Mt. Silver was the towering structure that loomed between the border of the Kanto and Johto regions. To most, it was considered a dangerous place because it was home to many powerful Pokémon but Red had scaled its peak many times and it had become a regular training ground for him. He had already been there since daybreak but now the sun had set and he was finally making his descent down the left side of the mountain where he planned to meet his friend Gold who was housesitting for his mother nearby in New Bark Town.

"I hope it hasn't gotten too late…" Red pondered out loud looking up at the sky but the numerous stars only told him that it definitely was nighttime. He began reaching for his pocket to check his Pokédex for the exact time but a strong wind suddenly lifted his hat off his head and he gave chase.

A brief inspection of the surrounding group of bushes revealed a roundish red object that stood out among the dark greenery. "There you are!" he smiled reaching out but the object gave a shrill cry and fled behind the nearest tree at Red's touch causing him to fall back on his rear in surprise.

"Whoa! Sorry about that…" he apologized in the direction the thing had fled before glancing down and discovering what really was his hat lying next to him. He put it back on his head and stood up but the object was still looking at his from behind the tree, only partially hidden.

Now that he had gotten a better look, Red could tell right away that it was a Pokémon but he had never seen any others like it before. It didn't appear to have much of a body but looked like some kind of hooded figure wearing a skull mask with a single eye that wavered between two sockets. Again he reached for his pocket and this time managed to take out his Pokédex and opened it, focusing the camera on the Pokémon.

Duskull, National Identification number: 189.

There was no other information displayed other than a map showing the Hoen Region and indicating Mt. Pyre. The only other thing Red could see right away was that this particular Duskull was a completely different color than the picture meaning it was exceptionally rare.

"So you're from Hoen… but then, how did you get all the way here?" he asked.

Duskull sheepishly swayed to one side. "The truth is…I'm quite lost and could really use some help…." The Pokémon had no moving mouth but Red could still hear a strange voice in his head. There were a wide range of Psychic-type Pokémon that could use telepathy but Red had never heard of one actually speaking.

"I'll say…" Red scratched the back of his head once the initial shock had worn off though he was still completely baffled. "But I don't think there is much I can do to get you back to Hoen…"

"Then if it's not too much trouble could I accompany you?" The Pokémon asked in the same bashful manner. "After all, you seem much more familiar with this land then I am and in my current state I am simply no match for the other wild Pokémon in this area. I promise I'll return the favor."

Red thought for a moment. Even though he knew next to nothing about this Pokémon it was easy to tell that it was in its first stage of evolution and so it was true that it would be in danger if he just left it and he also he to admit that the opportunity to raise such a rare Pokémon was tempting. "Well, alright then. It's a deal." He smiled.

It was not much farther to the house that served as a rest stop for trainers as well as the halfway point between New Bark Town and Mt. Silver where Gold was already waiting to meet Red.

"About time you showed up." Gold chided when he had finally spotted Red in the distance. The two greeted each other with their usual high-five.

"Sorry, I got a little sidetracked." Red admitted

It was then that Gold noticed the usual form floating next to Red that seemed to be studying him. "So who's this? Where's Pika?"

"Oh, right. I left Pika wanted to stay with Chuchu so I left him with Yellow for now and this is Duskull. He wandered here all the way from Hoen so I'm just kind of looking after it for now." He shrugged

"Duskull?" Gold repeated pulling out his own Pokédex but like Red's it only offered a number to identify the species as well as the same map, but Gold's also indicated an average height and weight for the species as well as a type. "That's weird, there's almost nothing here."

Red nodded "I noticed that too so I was also hoping that I could at least find out a little more about it before I let it go."

"Hey, I know! Crys was doing some research with one of Professor Elm's contacts on Route 30, some guy who calls himself 'Mr. Pokémon'. We can ask her about it tomorrow, but for now let's head back to my place for the night." Gold chimed with a gesture of his thumb

The two arrived in New Bark town without any further setbacks but all the while Duskull had not stopped staring at Gold. By the time they reached Gold's home it was already almost Midnight. The other "House Pokémon" that lived there were already asleep so rather than disturb them for an introduction Gold showed Red the couch where he could sleep for the night and offered him a pillow and blanket before making his way towards his own room upstairs.

At first Duskull had stayed near Red but as soon as the boy had settled in he fell asleep almost instantly the Pokémon drifted up the stairs where Gold was.

