After they met, the group followed Brock to the restaurant. It wasn't far, a cozy, modern-looking place with large windows and the faint smell of herbs and tomato sauce drifting through the air. The sign above the door read "Rustboro Pasta & Co."
"Yup, this is the new place," Brock said proudly, holding the door open for them. "Bigger kitchen, better menu. Roxanne said it's always packed."
May's eyes practically sparkled. "It smells amazing! I knew Rustboro pasta wasn't gone forever!"
Ash chuckled. "Guess your pamphlet wasn't completely useless after all."
May puffed her cheeks. "Hmph, I'll take that as a compliment."
They sat down at a booth near the window, Pikachu and Vee hopping up beside Ash while Bonsly sat next to Brock, happily nibbling on a berry cracker.
The moment the food arrived, giant plates of pasta, salads, and garlic bread, the table went quiet except for the sound of forks clinking and content sighs.
"Man, I missed this," Brock said between bites. "Feels like old times back when we were with Yellow and Misty."
Ash chuckled. "Yeah, oh, by the way, did you see the picture of Yellow trying to set up her first camp by herself? Man, that is hilarious."
"Oh yeah, she's hopeless, but then again, she's doing better. I hope things go well for her," Brock said, nodding his head.
"Oh yeah, she sent me a text asking for the easiest recipe that needs the least work. I just told her to make sandwiches," Ash said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, oh, and by the way, Misty's doing good. I checked up on her Gym. Turns out after she got in, Cerulean's title as a 'Badge Dispenser' got taken away. You should have seen the forms," Brock chuckled.
Ash smirked, "Wow, maybe I'll go back one of these days to get an actual battle there."
May and Max just watched the two talk back and forth and seemed a little left out of the conversation.
Max leaned in, clearing his throat. "So, Mr. Brock, what've you been up to since leaving the Gym?"
"Oh, please, just Brock," he said, happy to answer Max since he reminded him of one of his younger brothers, and Brock was good with kids. "I've been helping my uncle at the Pewter Museum, just doing some stuff I want to. That's actually why I'm in Rustboro right now."
"Really? What about the Breeder stuff?" Ash asked.
"Er, well, it's complicated. Still working on that, just… differently, you know?" Brock scratched the back of his head.
"Wait, so you said you were here because of museum things? What do you mean by that?" May asked.
"Oh, well, my uncle was sending a shipment of artifacts for a collaboration with the Rustboro Museum, and since I knew Ash here was in Hoenn, and on his way to Rustboro, I offered since it would be a good way to meet back up."
Ash leaned back in his seat. "So that's why you texted me saying 'don't go anywhere near Rustboro until I get there,' huh?"
Brock laughed. "Yeah, I wanted it to be a surprise! Besides, it's been way too long since we've all hung out. Figured I'd mix business with catching up."
"Speaking of which," Brock continued, waving a hand, "since I'm helping out with the museum project, I actually have something special lined up. The Rustboro Museum's new exhibit isn't open to the public yet, but Roxanne said I could bring a few friends for a private tour if I wanted."
May's eyes widened. "Wait, seriously? A private tour?!"
"Yup," Brock said proudly, leaning back in his seat. "You'll get to see some of the new displays before anyone else. Fossils, ancient Poké Balls, even a few mysterious stones from Johto that haven't been identified yet."
Max practically bounced in his seat. "No way! That's awesome! Can we really go?"
"Of course," Brock said, smiling. "Roxanne will be there too. She's the one who arranged the collaboration. She's been studying the geological formations found in Hoenn's fossil sites, so she'll probably have a few cool things to show off."
"Besides, if you're friends with Ash, then we're friends too, as Green would say, 'friend-adjacent.'"
Ash waved his hand in front of him. "Mmm, 5/10, maybe 6. It's good, but you need to act like that makes you better."
"Well," May raised her finger, but then she stopped and thought about how Green acted. "No, no, that's a good point, actually."
That got a chuckle out of Ash and Brock. Then Brock leaned on his arm. "Anyway, back on topic. Yeah, it's tomorrow, but do you guys have anywhere to stay?"
"I mean, weren't we gonna stay at the Pokémon Center? They have rooms, right?" Max asked.
"I meaannnnn," Ash started, "We could, but Pokémon Centers in big cities are usually really packed. Besides, getting a hotel is better."
"Wait, really?!" May started, almost bouncing in her seat. "We're gonna get like a real hotel with everything?"
