldn't we be preparing Jessie's replacement for tonight's Contest?" Sukizo asked.

"No replacements for her," Zoey said, with a shrug. "We never have people taking our contenders' place for this sort of thing because it's never happened before."

"Then what are we going to do?! Cancel?!" Mr. Contesta said, in complete shock.

"May Maple can take Jessie's place!" Dawn said, bringing May forward. "She's been taking lessons on Pokémon Coordinating from a high-end teacher!"

"Who might that be?" Mr. Sukizo asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know his identity; I'm unsure as to why, but he's always in the darkness whenever he and I have our sessions together." May responded, albeit shyly.

"Great…" Contesta said, rolling his eyes. "Now we really need to cancel."

"I suggest to the contrary!" Solidad firmly said. "May knows what she's doing. She's been taught well."

"Fine…" Sukizo and Contesta said together, as they were defeated and felt they were out of options.

May smiled, and she said, "Come on out, Beautifly!"

A stunning, well-raised Beautifly came out of a Poké Ball with a Flora Seal, in a shower of pink flower petals. It opened its wings, and May smiled.

"Beautifly, Silver Wind!" May commanded.

Beautifly started to flap around in circles, releasing a wind with silver crescents and sparkles in the wind. It was flapping its wings, gently, and letting some of the sparkles stay on its wings. Everyone was looking at the scene in indifference. Seeing this, May grew nervous, but she felt Solidad look at her hard.

"Now use Psychic to control it!" May commanded.

Beautifly's eyes started to glow blue, and then a light blue aura surrounded the Silver Wind; Beautifly manipulated the Silver Wind to coat its body, and May, smiling, grew more confident.

"Aerial Ace!" May commanded.

Beautifly started to spin around elegantly while white streaks were coating its body as it was flying up in the sky before opening its wings up and letting all of the shine and light fall down.

"That's perfect!" Mr. Contesta said.

The scene changed into that night, and May was doing the exact Appeal she put on earlier that afternoon. She was in a more formal outfit, and after passing the Appeal stage, she was soon winning battle after battle with Beautifly during the show. May was doing great, in spite of it being her first Contest.

"Morning Sun!" May commanded.

Beautifly's wings started to glow white and white light beams were being radiated from it. It was glowing so brightly that the opponent's Pokémon, a Trevenant, was blinded by the light; Beautifly was also being healed at the same time, giving it more energy and strength to keep going.

Up in the boxes, there was one particular person who was watching May: the Victome de Chagny. He was a boy around May's age and he had emerald-green hair and matching green eyes, while wearing a suit. At his side was a Roserade that he had raised quite well. His eyes were alit with a shine that said that he was seeing something familiar.

Almost as if his mouth could not control itself, Drew sang, "Wait a sec… It can't be; is that May?"

Recognizing her, he started to clap in the box, earning everyone else's confusion: Drew continued to sing, "Brava! Brava! Long ago, it seemed to long ago… How young and innocent we were. She may not remember me, but I remember her."

Roserade was looking at her trainer in confusion, but soon started to understand her trainer: he had met up with an old friend.

"And the winner for tonight's Contest is May Maple!" Vivian Meridian, the Contest announcer said, as May was up in the winner's circle with her Beautifly.

Drew was looking at May with amorous eyes; he felt like he had gone back in time.

---

Later, backstage, May was being praised by everyone for her performance and her victory in that night's Contest. She felt so proud of herself, that she was blushing and feeling so much better about her work at the hall.

"Everyone, everyone," Solidad said, as she came up to the group. "May, you did excellently. He'll be happy."

May smiled, knowing exactly whom Solidad was referring to; Solidad pat May on the head, and May said, "Thanks, Solidad; I'm just relieved I won on the first try."

"Doesn't always happen to everyone," Solidad said. "Now, everyone else, get back to practicing with your Pokémon!"

However, there was another voice: this one male, and there was something haunting about the sound of it; it sang, "Brava… Brava… Bravissima…"

"May? Hey, May?" Dawn asked, as she tried to snap her fingers in front of May's face.

"May…" The voice sang again; May shook her head, snapping out of her trance.

"What was that?" May muttered.

"May, where have you been hiding your skill this whole time! You were top-notch!" Dawn said. "So… You have to tell me! Who's your teacher?"

May looked around and made sure no one was around; gesturing for Dawn to follow her, May went inside her dressing room, and shut the door before sighing. May turned around to Dawn and asked, "Think you can keep a secret?"

Dawn nodded in response and said, "Of course."

"Can you promise me you won't think I'm nuts?" May asked again.

Dawn once again nodded, and said, "Okay, but…"

"Alright… Before dad died and Max took over as Gym Leader… My dad would often tell me stories about an angel; I would often dream about him, hoping he'd appear to me and help me succeed in Contests… I don't know why, but now, every time I perform with my Pokémon, I feel like he's close to me, or rather, I know it. I hear him singing to me, but its almost as if he's hiding and lurking about. I get this feeling he's always with me… And he's a genius, albeit I can never see him…" May explained. "Idiotic, huh?"

"May… I think it is kind of dumb for that sort of story to happen… But I doubt you're crazy; it might have some connection to The Phantom Of The Contest Hall…" Dawn said.

"I don't know about that…" May said. "But… Angel of Contests… Please, appear before me!"

"May… You're pale and… Your hands are all clammy." Dawn said, as she checked on her friend.

"In all honesty, Dawn… It sort of scares me." May said.

"You really shouldn't be scared. You have your Pokémon with you, right?" Dawn asked.

"You're right…" May replied.

"Dawn!" Solidad said, as she came into the room. "Shouldn't you be practicing with Togekiss?"

"Oops…" Dawn said. "See you, May."

Dawn ran out of the dressing room, and Solidad said, "Here; I was asked to give you this."

May took the letter out and she read it aloud, "Bluk berries…? The attic…? Little lotte…? Why does that sound so familiar?"

As May mulled over the letter, outside, near her dressing room, Drew, Mr. Contesta, and Mr. Sukizo were on their way to May's room.

"What a relief! We didn't have to refund a single seat." Mr. Contesta said.

"Remarkable! I think Ms. Maple was our star tonight! I think we've hit a gold mine with her." Mr. Sukizo said.

"Gentleman," Drew said. "Please forgive me, but I would like to make this visit alone."

"Whatever you say…" Mr. Contesta said.

"Remarkable. He and May must know each other." Mr. Sukizo said.

May was mulling over the note she got, trying to rack her brain for answers; Drew, on the other hand, secretly came in, with a red rose in hand, and he smiled at seeing May's face in the mirror.

"Ms. May Maple… Have you been keeping track of your Bluk Berries?" Drew asked, teasingly.

"Wait a minute…" May said, as she recognized that voice.

"Certainly, after I climbed the side of a cliff to get one for your Torchic. Not only was it hungry, but I was, what, ten years old." Drew said.

"You're the one who insisted on feeding my Torchic yourself, even though I had plenty of Pokémon Food for it to eat," May said, with a smile, before turning to her guest. "Hey, Drew! How long has it been?"

"May," Drew said, as he presented May with the rose. "It's been too long… Remember when I called you "Little Lotte"?"

"Of course I do. And I remember when I asked whether I was fonder of ghosts, shoes, or dolls." May said.

"How about those picnics we would always have in the attic, or the chocolates we ate?" Drew asked.

"Dad letting us play with his Pokémon in the greenhouse…" May said.

"Reading dark stories of the Sinnoh Region to each other…" Drew said, thinking fondly of their childhood memories.

"What I loved the best was whenever the Angel of Contests would speak to me in my sleep…" May said, but her eyes went dark. "Well, Drew, remember when my dad said that when he passes on, he'll send the Angel of Contests to me?"

"Yeah, I remember that." Drew said, with a nod.

"Well… It's happened. Both my father's passing and I've been visited by the Angel of Contests." May said.

"I heard about Norman's passing… So how's Max doing?" Drew asked, sitting on a chair.

"Slaking and the others are responding to him the same way they responded to dad," May said. "So far, things have been quiet after that."

"You were competing like a professional tonight," Drew said, giving May a hug. "We can catch up when we go to dinner tonight."

Hearing this, May shook her head, saying, "Bad idea! Really bad idea! The Angel of Contests would flip out if he knew I skipped a lesson!"

"I'm not going to keep you out too late." Drew said.

"I'm not joking around, Drew! If I skip a lesson he'll freak out!" May said.

"I'm sure he won't mind you catching up with an old friend," Drew said. "I'm going to go feed Roserade; the same Budew we grew up with evolved. Anyway, you have five minutes."

Drew left the dressing room, and May sighed before shaking her head; she stood up, and she said, "Drew… Things are what they used to be anymore…"

However, May soon heard the lock to the door snap shut, and hearing this, she grew concerned; May looked around and the lights dimmed out of the nowhere. She failed to notice that someone flipped the breaker for her dressing room, causing the lights to go out.

