Ash and the gang traveled for a full day toward south from the Safari Zone, until they reached the coast. From there on, Ash brought back his two Lapras's from Oak's Lab, so he and his friends, can ride them to get to their destination.
Mt. Pyre - the destination toward which Ash and the others are heading - is located on a small Island in the central Hoenn and is directly south from the Safari Zone, and south-west from Lilycove City. The whole place is known as 'the mountain where spirits of Pokémon have rested and will always rest: past, present, and future'.
Mt. Pyre can also be considered a counterpart to Kanto's Pokémon Tower, which is located in Lavender Town. Both are the places with a large amount of Ghost Pokemon who live there.
As they were approaching to the southern part of the island, where the entrance for the mountain is, the gang were discussing about something that May revealed to Ash and Max, after they left the Safari Zone.
"What do you plan to do with that Mega Stone you found in the Safari Zone, May? Max asked.
"I don't know," she replied. "It's not for a Ghost or a Rock Type Pokemon, so I really don't have any interest in it, but I won't just give it away."
"You can exchange it with someone, or you can sell it." Serena suggested.
"I can do that," May nodded. "I guess I'll think about it, and decide on which of the two is better."
"I think that trading it is better," Serena said. "You can trade it with someone who has a Mega Stone for a Rock Type Pokemon. That way, you will have what you want. If you just sell it, you will get the money, but there is no way of knowing if you will be able to buy another Mega Stone with that money. There aren't that many people who sell Mega and Key Stones."
"Is that what you decided to do with your Garchompite?" Ash asked Serena. Serena got her Garchompite from Aarune, as she was able to defeat him in their battle, and has had the stone ever since.
"I did," Serena said. "I already have a Key Stone and Altarianite, so I don't really need another Mega Stone, but I guess if an opportunity presents itself, I'll trade it."
"It would be good if I can find someone who would give me a Mega Stone AND a Key Stone, for the Mega Stone I have. I won't have any use for another Mega Stone, without a Key Stone. I can't even go and search for one, as they aren't easy to come by, just like Mega Stones."
"Serena was lucky that Steven Stone had a Mega Stone and a Key Stone, and was willing to give them to her," Ash said. "I doubt you will be that lucky. Most trainers wouldn't give away something like a Key Stone for free."
May sighed. "Well then, I guess it will take me a while to find a Key Stone and exchange the Mega Stone I found."
"Hey, don't be like that," Ash said to May. "You never know what might happen in the future, and you might get lucky and find someone on Mt. Pyre, who would be willing to trade Mega Stones with you. As for the Key Stone, you aren't really in a hurry, right? You just started your journey and have a lot of time to travel. I'm sure that you will find a Key Stone one day during those travels."
May smiled. "Thanks, Ash."
Ash smiled back.
"What are you going to do with that Charizardite that you found?" Serena asked Ash.
"Oh, I gave it to Amber." Ash replied, getting surprised looks from the others.
"Really?" May questioned.
"Yeah," Ash said. "I gave it to her when we talked to each other after the PokéRinger Tournament. She has a Charizard, which she is very close to, so I decided to give it to her. There is nothing better I could have done with it, as I don't need the money, so I wouldn't sell it, which leaves giving it to someone. She is my sister, and the only one with a Charizard, so she was a perfect choice."
"Does she have a Key Stone?" May asked.
"No, she doesn't," Ash replied. "But she said she will look for one, though she won't focus all her time on that. She knows that Mega Evolution is a nice addition to a powerful Pokemon or a team, but isn't everything, as even Mega Evolved Pokemon can be defeated."
"What about you, Ash," Max asked? "Are you going to look for some Mega Stone's?"
"Nah," Ash replied. "I already have two Pokemon which have permanent Mega forms, so I really don't need a Mega Stone and a Key Stone. I'm perfectly fine with what I have. Besides, I still don't know why my Lucario and Pidgeot have Mega Evolved like that, so it is possible that some of my other Pokemon might Mega Evolve by themselves. I guess I'll just wait and see."
By the time they finished talking about the Mega Stones, and Mega Evolutions, the gang has arrived close to the Island where Mr. Pyre is located. From where they are at that point they can see the island, and the huge mountain on it, but they can also see a harbor, with a bunch of boats, small ships, cruisers, etc.
"It looks like there are a lot of people on the mountain right now." May commented.
"Yeah, I guess this tournament has dragged even more people to come here, then the usual amount that come to visit the place," Ash said. "This is a popular place for Ghost Type trainers, and trainers who wish to catch one or two Ghost Pokemon for their team."
May smiled. "This tournament will give me a great chance to learn about Ghost Pokemon, while also giving me a chance to catch some ghost Pokemon which live here." She said.
