Omarnosian10: Today's the 10th, right?

Ash: Yeah.

May: That means around half a month since you last updated.

Omarnosian10: Wish I could keep up that pace, but with the next chapter being two Gym Battles, one of which is a higher level, I might slow down a bit.

Dawn: Are you gonna put Gym Battles in every chapter with '5' in the number?

Omarnosian10: No, these two are just a coincidence. Plus, the third Gym Battle's less than 10 episodes after Lenora's.

Georgia: Would've been funny.

Omarnosian10: Yeah. ON WITH THE SHOW!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. If I did, it would've given Ash a sensible harem, done Unova better (like anyone would), or done a lot of other stuff. All descriptions of Pokémon and most of their moves belong to Bulbapedia. A portion of this chapter before being edited by me belonged to 19jchoi's Unova Journeys.

"Normal"

'Thought'

"Communicating through a medium"

"Possessed"

"Telepathy"

Flashback or Dream

"[Poké-Speech]"


Chapter 14: A Night in the Nacrene City Museum!

(Nacrene City Outskirts, Noon)

"We're finally at Nacrene City!" exclaimed Ash.

"[Yeah!]" agreed Pikachu, looking around.

"And look! Check out all those cool buildings!" pointed May.

"They're actually unused warehouses, where many people leave them to the artists! (gestures towards art and paintings done on warehouse buildings) And because of that, Nacrene City is known as the City of Art!" explained Cilan.

"Looks like something that fits Juru." hummed May, thinking of her newest rival.

"Uuuuggghhh…" Darwin held out a long, drawn-out groan.

"Sorry about him, Cilan. He doesn't appreciate the finer things in life like art and gardening." apologized Georgia.

"No need to apologize. Chili's the same way." shrugged Cilan. No one noticed Ash and May shifting their eyes around, having thought the same until their time in Lilycove.

"Wow… There's beautiful art everywhere you look!" awed Dawn, looking around.

"The city is also admired for its style! So, it's the city of admiration, too!" chuckled Cilan.

"Well, I like art as much as the next guy, but I came here to Nacrene City for one reason; a Gym battle!" explained Ash.

"[True that!]" agreed Pikachu with a determined look.

"The city's museum is just to be sited as the Nacrene Gym!" smiled Cilan. That left the Kanto trainer amazed. Sure, he's been in cities with Gyms and museums, but never both in the same building.

"Yeah? How awesome is it to have a Gym inside the museum? Let's go there now!" declared Ash.

"Yeah!" added Darwin. With that, the gang all headed to the Museum to find…

"Huh?! It's closed!" gawked May, seeing the 'no entry' sign.

"Oh **** no! I haven't gone through two weeks of crazy shenanigans for nothing!" yelled Darwin, knocking on the door for every word.

"My brother, everyone." shook Georgia. Cilan blinked, noticing something on the museum wall.

"Huh… A poster…" pointed Cilan out as he walked over, followed by the others (with Georgia dragging Darwin).

"Secret artifacts exhibit?" read Dawn.

"And judging by the dates… It's today!" pointed Cilan.

"You mean because of Bianca yesterday, we lost our chance to get a battle?!" raged Darwin. Georgia's eye twitched at the name.

"Hold on, Darwin. (puts hand on rookie's shoulder) If the exhibit is today, wouldn't that mean the museum should be open instead?" asked Ash. Darwin blinks, calming down. Seeing this, May decided to knock this time.

"Excuse me! Is anyone in there?!" called May. No one responded from inside for a while until…

"AAAAAAHHHHHH~!" The startling scream was quickly followed by the doors opening up and a combed brown-haired, gray-eyed man in a grey three-piece suit in his late 20s rushing out before stopping near the gang, expression pale and frightened.

"Sir! Are you alright?" asked Cilan.

"Hah… hah… In there! It's horrible!" yelled the man, pointing at the main hallway. The gang turned to see… nothing.

"Is something wrong with the hallway?" asked Dawn.

"No! The hallway is fine! The Dome Fossil was chasing me!" panted the man, slowly getting up.

"Whoa… A Dome Fossil?!" asked Ash in surprise.

"What's a Dome Fossil?" asked the Langleys. The only Fossils they know of are Cover and Plume.

"It's mostly found in Kanto and used to revive Kabuto," explained May. The Langleys resisted the urge to search their Pokédexes, seeing that the situation is dire.

"There is nothing going on in the hallway." reminded Cilan, gesturing to the inside of the museum.

"H—Hah… It's… It's there, alright!" panicked the man.

"Let's check it out!" suggested Ash.

"Right."

(Inside Nacrene Museum)

"The Dome Fossil is just there!" explained Cilan, gesturing to a shell-like fossil on a pedestal.

"And no claw marks on it, so we can scratch out Flying-Types." waved Ash, the girls giggling at the unintentional pun.

"But… But how? It was chasing me a few minutes ago!" gasped the man, examining the Fossil.

