-What is this piece of crap, Ash? -Matt said, pointing at Ash's work for class, which was still on the table

-It's for school, don't get near it, it's still wet!-he replied anxiously

-Nobody wants to get near anything as childish, girly and ugly as that, it might catch on! -the older boy sneered- I thought it was trash, but maybe since you're here, it's your precious treasure! -the cronnies laughed-

-Yeah, if we confused it with trash we'd throw it into the trashcan, but since it's your stupid art, we're just gonna crush it! -Markus said, inviting the others to come near Ash's piece for class- shall we split it in a half?

Ash suddenly left the mop to fall onto the floor with a wet thud

-Don't even think about it! -he had raised his voice and had made two fists

-Oh, you wanna fight? We're four and you're like, half a boy! -more laughs-

-Yeah... you're always hanging around girls and use so many pretty colors and tell cute pet stories! -Peter said, mock batting his lashes- I mean, why isn't your name Ashley?

-Come here and say that to my face, try and prove it! -the other boy pretended not to hear, but he and the others fake-giggled

-And maybe you like boys, like girls do? You were staring at Gary, and you're like, looking at each other all the time! You're in loooove! Aaaw!

Matt wouldn't mess with Gary since his last episode with him in kindergarden, but he liked to pick on younger people than himself, especially if they were alone. Ash blushed, clenched his teeth and grabbed a can of paint to throw at the bullies, who had surrounded him by now.

-Nope! Another movement and -Matt grabbed Ash's work and snapped it in two-

Now Ash had had it. One thing was saying mean things to him and another was destroying something he'd worked hard on.

He grabbed the paint can, which was open, and hit Matt's face in a way that allowed the blue paint cover all of his face when it poured out; the paint got into his eyes and breathing system, so the boy started coughing and trying in vain to cleanse his eyes with his hands.

Tonfers, who was the "bodyguard" of the group, grabbed him and guided him to a sink while Peter grabbed Ash's fists while he kicked Peter as he tried to get payback about Matt on Ash's stomach. Peter was taller than Ash, as he was two years older, and Markus was too; they began to tie him to a chair after the failed stomach blow when Mrs. Tachibana came in;

-What the fuck... hell! Is going on here!?

-He threw paint on my eyes out of nowhere, Mrs. Tachibana!

-You and I know that's not true. You four, go to the principal's office; you know where it is from the many times you've been there. Let me remind you, you'll be suspended again, and if there IS a next time, you'll be expelled from this school forever! GO, NOW! You can wash yourself later, Matt; that paint gets absorbed into skin anyway; no hurry to get it off, you totally deserve a blue face.

Ash liked the idea of the meanest kid at school having a blue face everyone would make fun of, but now there was a bigger mess to clean up after...

-I'll help you, Ash, don't worry about it. You can fix your project if you want in the meantime. Don't worry about your grade; I won't take points off.

-Thank you. -Ash said, still sad

After fixing his piece, Ash was in a good mood again,

-Mrs Tachibana, I'll clean up the rest, I'm fine now! -he said, smiling

-Are you sure? Thank you! I'll leave you the keys then; look for me next to the principal's when you're done, ok? Don't stay after four, you have to eat!

-Sure thing!

It was nearly 4pm when Ash heard something slither up the sink. He'd never heard of stuff going up the sink, but he didn't think much of if until it talked.

-Hey Ash! How are you?

-Who's there? Heh, I bet it's Mary! Come out there -Ash laughed. There was this kindergarden girl who liked hanging around him. But it was strange, because it was 3.40 and kindergarden closed at 1. Ash neared the sink, which was... talking?

-Am I going nuts? Or is someone down there?

-We're all down here, Ash! We want us to join the fun! -Ash crouched to see if anyone was beneath the sink, and nobody was there. The slithering sound came around again.

-I'm Ellie, from Viridian!

-I'm Rob, from Pallet!

-No, that's impossible! You are dead! Rob's body was found! I read it all! Whoever it is, this is a nasty trick and has to stop!

-But it's not! I'm here too... I'm Sandra from Viridian... it's fun around here! We all float!