"Insolent boy! This slave of fashion! Basking in your glory! Ignorant fool! This brave young suitor! Sharing in MY triumph!" An angry, male, adolescent voice sang, albeit his face was not seen.

"Angel, I hear you. Speak, I listen. Stay by my side, guide me. Angel, my soul was weak. Forgive me… Enter at last, master…" May sang, in response; she recognized her mentor's voice.

"Okay, enough with the singing," The male voice said, this time, in speech, rather than song. "Since you asked so nicely… I'll show you why I tend to literally stay in the dark. Just look at yourself in the mirror, and that's where I'm at."

May did as instructed, and she saw a figure with a white mask in the darkness reflected in the mirror. May smiled, and she said, "Finally… Please, don't hide from me anymore…"

"I'm your Angel of Contests… Come to me, Angel of Contests…" The figure sang, as he held out his hand to May from inside the mirror.

Drew, who was standing outside the door, was overhearing the entire exchange; banging on the door, and worried May was in danger, Drew shouted, "May! Are you okay?! What's going on in there?! Who's in there with you?!"

May's eyes lost their luster and her face became glazed over; she started to unconsciously walk towards her teacher, and he repeated, "I'm your Angel of Contests… Come to me, Angel of Contests…"

May took her teacher's hand, and stepped into the mirror; it transported her into a corridor, as if by magic. Almost at the same time, the room went back to normal, the door unlocked, and Drew stumbled in.

Looking around, and seeing May was not there, Drew shouted, "May?!"

---

Back with May, she and The Phantom Of The Contest Hall were walking down some stairs that were, strangely, located under the Contest Hall - literally. Getting a better look at the Phantom, he had brown hair under a white hat with a green band, grey eyes, and pale skin; half of his face was covered by a mask and he was wearing a nice suit, something one would wear in a Pokémon Contest. He was holding May's hand while his other one held a Lampent.

"In sleep, he sang to me… In dreams, he came… That voice which calls to me… And speaks my name…" May sang, as she looked back a little nervously. "Yet, do I dream again… For now I find… The Phantom Of The Contest Hall is there… Inside my mind…"

"Sing once again with me! Our strange duet! My power over you… Grows stronger, yet! And though you'll turn from me to glance behind…" The Phantom sang, as he saw May glance back a few times, and asked her to stay close to him. "The Phantom Of The Contest Hall is there… Inside your mind."

May was soon led to a subterranean lake, and on the lake was a large, majestic Lapras. The Phantom, leading May, helped her onto the Lapras; Lapras, almost as if knowing where it was headed, started to move on the water, almost as if knowing what The Phantom wanted from it. May was looking around, impressed by the scenery, as well as a tad scared.

"Those who have seen your face… Draw back in fear… I am the mask you wear…" May began, as she kept looking around.

"It's me they hear." The Phantom sang.

"Your/My talent and my/your skills… In one combined… The Phantom of the Contest Hall is here/there… Inside my/your mind." Both May and the Phantom began.

"He's there… The Phantom of the Contest Hall… Beware, The Phantom of the Contest Hall…" Background voices sang.

"In all your fantasies, you always knew…" The Phantom began, looking back at May, while still standing on Lapras's back. "Both man and mystery…"

"Were both in you…" May sang.

"And in this Labyrinth… Where night is blind… The Phantom Of The Contest Hall is there… Inside my/your mind…" May and the Phantom sang, before Lapras landed on the other side of the lake.

The Phantom took May's hand before helping her get off of Lapras's back and then he led her into an area filled with equipment for Pokémon Training, such as a blackboard, chalk, berries, and a computer for research, as well as some Poké Balls and other items used for his means. There was even a sheet covering something tall, and it was next to a full-length mirror.

"Okay, I think that's enough singing for now, May," The Phantom sang, as he let his Lampent float off for the one of the hangers used for lamps; it just decided to hand there. "Well, this is it. The seat of the throne of Pokémon Contests. This is the kingdom where Pokémon Contests must be paid homage to."

May was listening intently at her peer/teacher, and she kept her eyes wide open while her breath was somewhat detached, and she asked, "Is there any particular reason why I'm…"

May trailed off; she was caught unaware at the sight of all of the darkness with the contrast of the beauty from the scene, as well.

"You've come here for one purpose: since the moment I first saw you and your Pokémon training for Contests, I've needed your service… At my side… to perform for me." The Phantom said, as he took up a few books and tried to help May relax a little bit; on the unmasked side of his face, one could swear his cheeks were red.

May nodded in response, and she said, "Okay… Um… our lesson?"

"Oh, yes, of course," The Phantom said, before clearing his throat. "Okay; the darkness of the nighttime is not something to be scared of. In fact, in absence of light, your other senses are heightened, and their defenses are dropped quite severely. I need you to sense the nighttime's splendor, okay?"

May closed her eyes, trying to sense the darkness and how beautiful it was; she was somewhat confused by these requests, but she assumed it would help her in her Pokémon Contests in the future.

"Good…" The Phantom said, with a nod. "Now, make sure your back is turned on any sunlight or other kind of light, and let go of any fantasies, dark dreams, and such to let your imagination lead you where you want to go…"

May nodded in response, and decided to just let her mind wander, they way she would always do as a child.

"Doing great, May," The Phantom said. "Now, next… Let the sensations caress and posses you, okay? Let your soul take you where you want to be at, and forget everything you've ever known. Just… let your mind wander into this strange, new journey. It's going to help you; you'll need your imagination to open up in order for your performances to excel."

May did as instructed, and just let her mind get lost in all of the darkness within her surroundings.

"Only… Only then… Can you be mine…" The Phantom muttered, before blushing and turning his head away.

"But… Why me?" May asked, as she opened her eyes to turn to her teacher.

"You… I don't know why, but… You're so… Intoxicating to me…" The Phantom said, as he came over to May, and caressed her cheek with his gloved hand. "I need you to trust me… Savor every sensation and touch I give you."

May put her hand close to the Phantom's face, and tried to take it off, but the Phantom used his other hand to grab May's wrist and let her hand down. He covered her eyes with one of his hands and then he led May over to the sheet.

"Okay… One… Two… Three!" The Phantom said, before taking off the sheet to reveal a mannequin.

It was wearing a very beautiful, and elegant wedding dress that he either bought or designed himself. He took his hand away from May's eyes, and she gasped in surprise to see such a beautiful dress.

"It's stunning…" May said, as she stared at it in awe. However, almost all of her energy drained out at that very second, and she started to collapse.

"Oh, boy!" The Phantom said, as he scooped May up in his arms before bringing her over to a bed that he had prepared; it was probably his own bed, considering there was only one.

"I'm exhausted…" May muttered in a half-asleep daze.

"That's to be expected; you've had a long day," The Phantom said, as he gently placed her on the bed, before pulling the cover over her. "Rest up… You're the only one who can make my Appeals take flight…"

He pulled a curtain to give May some privacy and he soon went back to his workplace.

After what seemed to be a few hours, May was still sleeping, while the Phantom was working on his computer, and reading books while doing research in silence.

"No… That won't work…" The Phantom muttered as he was heavily engrossed in his work.

A familiar, Vigoroth-shaped music box started to play a pleasant tune, and May woke up to the music the box played for it. She sat up in the bed, and seeing the curtains around her, she rubbed her head, her memory a little hazy.

"Ugh… What happened…?" May asked, quietly. "The only thing I remember is a large lake with mist swirling on it… And I was on the back of a Lapras… but there was someone else on that Lapras, too…"

May silently opened the curtain to see her teacher, The Phantom Of The Contest Hall, hard at work on his research; one of the Lampent in the area was floating around him, trying to make things a little lighter in color for the diligent boy.

'Who is he in reality? In the light, I mean… And… Why does he even WEAR a mask?' May thought, as she silently started to walk over to the Phantom.

He kept on working on ideas for Appeal battles and such, and tried his best to make sure things went well for his student. He was so wrapped up in what he was doing that his senses failed to pick up May's presence.

May slowly, and silently reached for the mask on the side of the Phantom's face. She managed to pluck it off, but...

"AHHHH!" The Phantom hollered, as he felt his face become completely nude. Covering his face, he turned to May and flew off the handle. "DAMNIT, MAY! YOU LITTLE BRAIXEN! TREACHEROUS SEVIPER! IS THIS WHAT YOU WERE HOPING TO GET A GLIMPSE OF?!"

May backed up in fear before falling onto her rear end as her teacher, livid, and she shook her head, saying, "No, I was only curious to see why you even wear a mask in the first place!"

"CURSE YOU! YOU LYING PURRLOIN! Now your freedom WON'T come to pass!" The Phantom shouted before falling to his knees. His voice shaken, he continued, "Damn you, May…"

May was shaking in fear; not from the Phantom's face, but rather, his rage; she held on to the mask, and she sort of looked at the Phantom in mild sadness.

