Challenge Pasio's Trainers: Part 1

There you are, Scottie. I've been looking all over for you.

I wanted to give you an invitation to the Midnight Battle Ball.

It's a ghastly, ghoulish battle event that takes place in a haunted mansion.

Lear had hoped to pass on the invitation personally as the host of the event...

but apparently he's a bit preoccupied with all of the preparation right now, so the task has fallen upon me.

Speaking of which, I should probably get going. Lots of invitations to hand out...

Was that Caitlin just now? It's odd to see her without Darach at her side.

I'm guessing she gave you an invite to the ball as well?

I'm excited to see what all the hype is about. Who knows what spine-chilling surprises Lear has in store for us.

I figured I'd dress up for the occasion in any case.

It sounds like it's going to be a night to remember... *chuckle*

Hey, I think I see it, Scottie! This is where the Midnight Battle Ball is gonna take place!

I wonder if any other sync pairs have arrived yet. Come on, let's head inside!

Huh... They really made this place feel like a haunted house.

I feel like at any moment, something spooky could sneak up and...

AHHH! Wh-what was that?!

You would mistake me for a ghost while I still draw breath? Why, I should be insulted!

Aye, young [EN:Gen Ref="255" M="sir" F="lady" ]! Verily am I the famed blade of hardened steel!

Sir Lear has asked me to welcome all participants into the hall, so welcome you I shall!

Apparently, my striking visage is exactly what he was looking for as the first face people see when they walk through the door.

O-oh, I see... So this is all part of Lear's plan.

Not gonna lie, I panicked a little when you crept up behind me, Wikstrom.

Is that so? If the sight of my armor was enough to strike terror in you, I fear you may suffer far worse up ahead...

for within these halls, spine-chilling specters and spooks await you around every corner!

Pssh, I'm not scared one bit! And actually, I was just joking when I said I panicked earlier!

*chuckle* You put on quite a brave face, young sir. Let's see how long it lasts.

The main event hall is just up ahead. Steel yourselves and march on, my friends!

May your courage never falter as you fight your way to the very end!

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Midnight Battle Ball!

I hope you all enjoy the very special Pokémon battles we've prepared for you tonight!

Lear really went all out for this party, huh. It's like we're part of some high society get-together in a castle...

Are you all right? I couldn't help noticing you look a little anxious.

Are you nervous about walking through the villa halls in the dark?

Wh-what? No way! Who'd be scared of something silly like that?

It's all of the glitz and glamor in this place... I can't relax in this environment.

Interesting... I feel the same.

I'm used to training in a quiet environment, so this is quite strange for me.

Really?!

Phew... I'm glad it's not just me!

All this excitement is making me kinda thirsty...

Would you care for a beverage?

Oh! Thanks, Darach!

Should you need anything else, please don't hesitate to call me over.

Huh... Are you not attending to Caitlin tonight?

I hardly ever see you apart.

Yes... I shall endeavor to be as a shadow this evening, watching over Lady Caitlin from a short distance away.

Lavish gatherings like this must be a dime a dozen where she comes from. She looks as calm and cool as ever.

Quite the contrary... Though Lady Caitlin may appear that way to you, I would wager that she's actually quite excited right now.

Really? She doesn't look any different to me...

Watch closely. You'll notice she hasn't yawned even once today!

Huh...

Speaking of Lady Caitlin, I have a favor I would like to ask of you all...

If it's not too much to ask, could you accompany her tonight?

I'm certain Lady Caitlin would jump at the chance to participate with your group, but she's not in the habit of inviting herself, you see...

Oh, is that all? We'd love to have her join us.

Yeah! The more the merrier!

Your kindness knows no bounds. I shall take my leave, then...

Hey, Caitlin. Would you like to join us for the event tonight?

We're looking for a strong Trainer to fill out our team.

You wish for me to join you?

Hmm... I think I'd like that.

Excellent!

You lot look awfully confident. Not that that's going to last much longer.

The fun's about to begin! Try not to run off at the first scare, all right?

We're totally fine! Wikstrom wasn't even that scary at all.

I'm actually pretty excited to see what awaits us ahead.

Hmph! Well, don't come crying to me if it turns out to be scarier than you think!

There's a magnificent prize waiting for the team that can defeat the sync pair in the final room.

Prove your mettle and return here with the prize in hand!