Ash saw a pair of yellow eyes gleaming inside the cabinet above the sink, but as scared as he was getting, he tried to dismiss it as material reflecting sunlight. He shook the sink and out of the fawcet came a stream of red liquid... it was thick and smelled like iron... like when Ash had been to a Vulpix twin birth at Professor Oak's Lab and saw the operation... it was blood!

Ash screamed at the top of his lungs, and a janitor came immediately

-Are you all right? What's wrong, kid? -the janitor looked at a pale Ash shaking in front of the bloody sink, with his hands on his head, as if not wanting it to explode.

-But... don't you see?! It's not paint!

-What is not paint? Sink is clean! Are you tired, sonny?

Ash was perplexed. Only he saw the splattered blood? Had he imagined all the dead kids's voices slithering up the sink? Why would he do that? He was positive he hadn't just imagined it... but then he thought of something... There were things kids saw adults couldn't see, right? How come nobody cared about these children's deaths? Only the kids in his class seemed sort of interested in the case when he brought it up... he'd have to ask more adults on the topic.

-No, I thought I saw... a rabid rat come out of the pipes; it startled me but I guess it was dust... I'm just tired, sir, thank you for coming anyway.

-Yeah, don't worry 'bout it.

He left the classroom soon after the janitor was gone, and heard an androginous voice on the schoolyard threshold:

-Don't even try to fight back... there is no way out. You will die trying. Or... "dissappear"!Just like your dad!

-I won't give up, ever! I'll beat you, and I'll beat whatever beat him when I'm at the top, or even before that! Nothing is ever gonna touch my family again, you hear me? I won't just try, I will!

-You die, if you try... you die, if you try... I'm every nightmare you ever had; we're gonna crush you in a half! Just like a fried calf! Look how it all rhymes, Ash!

A sinister laugh filled Ash's head as confetti and balloons bounced across the yard towards the school gate.

The schoolyard was deserted. There was no way (nowayout) this was accidental... he had a vague memory of one other who had encountered this living nightmare too...

You die, if you try... you die, if you try...

Gary Oak was reading a book on water Pokémon when the doorbell to the Lab-house rang. Gramps wasn't home, so he picked up.

-Who's there?

-Gary? It's me, Ash!

-Ashyyyy booooy! -he smiled smugly- Long time no see! Happy mopping today?

-... -Ash thought he'd just leave, but decided against it when the wind made some leaves run across the front yard like the confetti from before.

-Listen, Gary, I need to talk to you about something...

-Why, Ashy? -Gary asked, narrowing his eyes tauntingly. Pressing the doorbell speaker button and playing around with Ash was fun! He had to turn on the front door camera; his expressions when he did that would probably be priceless!

-Gary...-the camera showed the house's inhabitant a serious, concerned and annoyed face at the door- it's important!

-I was just playing, Ash, I'm coming!

They went up to Gary's room.

-Like my Pokémon book collection? Some of them were written by gramps! -he winked at Ash- Sit down, Ashy, don't be shy!

-Gary...-Ash looked down at the floor after sitting on Gary's bed- there's something I wanna ask you... -now he looked sideways and Gary just stared, intrigued- do you remember something that happened at the pond with me? I'm not sure if what I remember is real... I really need to know!

Now he looked at Gary straight in the eye, and Gary widened his own. He hadn't even thought about that incident in a long time, like it hadn't even happened! Yet it was real... and, according to some of his grandfather's books, something that should be hard to forget.

-Yes, I just remembered something... you nearly drowned because you thought you saw your dad at the pond and swam toward him... and it turned out to be a trap to drag you underwater, and maybe... -Gary swallowed, unsure how to say it- maybe beneath the ground.

How do you know it really wasn't my dad? Or about the plants's claws being our imagination?

There's no such thing as a collective hallucination anyone can touch. And about your dad... I'm really sorry, Ash... -it was Gary's turn to avert his eyes- but I was sure he wasn't real at the pond... -he tried to look Ash in the eye again- because I nearly got myself drowned the first time I went alone. -Ash noticed Gary's expression now showed sadness- All because I was given a promise to be with my parents again; but as you know... they're gone, and I saw them lying inside their coffins at their funeral... there's no way he was your dad.