Brock chuckled. "Calm down, May, it's just a hotel, not the Lilycove Grand Suite."
"Still!" she said, eyes sparkling. "It's been forever since we stayed anywhere fancy. I call dibs on the biggest bed!"
"You know they have the same size beds, but ignoring that, can we even afford that? I mean, May, how much is our allowance we got from Dad?" Max asked May.
May's sponsorship is different from Ash's. First, she does have a sponsorship from Professor Birch because he and Norman are close friends, but that is less like the one Oak gave to Ash, so it's more like an allowance. Along with Norman, obviously, giving Max and May a monthly allowance. The point is, they aren't as well off as Ash was, but they did have a good amount.
Ash waved his hands. "Nah, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it," Ash said casually.
Brock looked at Ash and squinted his already closed eyes. "Ash…"
Ash looked away and whistled. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Wait, what are you talking about?" May tilted her head.
"Nothing at all," Ash tried to say, but Brock sighed.
Brock leaned in, pushing Ash back with one arm. "So you wanna hear what this idiot did?" he started, as Ash was flailing to get Brock's hand off his face. Max and May leaned in closer.
"So, for 2 years, when me and 2 of our friends, Misty and Yellow, went into a luxury hotel, Ash would say it got covered by his sponsorship, but we found out that he lied and he's been paying it out of pocket," Brock said.
May gasped. "Wait…you paid for all your friends? Out of your own money? For 2 years!"
Ash, still trying to shove Brock's arm away, said, "It wasn't that big of a deal… It's not like I'm short on money. Winning 2 tournaments leaves you well off." Ash said, but he had no plans on telling them how much money he actually had. He did have a few billion from all the money he'd stolen from Team Rocket and his businesses, but no one needed to know that.
May blinked. "Two years, Ash?! That's not just being nice, that's like... rich person nice!"
Ash rubbed the back of his head. "C'mon, it's not that big of a deal, it's just money. I didn't wanna make a big deal about it, that's why I never said anything about it when he and Brock were with Misty and Yellow."
Brock crossed his arms, poking Ash in the shoulder. "You didn't want to make a big deal, or you didn't want us to know you were secretly rolling in PokéDollars?"
"Both," Ash admitted with a shrug.
Max leaned forward, eyes wide and shining as he looked at Ash. "Wait, if you won two tournaments, how much money are we talking about here?"
"Enough," Ash said simply, leaning on his arm.
"'Enough?'" May raised an eyebrow. "That's not an answer!"
"Well, in my defense... I don't see how it's relevant. It's not like we're dating," Ash said.
That line made May nearly choke on her water. "E-excuse me?!" she sputtered, cheeks going red as Max snickered beside her.
Ash acted dumb. "What? I'm just saying, it's not like it matters how much I make. I'm not out here bragging." That is definitely not what Ash said, and he knows it.
"Oh, sure," May said, crossing her arms, trying (and failing) to hide her flustered look. "Totally normal thing to say, Ash."
Ash chuckled. "Well, my offer still stands. I guess since the Meowth's out of the bag now, I guess you guys aren't gonna let me secretly pay for everything, huh?"
"Well, I'm not letting you pay for mine. I already spent 2 years doing that," Brock said with a smirk.
"Fiiinneeee," Ash said. "Since I can't get you, Brock, I guess I'll just put it out there. May and Max, if you do need money, I'll spot you, so don't worry about it."
"I…" May started, but then sighed, as she was trying to run some numbers in her head. Thinking about it hurt her head. She wasn't dumb by any means, but after what she just heard and had to think about, she just wanted to lay down. "Fine, but only what we need. I don't want to take advantage of you or anything," she said, slightly looking away.
Max saw an opportunity as he leaned over to May and whispered so only she could hear, "You know, if Ash is paying for the hotel, does that mean we're staying in the same room?"
May sputtered, looking to make sure Ash and Brock didn't hear that. They were looking at a map, talking, so she whispered back, "W-what? N-no, obviously not. We're getting different rooms. Why would we sleep next to Ash?"
Max shrugged innocently. "Oh, I never said anything about Ash. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Youooooo," May said, still red in the face, holding back the urge to strangle Max. But then Ash spoke up.
"Alright, I got it. I made reservations for us," Ash said, holding up his phone, where it shows the transaction approved for 3 reservations, since Brock already had one. "How about we go get some dessert and head over there?"
Max spoke, got up and walked to Ash, away from May. "Sounds perfect," he said, acting completely innocently.
