The next morning was a surprising one. Infernape got the treatment he needed for his arms and the group got ready to leave. This was when Sceptile and Blastoise threw them for a loop. Blastoise handed everyone tickets for an event. Infernape read it and was a bit confused, especially since everyone else appeared to be losing their minds. Gardevoir immediately covered her mouth in shock as Aggron's eyes grew wider than dinner plates. Lopunny was literally bouncing with excitement, Drapion looked surprised but grinned happily, contrasted by Garchomp being just as confused. The two both locked eyes, like two people in a party looking at each other with the knowledge that the only reason they were there was that they were invited by a friend as a date to spite their ex, having absolutely no knowledge about anyone there and just kinda wanting to leave.

"I'm sorry, what is this?" He asked, not expertly much of a response. Almost the entire group yelled out,

"WHAT?!"

"IT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST FESTIVALS IN NIHONERA!" yelled Gardevoir in surprise.

"EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT IT!" screamed Aggron.

"HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS?!" Lopunny asked calmly. Infernape shrank,

"I'm sorry. I don't go out much on top of the ol' severely depressed thing I had going on," he said. Blastoise then explained,

"This is Hauntasia. It's a music festival themed all around Spookmis."
"Oh, right. Spookmis. Damn, it's October already."

"Duh, you didn't notice it getting colder?" asked Lopunny. Infernape shook his head. He was a fire type after all. They weren't exactly familiar with the cold. Lopunny lightly giggled as she wrapped her arm around Infernape's neck,

"Well, consider yourself lucky. You get to celebrate with the queen of Spookmis! I know everything there is to know about the spooky season."

Blastoise quietly grinned. His daughter had changed so much since he first met her.

He then explained why he was giving everyone these tickets in the first place,

"You all have fought incredibly hard against the Darkrai cult, going above and beyond the call of duty for deputized Senshi. I bought these tickets so you all can relax." The others were very quick to thank him, but Infernape reacted differently. Looking at the paper, he found himself choking up slightly. This…this was something he never got to experience in years, decades even.

Chimchar's eyes went wide as he watched the Duocade. It was an event that celebrated the roaring twenties. It only happens once every twenty years. Everything from architecture, to dance, to film, to fashion is all celebrated and judged to win their specific category, but Chimchar had his eyes on one event. The final event. The music contest. It was considered to be the highest possible achievement in music, with a performance basically cementing a musician as one of the greatest of all time.

His mother had left him and his visiting grandfather to watch the Duocade just in time for an Infernape performer to take the stage. Chimchar was floored by this man's performance. That Infernape was from the UR, Eric…something. Anyway, Eric was performing a nice swing song that had captured Chimchars heart. So much so that he began to imagine. What if that was his father on stage?

Back to the present, Infernape looked up at Blastoise and hugged him. Blastoise was surprised at the gesture but reciprocated it. Blastoise was admittedly worried about going to Hauntasia. He knew there were several attractions that may set him off. However, something about Infernape's reaction made him want to go. There was more than meets the eye.

Gengar simply stared up into the ceiling that morning. He had just woken up but felt no desire to get out of bed. It wasn't that he was physically trapped or that he was sick. He just…didn't feel like it. In fact, he didn't feel like doing anything. There was nothing inside of him. No happiness, no joy, no anger nor sadness. It was like he had been turned into an empty husk overnight.

Sitting up, Gengar just sighed to himself. There was work to be done. All Gengar could really do was just sit there and think to himself. Why? Why did he feel so lifeless? Perhaps this was just a bad day. Nothing some action couldn't solve. Forcing himself out of bed, Gengar walked out of his room and opened the door. He began to make his way towards Donquixote's office. Something to do always picked him up. But even as he walked, he couldn't feel any energy or emotion returning to him.

"Okay," Gengar said in a tone that was uncharacteristically monotone and quiet. "I got into an argument with Trevenant and Electivire. I'm not that much of a wimp-ass to be upset over that," he reasoned in his head. But he had absolutely nothing to go off of. He had no idea what the issue was. Alas, he was thinking about this the wrong way. He was fixated on something that someone else had done. Not something he had done a little while back.

Gengar arrived at his boss's door and knocked politely. He waited patiently for Vida to answer as he continued to try and reason with his sudden bout of emptiness. She had arrived before he could get any results, opening the door and asking what he was doing there. Gengar tried to crack a joke response,

"I don't know, what are you doing?" He hated that response and gave up, "I want a job, something to get back into the swing of things." Vida simply nodded and allowed Gengar in.