"Fill us in, please! And don't leave any details behind!" requested Cilan.

"U-Uh… Sure…" nodded the man, frightened. Leading the gang to a table past the entrance, he cleared his throat. "We were behind schedule for the secret artifacts exhibit…"

Flashback

"So, when the artifacts finally arrived… The workers and I were rushing to put together the displays… By the time we were finished… It was very late."

In the past, the workers walked off back to their homes as the man stayed back at the museum, checking over the museum artifacts.

"I was alone… Doing the final checkups on the artifacts, when suddenly…"

The lights in the museum blacked out. Startled, the man took out his small flashlight to look around.

"As I made my way towards the light switch… I heard them… Footsteps coming towards this way… It was starting to get scary!… When suddenly, I heard a cry!"

"Is… Is… Is someone there?! Answer me, please!" called out the man to the dark hallway where the noise originated. No response came… until a blue fire appeared in the air, causing the man to startle in fear.

"It's a… ghost?! AHHH!" screamed the man, running out of the museum, and out the door. But, when he looked back, the blue fire was gone, looking like it had never appeared in the first place.

"I was scared out of my wits… So, I brought all the workers back with me, and we searched the whole museum! But, we didn't find anything out of the ordinary! So… Since our patriate safety comes first, we decided to postpone the exhibit… After the workers left, I stayed behind to search through the museum one last time…"

Flashback End

"Oh my… And that was when we ran into you!" realized Cilan.

"This is all your fault, Darwin!" pointed Georgia.

"Me?! What'd I… oh, right, I jinxed it during the Trubbish mess." realized Darwin, wincing.

"A blue flame…" started Dawn.

"Stuff moving on their own…" added May.

"Lights shutting off and noises with no one there…" finished Ash.

"What is it?" blinked the man. The foreigners looked at each other, arms folded.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, girls?" asked Ash.

"Yeah." They nodded before saying in sync with Ash…

"We're dealing with Ghost-Type Pokémon."

"How'd you come to that conclusion?" awed Cilan.

"Cilan, I have the most experience out of this whole group traveling and I've been to plenty of 'haunted' places, a few with these two," explained Ash, jabbing a thumb at May and Dawn.

"The blue flame is Will-O-Wisp; a Fire-Type Move that practically any Ghost-Type can learn," added Dawn, remembering the Sky Warrior incident among several others.

"Same with the Move Psychic." nodded May.

"Plus, Ghost-Types live up to their name with their power to turn invisible without Camouflage." finished Ash.

"So… You really think that it's a Ghost-Type?" asked the man, more confused than scared.

"Well… maybe not a Ghost-Type. There could be more than one and I don't know anything about this region's Ghost-Types." frowned Ash.

"Then perhaps a thorough examination is required." hummed Cilan.

"Screw that! (slams hands on table, getting up) I came here for a Gym Battle, not another shenanigan-filled day, especially one that's out of some kinda horror movie!" cried Darwin.

"There is no time for that now!" scolded Georgia, glaring at her brother.

"Yeah, Darwin, this sounds more important!" nodded Ash. At his unspoken mentor's words, Darwin sighed, slumping into his seat.

"(chuckles) Lenora isn't here anyway. So, you can't have a Gym battle without her!" chuckled the man. The gang perked up at the name.

"Huh? Lenora?" echoed Ash, confused.

"Ah… That's right… I haven't yet introduced myself. My name is Hawes McPhee! And I'm the co-curator of the museum, you see! And when I refer to Lenora, I meant my wife! She's also the Nacrene Gym Leader!" explained Hawes.

"Yeah? Well, that's awesome!" smiled Ash before the gang started introducing themselves one by one. Hawes hummed, glancing at Ash. Why does he find the boy familiar? He shrugged. It might come to him later.

"May we all have a look around in your museum, please?" asked Cilan after the gang was done.

"Yes, of course! (Darwin groans) I'd be happy to give you all a quick tour! So, if you would all follow me… (leads gang to certain Fossil) It's thought that Kabuto, the Shellfish Pokémon were living on our beaches for about 300 million years ago!" explained Hawes. Curiouser, the Langleys took out their Pokédexes. Kabuto is a small arthropod Pokémon resembling a horseshoe crab. It is mostly flat with a protective, brown shell covering its body. There are two small, black eyes on top of its shell, which it uses for sight when it hides on the ocean floor. Underneath the shell is a black space that hides the structure of its main body. Only its four short, yellow legs and a second pair of luminescent red eyes are visible on its underside.

Kabuto, the Shellfish Pokémon. It is thought to have inhabited beaches 300 million years ago. It is protected by a stiff shell.

"Gheez… That was a long time ago!" winced Darwin. The tour continued on, the co-curator leading the group to a skeleton that looked a lot familiar.

"Wow! Isn't that a Dragonite?" asked May, remembering Lance's Dragonite.