"Let's get there first, and then you can make plans for catching Pokemon," Ash said. "We don't' even know if you would be allowed to catch Ghost Pokemon during the tournament."
"Why wouldn't I?" May asked.
"With the amount of people here for the tournament, if most of them catch some Pokemon, then there would barely be any left," Ash said. "This place can't be repopulated with Pokemon, like the Safari Zone can."
"Damn," May swore. "You might be right."
"Don't worry," Ash spoke. "Even if you don't catch any Ghost Type here, you will have another chance on your journey. There are a lot of Ghost Type Pokemon in the world, and I'm sure that you will catch many of them, just like the Rock Type Pokemon."
About 10 minutes later, the gang dismounted from the two Lapras's on the docks of the Island where Mt. Pyre is. Ash thanked his Pokemon and then returned them to their Poke Balls.
The four looked around the harbor, looking at all the different boats, ships, and cruisers, along with all the different people, which were going all over the place.
"You don't really think that all these people are here to compete… do you?" May asked.
"No way," Ash shock his head. "The tournament would never be finished if all these people compete. I'm guessing that 90% of the people here are just tourists and spectators. Only small number are here to compete."
"Even those 10%, are a lot." Serena commented, while looking at thousands of people, going around the place.
"Let's go and find the place where we have to register for the tournament, and see when and where it starts." Ash suggested. The others nodded, before they all walked of the docks, and toward the inside of the island.
XXX
It took them a while, because of the large crowd and the lack of signs, but Ash and the others were able to find a small building, which looks-like it was recently made. In the building, they found a bunch of people standing in front of the reception desk, behind which, Nurse Joy was standing in front of a computer.
At the desk, once they got their turn, Ash and May registered for the competition. They chose the Pokemon they will use, with May going only with Sableye, as it's the only Ghost Type she has, while Ash decided to go with Dusclops for the tournament, but he also decided to bring his Dragapult from Oak's Lab, and register it as well. He plans to use it to battle against Phoebe, if he wins the tournament and gets a chance to battle against one of the Hoenn Elite Four.
Ash chose Dragapult instead of his Gengar, because Dragapult has less experience, and hasn't traveled and battled with Ash, as much as Gengar did. As such, a battle against another Ghost Type belonging to an Elite Four member, would be a great chance for Dragapult to show how much he has progressed in his time at Oak's Lab, while at the same time, allowing Ash to see the same thing."
After they registered themselves and their Pokemon, Ash and May asked about the tournament, the rounds, the rules... everything that they needed to know.
"Here is the guidebook, which has everything you need to know about the Mt. Pyre, as well as the tournament," Nurse Joy said, as she gave Ash a guidebook she was talking about. "This guidebook is a special edition for this tournament, as it has the rules in it, while the normal guidebook has everything else, except the rules. That guidebook, we give to the trainers and tourists who come her for one reason or another."
"So everything we need to know about the tournament and the Mt. is in here?" May questioned, as she pointed at the book in Ash's hands.
"Yes." Nurse Joy confirmed.
After that, Ash and May departed from the reception desk, and went back to Serena and Max, who were standing near the entrance to the building, as they didn't think there was a need for them to enter inside, when it's already so crowded.
"Did you sign up?" Max asked.
"Yes, we did," May replied. "Nurse Joy also gave us a guidebook, which has everything about the Mt. Pyre, as well as the tournament. We will find all the information we need in here." She held the book for Serena and Max to see it.
Max took the guidebook, and looked at it for a moment, before he opened it and started listing the pages, and reading.
While he was doing that, Serena asked. "So, where are we going now? Where will we stay, and when is the tournament starting?"
"It starts the day after tomorrow," Max replied, as he was reading the guide book. "At 10 in the morning, all the participants gather at the battlefield, at the base of the mountain. From there on, the first round starts, which is a sort of battle royal, though instead of the battle, all the trainers are let loose on the mountain, where they have to catch some Ghost Pokemon. The catching contest lasts until 3 o'clock in the afternoon, by which time all the trainers must return to the battlefield, where they are going to show the Pokemon they caught. Then, a panel of judges is going to look over all the Pokemon, and rank them by how hard they are to catch. The top 8 trainers with the highest score in the end, would proceed to the quarter-finals, while the others are finishing the competition.
"Another thing is that, all the eight trainers will be allowed to keep the Pokemon they catch, no matter what Pokemon it is - as long as it's a Ghost Type – and regardless if they lose right in the quarter-finals or they win the tournament."
"Wohoho," May shouted in disbelief! "Are you serious?" She asked.
"Yes," Max said, while pointing at the guide book. "It's written here."
"What else does it say?" Serena asked.
