Chapter no.34 : The Sin of the Ainsworth Family
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Agatha had always been drawn to her father's private office, with its dark mahogany paneling and shelves filled with ancient tomes and strange artifacts. She had always been curious about the secrets that lay hidden behind the door, secrets that her father had guarded with his life. But on this day, something was different.
As Agatha approached the door, she felt a chill run down her spine. The air around her seemed to crackle with an otherworldly energy, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The room was bathed in an eerie, flickering light that seemed to dance across the walls like fire. The shelves and cabinets were thrown open, their contents scattered across the floor. Agatha's heart pounded in her chest as she scanned the room for any sign of her father.
And then she saw it. On the desk in the center of the room lay an ancient journal, its pages yellowed with age and its cover emblazoned with an esoteric design that Agatha had never seen before. She approached it slowly, as if afraid it might bite her, and picked it up.
As she opened the journal, the room around her seemed to warp and twist, as if reality itself was shifting under her feet. The pages were filled with arcane symbols and strange incantations, written in a language that Agatha could not comprehend. But as she read on, the meaning of the words began to reveal themselves, and she felt a creeping sense of dread wash over her.
Agatha's eyes widened as she read on, her mind struggling to comprehend the horrors that lay before her. The journal spoke of a man, a victim of the Ainsworth family's deeds, who had been buried alive in a twisted act of revenge.
...
[ 500 years ago ]
In the land of Ransei, the first Emperor Qin Shi Huang sent his people on a mission to find a supposed medicine of immortality from the bulbs of a mysterious Pokemon, Bulbasaur. But in the continent of the rising sun, where the Kanto and Johto regions would later form, Pokemon were viewed as nothing more than tools of war.
The land was divided into 17 states, all at war with each other. And when the Emperor's intentions became known, a ruthless race began to gain his favor. The hunt for Bulbasaur was on, and those who stood in the way of the lords and their thirst for power were crushed underfoot.
One such victim was Kunihiko Yuyama, a boy whose parents were murdered for supposedly knowing the location of the Bulbasaur Garden. But it was all false information, and the boy was left to fend for himself in a world where the strong preyed on the weak.
As Kunihiko struggled to survive in the spectral region of Lavender Town, he couldn't help but feel that something sinister lurked just beyond the veil. The pursuit of immortality had brought nothing but chaos and destruction, and the people's thirst for power would ultimately be their undoing.
...
Kunihiko Yuyama trudged through the darkened alleyways of Spectra, his footsteps echoing against the concrete walls. The city was quiet, save for the occasional rustling of the rats that scurried through the garbage piled up on the streets. The moon hung high in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the deserted city. Kunihiko was used to the darkness, having spent most of his life patrolling the city as the leader of the Guard. He wore a black trench coat that flapped behind him with each step, a scarf tied around his neck, and fingerless gloves that left his fingers exposed. His face was hidden in the shadows, the brim of his black cap pulled low over his forehead.
As he walked, his ears perked up at the sound of a faint chirping. He stopped in his tracks, frowning as he looked around. He had come across many strange things in his lifetime, but a chirping garbage bin was a new one. Curiosity getting the best of him, he made his way towards the bin.
The chirping grew louder as he approached, and he hesitated for a moment before finally peering inside. Laid amidst the rubbish and discarded bags was a tiny Eevee, its body battered and weak. Kunihiko felt a pang of anger and sorrow at the sight, the poor creature left to suffer in the garbage like a piece of trash.
He reached inside the bin, gingerly picking up the Eevee with a gentle touch. He took a moment to brush away the maggots that were crawling over its wounds before cradling it in his arms. The Eevee was small, barely the length of his index finger, and Kunihiko feared that it would break if he held it too tightly.
"It's alright, little one," he murmured, feeling the tiny creature shiver against his chest. "I've got you now."
With a careful touch, he tucked the Eevee under his shirt, its tiny paws clutching at the fabric of his red scarf. He hoped his body heat would be enough to keep it alive on the walk back to his home. As he made his way through the streets, he stuck to well-lit areas, wary of any potential threats.
He hoped his body would keep the creature warm enough to survive the walk home, taking purposefully well-lit and populated streets to avoid unwanted attention. The last thing Kunihiko Yuyama needed when transporting his unorthodox passenger was for some alley Meowth to call it an easy meal.
