They couldn't go into the museum right now, well, they did, but they found nothing. Like the curator said, it only happened at night. So, they waited until nightfall, just before the strange phenomenon was rumored to occur.
Roxanne stood near the museum's front entrance first. The once bright, lively building was cloaked in eerie silence under the moonlight. Every window reflected dim blue light, and the faint hum of the city beyond felt miles away.
Brock stretched his shoulders with a yawn. "Well, I can't say this is how I pictured spending the evening. Haunted museums aren't really my thing."
Roxanne gave a small, nervous smile. "It's not exactly how I expected my week to go either, but I can't let a mystery like this go unsolved. The museum means a lot to Rustboro." Then she scratched her cheek. "But this is really gonna ruin my sleep schedule."
Meanwhile, Ash leaned against the railing. As he looked at the building, he could see something inside with his Aura, but it wasn't clear. Strangely enough, he saw one human aura and a few ghostly ones, though ghost aura was always hard to pin down.
He sighed. He could tell something was going on, and he had a hunch, but he couldn't prove it yet. He called back over to Brock and Roxanne. "We good to go?"
"I've got everything," Brock said, holding up a 'ghost-hunting bag' the kind you'd see in Phasmophobia, the game.
"And I've got a team ready," Roxanne added. "But I must ask, please, if you can help it, don't use Pokémon that could damage the exhibits. All these artifacts are important."
That wasn't really a problem for Ash, but it was a bit of an issue for Brock, since he'd left half his Pokémon back in Pewter, Rhydon, Golem, Kabutops, etc, and the ones he did bring were big, strong, and not exactly gentle around fragile displays. Which pretty much left him with only Bonsly.
"Right, right. But I have just one question," Ash said, turning his head. Behind him were May and Max, both hiding behind him like he was a shield that could keep them safe. "Why did you guys come? I said you could sit this one out, you know."
May peeked out from behind Ash's shoulder, her voice trembling slightly. "W-well, we couldn't just let you go ghost hunting without us! What if something actually happens? You'll need backup!"
Max, trying to play it cool but gripping his Poké Ball tightly, nodded. "Yeah! Plus, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime event! Think about it, 'Max Maple, first eyewitness of the Rustboro Museum Ghost Incident.' Sounds awesome, right?"
Ash gave him a flat look. "You were literally hiding behind me two seconds ago."
Max puffed out his cheeks. "That was just… strategic positioning!"
Ash had to hold back a laugh. "Yep, you and May sure are siblings," he said, remembering that was the same excuse May had used before.
Roxanne couldn't help but laugh softly. The tension in the air eased just a little. "Alright, everyone, let's head inside. Stay close, and remember, try not to touch anything."
The group stepped into the museum, their footsteps echoing softly against the marble floor. Without the bright lights from earlier, the building felt entirely different, colder, emptier, like something unseen was watching them from just beyond the exhibits.
The only light came from their flashlights and the faint glow of the moon filtering through the skylights. The air was heavy, carrying the scent of dust and polished stone.
"Alright," Brock whispered, looking over his shoulder. "We'll start with the new exhibit. That's where the guards said they heard the noises."
"Good idea," Roxanne said quietly. "Stay together. The halls can be confusing at night."
Ash walked near the front, hands in his pockets. He looked a lot more casual than everyone else, but that was just how he carried himself, he was still focused, scanning the area with his Aura, trying to find what he was looking for. As he did, he saw them approaching the only human aura in the museum… but he said nothing yet.
Meanwhile, Max and May were walking close to each other, creeped out and clutching their flashlights, trying not to get too scared by every shadow.
May gripped her flashlight a little tighter. "Okay, so, reminder… if a ghost pops out, do not scream. It attracts attention."
Max smirked. "You're saying that now, but if a Chandelure floats by, you're gonna faint."
"Am not!"
"Are too."
"Am not!"
"Both of you, be quiet, please," Ash whispered. "You sure you don't wanna go back and watch from the hotel? There's less chance of sudden heart attacks there."