"Well, you are only allowed to use Ghost Type Pokemon that you registered," Max explained. "Another thing is that the top three spots will be given some more rewards on top of the Ghost Pokemon they catch. What they get, will depend if they were third, second or the first place. The winner of the tournament will also battle against Phoebe, and she will give them another reward, if they win."
"What about the accommodations," Serena asked? "Where are we staying?"
"Yeah about that," Max began, as he looked at Serena. "It says here in the guidebook that the tournament committee doesn't organize the accommodations, as there is no place where all of us can stay. This is a small island with only a mountain on it. A few buildings that are here, are not meant for housing, which means that all the people who come here, and stay overnight, have to camp out."
Serena and May sighed. "Damn it," May said. "I really thought that we will sleep in some hotel or a Pokemon Center. I'm tired of sleeping on the ground."
"Get used to it," Ash said. "As long as you are traveling, you will have to sleep on the ground, because you won't be able to find warm place and bed to sleep in every night."
"What are we going to do until the day after tomorrow?" Serena asked.
"This is a big place," Ash said. "We can find a nice secluded section and train for the tournament."
"I agree to that," May said. "I need to train with my Sableye as much as possible, so I can get at least to the semi-final of the tournament."
"If you two are going to train, then what are Max and I supposed to do?" Serena asked.
"We can do whatever we want," Max said. "We can train if we want, or we can explore the mountain. It's pretty big, and there must be many things we can find here, except the Ghost Type Pokemon. You can't catch any Pokemon because of the tournament, but if we find something, like a Mega Stone, or some item, then we can keep it and no one can forbid us that."
Serena though about what Max said, and realized that he is right. She won't be able to catch any Ghost Type Pokemon, nor she is really interested in catching them, but there is probably some stone or evolution item on the mountain, and if she finds it, she can keep it. She does need several items and stones to evolve some of her Pokemon.
"Ok, I guess we can spend a day or two away from training to explore the Mt. Pyre." Serena said, making Max smile. He hoped that she will chose exploration, as there is always time for training, but he will not be able to get back to Mt. Pyre for a while, as he isn't a trainer yet, and he isn't even sure where he will start his journey once he becomes a trainer, as he will be living in the Pallet Town once Ash, May and Serena, finish their journey through Hoenn.
"Come on," Ash spoke. "Let's go and find a place where we can camp."
The others agreed and followed after Ash, as he walked away from the crowd, and toward the forest, where there are less people.
XXX
For the next day and a half, Ash and May trained their Sableye and Dusclops, by having them battle with each other all the time. They didn't teach them new moves. There was no need for that in Ash's opinion. What the two Pokemon needed, was to perfect what they know and to increase the power of their attacks.
It was obvious during the training that Dusclops is stronger than Sableye, though that doesn't mean that Sableye is weak. It's simply weaker than Dusclops. In Ash's opinions, Sableye is definitely good enough to battle in the Regional Tournament, and win a lot of matches, and he is sure that with Sableye, May will get far into this tournament. How far, it would depend on the other contesters and who she ends up battling. That is under the condition that she gets to the quarter-finals, because she has to catch a really good Ghost Type Pokemon in the preliminary round to be able to get into the top eight.
Sableye did get better during the day and a half of training though not much better, as it's not a lot of time to get that better, but still better than he was. Also, while he got slightly stronger, Sableye still wasn't good enough to defeat Dusclops, which made May realize that if she has to battle against Ash, she will lose… not that she didn't know that already.
Still, May will give it her all to get as far as possible into the tournament, as that would mean more battles, and higher chances to learn more of the Ghost Type Pokemon and the best way to battle with them.
When it comes to Ash, he has trained his Dusclops for a while, and he knows that the Ghost Type is definitely strong enough to evolve into Dusknoir, but it needs the Ripper's Cloth to evolve. Ash has decided to go thought this tournament with Dusclops, and if he wins, he will give him a Ripper's Cloth so he can evolve. It will be a prize for his Pokemon for the good battles and the win in the tournament. As for his Dragapult, Ash used him in one of the battles against Sableye, just so he can see its level of power. He was more than satisfied when he saw how powerful his Dragon/Ghost Pseudo-Legendary has become.
XXX
While Ash and May were training for the Ghost Pokemon tournament, Serena and Max were going around and over the Mt. Pyre. They were trying to see if they can find something interesting, like some evolution stone or item, or something else, which can be of use for them, even if it's just some pearl or item which they can sell to get some money.
They knew that they couldn't catch any of the Pokemon on the mountain, not until after the tournament ends, but they didn't care about that, as their interests lie in other types of Pokemon and not Ghost Types. Though Max wouldn't have anything against training a Ghost Type Pokemon, he won't actively go and seek to capture one. Besides, he's just nine-years old, so he can't catch any Pokemon, and can only train the Pokemon that May catches for him, or the Pokemon which May and Ash gave him, like the water types May gave him after she decided to become Ghost and Rock Type Pokemon trainer, as well as the Normal Type Pokemon, which he himself caught in the Safari Zone with the balls that Ash gave him. Ash has given him those three Normal Type Pokemon after they left the Safari Zone, just as he said he will.
