“Abra! Abra!” Ash looked up from his pillow at his Abra. It was just waking up from its long slumber, but at a bad time—in the middle of the night. Ash blinked and yawned. He picked up his Abra and walked out of the rustic room. Before getting to the door, he looked back at his sleeping friends. They were not woken up by Abra’s cries.
Ash walked into the hallway, pacing back and forth with Abra in his arms. Finally Abra went back to sleep, a lulling slumber. Ash’s eyelids, too, became heavy. He slid against the wall and fell to the floor, exhausted from lack of sleep.
Then a tapping on the window caught his attention and he opened his eyes, quickly searching the dark room to find where the sound was coming from. His eyes caught sight of a tree branch scratching against the window. He sighed and stood up, slowly finding his way back to his room, he stepped on a soft item on the floor. He squinted and bent down to pick it up. It was a rose, a silver rose with soft silky petals.
“That’s odd.” He quietly said to himself and pocketed the item. He opened the door to go back in his room. He fell onto his bed with a soft thud. Abra slept by his side.
Then he heard another sound, like the creaking of floorboards. Ash shivered and wiped the sleep from his eyes. He got out of bed again, leaving Abra on the pillow to sleep. This time Pikachu was awake and growling and charging electricity in its cheeks.
“Let’s check it out.” Ash whispered to Pikachu.
“Pi. Pika!” Pikachu said back to him.
The two tiptoed out the door and slowly closed it. The door shut with a creak. The two tiptoed down the hall and held onto the railing when they came to the stairs.
Up ahead a slender figure caught Ash’s attention. A tall, thin woman holding a silver rose stood in the corner near a window. Moonlight flooded her pale face. She stood as still as a statue and longingly looked out the window. She wore a blue kimono and two white bows held her black hair back into two neat buns. Ash almost thought she was a statue until he saw her sigh and turn to face him. Her pale gray eyes shone silvery tones and were filled with tears. One tear rolled down her cheek. Without a word she ran down the twisting stairs.
Ash ran after her, tripping over his own feet to get there. At the bottom of the staircase, she stood in front of a portrait. The portrait matched her face exactly. In the hand of the painting’s figure was a silver rose.
Ash gasped. “But your—your Karacer’s wife.” Ash said to her, stunned at his revelation.
“Pika?” Pikachu looked at Ash as if to say “So?”
The woman nodded.
“But you died five years ago!” Ash said, his words coming out of his skin.
Without warning, the woman turned to the door to leave. Ash reached his hand out but then pulled it back trembling. The slender woman left and shut the door. Ash stood frozen. Pikachu stared at the door, growling.
“I’m not sure what just happened!” Ash said to Pikachu. Something pulled on Ash’s pajamas. Ash screamed and ran up the stairs. Pikachu noticed that it was only Abra pulling on Ash’s cuff and the two sprinted upstairs to catch up with Ash.
Ash entered the room, panting and shaking. Brock, May, and Max woke up, startled from the disturbance.
“What’s going on, Ash?” Brock said, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
“Yeah, ya scared being in an old creepy mansion?” Max teased. He got up from his bed and put his glasses on.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” May remarked, holding Skitty and Zigzagoon close to her.
“I—I have! Karacer’s wife—she was just downstairs.” Ash said. Abra and Pikachu appeared in the hallway and jumped into Ash’s arms. “She looked just like the woman in the picture!”
“But, Ash, that’s impossible. The tour guide yesterday told us that Karacer’s wife, Arya, died five years ago from a tragic fever. And Karacer went traveling around the world since then.” Brock tried to justify.
“No. No, I know what I saw.” Ash said. He closed the door and jumped under the covers of his bunk bed, shivering. “She was holding a silver rose, like this.” He pulled the rose out of his pajama’s pocket. Everyone looked at it, startled.
“Hmm, well, tell me, Ash, where did you see her go?” Brock questioned.
“She ran outside and shut the door behind her.” Ash answered.
“Well, maybe there’s something about this family we don’t know. It’s late, too; you’re eyes could have been playing tricks on you.” Brock observed.
“But—but, Pikachu saw it, too. She’s either a ghost or Arya is still alive and has come back to the mansion.” Ash commented. He looked out the window at the wind whipping the trees around. He shuddered.
“Abra! Abra!” Abra cried, looking confused at Ash.
“Ash, the only thing we can do now is go to sleep and ask the tour guide more in the morning. I like to believe that this isn’t a ghost that is living here, but I don’t want to make you feel foolish.” Brock said. He turned over in his bunk bed and went back to sleep.
May sat up, pillows close to her, with Zigzagoon and Skitty on her lap. Her teeth were chattering and her arms shaking.
