"Hey! Ash, Clemont, Bonnie—have you ever heard this story? Somewhere out there, there's a huge forest. Whenever travelers pass through it, the weather suddenly changes—dark clouds gather, thunder rumbles, and a torrential rain pours down. Stranded in the storm, the traveler seeks shelter… and then, amidst the lightning and thunder, they spot a rundown, old mansion. That, my friends, is the legendary Scary House!"
On the road, Serena was in an especially cheerful mood. Out of nowhere, she recalled a tale she'd heard as a child and decided to share it with everyone.
Mostly, though, she wanted to share it with Clemont.
Because Clemont, of all people, was the one who least believed in ghosts and spirits… yet he was also the one who feared them the most.
Sure enough, as soon as Serena mentioned the Scary House, Clemont's whole body gave a noticeable shudder.
"S-Serena… maybe now's not the best time to bring that up. We are in the middle of a forest right now. Look—the sun's shining, there's a light breeze—"
The moment Clemont tried to steer the conversation elsewhere, Ash nearly burst into laughter. He knew the truth: in this area, there really was a place known as the Scary House.
Perhaps even Serena herself didn't realize that the story she had casually retold was about to come true—very soon.
Before Clemont could even finish his sentence, the sunlight above suddenly vanished.
CRACK!
A deafening clap of thunder split the sky.
One moment, it had been clear blue. The next, a violent storm rolled in, pelting them with sheets of rain.
Ash wasn't about to pass up such an opportunity. The Scary House was too much fun to skip—he had to take Serena and Clemont there to see it for themselves.
Heh, heh, heh…
Clemont and the others, of course, weren't thinking of Ash's mysterious safehouse. Neither Clemont nor Bonnie had stayed there before, so the idea never crossed their minds. Instead, the group dashed through the downpour until, deep in the forest, a lonely old house came into view.
The house looked utterly dilapidated.
"Ah! There's a house ahead. Let's take shelter there. Look—there's even a light on inside. Someone must live there," Serena suggested, pointing to the faint glow.
Her words instantly brought back what she had just said earlier, and Clemont's face paled.
The forest… heavy rain… a ruined house in the middle of nowhere…
Wasn't this exactly what she had described?
But with the storm raging, Clemont didn't have time to overthink it.
Bonnie, however, exclaimed with delight: "Wow! Could this be the Scary House?"
She adored anything to do with ghosts and spooky tales.
"Chespin, Pikachu!"
Pikachu and Chespin exchanged a look. Seeing Clemont trembling, both of them couldn't help but smirk.
Creak…
The door slowly swung open.
An elderly man with snow-white hair and a pair of glasses appeared in the doorway.
"Why are you all standing out there in the rain? Come in, come in. The weather in this forest is always unpredictable. Dry off with some towels and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourselves," the old man said kindly.
Though Clemont wanted nothing more than to turn back, he couldn't resist when the other three walked in.
The old man introduced himself as Lon. He explained that, living alone, it was hard to keep the entire house clean, so many places were covered in cobwebs. Still, the main living areas were tidy and welcoming.
When Clemont was handed the last towel, his unease deepened.
Exactly four towels. No more, no less. Coincidence… or something else?
"Please, wait here a moment," Lon said, smiling as he left the room. "I've already prepared dinner. Let's enjoy a meal together."
The doubts in Clemont's mind only grew heavier.
Something about this place was… off.
"Ghosts… ghosts…" Bonnie whispered gleefully, clearly thrilled by the eerie atmosphere.
"Clemont's scared, isn't he?" Serena teased with a nervous laugh. "Well, it is the Scary House. Who knows how many ghosts might live here—waiting to gobble us up…"
But the words left her mouth before she realized how unwise they were.
Soon after, Lon ushered them into the dining room. There, waiting neatly on the table, were exactly four plates of food.
Clemont's suspicion spiked, but what crushed him most was that Ash—normally so sharp—seemed oblivious. He acted as though nothing was wrong at all!
"Once you're finished, please join me in the living room. I've prepared some tea," Lon said warmly.
The moment Lon left, Clemont could hold it in no longer. He shared all his concerns with Ash, Serena, and Bonnie… only to find that none of them believed him.
"You're overthinking it. Mr. Lon seems like such a nice person," Serena replied.
"Yeah," Ash agreed. "The house is old, sure, but it's fine."
Ash fought to keep a straight face. He knew the truth—Lon, along with his Gengar, Haunter, and Gastly, loved pulling pranks like this. It was nothing but a trick.
Clemont was speechless.
Still, his unease had rubbed off on Serena. Nervous now, she unconsciously moved closer to Ash.
At tea time, there were once again—four cups.
Clemont nearly lost it.
Then Lon casually explained why people called it the Scary House: he enjoyed telling spooky stories to his guests.
But just as the old man finished speaking, the paintings on the wall and an empty chair began to levitate on their own…
Clemont's skin crawled with goosebumps.
"I refuse to believe in ghosts! I'll prove it with science! The future is built on science! Clemontic Gear—ON!"
With that, Clemont whipped out one of his latest inventions: the Unidentified Object Detector!
Bonnie immediately rolled her eyes. "That's such a boring name, big brother."
Ignoring her, Clemont aimed the device at the floating painting, holding up the connected display screen.
But before he could see anything, an unseen force suddenly yanked him up into the air!
The detector was snatched from his grasp and floated away.
"Clemont!" Bonnie cried. Though she teased him often, she would always stand by her brother. Brave as ever, she dashed after the device without a trace of fear.
Ash grabbed Serena's hand and sprinted after them.
Then—silence.
Clemont froze, terror prickling down his spine.
Where… where had everyone gone?
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T/N:
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