"No," May and Max whispered at the same time, making Ash sigh once more.
They finally reached the main exhibit hall, the same room from the guard's report. The door creaked as they opened it, echoing across the vast, cavernous space. Inside, the museum felt different. Colder. The air almost hummed with energy, and the shadows felt… deeper.
Brock switched on an EMF meter he'd pulled from his "ghost bag." The little machine flickered to life, beeping faintly. "Huh. That's weird, it's actually reacting to something."
"Great," May muttered, inching closer to Ash. "We're not even five minutes in, and it's already haunted."
Suddenly, a faint sound echoed down the hall, soft footsteps and a playful humming.
Everyone froze.
"Roxanne… please tell me that's you," Max whispered.
Roxanne shook her head, eyes darting toward the dark corridor. "No… everyone's here."
The footsteps grew louder, light and almost playful, like a child skipping across the marble floor. The faint humming drifted through the air, an old, lilting tune that made the hair on the back of May's neck stand up.
Max gripped his flashlight so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Nope. Nope, I'm out," he whispered.
"Relax," Ash said, smirking as he tilted his head toward the sound. "It's probably just the world's creepiest janitor."
May shot him a glare. "Ash, this is not the time for jokes!"
Ash just shrugged. "What? Humor's a coping mechanism." He snapped his fingers, and Pikachu jumped off his shoulder, using Flash to light up the museum. Vee was still inside his Poké Ball for now.
Roxanne frowned, taking a cautious step forward. "Stay behind me. If someone's here, we should make sure they're not hurt." She glanced at Brock. "Ready?"
Brock nodded, his EMF reader still beeping softly. "Yeah, but something's definitely off. The reading's getting stronger."
The humming stopped.
Everyone froze.
Then, from behind one of the tall display cases, a shadow moved, a figure stepping slowly into view. The beam of Max's flashlight wobbled as he dropped it and ran behind Ash, his voice breaking. "I-it's the ghost!!"
May let out a tiny shriek and ducked behind Ash again. "Oh no no no no-!"
"Really?" Ash sighed, looking back at them, unimpressed. "I'm gonna start charging for emotional support." He glanced over and saw Brock and Roxanne both shivering slightly. He sighed again.
He stepped forward, flashlight steady, while everyone else stayed back. The figure ahead was short, but not little girl short. Her long hair shimmered faintly in the dim light, and as Ash raised his flashlight higher, it caught her face.
A young woman stood there. She had short, spiky black hair, tan skin, and bright blue eyes, with two large red Alolan-style cornflowers adorning the sides of her head. She wore a blue two-piece sarong-like dress with a strapless top, white Alolan cornflowers, and a small Pokémon League logo. Sandals covered her feet.
It was none other than Phoebe of the Elite Four.
Roxanne gasped, lowering her own light. "Wait… I know you, you're Phoebe!"
The woman raised a hand in greeting. "Evening! Sorry for the scare. I didn't mean to spook anyone."
As May and Max tried to catch their breath, and Brock tried not to flirt despite his heart still racing from the shock, Ash was the only one who looked relatively calm. "Hey, so, what are you doing here at night?" he asked bluntly.
Phoebe scratched the back of her head apologetically. "Hehe, well… it might sound a little weird, but lately, I've been getting this feeling that someone's been calling out to me," she said. Then, smiling softly, she crouched to give Pikachu a few pats on the head, which he happily accepted.
"What, like a ghost?" May asked, shivering slightly.
"Exactly!" Phoebe said, clapping her hands together. "And last night, I had a dream. Then this morning, I heard the League got a call about strange happenings at the museum. I figured it must be a sign, so I volunteered! And now, ta-da! Here I am!"
Roxanne took a slow breath, calming down. "From what I remember, you're friends with Ghost-type Pokémon, right?"
Brock nodded thoughtfully. He'd seen this kind of thing before, look at Ash, after all. Some people just had special connections to Pokémon. "Maybe that connection has something to do with our strange phenomenon."
"Strange phenomenon?" Phoebe tilted her head curiously.