XXX
When the morning of the start of the tournament has come, Ash, May, Serena and Max, were all happy and satisfies with the last day and a half.
May and Ash were able to make their Pokemon slightly stronger, while Serena and Max were able to check-out quite a bit of the Mt. Pyre, and also find some interesting stuff. They would have loved to have been able to look over the whole mountain, but they didn't have time to do that in just one single day.
Right now, Ash and May were standing on the battlefield of the stadium built at the base of the Mt. Pyre.
Ash looked around of the new stadium, which he knows was built recently, as it looks new, but he also knows that there wasn't a stadium on the Mt. Pyre, the last time he read about the mountain.
The stadium looks really good, in Ash's opinion. It wasn't that big, as he guesses that there are enough bleachers for around 20 thousand people to sit at. The battlefield was quite simple, just a regular ground, and nothing else. The shape of the stadium was rectangular, with the roof over the bleachers. The roof is built in a way that it can be opened and closed above the battlefield, so that the stadium can be turned into an arena, if necessary. The outside of the stadium walls, were mostly black, purple, and dark blue in color, with occasional picture of the Ghost Type Pokemon, like for example Gengar, Sableye, Duskull, Lampent…
When he first saw and heard about the stadium, Ash was really interested in the reason for a stadium like this being built, just to be used once, so he looked at the guidebook for information. In the guidebook, Ash saw that the Ghost Type tournament isn't just going to be held this year, but is going to be held every years from now on, which is why the stadium was built. From what he could see in the guidebook, Ash realized that the Hoenn Government wants to make a Ghost Type tournament to match the Whirl Cup held in the Johto Region, which is only for the Water Type Pokemon.
Seeing this, Ash wondered if the other Regions might try to do something similar, and create more tournaments.
Ash looked around the other trainers, trying to see if he can recognize some. He knew that the chances were small, but there is still a chance that at least one of over 100 competitors is someone he knows, or has met before on his journey through Hoenn. Unfortunately, with so many people on so little space, there was no way for Ash to see all of them, and those he could see, he didn't know.
Shrugging, Ash decided to pay attention to Phoebe, as she is the one who was currently standing on the plateau, and telling everyone the rules of the tournament, what they have to do, and everything else they need to know about the tournament. The only thing she didn't say is what the rewards will be for those who finish in top three. She also didn't say what she will give to the person who she battles, if that person defeats her.
Hearing Phoebe talking about giving the reward to whomever defeats her, he actually stopped and thought about that. He didn't think about it at first, but now that he did, Ash wondered what the chances of someone actually defeating an Elite Four member are. Even someone who wins a regional tournament would barely have a chance to defeat a member of an Elite Four. The only trainers who could defeat an Elite Four member are other Elite Four members, or Region Champions. Outside of that, there is barely anyone else.
This made Ash really wonder what the point was of saying that she will give a reward to someone, when there is no one in the tournament - except maybe himself - who can defeat Phoebe.
Ash's thoughts were interrupted by May, who saw that he was barely listening to Phoebe, and decided to nudge him a little to the ribs. Not enough to cause him pain or discomfort, but enough to get his attention. "What's up, Ash," she asked? "You seem distracted."
"I was just thinking about something," Ash said. "Don't worry about it."
May decided to listen to Ash, and went back to listening to Phoebe, who soon enough has finished with the explanation of the rules… not that she really needed to explain them, as they were written in the guide book.
"In one minute time, it will be 10 o'clock, and from then on, you will have five hours to finish the preliminary round," Phoebe said. "As such, there is no need to rush things, as you will have enough time to go and find a Pokemon which you believe will be good enough to get you among the top eight trainers who will be advancing from the preliminary round to the quarter-finals."
By the time she finished her speech, there was a bell which rang across the stadium, which signified that its 10 o'clock and that the preliminary round has officially started.
"Good luck to you all!" Phoebe shouted, as all the trainers started leaving the battlefield and the stadium, to go and complete the task. Among them were May and Ash.
XXX
While Ash and May, along with the other competitors were out on the mountain, Serena and Max were seating on the bleachers along with 20 thousand other fans, who have come to watch the competition.
Since this first round is not being held on the battlefield, the organizers have decided to use drones with cameras on them, which were flying all over the mountain, and taking videos of trainers as they are competing into the task. All those videos are being viewed by the fans, on a giant screen which was placed above the southern side of the stadium, right above the bleachers.