"This is quite impressive! It's a skeletal model of a Dragonite! It just so happens that this is the largest Dragonite skeletal model in the world!" explained Hawes. Warily, the gang looked at the Langleys… only for them to look back with raised eyebrows.

"What?"

"Nothing." The others sighed in relief. Thankfully, it seems that their respective dislikes don't extend to corpses, as morbid as that sounds.

"Take a look at this! A most, amazing rock! It's a Meteorite!" pointed Hawes, gesturing towards the exhibit in a glass case. While the natives admired it, the foreigners look around warily.

"Are you sure this is safe here, Curator?" asked Dawn, getting the natives' attention.

"Why do you ask?" blinked Hawes.

"In my experience, meteorites are typically bad guy magnets. There's always someone out to get them," warned Ash. Veilstone City and Mt. Chimney came to mind with Dawn and May respectively.

"I… see. (looks at the exhibit) I will take that into consideration and ask my wife if we could increase security." nodded Hawes warily. Quickly, the tour went on, this time to the artifacts exhibit.

"This is our secret artifacts exhibit's main attraction!" pointed Hawes. Ash and Pikachu ran over to the knight displays.

"Awesome!" commented Ash, eying the iron armor. 'Maybe I should bring the Thunder Armor back.'

"[Yeah!]" agreed Pikachu.

'A knight in shining armor…' The girls blushed, thinking of their crush in said armor.

"These suits of armor were once worn in the Unova region!" explained Hawes.

"Most captivating…" commented Cilan.

"You do clean these, right?" winced Darwin, the farthest away from the displays.

"Of course we do!" scoffed Hawes.

"Ah! Check that out!" Hearing Ash, everyone went over to see a blue/yellow sarcophagus, with some symbols and objects around it.

"The artifacts on display here were found in the ruins! And researchers said that Cofagrigus is known to appear in these types of ruins!" explained Hawes.

"Cofagrigus?" repeated Ash, taking out his Pokédex. Cofagrigus is a blue and yellow sarcophagus-like Pokémon with red, menacing eyes and four ebony hands that appear to be shadows. A simply designed face is prominent on the 'forehead' of the Pokémon. Its real face is covered up by parts that slide open when it is active. White, sharp fangs create a taunting smile, and flamboyant patterns veil the coffin.

Cofagrigus, the Coffin Pokémon, and the evolved form of Yamask. People who approach Cofagrigus are swallowed and turned into mummies. It loves to eat gold.

"Is it a real specimen?" asked Cilan. The foreigners warily reach for their Poké Balls.

"Ugh… No! This is just a replica!" explained Hawes, opening the sarcophagus for proof. Sighing in relief, the foreigners relaxed.

"It's certainly well done!" complimented Cilan. Looking around more, the Kanto trainer then went over to the display case, seeing a mask.

"Hey, Hawes… What's this?" pointed Ash.

"Now, that's a Yamask Mask! Yamask frequently appears in ruins!" explained Hawes, gesturing to a picture below. Yamask is a shadow-like Pokémon holding a golden mask. It has two shadowy, tendril-like arms and large, red eyes. It also has a small tail-like appendage that holds the mask.

"Hey, what a weird-looking Pokémon!" chuckled Ash cheekily.

"[True…]" nodded Pikachu.

"Of course, the mask of the Yamask is a replica after all…" added Hawes.

"How can you tell?" asked Dawn.

"If it was real, no Yamask would leave it alone," answered Hawes. The foreigners frowned at the loose answer, keeping it on their faces until Hawes led them to a…

"Our library has been built with the additional artifacts information! Visitors are encouraged to study here as much as they want!" explained Hawes.

"Now, this is what I call a full service!" chuckled Cilan, looking around.

"Dang it…" grumbled Darwin, seeing nothing on electronics or software.

"So! This is the end of our tour! (turns serious) Now tell me, did you find anything strange?" asked Hawes.

"Well… Everything seems to be normal here at first…" noted Cilan.

"Emphasis on 'seems'. (folds arms) I think I have a suspect Pokémon in mind." nodded Ash.

"Who?" blinked the natives. Before Ash could say it… a stomach was heard grumbling.

"My bad… (rubs belly) I'm starving…" giggled May nervously.

"It is around lunchtime." hummed Cilan, glancing at a clock.

"Now that you mention it… I could go for something to eat." nodded Ash, rubbing his stomach. Humming, the Pokémon Connoisseur turned to the co-curator.

"Hawes, sir? Would it be alright if we slept in the museum tonight?" asked Cilan. Hawes widened his eyes in shock.

"Huh?! Sleep in the museum?!" echoed Hawes.

"Right! Then, that would help us spot any paranormal activities that are about to occur!" explained Cilan.

"With what you said about this mostly happening at night, we'll have some time to prepare!" nodded Dawn.

"Speaking of prepare… Hey, Darwin, which of our Pokémon can learn Shadow Claw from May's Blaziken?" asked Ash, the brunette smiling. Humming, the rookie searched his Pokédex.