"So… It's uglier than you dreamt it, huh?" The Phantom asked.

May did not answer; she really had no idea what she could or should say at that point.

"I'm just a repulsive Zoroark… But I yearn for the heavenly light of Diancie, at the same time… Sweet May…" The Phantom said, as he turned to May, his face still covered with his hand.

"I'm sure you know the story of 'Beauty And The Beast', right?" The Phantom asked May, calming down.

May nodded in response, afraid to speak up.

"That story… Says fear can turn into love. You'll learn to see the boy behind the monster and behind the mask, as well… Oh, May…" The Phantom said, as he approached May, albeit she backed off in fear; he kept his face away from May by turning his back on her.

However, May got the courage to stand up, and she handed the mask back to the Phantom; seeing this, he took the mask back before putting it back on and looking over to May.

"I've… I've calmed down… I sort of understand that you wanted to know why I wear the mask in the first place," The Phantom said, before sighing; he snagged May's hand, causing her to jump in surprise. "Come on, we'd better get back. Those two idiots in charge are going to wonder where you've gotten to."

He led May back upstairs via another route.

---

Harley, up in the rafters again, was playing around, scaring the girls with Woobat, Swoobat, Noibat, Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat figures being dangled around; Harley and Cacturne were laughing their heads off at the joking around they were doing. Some of the other girls knew it was a joke, but they still felt it was a bit uncalled for.

"His skin is like Geodude skin, and he even lacks a nose, much like a Jigglypuff, though a lot less cute," Harley teased. "You need to be on your guard at all times or he'll get you in his lasso!"

Everyone ran off in fear and laughter as Harley pretended to strangle himself; his Cacture was rolling on the floor while laughing its head off.

"Harley!" Solidad shouted, getting Harley's attention. "Seems like you've forgotten what I've warned you about: if you speak of anything you know in regards to the Phantom, you'll regret too late that you should've kept your mouth shut. So… Hold your tongue, and…"

"I know, I know: my hands at eye level, my Pokémon that can use Safeguard on hand at all times." Harley said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

"That's better." Solidad said before turning her back and leaving.

Back in the managers office, Sukizo and Contesta were reading the news and they were a bit nervous about what was going on; Contesta was a little more happy about it instead.

"The headlines are saying that they're suspecting foul play in May's disappearance. There's bad news on the diva's spot. Jessie's gone first, and now May. But, hey, the seats are getting sold and the crowd is cheering no matter how many competitors are going AWOL. I guess gossip is worth a lot. Hey, luck and such is overrated." Mr. Contesta said.

"Not remarkable at all!" Sukizo shouted. "Are they all going to walk out on us?!"

"Clam down; the publicity is free." Mr. Contesta said, in protest.

"Not the issue here!" Sukizo said, in protest. "Check out the reviews we've gotten."

There were two notes with red, wax seals on them, and they both took one up.

"Okay… 'Dear Contesta… The Contest was upscale fabulous, and May was, bluntly, divine. I was hardly upset when Jessie went and quit. Now, on that note, that woman's skills are a disaster; should you really let her compete when she's eons past her prime?'"

"Okay… Mine says, 'Sukizo, just a reminder: my salary hasn't been paid. I need you to pay it by post, and my orders must be obeyed; face it, no one likes an unreliable debtor'."

"What kind of person has the gall to send something like this?" Mr. Contesta asked.

"I don't know… Someone pretty childish, I guess." Mr. Sukizo said, in response, and a shrug.

"The funny thing, is that they're both signed 'C.G.'; isn't that strange? Who is it?" Mr. Contesta said.

"Contest Ghost." Both Mr. Contesta and Mr. Sukizo said, in realization.

"This isn't amusing at all," Mr. Contesta said. "Taking advantage of our position."

"And wanting money out of us, too!" Mr. Sukizo said.

"What an insane person…" Mr. Contesta said.

Drew then barged in, causing the managers to jump in surprise; he looked to Contesta and Sukizo before demanding, "Alright, where is she?"

"Jessie?" Mr. Contesta asked.

"Don't be an idiot! I'm talking about May!" Drew said, as he came in. "Now where is she?"

"Don't look at us; we don't know where she is." Mr. Contesta replied.

"So she isn't with you?" Drew asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sukizo and Contesta merely shook their heads, and Mr. Sukizo said, "I think you're barking up the wrong Treecko."

"Don't dodge the question! Weren't you the ones who sent me this note?" Drew asked, slamming the note into Sukizo's chest; it was written on the same stationary and had the same seal as the ones that Sukizo and Contesta had gotten.

Reading it aloud, Mr. Contesta said, "Don't worry about May. The Angel of Contests has her under his wing; don't bother trying to see her again."

"So, if not you, then…" Drew began, but this time, Jessie and James barged into the room.

"Where is he?!" Jessie demanded.

"Welcome back." Sukizo said, indifferently.

"Where's that precious patron of yours?!" Jessie demanded.

"What do you want?" Drew asked, rolling his eyes.

"I have your note, and I hate what it's saying!" Jessie said, before shoving the letter into Drew's face.

"What are you talking about? Drew's not like that." Mr. Contesta said.

"Oh, so he dares tell me that this letter wasn't his doing?" Jessie asked.

"Don't be stupid, red-hair," Drew said, snatching the letter out of Jessie's hand. "Okay, so it says, 'Your days at the Petalburg Contest Hall are limited… May Maple will be competing in your place tonight. If you try to, in any way, shape or form, take May's spot in the competition or try to upstage her from the audience, even the presence of a wild Absol will not forewarn you of the disaster that will occur.' Okay, that's a little creepy…"

"Now that I think about it, most of these notes talk about May one way or another," Mr. Contesta said. "And there are too many here for my liking, anyway."

"Remarkable; we've only heard the name 'May Maple' since coming here." Mr. Sukizo said.

Solidad came into the room, along with Dawn, who had her Piplup on her head.

"May has come back." Solidad said.

"What a relief…" Mr. Contesta said.

"So where is she?" Drew asked.

"I sent her home for today." Solidad said.

"She needs her rest for tonight." Dawn said, in Solidad's defense of her actions.

"Can I go and see her?" Drew asked.

"No, that's a bad idea; I have another note, too." Solidad said.

"Hey, let me see it!" Mr. Contesta said, as he took the note. "Alright, then… 'Gentleman… I have sent you several notes of benevolent nature detailing how these competitions are going to be handled. However, I'm willing to give you one last chance. Since May Maple has come back to you, I expect that her career in Pokémon Contests progresses. Therefore, you must forbid Jessie from competing in the Contests from now on, and May should be the one to compete in each tournament in Jessie's place from here on out. As always, I'll be in Box Five, watching. Should you not do as demanded, a tragedy beyond Absol's warning will happen.' Arceus me…"

"Oh, May…" Dawn said.

"So, this is just a plot to help May!" Jessie said. "I know how did this: Drew!"

"Don't look at me!" Drew said, sneering at Jessie, in anger.

"Jessie, please, compete! May will not be in the competition tonight." Mr. Sukizo said.

"What?!" Solidad said. "Bad idea! Really bad idea!"

"Don't try appealing to me! You're only trying to cheer me up! Especially since you're the ones who replaced me with that little Beautifly-brandishing tramp!" Jessie said, crossing her arms and turning her back.

"Don't call her that!" Drew said, getting angry.

"You're our star and you always will be!" Mr. Contesta and Mr. Sukizo said, trying to appease Jessie.

"May did talk about an Angel of Contests…" Drew said, talking to Solidad and Dawn.

"She mentioned that, too…" Dawn said.

"Those who doubt the Angel's existence… Well… May Arceus be with you; you'll need it. It's never a good idea to doubt him." Solidad said.

"I'd better check on May…" Drew said, as he tried to figure out what was going on; he thought there might be a connection to the Contest Ghost and the Angel of Contests, but what it was, he had no idea. "And I gotta stop this!"

"It's an impossible task; trust me. You need to follow these demands and to a T or else it's going to end badly." Solidad said, her eyes serious.

"Okay, you've convinced me! I'll compete again!" Jessie said, with a haughty smile.

"So, war is to occur between us, huh?! But trust me: disaster is to occur!" The Phantom's voice said, from above in the building.

Drew was on guard, but everyone else was sure that nothing was to happen.

---

The following night was the big Pokémon Contest that everyone was looking forward to. The audience was just getting seated and they were all ready to see some action and some appeals from the Pokémon and the Coordinators, as well.

"Come on, everyone; let's take our seats in Box Five." Mr. Contesta said.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I know it's because there aren't any other seats, but..." Drew asked from behind them; while he was aware that Box Five was the only available seat, he was skeptical of whether or not the notes were a joke.

The Phantom was up in the rafters, watching the scene from above; he was, as always, in the darkness of the rafters, but this time, he had a Mismagius at his side. He saw what was going on, and so far, he was not happy.