Max took off his glasses and went back to sleep. He didn’t seem too fazed by the whole situation. Ash, on the other hand, was worried. Him and his Pokémon stayed up for a long time until they were forced to sleep by exhaustion.
In the hallways, there wasn’t a sound. That was a good sign. Nobody was walking around in the hallways…for now….
[Theme music for Team Rocket comes in.]
Jessie, James, and Meowth crawled around the perimeter of the mansion in black burglar outfits. They would’ve blended in if it weren’t for uncoordinated steps. First, Jessie stopped, causing Meowth to collide into her. Then, James tripped over an old stump.
“Ow! I stubbed my toe.” James cried, holding his foot.
“Quiet. Do you want us to get caught?” Jessie whispered. “Hmm, there’s the entrance.” She turned to Meowth. “It’s probably locked. You’ll have to unlock it for us.”
“Wight. Got it.” Meowth answered. He jumped up the steps of the mansion and with one long claw out he began fidgeting with the lock. “Nope. It’s alweady open, Jess.” Meowth looked back at James and Jessie.
“Already opened? But why would they leave it opened at night? Don’t they know there are thieves, like us, that want to rob this place?” She pushed past James and opened the door. “I just hope no one beat us to this.” She whispered. The door creaked open. The three walked inside, leery of the sound their footsteps made.
James and Jessie bagged anything they could see was valuable. Meowth looked in drawers for small things he could carry.
“Ooo, Pokémon Cauds!” Meowth grabbed a pile of Pokémon Cards from the drawers in the living room.
“Focus on stuff we can sell. Those things aren’t worth anything!” Jessie strictly whispered to Meowth.
Jessie and James bagged items that weren’t too heavy to carry; small pictures, miniature statues, and a golden trophy.
Then, the three thieves heard noise from upstairs. They quickly exited the mansion.
Abra walked down the stairs and blinked. “Abra. Abra.” It said as it looked around, noticing stuff missing. It scratched its head and then decided that downstairs was boring. It wanted to go back to Ash. It teleported back upstairs onto Ash’s bed and fell back to sleep.
Morning came too early for Ash and friends. They were still exhausted from the disturbing night last night. Ash stretched and walked into the bathroom adjacent to the room they were lodging in. Abra was asleep and wouldn’t be up until fifteen hours from now. Pikachu woke and yawned. It jumped onto Brock’s bed and woke him up. Then, Max woke up.
Max looked at his sister on the bunk above him. “He, he, he.” He said and jumped up and startled her out of her sleep.
”Ah!” She screamed, also waking Skitty and Zigzagoon. Skitty was scared, but Zigzagoon seemed to be immune to May’s screaming.
“Oh, Ha-ha! Your so jumpy, May!” Max said, laughing. May growled at him.
“That’s not nice, Max. I could have hurt myself. I could have fell right out of this bed.” May insisted. She frowned and then stretched.
Ash walked out of the bathroom, all dressed and ready to go.
“My turn. I’m next!” Max yelled heading for the bathroom. Within a minute he was out, dressed in his normal shorts and jacket. May climbed out of bed and got dressed. Then, Brock was left last to get dressed. When the trainers were all ready, they headed downstairs to the kitchen. A tour guide was waiting at the entranceway.
“Please enjoy breakfast on the house! Meet me afterwards for a tour.” The tour guide said. She was dressed in uniform and seemed very alert. Everyone looked at the food in the dining hall. About a dozen other people were already there eating breakfast.
“Yum! I’m going to have pancakes.” May smiled and raced to the buffet. Max and Brock followed her, getting in line. Just as Ash was going to get in line, though, a familiar voice caught his attention.
“Hey, Ash!” The young male voice said. “What are you doing here?” Ash turned around to find who was taunting him, only to find an old rival.
“Gary?” Ash said, looking Gary in the face. It had been a long time since Ash saw him and he was much older looking now, his outfit was different; his haircut had changed, but not that smug smile of his.
“Yeah, who’d you think I was?” Gary retorted. He blew a piece of hair out of his face and walked over to Ash. “So, what are you doing here?” Gary honestly asked.
“Umm, umm.” Ash stuttered. The two walked over to get in line for breakfast.
Brock caught sight of Gary and said hello. May and Max greeted him. Gary was actually quite friendly, shaking everyone’s hand in a non-confrontational manner. Ash told Gary that they were in traveling through the area and decided to visit the Mansion because it was a tourist attraction.
“Yeah, I’m on my way to Lavaridge and I thought this would be a quick detour. It’s off the main route, but there’s more Pokémon when you travel off the main road. I caught a whole bunch. I’ll show you them later, Ash.” Gary said. They sat at a long table and began to eat their food. May and Max were playing with the maple syrup instead of eating it. Brock tried asking friendly questions to Gary. Gary kept answering them with his bragging tone.