"Yes," Roxanne explained. "Last night, the guards reported unusual activity in the museum. Two of them even said they heard… sobbing."
Phoebe crossed her arms, thinking. "The sound of sobbing, huh…"
Everyone leaned in expectantly, waiting for her to explain what it could mean, but then she suddenly looked up, grinning. "Ahaha! Well then, we'd better get going and look around!" she said cheerfully, tapping her head with a laugh.
Everyone nearly fell over.
Brock sighed, shaking his head. "Well, at least it's good to know we've got a Ghost-type expert working with us."
Roxanne nodded. "Yes! If Phoebe's with us, I'll feel safe no matter what we encounter!"
With that, a wild Phoebe officially joined the squad, and the group began searching the museum together.
As they walked, Roxanne reached for a switch on the wall and flicked it on, flooding the hall with warm yellow light. "There, at least now we can all see."
"Ah, thank goodness," Max mumbled, still clinging to Ash from behind.
"Okay," Brock said, turning off his flashlight and looking around at the exhibits. "So… what exactly are we looking for?"
"Hmmm, I dunno, but it feels a little chilly around my feet…" Phoebe mumbled.
Roxanne blinked. "What?! Your feet?"
Everyone looked down. As mentioned before, Phoebe was wearing sandals, so her feet were technically exposed, which was why she felt the chill of something beneath the display. She crouched, reached under, and pulled out a faintly glowing blue rock.
"Wait, is that an Icy Rock?!" Roxanne stepped closer, examining the object in Phoebe's hand.
"An ice rock," Max mumbled, crossing his arms. "That's the kind of stone you give to Pokémon, right?"
"Exactly. You'd usually give it to a Pokémon that can make it snow," Roxanne explained, raising a finger in teacher mode. "You'd give a Heat Rock to Pokémon that control sunlight, and a Damp Rock to those that control rain."
Phoebe chuckled and clapped lightly. "Ahahaha! You really know your stuff, Roxanne!"
"Yeah, right, but why was it on the floor?" Ash asked, bringing everyone back to the main issue.
Phoebe stopped and tapped her chin. "Maybe someone touched the display?"
Roxanne frowned, resting a hand against her cheek. "Do you think there's… a thief?"
"I doubt it," Brock said, examining another case. "None of the actual exhibits were stolen, so I don't think there's a thief."
Then, just as he said that, a faint sound broke the silence.
Sniffle.
Sob.
Phoebe was the first to react, glancing around. "Did you guys hear that?"
"Huh?! Wh-what is that?!" Roxanne jumped slightly.
The sobs came again, louder this time. Phoebe nodded firmly. "Just as I thought! It's coming from over there!"
"W-whoa! R-really?" Roxanne said, covering her mouth as she tried to hide her nervousness.
"M-maybe it's a g-ghost, and i-it's gonna possess our bodies!" May stammered, shaking. That made Max and Roxanne shiver, and May quickly apologized. "Sorry!"
Ash sighed. "Come on, then. No point sitting around." He started walking forward, leaving May and Max behind. The others followed soon after, prompting the siblings to gulp and hurry after them.
As they moved deeper into the museum, the sobbing grew louder. Ash and Phoebe led the way, Brock and Roxanne close behind, and May and Max trailing at the rear, still clutching each other nervously.
When they entered a new room, Phoebe looked around. "Erm… Ah, look! There she is!" She pointed ahead.
Where she was pointing, a small girl sat in the corner, crying.
"That must be the girl the security guards mentioned," Brock said with a frown.
Roxanne frowned softly. "What is she doing here?"
Seeing that it was just a child, May and Max relaxed a little. May knelt down beside her. "What's the matter? You can tell us," she said gently.
The little girl turned, wiping her eyes, and stared down at the floor while fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. "I was playing hide and seek… but this place is big, and I got lost."
"Oh dear…" Roxanne murmured, moving closer and crouching to meet the girl's eyes. "You're safe now. You did very well being so brave," she said warmly.
