Chapter 240: The Silent, Dead Village in the Spirit World
Under Yui's guidance, Will arrived in a peculiar area.
This place was free of the thick, grayish-purple fog. Although the entire world was still tinted dark purple, it undeniably felt safer.
And... what shocked Will the most was that there was a village in this area.
This was just too bizarre.
Will scanned his surroundings, swallowing nervously.
The village was tiny, just twenty or thirty thatched huts clustered together. The entire village was deathly silent, without a single sound.
But what made Will's blood run cold was that in the windows of those thatched huts, there stood pale, gray spirits.
All of their gazes were fixed on Will.
These gazes held no special meaning; they were simply staring at him.
It felt just like... visiting a comatose patient.
Will had seen people in a vegetative state in hospitals before. For a first-timer, their reactions were genuinely unsettling. If you stood far away, they would just blankly stare in the direction of the sound. If you stood close, they would turn their heads and lock their eyes onto the person speaking.
These spirits were behaving in a similar way. They were staring intently at the only living being here, their heads turning to follow Will's every move.
Will, in Yui's arms, turned his body. He wrapped his flippers around her neck, stretched his head to her ear, and whispered:
"Where did this village come from? Was it here when you first arrived?"
"Nope. It wasn't here at first. My sister built it. Then she told me to watch over it."
Yui carried Will into one of the small houses. The tables, chairs, beds, and even the blankets inside were all woven from straw and vines.
"...You have a sister?"
Will wriggled out of Yui's arms, hopped to the floor, and tiptoed to the door. He opened a small crack and peeked outside.
Those spirits were still standing in their windows, staring at this hut.
In that instant, all the down on Will's body stood on end. It felt exactly like being watched.
"Mhm! It seems like Sister got here even earlier than me. Anyway, she was the first person I saw when I opened my eyes," Yui nodded, then used a match to light an oil lamp.
Hearing the scrape of the match, Will's ears twitched.
He suddenly realized...
How could the Spirit World have straw, vines, matches, and oil lamps?
There were only two possibilities.
Either a civilization existed in the Spirit World.
Or these things came from the outside world.
Will was leaning toward the latter. Yui had said her sister built this village, and her sister had been here longer.
A being who could build a village in the Spirit World—and even repel the chaotic fog...
Could that be an ordinary person?
This was undoubtedly good news for Will! Yui didn't know much, but her sister might know a lot!
He just didn't know why Yui's sister had told her to guard this place. Was this village a special location in the Spirit World?
Maybe...
There was a gate to the real world here!
"Will~"
Yui walked over, crouched down, and tugged on Will's tail.
"What? Don't pull my tail."
Will slapped her arm away.
"Let's play hide-and-seek."
"...In this village? No way."
Will flatly refused. Setting aside how creepy that would be, the game was impossible to play with all those spirits staring at him. No matter where he hid, they would all just turn and stare in that direction. What was the point?
"Oh... but I'm so bored."
Yui sat on the floor, disappointed. She reached out and hugged the little penguin, affectionately rubbing her cheek against his head.
"What did you usually do before?"
"I wandered around, seeing if anything strange was happening in the Spirit World."
"What's the strangest thing you've found recently?"
"Umm... you." Yui looked up, thought for a moment, and then pointed at Will.
"Besides me?"
"Then there's nothing." Yui shook her head.
"Alright... how did you get those marks on your body?"
Will suddenly noticed Yui's forearms. They were covered in scratches and burns. Not a dense mass, but there were a lot of them.
"Mommy did it."
Yui glanced down and pulled the sleeves of her ragged clothes over them. She seemed afraid Will would be disgusted and stop playing with her. Perhaps she'd had that experience before.
"Your dad didn't do anything?"
"Daddy hit Mommy."
"Oh. Good for him." Will nodded, but then felt something was off.
From what Yui said before, it sounded like her dad was the bad guy and her mom was the good guy. But now, it sounded like her dad was the good guy and her mom was the bad guy.
"...Did your dad hit your mom before or after she hurt you?"
"Before."
"...Can't those marks go away?"
