Chapter 29: The Road to Extradition
Darkness indeed brings fear to humankind.
Led by Gengar, the group hurried through the depths of the forest. As they pressed further, the number of wild Pokémon around them noticeably dwindled. One teacher, familiar with these woods, frowned and cautioned, “Be careful. We must have stepped into the territory of a powerful Pokémon.”
It wasn’t just that the number of wild Pokémon was decreasing—more precisely, the truly strong ones were growing scarcer. For in any domain, only one “king” is permitted. Any sufficiently strong intruder would be deemed a threat, and the territory’s sovereign would emerge to defend its claim.
At these words, everyone paused, startled. Hu Yang asked, “Aren’t we there yet?”
Gengar, his expression grave, scanned their surroundings. “Something’s off,” he replied. “There’s a presence stronger than me interfering with my senses!”
Before Gengar could finish, a police officer up ahead cried out, “That tree just moved!”
Everyone’s gaze snapped in that direction. At the same moment, a frightened voice rose from behind: “This is bad—two teachers have vanished!”
Sinister laughter echoed through the shadowy woods—sharp, piercing chuckles that sent the officers instantly on alert.
Suddenly, every flashlight in their hands flickered and died. The last traces of light vanished, plunging the group into utter darkness.
Hu Yang gripped his Poké Ball tightly, tension coiling in his chest.
“Everyone, grab the hand of the person next to you! Don’t get separated!” called an officer, her voice shifting abruptly from near to far, as if drifting through the gloom.
In the chaos, Hu Yang seized someone’s hand, only to feel, in the next instant, something was terribly wrong. The temperature was icy cold—nothing like the warmth of a living person!
He knew, of course, that ghost-type Pokémon were at work here, but even so, the suddenness of it all sent a jolt of terror through him. He stumbled backward, expecting to hit the ground, but instead, it felt as though he’d fallen into a bottomless pit, the sensation of plummeting surging through his body.
Suddenly, faint blue flames flickered to life in the darkness.
By their ghostly glow, Hu Yang saw himself surrounded by floating ghost-type Pokémon—Litwick, Chandelure, Banette, Haunter…
Damn it!
A thousand curses raced through his mind. Just then, his body struck solid ground, yet the pain he anticipated never came.
It dawned on him that everything he’d just experienced had been an illusion.
Calm down! Calm down! Calm down!
“Gengar?” he called out, but received no reply.
From the shadows came familiar wails and cackles. Out of thin air, Litwicks appeared, hovering in the dark, forming a spectral blue path.
Seen from outside, Litwick was the very image of innocence—its pale yellow eyes wide with feigned guilelessness as it watched the only human present. They floated on either side of the path, their behavior reminiscent of gentle guides showing a lost traveler the way, as if to say, “Come, just follow this path and you can leave.”
But Hu Yang found nothing cute about the scene; cold sweat trickled down his back.
He didn’t know how this world described Litwick, but as a transmigrator, he was fully aware: Litwick was an extremely dangerous Pokémon!
According to the lore, wild Litwick would devise every possible trick to absorb life energy. In places pitch black and labyrinthine, they appeared before lost souls, pretending to light the way. Yet in truth, Litwick would silently drain their victim’s life force as they led them on.
This was truly a “path of crossing”—for the living, its end meant only death.
Worse, Litwick’s flame was usually extinguished, only blazing brightly after it had fed on human or Pokémon life.
And now, the flames on these Litwicks…
At this thought, Hu Yang didn’t hesitate. He summoned the Poké Balls for Decidueye and Roserade.
“Caw?”
The same silly face as always, yet it filled Hu Yang with a sense of safety.
“Roserade!”
Sensing danger, Roserade immediately assumed a vigilant battle stance.
“We mean you no harm,” Hu Yang tried to negotiate before attacking. “I only wish to retrieve the children you’ve taken.”
But his answer was a chorus of eerie, mocking laughter.
A cold breath even brushed the back of his neck.
At that, he hesitated no longer. “Roserade, Magical Leaf!”
He might not win, but if he didn’t fight, death awaited him all the same.
“Roserade!”
With determination, Roserade raised her arms. A surge of verdant light blossomed from her red and blue buds. From the glow, a flurry of razor-sharp leaves shot forth, homing in on the nearest Litwick.
The Magical Leaf struck true—one Litwick wavered but remained battle-ready.
The others grinned, their smiles turning frightening and cruel.
In the next instant, shadow balls shot from every direction, slicing through the darkness.
Several hit Roserade, knocking her out of the fight instantly.
The rest sped toward Hu Yang, growing ever larger in his eyes.
From their aura alone, Hu Yang could sense these ghosts had lived for untold years; he and his newly evolved Roserade stood no chance.
Damned haunted mansion!
He couldn’t help but curse aloud.
Out of options, he drew a deep breath and shouted with all his might:
“Decidueye!!!”
Come on, show me your true power!
“Caw!”
Perhaps moved by his trainer’s desperation and hope, or perhaps sensing the imminent danger, Decidueye’s gaze sharpened, bodyguard mode activating in a blink.
A fearsome aura surged from its form. Golden lines, pulsing with searing energy, appeared across its body—just like the primal markings on Groudon in the anime.
A moment later, that energy plunged into the earth.
The ground trembled. With a thunderous roar, the power coalesced into an enormous blade, erupting from below and cleaving downward with the force to split a cliff.
This was Precipice Blades!
The ghost-types panicked.
That strike didn’t just rend their spectral forms; it tore apart the very illusion they’d woven.
Simultaneously, deep within the haunted mansion, a slumbering being sensed the surge of power, its eyes snapping open, gaze locking on the direction of the forest.