"Let's see… Sorry, Ash, but no one on your team right now. (veteran sighs) My Purrloin can… so can all of Cilan's and Georgia's Pokémon except Vanillite. (pinkette fist-pumps) Dawn, Piplup can if he evolves." noted Darwin.

"[NEVE~R!]" cried Piplup, raising his flippers in defiance.

"That leaves 5 Pokémon and a few hours to learn." hummed Cilan.

"Right, because Ghost-Type Moves are Super-Effective on other Ghost-Types," remembered Hawes, snapping his fingers before chuckling. "Well, you all may be kids, but, you're all courageous! I'm impressed!"

(Night)

"So you've been in haunted places before?" When the time came, after a late lunch, then hours of rigorous training at the nearest Battle Club, and finishing with dinner, the gang returned to the Museum, setting up their sleeping bags when Darwin popped the question to the foreigners.

"Plenty." nodded Ash while glancing at his bag, relieved that he and Darwin decided to leave their Eggs at the Pokémon Center for safety.

"Man… I bet you got tons of Ghost-Types from those adventures, huh?" chuckled Darwin. Wide-eyed, Ash faced the girls with an expression saying 'Don't tell me…'.

"…I probably could've asked the Sableye to join after the whole fiasco so he could've stayed with Pikachu." frowned May, thinking of the first wild Ghost-Type she met after becoming a Trainer.

"Rotom's multiple Forms would've been interesting to show off in Contests…" realized Dawn.

"…We're idiots." groaned Ash, facepalming.

"Wait, so you never caught a Ghost-Type?" gawked Darwin.

"Befriended, yes. Caught, no." sighed Ash.

"Well, it's not too late to start," advised Cilan.

"Depending on how tonight goes, we might have a new member of the group." nodded Dawn.

"You sure that you six will be alright here?" asked Hawes, still concerned about the gang's safety.

"Of course! We always sleep like this most of the time!" grinned Ash.

"B—But, what if we start hearing voices? And the things that start moving on their own?" panicked Hawes.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, we can bring our Pokémon out for insurance," assured Darwin.

"Perhaps not all of them, given where we are and how destructive some of them can be and how few are effective against Ghost-Types," warned Cilan.

"True." nodded May, only taking out one Poké Ball. With a nod, the gang followed.

"Come out and help!" In various blue flashes, Deerling, Purrloin, Lillipup, Pawniard, Swablu, Munna, Snivy, and Pansage answered the gang's calls.

"Brilliant! (looks at Pokémon) Normal-Types are immune to Ghost-Type Moves while Dark-Types are resistant! Also, I've never seen a Swablu in person before!" commented Hawes.

"…Oh right, your wife's a Normal-Type Gym Leader," remembered Georgia.

"And ironic that you have a Deerling and Lillipup when she has a Sawsbuck and the whole evolution line," admitted Hawes. The mentioned Pokémon perked in interest.

"Anyway, with everyone's help, this mystery will soon be solved!" assured Cilan, leaving the co-curator to smile in relief.

"Sounds good to me!"

(Hours later)

"[Master Darwin! Master Darwin! Wake up!]" Those words repeated, followed by licks on his face, were the first things Darwin came to.

"Ugh… Lillipup? What's wrong? (canine growls around) Notice something?" worried Darwin. At Lillipup's nod, Darwin rushed to the foreigners while the canine did the same with the other Pokémon. 'Good thing we had our Pokémon take night watch.'

"Ash! Dawn! May! All of you… Wake up, now!" whispered Darwin loudly, shaking each of them awake.

"Ugh… Wha?" groaned Ash, opening an eye.

"I dedicate my win to…" sighed Dawn before blinking awake. May only mumble something, turning away… and into Ash's ear. Blushing at the words coming from the Hoenn girl, Ash sat up straight.

"MAY!" The girl shot her eyes open, seeing Ash look at her with a red face.

"…Was I sleep-talking?" blushed May. Ash nods.

"What were you talking about?" blinked Darwin, confused.

"WHEN YOU'RE OLDER!" Ash's frantic shout woke the other natives up

"Hm…? What's wrong?" asked Cilan, rubbing his eyes.

"Did Darwin see or hear something he wasn't supposed to?" glared Georgia, putting on her hat.

"Lillipup senses something coming," said Darwin, seeing the canine shake off some seeds from Pansage's Bullet Seed. Clean, Lillipup glared into a dark hallway along with Purrloin. Suddenly, a dark mist began surrounding the exhibit room.

"H—Hey… What's going on?" asked Ash, looking around with the others. Hawes yawned as he woke up, seeing the others awake.

"Unh… You're all up… Is something wrong— (jumped, looking around frantically) AH! T—That fog! What in the world could it be?!" yelled Hawes, staring straight at the dark hallway. Sniffing the air, Pikachu hissed, dancing his body.

