The Magnet Train was the quickest means of transportation in both Johto and Kanto and the best way to travel between the two regions. Not even a half hour had passed before Red found himself in Saffron City, just minutes away from Cerulean City in the north with Dusclops. After passing the checkpoint that lead to Route 5 which connected the two cities he had arrived and proceeded north to Cerulean Cape where Bill's cottage was.
When he had made it to the Cape he noticed a familiar girl around his own age with long brown hair and a white hat standing at the edge of the plateau near Bill's Cottage and looking out over the water. "Green? What are you doing here?" he called out as he approached.
"Red?" she turned around and leaned again the railing. "I came here because I thought it was supposed to be one of the most romantic places in all of Kanto, but it looks like the only ones who come here are all already couples." She pouted "What about you? Where did you come from and where did you get that Dusclops?"
He looked to the side and attempted to avoid her question as best as he could for now. "It's…kind of a long story." He answered vaguely "But I came here to use Bill's computer to get a little more information on Dusclops."
"Well, as long as I am here than there is no use in my missing out. After all, I don't know much more than you about Pokémon from Hoen" Green had slipped past him and was already walking back towards the cottage before he could protest.
The inside of Bill's summer home proved to be very different from his house in Goldenrod. It was small and cluttered by the many documents that were strewn all over the desk that was surrounded with boxes most likely filled with even more documents, all contained information on the Pokémon from Hoen that Bill had entered manually. The computer actually seemed to be the only thing there that remained completely exposed among the mess with clear paths leading between it and the other rooms.
Red sat down at the computer with Green watching over his shoulders as he navigated the screen. He was nowhere near as proficient as Crystal or Bill himself had been and it did not take long before he had become so focused on the screen that he did not notice when Green had begun looking at some of the various papers on the ground to aid his search and eventually made her way upstairs with Dusclops behind her.
"I wonder if it's already in one of those boxes downstairs." She discarded another document that had proven to be about a different Pokémon and glanced back at the red Dusclops. "I must say I'm a little jealous, though. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who would pay a lot of money for such a rare find."
"Yes, I can see that you value money very highly." Pokémon affirmed "So much so that you would even deceive and manipulate others to get what you want. Such a conniving girl should disappear."
Mean Look had once again rendered the target unable to move and with another Shadow Sneak she too was completely lifeless.
Downstairs, Red had finally managed to locate the information he had come for:
Dusclops: Beckon Pokémon.
Hoen Identification Number: 149
National Identification Number: 190
Type: Ghost
Height: 1.6m
Weight: 30.6kg
Its body is hollow. It is said that those who look into its body are sucked into the void.
He was aghast; this was the second time the Pokédex had mentioned people disappearing and he couldn't deny something was clearly amiss, but no matter how he looked at it none of his friends were actually missing. Speaking of which; where was Green? "Green" He called out when a noise upstairs had caught his attention but Dusclops was the only one to descend the staircase.
"The young lady already left while you were deep in your search." it shrugged
Red sighed with audible relief. Leaving when something no longer interested or benefited her sounded like Green, but where would she even go? She couldn't have gotten too far so it was likely she was still somewhere back in the city.
The sky was already beginning to darken again but there was still no sign of Green after searching all through Cerulean City. By this time she was probably long gone. He sighed again, maybe it was not such a bad for him to go back to Viridian City and check in with Yellow and Pika either before it got too late. He could also have Blue try to contact Green from the Viridian City Gym when he arrived.
The shortest path between the two cities took through Mt. Moon, though unlike Mt. Silver, it was much smaller and had a clear path that had even been lit making it nowhere near as daunting. Even the Viridian Forest that laid to the south of Pewter City on the other side could be avoided by taking a shortcut on the right side of Route 2 that eventually led to the gate that separated the city from the forest.
Viridian City was small compared to most of the other in Kanto, but It was the Gym alone that gave it its' reputation. Not only was Blue the youngest Gym Leader in the region but he was also one of the strongest and was even known to turn down challengers he deemed under qualified.
Red, however, was welcomed as a friend of Blue's and immediately made his way into the office located in the back of the Gym where he found Blue wearing an unusually formal but official uniform from the gym, complete with a green armband that had an Earth Badge Emblem.
"This is a surprise." The boy with spiky brown hair stood up from his chair and offered his longtime rival a handshake.
Red returned the gesture with a nod "Sorry to drop in so unexpectedly, but I was wondering if you could help me get a message to Green. I ran into her a while ago, but she seemed to disappear. Actually, a few of the others have been acting a little strange, too, so I wanted to make sure she was okay."
