Most of the heroes’ night, with the exception of Steel, was spent trying to explain what happened to the cops. They were almost arrested until Nurse Joy, who left the center as soon as it happened to get help, explained they were survivors of the whole massacre. The security tapes proved the nurse’s claim and pointed out the true master mind of the slaughter. The leading officer instructed one of her underlings to walk the trio through the Rock Tunnel after a proper meal and night rest.

The officer on the job was a talkative fellow but seemed to be a little too into trying to figure out what happened at the center last night rather than keeping quiet about the traumatic event. The group came to a silent agreement that he was put up to it by the head officer. Regardless, not many of the trainers in Rock Tunnel advanced them with a police officer leading their way, that was another story once they left the tunnel, the officer gave a salute and reentered the tunnel and immediately a trainer came up to Brass and demanded a battle.

The trainer was promptly defeated and cursed, vulgarly, and damned him for being an outsider. The young trainer ran south, in the direction of Lavender Town. They followed and was greeted with something odd, a town in the afternoon and yet so barren. The grass was brown, the houses were old and the paint was pealing, not a child, adult or Pokémon was in sight. Steel noticed the curtains of a window open slightly and an angry eye glared at her.

The sky suddenly rumbled and crackled causing a downpour of rain and thunder. A collective groan came from Brass and Steel as the trio made a mad dash for the town’s small Pokémon center. The first person to give them a smile, and a nervous one at that, was Nurse Joy.

“O-oh, hello and welcome to the Pokémon center, would you like me to heal your Pokémon?” Brass plopped Flaming Billy and Clefa Star’s pokeballs on the counter.

“Yes please ma’am.” She smile warily and turned to the healing mechanism, and much to Galvin’s surprise, dusted it off. Was it really that rare for trainers even came here? Steel seemed to catch on to what he was thinking so she leaned in close and pressed her face to his back.

“It’s the Marowak’s Curse!”

“The what…?”

“It’s the curse of a Marowak killed by Rune, it kidnaps children and then kills them! People hide from the spirit in doors and turn a cold shoulder on outsiders hoping they will be captured instead of them!”

“That’s a load of crap.” Galvin stated bluntly. Steel gasped.

“It must be true! You saw how everyone was treating us!”

“When I see a ghost I’ll believe it.”

“Fine! Let’s go see one!”

“Oh really?” Galvin gave her a quizzical look. “And just where will find a ghost?”

“At Pokémon Tower! They say the ghost lurks there.”

“If it makes you shut up lets go then,” Galvin looked to Brass, who was drawing pictures on the dust on the table tops. “Brass, you coming?”

“Uhhh, no I’ll pass, I’ll just wait for you two.” Galvin made a face, probably cursing him for being the lucky one not being dragged off on this stupid adventure with Steel. Brass waved a goodbye and waited a little while longer for his Pokémon. Once they were returned to him the nurse gave him a shy smile. Brass exited the Pokémon center and back into the rain (as if he would stay in a dusty center) and drifted around the town.

Lavender was exceptionally small so there wasn’t much to do, until a pokeball crashed into his face. Brass crumpled to the ground, nursing his injured face.

“Get inside stupid!” he looked up and it was the boy he battled not even an hour ago. The boy stared at him with a rather annoyed expression. Brass looked around in a haze, he didn’t see anyone, or at least he didn’t think so.

“Me?”

“No, the invisible Grafarig next to you.” When Brass looked around again the trainer let out a frustrated grunt. “Yes you! Get inside!” Brass walked inside with his head spinning, the young boy slammed the door behind him making Brass jump. As Brass’s head cleared up he looked around this place was rather bright and cheery compared to the town, the walls were painted to look like a grassy green field, the green carpeting even helped give this effect, with a bright orange-yellow sun and fluffy white clouds, a white fan hung from the ceiling moving at a slow pace with a bandaged up Pidgey and Sperow perched on it. On the floor were other types of Pokémon roaming around, all badged up as well, and little obstacle courses and toys for the Pokémon.

“Where am I?” Brass suddenly asked.

“My grandpa’s house.” The boy grumbled.

“Okay, why am I here.”

“Because it’s raining you idiot, my sister say you outside and told me to bring you in.” Brass blinked.

“Oh, well I should probably thank her…” suddenly a bell rang all the Pokémon stopped what they were doing and hobbled to the source of the ring in the next room over. Curiously, Brass followed them, the doorway lead to a dining room and a kitchen. The floor was littered with bowls of Pokémon food and berries of different varieties. Kneeling on the floor was a girl in her teens clapping her hands and encouraging the Pokémon to eat up. She was wearing a simple white summer dress and a pale yellow apron; she had long brown hair tied up in two ponytails and hazel eyes.

Brass had to admit she was kinda pretty…

The girl looked up and noticed him, she smiled.

“Oh hello, I see David was nice enough to listen to me and let you in.” she stood up, wiped her hands on the front of her apron and extended a hand to him. “I’m Helena Fuji.” Brass took her hand, blushing.