“So, have you been to Greenridge before?” Brock asked Gary.
“Not until recently, but I’d seen it on the map before. And, I'm even thinking about checking out Aeroville City. They apparently have the largest Stadium in all of Hoenn.” Gary explained.
When breakfast was over, they all went outside to the back of the mansion. The yard was large and flat. It was perfect for a battle, and Gary took the opportunity.
“Hey, Ash, do you want to battle? That way I can show off my new Pokémon.” Gary said.
“Sure! I’ve been itching for a battle since last week.” Ash answered. Abra came out of its Pokéball without being called. It must have just woken up.
“Hey, when did cha get catch an Abra?” Gary asked; a puzzled expression washed over his face.
“Oh, this trainer named Kelly gave me it. It just hatched three days ago.” Ash continued to look at the Pokéballs on his belt, wondering which Pokémon to choose. Gary was sure to be stronger than last time Ash saw him.
“Hmm, this Kelly, did she have an Espeon?” Gary asked, as if he knew her already.
Ash’s eyes flew up from his waist to look Gary in the eyes. “Yes. Do’ya know her?” Ash asked.
“Well, she owns that Ranch on the other side of Greenridge. She’s pretty famous.” Gary said, sweeping his hair out of his face in an arrogant manner. “I even got to battle her.” Gary bragged.
Ash bit his tongue. He could have easily told Gary everything that Kelly had done with him and stun Gary out of his wits, but that was too easy. Plus, Ash had to make sure that he keep Kelly’s Lugia a secret. He wasn’t sure if Kelly would want him telling anyone about that. Ash remembered back to when he first saw Kelly’s Legendary Latias, Ruby. Kelly had been very secretive about showing her Latias and only showed Ash once she could trust him. Ash didn’t think he could trust Gary yet, so instead he would keep the conversation cool.
“And who won?” Ash asked; the question was sort of rhetorical to Ash, since he knew Kelly would’ve won.
“Umm, well—she called out her Espeon and—and it won.” Gary grumbled, obviously upset to have to admit he lost a battle. “Her Espeon was stronger than anything I’ve ever seen.” Gary said. He shook the memories out of his head. “Anyway, are we gonna battle? I choose Arcanine!” Gary yelled as he threw a Pokéball with Arcanine inside. A beautiful Arcanine came out of the Pokéball, standing straight and alert and looking confident.
“Hmm, Arcanine. Let’s try Swellow.” Ash mumbled to himself. He called out Swellow who cawed and flew high in the air, ready for an attack. “Swellow, Wing Attack!” Ash commanded. Swellow did as instructed, but missed as the speedy Arcanine dodged and countered.
“Arcanine! Flame Wheel!” Gary instructed to his Arcanine. It focused for a second and then blew out a powerful Flame Wheel attack that hit Swellow head on. Swellow struggled to get up. “Finish it off with Tackle and Flamethrower.” Gary said just as Swellow got up. Swellow got hit again with tackle and fainted. “Easier than I thought.” Gary gloated.
Both trainers returned their Pokémon. Ash called out his Sceptile. Ash’s face looked quite puzzled. Gary’s Arcanine was so fast, Ash couldn’t dodge the attacks. If all of Gary’s Pokémon were as fast, Ash would have a hard time gaining an advantage. Gary called out a Crawdaunt. Gary seemed satisfied in winning the last battled and looked confident enough this round as well.
“Crawdaunt, Bubble Beam!” Gary yelled. Crawdaunt was slower than Arcanine, but seemed to have a better defense. As Sceptile dodged the Bubble Beam, it hit with a Bullet Seed attack. It hit Crawdaunt hard, but not enough to stop the overeager Crawdaunt from countering with Crab Hammer. Sceptile was fast enough to dodge the first couple of attacks, but then got hit hard with a Water Gun attack. Sceptile shook it off and attacked with Leaf Blade. It sliced right through Crawdaunt, just enough to slow it down for the big attack.
“Solar Beam, Sceptile. And hurry!” Ash told Sceptile. The seeds on Sceptile’s back started to collect sunlight. Sceptile used Solar Beam and hit Crawdaunt. Crawdaunt fainted.
Gary’s face frowned as he returned his fainted Pokémon. “Go! Donphan!” Gary said, sending out a large Donphan. It pawed angrily at the ground, waiting for Ash to choose his Pokémon.
“Pika-pi! Pika.” Pikachu growled, sparks falling from its cheeks. Ash looked at his Pikachu.