As such, instead of missing the five hours of competition, all the fans were able to watch it all live. The same goes for all the other fans who weren't able to get to the stadium. There was another screen outside of the stadium, and those who were there can watch it. At the same time, some channels were showing the competition on the TV, but only in the Hoenn Region. All the other regions could watch it, but at the later time, and not live.
"Do you think that both May and Ash would pass the preliminary round?" Max asked Serena.
"It depends on the Pokemon they catch," Serena said. "This round isn't just about battling skills, it's also a lot about luck. You have to defeat a high-level Ghost Pokemon to advance to the next round, and that shouldn't be a problem for Ash and May. The problem can be if they can even run into such Pokemon. They won't exactly show themselves just like that.
"So you see, this round is about skill and luck. If they are lucky, they will pass; if they are not… well they can always try it another time."
Max shock his head. "May might be insufferable if she doesn't pass into the next round." He said, making Serena smile.
XXX
All the trainers split up after they left the stadium, and went their way to search for the Ghost Pokemon to capture. Each trainer had one of their chosen Ghost Type Pokemon next to them, to help them in this quest.
Ash and May have also separated and went different ways, as they thought it would be better that way, instead of going together only to run into some Pokemon and then not being able to decide who to catch it.
Right now, Ash was walking next to his Dusclops, as they were going up the mountain, toward the higher parts. "Are you sure we should go up there," Ash asked his Pokemon? "It will take a while to go there and back. It's time which we won't have to catch a Pokemon if we don't find one up there."
"I can sense powerful ghosts up there," Dusclops said to Ash, while pointing at the Mt. Pyre's peak. "There are many others closer here, but they are not as powerful."
"We don't necessarily need a powerful Pokemon," Ash said to his Pokemon, getting a look. "We need a Pokemon which is in its higher form. For example, if I catch a Haunter, I would lose to someone who caught a Gengar. It wouldn't matter if that Haunter ends up being stronger and capable of defeating a Gengar. The tournament organizers won't look at that. Gengar is tougher to catch then Haunter, so whoever gets Gengar, gets the win over the one with Haunter. The same goes for other Ghost Type Pokemon. If I was to catch another Dusclops, I would lose to someone who caught a Gengar or Dusknoir or something like a Chandelure.
"Do you understand?" Ash asked in the end of his explanation.
"Yes," Dusclops nodded. "I understand. And I stay by what I said. Up there, higher level and higher form Pokemon. Down here, low level and low form."
Ash nodded. "Ok. If you are sure, then let's go up there and get this over with."
XXX
While Ash has his Dusclops who he can understand, and follow to there he needs to go, May isn't so lucky.
Sableye is strong, just like Dusclops. He is smart, just like Dusclops, he can sense other Ghost Types, just like Dusclops. What Sableye can't do, unlike Dusclops, is to speak with his trainer.
Unlike Ash and his Pokemon who speak few words, and both knew what to do and where to go, May and her Sableye can't speak to one another. May though, is really close to Ghost Pokemon, so while she can't understand Pokemon language, even if it's spoken by a Ghost Type, she can sense – in a way – what her Sableye wants to tell her.
"So, you are saying that we should go up toward the top of the mountain," May questioned her Pokemon, just to see if she got it right. It's not like they speak the same language, so she can't always get it on the first try.
Sableye nodded, though he motioned with his hands something, while also speaking few words. May managed to translate it… somewhat, but she again had to ask. "Not all the way to the top," she questioned, and Sableye nodded with a smile. "More like 70% to the top."
Sableye nodded. He was happy that he can communicate with his trainer to this level. It is something that May can't do with her other Pokemon, and 90% of the trainers in the world, can't do even as much as May can. Sableye, of course, knows that Ash can speak with all the Pokemon. He has spoken with him, so he knows from experience. He wishes that his trainer can do that as well, but he won't get his hopes up, because what Ash can do is an exception and not the rule.
"Which Pokemon do you feel up there?" May asked.
Sableye made motions and spoke, but this time May wasn't able to understand him. Both trainer and a Pokemon sighed after they realized that May doesn't understand Sableye.
"I have a feeling that it's going to take a while before we are able to completely understand each other." May said. Sableye nodded in agreement.
XXX
It has taken them two hours of constant climbing, but Ash and his Dusclops were finally able to get near the top of the Mt. Pyre.
Many would think that after all that walking upwards, Ash would tire out, but they were all wrong. He isn't tired at all. Didn't even break a sweat, which would be unnatural for anyone, but not Ash.
As for Dusclops, he was a bit tired, as he wasn't used to a walk like this one, but Ash and his Pokemon both saw this as a training to increase his endurance.