Will was speechless. So, neither parent was any good. The dad was a domestic abuser, and the mom took her anger out on the kid.
"I don't know. Sister said they won't go away. They're ugly." Yui shook her head, looking a little sad. Even a little girl like her was self-conscious about ugly scars.
"It's okay. Yui is very cute."
Will reached out and patted the little girl's knee to comfort her.
Just then, a strange sound came from outside.
"Moshi~"
"Moshi~"
A series of high-pitched, childish cries.
Will frowned and went to the door. He was just about to peek out when Yui snatched him back.
She unceremoniously stuffed him under the bed and then walked quickly to the door.
A moment later, a knock came.
Yui opened it.
Will peeked out from under the bed, his eyes narrowing.
It was the Chandelure family.
A Chandelure stood at the door. On either side of it was a Lampent, and behind them, in two rows, were six Litwick.
'Crap... this is bad. They really did sense my life aura.'
A cold sweat broke out on Will's brow.
The Chandelure family was the complete opposite of the Dusknoir line. Dusknoir looked terrifying but actually maintained order in the Spirit World. In contrast, the Chandelure line looked harmless, but they were constantly absorbing and burning souls, leaving behind empty, walking husks.
It was said that funerals were a common occurrence in houses that used Chandelure for light.
Thinking of this, Will suddenly began to suspect that the mindless spirits outside had lost their minds because of these Chandelure.
The biggest problem now was... he didn't have the strength to fight these things.
Just the two Lampent were at least Lv. 41 or higher. The Chandelure was definitely even stronger. And the six Litwick behind them all looked to be Lv. 30+.
He definitely couldn't win.
"There's no one in here!"
"Moshi moshi~"
"I said, no one! Go away!"
Yui's voice was agitated. It seemed she was in conflict with them.
This made Will sweat. This little girl had some nerve.
But it also made him wonder. A soul like Yui's should be "food" for the Chandelure line. Why wasn't she being harmed? Was there something special about her?
"You can't come in! I said, you can't come in!"
Suddenly, Yui's voice got louder, sounding anxious and angry.
Thump.
A falling sound.
Will looked out, his heart leaping into his throat.
The Chandelure and its crew had forced their way into the hut and were heading straight for the bed.
Yui had been knocked to the ground, and the six Litwick swarmed her, pinning her down.
Will's temper flared. He opened his beak and shot a Bubble Beam.
A stream of translucent bubbles shot out, instantly hitting the six Litwick.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
As the bubbles burst, the six Litwick were knocked out cold, one after another.
Will didn't lose his head. He used Extreme Speed, burst out from under the bed, scooped up the little girl, and bolted for the door.
"Will, this way!"
Yui scrambled onto the little penguin's shoulders and pointed.
"Where are we going?"
"To the castle where my sister lives!"
"...Your sister lives in a castle, and she makes you live in a thatched hut?"
Will's short legs were moving so fast they were practically a blur. The last time his legs had moved this fast, he was a Grovyle, and he and Sprigatito were being chased by a school of Carvanha.
"Um... Sister... doesn't seem to like me very much," Yui's voice dropped, sounding dejected.
"Is she your real sister?" Will suddenly thought of something and asked.
"Yes."
"...I'm thinking we shouldn't go there."
This whole situation was getting weirder and weirder. Never mind how her sister was living in a castle in the Spirit World. Just look at their family. The parents were a mess. There was a high probability the sister's personality was twisted. The fact that she made her own sister live in this dump was a huge red flag.
"No! We have to go! Sister doesn't like me, but she'll still protect me."
"You're sure?"
"Mhm!"
"Fine! Your call!"
Will gritted his beak and ran.
He could sense the Chandelure chasing him with his Aura.
It was close!
It was stuck right at his 15-meter sensory limit.
This made Will's skin crawl. Because he was using Extreme Speed!
Even if a Piplup isn't built for running, with Extreme Speed, he should be faster than almost any Pokémon. And yet, the Chandelure was keeping pace.
That meant... this Chandelure's level was high!
At least above Gym Leader level.
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