“Abra?” Abra looked at Pikachu.
“Do you want to take this round, Pikachu?” Ash asked his Pikachu.
“Pika!” It answered, jumping into battle. Pikachu used a Thunder Shock attack. It was reflected off of Donphan, because it’s a ground-type. Gary laughed.
“Pikachu, use Iron Tail.” Ash told Pikachu. Pikachu’s glowing tail hit Donphan on the head.
“Donphan, Rollout!” Gary commanded. Donphan started rolling around towards Pikachu, gradually gaining momentum. Pikachu quickly dodged the large rolling Pokémon and tried attacking again. This time Pikachu used Tackle. Pikachu knocked off of Donphan and fell to the ground.
“Pikachu!” Ash called. Pikachu got up and attacked just when Donphan was in ramming distance of Pikachu. Pikachu used Double-Edge, stopping Donphan in its tracks. Then Pikachu used Quick Attack twice. Donphan fainted.
Gary sighed, calling back his Pokémon. Gary picked up a shiny purple Pokéball. “Go! Relicanth!” Gary called out the ancient Relicanth. Though it was a fish out of water, it burrowed into the ground.
“Can you handle this, Pikachu?” Ash asked. Pikachu nodded. It watched the ground, waiting for Relicanth to resurface. Pikachu felt a rumble below and jumped out of the way of the Relicanth’s Dig attack. Pikachu tried to use an electric attack, but failed. Then, Ash instructed Pikachu to use Iron Tail, Agility, and Tackle. After a few Iron Tail attacks, Relicanth was tried. “Pikachu, Double-Edge.” Ash shouted to Pikachu. Pikachu’s Double-Edge attack hit Relicanth on the head. Relicanth wobbled then fainted.
Gary returned Relicanth and forfeited. “Fine, Ash, you win. You beat me.” Gary seethed.
“Yeah, we did it Pikachu!” Ash danced with Pikachu. Ash turned to Gary, extending his hand. “Thanks for a great battle, Gary. You’re just as strong as ever.” Ash politely said.
Gary grumbled and looked as if he were going to say something mean, but just shook Ash’s hand and nodded. “Thanks, Ash. That was a pretty cool battle.” Gary said like a gentleman.
Brock, May, and Max had been watching from a distance, silently admiring the two of them battle.
“Wow, both of them got really strong.” May said to Brock and Max.
The five joined each other and walked back into the Mansion. Gary pouted as they walked into the main library. A female tour guide looked up from the group she was showing around the Mansion, and caught sight of Ash, Gary, Brock, May, and Max.
”Another tour will start shortly if you go back to the entryway. This tour is almost over.” She explained. The five trainers nodded then walked out of the library and waited on a bench in the hall.
Ash stared at the portrait on the wall—the portrait of Karacer’s wife, Arya. His eyes filled with fear as he remembered his encounter with her last night. Brock caught sight of were Ash’s gaze was fixed towards.
“You can ask the tour guide about Arya’s history, when she gets here, Ash.” Brock tried to reassure him.
“Hmm? What about that old lady?” Gary asked.
“I think I saw her ghost last night.” Ash said, holding his hands in fists, his knuckles turning white.
“What!?! That’s impossible. Aren’t you a little too old to be still believing in ghosts?” Gary laughed.
“No. Ash might have really seen a ghost!” May yelled. “He said it looked just like that portrait of her on the wall.” May shivered.
“Pbbt! Yeah right. And did anybody else but Ash see this ‘ghost?’ “ Gary questioned. May, Max, and Brock shook their heads no.
“Pika! Pikachu. Pi-pi-pika. Pi-pika-pi!” Pikachu shouted to Gary. Gary laughed as he looked at Pikachu so vividly trying to agree with Ash.
“Ha! Are you telling me Pikachu saw her, too?” Gary asked. Pikachu nodded. “Well, that doesn’t count, you little runt. I say you both were dreaming. Like there’s anything creepy about old Mansions! Ha!” Gary mocked Pikachu and Ash. He got up from the bench and stretched. “Well, I’m not going to wait for a tour. I guess I’ll just leave now.”
”Where are you going to?” Max asked.
“Probably to Shicropolis. I’ll check out Aeroville, but my final destination is Lavaridge. I need to pick up a Pokémon there.” Gary explained.
“Good luck, Gary. I hope we can see you again soon.” Brock said.
“Maybe. But, not with how slow you guys travel. Hehe. Smell you later, Ash.” Gary said in an almost brotherly way. He walked to Ash, pulled off Ash’s hat, and ruffled his hair. Then Gary left the Mansion.
Ash still stared at the painting on the wall. Pikachu jumped onto Ash’s shoulder and squealed.