"You don't say…" Blue raised an eyebrow glancing suspiciously at the Dusclops standing next to Red and his tone became much more serious. "Red, can we continue this outside, in private?"
He emphasized the last part giving another suspicious glance at the unusual Pokémon before leading Red outside into the main Gym and closing the door tightly but Red only gave him a confused look.
"So tell me, what do you think you're doing having such a dangerous Pokémon like that as your partner?"
Red had been caught off guard "What do you mean" was all he could manage
"I'm sure you couldn't have caught that thing without checking your Pokédex, so why would you want to keep something that clearly dangerous?"
"But I didn't catch it…" Red began as he did his best to retell the story from the beginning, but Blue was not impressed.
"And you still trusted that thing after all that has happened?" He threw his arms up incredulously
This only caused Red's own tempter to flair "How can you be so sure it was Dusclops?" he shot back "Even if what happened to the others is a little unusual, they haven't actually disappeared."
"Physically." Blue pointed an accusatory finger at him "Ghost Pokémon all have strong, mysterious powers and are connected to the Spirit Word."
Red was dumbfounded again "You're saying Dusclops has been going around taking their souls?"
The Gym Leader nodded "I'm saying it's possible because I already know firsthand what they're capable of and whatever kind of hold that thing has on you has made you blind to the truth."
Red slouched, finally submitting. Was it really possible that Dusclops had somehow been controlling him this whole time? "So what do we do?"
"Well, it's obvious that Dusclops knows it can easily manipulate your decision, so the best thing for you would be to leave it here. It's not going anywhere as long as that door stays locked" Blue pointed a thumb at the nearby emergency phone that hung on the wall. "In the meantime, I'm going to try contacting Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald again sine they're the only ones who might know how to get rid of this thing."
His head was still hanging as Red left the gym. He didn't want to leave Blue alone like the others now that he knew what had happened to them but Blue had made it clear that he had already lost control of the situation himself and he was right. He also knew that Blue would stand a much better chance with the help of Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald if he could get through to just one of them.
Inside the Gym Blue had already begun dialing on the red phone. Emerald not only had the most experience with taming unruly Pokémon, he had even temporarily used a borrowed Dusclops in battle; he would be the first person Blue would call but the line did not even ring once:
"The number you have dialed is outside of the service area. Please try again at a later time."
Blue slammed down the receiver and tried the number for Ruby's PokéNav. This time the line rang and was soon answered, the image of the boy appeared on the small screen attached to the phone.
"Blue! I thought my PokéNav had said I missed a call. What's going on?" Ruby asked
"We've got a serious problem with a Pokémon from your area and I could use some help. Where are you? Are Sapphire and Emerald with you?"
The tiny image panned out as Ruby held the device further away from his body revealing his elaborate costume designed to be reminiscent of the Pokémon Gallade. A bit more of the scenery was also exposed showing that Sapphire was next to him looking over his shoulder and she also worse a costume that gave the appearance of the Pokémon Gardevoir, though it was unusual for her to wear a dress.
"I'm in Slateport City. I finally talked Sapphire into taking part in a Double Performance with me and we made it to the Grand Festival." Ruby explained "Coordinators aren't allowed to have mobile devices during the competition which is why I couldn't answer earlier and Emerald is off exploring the Rainbow Cloud with Todd, but what kind of problem…"
He was cut off by a horrific banging sound coming from behind the door where Dusclops had been locked.
"What was that?"
Blue turned his head "That would be the problem." He sneered "Just get here as quick as you can and I'll explain later!"
Again the phone was slammed down and there was another pound on the office door which finally gave way to the barrage of Shadow Punch attacks from Dusclops on the other side. Once outside the Beckon Pokémon leapt forward gearing up for another attack, this time on Blue.
"Charizard!" he called out throwing the Pokéball to the ground and releasing the orange dragon-like Pokémon in a puff of smoke "Reflect!"
The move succeeded in blocking the physical attack sending Dusclops back and skidding to a halt.
"Very well, let's see how long your defense will last." Dusclops raised its hands and a blue glow resonated around its whole body.
Blue recognized the posture of the Future Sight; it was a delayed attack that not only allowed the Pokémon to predict his moves but would also be unavoidable. "We'll still counter it: Fly!"
Charizard let out a roar in affirmation and began beating its wings flying as high as the ceiling of the Gym would allow.