Gold was in the hall finally about the reach his bedroom after completing his nightly rituals when Duskull's red eye took him by surprise having seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Hey, I thought you were sleeping with Red" he smiled awkwardly "What happened, did he start snoring?"

"No, that's not the problem… the problem is you, Gold."

"Me?" He took a step back. Red had told him about Duskull's ability to understand human speech but this was the first time he had heard it for himself.

"I have seen inside your heart. You are reckless, especially when given responsibility, and have even lied in the past to get what you want. A child as mischievous as you should disappear."

Duskull's eye flashed, its Mean Look attack freezing him on the spot. It then passed through his body like a dart using Shadow Sneak and Gold fell to the floor where he stayed motionless.

The next morning when Red woke up he could see that Duskull was apparently still settled in the same place it had been when he had fallen asleep last night but some of the other Pokémon seemed distraught and there was no sign of Gold. The movement from him getting up from the couch had caused Duskull to stir and the Pokémon followed as Red went to check if Gold was still sleeping.

"What the?!" Red cried out when he saw the heap of his friend's body on the floor. "Gold, what happened? Gold?" he tried shaking his friend awake but there was no response.

"It seems like he's just exhausted. I'm sure that he'll be just fine with more rest." Duskull assured him.

Red look back at Gold uneasily. It was true that the two had been out quite late last night, but his body was cold and what was even more unsettling was that his eyes were open though they were dull an unfocused. Nothing about it seemed natural but nevertheless Red managed to get Gold into his bed and instructed the "pet" Pokémon to keep an eye on him. He would have to talk to Crystal on his own but would check back later.

Cherrygrove city was only a short walk away and Route 30 was just to the north. Red knocked on the door of the only house in the area that appeared large enough to house a Pokémon Research Lab and the mailbox outside confirmed it. Crystal answered the door wearing a lab coat instead of her normal half jacket and without her hat. She would have looked almost professional if it weren't for her star-shaped earrings.

"Oh! Hi Red, I wasn't expecting to see you. I thought you were still on Mt. Silver." She beamed.

"I was, but there is something you might be able to help me with…" Red began "When I was on my way down from the mountain I ran into this Pokémon…" he glanced to the side indicating Duskull and Crystal's gaze followed and once again, the ghost Pokémon seemed to be studying her. "My Pokédex seemed to have trouble getting any info on it other than its name is Duskull and that it's from Hoen so Go-, I mean, I thought that maybe you could help me learn a bit more about it and possibly figure out how it got here…." He stopped himself from telling her about what had happened to Gold because he didn't want to upset her before he knew Gold was ok.

Crystal brought her thumb and index finger to her chin. "There are cases of Pokémon Migration but it is still unusual between regions." She observed "But we can still see if there is anything in our database of Hoen Pokémon." She stood aside and allowed the two to enter.

They followed her to a sleek but powerful-looking computer where Crystal sat down and began to navigate through the screens with ease until she had found the page with Duskull's picture.

Duskull: Requiem Pokémon.

Hoen Identification Number: 148

National Identification Number: 189

Type: Ghost

Height: 0.8m

Weight: 15.0kg

If it finds bad children who won't listen to their parents, it will spirit them away-or so it's said.

"It 'spirit's them away'?" Red asked aloud.

Crystal shrugged "Oh, you know, it's just one of those stories that parents tell their kids so they'll behave. Anyway it's still not a lot to go on." She sighed "You might actually be better off talking to Silver; he seems to know a lot of trainers from different areas because he's always hanging around the Global Trade Station. But for now I can still send this information to your Pokédex."

"That's great, Thanks." He began to reach for his pocket but could instantly tell it was empty. It was then Red realized that he had left all of his supplies back at Gold's house. "Uh…" he droned blushingly.

"Don't worry, I can send it wirelessly." The girl giggled. "But if you're going to talk to Silver you probably should have it. I can watch Duskull until you get back"

Red nodded "I'll be right back." He promised before taking off.

Crystal swiveled her chair back towards the screen and began typing on the keyboard again as Duskull hovered over her shoulder, slowly making it way in front of her.

"Your name is Crystal, correct?"

