After another full day of traveling, night had begun to fall by the time Liam and N finally arrived at Nacrene City.
The city was already illuminated by countless lights. Multicolored lamps complemented one another, giving the entire city a refined and beautiful atmosphere.
Nacrene City was home to many unused warehouses. These warehouses were often rented out to artists, who would decorate them with their own creations. As a result, the entire city was filled with an artistic ambiance, earning it the nickname the City of Art.
Speaking of Nacrene City, its two most famous landmarks were naturally the Nacrene Museum and the Nacrene Gym. In fact, the two were housed in the very same building.
The Nacrene Gym was located inside the Nacrene Museum.
Having finally arrived at such a famous place, Liam decided to spend the night in Nacrene City. The next day, he planned to visit the museum. He had even prepared his camera, intending to take pictures of the precious exhibits so that he could admire them together with Delia once he returned to Kanto.
Thus...
Liam and N checked into the Pokémon Center and registered for a room.
However, just as the two of them headed upstairs to rest, a black figure stood silently at the entrance of the Pokémon Center, coldly watching Liam and N until they disappeared up the staircase.
Early the next morning, Liam and N, already prepared, excitedly made their way to the Nacrene Museum.
After purchasing one and a half admission tickets, they happily entered the museum.
The Nacrene Museum truly lived up to its reputation. The entire building exuded an ancient style.
Display cases filled every corner of the museum, each showcasing countless ancient and precious artifacts.
As soon as Liam and N entered, a thin young man wearing glasses enthusiastically walked over.
"Welcome, you two. I'm Lenora, the curator of the Nacrene Museum. Judging by your faces, this must be your first visit. If you don't mind, I'd be happy to give you a guided tour."
Curator Lenora was extremely enthusiastic. Without giving Liam much chance to respond, he immediately led the two through the museum.
"Our Nacrene Museum is the largest museum in the Unova region. We have an enormous collection of exhibits. Some of our most valuable pieces are displayed as replicas for safety reasons, but visually they're virtually identical. For example... this one."
Smiling, Lenora led Liam and N to a display platform and pointed at several exhibits one after another.
"This is a suit of armor used by humans during ancient Unovan times. It appears to have been forged with a special metal, so even after all these years it hasn't corroded. This one is genuine."
"And this skeleton belongs to a Pokémon capable of flying all over the world. Haha, to be honest, it's a Dragonite skeleton. A Dragonite skeleton this large is incredibly rare. This is also the real thing."
"And next we have this... followed by this one..."
In this manner, Lenora tirelessly explained the origins of each exhibit throughout the museum. Liam listened attentively, nodding in appreciation while occasionally taking photographs.
"Hmm? Um... Mr. Lenora, what is this stone?"
Just as Lenora was about to lead them to the next exhibit, Liam suddenly noticed a jet-black, perfectly round stone sitting quietly in the corner of the current display case.
The stone was roughly the size of an adult's fist, with several mysterious patterns engraved across its surface.
The instant Liam saw it, his brows knitted together, and his breathing became noticeably heavier.
The reaction lasted only a brief moment. The next instant, he had already regained his composure.
"Oh, that stone?"
Lenora laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
"To be honest, we still haven't figured out what it's for. Our research only tells us that it's incredibly ancient. Since it appears to be a historical artifact, we decided to put it on display with the rest of the collection."
"I see..."
Liam nodded slightly.
"So that's how it is... Then it's nothing. Mr. Lenora, let's continue."
Having already reached his own conclusion, Liam gave the black stone one final glance before following Lenora onward.
"Certainly. Please come this way. Next I'll introduce..."
Lenora immediately led Liam and N toward another display.
"Wow! This one's beautiful!"
"Whoa! That one's so cool! Purrloin, look at all these things! They're amazing!"
As the tour continued, N followed behind Liam, constantly marveling at the dazzling exhibits.
"Meow~"
The Purrloin perched atop N's head happily nodded in agreement.
"Meow!! Grrrrrr!!"
However, just after N rounded a large display case behind Liam, the Purrloin suddenly became alert.
Its previously relaxed expression turned fierce as it fixed its gaze on the corner beyond the exhibit, letting out continuous low growls.
"Hm? What's wrong, Purrloin?"
Purrloin's unusual behavior immediately caught N's attention.
Just as N finished speaking—
"Guu... guu..."
A pitiful voice drifted from around the corner. The air shimmered, and a cloud of dark purple mist floated into view.
The next moment, a Yamask appeared before N.
"Huh? Why is there a Pokémon here? Does it have a Trainer?"
"Hello. Are you lost? Do you need my help?"
Yamask naturally wore an expression that looked as though it were crying.
N had no idea what species of Pokémon stood before him.
But to someone who loved Pokémon as much as he did, if any Pokémon was in trouble, he would always lend a helping hand.
"Meow!!"
Purrloin, however, remained on full alert, staring fixedly at Yamask while continuing its warning growls.
"Guu... guu..."
Perhaps intimidated by Purrloin's hostility, tears quickly welled up in Yamask's crimson eyes. Moments later, it began crying like a human baby.
Seeing Yamask burst into tears, N immediately panicked. He hurried forward, reaching out to wipe away its tears.
"Guu!!"
But—
The instant N stepped within reach… Yamask abruptly stopped crying. Its tail whipped sharply through the air.
The mask hanging from its tail flew off and instantly attached itself to N's face!
"Meow!!"
Seeing N suddenly attacked, Purrloin didn't hesitate for even a second. A white glow flashed across one of its claws as it lunged forward.
But—
Its entire body passed straight through Yamask's ghostly form.
"Meow!!"
Landing swiftly, Purrloin realized its Scratch had been completely ineffective.
It immediately turned and launched Pursuit.
Dark-type energy rapidly gathered around its claws. With a powerful kick of its hind legs, the small Pokémon charged toward Yamask once again.
But…
The instant Purrloin leaped, several pale yellow bandages suddenly burst from the very foreleg that had first touched Yamask moments earlier!
In the blink of an eye, the bandages wrapped tightly around Purrloin's entire body.
Unable to move, Purrloin crashed to the ground like a tightly wrapped rice dumpling.
"Guu... guu..."
Floating in the air, Yamask sneered at the immobilized Purrloin.
Then, controlling the now-mask-possessed N, it slowly led him toward the museum's exit.