He walked through a small hallway into a large elaborate room. Gothically designed with an elaborate ceiling with buttresses holding the entire thing up. The entire place looked like something out of the Victorian era, not that you'd be able to tell. It was a dark room, shadows overwhelming it like a cloak withholding darkness that sent a shiver down Gengar's spine. Dim candlelight was the only thing that illuminated the room. A light fog floated near the ground, a thin blanket that hid a splotch of red here and there.

Something then moved just past Gengar's peripheral. He immediately turned around to see that same darkness that permeated the room. Even when he knew where he was, he felt like his mind was playing tricks on him. Speaking out to the room,

"D-Don. It's me! Jester." No response.

The shrill wail of an organ erupted through the silence. Gengar turned to see the candlelight turn crimson. The room became just barely brighter than before as a large pipe organ revealed itself from the darkness. It reached up into the ceiling, or at least where it would be if Gengar could see it. Each pipe screamed out its part of the song like a lost soul begging for release. It was the music of the damned, of lives lost all as a means to an end. That's all this song was. Death in musical form.

The figure playing the instrument, Gengar could not drive away from his mind. It was…more than he could describe. It was just so wrong to watch. To see something that shouldn't exist right there in front of him. All he could imagine was that this figure was the organist of hell. The last piece of music the damned shall ever hear as they suffer their eternal torment. As they begged and pleaded for forgiveness, he only played his song, for their pain was his chorus. That old human book, the one about the afterlife shook Gengar more than he would like to admit. It described how those who plagued the world with their actions would burn for all eternity. He knew why it scared him. He belonged there.

"I am not a musical man. But I find myself here, playing this instrument for I love music. It flows and bends to the will of time, but it always remains true to itself. It is the only truly immortal thing in this world. It has been here for as long as life's beginnings and will survive, until the bitter end. Music, no matter how you alter it, will always stay the same after millennia. My dream, just like music, is immortal. All I wish to do is play my song for the world to hear and everyone will recognize its brilliance. Just as music has the power to move people, I shall have the power to bring about the happiest era in Pokemon history." Gengar simply nodded. As much as he could hope that he may never see a monster like him again, he couldn't.

Donquixoute ended his song before speaking once more. To Gengar this time,

"I don't remember why I gravitated to the organ. Perhaps it's one of my souls trying to bring something back. I decided that a simple hobby is worth remembering." Gengar looked from left to right before asking,

"What's this got to do with me?" Donquixote stood up, slowly making his way toward a window,

"A simple distraction is something to take your mind off of things. This is why I chose to remember the simple pleasures of life. Try as I might, anger and sadness are inescapable. Therefore, for a perfect world to exist, distraction is key. One of our protectorates hasn't paid. Find out what the problem is by any means necessary." Gengar nodded and left. He wanted out of there as soon as possible. A routine mission outta get him out of this funk.

The entire group got into costume for Hauntasia. Gardevoir wore a witches costume, Aggron a zombie with an ax in his head. Garchomp managed to get her hands on a knight outfit. Infernape and Lopunny went together as vampires, complete with Victorian clothing and cool-ass capes. To disguise the fact that she was a hybrid, she dyed her fur brown and cream. Drapion joined the group and put on the most visibly disturbing costume of them all. For you see, some people used nanobots to augment their costumes. Usually, it was some type of illusion, like fog or darkness covering the face. You could still see through it if you wanted. Well, apparently, Drapion had the idea to use the nanites to make it look like his eyes were sewn shut.

Everyone looked at Drapion with a look of unease. Drapion simply remarked,

"Oh, my apologies for the costume. I wanted an avant-garde outfit that showcases how privileged we are to have the ability to see. That the senses that we take for granted could easily be taken away from us."

"It's a costume, not a fashion statement," said Lopunny. Drapion simply shrugged as they made their way into the festival.

Hauntasia was being held in the nearby city of Fortren. It was a large city situated in a truly massive forest. The trees stretched up to be the size of skyscrapers. Many homes and shops were built within the trunks and labyrinthine mess of roots that covered the forest floor. Wooden bridges and scaffolding allowed people to go up and down the many trees. Most of the town had been decked out with orange and purple lights. Various decorations from giant jack-o-lanterns to skeletons, to the weird plethora of creatures that humanity had cooked up during their brief time on this earth. The full moon's light-filled in the rest of the darkness, shining through the canopy.