It was daft to get attached to anything in his line of work, doubly so when he was the leader of the Guard. Anyone outside Spectra couldn't quite cope with the idea that monsters roaming the lunar hours and those within the Guard were both under his command and likely to meet an untimely demise at any moment. The same went for small Pokemon. Growlithe and Meowth couldn't defend themselves when the fangs and claws of the wild pokemon ripped through them faster than a blade through a baby. It was a harsh life lesson Kunihiko Yuyama had learned from losing his family as a child reinforced when his adoptive father eventually fell on the maw of such a houndoom, passing the mantle onto him. If he'd had any sense he would've fished the Eevee out of the can and sliced it in half for a quick end or let it cling to the railings of the temple yard and wished it luck in the impossible endeavor to survive. He knew Eevee tended to nest in groups, at least from the rare contact he'd had with them, and that when pokemon left their friends behind it was usually because there was nothing to be done. The world was unforgiving; sentiment had no bearing on reality. It was lucky the damn thing hadn't bitten him by now, as most pokemon backed into a corner were wont to do. Regardless, Kunihiko Yuyama couldn't bring himself to give up on the Eevee trembling against his skin.
Back at base, Kunihiko Yuyama removed his scarf with the Eevee still clinging to it and laid it on his desk, finally getting a good look at her in the light. Her eyes were closed but her chest was moving with fearfully rapid breaths, body warmed up significantly. Its fur was a beautiful red-brown that darkened towards its face, seemingly a perfect match for Kunihiko Yuyama's own fashion choices. "Yer a lady that knows how to dress, eh?" With his patience in mind, Kunihiko Yuyama covered his window and lit a candle by the desk to somewhat keep his eyes on his new friend. "And what shall I name you? I'll have to think of something. Can't let you run off until you're better, can I? That'd be like putting a Growlithe out in the dead of winter. Scared of me, aren't you?" He stroked a finger along the Eevee's spine from top to bottom. "Starving too. I might have to go to the library. Find out what the hell I'm supposed to feed you. Nobody here is going to know. Maybe… Nah. You don't want a bunch of big blokes poking you around, do you? They'd only end up feeding you to the Raticates. I'll figure something out." There were a few more maggots that had to be picked off and crushed, burrowed under its wings and making Kunihiko Yuyama's skin crawl to think of them falling off under his clothes. There didn't seem to be any breaks or bleeds, which made him more than a little fearful of internal injuries. Anything more complicated than bruising or scrapes and he was out of his depths. He folded the sections of his scarf the Eevee wasn't laid on over its body like a makeshift sleeping bag and got up. "Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone."
Exhaustion from a full night's work pushed to the back of his mind, Kunihiko Yuyama spared a last anxious glance at the unmoving bundle and left his office. He locked the door behind himself just in case anyone went looking for him and found his new pet, then headed back out into the rising dawn. If he was going to do anything about the Eevee's chances then he was going to need to do some old-fashioned research at the library first. Hopefully, the Eevee would still be alive when he returned.
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It always seemed to surprise people how familiar Kunihiko Yuyama was with the libraries in Spectra ( Lavender Town )
Kunihiko Yuyama hadn't been able to dedicate much time to his education outside of making sure he showed up at the school enough days for the authorities not to come knocking and most of his teachers still had a prejudice against Kunihiko as it was widely believed by many that Kunihiko Yuyama's parents truly did know of the location of the secret garden, so the library had become the ideal place for his younger self's mind to flourish. He'd learned many skills that contributed to his capability as a leader between the civilian library and Spectra's private collection.
In those days Kunihiko Yuyama had just about all the daylight hours that weren't his mandatory hours of sleep to do as he pleased, the majority of his training taking place at night when it was put to more practical use. No point learning how to swing a sword in the light of day when the real fighting took place beneath the moon. Now he had a life on the line, scared shitless, starving, and potentially wounded, waiting for his return. He didn't have time to do any in-depth research. Grabbing the first few books that mentioned Eevee in the title, he flicked through them for what the hell he was supposed to feed the poor sod then borrowed the most promising to read comprehensively once the danger had passed. From what he gleamed, he'd be better off catching moths and midges - not easy pickings in a morning rush. Insects were insects, though, and Kunihiko Yuyama knew of a fisherman's shop that opened early to catch the first dock workers pre-shift; perhaps a little live bait could go a long way. Patting his coat down for whatever pounds and shillings might be cluttering his pockets, he rushed off in the direction of the Thames.