“Well, I guess we’ll just figure this one out by ourselves, huh, Pikachu?” Ash said softly to Pikachu.
“Pika!” It answered.
The tour guide walked out of the library with a group of people. The group exited the mansion and the female tour guide walked over to Ash and friends.
“Well, I know that the group is kind of small, but would you still like that tour?” She asked to them.
“Actually, could we just have a few questions answered first?” Brock asked; he nodded to Ash.
“Oh, sure. What were you wondering?” She looked at Brock and Ash.
Ash piped up. “I was wondering about the owner of the mansion, Karacer and his late wife.”
”Well, after Karacer gave a speech and dedicated a large crystal statue to the memory of his wife, Arya, he moved into a cape house in Shicropolis. He still owns this house, or mansion, if you will, but he opens it to the public now. Tours only started a month ago, and are free. Karacer will come back next week to check on the mansion to make sure it is still in good condition. Thieves have been known to try to break into idle mansions like these and steal valuables.” She explained. Ash nodded.
“But, what about Arya? How did she die? How long ago was it?” Ash asked, his voice quivering.
“Arya spent much of her time in the mansion while Karacer traveled around the world to compete in races. She took care of her garden and was a fine artist. She painted that picture, for example—a self-portrait.” The tour guide pointed to the large painting of Arya holding a silver rose—the very painting that had spooked Ash the night before. She continued. “Arya got a terrible fever about four and a half years ago and died. Though, Karacer was away at the time, she was buried before he returned.”
”Is there anyone here who could confirm that she really died? How about her friends?” Ash asked franticly, trying to find an explanation for last night’s madness.
“Well, I believe only four of the staff knew of her death. They took care of burying the casket. And the only friends she had were Kelly, the owner of Greenridge’s Grand Pokémon Ranch, and a woman in Pacifilog. Why were you wondering that?” She asked, curious.
“I—I, um. I thought I saw her last night.” Ash quietly said.
The tour guide’s eyes widened. “What was she wearing?” She asked, to Ash’s surprise.
“A blue kimono, and she had two white bows that held back her hair. She was holding a silver rose just like in that picture.” Ash pointed to the frame of Arya’s self-portrait.
“I—I thought I saw her, too. Last week, though. She was wearing just the outfit you described and she looked me straight in the eyes. I thought I was dreaming at first, but then I knew that it was too real to be a dream. I mean, I came downstairs to…to get a midnight snack and there she was—standing in front of Karacer’s trophy right here.” The tour guide turned around to point out the golden trophy but then gasped. “It’s gone! Someone must have stolen it!” She looked around the room noticing bare nails on the walls where smaller frames were hung. “Oh, no. Oh, no! I can’t believe I missed that this morning. I have to call the police.” She ran to the office and picked up the phone and contacted the police. Ash frowned as he tried to figure out how all of this happened.
“Maybe… Maybe, she never died to begin with.” Ash suggested.
“Huh?” May and Max said.
“Ash, but people buried her.” Brock tried to reason.
“Her casket. They buried her casket, but no one can really confirm that she died and was buried.” Ash said getting up and pacing around the entranceway.
“What about her staff—the four that buried her?” May asked.
Max looked at Ash. “They lied for her. After all, if they were such good workers, they would have gotten her a doctor when she first got sick. No one ever dies of a fever in this day and age, unless they are misdiagnosed.” Max caught Ash’s thinking.
“Maybe Arya wanted to get away and faked her own death. I mean, why not? Her husband was away all the time.” May caught onto the drift.
Brock shook his head. “Let’s ask Karacer, and the staff that ‘buried her.’ ” He said with quotes around the words. “Karacer is visiting next week. We’ll just stay here until then.”
“Oh, this is like a Murder Mystery.” May said with giddiness to her voice.
“I thought murders freaked you out?” Max asked his sister.
“They do. But no one ever really dies in Murder Mysteries, right?” May asked.
“Yeah, but this isn’t a TV show, May. She might really be dead.” Max warned May. May shivered.
Sirens blared from outside as a motorcycle pulled up. Officer Jenny got off of the bike and walked up the steps, getting ready to knock. The tour guide opened the door.
“Jenny! Thank goodness, you’re here.” The tour guide said.
“ ‘Officer’ Jenny.” Jenny corrected. (Oops, I mean Officer Jenny.) “What’s the big problem here, Gretchen?” She asked the tour guide, looking around the forayer.
“My name is Halley, not Gretchen.” The tour guide meekly corrected. “Can’t you see? We’ve been robbed. Five small paintings, three miniature statues, and Karacer’s Aerial Race Cup are missing.” She pointed out.