Her fingers slammed down on the keys when she first heard the voice. At first Crystal looked around expecting to see Mr. Pokémon or Red returned but Duskull was the only other one in the room. "You… know how to talk?" she stammered

"That's right." The Pokémon nodded "And I know a lot more than that. I know that you are a Capture Specialist who uses her skill to capture as many different Pokémon as she can for others to study. You are skilled enough to raise six Pokémon at once but at the same time, the rest you capture as specimens are abandoned. Such a neglectful child should disappear."

Again the singular eye flashed and Crystal's body resonated with the same glow. She was frozen just like Gold had been as Duskull passed through her body in the same way. Her body slumped in the chair, but she had managed to keep her sitting position.

Meanwhile Red had located his Pokédex and gathered his other belongings, a small flashing blue light indicating that the new data had been downloaded. He opened it and looked at the entry for Duskull once again. "It spirits them away…" he repeated in his mind before closing the palm device and climbing the stairs to check on Gold one more time but he was just as Red had left him. He couldn't have been "spirited away"; after all, he was still right there in from of him, wasn't he?

"I don't get it…" Red murmured and the thought gnawed at him to whole way back to Mr. Pokémon's house. He was a bit surprised when he opened the door and Duskull was right there waiting for him. "Oh! Hello…" he greeted with noticeable unease.

The tiny specter glanced over its shoulder to the next room where Crystal's limp body was. "I came out here to wait for you because the young lady seemed so engaged in her research, I didn't want to disturb her." It lied

"Really?" Red leaned to one side to look past the Pokémon. He could see Crystal was indeed still sitting at the computer, but there was something odd about her posture, had she fallen asleep in her chair? Maybe she had been working too hard…He had wanted to thank her before moving on to find Silver but he knew better to bother her if she really was busy.

Cherrygrove City and Route 30 were further from Goldenrod City than New Bark town but there were still back roads that eventually connected the two making what could otherwise be a much longer trip short and the Global Trade Station, or GTS, happened to be one of the most easily identifiable structures in the city.

The automated sliding glass doors opened as Red approached the conspicuous building. The truth was that this was the first time he had actually visited the Trading Station and he couldn't help but gawk at all of the sophisticated terminals trainers could use to communicate and at the many people who were there. "Amazing…"

"Is that you, Red?" a familiar voice called out.

Red whirled around to see Silver approaching. Normally, the red-haired boy seemed to wear a permanent scowl, assisted by his long bangs that partially covered his right eye and the dark clothing he wore only seemed to emphasize the illusion of a bad mood and but on this occasion his expression seemed a bit softer.

"I've never seen you here before, but it looks like you've already managed to make a trade." Silver glanced at the Duskull who, once again, stared back intensely.

"No, actually that's not it." Red waved his hands in front of him. "I found this Duskull here in Johto but I haven't been able to find out much about it, let alone how it managed to get here."

Silver folded his arms a furrowed his brow scowling for real this time. "And it's a rare, shiny color, no less..." He noted "And you're sure it's wild?"

"Positive." Red nodded

"Well, I certainly haven't heard any reports of a Mass Outbreak in the region…" Silver pondered "Did you talk to Ruby or any of the other Hoen Pokédex Holders?"

Red slouched at the suggestion. It was the first thing he should have done once he learned Duskull was native to Hoen but the most obvious solution had not come to him.

An annoyed sigh escaped Silver's chest. "Alright, then why don't you try to contact Ruby and Sapphire; I'll try Emerald and if you'll leave Duskull with me I'll see if anyone else around here knows anything."

Red did not have a Pokégear with a phone like Silver meaning he would have to use the Courtesy Phone at the Pokémon Center. It was only a block away but it also meant the two would have to split up and report back each other's findings. He entered the building with its trademark red roof and picked up the receiver of the computer-phone that sat on the right end of the reception desk and dialed the number for Ruby's PokéNav first. The line rang multiple times before switching to an automated prerecorded message:

"We're sorry, the number you have dialed is unavailable at this time. Please try again later."

The boy with jet-black hair let out his own sign of frustration before picking up the phone and dialing again, this time using Sapphire's number the result was exactly same. They both had their PokéNav with them but the message meant that they were turned off.

At the same time Silver's efforts had fared no better. A quick survey revealed that none of the trainers from Hoen that were using the GTS at the moment knew anything about the red Duskull and his attempt at contacting Emerald had also ended with an automated message, but in his case the number was out of the service area entirely. He left the terminal with both hands shoved in his pockets and his usual frown on his face to tell Red of his failure. He gave Duskull a sidelong glance.