Thankfully none of the Guard seemed to be wandering the same streets as Kunihiko Yuyama that morning, most of them eager for a hot meal and a safe bed after a long night. He wasn't sure how he'd have explained the books and a small pot of what looked like live maggots. Disgusting things that he'd rather crush under his boot than handle but he was far too invested now to let his stomach override his Eevee's hunger. The scarf didn't move when he kicked the door shut behind himself. "Hey," he set his pile on the edge of the desk and pulled back the fabric, gently caressing the still body with two fingers. "Hey, little fella. I'm here. Hang in there for me." The relief when a tremble rumbled beneath his fingertips was like a punch to the gut. "Alright, I'm going to have to name you."
Kunihiko Yuyama fiddled with his repair kit until he had his tweezers and gave them a quick wipe with a relatively clean cloth, "Book called you Chiroptera. Funny word, that. Might call you Eve. It's a little easier, isn't it?" A weak chirp, a shadow of the one that had lured Kunihiko Yuyama in, came out of the tiny body. "Yeah. Eve. That's a good name. Are you going to eat for me?" He opened the pot and carefully picked up a larva, holding it in front of Eevee.
Nothing happened. Kunihiko Yuyama had seen untrusting pokemon shy away from humans before but the hunger usually overrode the instinct to back off fairly quickly. When Eve didn't try to eat after a few minutes, Kunihiko Yuyama reached for one of the books again. He opened it with one hand, the other keeping the larva out just in case, and searched for information he might've missed in his skim of the pages. "What about fruit? Are you a herbivore, Eve?" It wasn't unheard of for unusual animals to be found across Spectra, well-off idiots deciding that some exotic wild creature would make a more extravagant pet than a rapidash or an Arcanine. He dropped the larva back in the pot and closed it up, figuring he could toss them in the water later. Whatever might be resilient enough to survive in the Thames would probably eat them. Better than leaving them in the pot to infest his room.
"If I have to put you out of your misery after this much effort I'm going to be pissed. So you'd better be a herbivore or I don't know what I'll do," he wrapped Eve up in his scarf again and picked it up, carrying her down to the kitchen.
Rations for the residents Spectra were pretty basic. Kunihiko Yuyama had to manage a lot of expenses with the money that came into the guards from its donors - particularly rich people that were in the know but unwilling to get their own hands dirty or wealthy victims that had been rescued by the Guard putting their money forward in gratitude. Weapons, ammunition, uniforms, food, board, and more demanded a cut, turning finances into a fine balancing act every week. "You're lucky scurvy is a thing or we wouldn't have any of this shite. It's expensive shit," Kunihiko Yuyama was too busy focusing on Eve to notice the angle of his cut, the knife slicing through the top of his finger when it halved the lemon. "Fuck!" He let it fall open in front of Eve and backed off to assess the wound. "Bastard," he cursed again.
While he cleaned and put a rudimentary bandage on the cut, Kunihiko Yuyama turned his back to Eve. He expected the eve to tuck into the lemon while he wasn't looking and maybe brighten up with a meal in its belly. When he looked back, Eve had perked up, ears erect and eyes bright. Pointed teeth highlighted a tiny grin as she focused on Kunihiko Yuyama intently. The lemon lay untouched beside her.
Kunihiko Yuyama cocked his head slightly, reaching out with his injured finger toward the counter. Eve immediately crawled off his scarf to the edge, trying to get closer. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on Kunihiko Yuyama. "You like to drink blood, don't you? Gonna do me any damage if I give you a drop?" Couldn't be worse than a Zubat would normally do when it dug its fangs into his neck. In the back of his mind a voice that sounded a lot like his friend was scolding him for thinking it was a good idea, overshadowed by another closer to his dear mother telling him he'd come this far - a little blood wouldn't hurt.
He had heard rumors that due to some circumstances when a Pokemon's diet is restricted to one thing they lose their ability to eat anything else.
Kunihiko Yuyama sighed as he figured that Eve's diet must have been restricted to blood as he quickly removed the bandage, Kunihiko Yuyama squeezed his finger to bring fresh blood to the surface and watched with wonder as the Eevee gently licked at it. A numb feeling came over the area, taking the pain away while Eve had his fill.