"Uh… why is Pikachu acting like a Serperior?" asked Georgia. Noticing the serpentine movements, the foreigners widened their eyes.

"Or a Seviper… This isn't a fog, it's Haze!" realized Ash.

"Are you sure?" whimpered Hawes.

"We know something who uses that Move plenty of times. We could recognize it anywhere." nodded May, thinking of Jessie's Seviper. Before any more can be said, metallic footsteps are heard.

"Pawniard, is that you?" frowned Georgia.

"[I sound nothing like that!]" shouted the Sharp Blade Pokémon, stomping her feet to prove it.

"It's getting closer!" shouted May, Swablu diving into her arms.

"What do you think that's coming from?!" asked Ash, widening his eyes a little. His question was soon answered once a figure appeared in the Haze, approaching the group. Once it was visible enough, everyone gasped at the sight of hollow, yet moving knight armor.

"AHHH!" screamed Hawes, falling to the ground, trying to back away from the armor. "Ahh… Ahh… A GHOST?!"

"Do you three have an explanation for this?" asked Darwin, stepping back.

"It's glowing, (gestures to the purple aura around armor) so it's either being moved with Psychic, or the Ghost-Type is possessing it," answered Ash, Pikachu, and Deerling taking battle stances. Just because they weren't scared (except for Deerling, having very little interaction with Ghost-Types) doesn't mean they weren't on guard, especially once the knight pulled out a sword.

"Don't worry. With the armor being as old as it appears, the blade has been dulled throughout the ages," assured Cilan, Pansage forming a boulder with Rock Tomb before throwing it, intent on trapping the armor under it.

"Yeah… (sheepishly chuckles) About that…" gulped Hawes. Before anyone could ask, the knight swung its sword and sliced the Rock Tomb in half.

"It's not fake?!" gulped Darwin.

"You have something that dangerous lying around in a museum of all places?!" growled Georgia. She could only imagine how many kids would play with the weapon, thinking that it would be fake.

"File a complaint later. Munna, Psybeam!" waved Dawn.

"[Yay~!]" Eyes and spots glowing dark pink, Munna fired a multicolored energy beam outlined in dark pink from the latter. Once it struck the armor, the 'living' display fell apart, clattering onto the floor.

"Nice hit, Munna!" cheered Dawn, hugging her Shiny Pokémon. Suddenly, a fireball colored pink and shades of blue appeared out of the chest piece.

"Ah… Is that… a ghostly aura?!" exclaimed Hawes.

"No, that must be Will-O-Wisp." realized Cilan, relieved for the foreigners' experience. If it wasn't for them, he might've denied this in the name of science. Suddenly, the fireball floated around May, startling her.

"May, are you OK?" asked Ash, worried. His voice was unheard, since May kept her eyes on the fireball, remembering one of his Pokémon with that Move. Her breathing hastened at the memory, which Dawn noticed.

'She's gonna have a panic attack if she stays too close!' "Piplup, Ice Beam that Will-O-Wisp away from May!" pointed Dawn.

"[Away with you!]" Piplup opens his beak and forms a light blue ball inside it. He then fires multiple light blue beams from the ball at the fireball. Once the Move is struck, the flame is put out, steam is in place.

"Are you OK, May?" whispered Dawn, nearing the Hoenn girl.

"Yeah… thanks." nodded May. It's too soon for Ash to learn what happened to her back in Johto.

"Ah! Now what?!" yelped Darwin at the sight of the knight helmet levitating. Everyone's guard was quickly lowered at the sight of it chasing Hawes throughout the Museum, creating quite a humorous sight. Amused, the gang did nothing but watch the almost cartoony chase sequence. The amusement lasted for quite a while until the gang got bored.

"How long has it been?" sighed Georgia, cupping her cheek.

"10 minutes," answered Dawn, checking her Pokétch. Silently, the gang decided that the fun was over.

"Who wants to take a shot at it?" sighed Cilan.

"Ladies first." bowed Ash, the girls blushing at his manners.

"(accent) Why, thank you, good sir. (normal) Pawniard, give Shadow Claw a field test!" swiped Georgia.

"[Nothing like the present!]" Arms shrouded in black energy with purple outlines, Pawniard lunged at the helmet once it got close enough, swinging a blade onto it. On impact, the helmet fell and rolled on the ground. Still frightened, Hawes looked at the head of the armor with a sigh.

"Thanks… I needed that…" thanked Hawes, slowly getting up.

"Is it just me… or does it look like Hawes is targeted in particular?" noted May. The comment had Hawes frown in displeasure.

"A—After me?! I don't think that I would've done something that would get someone so mad…" assured Hawes, looking around.

"Maybe it's a business rival trying to wipe the competition?" frowned Darwin.

"But this is the only history-based museum in the entire region," argued Cilan. Before they could theorize more, rain suddenly shot down from the ceiling.