"Hello, Petalburg City! This is Vivian Meridian, your Contest Announcer, on the stage tonight, and we'll be presenting some of the Cream Of The Contest Crop tonight!" Vivian said, as she held her microphone and looked around at the crowd.

May, was standing backstage, sadly watching what was unfolding outside; she thought that after her win from the previous competition, she would be a regular in the tournaments, but it did not come to pass. Dawn was ready to compete, but she felt bad that May was not allowed in the competition.

"Don't worry, May… I'm sure you'll get another shot." Dawn said, putting a hand on May's shoulder.

"Now, for our first round! Prima Donna Jessie and her Carnivine VS. Dawn and her Buneary!" Vivian said, as she gestured to the stage.

"That's my cue; see you later." Dawn said, as she walked her way out on stage.

"Carnivine, come on out and join the party!" Jessie commanded, as she released her Carnivine form out of its Poké Ball, with rainbow-colored stars being the effect, thanks to the seal.

"Buneary, Spotlight!" Dawn commanded, releasing her Poké Ball; Buneary was curled up into a ball before uncurling itself, spreading its arms out, and unrolling its ears before smiling. The seal's affect was pink hearts.

Up in the rafters, the Phantom was watching the whole thing go down, but he was very upset at the exchange; Dawn, he had no problem with, but Jessie, on the other hand, he was livid to know that the managers of the Contest Hall ignored his orders and let her compete anyway. He also was unhappy to see that his Box was empty.

"Carnivine, start off with Bullet Seed!" Jessie commanded.

Carnivine started to spit out glowing, yellow seeds from its mouth at Buneary; Dawn already lost points for just having an attack launched.

"Buneary, freeze them with Ice Beam!" Dawn commanded; Buneary opened its mouth. A baby blue light appeared in front of Buneary's mouth and then it shot jagged beams of ice at the Bullet Seed. "Now knock them back with a spinning Dizzy Punch!"

Spinning its body, Buneary started to punch at the Bullet Seed, with its fluffy portions of its ears glowing in a sparkling, rainbow color. The frozen seeds were thrown back at Carnivine, and not only tit it deal damage, it made Carnivine look pretty bad.

"Great work, Buneary!" Dawn said, as she started to get on a roll.

"Bind, Carnivine!" Jessie commanded; Carnivine wrapped its leafy arms around Buneary, and then it smiled. "Bite!"

Carnivine was about to bite Buneary's head, when...

The lights dimmed out of nowhere, before flickering on and off here and there; the Phantom was actually messing with the breaker system up in the rafters, with Mismagius at his side, trying to make it look and sound like something supernatural was occurring. Everyone, human and Pokémon alike, were looking around in mild surprise and fear of the occurrences.

"Was I NOT clear?! Did I NOT instruct that Box Five was to be left UNOCCUPIED?!" The Phantom hollered from his position; Mismagius used its magic to amplify his voice and make it sound more ominous.

"Oh, no… The Phantom Of The Contest Hall!" Dawn said, a little spooked about the occurrences.

May ran out from behind the curtains in fear, before saying, "He's here… I know it…"

"You're not supposed to be on stage! Little Froakie…" Jessie complained, as she came over to May and pulled on her ear for a second; the Phantom was not happy at seeing this.

"Froakie, miss? I think you're the Froakie here." The Phantom said, maliciously, before giving Mismagius a hand cue. Mismagius seemed to understand the cue and it nodded in response before its eyes started to glow.

"B-Back to the matter at hand." Vivian said, as the Contest battle went back to normal, as if nothing happened; the Pokémon were still in position, but Jessie ran back to her spot on the battlefield stage while Dawn managed to compose herself.

However, Jessie, for a second, started to glow the same color as Mismagius's eyes, and then the light stopped after a split second. No one seemed to notice but the Phantom himself, but he smiled evilly in response to this.

"Alright, now Carnivine, use - FROAKIE!" Jessie said, but she unintentionally croaked before covering her mouth.

The unexpected noise caused the Phantom to laugh in response; it was only a short chuckle, but it was enough to scare May back into the curtains.

"Carnivine, use - FRO! FRO! FRO!" Jessie said, but she kept on croaking no matter what she said; no matter what she tried, nothing seemed to change in the fact that her voice had been tampered with.

"Listen, everyone! She's croaking to beckon the chandelier to fall!" The Phantom said, from back up in the rafters, as his laugh became hysterical, loud, and dominating in the sounds of the hall. The audience was freaking out in response to this change, while Vivian was looking around in confusion, trying to find the one responsible for wrecking the Contest.

Jessie, finally realizing she was incapable of competing with her voice acting the way it was, fell to her knees, sobbing; the Phantom was laughing at her expenses.

"Ladies and Gentleman, please forgive this unexpected mishap! We shall restart the battle in ten minutes, but Jessie shall be disqualified for an inability to communicate with her Pokémon and Dawn will be competing against Miss May Maple." Mr. Contesta said, while beckoning for May to go and change into her costume for the stage.

May took this hint and ran backstage; Drew saw this and left his seat to go after May.

In the meantime, however, there will be a remarkable Appeal performed by our remarkable coach, Madame Zoey!" Mr. Sukizo said, as Zoey took the stage and started to perform in Jessie's place while May got ready.

"Gastrodon, Gallade, let's go!" Zoey shouted, as she started to let out her Pokémon, and get to performing.

Harley, on the other hand, was on the other side of the rafters, trying to make sure everything was going right as far as backdrops and such went. However, the Phantom, was in the shadows, silently sneaking up on Harley.

The Phantom made a hand motion; the Pokémon beside him, a Venomoth, shot string out of its mouth and Harley gasped for air in a split second.

An appeal of fireworks finished up before out of nowhere, Harley, now dead, was hanging by Venomoth's String Shot from up into rafters; the Phantom had Mismagius use its magic to mess around with the lights and so they acts like they were broken.

Zoey had her mouth covered in shock at the sight of Harley's dead body; her Pokémon were scattering around like crazy before they all literally went back inside their Poké Balls on their own, as if they were scared to death.

"Everyone! Please relax! This is merely a mishap! An accident!" Mr. Contesta shouted, trying to get calm from everyone, but the audience just ran out of the hall in fear, with the maniacal laughter of the Phantom coming from the rafters.

---

May was running up the stairs to the roof of the Contest Hall, which had a flat roof on it; she was scared half to death, and she was so afraid of what might happen next. Drew was running up the stairs behind her, trying to catch up to May.

Drew and May soon made it to the roof in one piece, and May started to breath heavily as she tried to catch her breath and relax.

"May, what are we doing up here on the roof?" Drew asked, as he approached May.

"Drew, please! Don't drag me back down there!" May begged, her hands clasped together, in a begging gesture.

"But we have to go back…" Drew said, trying to placate May.

"Drew… He'll kill me like he did Harley! There's no doubt he'll find me down there! Those burning eyes..." May said, freaking out.

"May, stop talking about it! Don't even think about such things!" Drew said, as he tried to get closer.

"He's going to keep killing until he's satisfied or something to that nature! And he's using his Pokémon to aid him in all of this! I'm not kidding around and I am NOT dreaming!" May insisted.

"This is just a waking nightmare! Forget it! There's no Phantom Of The Contest Hall! It's only a legend!" Drew insisted, trying to convince May of the fact it would only be something out of some kind of horror movie. "My Arceus… Who is this guy? This person's voice you keep hearing…"

"Drew… If this whole thing is a dream or nightmare… Then explain why no one has noticed a subterranean lake underneath the Contest Hall, with a Lapras at the Phantom's beck and call… Plus something out of a researchers' lab on the other side of that mist-covered lake! Not to mention the fact that the only trace of light down there would be his Lampent! And even then it's dark to no end! And that face… man, it gives me chills just thinking of it… It was so distorted… so scarred… It wasn't even a face at all! I know for a fact that I'm not dreaming because I feel asleep in that scene and woke up to it a while later! If that isn't going to convince you that this is real, then I don't know what will!" May said, before falling to her knees and crying her eyes out in fear.

Drew got down on May's level and put a hand to her shoulder, trying to calm her down; he told her, "Whether or not it was a dream… I know its scaring you… Oh, May…"

"May…" An ominous, yet pleasant voice said, from out of nowhere; Drew heard it, too.

"What the heck?!" May squeaked, as she looked around in fear of what was to come.

Drew's look of resolve hardened on his face; he stood May up, and took her by the shoulders to face him. He looked May in the eyes, in an attempt to placate her. Seeing Drew's passion, May managed to relax.