Ash looked sad too, but wondered about something

-But... if the same thing happened to you, why would you go a second time when I was there?

-Same as you! I wanted to see my mom and dad again! But realized this had nothing to do with them; why would they show up at a deserted pond? And the clown...-Gary's eyes seemed to reflect Ash's own horror- it's my turn to ask you something... a clown... have you seen any clowns here in Pallet?

-No... not that I've seen for myself anyway. -he suddenly remembered something- mom had a box with stuff with pictures of clowns in it, but she told me not to look in there for some reason... she said even she shouldn't look "anymore".

Gary got up from his seat on his bed facing Ash.

-We gotta go to your house! Something tells me there's something about the murders related to that box!

-You actually know about the murders? I'm glad you do! Kids in Viridian and Pallet are still being targeted and adults don't really care about it... and something has tried to kill us, too! We could put an end to this!

-Let's go then. Hurry up, Ashy!

They ran straight to Ash's house. Ash's mom was tending to the flowers and vegetables at the garden and just waved and said hello to the boys. It was friday, and Ash and Gary seemed to be so eager to go in and play that Delia Ketchum decided she wouldn't tell Ash to do any house work today.

Ash and Gary tried not to look too eager to avoid raising suspicions. Ash led Gary to Delia's small library.

-It's at the top of the bookshelf... it's locked, but the key's beneath the box. She put it there so I couldn't reach when I was younger, I guess... but I saw the key's definetly there.

Ash climbed onto the top shelf and threw the box to Gary. It looked like an ordinary makeup cabinet; his mom used to have one similar to this. Ash jumped down with the key on one hand as quietly as he could.

-Let's go to my room; we'll open it there! -Gary nodded and they ran up the stairs.

Ash signalled for them to sit down on the floor after locking the door.

-Let's turn on the TV so nobody hears what we're talking about... -Gary tuned it into the Weather Channel- all right, Ash, give me the box...

The keyhole was somewhat rusty, so Gary inferred it was a pretty old box... but would its contents be from the same time?

The cabinet creaked open and revealed some old newspapers, a letter from Cinnabar Island, a marked map of the Kanto region with most marks on Viridian and Pallet and a morgue report that had its edges burned. Some sinister newspapers headlines from more recent times and a circus flyer. Gary and Ash felt chills down their spines and swallowed, but there was no other way to know but to read.

-Gary... you should read the morgue report... it scares me too much to open it -the eight year old boy said

-All right... you check out the newspapers. I'll also check the circus pamphlets. From what I see, it's pretty much the same clown I've seen. -Gary's face was serious but he hid his fear of reading it as well. It would be petty making Ash read something like that when he was the older one of them.

He opened the file folder, passed a few pages and turned green. Then Gary covered his mouth and went to Ash's bathroom.

-Gary, are you all right? -Ash looked up from a newspaper article about a serial child murder case at an orphanage that had happened fourty years ago. There had been one survivor whose name hadn't been disclosed.

Gary had closed the door, but replied feebly behind it

-I'll be fine... don't open that file... there are high definition pictures of a horrid ten child murder case... It's horrible! -he coughed- So gross... I can't believe it!

-Gary, we've got ourselves something! I just read about it on the old newspaper... there have been two cases of child murders in orphanages at Viridian; the kids were all poisoned and the adults that did it went to jail! Why are you so upset?

-They weren't poisoned! There's no reason to poison your business object, and everyone was just okay with those explainations. -Gary washed up his mouth on the sink, more upset on hearing the outcome of the case- the file I just opened is on the case ten years ago... -he looked really sick when he came back slowly to sit before the contents of the box-

-Let me help you! Do you need some water? -Ash looked concerned and confused

-I'll be fine! I want to finish this now... we cannot pause! -Ash seemed startled at Gary's sudden, rare outburst-

-Ash, the report had the real deaths of these kids and some notes about what caused them; this wasn't a human, and a Pokémon or animal so evil... it's impossible! In a city, too! Somebody would have seen something that big come into a building at 9pm. All these kids were found tied to a different piece of furniture inside the orphanage without a different limb or organ each! It looks like some parts of their bodies had been ripped off by a giant claw or set of fangs; there was so much blood... They bled to death! -Gary collapsed on Ash's Snorlax pouf and covered his face so the single tear he shed couldn't be seen. Then it wasn't just one. Ash, as shocked and sad as he was, came close to Gary and held him.