As soon as he was done, Kunihiko Yuyama cleaned his finger and rebandaged the cut under the watchful eyes of a much more vocal Eve. "Will you calm down?" He jumped when a paw fluttered against his ear, "Did you just jump onto my shoulder?" Eve made a squeak that was almost offended, making Kunihiko Yuyama laugh. "More attitude than me. You look better already. You're lucky I like you so much." He tied his scarf back around her neck, smiling fondly at Eve burrowing into the fabric while he cut up the lemon properly for himself. No sense in good fruit going to waste.
...
" Your scarf is breathing," Kunihiko Yuyama looked up from the reports to see Clarence eyeing the fabric suspiciously. Since the Guard recruited the Crossleys, Kunihiko Yuyama had noticed he'd shaken away the nervous disposition that plagued him when they'd met and become quite the soldier in the field. There was an efficiency to his combat that surpassed many of the other trench recruits, impressing enough of the seasoned Guard to catapult Clarence Ainsworth through the ranks.
Velvet fur tickled Kunihiko Yuyama's chest. He looked down to see a mischievous grin aimed upward, "That's Eve. He's harmless." As if to punctuate his point, Kunihiko Yuyama scratched the top of his head with one finger. It would be impossible to hide a pet from his men forever, they were too well trained and the idea itself was ludicrous, but it didn't feel as though Kunihiko Yuyama should hold him up in the air to declare he'd gained a companion either. A few of them were bound to find out on their own; gossip would take care of the rest.
"It's an Eevee" Clarence didn't seem to know how to react, one hand on his weapon and the other half pointing at Eve, who blinked in silence, ears twitching.
Chuckling at the apparent stalemate, Kunihiko Yuyama hooked two fingers under Eve's feet and pulled him out for Clarence to get a better look. Eve dangled from the digits with his back to Clarence and paws folded, head tilted back for a better look at the other hunter. "He's harmless," Kunihiko Yuyama repeated, stroking Eve's head with his bandaged finger. Chirp made a happy sound, drawing them back to have his belly rubbed instead.
Clarence startled, then leaned in to touch one of those paws. A little too fast and far too rough, Eve responded to it by screeching and flapping her paws aggressively. Acting on a reflex, Clarence drew a knife from his belt and swiped at the Eevee with intent.
Kunihiko Yuyama jumped back just in time to avoid Eve taking a fatal blow, shielding the Eevee from view with his hand. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"
"He was going to bite me!" His hand was trembling around the knife.
"You'd be suspicious of humans too if someone threw you in with the rubbish to die," Kunihiko Yuyama defended the reaction. "Eve is the least dangerous thing in this room. You'll get more damage from a paper cut than him."
"But it's a pokemon."
Kunihiko Yuyama frown at Clarence Ainsworth's choice of words.
So he is one of those people that view pokemon as monsters.
Kunihiko Yuyama thought as he stood up.
" Leave now that is an order."
Clarence Ainsworth nodded before leaving just before glancing at Eve who jumped onto Kunihiko Yuyama's shoulder.
Clarence clenched his fist before leaving.
...
Days turned into months, and Kunihiko Yuyama lived a seemingly idyllic life with his beloved Eevee. Despite the rumors that had spread throughout the town, most people viewed Eevee in a positive light. However, Kunihiko had underestimated the fear and hatred that some individuals had developed for Pokémon after the crusades.
Kunihiko had lost his parents during the crusades, but he had somehow managed to move on from the tragedy. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to do the same. The pain and suffering that had been inflicted during those dark times lingered in the hearts of many, festering like a wound that refused to heal.
As Eve grew older and stronger, Kunihiko knew that he could no longer afford to bring her to work. She had become too much of a distraction, and he had almost lost his job because of her playful antics. So he made the difficult decision to leave her at home.
The doors of Kunihiko Yuyama's house creaked open on their rusted hinges, announcing the arrival of an uninvited guest. Eve, the Eevee, perked up at the sound, her small, furry body tense with anticipation. She knew the scent of her human well and she could smell it on the cloaked figure that had just entered the house.
Without hesitation, Eve darted towards the intruder, eager to greet her beloved human. But as she drew closer, the figure turned to face her, and Eve's excitement turned to confusion and fear. Something was off about this person, something that made Eve's fur stand on end.