May took a breath and covered her face, as if she could wipe away the red on her face. "Yeah, sounds good, let's go."
Ash, meanwhile, nodded, pretending he didn't know. Since, you know, Aura, his senses are way better, so he heard everything. He's just not saying anything about it.
-
(Meanwhile, in the middle of the night)
In the Rustboro Museum, two security guards were walking around, looking more bored than anything.
Guard 1 looked at his partner. "Do we really need to do this? I mean, I know the artifacts here are important, but you know, who's gonna break in before the museum even opens?"
"Beats me," Guard 2 said, shrugging. "But easiest paycheck of my life. Just need to get to 6 AM, so just suck it up."
"Fine," Guard 1 sighed, adjusting his uniform as they walked past a display of ancient fossils. "But I swear, if one more night of this drags on like the last-"
Suddenly, the quiet air was pierced by a soft, almost imperceptible sound.
Crying.
It was faint at first, barely a whisper, but it grew louder, a childlike sob echoing down the hallway.
Both guards froze. Guard 1's heart skipped a beat. "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah..." Guard 2's voice lowered, unease creeping into his tone. "Sounds like... a kid?"
The two exchanged a confused look. The museum was closed for the night. There shouldn't be any kids around. The guards turned toward the sound, moving cautiously down a dimly lit hallway lined with display cases. The crying grew louder as they drew closer, coming from the direction of the museum's main exhibit, a large, darkened room housing the Rustboro relics and a mysterious stone at the center.
"Who the hell would leave a kid in here?" Guard 1 muttered under his breath. He reached for his walkie-talkie but hesitated when the sound seemed to stop as abruptly as it had started.
They reached the exhibit door. Guard 1 reached for the handle but stopped short when he noticed something strange: the door was slightly ajar, even though they had double-checked the locks before their shift.
"Did you... leave that open?" Guard 1 asked, voice tight.
"No," Guard 2 answered quickly. "I swear I closed it earlier."
The crying started again, louder now, echoing off the stone walls. It was closer, right on the other side of the door.
"Okay, I'm not liking this," Guard 1 said, pulling the door open just a crack. His flashlight flicked across the room, but it revealed nothing.
Then, the flashlight beam landed on something unexpected.
At the far end of the room, near the pedestal where the relic stone sat, a small figure was crouched down, its back to them. A girl? She was alone, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
Guard 2 stepped forward, his hand outstretched. "Hey, kid, what are you doing here? This area is off-limits. You need to come with us."
The girl looked up. "I'm sorry, I was playing hide and seek and I got lost…"
Guard 2 kneeled down. "Hey, it's alright. Let's get you out of here."
"Wait, my friends are still inside," she said, pointing towards the door to the new exhibits.
"There's another one?" Guard 1 said. "I see. Kid, do you know the exit?"
The girl nodded slightly. "Yeah, it's the big door there, right?"
"Yeah, go ahead and leave. Wait for us; we'll get your friends and get back to you right away," Guard 2 said.
She nodded slightly. "Ok, please help my friends," the girl said as she walked towards the door.
The two guards looked at each other and nodded as they slowly walked toward the exhibit. Opening the door, they called out for anyone, but no one answered. They walked further in, and in the shadows, things moved. Two pairs of red eyes watched the guards.
The air in the new exhibit was thick with an eerie stillness. The dim lighting cast long shadows that seemed to shift with every movement. The guards' footsteps echoed off the stone floors, and the silence stretched uncomfortably between them. Guard 1 reached for his flashlight, his hand trembling ever so slightly. "Hello? Anyone here?"
No response.
Guard 2 swallowed, his voice low. "I don't like this. There's something off about this place. Why would a kid be here at this hour?"
"Let's just find her friends and get out," Guard 1 said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "They're probably just hiding. Maybe it's some prank-"
Suddenly, a faint sound broke the quiet, soft, barely audible at first, but unmistakably a whisper. It was followed by the unmistakable clink of metal, like something shifting in the darkness.
Guard 1's flashlight flickered. He cursed under his breath and banged it lightly against his palm. The light steadied, revealing a narrow corridor leading to the back of the exhibit. At the end of the hall, the door was cracked open, just like the one they'd passed earlier.
"We're not alone," Guard 2 said, his voice trembling. "We need to get the hell out of here."
But Guard 1 was already moving forward. "Stay sharp."
They approached the door cautiously. As they reached it, Guard 2 grabbed his partner's arm. "Do you hear that? It's… it's breathing."