-Gary... I'm scared too... you know this could happen to us and to many other kids if we don't stop this guy! It doesn't look like anybody's doing anything for this to stop... and nobody believes kids when they say they see something scary. -Ash furrowed his brows and remembered something- The clown from the brochures is the one you saw, wasn't it?

Gary nodded. How could something so horrible yet so visible stay hidden for so long?

-This is not a person, Ash... if this is our culprit, it's older than anyone could ever be! I bet it transforms; it's a thing! It should need to kill kids for some purpose. -Gary looked at the ceiling, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully- It transforms into stuff we're afraid of and gets into our feelings to attract us, and then it kills us. -Gary had risen from the Snorlax pouf and out of Ash's embrace by then. He seemed less green now - But other people get scared and won't believe their own eyes if they ever see anything... like we doubted ourselves a first, remember?

-I still find this whole thing hard to believe...-Ash replied slowly- I didn't think of telling adults because they always say you are imagining things, and also, the janitor didn't see the sink full of blood earlier today at school...

Ash told Gary about the incident with Matt and about the sink.

-You see, Ash, the clown thing said it'd crush you in a half, and those idiots had just said something about crushing your work and that you were like, half a boy! It is a mental trick!

-That's right! Like the powers of psychic Pokémon! Only, evil, and dark.

-So... to attack another mind you have to have one... how can you render a mind useless? when do you stop thinking? -Gary thought hard and looked at the broken Voltorb alarm clock, which sat peacefully beside Ash's bed- When you're scared or angry!

-Do you think we can make up something that makes fear be scared? Or angered? Do you think that clown thing has emotions at all? Because... you can't have a heart if you kill kids like that...

-I've read that every multicellular living being, such as humans, animals and Pokémon, no matter how little intelligence it has, can feel fear because it comes from instinct -Gary hesitated for a moment- although we don't know if this thing has a body.

-Do you think it targetted me because I addressed it with adults who could actually fix the problem? Even the newspapers are in denial of this thing... -Ash said, pointing at the old and new papers-

-Yeah, it's all easy for it! Every time you try to talk to someone, they'll say there's nothing there! It happened to me too when I first came to Pallet... it drew my family on my wall, cut our heads off like it was an animation and when gramps came in, it was all made up by grief to him!

-So it makes the kid be alone and then it kills them! -Ash made a fist- Only kids can stop this, then! We can't rely on an adult believing us.

-That's it, Ash! -Gary had a sudden illumination- Adults won't believe in it, but kids alone don't stand a chance... but... how about two kids? Two Pokémon trainer-in-the-making kids? What if we go find it togheter? If we don't let the fear get to us... it'll be afraid because it won't have a way to attack back, and maybe we can beat it!

Ash grabbed the enclosed letter from Cinnabar and started folding and unfolding it.

-We gotta convince ourselves this thing's real, but its images are not, unless they actually threaten our lives! That's what mom used to say when I had nightmares when I was very little... that if you don't believe they can harm you, they won't.

-I know where to find that thing... It's anywhere it smells like scary places. We should go to the pond again. -Gary was feeling much better. Knowing he had a possibility of saving both their lives was a great thrill!- It's probably afraid we're gonna hunt it down, Ash! -he smiled, a little nervous

-Let's eat something, I'm starving... -Gary declared, standing up- how about I stay over and we go tomorrow? I just gotta call gramps and tell him I'm here.

-Sure! It'll be fun; you can sleep on the Snorlax!

-A sleeping me on a sleeping Pokémon! -Gary said merrily- That's so cool! Can you even sleep on your back like them?! I can't stay put like a soldier while trying to sleep...

They talked on about sleeping positions on the way to the kitchen to ask Ash's mom for dinner.

Ash had put away the letter from Cinnabar Island without reading it, along with the other murder case stuff back inside the box and locked it. They would put the box in its place after dinner.