The door swung open on its own, a clear invitation into a trap.
Haruki clung tightly to Metang and slowly stepped inside.
The room was dim and filled with dust, but from the overall layout, it was clear the original occupant had been a girl.
Bang!
The door shut itself behind them, and Haruki's scalp tingled. In the next instant, he saw the maid again standing right next to the bed.
This time, Haruki finally saw her face clearly.
…And those dark red, pupil-less eyes.
A moment later, the entire room began to shift. The dust vanished, the carpet refreshed, and sunlight streamed gently through the window.
The once eerie, terrifying maid now appeared completely normal, her eyes squinted in a soft, warm smile.
"Roto~ Roto~"
A joyful cry rang out, and a Pokémon suddenly flew out from behind the maid, cheerfully circling around her.
The Pokémon looked like a balloonfish, surrounded by crackling Z-shaped electricity, bobbing up and down in the air.
Its color was a vivid rose pink, shockingly bright.
It was a Rotom…
A rare shiny Rotom!
But once Haruki's surprise faded, panic set in.
He was completely immobilized, and though he could clearly sense he was caught in an illusion, he had no way to break free.
His left hand still clutched Metang, feeling the cold steel. He could even sense the faint breeze brushing the back of his head.
All of his senses were intact, but he couldn't move!
Before he could dwell further, his attention was drawn back to the maid and the Rotom.
Suddenly, a bold girl wearing a denim jacket burst into the room; her spectral body phasing directly through Haruki and stepping in front of the maid and shiny Rotom.
The two clearly knew each other. Rotom grew even more excited at the sight of the cowgirl, clinging to her without letting go.
Then, the two girls spoke. The cowgirl wore an apologetic expression, but her eyes were resolute.
The maid shook her head repeatedly, tears streaming down her face.
Eventually, the cowgirl pried Rotom off herself, placed it into the maid's arms, and walked away without turning back.
Sun rose, moon fell, and the scene sped up dramatically.
The maid returned to the room often, but the cowgirl never appeared again. Rotom remained by her side, always watching the window with her.
The scene accelerated so much that Haruki could barely see the maid or Rotom clearly anymore.
The room darkened and aged, but those flashes of white and beams could only belong to the maid and Rotom.
Finally, the sequence slowed. The maid's hair had turned silver, but the Ghost-type Rotom remained unchanged.
Human and Pokémon sat silently together, still staring out the window, as if waiting for someone's return.
Then, on a dewy, heavy morning, the old maid simply sat by the window and passed away.
Rotom, at her side, sensed it instantly.
After flickering with panic, Rotom stopped behind her and suddenly dove into her body. Blue electricity sparked, and a black shadow slowly emerged from the maid's back.
Haruki watched silently, his scalp tingling as if it might fall off.
That dark shadow being pulled out… was exactly the ghostly maid he had been seeing all along.
So, the ghost maid was Rotom.
And Rotom was still alive even now and had forcibly brought Haruki here.
And the story Rotom wanted to show Haruki... was far from over.
From that day on, the ghost maid -transformed from Rotom- continued to stand guard at the window.
She didn't move at all.
No matter how dilapidated the house became, no matter how thick the dust grew, the ghost maid remained there, always.
Until one day, Rotom emerged from the ghost maid's back, but the ghost maid didn't vanish. In fact, she regained her awareness, and even her youthful appearance returned.
Rotom was overjoyed. It had finally brought the maid back to life, and it flew in circles around her nonstop, sparks of electricity trailing in its wake.
However, the ghost maid was not happy at all. She wanted to cry, but ghosts didn't deserve tears.
Worse, now she didn't even know how to die again.
She was already dead. She thought she had found peace, but was forcibly turned into a ghost.
Looking at the happy Rotom, the ghost maid's face twisted into utter disgust. She opened her mouth and said something.
Rotom froze, staring at her in disbelief.
Then, it got angry. Electric blue sparks exploded wildly around its body. It looked ready to electrocute the ghost maid on the spot.
The ghost maid saw this and smiled.
That one smile made Rotom freeze again. It seemed to remember everything from the past.
The electricity faded, and Rotom flew off, leaving the ghost maid behind, who now screamed at the top of her lungs inside the room.
…But there was no response.
And with that, the story ended.
Suddenly, Haruki felt himself regaining control of his body. The room before him returned to normal.
Metang's arm was still cold. Skiploom's Tailwind still blew gently.
But Haruki's legs felt even weaker than before.
And now, the ghost maid no longer hid. She floated directly in front of Haruki.
Looking into her bloodshot, pupil-less eyes, Haruki inexplicably understood their meaning.
'Help me!'
Haruki instinctively leaned back and swallowed hard.
He understood her, but he couldn't do anything!
A Rotom capable of extracting a human soul and binding it permanently; there was no way that was a normal Ghost-type.
Even Ghost-type Pokémon had lifespans.
But that shiny Rotom from the story it had probably been alive for who knew how many years.
And she wanted him to save her? With what?
Bullet Punch from Metang?
As Haruki remained silent, the ghost maid's expression dimmed. She had already lured who knows how many people here, and not a single one had been able to help her.
Ever since Rotom left, she had been trapped: unable to die, unable to escape.
The ghost maid, disappointed, reached out toward Haruki.
Haruki's eyes widened, but he couldn't resist.
The next moment, a Ghost-type Energy Crystal from Haruki's spatial backpack floated out and slowly merged into the ghost maid's body.
Then, the ghost maid vanished, and with a creak, the door slowly swung open.
Haruki stood frozen, slightly dazed.
'That's it?'
'…My big, fat Energy Crystal is just… gone?'
'That ghost didn't even ask!'
But when Haruki opened his mouth, he didn't dare demand it back.
That feeling of complete helplessness from just moments ago? He never wanted to experience that again.
That ghost maid had lived so long, even if she couldn't leave, she had surely gained some strange powers.
'Forget it, forget it… just let it go…'
The more he tried to let it go, the more frustrated he became!
Haruki looked up and glanced around. Today, he had to find something worthwhile.
Soon, a dusty oil painting nearly hidden from view caught Haruki's attention.
He brushed the dust away, revealing the painting's true form.
Haruki stared at it and suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind.
He might have just found the solution…