Max exhaled, trying to sound confident. "Well, looks like there was nothing scary in the first place. I knew it all along! The security guards were probably just crybabies who got scared of the dark," he said, adjusting his glasses smugly.
Phoebe was smiling, but she didn't say anything. As Ash looked at her, and she looked back, they could both tell they were thinking the same thing, though neither spoke.
Brock nodded. "Okay then, let's take her outside and find her parents. Let's get this night over with."
The little girl jumped slightly, raising her hands and frowning. "Wait… my friends are still inside!" She lowered her arms and looked up at everyone pleadingly. "Please help them too!"
"Okay, let's go find them!" Roxanne said. As a teacher, she couldn't ignore a child asking for help. "Do you have any idea where they might be?"
The girl looked down, fidgeting with the edge of her sweater like she was ashamed. "N-no… I don't."
"I see… Well, come with us for now, so you don't get lost again," Roxanne said. She remembered what the security guards had mentioned, that they found the girl, but not outside. She must have wandered off again after being told to wait by the door. That was the only logical explanation she could think of.
"Okay!" the girl said, bouncing a little.
Ash and Phoebe still didn't say anything. They had an idea of what was really happening, but not enough evidence to say for sure.
The group continued onward. This time, no one was scared, they thought that was it. No ghosts, no haunting, just a lost girl and her friends. They started searching the rest of the museum calmly.
Roxanne stopped at the new exhibit, unable to help herself as her eyes sparkled. "This exhibition area features geological formations and rock excavations from various regions!"
Phoebe chuckled. "Your eyes are sparkling, Roxanne."
Roxanne put her hands on her hips. "Well, I don't need to be afraid of this strange phenomenon anymore!"
"Well, don't think that's a reason to start drooling," Ash teased with a smirk.
Roxanne blinked, quickly wiping her mouth, then blushed when she actually felt a bit of drool. "R-right, sorry. I just get a little carried away sometimes."
Still, that didn't stop her from admiring the stones and explaining facts about them, mainly for the little girl and Max. It was a force of habit for her as a teacher.
The girl clapped her hands. "Wow! You know a lot about stones!"
Roxanne chuckled proudly. "I do! I have an acquaintance who's a total rock maniac, but I'm no different!"
"Wow…" Phoebe murmured, glancing to the side as something caught her eye. She walked toward a darker corner of the room.
"Then what about these?" Phoebe called, drawing everyone's attention. "They look like a coffin and a slab. I guess they don't have much to do with geology…"
There in the corner was, just as she said, a coffin and a broken stone slab covered in strange red markings.
Roxanne tilted her head curiously and stepped closer to inspect them. "That's strange… I don't remember seeing these on the inventory list for the new exhibit."
Brock adjusted his flashlight, shining the beam over the slab. "Looks old… really old. Definitely not from this region either." He crouched down, squinting. "These markings don't look like anything from Hoenn's usual ruins."
Roxanne frowned, tracing her finger above the red symbols without touching them. "They almost look like… runes. But I've never seen any that glow like this before."
As she spoke, the markings pulsed faintly, like they were reacting to her voice.
May immediately stepped back. "O-okay, yeah, no. Nope. That's where I draw the line. Glowing coffin and cursed slab? I've seen enough movies to know how this ends!"
Max crossed his arms, though his voice trembled. "It's… probably just luminescent paint or something! Y-you know, for authenticity."
"Sure, genius," May muttered.
"Maybe they're from an ancient excavation?" Roxanne tapped her chin.
Before anyone could respond, a cold gust of wind swept through the exhibit. The lights flickered, once, twice, then went dim, leaving only the pale glow of the runes and their flashlights.
Brock instinctively reached for his bag. "That's not good… tell me someone just opened a door."
"Not unless ghosts learned how to use doorknobs," Ash said casually, though his hand slid to his belt. His eyes glowed faintly blue, Aura pulsing as he focused. "Yeah, figures. Two signatures just spiked."
"Signatures?" Max whispered.
Ash tilted his head toward the slab and coffin. "Those."
A deep rumbling echoed through the hall. The stone slab began to move, cracks of red light snaking across its surface. The coffin trembled violently, dust spilling onto the floor.
