Darkness. It certainly has a way of striking fear into the hearts of humans.
Led by Gengar, the group moved quickly through the jungle. As they went deeper, the number of wild Pokémon in the surrounding area began to dwindle.
One of the teachers who was familiar with the forest frowned. "Be careful," he warned. "We must be entering the territory of a powerful Pokémon."
Fewer wild Pokémon—or, more accurately, fewer strong wild Pokémon. One territory could only have one "king." Any intruder with a certain level of strength would be seen as a threat, and the king would appear to defend its domain.
Hearing this, everyone tensed up.
"Are we there yet?" Zane asked.
The Gengar looked around, its face grim. "Something's not right," it replied. "There's a presence here, stronger than me, and it's interfering with my senses!"
The Gengar had barely finished speaking when one of the Officer Jennys up ahead cried out, "That tree just moved!"
Everyone's eyes snapped in that direction. At the same time, a terrified voice came from the back of the group. "Two of the teachers are gone!"
"GEH HEH HEH!"
"HEE HEE!"
"WAKAKA!"
A chorus of sharp, piercing laughter suddenly echoed through the dark forest. The Officer Jennys immediately went on high alert.
Suddenly, every single one of their flashlights went out.
The last vestiges of light vanished, and the group was plunged into absolute darkness.
Zane nervously clutched the Poké Ball in his hand.
"Everyone, hold hands with the person next to you! Don't get separated!" one of the Officer Jennys called out. Her voice seemed to warp, one moment sounding close, the next far away.
In the ensuing chaos, Zane grabbed a hand. But in the next second, a jolt of wrongness shot through him. The hand was cold, far colder than any living person's should be. Even though he knew it was the work of Ghost-type Pokémon, the unexpected shock still made him jump. He stumbled backward, but the feeling of hitting the ground never came. Instead, it felt like he was falling into a bottomless pit, a sensation of vertigo spreading through his entire body.
Suddenly, a series of eerie blue candle flames flickered to life in the darkness. By their light, Zane saw that he was surrounded by floating Ghost-type Pokémon.
Litwick... Chandelure... Shuppet... Haunter...
Oh, for fuck's sake!
A stampede of a million Tauros thundered through his mind. Just then, his body landed on a solid surface, but there was no pain. That's when Zane realized that everything he had just experienced had been an illusion.
Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm!
"Gengar?" he called out, but there was no answer.
"GEH HEH!"
"Wooo..."
Amidst the familiar whimpers and cackles, a host of Litwick suddenly materialized out of thin air, forming a bizarre, ghostly blue path in the darkness. Zane had to admit, from a purely aesthetic standpoint, the Litwick looked completely harmless. They floated on either side of the path, staring at the lone human with innocent, pale yellow eyes. It was as if they were trying to guide a lost soul, saying, "Come on, just walk this way and you can leave this place!"
But Zane didn't find the scene cute at all. A cold sweat broke out on his back. He didn't know what this world's description of Litwick was, but as a transmigrator, he knew the truth: Litwick were an extremely dangerous species of Pokémon.
According to their lore, wild Litwick would come up with all sorts of tricks to absorb the life force of others. They would appear before lost people in pitch-black places and pretend to light their way, all while silently draining their life energy. This was, quite literally, a "path to the underworld." For the living, the end of the road was death.
Even more importantly, a Litwick's flame was normally extinguished. It would only burn brightly after it had absorbed the life force of a person or a Pokémon.
And the flames on these Litwick...
Zane didn't hesitate for a second. He pulled out Cramorant's and Roselia's Poké Balls.
"GAH?" The same dopey face, but it gave Zane a profound sense of security.
"ROSELIA!" Roselia sensed the danger and immediately adopted a serious battle stance.
"We mean you no harm!" Zane tried one last time to negotiate. "I just want to take back the children you've taken!"
His only answer was a chorus of eerie, cackling laughter. And then, he felt an icy breath on the back of his neck.
In that moment, all hesitation vanished. "Roselia, Magical Leaf!"
He might not be able to win, but if he didn't fight, death was the only other option.
"ROSELIA!"
With a determined cry, Roselia raised its wrists. A brilliant green light bloomed from the red and blue roses, and a storm of sharp, homing leaf-blades shot out, automatically tracking the nearby Litwick. The Magical Leaf hit its mark. A Litwick flickered, but it didn't faint.
"GEH!"
The other Litwick let out sinister, horrifying grins. From all sides, a barrage of Shadow Balls came flying out of the darkness. Several of them slammed into Roselia, knocking it out instantly. The others were reflected in Zane's pupils, growing larger and larger. From their sheer power, he could tell these ghosts were ancient. He and his newly evolved Roselia were no match for them.
Goddamn haunted mansion! Zane cursed under his breath. He thought back to the incident in the forest. Does Cramorant's protection mode only trigger when I'm in danger?!
He had no other choice. It was time to test that theory.
He took a deep breath and, with all his might, roared, "CRAMORANT!!!"
Power up, you stupid bird!
"GAH!"
Perhaps it was the sheer force of its trainer's will and desperation, or perhaps it sensed the imminent danger, but in that instant, Cramorant's eyes sharpened. Bodyguard mode: activated.
A terrifying aura erupted from its body. Golden lines of fiery energy, like the markings on a Primal Groudon, suddenly appeared all over its body. In the next instant, that energy surged from its body and plunged into the ground.
The earth began to tremble.
With a deafening roar, the energy coalesced into a series of massive, searing-hot blades that erupted from the ground, covering a terrifying area of a hundred meters.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
Countless blades of fire, like a storm of swords, thrust upwards into the swarm of Litwick, dripping with molten magma and crimson energy. A brilliant red particle of light would flash, and in the next second, any Pokémon it touched would be consumed in a massive, violent explosion.
"GEH?!"
"Scree!"
The surrounding Ghost-type Pokémon shrieked in shock and terror.
The blades weren't just slicing through their spiritual bodies; they were tearing a hole right through the illusion they had created.
At the same time, somewhere deep within the mansion, a slumbering presence sensed the surge of power. Its eyes snapped open, its gaze locking onto the forest.
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