"Enough of this!" The ghost Pokémon raised both arms straight up and the immense pressure of its Gravity filled the whole room grounding Charizard and even bringing Blue to his knees. "You are a spiteful boy who only looks down on those you see as weak. Such an arrogant boy should disappear."
Mean Look rendered both Pokémon and trainer unable to move and Shadow Sneak caused Blue's body to collapse completely. Finally, the Future Sight struck sending Charizard back to the Pokéball.
Moments later Ruby and Sapphire appeared outside the gym in a flash of psychokinetic energy from the Teleport used by Ruby's Kirlia.
"We made it, great job Ruru." Ruby gave the Emotion Pokémon an affectionate pat on the head and it squealed gratefully.
"We would have been here a lot sooner if we hadn't been wearing those outfits of yours." Sapphire glowered before looking up the Gym "I wonder what the big emergency could be?"
"Who knows, but it sure didn't sound good on the phone so I guess we'd better get inside."
The three entered but there was no sign of Blue though it had become clear that a struggle had taken place.
"Hey Blue, are you in here? Blue?" Ruby called out looking from one side to the other as he led the trio but there was still no answer.
Sapphire was the first to see the motionless body on the ground. "Ruby, look!" she pointed and the three rushed over, but he was unresponsive. "What could have done something like this to him?"
A bolt of ghastly purple energy came from behind, the Night Shade just barely missing Sapphire caused all three to whirl around.
"I think we just found our answer." Ruby said warily as Dusclops stepped forth.
"Isn't that the same kind of Pokémon that tried to swallow Wally? How did a Dusclops get all the way to Kanto?" asked Sapphire
"Who knows, but we need to get it out of here! Magical Leaf!"
The Kirlia squealed again in response and began twirling around on the tip of its toe like a ballerina, sending rainbow colored leafs from its body that homed in on Dusclops but the Beckon Pokémon raised its hands again and all the leafs were instantly burned in a spectral blue fire from its Will-o-Wisp attack.
"Such disrespectful children!" Dusclops put its wrists together launching another Night Shade at Ruru, bringing the Kirlia to the ground.
"Return!" Ruby seethed holding out its Pokéball and Ruru disappeared inside. The truth was that all of his Pokémon's attacks had been refined for Contest Appeal, not battle. The most he could do was be a backup to Sapphire but she would have to make the next move and she was already ahead of him.
"Minun!" Sapphire called out
Ruby's face lit up and he gave a nod, understanding the cue completely. "Plusle!"
Two small, yellow mouse-like Pokémon emerged from the two balls that had been tossed, almost looking like exact twins were it not for the different shape and color of their cheeks and tails that looked like positive and negative sign respectively.
"Double Team!" Ruby and Sapphire cried simultaneously
Plusle and Minun sped in opposite directions in a circle around Dusclops creating illusionary copies of themselves, their boosted evasiveness allowed them to avoid the series of Shadow Punches.
"Thunder Wave!" The two shouted in unison again
Both of the Cheering Pokémon released an electric charge from their cheeks creating a blinding light that filled the whole gym when amplified by the doppelgangers and apparently leaving Dusclops immobilized by the Paralysis.
After a brief pause Ruby broke the silence "I think we got him…"
"…Bothersome Pests!" Dusclops roared unleashed the stored energy of its Payback and sending Ruby and Sapphire against a wall along with Plusle and Minun.
The two trainers slowly managed to right themselves but neither of their Pokémon were able to continue battling and both were called back to their Pokéballs.
"You are no better than your friend; a girl whose cowardice caused her to abandon the one she cared about most and a boy who is so vain that he hides the shame of his own imperfections under a hat. Such selfish children should disappear" Dusclops continued as the two tried to get their next Pokémon but there was no time.
Ruby saw the attack coming and instead immediately turned his body and threw his arms around Sapphire to shield her but they were both frozen by Mean Look and pierced by Shadow Sneak. For the second time, the Beckon Pokémon's body was enveloped in the light of evolution and it advanced to its final form.
Outside Red had wandered west after leaving the Gym. He could see Route 22 that lead to the Indigo Plateau to the North or Mt. Silver even further west, back to where this whole thing had started. Now, thanks to him, four of his friends were gone, and he could have very well put at least one more in danger. It was true what Blue had said about Ghost Pokémon and the Spirit World but was it really possible that Duskull had the power to trap a person's soul there?
He turned at the sound of a familiar call from behind and instantly a pointy-eared bundle of yellow fur leapt into his arms. He managed a small smile and patted the Mouse Pokémon's head when he heard another familiar voice.