"No more talk of darkness… Forget these wide-eyed fears. I'm here, nothing can harm you. My words will warm and calm you," Drew sang, as he put a hand to May's cheek. "Let me be your freedom. Let daylight dry your tears. I'm here, with you, beside you. To guard you and to guide you…"

He wiped a few of May's tears away from her face; May saw his sincerity and she smiled a little bit, her eyes still wet, before singing, "Say you'll love me every waking moment. Turn my head with talk of summertime… Say you need me with you now and always. Promise me that all you say is true… That's all I ask of you."

"Let me be your shelter, let me be your light. You're safe. No one will find you. Your fears are far behind you." Drew sang, stroking May's head a few times.

May stepped away and looked out to the city skylights; she knew Max would also be worried about her and her psyche, but she felt like since Max had responsibilities as Gym Leader, that he should be left out of the issue for the time being.

"All I want is freedom. A world with no more night," May sang, before turning to Drew. "And you, always beside me. To hold me and to hide me."

Taking May's hand, Drew sang, "Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime! Let me lead you from your solitude! Say you need me with you here, beside you. Anywhere you go, let me go too… Sweet May, that's all I ask of you!"

"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime… say the word and I will follow you…" May sang, before hugging Drew.

Drew and May sang together, "Share each day with me, each night, each morning!"

"Say you love me…" May sang.

"You know I do…" Drew sang, as he hugged May closer to him.

"Love me… That's all I ask of you…" May and Drew sang together before kissing each other passionately; they broke it for some air. "Anywhere you go, let me go, too! Love me… That's all I ask of you…"

May and Drew kissed once more before they shared a sweet, passionate hug with each other; they were so happy.

"I'd better get back downstairs; they're going to start wondering where I've gotten to," May said, as she started for the door. "Wait for me, okay, Drew?"

"Yes, and May?" Drew asked, getting May's attention. "I love you…"

"Wanna go Zebstrika riding after this?" May asked.

"I'd love to! You'll soon be next to me, and I'll be there to keep you out of harm's way." Drew said, as he followed May off of the roof and downstairs into the Contest Hall again.

However, they failed to notice something - or rather, someone. Behind one of the statues on the roof, the Phantom had been hiding, and he had heard and seen the whole thing. Everything from the kiss to the promise May made to Drew.

"So… This is what I get in return for giving you the chance to be a Contest Star?! You deny me love and betray me by falling for another?!" The Phantom said, about to cry. "May… Oh, sweet May…"

Hearing the exchange all over again in his head, the Phantom covered his ears and fell to the floor of the roof before managing to compose himself; he looked back to the door and he grit his teeth, before running up the statue and standing on top of it.

"You will curse the day you did not do! All that the Phantom asked of you!" The Phantom hollered in song, as he felt tears streaming down his face, and the music became ominous.

Back down in the hall, May was fighting in the competition with her Glaceon, and she had just won the finals of the contest. She was holding her ribbon up high, but up in the rafters, the Phantom had Mismagius cause a malfunction with the Chandelier, causing it to fall; May managed to run out of the way as the chandelier shattered and everything went dark.

---

After everything regarding the mishap was settled down, the next six months went without incident. May kept winning competitions here and there, but there was the occasional loss to Dawn; Jessie went back to competing, but again, this was without incident.

Everyone soon started to think that the Phantom grew bored with the Petalburg Contest Hall and left, finally deciding to leave them to their own devices and let them do things the way they wanted.

Things were going so well and so calmly that a party was being held one night. Not just any party, however; it was to be a Masquerade.

Everyone was dressed up and having fun; there was fruit juice, foods of all kinds, and costumes of Pokémon all over the place. Everyone seemed to be relaxed and they were ready to help each other out here and there.

"Quite the crowd you have." Solidad said, as she was dressed as a Pidgeot for her costume.

"And what a night, too!" Zoey said.

"Makes me happy and proud to be the manager here." Contesta said, with Sukizo at his side.

"Remarkable! We haven't had any incident for six whole months! I think that it's safe to say that things will be nice and peaceful from now on." Mr. Sukizo said, as he shared a toast with the rest of the crowd.

"The notes have stopped, the ghost is gone… We can finally breathe!" Dawn said, as she and Zoey shared a toast.

"Too bad the Phantom can't be here." James joked and everyone started to laugh in response.

"It's a relief… But watch yourselves." Jessie said in response to this statement.

"Here's to a new year of peace and the new, remarkable chandelier!" Mr. Sukizo said, as he and everyone else shared a toast.

"Come on, May, hurry up!" Drew said, with a smile.

"Just a second, Drew," May said, as she stepped out of the dressing room. Her costume was that of a Beautifly, with a handheld mask. "Doesn't getting engaged to be married in secret sound so romantic? So… how does your up and coming bride look?"

"Stunning, May…" Drew said, as his eyes became romantic. "But the question I have… Why are we keeping our engagement to each other under wraps?"

"Drew… I really don't think we should let them see anything…" May said, her face growing worried.

"I don't see why we should," Drew said, crossing his arms; he was dressed as a Masquerain. "After all, it's not a crime to be getting married. Why keep your brother from saying anything? Are you afraid of something?"

"Can we not argue about this? I think it's safe to say that you'll understand in due time…" May said, changing the subject.

Drew nodded; he could agree to that sort of term.

What May was afraid of was the reappearance of the Phantom; she felt that as long as she worked at the hall, anything that she said or did could possibly be picked up by the Phantom and used against her in the future for blackmail, so she wanted to keep her betrothal to Drew secret in case of such things. Although she would never voice it, for fear of thinking that Drew might think she was insane.

After that discussion, the pair started to dance with each other, but...

The twin doors to the Contest Hall slammed open in fear, causing everyone to jump and look in the direction of the disturbance. May's eyes widened when her proprioception detected something familiar.

She clung to Drew as she saw who caused the sudden silence. Looking to the doors, everyone saw someone dressed as a Groudon, which was a costume no one else was wearing. Next to him was a Chandelure - most likely evolved from the Lampent he had.

"Why so silent, everyone? Did you think I had left you for good? Did you miss me, everyone… I have scheduled a Contest!" The Phantom sang before having Chandelure use Psychic to give the documents over to Mr. Contesta. "I advise you to comply. My instructions should be clear. Remember: there are worse things than a shattered chandelier!"

Making a hand motion, the Phantom had Chandelure use Psychic again, but this time, it was on May; Drew watched in fear as May was brought in front of the Phantom, against her will.

"May!" Drew shouted.

May struggled to keep her eyes away from the Phantom, but she failed in the attempt. She looked into the Phantom's eyes, and she felt nothing but fear.

The Phantom, under his mask, smirked in seeing May so close to him, finally able to get a better look at his student. However, his eyes laid on a chain around her neck; attached to it was a red rose-styled ring with a silver band and diamonds around it. Seeing this, he ripped the chain off of May's neck, stealing the ring.

"Your chains are still mine - you belong to me!" The Phantom sang; Chandelure let go of its hold on May, and seeing her ring stolen, she ran away in tears.

"Flame Burst!" The Phantom commanded, and Chandelure spit some flames on the ground, causing the Phantom to be obscured in fire.

Everyone started to run away in fear, but Drew saw Solidad running, and he ran after her to catch up.

"Solidad!" Drew said, as he caught up to Solidad.

"Drew, don't talk to me! I know no more than anyone else here!" Solidad said.

"Don't be ridiculous! I know that you know something!" Drew said, as he stepped closer.

"Barking up the wrong Treecko!" Solidad said, indignant.

"Solidad, please! For the sake of everyone here, talk!" Drew said.

"Okay, fine…" Solidad said. "Drew, let me ask you this: do you remember that news article around six years ago regarding the disappearance of Professor Birch's son, Brendan?"

"Yes, I did read it, but…" Drew said, unsure of where this conversation was going.

"Brendan and Professor Birch were out on a trip near Petalburg City six years ago, researching Fire-type Pokémon…" Solidad began. "However, something went wrong; one of the Pokémon was disturbed and it went on a rampage. Even with the Water-type Pokémon they had on hand, all of a sudden, the Fire Pokémon were blasting fire left and right like nothing. One blast was headed for Professor Birch…"

"And…?" Drew asked, beckoning Solidad to go on.

"Brendan took the bullet for the Professor. It was such a bad third-degree burn that he would never look the same again…" Solidad said.

"Brendan's face was deformed throughout the accident? Wouldn't surgery have fixed that?" Drew asked.

"Professor Birch put his research on hold and rushed Brendan to the nearest hospital. However, the look on his face was so ugly and gruesome that no one even thought him human. Feeling not only like an idiot for sacrificing himself for his father, but being called many bad names for the look on his face, he escaped in the middle of the night before the surgery; Professor Birch, while still working on research, has been looking for him ever since, nonstop, never giving up…" Solidad said.

"What's that got to do with… This…?" Drew said, but he soon had an idea forming in his head.

"Brendan was not just a great Pokémon Researcher, but he was amazing in battles, too; Contest, as well," Solidad said. "Everyone thought he would take after his father. But when he escaped the hospital, no one heard from him again… At least… Until…"

"But do you know who… No… Brendan… he can't be…!" Drew said, coming to a realization.