Guard 1's heart skipped a beat. He turned slowly, trying to locate the source of the noise. Then, from the shadows ahead, a low, guttural growl rumbled through the air. It sounded unnatural, distorted, like a creature trying to speak.
And then, the red eyes returned.
Two pairs of glowing crimson orbs stared at them from the darkness, unblinking, malevolent.
"What the hell is that?" Guard 2 whispered, his breath catching in his throat.
Then, from the darkness, the figure jumped out. They could barely see it, but they didn't have time to think. They turned and ran to get out of the museum. They managed to get outside, but as they caught their breath, they looked around, and the girl wasn't there.
"What's going on? What was that?!" Guard 2 asked. "And where's the girl?"
"I don't know, and I'm not looking back in to find out," Guard 1 said, calling the curator of the museum. "I'm calling him. This place is haunted. We need someone else to deal with this. I'm just a guard."
–
The next morning, after last night, the gang woke up early. Brock was the one to go and wake them up.
Max was still half-asleep, since he stayed up a lot last night watching the vods and looking at news websites.
May was barely more awake, sitting up in bed with her hair a mess, squinting at the bright sunlight that streamed through the curtains. "I didn't even have time for breakfast… Did you guys seriously get up this early just to look at rocks and fossils?"
Brock peeked his head into their room with a grin. "Not just any rocks and fossils, May. These are ancient, priceless artifacts. Plus, you guys promised you'd be ready in 30 minutes. And it's already been 15."
Ash, on the other hand, was already up and dressed. His jacket was over on the table, as he was wearing an apron and making some pancakes. "Come on, it's not that bad, guys. Besides, now that I have a stove, I can make you guys my special Alolan Pancakes."
May yawned, holding a hairbrush and trying to fix her hair. "Oh yeah, I forgot you went to Alola for a year," she mumbled as Ash put a plate in front of her.
Max stretched and rubbed his eyes, still clearly not fully awake. "Ugh… you really think pancakes are going to make us forget how early it is, Ash?"
But when the smell of syrup and pancakes filled the room, his stomach let out an audible growl. He blinked, then sighed dramatically. "Okay, fine. I'll bite. You're lucky I'm starving."
Ash smirked as he placed a second plate of pancakes on the table for Brock. "You know, I do aim to please," he said, flipping another pancake in the pan with ease.
Brock chuckled. "Careful, we don't need another Misty on our hands. I'm still half-convinced she's more upset you can't make her anymore of those pancakes than us leaving," Brock joked.
"Well, not my fault my cooking is better than yours~" Ash jabbed back.
Brock held his chest in mock offense. "How dare you! Do we need to have another food war to settle this?"
"Bring it on," Ash said, flipping the pan with one hand, catching the pancake, and setting it for Max. "I'll beat you 100 more times, then I'll steal the title of ultimate big brother!"
"Wow, you suddenly start growing, your voice gets deeper, and you suddenly think you can out-big brother me. Looks like I have no choice, Super Brock is coming back!" Brock said, putting on an apron and walking closer to Ash. Since Ash did get a bit of a growth spurt, he was starting to catch up to Brock. He was only a few inches shorter.
Max and May ate silently, watching Ash and Brock, both too tired to get involved. But hey, at least the pancakes were good, and it was free entertainment.
-
About an hour later, they finally left the hotel after another cook-off with Ash and Brock. May and Max were too stuffed to decide a winner, so they called it a tie before they blew up the wall.
Anyway, Brock took the lead this time and led them through the town, going to a brand new building near the Trainer School. The Rustboro Museum had just not opened yet, and there at the door, Roxanne was standing with a clipboard, writing.
Brock called out, "Hey, Roxanne!"
Roxanne looked up from her clipboard and gave Brock a warm smile. "Ah, Brock! You made it!" She waved at him before noticing the rest of the group. "And these must be your friends?"
Brock nodded. "Yeah, these are Ash, May, and Max, and the-" but he got cut off.
Roxanne's eyes lit up with recognition when she saw Ash. She rushed up and grabbed Ash's hand, shaking it excitedly. "Oh my goodness, it's really you! You're Ash Ketchum! I've been looking at your record in both the Indigo and Silver Conferences. We actually watched your match in the Silver Conference at the school, and everyone was super impressed with you!" She started rambling on.
Ash was caught a little off guard by Roxanne's enthusiasm but smiled anyway, shaking her hand. "Hey, nice to meet you, Roxanne. Thanks for the kind words. But I don't think I'm all that special."