"I thought you might be back when Pika started getting so restless."
Red looked up and saw Yellow with her usual poncho and straw hat along with her own Pikachu. He had almost forgotten that the main reason he had come to Viridian City was to get Pika back from her, but now she had found him first.
"You were gone a really long time, did something happen while you were on Mt. Silver?" She asked as she approached him
He looked down again avoiding her glace. She was the last person he wanted to have worry but out of all his friends she was also the best at communicating with Pokémon so maybe telling her what had happened would ease some of his own. "Yellow… do you think it's possible that there are evil Pokémon?"
"Evil?" The blonde repeated. The question had taken her by surprise, but she still thought for a moment. "No, there are no bad Pokémon, but they can become bad it people raise them to be that way. Why would you ask that"?
Red finally brought himself to look up at her. "I always thought the same thing but I met a Pokémon from Hoen when I was on the mountain and even the Pokédex seemed to say it was dangerous. I didn't believe it so I showed it to some of the others, but every time I did something strange would happen to them."
"Where is it now?" she asked
"Blue told me to leave it at the gym with him; he seemed to think it was somehow hurting everyone else so he was going to call Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald to help him get rid of it."
Yellow's face was beginning to show concern "I still don't think a Pokémon would hurt people on its own but if it's really that dangerous do you think Blue might still need help?"
"I don't know…" Red sighed "Blue said that I had only made things worse by taking it with me in the first place, but that was a while ago. Maybe we should at least see if he has been able to reach our Hoen friends."
It was a short trip back to the Viridian City Gym, but it had still been too long for the three inside.
Yellow took Blue's hand in both of hers and closed her eyes feeling for any sign of life, though her powers were more effective on Pokémon than people. "There's a pulse." She confirmed "But he still feels cold and distant somehow."
"Yellow, this is just like how I found the others." Red grimaced "I'm starting to think that Blue might be right about Dusclops being dangerous."
"But if that's true, than where is it?"
Red glanced around. "I don't know, but we need to find it; if it's not responsible maybe it at least saw something but if it is than we need know. Either way, I'm going to find out the truth once and for all."
He burst through the doors of the gym and broke out into a run, heading north, along with Pika.
Yellow was not far behind but struggled to keep up. "Wait, Red! Where are you going?" she called out with a near stumble.
"Pewter City!" he answered over his shoulder in between heaves "If it really is going after humans it will probably go to a larger city than Viridian where there are more people."
"Then I'm coming with you, it'll be faster if we ride there." She grabbed a pokéball from the holster on her waist and threw it to the ground. "Dody!"
A Pokémon resembling an ostrich with three long necks and a different expression on each of its three faces appeared. Yellow jumped onto the Dodrio's back and caught up with Red in an instant; grabbing his hand and helping him up onto the Triple-Bird Pokémon's back as well. At this speed passing through the Viridian Forrest would be no problem, the two were already passing the largest grove of trees in the center of the forest when a large blue figure came into view ahead.
Red studied the round form: the coloring was different from before along with an eerie pattern across it's midsection that almost looked like a face and the legs had disappeared in favor of a ghostly tail, but the structure of the body remained the same as well as the powerful arms and conical head that surely still possessed a single eye. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the Dusclops he was looking for but it must have somehow evolved again. He pulled out the Pokédex once more to confirm what he already suspected:
Dusknoir: Gripper Pokémon.
Sinoh Identification Number: 191
National Identification Number: 477
Type: Ghost
Height: 2.2m
Weight: 106.6kg
The antenna on its head captures radio waves from the world of spirits that command it to take people there.
"Yellow, that's it!"
She gave a light kick signaling her Dodrio to speed up and close the gap.
"Dusknoir!" Red called out as soon as they were within shouting distance causing the Pokémon to stop and turn towards the two. Red leapt from Dody's back before it had even come to a complete stop and finished his approach on foot while Yellow called Dody back to its pokéball. "You evolved again, even though we haven't been in a single battle together and every time one of my friends has gotten near you they seem to suddenly collapse. What's the connection?"
Dusknoir sneered. "You finally figured it out, you stupid boy? Your so-called friends are all in the Spirit World because they are nothing but ungrateful good-for-nothings just like the rest of your species and now that I am strong enough to hold my own you are just as disposable as the rest of them." The Pokémon raised its arms in preparation for an attack but was stopped by a residual surge of electricity left by Plusle and Minun's Thunder Wave allowing Yellow to step forward.
