Before heading off to Hearthome City, my curiosity reminds me there is the Old Chateau to explore in the Eterna Forest. Besides, I could use some training before my next Gym battle and I heard the next one uses Ghost Type Pokemon. "Alright! Time to check this place out." I said in a mix of horror and excitement. I slowly inch my way closer to the haunted building filled with Gastly and other Ghost Pokemon.
Inside the building was old and rotting away. Two stair cases leading to the upper level were to the right and left with an entrance in the middle. It was dark and some fog floated in the air. Piplup was beside me so he can protect me from incoming Gastly. I check the room to my left on the upper level to find a kitchen. The lights flickered with this being an old building.
"Go away." a voice kept on echoing. It sounded like a little girl, a creepy one at that. It didn't stop! I covered my ears, but the sound was ringing in my mind. "YOU GO AWAY!" I screamed. I hold my breath and catch it to only gasp for air. Piplup was pulling at my pants leg to get my attention. I look at him with a scared face which made him uneasy. "It's okay, the echos stopped." I said with a reassuring smile.
We go to the next room on the upper floor to find a food pantry. Shelves of food were lined up as well as two bookshelves to my left. One book was out of the shelf on the floor open on a certain page. It read, "It creeps around at night, leaving chills and frights. It hides in the deepest part, known as the heart. It was born on that day, when man went astray." Interesting poem, I guess? It sounds like a little kid's poem to me, but who or what is it talking about? When I look at the title, it becomes clear. "Monster?" I questioned the title. I flip to the next page with illustrations that looked like little kids drawings. One was a kid with red eyes, finger nails like claws, hair all messed up, wearing a black shirt revealing some of the chest area, black pants to match the shirt, and in that little girl's chest was a black heart. Ghost Pokemon swarmed her all around feeding her darkness.
"Just what IS this?" I asked freaked out. I didn't quite understand why this was here. Is it fate? Whatever it was, I put the book back and run out and head for the other entrance on the upper floor. It's a hallway going from left to right lined up with five rooms. I start with the one on the far left which is a small room with two tables on my left, bookshelves in front of me, and a counter with plants. On the table were crayons and paper with drawings. The drawings were in the similar art style of the last ones I saw. But it was graphic: the same girl was there wearing the same clothes. A speech bubble read, "Monster, monster. How should I feel?" She was bowing to a Pokemon I didn't know the name of. It was a purple saw blade with green dots and lines around it. Yes, it is Spiritomb!
"Who is that Pokemon?" I asked. I pull out my Pokedex and it reads, "Spiritomb." No known info yet. The next panel of the drawing showed the Spiritomb holding the girl's heart that is now ripped out of her chest. Red lines were connected to it meaning it's still intact. I felt my own heart in pain as if it were being ripped out. "Ugh!" I grunted kneeling down in pain. "What's wrong?" Piplup asked. "My heart! Something's got a hold of it!" I said still grunting in pain. Piplup didn't know what to do other than stay by my side. An echo could be heard from the next room so we push our way to it.
I almost trip on my own two feet entering the next room with a TV this time. It was on, but it was static. Rotom would appear between 8:00 PM to 3:59 AM, but it's in the afternoon. As I get closer to the TV to turn it off, red eyes can be seen through the static. "Give in to it." a voice echoed. It was probably from the TV. I was still doubling over in pain, but I managed to hit the power button. "Whew." I blissfully sighed. The pain was lifting a little, but not enough to be at ease.
Since there was nothing to look at, we go to the next room which has two beds side by side and a few feet apart. Two small bookcases were in each top corner containing who knows what. One thing that I didn't expect to see was that girl from the drawings standing right in front of me. She was older now by the looks of it, probably in her teens. Her outfit was the same, but different size. "Who are you?" I asked stuttering my words. The girl walked towards me slowly, pulling out a Pokeball containing a Pokemon and it was a Haunter.
"Please, lie down." the girl said rolling the sheets back. Thankfully the bed has room for only one person so the good news is it's not going to go down like "that". Just an FYI! "What for?" I asked. Without another word, the girl pulls me in. "Okay, okay!" I said panicking. I did what she told me to do, not knowing what's going to happen. Piplup was on standby in case of danger. The girl places her hand on my chest (heart) and closes her eyes. Haunter uses some kind of move to help the girl with whatever she's doing. "I see...you contain a dim light." she said rather quietly. I was confused, what is she doing? This made me feel uneasy, should I run?
Well, I couldn't if I tried anyway. Besides, if something did go wrong I have Piplup. The girl opens her eyes and says, "your condition is very clear to me now, but I cannot fix it." What does she mean? What condition? "Hmm?" I simply say. The girl sighs sorrowfully. "How do I put this? You are bleeding from the inside, and no human doctor can treat this. People only find the means to endure this pain throughout their entire lives." I felt my heart sink knowing I will have to put up with this heart-wrenching pain forever.
"Don't give up hope, though. There may be a cure out there." the girl added. "Just don't let the pain dictate your choices in life."
"Why are you being so nice? Weren't you the one who haunted us?" Piplup asked.
"Yes, it was a necessary evil. I was once bound to evil Ghost Pokemon, as seen in the drawings. But one rebel freed me and that was this Haunter."
"I see." I said engaged in the story.
"Forgive me for spooking you. Like these Pokemon I can be playful." the girl giggled.
"It's okay."
The girl smiled at my response. Not many would be forgiving, but I was because it's a must from above. "Before I go, I must warn you about something. There will come a time when the pain in your heart becomes too great and you will want to die. But hold on because the dim light inside you will rekindle." With that, the girl and her Haunter disappeared. Piplup and I were still in awe of what we experienced. I'm sure you would, right?
"You know what I just realized?" I asked jumping out of my mind.
"What?" Piplup replied curious.
"We didn't ask for her name."
Now we won't ever know, will we? Who was the name of that girl? Is it the future me? Is it someone I'll meet in the real world? Whatever, it didn't matter now. With that set aside, I continue onto Hearthome City were my next Gym Badge is.