All right, then... Ready to go, everyone?

That prize is as good as ours!

That's the spirit. If we work together as a team, I'm sure we'll do just fine!

That's the spirit. If we work together as a team, I'm sure we'll do just fine!

It's quite dark in here, isn't it.

I'm used to the dark, so this is pretty normal for me. Are the rest of you doing all right?

Oh, I'm splendid. Do you think we'll run into something spooky soon?

Well, we already know there's gonna be traps and stuff. When we run into them, it probably won't even be...

Uhh...what's that all over the walls?!

It looks like this room has been decorated with masks...

Could they be party favors for the event?

Th-these are some weird party favors...

What was that?!

Y-yeah, I heard it! What do you think it was?

It sounded like someone knocked over a vase to me.

Hm? I thought I just saw the eyes in those masks sparkle...

Th-there are eyes in the masks?!

Ahh! Did you hear THAT?!

It sounded like a Pokémon's cry.

*chuckle* Specters and scares indeed.

How are both of you so c-calm right now?!

I...don't really know how to answer that.

Ah, it looks like the ghost Pokémon have come out to welcome us.

If by "welcome" you mean bare their teeth in open hostility toward us...

This could be an excellent training opportunity!

One day, a Legendary Pokémon will appear before me. I have to train to prepare myself!

Looks like Banette is ready for a fight, too!

Morty...are you actually enjoying this?!

Of course! Now, let's battle, shall we?

This Midnight Battle Ball is my kind of party!

To rush at us out of the blue like that... Ghost Pokémon are full of surprises, aren't they.

Much of what you do is still a mystery to me, Sableye.

I hope participating in the Midnight Battle Ball allows me to learn a bit more about you, and about ghost Pokémon as well.

I still don't understand how both of you are so unfazed by all of this...

But we'll do our best, too! Go, Mightyena!

You OK, Scottie?! Come on, we'll get through this together!

Careful, Scottie! Just stay calm, we'll face this together!

I never knew ghost Pokémon were so aggressive...

If this is all just an act for the event, it sure is a convincing one!

Phew... Nice job everybody. Looks like we managed to drive them off.

Shall we brush ourselves off and get moving again?

Hm?

Is that another ghost Pokémon?

Let's tread carefully. It might rush up and attack like the last ones!

Hang on... I don't sense any hostility from this Pumpkaboo.

I don't think it means to start a fight.

Then...what is it doing here?

Perhaps it wants us to follow it.

Interesting... It could be trying to lead us somewhere.

Hmm... What do you think we should do, Scottie?

*gulp* If you think that's what we should do, then I guess I'm with you...

*gulp* It sure could be...

What are we waiting for? Let's go.

We'll be fine as long as we all stick together.

I wonder where it'll lead us...

Huh?! What is this place?

How did we get to this cave from the villa?

Could it be...

Pumpkaboo are said to carry wandering spirits to the place they belong so that they can move on.

This place could be a bridge to the afterlife...

You think it might be trying to usher our spirits away with it?

Wha, ?! Now's not the time for calm analysis, you two!

I propose we turn back and get out of here...

Phew! We made it...back safely...

I didn't think I'd be guided into the afterlife this evening...

You could have at least mentioned that Pumpkaboo like to carry spirits to their resting place, you know...

Well, I thought it might be rude to say no if that's what it was really trying to do.

Are all ghost Pokémon Trainers accustomed to this sort of thing, I wonder?

I'm sure it depends on the person...

*sigh* I guess this event turned out to be a lot more grim than we thought, huh...

I hope we find the sync pair waiting in the final room soo...

Ahh! I think something just touched my leg!

It looks like a mask...

Do you think someone might have dropped it? Or is this just another decoration like that other room...

Hard to say. We might as well bring it with us, though, in case somebody lost it.

This has been quite a journey so far...but if I'm not mistaken, that should be the final room up ahead.

Finally! That felt like it took forever...

Ahem... Entering the room may prove to be a bit difficult.

Huh? What do you...

A Gengar?!

It was probably placed here as a warden to keep us out.

All that's left to do is bust through this obstacle and make our way through the final door!

All right! Let's do this!

A grand battle such as this calls for grace and elegance!

Hm? Whatever is the matter, Sableye? Don't you want to battle?

Sorry, could we pause for a moment, everyone?

Sableye...I want to understand you better. Please, do what you think is right. We'll wait.