“Hmm, you’re right, Helen. This is definitely a thief’s work. I suspect that what’s not here is missing.” Officer Jenny pointed out the obvious. Max stifled a laugh.
“Halley,” the tour guide quietly pointed out again.
“I’m a detective, you know!” Officer/Detective Jenny pulled out a magnifying glass and inspected the area.
“Oh, great.” Halley sarcastically mumbled.
“Hmm, I see claw prints. This is definitely the doing of a long nailed teenager.” Officer Jenny pointed to the cabinet. She opened the drawer. “Oo, Pokémon cards. Have it, have it, have it, don’t have it. Oh, special edition. Have it, have it.” She pulled out a pile of Pokémon cards and began to go through them.
“Can we focus?” Halley suggested. “I don’t really think a person with a manicure did this. I think maybe they got the help of a Pokémon with claws to do this.”
”Sure. One minute, Katie. Oo, shiny. I have this one in holographic. Oh, cool a shiny Pikachu. Oo, look how it glitters!” Jenny carried on.
“My name is Halley and don’t you think it would be important not to get your fingerprints all over everything.”
“Oh, yeah, right.” Jenny put back the cards and wiped the drawer clean with a rag.
“No! Now we can’t get the fingerprints from it.” Max yelled. “I’ve seen one too many crime shows to know that your not suppose to eliminate the fingerprints.”
“Huh?” Jenny looked confused. “Fingerprints, no fingerprints. Who’s the clean freak here? Can you explain to me why he didn’t want me to clean that, Sheri?” Jenny asked Halley.
Halley gritted her teeth, ignoring correcting Jenny, and simply answered, “Now we can’t track down the thief’s fingerprints.”
“Oh…” Jenny said, quite like a five year old would say after you told them about deoxyribonucleic acid and mitochondria. Then the expected, “Huh?” followed.
“Oh, are you even a real police officer?” Halley asked. While the two women in uniform argued, Ash walked around and searched for clues.
“I think I found something.” Ash said, motioning for the rest of them to come over. “A whisker. What Pokémon have whiskers and claws?” Ash asked.
“Most of them.” Max answered.
“More specifically, which Pokémon with whiskers and claws can assist in burglary?”
“Umm, still most of them.”
Brock intervened. “Meowth and Team Rocket.” Brock looked up at Halley. She had a puzzled look on her face.
“Yes, this Team Locket must have stolen the picture and figurines. Also, it looks like that deck of Pokémon Cards was not complete. They probably had a fetish for Trading Cards.” Jenny said.
“No, no. Jen, it’s Team Rocket. Like ‘blast off!’ Whoosh!” May said. Jenny nodded in understanding.
“Oh, finally someone’s learned how to communicate with the dummy, er, I mean detective.” Max quietly said to Halley, who giggled in response.
Then, of course, as stupid girls do when they bond together, they started to talk about nails and make-up and other stupid matters that are paramount to being a stupid girl. Halley, who is not part of the “Stupid Girl Clan,” shook her head in disgust.
“Did Arya flee when you saw her?” Ash decided to ask Halley. Halley nodded.
“I wish I was more awake at the time. I would have asked her something.” The tour guide took her hat off, revealing her neat ponytail underneath. She sighed, and then asked, “So where do we find Team Rocket?”
“Around.” Ash said. “They seem to follow us. But, I’d suggest check places where sales can take place. They’re probably trying to sell what they stole.”
Ash, Halley, Brock and Max left the Mansion in search of Team Rocket, leaving May and Jenny to talk about mundane matters and do each others hair in whatever style girls do. Halley brought Ash and friends into Shicropolis, the city right next to the mansion. Halley explained that most sales took place in Shicropolis. Greenridge, at this time, only had a fair going on.
They passed by about a half a dozen large mansions in search for the city’s central market. When they found it, they split up; each person asking and looking for any signs of Karacer’s missing trophies. Max managed to find a stand that had rare Pokémon cards. The man explained that a man, woman, and Meowth had sold him the stuff. He didn’t have the valuable paintings, though. Halley found a stand with Karacer’s Gold Trophy and got it back. Brock got back the five paintings from a female sales representative. (He also got her phone number. Wow!)
Ash found the miniature figurines and explained to the salesman how they were stolen. He gratefully received them back. (He also bought a girlish figurine that he didn’t show anyone. I mention this to further show how girlish Ash is at times, but maybe he had good cause by buying a crystal Eevee miniature, but I doubt it! Pbbt!)
Then, they regrouped and headed back to Karacer’s Mansion, returning all of the once stolen items. May and Jenny were painting each other’s nails, and pretty much useless in solving the “Arya Mystery” because “their nails were drying.”