Several times during his climb, Ash saw a camera drone fly above his head, filming him and his Pokemon on the way to the mountains peak. Ash though at one point that those who are watching all of this, are wondering what he was doing, because he didn't try to catch any Pokemon, and there were actually several Ghost Type Pokemon that he has come across. Unfortunately, all the Pokemon he has seen, are low-form Ghost Type Pokemon, like Misdreavus, Shuppet, Duskull, Gastly, occasional Haunter, Sableye, etc. Pokemon like that are good if you are trying to catch them so you can train them to become strong. But in a competition like this one, they are not going to bring him entrance in the top eight. For that, he needs a Gengar, Mismagius, Dusknoir, maybe Spiritomb, or Chandelure. Pokemon which have power and form.
Ash looked at his Dusclops, who stopped walking when they reached the summit, and asked him. "Do you sense something?" Ash could have tried to sense himself, but he was having trouble trying to sense Ghost Types. He always had that problem, which is why he is relying on Dusclops to find him a nice Ghost Type to catch.
"Yes," Dusclops replied. "I sense several powerful Ghosts. They are all over the place, really. I guess you can chose whichever you want and we can go for that one. I can guide you to them."
"Which one feels like it's the highest level of them all?" Ash asked. He took a glance at one of the drones, which was above him, and he was sure that at that moment, many were wondering about his talking with his Pokemon. They are probably wondering how they can understand each other so well.
Dusclops looked around, before he pointed at one specific direction. "There are a bunch of them on that one place," Dusclops said. "They are all powerful, but one stands out among them all. That one is very powerful." Ash was curious about which Pokemon could Dusclops be talking about, until it crossed his mind that it could be some Legendary. The Mt. Pyre is a place where many Ghost Types live, so it wouldn't be a stretch if a Ghost Legendary was to live there as well. The question though is. Which Legendary as there are quite a few Legendary Ghost Type Pokemon; and should he catch it if he can?
XXX
Before Ash reached the top of the Mt. Pyre, May has gotten to her destination, which is about 70% from the bottom of the mountain. It is where her Sableye led her after he told her that there is a potential Pokemon for her to catch.
Once they arrived, May looked at her Sableye, and asked. "Where is it? Can you sense it?" She was tired, and she wanted to end this as soon as possible, before she goes back to the battlefield, where she will wait to see the results. She hopes that the Pokemon which Sableye senses, will be enough for her to qualify to the quarter-finals, because she doesn't feel like searching for another. She has come to this tournament to battle and learn more about the Ghost Types; not to chase around the mountain, hoping to catch something.
Sableye looked around for a few moments before he pointed at the direction of a cave, which leads inside of the mountain.
"Let's hope that whatever Pokemon is inside that cave was worth all this climbing." May said with a sigh.
May walked toward the cave, followed by her Sableye. They also noticed that one of the camera drones was also following them and looks like it will go after them into the cave. May guessed that that is normal, as the people wouldn't be able to see what's going on inside without one of the cameras there to record it all.
While she was walking through the cave, May was very careful as the visibility wasn't great. The whole place was very dark, and the further inside she goes, the harder it was to see.
May looked at her Sableye who was walking next to her, and wasn't looking bothered by the lack of sight. It seemed natural to him, which May could understand, since Sableye used to live in a dark mine before she found him and caught him. She assumed that he has gotten used to the dark that way. On top of that, Sableye is a Ghost and Dark Type, so he has a very tight connection with darkness, and usually ghost types live in dark place, so this cave is like a home for Sableye.
Other Pokemon who live in caves like this one are Zubat and Golbat. As she was walking down the cave, May could see nothing but darkness, so she let her Sableye lead the way. What she could see and feel besides the darkness, is that the roof of the cave, had a bunch of glowing eyes, which were looking directly at her. May gulped as she knew which Pokemon that are, and she hoped that they won't attack her. She knew thought that unless she disturbs them, they shouldn't attack her, though you never know.
May cast a look behind herself, as she saw that there is a small light coming from the drone which was following her. She guessed that that's because they are in a dark place, and the light was next to a camera so that everything could be seen by all the people watching her as she was walking down the cave road. She did wonder though, why the Zubat and Golbat aren't attacking the drone, as the light would probably annoy them.
Sableye and May continued to walk down the cave path, for a while. They were followed by the drone, which was the only source of light May had, though even with it, she could barely see anything.
After almost 10 minutes of walking down the dark path, which made May wonder how she hasn't hit anything as she couldn't see almost anything; she has finally noticed that there is another form of light, coming from down the cave.
May looked a little closer, when she noticed that the light isn't normal and it looked like its purple in color. It made her wonder what it was and was on guard. She noticed that her Sableye is also on guard.
Sableye said something to May, which she tried to comprehend as best as she could, but all she could get is a warning to be careful. She knew right then that if Sableye was telling her to be careful, then they must have found one powerful Pokemon, and are about to have a tough battle.