"Aw, my glasses!" whined Darwin, the water pellets blurring his vision.

"Deerling, can you use Sunny Day and… (rain suddenly stops) Nevermind," murmured Ash, the Pokémon looking around in confusion.

"I think that's the shortest-lived rain I've ever been under," noted Georgia.

"I believe that was Rain Dance just now." realized Cilan. Suddenly, there was a muffled voice that was on the other side of the hallway.

"Those are the very same sounds that I heard before last night!" gulped Hawes. Analyzing the sound, Georgia widened her eyes.

"It sounds like crying!" pointed Georgia.

"OK, are we sure this guy is innocent?" narrowed Darwin. Given how cowardly the man is, it wouldn't surprise him that Hawes would be lying to save his own skin.

"Whatever! Let's check what's going on!" suggested Ash. With that settled, everyone ran towards the exhibit room, where the crying had come from. Everyone looked around for the source. It wasn't long until…

"[Everyone, look!]" Hearing Pansage, the group followed his Vine Whip to see it pointing at the Yamask mask… with tears falling down the eyes.

"Guess we found the source…" gulped Darwin.

"But… Why would that mask be sad?" asked Georgia, confused.

"I knew it!" Ash punched his palm.

"What is it Ash?" asked Cilan. Ignoring him, Ash looked at Hawes.

"Curator, you need to open the case right now!" demanded Ash.

"W—why?" gulped Hawes. Looking at the mask, May realized what Ash did.

"So it's—"

"Yeah, (nods at May) and unless you want to be haunted forever, you'll do what I say." frowned Ash.

"Y—Yes, sir." gulped Hawes, searching his pockets for keys.

"You two know what's causing this?" blinked Georgia. Before Ash or May could answer, giant footsteps were heard. Curious, the gang (Ash having urged Hawes to keep looking) looked back to see a dark-pink aura-covered Dragonite skeleton stomping towards him.

"Z—Z—Z—Z—Z—" Darwin began stuttering non-stop at the sight.

'Uh-oh!' frowned Georgia. While she and the others know that it's moving via Psychic, her little brother is likely not thinking clearly, being scared at the possibility of an undead Dragon-Type. Right when the skeleton got close…

"Found the key!" The skeleton stopped at Hawes' shout. The latter noticed the former looking at him with eye sockets, opening his mouth to scream—

"Good!" Snatching the key, May unlocked and opened the case, grabbing the mask.

"This is what you want, right?" asked Ash, gesturing to the mask. May holds it up.

"Of course." snapped Dawn, concluding what the foreigners did.

"Seriously, what is it that you three found out?!" shouted Georgia. Before any of the foreigners could answer…

"What the semi-finalist of the Sinnoh League and the other two realize is that the mask is no replica." Hearing a new voice, the group (with Georgia helping Darwin) and the skeleton turned to the entrance to see a wide, dark-skinned woman in her late 20s with puffy teal hair and light teal eyes wearing an orange/beige striped headband, a white shirt with a white ribbon on her neck, as well as orange flats, and teal pants.

"Hi, dear! You couldn't have picked a better time to come home!" exclaimed Hawes in relief. The gang looked between them, confused.

"Hi dear…?" repeated Georgia.

"So… you're Lenora; the Nacrene City Gym Leader!" realized Darwin. The woman smiles in response.

"That's right. (turns to husband) So tell me, Hawes. Where did you get that mask anyway?" asked Lenora.

"Huh? (blinks) The mask? Let me see… Last night, when we were loading the artifacts, I found the mask on the ground! I had ordered only a replica of Cofagrigus, so I assumed that they sent this Yamask mask as a thank-you gift for the replica as well…" explained Hawes sheepishly.

"So you didn't bother having someone authenticate it?!" glared Georgia.

"Or even ask them if they sent it?" added Darwin.

"Those two are right! You know better than that!" scolded Lenora.

"Well… I guess I should've!" chuckled Hawes nervously. The gang and their Pokémon facepalmed. Even the skeleton facepalmed.

"You're an idiot!" synced the siblings.

"How'd you became a curator, even co, is a fact I'm having difficulty fathoming." sighed Cilan.

"I'll be punishing you later. Right now, we have a mask to return." sighed Lenora.

"Alright, Yamask, it's over! You can have your mask back!" shouted May, waving it around. The name had the natives blinking… then facepalming.

"Should've known it was a Yamask." sighed Georgia.

"The mask should've been a dead giveaway… no pun intended." nodded Cilan. Suddenly, the dark-pink aura left the skeleton, leaving it standing in place. Soon, the mask began levitating off May's hands before a figure shimmered into existence, holding it.

"If there was any doubt, it's gone now." shook Darwin. Ash scanned the Pokémon with the Pokédex.

Yamask, the Spirit Pokémon. Yamask is a Ghost-Type Pokémon that wanders the ruins of ancient civilizations.