"I see now. You've been hurt, haven't you?" she said "In the past there were a lot of trainers who wanted you because you were different, they thought it meant you were stronger but quickly abandoned you when they expected too much. That's how you got to Kanto, isn't it?"
"Is that true?" Red stared at the Gripper Pokémon who remained silent but Yellow nodded for it before continuing.
"I can see why you don't want to trust humans, but how can you still say we're all bad when Red still showed you kindness?"
Dusknoir huffed the question away with a jerk of its head "Pure naivety. And what do you know of kindness, a girl who selfishly holds back the ones she so willingly heals out of fear of being left behind? You should disappear along with the rest of them."
Red could only watch as Yellow fell to the same combination of Mean Look and Shadow Sneak that had taken the rest of his friends. "No" he gasped dropping to his knees and held her body up against his. "Why are you doing this? Can't you see she was only trying to help you?"
"She was just another liar just like you and everyone like you; Wild, Thoughtless, Bitter, Deceptive, Cocky, and Resentful. In the end, all you humans are the same."
"You're wrong…"The boy mumbled with his head hanging low. "You're wrong!" he repeated closing his hand that held Yellow's. "Humans are not as evil as you think! It's true we can sometimes do bad thing we are also Tenacious, Devoted and Strong." These were Red's friends from Johto: Gold, who didn't give up on proving his worth, even when his own life had been in danger. "Like professor Oak told me, I'm the hatcher!" Crystal, whose dedication had led her to be the only one of their group to fully take on the task of completing the Pokédex. "I couldn't capture the legendary Pokémon, but I managed to gather most of their data during the battle. The rest was pretty easy." And Silver who had found the strength to overcome a harsh past full of negative influences. "I have no regrets and I'm willing to face whatever punishment awaits me."
They may not have been with him but Red could see them all so clearly it was as if he could reach out and pull each of them back from the darkness one by one.
His thoughts were beginning to affect Dusknoir. The Pokémon saw the three as Red did now but the exposure to their true natures was too much and it could no longer contain their souls. It doubled over, holding its stomach and began glowing with the same light as when it had evolved but this time three other points of light escaped its body and it returned to its previous form, but Red continued.
"Sometimes our own desires can lead us to do the wrong thing but we can seek help from others to be forgiven and sometimes our pride can make us seem distant but when we show skill it can give others something to strive for." These were Red's closet friends that all came from his own hometown: Green, who had been just as misguided as Silver when she was a child. "I wanted to do what they were doing! I was from Pallet Town Too!" And Blue who had once infuriated him by always seeming to be two steps ahead of him only to become a powerful ally after Red had not only caught up to him but surpassed him. "Then the winner is Bl-… No! The champion of the Pokémon League is Red!"
Again he reached out and grabbed both of their hands.
Two more souls left its body causing the Pokémon to writhe again, it grabbed its head. "No! Humans are selfish! If they do help each other its only because they expect something in return and when they don't get what they want they take it out on each other or anything else they can find."
"We do fight sometimes but we are also able to forgive one another and even learn to work together." This was Ruby and Sapphire, two friends who had almost let a disagreement as the result of an accident come between them but one the dispute had been resolved it had only caused them to realize their feelings for each other. "Ruby… I like you."
Another pair of souls that almost seemed to be touching escaped and once again the Dusclops devolved going back to its first form but now it no longer looked angry but had begun to cry.
"Yellow was right about you. Until now you've only seen how people can hurt each other but now do you see that some of us really do care?"
The Duskull nodded tilting its whole body forward to do so. "You've been very lucky to meet such wonderful friends."
Red smiled "More than that. I was also lucky enough to meet someone who loves her friends so much that she couldn't even stand the thought of them being hurt or changing in any way." "But it doesn't matter what it looks like! Ratty is Ratty! I won't let it bother me anymore!"
Yellow's body responded, rising up slightly as the final soul returned to her body causing Duskull's to begin to fade away. "Thank you for showing me." The Pokémon was still crying but it smiled as its body continued to vanish until only the small skull-shaped reaper mask remained and it too faded when it hit the ground.
Red could feel Yellow's body begin to move as she looked around reminding him that he was still holding her. "Yellow, what happened?"
"I was with the others." She said "It was cold and dark but we could all hear you, It was your voice that lead us out. What happened to that Pokémon?"
"Disappeared." Red sighed looking at the place where Duskull had been. "But it seemed a lot happier though I guess I still have a lot of explaining to do…"
But she didn't answer. It didn't matter to her as long as their friends were all safe now, she just wanted Red to hold her a little longer.