"Drew, I've already said too much," Solidad said. "So don't ask any more! There have been too many mishaps!"

Solidad ran off, and Drew shouted, ironically, "Mishaps?! Solidad!"

---

"NOT REMARKABLE! Have you seen this?! Not remarkable!" Sukizo complained.

"This is the straw that's going to break the Camerupt's back!" Mr. Contesta complained. "Check out these notes!"

"One is complaining about the seating arrangement of the Contest Hall seatings; another one is saying that the music is poor! And now this one is saying that some of the Coordinators here should not compete any more, and look at this: Jessie's name is on the list!"

"This is an outrage!" Jessie complained, as she and James came in to the office. "The fact that I'm not allowed in the Contest is outrageous!"

"Jessie, please, calm down!" Mr. Contesta said.

"Ugh, the things I do for art!" Jessie said.

"If you call this writeup for the Contest 'art', anyway." James said.

Drew and May came in, and Mr. Sukizo said, "Remarkable! There's the lady of the hour! May, you're the main candidate for the ribbon for the contest."

"You're actually going to do this?" Drew asked.

"What other options do we have?" Mr. Contesta said.

"I bet this is all just May's doing!" Jessie accused.

"You evil hag! How dare you! This isn't my doing! Heck, I don't even want anything to do with this plot! I can't compete, whether or not it's a duty!" May complained.

"Why not?!" Mr. Contesta asked.

Drew hugged May; she started to cry into his chest, and Drew said, "This isn't something they can make you do!"

The others backed off, knowing that Drew was dead serious. Solidad then came in and said, "Everyone, we have another note!"

"Not again…" Mr. Contesta said.

"It says… 'Fondest greetings. This is a list of instructions for rehearsal tonight. First off, Jessie must learn to stay out of the spotlight on a permanent basis; not her normal stunt of putting herself in the Appeals, as the Pokémon are the stars, not her. Secondly, James needs to eat better; his weight is too low, and his health won't be good with the diet he is on. Mr. Contesta, and Mr. Sukizo need to learn to stay out of the Contest realm and stay in the office - permanently. As for our star, Miss May Maple. I am certain she's going to go for broke, but while she has the talent and the skill, she still has a ton to learn, and if she wants to succeed in this world, pride will let her return to me: her teacher. I remain your shadow-hidden servant, C.G.' See? He's serious this time…" Solidad said, putting down the note.

Drew snapped his fingers, and then he said, "I think we need to do as told."

"What?!" Jessie asked.

"Listen: the solution to our little issue has been in front of our noses and we did not see it. We'll play his game, but we have the ace up our sleeve. If May competes, he'll be there, right?" Drew began.

"We're listening…" Mr. Sukizo said.

"We call in Officer Jenny, get the Growlithe and other strong Pokémon, bar the doors, arm the cops, and make sure nothing is left open; no escapes anywhere." Drew said.

"That's a great idea! And once the curtain has fallen… The reign has ended!" Mr. Contesta said.

"Insanity! This is completely nuts!" Solidad protested.

"I don't see why it's so crazy. I think it's remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo said.

"There's no it's going to work! There's no way the tide will turn with this plan! I mean it!" Solidad said.

"You should stick to Contests!" Mr. Contesta said.

"You need to help us!" Mr. Sukizo said, as he tried to get Solidad to agree to it.

"Don't tell me you're on his side?" Drew inquired.

Solidad rolled her eyes, and said, "I have no evil intent, but you need to exercise caution to the extreme: we've seen him and his Pokémon kill! I mean it!"

"He's going to fall, and we say so!" Mr. Contesta said.

"This is war, Brendan…" Drew muttered; no one heard him.

Everyone soon started to argue, and May, knowing it was almost all of her own fault, screamed, "I'M GOING TO GO MAD IF YOU KEEP THIS UP!"

Everyone turned their attention to May, and May ran into Drew's arms before saying, "Drew, I'm scared! Please, don't make me do this! Don't put me through this trial by fire! We're going to be separated for eternity! He'll find me and take me away, no doubt! He's not going to let me go this time!"

Drew hugged May, trying to calm her down, and May said, "Now I'm scared of what I used to think would be a blessing… If I'm found, this nightmare's never going to end, and he's always going to be talking to me in my mind!"

"May, he'll keep haunting us until we're dead!" Drew said, indignant on having May go through with the plan.

"Do I really need to risk my life in order to live? What choice do I have? I want to refuse, but I can't…" May said, sobbing. "Do I have any other option but be the bait here? I don't want to be a traitor to the person who inspired my Coordinating, but I haven't any other options!"

"May… You know I care about you, but in order to stop this Phantom, it's all up to you, now…" Drew said, kissing May's cheek.

"I can't do this!" May said, hollering, and she ran out of the room in fear.

"Now it's war…" Drew muttered, clenching his fists.

---

May had secretly escaped the Contest Hall; taking her Poké Balls and her cloak, she decided to take a taxi and go visit a place where she felt she needed to go. She needed to get away from the Contest Hall for a little bit, and she knew exactly where she had to go to do such: The Petalburg Graveyard.

May walked through the dark, eerie grounds of the graveyard; she was looking around and looking at a lot of the tombstones, but she soon saw one up ahead that caught her eye. The one she wanted to see the most: the tombstone of Norman Maple, the former Petalburg Gym Leader, and her father.

"Hi, Dad," May said, as she sat down on her knees in front of the gave, and she felt a little upset that she was there alone. "Remember when you promised to send me the Angel of Contests? Well… before that, you and the rest of the family were the only companions I had… But then everything became destroyed when you died. Sure, Max is running the Gym as well, if not better than you did, and mom is doing fine, too… But… I need some help… I wish you were still alive… I need some advice. Can't the past just die just like you did? And I need you to forgive me, and teach me how to live… But what am I saying? I can't keep looking back on the past…"

She sat down, about to cry into her eyes; she felt completely lost and she felt like she needed some help.

However, again, the Phantom was hiding; he was hiding behind a stone statue of one of the Legendary Kalos Pokémon, Yveltal, the Destruction Pokémon. Finding that this was a golden opportunity to get close to her, he turned on his charm and he started to get ready to talk to May.

"Sweet, wandering child… You're yearning for my guidance…" The Phantom said, as he tried to put May under his spell again.

"Who's there?!" May shouted, as she stood up, ready to fight; she took out her Beautifly's Poké Ball.

"Have you forgotten me already? Your Angel?" The Phantom asked.

May relaxed, and she said, "Oh, it's only you…"

Her face started to glaze over as she felt a little better; Drew, on the other hand, had found his way to the graveyard, and saw what was going on. He saw the Phantom, or rather, Brendan, trying to put May under his spell again; Mismagius was again with him.

"You've wandered too long… You've been too far away from my gaze, May…" The Phantom said.

"I try to keep my mind away from you…" May said. "But why does my soul keep obeying you?!"

"Looks like he's gotten her in a trance again…" Drew muttered, taking out a Poké Ball; he was ready to fight, if the need should arise.

"I've denied you… I'm so sorry…" May said, falling under the hypnosis.

"You've denied me… Rejected me… But I can forgive you… Because… I'm your Angel of Contests. Come to me, Angel of Contests…" The Phantom said, as he held out his hand, ready to make May his and his alone.

May started to walk towards the Phantom, under Mismagius's Hypnosis-Confuse Ray combination. She felt more secure.

"No! May!" Drew shouted, as he ran in between The Phantom and May. "Angel of Evil, cut this out! I mean it!"

"I am your Angel of Contests. Come to me, Angel of Contests…" The Phantom continued; May kept going to him, even going around Drew, and May seemed to fail at seeing him.

"May! No, May!" Drew shouted, as he tried to get May's attention. "No matter what you think… No matter what you believe… This… This monstrosity… It's not Norman! MAY!"

May shook her head and she finally snapped out of her trance, getting her light back in her eyes. She saw Drew, and she said, "Drew!"

She ran into Drew's arms, and they kissed each other; in between kisses, Drew said, "Oh, May, what a relief…"

"Figured me out, eh?! Chandelure, Will-O-Wisp!" The Phantom commanded.

Chandelure started firing purple flames at Drew; Drew ducked and dodged all of the flames. Taking out a Poké Ball, he shouted, "Masquerain, Bubble, go!"

Sending out his Masquerain, it fired bubbles from its mouth to douse the Will-O-Wisp, and this process kept going and going over and over again; Drew kept running around to dodge the flames. While he was not ignited, some of the other parts of the graveyard were put on fire, as a result of Drew's dodging.

"Wartortle!" May shouted, sending out her Wartortle. "Douse those flames with Water Gun!"

Wartortle started to spin around as it spat water out of its mouth; the water doused the flames so that no matter how many times fire was lit, it was put out immediately.

