Authors Note: "This story is based of fan-art, it's called #94 Gengar by Antwan Ragland and it can be found on my blog (check my author page!). I hope you like this Pokémon horror story, it's the first thing I've sat down and just written in a while~" - Alex Lawsford
In the dark he lurks. Where the gruesome shadows of his victims pan across the wooden walls of his mansion domain. An entity of darkness with eyes as red as the water his crooked grin spills. A snake like tongue slips out of the cavern only to slurp up the remaining juices dangling from his furry purple lips. Short, stumpy arms and legs stick out of his round body only to be pointed with razor sharp claws, painted with a polish of blood and bile. The children of the closest towns are warned from a young age not to venture into the darkness of Eterna forest for their own safety. Deep in the heart of the wood lies a building, as old as one could imagine. To the people of Sinnoh it is the Old Chateau and, despite the warnings, it is a popular destinations for Pokémon trainers of all kinds. Why? Legend has it two very special monsters call the Old Chateau their home: a monster of pure plasma, said to transform at will. And a demonic mutation of shadows, said to torture any who seek his power.
One trainer knew this better than others. Throwing all of his care away he set out from his peaceful life as a reporter to return to the dangerous life of a Pokémon trainer as he once did before. The legends had been swirling around Jubilife City that the monster was active once again and he was apparently the last to know. He told his wife of three years that his was going to visit his mother who recently moved to the peaceful Eterna City, she believed him. But she was wary, making sure he took six powerful Pokémon just to be safe while passing through the forest and reminding him sternly, with fear in her eyes, to avoid the Old Chateau at all costs. He listened intently with a smile, knowing the risks, and kissed her goodbye, for the last time. This fateful traveller was Pearl. And he was the last one to open that big, black door.
The journey through Eterna Forest was quick as, from his days as a trainer, he could remember the quickest route avoiding any longer grass where feral Pokémon may lie in wait. In his right hand he gripped a cold metal aerosol can emblazoned with the familiar red and silver Pokéball logo, a Pokémon repellant. He had sprayed it over herself despite knowing how quickly it would run. It had been 16 years since the creation Repel and now the Pokémon had become used to it. The stinging, pepper-spray effect the item had become nothing but a slight tingle in the nostrils of Pokémon. However, he made it to the end without a scratch and now, just in front of Pearl's bright orange eyes sat the exit, the only way out of the forest and towards Eterna City. He chuckled to himself and heaved his heavy trainer backpack onto the ground, inside it sat an extra Pokéball belt in case he broke the first, twelve potions, two ethers, a flashlight and ten 'Ultra Balls' to catch the monster. If he did so, not only would he own one of the most powerful Pokémon in the region, no, in the world but he would also be applauded and respected by his peers. This, of course, was assuming the 'purple beast of Eterna City' was actually a Pokémon. Pearl's eyes rolled at this thought, what else could it possibly be?
Pearl looked left and right, to see if anybody was watching him. It was fairly dark in the forest but it wouldn't hurt to be careful, it was currently a punishable offence to wander in the forest, which sparked the rebirth of the rumour and causing a stir. More than likely, it was because the Old Chateau was a very old, well built mansion that had lasted countless decades. If a couple unruly kids were to clamber in and destroy the place who knows what the people would think? Pearl jumped the fence fairly easily and continued past the trees until the large fading white building came into sight. He smiled, thinking only of the reward, not of the danger. The building truly was enormous, surrounded in a deep purple fog that matched the triangular roof in colour making the building almost disappear as if it were a ghost. There were countless windows and rooms that Pearl could see from the outside, but he was only interested in the library. That's where the creature resided. Chills began to run down his spine as he stopped walking, trees seemed to be blocking his way. They were tightly intertwined which created a fence surrounding the area. Pearl couldn't climb the fence either, the trees were too smooth and to top it off, they were spiked at the top. Clean spikes however, showing that nobody had been skewered just yet. Peal knew what to do, with a clever little smirk spreading across his pale face he dramatically brushed his striped jacket away from his belt and pulled a Pokéball straight off with a click. It grew in his hand as he blew the green dust from it and chucked it to the floor.
With an electronic boom and a flash of light the Pokéball opened and out popped his trusty Infernape, Chimhiko. The ape looked at him blankly with a stare that told him he was being stupid. "Don't look at me like that..." Pearl muttered, rolling his eyes at the Pokémon he pointed towards the fence and whispered "Use Cut!" Chimhiko obliged and Peal quickly returned him to his Pokéball. The coast was clear and there was nothing stopping him now, he could clearly see the pitch black door with its shining silver handle that reflected the little light it could. It looked as though it has just been throughly cleaned by a proud butler. His walk didn't slow, in fact, a few steps into the perimeter and Pearl began to run towards the door as quick as he could, not turning back for a second.
