"Good evening, we apologize for intruding," Alex Carter said to the hall after pushing open the door.
"Ah, it's so dark! Hurry and turn on the lights!" Misty exclaimed nervously, following behind Brock. After all, girls tend to be more afraid of such a gloomy and terrifying atmosphere.
"Ah, alright, come out, Charmander." Ash quickly released his Charmander to act as a light source.
"Why did you two come in? Didn't you say you wouldn't?" Alex asked, looking at the panicking Misty.
"Of course, it was a joke! As partners, how could we leave you here alone?" Brock patted Alex's shoulder.
"Partners, huh…" Alex pondered for a moment.
The flame on Charmander's tail lit up the entire room, revealing a large hole in the ground, while the fireplace lay in ruins. Everything indicated that this was a haunted house.
"It's so scary here. I think maybe we should come back tomorrow during the day," Misty said, hugging her shoulders.
"I've never heard of a Ghost Pokémon appearing during the day," Alex said with a smile.
"I found this candelabra, look," Brock said, running over from the side.
"Alright, Charmander, now light the candles," Ash instructed.
"Watch your step. This building looks very old. Don't fall down," Alex warned, looking around cautiously.
Just as they were about to walk past the large damaged hole, they suddenly heard a strange growl.
"What… what is that sound? It sounds so scary," Misty said, covering her face.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, a Haunter and a Gengar were watching a TV show—a comedy, at that. The two ghosts were thoroughly enjoying themselves, bursting into laughter from time to time.
Then, suddenly, another Gastly appeared, and the three ghosts started to make a ruckus together, which actually felt a little heartwarming. Finally, the three ghosts even posed one by one as if they were a band.
Here, Alex and his companions were still searching for Ghost Pokémon. After passing through a long corridor, Ash pushed open a door.
"Hey, Ghost Pokémon, if you're here, answer me," Brock said in a low voice.
"I'm here to catch you!" Ash declared confidently.
"That won't work. If you do that, they'll be annoyed and won't come out. Oh, right, Alex, don't you have a Haunter? Can you bring it out to help?" Misty asked Alex.
"I don't think that's a good idea because it's supposed to help Ash challenge the Gym. If I interfere, it's hard to say if they'll take a liking to Ash, and that might affect his challenge," Alex said, frowning.
"Alex is right, Misty. We shouldn't be so eager for quick success," Brock agreed.
Suddenly, the lights in the hall came on.
Before Alex and his companions, a dining hall suddenly appeared, with a very large table, chairs lining both sides, complete tableware on the table, and a magnificent chandelier overhead.
"This is…"
"It's amazing! That place looks like a luxurious five-star hotel," Alex said in surprise.
"What kind of party is this? Or is it a wedding?" Misty asked curiously.
Ash looked at a rope with a note in front of him and said, "Why is there a rope here? It has writing on it, telling us to pull the rope."
"Then let's try it," Alex said, pulling the rope despite Misty's attempts to stop him.
Suddenly, the ball at the top of the rope burst open, scattering many fireworks, and a note hanging from above read "Welcome."
"Is this welcoming us?" Misty asked, looking at the words.
"But who is welcoming us?" Brock asked, puzzled.
"Could it be a Ghost Pokémon?" Alex said, stroking his chin.
"I'm getting goosebumps," Ash said slowly.
Suddenly, all the various tableware on the table flew up, and even the tables and chairs joined in, swirling and dancing throughout the hall.
Afterward, Alex and his companions escaped from the house. As soon as they left, the entire house became quiet again, and the tableware, tables, and chairs returned to their original places.
Then, a burst of laughter erupted in the room, and Gengar and his companions suddenly appeared at the doorway, laughing in the direction Alex and the others had run off to.
Meanwhile, Ash and his companions had reached the base of the tower.
"It's so scary! I've decided I don't want to go back into that tower," Misty said, squatting on the ground with a tearful voice.
"Me neither," Brock panted.
"What are you two talking about? If we don't go into this tower, there's no way to get a Ghost Pokémon, right, Pikachu, Charmander?" Ash said, looking at Pikachu.
Pikachu covered his eyes and shook his head, and Charmander even spat out Flamethrower, scorching Ash and his two companions. Only Alex, who had dodged in advance, wasn't burned.
"If we do this, there's no way to defeat Natsume's Psychic. Do you still want to lose to her again?" Alex said, frowning at Pikachu and the others.
After Alex finished speaking, Pikachu and the others hung their heads, looking dejected.
"Alex is right. Only by overcoming this fear can you develop strong mental fortitude, understand?" Ash said, squatting down.
"Actually, it's not that scary inside. I think the scene just now was probably caused by a Ghost Pokémon," Alex said with a smile.
"Alright then, Alex, you'll accompany me in again! I'm definitely going to catch a Ghost Pokémon this time!" Ash said, clenching his fist.
"Okay, Brock, Misty, you two just wait for us outside," Alex said, looking at the two who had been scared half to death just now.
Sure enough, as soon as Alex finished speaking, they nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Alex and Ash walked to the hole they had seen earlier. Ash looked at the hole and said, "It should be here. Let's try it first."
"Pikachu, use Thunder Shock! Charmander, use Flamethrower!"
"Beedrill, you help too, Pin Missile." Alex thought for a moment; his own Pokémon were too powerful and difficult to use, so Beedrill would be better.
They saw a ball of fire burning below, and Ash quickly threw a Poké Ball at it.
The Poké Ball hit Jessie's face.
"Darn it, that hurts so much! It's those two smug brats again; they're infuriating me! I'll never let you go, I'll make you taste my power!" Jessie shouted, her eyes practically spitting fire.
"Jessie's fighting spirit is burning," James said blankly.
"She's really burning," Meowth added from the side.
"Huh?" Jessie turned her head and looked up to find two flames burning on her hair, and then her entire hair caught fire.
"Ah, so hot, so hot, my hair!" Jessie cried, spinning around in place.
This scene, to Alex and Ash, looked like a fireball constantly swaying below.
"My hair, my beautiful hair!" Jessie lamented, looking at her singed hair, and collapsed to the ground.
×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×
Read Extra Chapter Visit My Patreon
I have only 1 tier
19$ Tier – Access to 40 advance chapters
patreon.com/Lempil
patreon.com/Lempil