May clung to Ash's arm. "A-Ash!! It's moving!! Why is it moving?!"
"Maybe it's shy," Ash deadpanned, as Pikachu copied his calm expression on his shoulder.
"Ash!" Roxanne snapped, panic creeping into her voice. "This isn't the time-"
CRACK!
The slab split in two, revealing a twisted form of stone and shadow. Red markings flared to life, coiling like serpents across its body, a Runerigus, its eerie face-mask glowing from within.
At the same time, the coffin burst open with a metallic shriek. Four golden arms unfurled from the darkness, a Cofagrigus, its eyes gleaming crimson in the dim light.
May screamed. Max froze. Roxanne stumbled back.
Phoebe, however, grinned. "Well, I'll be! So that's what was calling me!"
"Calling you?!" Brock exclaimed, clutching Bonsly's Poké Ball. "You mean you knew something like this would happen?!"
"Kinda~!" Phoebe said cheerfully, maybe too cheerfully.
Roxanne looked around. "We can't battle them here, or the exhibits are gonna get damaged," she said, biting her lower lip.
"S-so we should run away. Good idea, I like that plan," May said quickly, nodding her head.
Phoebe put her hands behind her back and looked at everyone casually. "Everyone calm down. We don't need to panic."
"What?" Roxanne blinked.
Before she could elaborate, the little girl ran past Roxanne and up to the Ghost-types. "Hey, there you are! I found you!"
"What!?" Roxanne, Brock, May, and Max all shouted in confusion.
Phoebe chuckled. "Cofagrigus and Runerigus are her friends."
"Yeah, I mean, it was kinda obvious," Ash said casually, Pikachu still perched on his shoulder, looking unimpressed.
"Wh-whaaat?!" they said in unison again.
"See? Both of them look happy! They're excited to see her again!" Phoebe pointed. Sure enough, the two Ghost Pokémon floated around the girl playfully.
The girl giggled. "These two are really nice Pokémon! They play lots of games with me!"
"Um… so are they your Pokémon?" Max managed to stammer out.
The girl scratched her cheek. "Well… no, but…" She looked up, clenching her fists. "They want to get stronger and have lots of battles… but I can't be their partner."
She looked down again, then up slightly. "So… can you be their friends too?"
Phoebe laughed warmly. "Sure, I'd be happy to."
The girl and the two Ghosts celebrated as Cofagrigus floated toward Phoebe, while, surprisingly, Runerigus drifted toward Roxanne.
"Eeeek!" Roxanne yelped, jumping back.
Ash smirked. "Looks like that one likes you~."
"Don't be scared, Roxanne. Look closely at her," Phoebe said encouragingly.
"Erm…" Roxanne leaned in nervously. "Her body looks like clay, or even stone. That's a very unusual composition."
Her eyes lit up as her nerves faded. "Sure! I think we'll get along! She might not be a Rock type, but there's no harm in expanding my specialty!"
Phoebe giggled. "Ahahaha! Of course you'd notice that, Roxanne!"
With that, Phoebe and Roxanne each held out a Poké Ball. The two Ghost types tapped their shadowy hands against them, disappearing inside as the Poké Balls clicked shut.
As they looked down at their new partners, Ash clapped his hands. "Okay, case closed. How about we get out of here now?"
"Don't have to tell me twice," May muttered.
The group turned and headed for the exit. There were no more strange noises or flickering lights, just the cool night breeze greeting them as they stepped outside, the little girl walking right behind.
"We were able to find out the truth behind the strange phenomenon," Roxanne sighed with relief. "Now we should be able to open the museum as planned!"
Phoebe nodded happily. "Yeah! All these great things happened, and we even made new friends!"
"Let's learn more about Runerigus and Cofagrigus!" Roxanne clapped her hands, her excitement returning. "I know! Could you tell us what kind of games you played with Runerigus-" She turned to look at the girl.
But when she looked around, the girl was nowhere to be seen. "Oh? Where did that girl go?"