"Of course! (smiles and nods) Yamask must've been hiding with the artifacts! That's how it ended up here!… But then, it had accidentally dropped its mask." Lenora explained.

"[That's right!]" nodded Yamask. Lenora gives Hawes a serious glare.

"You thought that mask was a replica, so you made the mistake of putting it away in the display case…" continued Lenora.

"[HA! Man is stupid!]" laughed Lillipup before doing a raspberry. Deerling and Munna soon gave their own. Their antics had Yamask giggling.

"But when Yamask saw that its mask was locked in the case, it had assumed that you had stolen it and locked it away," explained Lenora, frowning.

"So, Yamask got mad and did all of this!" exclaimed Ash, waving to the collateral damage.

"For the record, none of us are gonna pay for that considering it was his fault, to begin with." defended Darwin, pointing at Hawes. The curator bit his lips, before he ran over, standing in front of the Spirit Pokémon.

"Yamask… I truly regret what I have done wrong… I'm sorry… I beg you to forgive me!" pleaded Hawes, bowing.

"I apologize, too… Forgive us, please," added Lenora. Seeing and hearing the sincerity in the curators (as well as realizing he has mistaken the male's greed for idiocy), Yamask responded with several nods.

"Looks like Yamask forgave you!" explained May.

"You really think so?" asked Hawes.

"Wonderful. Thank you, Yamask." thanked Lenora, gaining a small nod and smile from the Spirit Pokémon.

"That ends a night of shenanigans!" sighed Darwin.

"Yeah, and you gotta admit that Yamask is actually a cool-looking Pokémon!" exclaimed Ash.

"[True that!]"

"True! And an air full of real mystery!" Cilan added.

(Entrance, Dawn… Pun Intended)

"Leaving so soon?" After cleaning what little damage occurred (with Lenora planning for her husband to pay for it as part of his punishment), the group (except for most Pokémon having been returned) reassembled outside, facing Yamask.

"[Yeah!]" nodded Yamask.

"You know, there are a few vacant spots in our group if you're interested in joining." offered Ash. Yamask hummed, looking the gang over. The idea of venturing off from ruins and seeing modern wonders had crossed the Ghost-Type's mind every now and then.

"Especially mine. (steps forth) Yamask, I plan on becoming Unova's first Top Coordinator. I would like you to help make that a reality." added May, taking out an empty Poké Ball. Yamask gasped. Coordinator, as in Contests?! The Ghost-Type's heard of them from many passing by Trainers, and being able to participate in them sounds amazing.

"[Sure!]" With a nod, Yamask pokes the button, letting the Poké Ball absorb the Spirit Pokémon.

*Beep… Beep… Beep… DING!*

"Alright, I caught… a Yamask!" posed May.

"[A new teammate!]" Blaziken and Swablu briefly broke out of their Poké Balls to join before returning. The gang smiles for her, equally happy.

"Now let's see…" Calming down, May scanned the Poké Ball with her Pokédex, once again thankful for Darwin removing the virus.

This Yamask is Female and has the Ability, Mummy. It has the Moves Haze, Will-O-Wisp, Rain Dance, Psychic, Night Shade, and Hex.

"Congratulations on your new Pokémon, Miss Maple." nodded Lenora, smiling with her husband.

"Thank you." Once those words left May's mouth, everyone watched the sun rising up into the sky.

"Ohhh… What a beautiful morning!" awed Dawn.

"Right! Such delicious morning air!" smiled Cilan.

"And a perfect day for a Gym battle!" smiled Ash.

"Don't forget that I'm going first this time." reminded Darwin.

"I see… So, does that mean some of you came here to challenge my Gym?" asked Lenora.

"Just us two," answered Ash, gesturing to himself and Darwin.

"Yeah, and the guy who's gonna beat ya first is Darwin Langley! Don't forget that name." taunted Darwin.

"And I'm—"

"I know who you are, Mr. Ketchum. (Ash blinks) I've seen your performance in the Sinnoh League." smiled Lenora.

"(snaps fingers) That's why I found you familiar! You're the Legend Buster that totaled two Legendary Pokémon with a whole team, and you were the only one to beat even one!" realized Hawes.

"…I thought you made up that 'Legend Buster' thing," smiled Ash sheepishly.

"You should pay more attention to the internet, it might surprise you," remarked Darwin.

"Anyway, I'm always curious about challengers' battling styles! I'm looking forward to seeing both of yours, especially the Legend Buster, up close and personal!" admitted Lenora.

"Alright!" grinned Ash.

"Bring! It! On!" dared Darwin. Before more could be said… at least half a dozen grumbling sounds were heard.

"…Right after breakfast."