Are they...talking to each other?

That Gengar didn't budge an inch from the door when our Pokémon were attacking it.

There could be something else at play here... Something unrelated to the event.

Oh, I see...

Can you understand what they're saying, Caitlin?

Not exactly...but I think I got the gist of what they're trying to convey.

Gengar is going to step aside for us. It seems very concerned about the mask we picked up in the other room.

So it just wants us to bring the mask inside with us? Well, that was easy.

You were brilliant, Sableye. Thanks to you, we can all move ahead.

Shall we, everyone?

Wha, ?! How'd we get outside again?

The ghost Pokémon may be using their power to warp reality in this place.

*sniffle* What am I going to do...

That's not a g-g-ghost...is it?

Wait, Caitlin! It could be dangerous!

It's perfectly fine.

Hello... Why are you all alone over here?

M-my mask...

Mask? Are you referring to this?

Ah! Y-yes...that's my mask!

Please...give it back...

Oh... All right, then. Here you go.

Th-thank you...for finding my mask...

Aren't you that Gym Leader from...Galar, was it?

Yes... Allister, the Gym Leader from the Galar region. I thought I recognized you!

Yeah... Yeah, that's me...

We heard that we'd get a fabulous prize if we could defeat the sync pair in this room... Do you know anything about that?

Y-yeah... It's me who's in charge of it...

What? So you're here as part of Lear's big plan?

That's correct...

Lear approached us... M-me and Gengar...

For the Midnight Battle Ball... He wanted us to...to play a part in it...

N-nothing too scary... Just enough to make it fun for the participants and the ghost Pokémon...

I was really excited...to do something n-nice for all the ghost Pokémon...

And I... I wasn't really paying attention... and I lost my mask somewhere along the way...

I've got loads of spares... Spare masks, I mean. B-but I couldn't leave to go and get them...

Why couldn't you leave?

I'm... I'm afraid...to show my face to other people without my mask on...

I see... With all the participants making their way to this room, you were bound to run into someone.

And then, even if you did make it safely to your mask storage, you may have found it empty.

I think someone might have mistaken your masks for party decorations... We saw a bunch of them hanging up on the walls.

N-no way...

That reminds me, is this Gengar your partner Pokémon?

Y-yeah... Gengar could tell how frightened I was to leave this room...

So I think he ran off with the other ghost Pokémon t-to chase away all the participants.

So THAT'S why all the ghost Pokémon have been acting so aggressive toward us...

D-don't blame the ghost Pokémon! It's not their fault...

They were doing it for my sake... Please don't hate them...

Oh, I could never hate them.

In fact, what they did for you was so kind... I may love them even more now.

Yeah. I think I understand why things went the way they did tonight.

My partner and I got some excellent training out of it, so I can't complain.

However...I think you may have inadvertently given the other participants quite a scare.

Eep... I was afraid of that...

So now we need to work extra hard to show them all how wonderful ghost Pokémon can be!

Huh? Er...what do you mean?

I mean this party isn't over yet!

You want me...to join the party?

You want me...to go with you?

Er... I wanted to say, I... I didn't mean to...

What? Tonight's been sooo much fun!

Huh?

No need to apologize! We're all aware of what happened.

Young Scottie and the others explained it to us before you arrived.

We've all been waiting for you and the ghost Pokémon to grace us with your presence!

Oh...

I... Thank you for doing that, Scottie...

Now, then! With that small kerfuffle out of the way, let the party continue!

Go on and enjoy the rest of the festivities with everyone!

Woo-hoo! Allister, bring the ghost Pokémon over here!

Come on, Allister! I want to introduce you to everyone!

R-right...

Was what you said to Allister earlier true? That you love ghost Pokémon even more now?

Of course it was.

I always speak from my heart.

I want to learn so much more about ghost Pokémon and the people that train them.

Their Trainers, too?

Yes. Having become one myself, nothing would make me happier.

I see... I'm glad to hear that.

Welcome to the wonderful world of ghost Pokémon, Caitlin!

There's just one thing this party is missing... Dancing.

Dancing? I, uh... I've never been much of a dancer...

Come now, what's a party without a little dancing? Let's all go and dance together.

The key is to not overthink it. All that matters is having a good time with your Pokémon.

Just make sure your dancing isn't so yawn- inducing that I grow bored. *giggle*