Roxanne spun around, scanning the moonlit street outside the museum. The night air was cool, the faint hum of Rustboro in the distance… but the little girl was gone.
"W-wait, she was just right behind us!" May stammered, spinning in place.
Max adjusted his glasses nervously. "H-how does someone vanish that fast?!"
Brock frowned, walking down the steps to look around. "She couldn't have gone far. Maybe she left to go home? Roxanne, do you know her name? Maybe we can ask around."
Roxanne opened her mouth, then hesitated. "I… no, actually. I don't remember her at all. I remember all my students, but… I don't recall ever seeing her before."
Ash sighed, crossing his arms as Pikachu perched on his shoulder, tail flicking. "Yeah, figures." He looked over at Phoebe, who was still gazing thoughtfully toward the museum.
Phoebe met his eyes and gave a faint smile. "Huh, so you could tell too? I thought it was just a coincidence."
"Yeah, I could tell," Ash said quietly. "I knew before we even got inside the museum."
"Wait, what are you guys talking about? Why does it sound like you know something we don't?" May asked, crossing her arms.
"Because we do," Ash and Phoebe said at the same time.
"Wh-okay, care to fill us in?" May asked.
"She faded away," Phoebe said softly, her hands clasped behind her back.
May's eyes widened. "W-what do you mean 'faded'? Are you saying she was-"
Ash finished for her, his voice steady. "-already gone."
A heavy silence fell over the group. Even Max didn't have a comeback for that.
Brock let out a low whistle. "So the guards weren't wrong after all."
Roxanne's hands trembled slightly as she brought them to her chest. "You mean… she was a ghost all along?"
Phoebe gave a small smile. "Not a scary one. Not all ghosts are scary, some of them just want someone to play with. She probably just wanted someone to understand, to make sure her friends weren't lonely anymore before she left."
Ash nodded. "She got what she wanted. Those two have partners now."
The group stood in silence for a moment, the faint glow from the museum's windows reflecting in their eyes. Then, in typical Ash fashion, he broke the tension.
"Well, that's one haunted museum solved. Ten outta ten, would ghost hunt again." He stretched his arms behind his head, flashing a grin. "Though next time, maybe somewhere with less crying and more snacks."
"Hey, what are you trying to say?!" May huffed.
"Don't recall accusing you," Ash teased. "Seems to me, though, you already know."
That made May glare and then look away with a pout.
Roxanne exhaled softly, her hand still resting over her chest as she glanced back toward the museum. "Still... to think she was watching over this place all along. It makes me want to treat every artifact with even more care."
"Yeah, but at least everything's over," Brock sighed. "Anyone up for a late-night dinner?"
Roxanne shrugged. "I've already massacred my sleep schedule, might as well. I know a good place, and maybe…" She turned to Ash. "After, we can talk about a battle. I imagine if you're here in Hoenn, you must want to take on the Gyms. So, if I'm not being too forward, would you give me the honor of being your first Gym battle?"
Ash waved a hand. "I don't mind at all, but let's talk about that later, okay? I think we all just want to relax for a while."
Roxanne nodded, a little sheepishly. "Right, sorry, I got carried away again. So, shall we go?"
Phoebe chuckled. "Weelllll, I didn't expect to handle the situation here so soon, so I've got some free time."
As everyone turned to follow Roxanne, Phoebe stopped for a moment and looked back at the museum, smiling softly. "Good night. Your friends are okay now. You can move on."
From the museum, a small spirit peeked out and waved before slowly fading away. That was Phoebe's gift, the power to see and speak with spirits. She was a Hex Maniac, but not in the same way Morty was with his clairvoyance or Damian with his curses. She could see spirits, something even they couldn't do. Even Ash couldn't see ghosts with Aura.
Still, like he said, Ash looked back at Phoebe, who was staring wistfully at the museum. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel something leave. He didn't say anything about it, he just called out to her, "You coming?"
Phoebe looked back and noticed the understanding in Ash's eyes. She smiled knowingly, "Okey-dokey," she said, running to catch up with the others.