May and Sableye walked closer to where the light was coming from, soon noticing that there is more the one light, that they are purple, and close to each other.
Before May could say or do anything, she was surprised when she saw purple light coming toward her. Almost immediately she noticed a heat increasing inside of the cave, which made her realize that it's not the light she was seeing, but purple fire.
"Sableye, use Protect!" May screamed when she saw that she was in danger.
Sableye was already in front of May, so he reacted quickly and created a greenish barrier in front of himself, which stopped the stream of fire from hitting him and May, saving them both.
The collision of the stream of fire, with the barrier created by Sableye, caused an explosion which set the cave on fire, and lit-up everything, allowing May for the first time since she entered the cave, to see its walls as well as see in front of herself. When she looked ahead, she saw a Pokemon flowing mid-air, and glaring at May and Sableye.
May took one look at the Pokemon, and knew that she was in trouble because she has no idea, which Pokemon this is.
XXX
Serena and Max were seating on the bleachers on the stadium, and watching on the big screen as the various trainers were shown on the screen.
They watched as Ash walked all the way to the top of the mountain, passing many Ghost Type Pokemon on the way there, and not showing any interest in catching them. This has made them wonder what he was doing, and has also confused the masses. They all wondered, why wasn't Ash catching any Pokemon, and what was he planning to do.
When it comes to May, she walked to around the mid-way between the half-way point of the mountain, and the top of the mountain; before she walked into one of the caves, following Sableye all the time, as he seems to be leading her.
After a while of May walking down the cave path, with the camera focusing on her to see what she will find, May found something, though what that something is, barely anyone knew.
"What Pokemon is that?" Max asked Serena.
Serena looked at the Pokemon, with her eyebrows raised in surprise. She wasn't expecting to see that Pokemon on Mt. Pyre, though the mountain is a place where a large amount of Ghost Types live, so it isn't impossible for a Ghost Type from one of the father Regions to appear from time-to-time.
"That's a Chandelure," Serena said to Max. "It's a Ghost/Fire Type from Unova Region."
"Wow, another Unova Pokemon." Max said in surprise. "We've been seeing them quite a lot lately, starting with Braviary, then Galvantula and now Chandelure. I wonder what's next."
"Maybe we will," Serena said. "But let's see first if May will catch this one. Chandelure are powerful Pokemon and can be very tough to defeat. This will be a true test for her, and if she catches it, she will most likely be in the quarter-finals."
Max nodded, and then went back to watch the battle between May's Sableye and Chandelure; which by then has already progressed.
XXX
While May was in the middle of the battle against Chandelure, Ash was walking down the cave path, not much different than the one May was walking through before she run into her opponent and potential Pokemon.
He was following after his Dusclops, who felt like at home in this dark cave, and surrounded by the Ghost Type Aura, which can be felt all over the Mt. Pyre.
The two were on the way for Ash to catch the Pokemon that Dusclops has mentioned he can feel in the cave, though judging by how Dusclops has mentioned about the power of the Pokemon, Ash isn't sure he will catch it, in the event that the Pokemon is a Legendary Pokemon. The reason Ash isn't sure about catching a Legendary Pokemon, is because he isn't interested in catching Legendary Pokemon. Yes, they are powerful, and can bring him even more fame, as being one of the rare people who caught the Legendary Pokemon. Ash though, doesn't need any more fame then he already has. He doesn't need the Legendary Pokemon to win the battles, and on top of that; training the Legendary Pokemon isn't nearly as interesting as training and battling with a regular Pokemon.
As such, Ash has to think on what to do if her runs into a Ghost Legendary. No matter which it is, it's going to be powerful and tough to defeat as all hell. To make matters worse, his strongest Pokemon he has with him is his Dragapult, but he isn't sure that Dragapult can defeat a Legendary Pokemon at his current level. Fight and tire-out; yes. Defeat; not so much.
If this was a normal day, and he isn't a part of the tournament, Ash would have just brought one of his most powerful Pokemon from the Oak's Lab, but since he is in a tournament, he is limited to using only the Pokemon he has registered for the tournament, which are Dusclops and Dragapult. If he was to use any other, he would be disqualified from the tournament even if he was to defeat and catch a Legendary Pokemon.
The farther into the cave he was going and the closer he was getting to the Ghost Type Pokemon which live in it; the more Ash was able to feel the Pokemon inside of the cave. Normally, he has trouble sensing ghost Pokemon, but he can somewhat sense them if he was close to them. As he was close to them right now, he can sense their presence, and feel their power.
Dusclops was right. There are many powerful Pokemon there, and many of them in their final forms. But among the large group of powerful Ghost Type Pokemon, there is one more. Another Ghost Type, whose power is much higher than that of the other Ghost Types. Ash was able to clearly sense its power, and was able to estimate it at being around the level of his eight strongest Pokemon, which the last time he saw all of his Pokemon before he left for Hoenn, was Dragonite. As such, Ash was 100% sure that he can't defeat that Pokemon with the Pokemon he currently has with him.