Lopunny immediately dragged Infernape into the heart of the festivities. There was a large event space in the center of town with all sorts of activities. She immediately looked towards the apple bobbing space and told him,

"You've got to try it!" Infernape was a bit hesitant,

"I'm not sure. I don't think I'd be good at it."

"Of course, you will, look at those chompers of yours," said Lopunny. She was referring to his canines. As a monkey-like pokemon, Infernape had rather sharp canine teeth. He was at a natural advantage. Infernape chuckled at the comment, but still needed convincing, so Lopunny decided to pull out ol' reliable. She posed in a coy but seductive way. Pressing her knees together and withdrawing her arms like she was covering herself,

"Oh, you don't have to if you don't want to. It's just a prize," she said disappointedly.

Infernape immediately wanted to comfort her,

"Nonononono, don't be like that. I'll do it." Smirking, Lopunny continued to play up this act,

"It's okay. I'm sure that there's some other prize here," she whimpered. With renewed determination, Infernape told her,

"Wait here," and approached the apple bobbing station. Several people were trying and failing to grab at the apples, often due to their less-than-ideal mouths. Some had proper mouths, but their teeth were too rounded or too sharp and would slide off or slice through the apples. Others had beaks. Others had…something. Honestly, Infernape wasn't sure how a Pokemon with no visible mouth like Voltorb could speak, much less grab an apple from the barrel.

The vendor in a demon mask approached him and yelled,

"Step right up! Take your chance! Whoever can get an apple out of the barrel wins this!" he pulled out a cute little plush of a rabbit wearing a jack-o-lantern. It was unreasonably adorable. Infernape knew that even Lopunny would love this toy so he paid the vendor and gave it a go.

Watching from the sidelines, Lopunny honestly didn't think Infernape could do it. She figured he would do one or more tries and he would give up. Carnivals always have their scam games and there are an infinite amount of ways to cheat apple bobbing. The presence of psychic and ghost types alone left plenty of room for exploitation. But that didn't distress her. She knew that Infernape just needed to get out of his shell. He was on the cusp of a healthy life, she could feel it. All she needed to do was slowly bring it out of him, like reeling in a fish on the line.

She wasn't sure why she was so focused on making him feel better. Obviously, after all he's been through, he deserves to be happy, but why was she putting in so much effort? It wasn't the 'L' word, she knew that much. This was something else. Something on a deeper level. A memory then played back in her head. A voice, all too familiar to her, cheerfully cried out,

"Cause you're my friend, and I never leave my friends behind." A melancholic grin curled onto her face. That was why. There was a promise she had to keep.

Infernape started by watching everyone try. An Exeggutor tried first, dunking one of his many heads into the water. However, he apparently bumped the apple underwater with his head. Infernape took note of this. Next was a Bibarel, who chomped down hard into the water. Again, the apple was knocked out of the way. That was where Infernape grew suspicious. Someone with teeth that big, going in with his mouth that wide, should've caught that apple. He held off for now. His suspicions were confirmed when a Sharpedo tried and failed to grab that apple.

"So this is a scam," he thought. He almost gave up right there and then. His eyes then drifted to the waiting Lopunny. She was staring at her WristOn as she waited. That plush was hers and he would find a way to get it. His heart fluttered as he imagined how she'd react to having that incredibly adorable toy. Her smile melted his heart like ice on a hot summer day, or ice cream on a hot summer day, or you get the idea. Infernape's focus then shifted. If he could figure out what the scam was, then he could beat it.

The barrel didn't have any light shining on it. That immediately disqualified psychokinesis. Ghost-type interference was also out of the table; there was no way they could move their hands in the water to grab the apple without making their hands tangible. That meant that whatever scam they were doing here involved a practical trick. Infernape decided that in order to figure out the illusion, he was going to have to play a few rounds. He paid the vendor and took a try at the apple bobbing. The first try would be an experimental try, just to figure out what the problem was. He dunked his head into the water and tried to grab it.

The apple abruptly sunk into the bottom of the barrel before quickly rising back to the surface. Infernape thought to himself,

"So it is rigged. Probably some sort of string or magnet shoved into the apple. I'll need a few more attempts to sus this out." Infernape tried again a few more times, growing more and more frustrated by how obviously rigged this was. This vendor son of a bitch was cheating people out of money. Tired, he looked around, trying to find something in particular. That was when he saw it. Looking directly up, there was a pole with a security camera overlooking the entire festival. It was a spherical camera with a 360-degree view of the entire space. Conveniently, it was also directly over the barrel, allowing someone a perfect view to see when someone would make a move. Infernape then smirked, "Amateurs."