"You are still disturbed by my presence here, aren't you?"

Silver came to an abrupt stop and his eyes widened. "Telepathy?"

"Correct." Duskull's entire body tilted forward in a nod "You seem to know the more about me than Red and yet my being so out of place still troubles you even more than him."

"What do you mean?" he stood up straighter and turned to face the Pokémon head-on.

The singular red eye closed thoughtfully. "What I mean is that you do not trust my reason for being here when it is you who has proven had cannot be trusted by stealing. Such an dishonest boy should disappear."

Another Mean Look attack parlayed Silver and another Shadow Sneak rendered Silver just as helpless as the others and he fell just like them before him but once his body had hit the ground Duskull's body began glowing with a white light. Its body grew and a vaguely human shape with two arms took form; it had evolved to its second stage.

Back at the Pokémon Center Red hung up the receiver once again after dialing both numbers another time. "Well, so much for the idea." He sighed before the soft ping of the automated doors opening behind him had caught his attention and a somewhat scrawny-looking man burst through the door in a panic.

"Finally, a friendly face!" he gasped in a heavy southern drawl "He said ah' might find ya here but ah' really wasn't expectin' ta see you of all people, Red"

Red instantly recognized the man as Bill, the man who had created and single-handedly ran the Pokemon Storage system in both Hoen and Johto and also lived in the city. "Wait, who said you would find me here? What happened?"

Bill took another deep breath "Ah' think it might be easier to show ya' first."

He led Red back to his own home that was just a few doors away from the Pokémon Center. Most of the house was littered in various documents and cables hooked to multiple computers but among the mess Red could clearly see the couch where Silver now was along with the newly evolved Dusclops.

"Ah' was on ma' way to perform some maintenance on the Storage System at the Global Tradin' Station when I found 'im just layin' on the ground…" Bill began at the questioning glance from Red "Ah' tried wakin' 'im, but he's out cold, literally! That's when this big fella' showed up. He said that he was with Silver when 'e collapsed an' recons it jest a bit a' exhaustion but that 'e was travelin' with you. Lucky 'fer me he showed up when 'e did or I'da never been able to get Silver here."

"Duskull?" Red stared at the Pokémon. Its new form stood on two legs and now had a much more defined body that appeared to be completed bandaged like a mummy with two large hands. He almost would not have recognized it had it not retained its unusual color and singular eye from before and the faint skull-like shape to its face had remained.

Bill looked back and forth between the two a few times before Red's confusion registered with him. "Naw, he's a Dusclops. Look, Ah'll show ya'." He walked over to the computer and with just a few simple commands was easily able to pull up the page he had wanted. It had the same format as the pages in the Pokédex, but once again other than a name, picture and a map of where the Pokémon was most often seen it was blank.

"See? It's the evolved form." Bill explained "though it looks like ah' haven't updated the database with the new information Lanette sent me from Hoen, but I think ya' get the picture.

"It evolved?" Red wondered aloud looking back at Dusclops again.
But how could it have? I haven't used it in battle yet or any other kind of training."

The self-proclaimed Poké Maniac smiled "Shucks, that aint nothin'. Any Pokémon's gonna grow quicker when it's been with someone who aint the original trainer. Ah'm surprised ya' hadn't noticed yet." He put his hand to the back of his head "'Course maybe ya' hadn't considerin' ya' seem to like raisin' your own Pokemon. Green an' Silver are the only ones who seem to do any tradein' between the lot a' ya'."

"Hmm…" Red mused. Come to think of it, he had seen the effects trading had on Pokémon in the past, but never anything as dramatic as evolution. On top of that, there seemed to be something unsettling about this new form though he couldn't quite place it.

"Ya' know, if ya' really want, I have the updated page stored in ma' computer back in ma' cottage in Cerulean City." Bill added "It might not be such a bad idea to go an' add it to yer Pokédex."

Red raised an eyebrow quizzically "Well, I guess I don't mind, but what about Silver?"

"The way 'ah see it, all was can do fer now is let 'im rest an' hope fer the best." He folded his arms with a sigh and looked back at the couch where Silver still had not moved in the least. "Though I still can't figure' out what coulda' happened to 'im in the first place."

"Me neither…" Red mumbled inaudibly. He would make sure that Dusclops came with him this time and he would keep a close eye on it.