Roxanne's smile widened, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "You're too humble! Honestly, I didn't think I'd meet you like this! I've heard so much about you!"
Ash laughed nervously. After all, he had made it very clear he didn't want to be famous. "Well, really, I don't think I'm special. I'm just doing my best."
"Well, Roxanne," Brock said, noticing Ash laughing nervously, stepping forward and putting a friendly arm around Ash's shoulders. "You've met the legend himself. But let's get this tour started, huh?"
Roxanne blinked, momentarily flustered by Brock's interruption, before realizing what she had done and backing up slightly. "Right, of course! Sorry, I got a little carried away." She gave a little apologetic bow.
Ash waved his hand. "No, really, it's fine. I don't mind at all. You don't have to apologize."
Roxanne smiled brightly, still a bit flustered but trying to regain her composure. "Well, thank you, Ash. It's an honor to meet you, really. And maybe later we can talk about other things. It would be an honor to have a battle with you."
Then she took a step toward the museum door. "Now, welcome to your own private tour of our soon-to-be-opened Rustboro Museum! We have fine art, historic artifacts, geological specimens. I'm excited for when we do open it to everyone."
But as she was introducing the museum, the door opened, and the curator of the museum walked out, wiping his brow. He noticed Roxanne as he walked out. "Oh, hello, Gym Leader. What are you doing here?"
Roxanne smiled. "Oh, we're just here to view the new exhibits before it's opened to the public. That's not a problem, right?"
"Um, well, no, but…" he started, scratching his cheek. "There is a problem…"
Roxanne blinked. "A problem?"
The curator looked nervous, shifting on his feet. His eyes darted between the group and the museum behind him. "Well, it's just… there was a bit of a disturbance last night."
"A disturbance?" Brock repeated, his eyebrow raised. "What kind of disturbance?"
Roxanne's expression immediately turned serious, her eyes narrowing as she turned to the curator. "Is everything okay? What happened?"
The curator hesitated for a moment, then exhaled. "Last night, one of the guards reported hearing strange noises in the museum. They were… uh, saying there was a girl here, and they heard something, something unusual in the new exhibit area."
Roxanne's eyes widened, her gaze flicking toward the museum's entrance as if she could see the problem for herself. "A girl? What are you saying, exactly?"
The curator shifted uneasily, clearly unsure of how to explain. "Well, one of the guards said there was a child hiding in the museum late at night, said she was playing hide-and-seek or something. But when they went to investigate, they found the new exhibit unlocked. And there was... a sound, too. A growl, something strange. The guards didn't stick around after that. They left and reported it first thing this morning."
Brock looked just as skeptical. "A kid at this time of night? Doesn't sound like something a kid would do."
Roxanne crossed her arms, her expression serious. "So, what happened after the guards ran off?"
The curator glanced nervously between the group and the building. "They... they couldn't find the girl when they went back outside. And, well, the security footage is a bit... strange. It's been glitching. So we don't have any clear evidence of what happened."
May shivered. "W-wait, you don't think the museum is haunted, r-right?" she said with a shiver.
"I don't know. It's a possibility. That's what the guards thought. I made a call to someone who would know, but I don't know when she'll be here. And the worst part is, if we can't guarantee the safety of our visitors, I'm afraid the opening will have to be delayed indefinitely."
Roxanne gasped. "Oh no! But that'd be such a waste of these wonderful exhibits!"
Ash crossed his arms thoughtfully, his brow furrowing. "So, there was a kid playing hide-and-seek, but no one saw her leave? And then there's a growl… and strange noises?" He paused, looking at Brock and the curator. "Sounds like there's more going on here than just a prank."
"I-I still don't know. What if this place really is haunted? What if we go in and get possessed by something?" May said, shivering, making Max and the curator shiver too.
Roxanne stayed calm and looked at the curator. "Then, allow me to look at it. Maybe I can find out what's going on. I'd hate for the exhibits to go to waste without people getting to see them!"
Brock nodded and also walked up. "We can help too."
Roxanne stood straighter, "If there's something strange going on in there, we need to get to the bottom of it before anything happens. The museum's opening is important, but people's safety comes first. Let me investigate."
The curator shifted uncomfortably, clearly still unsure, but nodded reluctantly. "Alright, if you're sure. But I have to warn you, there's been strange things. I looked around, but I didn't see anything, so it might only be at night. So be careful. I think the person I called might get here to help you, but we'll see."
Roxanne nodded. "Understood! We'll figure out what's going on!"