Lopunny wasn't fully paying attention to him at first. However, around the fourth attempt, she took notice. He was still trying to get that plush for her. Admittedly, that plush was very cute, but she could probably just order it online. He didn't need to try particularly hard yet he was regardless.

He paid for the next attempt and this time, things would be different. Infernape cracked his knuckles and prepared for his plan to beat this game. Taking one more glance at the camera out of spite, he knew what to do.

He dunked his head but stopped right before he hit the water. The apple dropped into the bottom of the barrel before beginning to rise back up again. Right before the apple could sink again, Infernape expertly dunked his head in and grabbed the apple with his teeth. Pulling it out, he raised his hands in triumph as the vendor was slack-jawed. Infernape looked at the vendor with the smuggest look on his face and stretched his hand. Reluctantly, the vendor gave Infernape the rabbit plush before having to confront the other patrons, who saw the trick he tried to pull on them.

Infernape took the toy and threw it toward Lopunny. He placed it in her hands before walking towards the various stalls. Looking back, he said,

"Come on, let's go." Lopunny remained frozen for a second. All she could do was stare into that plush's eyes. Even though it was just a simple toy, Infernape went through all that effort just to get it for her. That was so sweet of him. Lopunny warmly grinned as she turned around to face Infernape and followed him into the market.

Gardevoir and Garchomp were walking towards the concert venue. Even from where they were, they could see that the stadium was huge. Garchomp had grabbed a flier that showed the upcoming acts. H3RO, Sakazuki and the Admirals, The Gotei 13, and Todd. She remarked,

"Have you seen the acts, this whole card is stacked with talent?" Gardevoir looked over at the pamphlet and took notice of one space on the bottom, an empty space. She pointed this out to the dragon type,

"What is this? It almost looks like a mistake,"

"Says here that they are going to have a few open slots for guests to sing. Sounds nice,"

Blastoise had finally arrived at Hauntasia. He wore a grim reaper costume with nanites that hid his face in darkness. He wasn't in the mood to deal with paparazzi or fans. His eyes and ears were on high alert. With fireworks, popcorn, and music being as loud as possible, he felt extremely stressed out. By all logic, he should be at home. He had no business here. Alas, he wanted to be here. Infernape needed him.

He started to walk through the area to see Pokemon in various different costumes. Some in particular were quite graphic. They had nanite blood and gashes that looked horrifically detailed. There was a reason kids weren't allowed here, that and the copious amounts of alcohol that Blastoise had half a mind to start drinking. His will was much stronger than that. These horrific costumes didn't bother him in the slightest. If they were all fictional characters and not dressed as real people who actually died, then he saw no problem with gory costumes.

"Ah, nice costume, big guy," said a voice from the distance. Blastoise looked to see a somewhat short orange and brown Pokemon perfect for the Spookmis spirit. She had blood-orange hair with bangs that covered one eye and a tuft of hair like a pumpkin stump. Her lower body resembled a brown jack-o-lantern. Her hair was styled into a long punch of hair that curled at the end, and she wore a white t-shirt with an R on it, like some sort of lunatic who really likes Pikachu for some reason.

Next to her was a big blue turtle Pokemon who looked to be the same height as Blastoise. There appeared to be stones stuck to his shell. He was dressed in a similar white t-shirt with an R on it. His wig was bluish-purple and partly covered his eyes. He looked like a beta male that was also obsessed with Pikachu for some reason. Blastoise waved to them politely,

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Gourgeist then floated up towards him and further complimented him,

"I say it fits you quite well. Love the mystery." Carrcosta waved toward Blastoise and grinned,

"Yeah, what's your name?" Blastoise lied about his name,

"Just call me Corporal," Gourgeist then swooned playfully,

"Oh ho ho, military boy. How about I pull off that hood of yours and I can help you some 'training.'"

"I'm flattered, but no," said Blastoise, leaving Gourgeist a bit disappointed. Carracosta chuckled at the expense of his friend,

"Wow, rejected by the Grim Reaper. I think that's a message." Gourgeist looked back at Carrocosta with venom,

"Screw you."

Blastoise waved goodbye to them and began to make his way to find Infernape and the others. He had to find them as soon as possible so he could leave and spend his evening in peace.