“Oh, how cute! You painted a Cheri Berry on my thumbnail.” Jenny said to May as the other four came in with the missing material.
Halley put all the items back where they belonged, then brought the guys to the kitchen for some sweet tea. “I think Arya is still alive. There is something real fishy about this whole situation, and I’m not one to readily assume things are supernatural.” Halley said before squeezing a Nomel Berry into her iced tea. “I think she might be returning for revenge, whether she’s really alive or not.” Halley said, shuddering.
Ash took a sip of his tea. Pikachu played with the leftover rind of the Nomel Berry. Ash started to ponder a possible solution to the recent madness to this “Ghost Mystery.”
Team Rocket, dressed in gaudy disguises, walked up the steps and peered into the mansion. Jessie and James looked into the window where Jenny and May were. Jessie noticed the items that they had stolen and sold were back in their proper places.
Jessie grunted. “I bet those twerps found them and brought them back. Such do-gooders!” Jessie grumbled. Meowth, disguised as a little schoolboy, jumped onto James’ head to look into the window.
“Hey, ain’t dat a powice officer. What’s she doin’ here?” Meowth asked his counterparts.
“I don’t know, but I’m scared we’ll get caught.” James cried.
“Oh, James! They’re painting their nails—they aren’t going to even see us. Plus, we have disguises. Remember to do the voices, guys.” Jessie said as she opened the large oak door.
The three bustled into the mansion, being highly unnoticed by Officer Jenny, but being suspiciously eyed by May.
“Well, hello, friends. We’re just antique proprietors coming to observe the fine collection of antiques in Karacer’s Mansion. That is all; don’t mind us!” Jessie said in a fancy old lady’s voice, matching her old lady costume.
“Hello.” James waved with his right hand. His left hand stayed solidly planted on the cane that was part of his disguise. Jessie glared at him, and he quickly put his hand down.
May looked confused, also disinterested. Jenny simply smiled and said hello, though she should have told them the mansion was under investigation.
Meowth decided to pipe up. “My gwandpawenths are takin’ me wid dem on vacathion.” He hammed up his slurred words to sound like a little boy. He smiled.
“Oh, how cute.” May said, not even realizing it was Team Rocket. Jenny nodded, also amused with Meowth’s little boy act.
Team Rocket walked upstairs, still playing along with the grandparent/grandchild act. When they got to the top of the winding stairs, though, they froze.
Ahead of them stood Arya, her face plastered in tears. She looked at them almost wishing she could just talk to them.
“Hello, Miss. We were just touring the place, nothing suspicious or anything.” James said, not knowing anything about who Arya was. Jessie smacked him over the head. Obviously, his troubled voice gave away their plans. “Ow.” James rubbed the gray wig on his head.
Finally, Arya spoke, her voice calm and quiet. “I need to find Karacer. Would any of you know what they’ve done with him?” Her voice sounded like a quite stream, the words elegantly poured out from her mouth.
“Um, nope.” James answered again, this time he blocked his head so that Jessie couldn’t hit him.
“Hey, ain’t you Karacer’s dead wife?” Meowth said, his paws shaking slightly.
She shook her head. “I’m not dead, as you can see. But, yes, I am his wife. A friend of mine told me that he dedicated a crystal statue to me, and I decided to come back.” She spilled her story to the crooks.
“Where were you before?” Jessie asked.
“I left, because…because I didn’t think Karacer cared about me anymore. I ran away, feigning my death and asking my friend to see if he’d ever change—to see if he’d ever change priorities. He’s a big time Pokémon Racer; I barely saw him for the first year we were married.” She sighed, walking closer to the disguised villains. “That’s why I left five years ago. I moved to Pacifilog with my friend. But after I heard what Karacer said in his speech, I regret leaving. I feel that maybe we can make things right again.”
”That’s so sadly romantic.” Jessie said, a tear welling up in her eye.
Halley and Ash heard noise upstairs. Ash and the rest of them walked upstairs and faced Arya and Team Rocket.
“Who are you three?” Max asked before he noticed Arya.
Ash and Halley immediately recognized Arya and froze.
“You…” Arya started. “I saw you last night.” Arya said to Ash.
“Are you… real?” Ash asked slowly.
Arya nodded. “I came back to talk to Karacer.” She stifled back a tear.
James’ wig started to fall of and Max noticed. “Hey, you’re wearing a wig!” Max pointed out.
“Huh?” Everyone turned to Team Rocket as James, Meowth, and Jessie’s disguises fell off.
“Hey! It’s Team Rocket.” Max said.
May and Jenny came running up from the stairs because of the commotion.
“That’s Team Rocket!” May said to Jenny.