Ash's Pokémon Team

Pikachu (M): Ability: Static. Moves: Agility, Thunder, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, Volt Tackle, Thunderbolt, Fusion Bolt, Brick Break, Strength, Attract

Primeape (M): Ability: Anger Point. Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Mega Punch, Seismic Toss, Cross Chop, Close Combat, Punishment, Dynamic Punch, Brick Break, Strength, Fire Punch

Deerling (M): Ability: Chlorophyll. Moves: Tackle, Camouflage, Growl, Agility, Double Kick, Sunny Day, Faint Attack, Leech Seed, Attract

Pidove (F): Ability: Super Luck. Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Leer, Steel Wing, Heat Wave, Attract

Oshawott (M): Ability: Torrent. Moves: Tackle, Water Gun, Razor Shell, Rock Smash, Ice Beam, Attract

Tepig (M): Ability: Blaze. Moves: Tackle, Ember, Yawn, Sunny Day, Heat Wave, Incinerate

At Prof. Oak's

Gible (M): Ability: Sand Veil. Moves: Dig, Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Rock Smash, Incinerate, Flamethrower, Dragon Claw

Muk (M): Ability: Stench. Moves: Body Slam, Sludge Bomb, Mud Bomb

Darwin's Pokémon Team

Tepig (F): Ability: Blaze. Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Ember, Odor Sleuth, Incinerate, Sunny Day, Heat Wave

Purrloin (F): Ability: Limber. Moves: Scratch, Growl, Assist, Iron Tail, Fury Swipes, Attract, Shadow Claw

Lillipup (M): Ability: Pickup. Moves: Leer, Tackle, Odor Sleuth, Bite, Helping Hand, Fire Fang, Attract, Take Down

Blitzle (M): Ability: Lightning Rod. Moves: Quick Attack, Charge, Shock Wave, Attract, Thunder Wave

Georgia's Pokémon Team

Beartic (M): Ability: Snow Cloak. Moves: Slash, Night Slash, Icicle Crash, Ice Beam, Rock Smash, Strength, Brick Break, Shadow Claw

Pawniard (F): Ability: Defiant. Moves: Metal Claw, Iron Head, Guillotine, Faint Attack, Assurance, Night Slash, Brick Break, Shadow Claw

Vanillite (F): Ability: Ice Body. Moves: Avalanche, Mist, Icicle Spear, Ice Beam, Attract

May's Pokémon Team

Blaziken (M): Ability: Blaze. Moves: Blaze Kick, Overheat, Flamethrower, Sky Uppercut, Fire Spin, Shadow Claw, Mega Kick, Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Heat Wave, Brick Break, Double Team, Attract

Swablu (F): Ability: Natural Cure. Moves: Sing, Mist, Round, Double Team, Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Heat Wave, Attract

Yamask (F): Ability: Mummy. Moves: Haze, Will-O-Wisp, Rain Dance, Psychic, Night Shade, Hex

Dawn's Pokémon Team

Piplup (M): Ability: Torrent. Moves: Drill Peck, Ice Beam, Hydro Pump, Whirlpool, Mist, Brick Break

Togekiss (F): Ability: Serene Grace. Moves: Aura Sphere, Sky Attack, Air Slash, Safeguard, Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Heat Wave, Brick Break

Munna* (F): Ability: Synchronize. Moves: Psybeam, Yawn, Imprison, Barrier, Attract

Snivy (F): Ability: Overgrow. Moves: Attract, Vine Whip, Leaf Storm, Leaf Blade, Sunny Day, Solar Beam

Cilan's Pokémon Team

Pansage (M): Ability: Gluttony. Moves: Bullet Seed, Bite, Solar Beam, Dig, Rock Tomb, Vine Whip, Sunny Day, Shadow Claw

Dwebble (F): Ability: Sturdy. Moves: Protect, Slash, Dig, X-Scissor, Shell Smash, Shadow Claw


May: A Yamask?

Omarnosian10: Yeah, one thing I disliked about the early anime was how in almost every horror-based episode, no one tries catching the Ghost-Type responsible or used as a scapegoat. I was relieved when Ash had done that with his Gengar and ticked that he didn't officially do it with Haunter.

Ash: Thanks… I think.

Omarnosian10: You're welcome. Also, speaking of scapegoats, I was happy to see Heracross0122 give the Dusknoir from "Ghoul Daze" a happy ending with him joining Conway and becoming his canon Dusknoir in his story "SIS: Diamond & Pearl Adventures". If you're reading this, shout-out to you, man!

Dawn: *shivers* Why did you have to mention him?

Omarnosian10: I know many people see him as creepy, but I see him more as mischievous. Plus, better him than Kenneth.

Ash: You mean Kenny?

May: Are we talking about Sinnoh or Hoenn?

Omarnosian10: Sinnoh. Unless he stops being possessive and tones down on "Dee Dee", he'll always be referred to me as "Kenneth".

Dawn: …I'm not gonna like his version here, am I?

Omarnosian10: Dislike is too weak a word. Anyway, for those culturally unaware, the Nacrene couple gets their last name from the curator of "Night at the Museum".

Cilan: Nice reference.

Omarnosian10: I try. Now if you excuse me… SMOKEBOMB!