“I-I’m Brass Elliot.”

“Nice to meet you.” She took her hand from his and put both of her arms out. “Now put them there.”

“Put what there?”

“Your clothes of course.” She smiled. She was smiling as if there was nothing wrong with that she said. Brass went red and shook his head.

“W-why would I have to do that?!”

“Because you’re wet silly, just change into your other clothes and I’ll dry your wet ones.”

“…Oh.” Well, that put him to ease. Why wouldn’t she have said that from the beginning? “Well, thank you, but won’t that be a waste if you’re only drying my clothes?”

“No worries, its laundry day for us.”

“I see, well where’s the bathroom?” he pointed down a nearby hallway. “Is it this way?”

“Yep, the last room down there.” Brass drifted down the hall, he stopped half way. He could hear a sound, a creepy sobbing echo. Oh god. The house was haunted. Wasn’t it? He gulped as he reached his destination, the bathroom and the source of the crying/ghostly wail. He slowly opened the door, he saw something move and screamed, whatever it was screamed right back and threw something, which hit him square in the face. Brass staggered back with a bloody nose and looked to the floor to see what hit him…

ohgod

It was a femur bone. An actual femur bone. Brass backed away or tried to, he pressed himself against the wall as the creature came closer and closer to the door. The creature came into view.

…

“Huh? A….Cubone?”

Steel was clinging to Galvin’s arm in fear; they had not seen any ghosts at all, instead all they found was a massive amount of channelers chanting to add to that the tower was lit by only candles, the windows were all open with the howling winds making it over all creepy. Galvin was smirking; this was the sixth floor of seven and not a single sign of a ghost.

He motioned to the stairs. “Ladies first.” She huffed.

“Don’t get cocky! There’s still one more floor meaning another chance for a ghost to get us! Or even on our way down!” he laughed and pat her on the head. Oh naïve Steel. Still believing childish fairy tales about ghosts.

“Now, now Steel. Ghosts aren’t real, you should have learned this by now…” suddenly a cold chill came over him and Steel. The tense girl smiled and frowned at the same time, clearly the cause was a ghost and well it was a ghost. Steel screamed and hugged Galvin harder, he choked on air felling, what was possibly his lung, rupture.

“There’s no ghost! Calm down Steel.”

Get out.

He gulped. Oh Arceus. He slowly turned his head to the looming figure behind him. He blinked and proceeded to laugh.

“Oh, it’s just a Gastly. Your big scary ghost was just a Ghastly Steel!”

Get out… get out… getoutgetoutgetoutgetout!!! the voice wailed, the temperature dropped steeply and the wind suddenly picked up, throwing everything that wasn’t bolted down around like sheets of paper. Galvin and Steel rushed for the stairs and the channelers were going crazy, demanding to know what they did to the ghost as they ran. The duo made it out the building, breathing heavily.

“Never… again.”

“Agreed.”

“Oh Lanna was hiding in the bathroom again? So cute!” Helena cooed at the Cubone hiding behind Brass’s leg. “And she even likes you!”

“You’re just scaring her again.” David grumbled cleaning up the kitchen and even clean off some of the Pokémon that managed to fall in it’s food.

“Me? Scare Lanna? Oh you’re so silly David! You know, you should keep her!”

“I should?”

“You haven’t noticed but everywhere you’ve gone she’s followed you around the house, see! She’s even next to you on the couch.” Brass looked to his left and there was the Cubone, hiding behind its bone and a couch cushion. “She never acts like that to anyone, not even grandpa! She must really like you!”

He had to admit it was kinda cute…

“Isnt she your grandfather’s though?”

“Oh no, Grandpa doesn’t have any Pokémon, he finds abandoned and hurt Pokémon and nurses them back to health. From there he lets them go or gives them to a trustworthy trainer, I think you’re trustworthy so I think its okay that you can have Lanna!”

“Gee, thanks.” Helena opened the blinds and smiled as the pokemon gathered around.

“Oh look the rain is gone,” she returned Brass’s clean clothes to him with a shake of hands. “Take care you two.” It took him to realize she was now expecting him to get out. He blushed and nodded.

“Yeah, uh, thanks for the meal and letting me come in.” Brass placed his clean clothes into his backpack just as he was about to zip it Lanna climbed in, looking at him with big cute eyes. He closed it up partly and pull on his bag, he waved goodbye once more as he left the house. Helena smiled.

“What a sweet boy.” She turned to her little brother who scowled. “Don’t you think so?”

“Go read your corny book of myths.”

Brass entered the Pokémon center to give the Cubone a checkup, he was greeted by his two friends that were both incredibly tired and warn out.

“Oh hey guys, what’s happening?” the grunted. “Uh, the nurse was telling me we would have to take an underground path to get to Celadon City…”

“Okay.” Brass awkwardly looked away. Did the ghost hunt go that badly for them?