For once, Jenny leapt into action, putting handcuffs on Jessie and James. She let out her Growlithe. It blocked their escape. “You’re under arrest for the theft of the Mansion’s property. You have the right to remain silent and anything you say can and will be used against you. You have the right to an attorney. We’re going to the station and you’re spending the night behind bars.” Jenny read them the “Miranda Rights.” She picked up Meowth by the back of his neck and led them outside.
Halley looked surprised that Officer Jenny was doing her job right. Everyone left looked back at Arya. Arya’s face remained soft and lucid.
Ignoring the previous commotion, Ash quietly asked Arya a question. “Why are you here?”
Arya sighed. “I’m here to get back together with my husband. I’m sorry for leaving here.”
“Why don’t you tell us what really happened?” Halley motioned for them to sit down on the chairs in the hallway. They all sat down and Arya started to tell her story.
“I faked my own death because Karacer never paid attention to me. He was too busy with Pokémon Training and Racing. I thought that if I’d left and pretended I was dead that he might come to his senses. I thought that maybe I could return if he showed that he truly loved me. But—but, that was stupid of me. I see that now. I never should of left and we should have worked things out.” She sighed letting out all of her fears. “I’ve been sneaking around here the last week looking for Karacer, but I can’t find him. Is he here still?” She asked, looking at Halley.
“He’ll be coming in a couple of days. He recently bought a house in Shicropolis. He keeps this house open for tours.” Halley answered. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Halley sincerely told Arya something. “You should go to him. He really does love you.”
Arya smiled and wiped a tear that was rolling down her face. “Thank you.” She smiled at Ash. “I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m not a ghost.” They laughed slightly; the tension cooled.
As Arya and Halley said goodbye to Ash and the gang, someone walked up from behind them. A glowing smile crossed Arya’s face. Ash and Pikachu turned around.
“Karacer!” She ran up to him. “But, but you weren’t suppose to be here till next week!”
”Kelly called me. She said you were going crazy because you couldn’t find me.” The man, Karacer said. He wore a long red coat and black dress pants. His dark black hair showed some white hairs. He showed a spectacular smiled. “I’m sorry. I had no idea about this. I should have been there for you, and I will be now… if you can forgive me.”
“Of course, I forgive you. Kelly told me about what you said when you dedicated that statue to me.” She pointed to a crystal statue that was shaped like a woman with angel wings.
Karacer hugged his wife. “I regret missing almost five years of your—our life. I shouldn’t have put racing first; our marriage comes first.” Karacer held onto her thin frame.
Karacer was obviously quite a bit older than Arya. Arya looked around Kelly’s age, about twenty-five, and Karacer was probably in his early forties. Both of them obviously loved each other very much.
Ash decided to let them be alone. “Let’s leave now.” Ash whispered to Brock, May, and Max. They waved good-bye and silently made their way through Greenridge and into Shicropolis.
Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May, and Max continued walking for an hour until Ash finally spoke.
“I guess we need to show the people we love more time than contests and recreation.” Ash seriously said.
Brock nodded. “And our priorities affect the people close to us.” Brock said. Ash thought of Misty briefly, but tried to shake that thought out.
“I hope everything works out okay with the two of them.” May commented.
“I wonder where they’ll stay now: the mansion or the cape house. Maybe we’ll see them soon.” Max kept walking next to Ash. Ash felt his own pocket where he kept the Eevee figurine. He smiled for a second, and then noticed Brock looking at him.
Abra came out of its silver Pokéball, and sat on Ash head. Ash laughed at Abra trying to get in on the conversation.
“Let’s stay at that hotel tonight!” May pointed to a tall expensive-looking building with rose bushes covering the entrance. Everyone looked at her with cross faces. “Or we can stay at a Pokémon Center….” May giggled.
Team Rocket looked through the bars of the cell. Growlithe guarded the cell, growling.
“I hate prison.” Jessie grumbled.
“I wish I had chocolate.” James gnawed on his fingernails. “Or a doughnut.” James whined.
“Or an éclair.” Meowth said chewing on prison slop.
Officer Jenny walked into the room and petted Growlithe’s head. “Get used to it!” She rudely told them. “You’re stuck in this cell for the next two months, though I’m sure if I looked through your files you’d be in here for years.” She suspiciously eyed James.
“I’m scared.” He held onto Jessie.
“You’re always scared, you big baby.” Jessie pulled him off of her shirt.
Growlithe glared at the three.
“Two months, huh?” Jessie gulped.
“I’m scaird, too.” Meowth said, holding onto James’ shirt.
“You better be.” Jenny fiercely said. She smiled. “Finally my first promotion is in sight.” She said in her head.
TO BE CONTINUED…