"Let's see how far you're willing to go!" The Phantom chuckled as the Will-O-Wisp kept being used.

"More tricks?! More deceit and violence?!" Drew asked, really upset with the situation.

"Keep it up!" The Phantom taunted, as he kept having Chandelure fire Will-O-Wisp after Will-O-Wisp again and again, trying to burn Drew, but his Masquerain and May's Wartortle hindered the process.

"This isn't the way to win a girl's heart! You can't make May love you by keeping her prisoner!" Drew declared. This was just a fact of life, and he knew it.

"I'm your Death Angel, sir! Keep going!" The Phantom taunted, as the sequence kept going and going over and over again.

"Drew!" May cried, in fear for her boyfriend. "This way! Come on!"

May found an opening to escape; seeing what May was up to, Drew ran after her, and they both left the graveyard.

"Get back here!" The Phantom demanded, as he leaped down from his hiding spot. "Let it be war on both of you…!"

---

Back at the Contest Hall, Drew had called in Officer Jenny and the rest of the Pokémon Police force. He refrained from saying anything about the Phantom being Brendan Birch in actuality; he wanted to confront that particular issue on his own.

"Everyone in place?" Officer Jenny asked. "Remember: we need to seal every single exit or this plan won't work."

"Speaking of which… Drew, are you sure this will work? And what if May doesn't compete?" Contesta asked.

"We don't have any other choice, and I already convinced May to compete; if I know her, she'll be too stubborn to back out now…" Drew said, as he wanted to make sure everything went right.

"Should I give the order, Victome Drew?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Do it." Drew said, with a not.

Blowing the whistle, Officer Jenny made sure everyone was scattered into their positions.

"Okay, you," Drew said, pointing to someone in the orchestra pit. "Have a clear view of Box Five?"

"Yes." The Officer said.

"When the times comes, shoot, but only if necessary, and even then, shoot to kill. If he is captured alive, chances are he'll get out. And remember, he's a Ghost-type specialist, so make sure all of your Dark, Ghost, Water, Fairy, and Fire-type Pokémon are on hand," Drew said, as he kept looking around. "And trust me, you'll know when the time is right."

"Drew, we're counting on you." Mr. Contesta said.

Drew nodded.

"Victome Drew," Officer Jenny said. "Everyone's in place."

"Good; seal the doors." Drew said.

There were several large bangs and quite a few shouts of "Secure!" echoing out through the Contest Hall.

"I'm here… The Phantom Of The Contest Hall…" The Phantom sang, from one side of the room. "I'm here, the Phantom Of The Contest Hall…"

This line was repeated from all different positions in the house, causing all of the police to be scattered and try to find the source. This line kept being repeated over and over again, all from different spots in the Hall, until...

"I'm here! The Phantom Of The Contest Hall!" The voice sang, from Box Five.

"Arcanine, Flamethrower!" The officer from the orchestra pit commanded. Arcanine fired a stream of fire from its mouth up into the box, but this scared everyone.

"STUPID! You're going to kill someone if you're reckless like that!" Drew shouted, really unhappy.

"I was only following…" The Officer began, but...

"Victome Drew is actually right. Seal my fate tonight. As fun as this is, the joke is starting to get old. Start the Contest!" The Phantom said, before ducking back into the shadows.

The first few rounds of the Pokémon Contest that night went off without a hitch; Jessie was not allowed to compete, and everything was going smoothly so far.

May and her Beautifly defeated a Trainer and his Sylveon with a Silver Wind-Aerial Ace combination; she was a tad tense due to the plan, but though Beautifly picked up on this, they were still able to win their match without a hitch.

Dawn and her Togekiss were battling with elegance and style while dealing quite a bit of damage to the opponent and his Chesnaught. Dawn had Togekiss use a Dazzling Gleam-Sky Attack combination and rammed into Chesnaught, knocking it out cold. Dawn cheered as she hugged Togekiss after the match was won. Unlike May, Dawn was relaxed and happy, trying to remember that the whole "Phantom Of The Contest Hall" thing would be over and done with soon enough.

James was using his Carnivine going up against a trainer and his Frogadier, but after a couple hits of Bullet Seed-Vine Whip combinations, and a few backflips on Carnivine's part, Frogadier was out cold and James had won his round.

Drew was in the audience, trying to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, including mis-dressed people and poor disguises. He felt nothing was suspicious at the moment, but he still kept a sharp eye out.

"So far, so good…" May muttered, looking out to the stage, while watching another match; she felt a little nervous. She let out a tense breath and Beautifly landed on her head to comfort her. "Beautifly, take a brea, okay?"

Beautifly nodded before May recalled it to its Poké Ball.

James was making his way over to the next stage. He was dressed in a somewhat dark clothing style, which included a hood and cloak for the night. He had intentions on using Yamask for the next round, but while he was getting ready for his battle, which was against May...

The Phantom, in the shadows, and his Venomoth, were hiding, and they were ready to attack. The Phantom made a hand motion and Venomoth spat silk at James's neck. James started to choke, and then the Phantom pulled James into the shadows.

About a minute later, the Phantom came out, in the exact costume James had worn, but he was also wearing platform boots to make him look taller to match James's height, and he also had the cloak hood over his head, just enough for him to be able to see, but not so much that people could see him.

"Since Cofagrigus evolve from Yamask, I'll use Cofagrigus and people will think James's Yamask had evolved…" The Phantom said, taking out a Poké Ball.

"Now, it's James, VS. May!" Vivian said, as she backed off to watch the battle unfold.

The phantom, in James's disguise, came out on stage; May walked to her side, opposite of the Phantom, and she was ready for a battle.

"Ready, go!" Vivian said, starting the timer.

"Cofagrigus, let's go!" The Phantom shouted, as he sent Cofagrigus out of its Poké Ball.

"Beautifly, Take the Stage!" May commanded, sending her Beautifly out of its Poké Ball.

"Cofagrigus, use Telekinesis!" The Phantom commanded.

Cofagrigus's eyes glowed light green, and it raised its arms up. Beautifly became surrounded by a light green aura before being manipulated by being thrown around in circles, ricochetting around the room, and then landing on the ground.

"Beautifly, you okay?" May asked; Beautifly got up, and kept flying. "Great!"

"Mist!" The Phantom commanded.

White clouds of mist came from Cofagrigus's mouth, and Beautifly was surrounded by cold mist.

"Now use Will-O-Wisp!" The Phantom ordered.

"Stay sharp, Beautifly! Use Morning Sun!" May commanded.

Beautifly's wings started to glow brightly, and not only did it heal from the damage taken by the Telekinesis, but it also managed to clear some of the Mist away, causing Cofagrigus to lose its cover.

"Keep it up, Beautifly! Now use Whirlwind whiles pinning!" May commanded.

Beautifly, its wings still glowing, started to spin very fast while blowing gusts of wind around it; not only did the Mist clear up, but Cofagrigus also got the Will-O-Wisp blown back into its face.

"Silver Wind!" May commanded, and soon, Beautifly blew a gust of wind with silver crescents in it at Cofagrigus, and then it was soon blown down onto the floor.

However, it got back up, and it was ready to fight. May looked at her opponent, and she tensed up, thinking that something was off. Drew noticed her body language and started to get suspicious, too.

"And time!" Vivian said. "And the match goes to May and her Beautifly!"

The Phantom started to approach May, and May started to back up a bit as she felt something was wrong; familiarly wrong...

"You were amazing…" The Phantom said, as he held out his hand to shake May's.

May grew suspicious, and then she said, "Beautifly, Psychic on the hood."

The Phantom flinched as Beautifly's eyes flew a light blue aura and then the hood came off to reveal the Phantom Of The Contest Hall.

"Gotcha…" May muttered, as she started to tun her back and run, but for some reason, the Phantom failed to follow her.

She turned back to him, curious as to his behavior; she tried to look at him, but he merely looked away. All of the police and their Pokémon were readying moves to use on the Phantom, should he attack. He merely recalled Cofagrigus to its Poké Ball and started to sing, while his back was still on May.

"Say you'll share with me, one love, one lifetime… Lead me, save me from my solitude…" The Phantom sang.

May and Drew looked at the Phantom in surprise as they recognize that song from six months ago. May was entranced, as she felt like he was being sincere, but she failed to regain her senses in time this time around.

"Say you want me with you here, beside you…" The Phantom sang, as he rummaged around in his pocket for something.

May took a step closer, and she was curious as to what was going on. Drew was on guard to jump in and protect May should the need arise.

"Anywhere you go, let me go, too!" The Phantom sang, as he came to May, pulled her into his embrace, and then showed her what he found in his pocket: a black box, which he opened, and revealed a diamond ring; May's eyes widened in surprise. "Sweet May, that's all I ask of…"

May scowled and she swatted the mask off of the Phantom's face. Everyone, getting a glimpse of his face, started to scream and run at the sight of it. Growing angry and afraid, the Phantom sent out another one of his Pokémon: Chandelure.