He stopped at the door, admiring his own reflection in the ball-shaped handle and not noticing that where he just came from was completely enveloped in darkness and the small specks of light he previously saw no longer existed. He was also oblivious to the sounds coming from the darkness, the sound of trees. They were moving. Not only that, but they were sealing the exit. Rebuilding the fence and sharpening the points. Not that it mattered, for if the forest truly was alive it knew he'd never be leaving anyway. Pearl took a deep breath and gripped the handle, only to pull back. "Ouch!" He proclaimed in obvious pain, the handle was hot and now his hand was throbbing. "Is there a fire?" He wondered, that could be dangerous. However it didn't cut down his enthusiasm. In fact, it helped his excitement grow like a child with a brand new toy. He wrapped his hand in his jacket and, as quick as he possibly could, threw the door open. There was no fire, there was no sound, there was nothing. Just a breeze of cold air brushing his hair out of his face. "Odd." He thought as he wandered in.
The inside of the building was dark, almost too dark to see. An ominous feeling tickled its way down Pearl's spine as he walked in, shutting the door behind him. Something he would regret if he had any sense about him. The inside of the large room was almost symmetrical. Twin plants on the far sides, two identical staircases and two paintings of the exact same landscape on the top floor walls. The only asymmetrical thing in the room was a large statue that Pearl decided to investigate closer. He took out the flashlight from his bag and switched it on with an echoey click. The bright light shone off the stone statue as Pearl studied it up and down. It was of a malformed Gengar; with crooked teeth, deep eyes and sharp, pointed claws. He couldn't think of a reason why somebody would want a Gengar statue in their house. Was this what they meant? Is this statue the beast? "Ridiculous." Pearl muttered. The eyes followed him as he moved backwards, like something from an amusement park. He was annoyed, but he still had a large mansion to explore. He lowered the light it flashed back at him in the eye, reflecting off a gold plate that was placed on the floor in front of the statue, which would usually read something along the lines of "Dedicated to..." or "Designed by..." but upon closer inspection Pearl noticed something frightening. Originally there was an inscription, the date was clearly visible but the message had been rubbed down to an unreadable state but scratched deep into the gold was five horrifically formed letters. It read "LEAVE."
There was a noise. Something crashed.
Pearl's eyes shot up, the statue was missing and in its place an arrow. It pointed towards the top right room. No. Time to leave. Pearl ran towards the door which he had previously shut but to his terror he noticed something was missing, there was no handle on this side. Just a keyhole... He was trapped. The chills in his spine shook his entire body. What was he to do? Continue exploring and hope to find a key? But, the statue moved. What? Perhaps it was a trickster Gengar disguised as a statue, perhaps the 'purple beast of Eterna City' was in fact a Gengar with a sense of humour. Of course, Pearl sighed. He was worried, more than he had ever been but he wasn't about to back down though. "TimetocatchthatGengar!" he thought, running up the right hand stairs despite the haunting feeling in his stomach that was telling him, "Pearl, you could die here."
The room was almost pitch-black. The dimming glow of the light scared him but through it Pearl could see a few shelves, stacked to the brim with books. This was the library. The floor was different to the furry purple carpet he was standing on previously, it was panel wood. Hard and oddly enough, damp on his white shoes although he had no interest in finding out what it was. He shuffled forward, careful not to knock anything over and frighten away the Pokémon. A chilling noise could be heard which grew louder with every step. It was a chuckling but it told Pearl he needed to turn around. There was no guarantee this would end well.
He felt something.
"Oh... It's just a table." He said, pointed the light at it to calm himself. He placed it on the table gently, pointing the light behind him and moved his hand across the bumpy wood where je grabbed the first book he found. It wasn't a published book, it was a notebook. The white page could just be read and as he brought it to his face, the chuckling began to surround him. It grew louder. "I... I know you're there Gengar..." Pearl muttered, not taking his eyes off the paper. The awful handwriting was smudged but some of it was legible. "I don't mean any... Any harm at all."
The page read: "Som...hingsopecu...rshou... makeoff ...iththemot..."
He could hear drooling and heavy breathing coming from behind him, but he continued reading.
As if it would make the Gengar sad.
"Gen... Gar." It muttered.
Pearl flicked the page, and then the next, and then the next. The rest of the pages were blank.
Pearl threw it back down as he felt the cold breath on his back. The slimy sound a Gengar would make when opening it's mouth rang in his ears as he turned around. He wanted to say "Gotcha".
He didn't get the chance.
He didn't see a Gengar. Or at least, he wouldn't have thought so. What flashed in the light of the dimming flashlight before his eyes would've scared even the toughest of trainers. The rumour ran though his head as he looked at the last thing he ever would, he definitely saw eyes as red as the water, a crooked grin, a snake like tongue, furry purple lips, stumpy arms and legs out of its round body, pointed with polished razor sharp claws. The "purple beast of Eterna City" devoured him. His sharp teeth and claws tearing flesh from bone in a matter of seconds leaving only a single arm, with his trusty Infernape in its 'ball now sat in a pool of his masters blood.
The body was never recovered.