Pokemon: A New Path

"Ma…!"

Hearing the chilling twist in the story, the Alcremie shivered in the corner, visibly frightened.

So scary! What was wrong with that man? Why did he suddenly start killing people? And on a rainy night no less… just like tonight?!

But Naoki didn't notice the rising fear in his Pokémon audience. He simply carried on with his tale, voice calm and steady.

"But the girl had seen through everything," he said. "When the man wasn't looking, she swapped the poisoned food with the untainted dishes. The poisoned ones were placed in front of herself and the young man instead."

"Soon after, everyone, including the man, ate the meal. But as time passed, the old man and the boy seemed completely fine… while the young man suddenly clutched his head and began to vomit."

"It was then he realized… he had been poisoned!"

"He staggered to the kitchen, trying to find the antidote."

"But it was too late," Naoki said grimly. "He muttered, 'I failed…' just as the old man walked in and asked him what was going on."

"Outside, thunder boomed and heavy rain battered the windows. The storm drowned out their voices, muffling whatever was said. In that shadowy kitchen, hidden from the eyes of the twins, the man picked up a knife… and charged at the old man."

"When he returned to the dining room, his hands were red with blood."

At this point, the living room fell utterly silent.

Even the boldest Pokémon didn't dare to move.

"The twins stared at him, frozen. They immediately realized he'd killed their grandfather. The boy was too scared to move, standing rooted to the floor."

"The man looked between the siblings with a twisted grin. Their resemblance was too close. He couldn't tell which was the boy and which was the girl… so he decided to kill them both."

"To protect her brother, the sister stepped forward and deliberately provoked the man, buying her brother precious time to escape. The boy, startled out of his trance by his sister's sacrifice, turned and bolted into the rain."

"Behind him, the sound of the girl's final scream echoed through the mansion… but he didn't dare turn back. He ran through the forest, through the storm, until the scream faded into the night."

"Bamo…"

Hearing this, even the brave Pawmot couldn't help but look embarrassed, and Naoki's deliberate pause made it more eager to know the subsequent developments.

Despite the fear gripping its heart, Pawmot couldn't help but ask in a low rumble, "Bamo?"

What happened next? Did the boy escape?

Naoki smiled faintly, watching the wide-eyed expressions around him, then continued:

"The girl… had already died. After realizing he'd killed the wrong one, the man rushed into the night to chase down the boy. But the rain was too heavy, the forest too dark… he couldn't see anything clearly."

"Escaped? Not a chance." Naoki lowered his voice as he continued. "That young man… made his decision."

"He hid the bodies of the old man and the girl, cleaned up all the bloodstains, and carefully staged the scene, just like nothing had ever happened."

"As for the two Pokémon that lived in the mansion…" Naoki leaned forward slightly. "They witnessed everything. When the girl was killed, one hid inside the TV, and the other slipped into a painted portrait of the boy. Neither dared to intervene… they simply watched in silence as it all happened."

"Since then, the mansion has remained abandoned. But every now and then, travelers passing through swear they hear a young girl's sobbing coming from deep within its walls." Help us continue by reading at the source: MV2LEMPYR.

"And slowly… rumors of ghosts began to spread."

Naoki picked up the candle again, lifting it toward his face so that the flame cast dancing shadows across his features. Half of his face was hidden in flickering darkness, his expression twisted just enough to seem eerie.

The Pokémon huddled in front of him trembled.

Several of them squealed in fright, clearly spooked not only by the tale but also by Naoki's dramatic flair.

"Booboo!"

Partner Eevee yelped and buried its face into its friend's fur, ears twitching.

Ogerpon was particularly affected. Its vivid imagination had kicked in, and it couldn't help but start piecing together a terrifying mental image…

A wicked stranger, soaked by the rain, arrives at the ranch in the middle of the night. He acts all friendly, smiling kindly as he asks Naoki for help. Then, while Naoki's guard is down, he suddenly reveals his true nature and…

"Poni!!"

Ogerpon shrieked out of nowhere, startling itself and everyone around. It had frightened itself with the mental image it created.

Cyclizar and Dragonite, both usually calm and dependable, were sitting awkwardly on the floor, glancing nervously at the rain-soaked windows.

Cyclizar, Dragonite: (﹏)

Even Iono looked uneasy. She glanced at the dark window again and shivered slightly. The storm outside really did resemble the one in Naoki's story…

"Okay, okay! I was just teasing you guys," Naoki said with a chuckle, putting the candle back down.

He had intended to say, "There are no ghosts in this world," but stopped himself at the last second.

This was the Pokémon world, after all. With Ghost-types like Gengar, Mimikyu, and Banette, who could say there were no ghosts?

A moment later, the Pokémon realized they'd been tricked.

Naoki had made up the whole story just to scare them!

Alcremie puffed out her cheeks and glared at him. "Miee!"

'Meanie Naoki!'

"How could you accuse me like that?" Naoki said with mock indignation. "That story is totally real! There's even a place where they still talk about the haunting!"

It really happened…

The Pokémon, who had originally thought it was just a scary story, suddenly looked even more nervous.

Did that mean there really was a girl in this world, one who had been cruelly murdered by a bad human on a stormy night?

Naoki was about to say something to lighten the mood when;

Click!

The lights in the living room flickered back on.

A familiar chime followed: the phone was ringing.

The surrounding darkness was chased away by the sudden glow of the ceiling light, and bathed in its warmth, the group of frightened Pokémon began to visibly relax.

Naoki glanced at the clock. It was already past eleven.

He stood up, walked over to the windows and doors, and double-checked that everything was shut tight. Once he confirmed it was secure, he turned to the Pokémon and said,

"Looks like the rain isn't stopping anytime soon. So why don't you all just spend the night here in the living room?"

The Pokémon looked around at each other, their eyes wide and ears perked. They nodded in unison, happily agreeing.

With so many friends sleeping together, there was no need to be afraid anymore!

Naoki went to the storage room and pulled out a thick, fuzzy blanket. He and Iono spread it out over the wooden floor of the living room.

"Okay, the blanket's ready! You can all sleep on it now!"

The thick blanket covered a large area of the floor, and Partner Eevee instantly bounded onto it with a cheerful hop.

"Bue~!"

It leapt around joyfully, tail wagging, clearly loving the soft texture.

The other Pokémon followed, lifting their paws one after another and stepping cautiously onto the blanket, curious to feel what it was like.

Dry, warm, fluffy, and incredibly soft...

They could already imagine snuggling up together, listening to the patter of rain outside the windows, and falling into a peaceful, cozy sleep.

Just the thought made them feel safe and happy.

"You're not scared anymore, right?" Naoki asked with a smile. "But if you are, you can sleep with the lights on tonight!"

"Pon~!"

Ogerpon gave a chirp of agreement. It settled down comfortably on the blanket with the others and turned to look at Naoki.

"It's getting late. Everyone, sleep tight. Good night!"

"Boo!"

"Meaa!"

"Pwaa!"

All the Pokémon gave soft, cheerful calls in reply.

After making sure everyone was tucked in and comfortable, Naoki returned to his room with a relaxed heart.

He lay down on his soft, cozy bed, listening to the rhythmic sound of rain tapping against the windows.

Within moments, he drifted into a deep and peaceful sleep.