Few minutes later, Ash and Dusclops walked out from the path and found themselves inside of the large cave, which was filled with Ghost Type Pokemon as far the eye can see. There were so many of them, that Ash is sure that he will most likely never again see that many Ghost Type Pokemon at one spot for the rest of his life. There are hundreds of them, from Gastly and its evolved forms, which are quite common in Kanto Johto and Hoenn Regions, all the way to the very rare… at least for the Hoenn Region, Chandelure and its pre-evolved forms, as well as Honedge and its evolved forms. As he was looking around, Ash was sure that except few Ghost Types from Alola and Galar Regions, along with the Legendary Ghost Type Pokemon from all the Regions, this cave has all the other Ghost Type Pokemon.
The moment Ash and Dusclops entered into the cave, they were spotted by the Ghost Type Pokemon, who all looked at them, some in fear, some in wonder, and some in anger. But all of them were looking at Ash and Dusclops, including several other Dusclops's, which were in the cave along with its pre-evolved and evolved forms.
Ash looked at all the Ghost Types, and wondered what he was going to do. There are a lot of them… much more then he though there would be, which is why he isn't sure how to proceed from here. He can challenge one of them to a battle, but he doesn't know how the others would react. From the looks on their faces, they don't seem to be happy, and some of them seem outright hostile, which is a bit strange for the Ghost Types as they tend to be more playful then menacing.
Unlike Ash who was relatively calm, though he was on guard, his Dusclops was on guard, but also afraid. He can sense the hostility from the other Ghost Types, and he has a bad feeling that they will attack him and Ash before anything could be said to defuse the situation.
A Dusknoir, Gengar and Chandelure, floated from the crowd of the Ghost Pokemon and toward Ash and Dusclops, putting Ash even more on guard, while Dusclops started sweating. The three Pokemon looked from Ash to Dusclops and back, before they settled on Dusclops. "The two of you shouldn't be here," Gengar spoke. "This is a place where we forbid all humans from coming, so we advise you to leave right now, before something unnecessary happens."
While it was talking, Gengar was looking at Dusclops because he knew that Ash won't be able to understand him. Dusclops will understand him though, and by talking to him Gengar hopes that his fellow Ghost Type would be able to convince his trainer to walk away from the cave and never come back.
Dusclops looked at Ash, knowing that Ash understood what Gengar had said. As such he said nothing and kept quiet, waiting to see what Ash will say and do.
Few seconds later, Ash sighed. "Look," he spoke, while looking at Gengar and the other two Pokemon. "We don't want any trouble for any of us. I'm just a part of the tournament and I have to catch one Ghost Type. The higher form the better. That's the only reason I came here. So. Is there any one among you who is willing to battle against me, and if I win, that Pokemon will come with me. If I lose, we will walk away and leave you alone. What do you say?" Ash asked in the end, looking at the three Pokemon in front of himself, while also casting looks at the other Pokemon around the cave.
The three Ghost Types looked at each other, before they looked at Ash and his Pokemon, before they turned around and looked at the other Ghost Types in the cave. After few moments, they looked at each other again, before they started to murmur between each other. It seemed that they are trying to decide on what to do.
Just like Gengar, Chandelure and Dusknoir, the other Pokemon in the cave were also murmuring between each other, and waiting to hear what will happen and what will the three Ghost Types decide to do.
All of this has told Ash that the three Pokemon in front of him, are the leaders of the other Ghost Types in the cave, which is why they are making a decision, while the others are waiting to hear it. Ash can also feel their power and can tell that they are strong, though he isn't sure if there is another Pokemon among the crowd, which is stronger then they are, because there is so much of them that Ash can't sense all of them and determine how much is everyone powerful. What he can tell is that there is at least one Pokemon stronger then these three, and that so far, that Pokemon has been staying further into the cave and out of sight. Ash really wondered which Pokemon that is.
Before Gengar, Chandelure and Dusknoir could come to a decision, a loud sound came from inside of the cave, which made everyone instantly quiet down and look toward where the noise came from.
Ash knew that this is the sound of the Pokemon that Dusclops mentioned before and the Pokemon he can sense. The sound reminded Ash of something, and he was thinking on which Ghost Type can produce a sound like that. Just as Ash has finally remembered about a Ghost Type Pokemon which can make that sound, a Pokemon walked from further down the cave, and walked toward Ash, Dusclops and the three other Ghost Types.
Ash took one look at the Pokemon walking toward him, and knew that he has guessed right. "Well… I'll be dammed." Ash said while looking at the Pokemon.