"Chandelure! Flame Burst!" The Phantom commanded.

Firing some fire bullets to the ground, the Phantom and May disappeared behind the cover of fire.

"AAAAHHH!" Dawn screamed.

"Dawn, what is it?!" Solidad screamed.

"James is dead!" Dawn declared, freaked out. Jessie collapsed and started to cry.

"No!" Everyone else shouted, as they started to run around.

"Drew, follow me!" Solidad said, grabbing Drew's arms. "I know where they're going!"

"Can I trust you?" Drew ask.

"You have to! But remember: keep your hands at the level of your eyes and any Pokémon you have that can use Safeguard on you at all times!" Solidad said.

"Excuse me?" Drew asked.

"It's the String Shot lasso! He used it on Harley and now James!" Solidad explained.

"Take out your Butterfree," Dawn said, before putting Drew's hand in front of his face. "And keep your hand at the level of your eyes like this! I'll stay behind and try to get calm."

"Call in Professor Birch, too!" Drew asked.

"Professor Birch…?" Dawn asked.

"Drew…" Solidad said.

"If we can get Professor Birch in, then maybe we can bring the Phantom back to his senses…" Drew muttered.

Solidad knew what Drew was getting at before running and leading Drew somewhere.

"Let me go! Let me go!" May begged, as the Phantom, without his mask, was dragging her down stairs.

"No! We're going back down to the depths of my mind! Dark as Tartarus!" The Phantom said, really angry.

"Please! Let me go!" May begged, tears about to fall, and was choked up.

"Never! Wondering why I'm stuck down here?! Cursed to be chained down in the darkness all alone?!" The Phantom hissed turning back to May. "It's only because of this… Hideous face of mine!"

"We have to find this maniac!" "Track down that killer! Save May!"

"See what I mean?!" The Phantom said, gesturing up to the ceiling. "This is the point I'm trying to make! No matter where I go, everyone drives me away due to how I look! I'm hated by everyone! No compliments! Nothing! But May… Why, May?!"

The Phantom kept dragging May downstairs, but no matter what May tried to do to save herself, nothing happened.

A few minutes later, Drew and Solidad made it to the edge of the subterranean lake that was under the Contest Hall.

"May wasn't dreaming…" Drew said; Butterfree was on his head.

"Remember: the hand at the level of your eyes, Butterfree out of its Poké Ball at all times! I can't bring myself to go any further! Since Lapras is most likely on the other side of the lake right now, you're going to have to swim…" Solidad said.

"Thanks," Drew said, with a nod. "Butterfree, fly across the lake; I'll meet you there!"

Drew dove into the water, head-first, to swim across the lake.

May, on the other hand, was trying to find a way to run and escape her position, but she had nowhere to go; she was shedding tears as she looked around in fear of her surroundings. She knew she was trapped. May was also wearing the wedding dress that The Phantom had shown her the last time she was down there. May breathed heavily before turning around to see the Phantom was walking towards her, the veil in hand.

"Have you satisfied your thirst for blood?!" May demanded of him, while putting on a brave face. "If so, am I going to be the first one to satisfy your hunger for flesh?!"

The Phantom sighed before telling her, "I've been condemned to my fate to wallow around in others' blood, but I've been denied the joys of the flesh. This face that's poisoning our love…"

"What love?!" May asked, confused. "I don't feel that way…"

"Although I wasn't born with this, this infection is what isolated me from human life. The only friends I have are the Pokémon around here," The Phantom said, ignoring May's comment. He then forced the veil onto May's head. "But it's too late for sympathy!"

He turned May around and he told her, "Look at your destiny! The rest of your life, looking at this!"

"I don't feel that way about you," May said, objectively. "And listen, it's not your face that's hideous. I don't feel any fear looking at your face anymore. It's your soul that's distorted and evil now."

"Mag! Mismagius!" Mismagius said, coming to The Phantom's side.

"Hmph," The Phantom said, before smirking. "Looks like we have company, darling."

Drew stomped over to the scene, dripping wet, with Butterfree flying next to him.

"Nice to see you, sir," The Phantom said, before sneering. "I was hoping you'd come tonight. Now you've granted my wish and made me happy!"

"Let her go!" Drew demanded. "Do what you want, but let her go! Are you heartless or something?!"

"Passionate, isn't he?" The Phantom sarcastically said.

"Drew, don't bother, it's pointless!" May said; she was stuck in the Phantom's arms, crying, and she felt horribly scared.

"I love her!" Drew said, blushing. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?! I love her! Don't you know what compassion is?!"

"Of course I don't! The world never showed me any compassion!" The Phantom retorted, pulling May closer to him.

"Don't be an idiot," Drew said, coming closer. "Have you forgotten about Professor Birch?"

The Phantom blinked a few times when he heard that name; he was at a loss for words.

"Drew… What does Professor Birch have to do with this?" May asked, still crying.

"Have you forgotten your own father, Brendan Birch? He's been searching for you nonstop since your disappearance!" Drew said.

"Wait…" May said, cluing in.

"Oh, forget this! May… Oh, sweet May... Brendan, I demand that you let me see May!" Drew said.

"Fine," Brendan said, shoving May towards Drew; Drew caught May in his arms, but Brendan sent out his Venomoth. "I don't know how you figured me out that much; I can only assume Solidad told you everything. Not that I'm going to do anything to her anyway. But either way, welcome."

Drew hugged May closer to him, his back to Brendan, and he was forgetting a crucial, if not live-saving detail…

"Were you thinking that I'd hurt May?" Brendan asked.

"Actually, yes." Drew answered.

"Why should I punish her for the sins that are your doing?!" Brendan sadistically said.

On cue, Venomoth tied its String Shot around Drew's neck, and it flew up into the air; its eyes were glowing a light blue aura, the aura was also around Drew, lifting him up so that way the hanging was not working.

"Drew, no!" May hollered, afraid.

Drew started to struggle and strain to set himself free, but he was not getting himself free.

"Send Butterfree out of its ball! Keep your hand at eye level! Ha! Nothing's going to save you now! Except… Maybe May…" Brendan sneered, before turning to May. "May… Stay here and start a new life with me! You admit your love for me, and you set him free. Should you refuse, then he dies. This is the choice!"

"What?!" May asked, her eyes about to shed tears. "Now that the tears I shed for your dark fate are going from hot to cold… And I now those tears become those of hate!"

"May! I'm so sorry! I only did it to set you free!" Drew said, about to cry. "I gave it all I got; all for nothing…"

"Liar…" May began, as she started to cry.

"This is the option, May." Brendan began.

"May, don't throw it all away for my sake!" Drew began. "I'd rather die than live without you at my side!"

"You won't be reasonable, will you?" May began.

"May, no matter which option you pick, it's a no-win situation!" Drew began.

"Will he live or die?" Brendan asked.

"Quit being deceptive…" May said, on the verge of crying.

"Don't try my patience! Make your choice!" Brendan demanded.

May looked to Drew, took a deep breath, and she said, "I guess I have no choice… I'll show you you're not alone."

May grabbed Brendan by the collar and she kissed him on the lips; Brendan felt his heart warm up while Drew looked at the scene in shock. He was on the verge of tears; he was wondering if May decided to let him live and stay with Brendan.

After the kiss, May looked Brendan in the eye, feeling tears brimming her eyes.

"Venomoth… Let him go." Brendan said.

Venomoth released his hold on Drew and Drew fell to the ground before running to May.

"Leave here… Forget me…" Brendan said, before falling to his knees in pain. "May… I love you."

May blinked in indifference; she really was not sure whether or not Brendan meant the meaning of the word.

"Brendan!" A voice shouted, and out of nowhere, Professor Birch came on the scene; he was soaking wet.

"D-Dad…?" Brendan began, before crying.

"Let's get out of here…" Drew said, taking May's hand and then they started to leave.

"Brendan… Son… what have you done?" Professor Birch asked, as he saw his son and what had become of him.

"Dad!" Brendan said, before sobbing into his father's chest; Professor Birch hugged his son back.

May looked back before saying, "I hope he'll be okay…"

"Now that he's reunited with his father, it should be fine," Drew said. "But he does have good taste in clothes; you look great in that dress."

"Thanks… Albeit I never wanted to wear this thing…" May sheepishly said, as she and Drew got onto Lapras and it started to carry them across the water.

"Maybe we should thank Brendan; that will be the perfect dress… For our wedding." Drew said, hugging May close to him.

The scene ended with Brendan sobbing into his father's chest, and Professor Birch was so relieved to see his son once again. All of the Pokémon were surrounding them, and May looked back once more before forcing herself to tear away to kiss Drew.

---

That's a wrap! Hope you liked it! This one took a while, but this was an idea suggested by a friend here on the site. Hopefully you find it satisfactory.