Before she could react, a sharp pain exploded in her side, and Eve felt a knife plunge deep into her hide. She cried out in agony, her small body writhing in pain as blood began to pool around her.
The cloaked figure stepped forward, and Eve looked up into the face of Clarence Ainsworth.
...
Kunihiko Yuyama stepped into the morgue, a shiver running down his spine as the icy temperature enveloped him. The acrid scent of disinfectant lingered in the air, a pungent aroma that filled his nostrils with every breath. He pulled the collar of his coat higher, the woolen fabric doing little to shield him from the frigid environment.
As he entered the room, a pathologist left, his footsteps echoing against the linoleum floor. Kunihiko watched the man leave, his face betraying no emotion. The pathologist took a deep breath and glanced back at him, daring to look into his cold expression. There was no twitching of an eyelid, no trembling of the lips, just a solid and perfect expression as lasting as stone.
The door closed, and the warmth of the pathologist's body faded with him, leaving behind the suffocating cold. Kunihiko approached the silver table where Eve lay, her body still and cold. He looked down at her face, once so full of life, now blank and expressionless. His heart ached with pain, memories flooding his mind.
He remembered the way she used to smile at him, the blush that spread across her cheeks whenever he spoke, the twinkle in her eyes when she saw him. Now, all that remained was the cold, lifeless shell before him.
A single tear escaped his eye, tracing a path down his cheek before falling onto Eve's own. It was a small, insignificant act, but it was enough to break through the veneer of composure he had maintained thus far. Kunihiko's shoulders shook as sobs wracked his body, his grief finally overwhelming him.
His hands balled into fists, and he slammed them against the table, the metallic clang echoing through the room. He kicked the nearest object, a sink used for cleaning the instruments after autopsies, the sound of the impact reverberating against the walls.
Kunihiko paced the room, his footsteps a dull thud against the floor. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving Eve behind, couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her smile again. He paused in front of her, his gaze lingering on her face, before turning on his heel and striding towards the door.
As he walked, the sound of his footsteps grew louder, each thud echoing in the otherwise silent room. He pulled the door open, and a blast of cold air greeted him, sending a shiver down his spine.
Outside, the world was still and silent,. Kunihiko breathed in the chilly air, his breath misting in front of him. He turned and looked back at the building, the windows dark and empty.
"She's gone," he whispered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. "She's really gone."
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to push back the grief that threatened to overwhelm him.
...
Kunihiko Yuyama sat outside on a cold winter night, huddled in his thick coat, lost in thought as he wondered if Mew truly hated him. The chill of the night had enveloped him, seeping into his bones, leaving him feeling alone and helpless.
Suddenly, the dead silence of the cold winter night was broken by the sound of footsteps. Kunihiko Yuyama turned his head and saw a slender man with short light blonde hair that covered his left eye approaching him. The stranger sported a strange uniform that Kunihiko Yuyama couldn't quite place, but he knew immediately that the man was a foreigner.
As the stranger drew closer, he smiled and said, "The name's Volo Shirona." Kunihiko Yuyama's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And?"
Volo Shirona chuckled. "I have a friend that would like to meet you."
Suddenly, unknown Pokemon whose bodies seemed to be in the shape of alphabetical letters began to swirl around them, creating a row of children that bled from the eyes, ears, and mouth. Each drop of blood that hit the ground was like a signal for something beyond Kunihiko Yuyama's understanding.
"Oh, looks like he likes you," Volo said in a teasing voice as a bloody mist rolled all around them. "Would you like to join me? Your worth is so much more than this, join me and I can give you what you want, a chance for revenge."
Kunihiko Yuyama felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked at the stranger's inscrutable expression. He couldn't understand what this foreigner wanted from him or why he was showing him these disturbing images.
"Who are you and what do you want from me?" Kunihiko Yuyama asked, his voice shaking slightly.
Volo Shirona's smile widened. "I am just a messenger, a harbinger of things to come. As for what I want, well, that's simple. I want to offer you a chance to take revenge against those who have wronged you."
Kunihiko Yuyama's eyes narrowed as he thought about his past. The pain of losing his parents and Eve still felt fresh in his heart, and the idea of being able to take revenge against those who had hurt him was tempting.
...
For months, the town of Spectra had been plagued by a terrifying rumor, one that sent shivers down the spines of even the most hardened residents. They spoke in hushed whispers of the ghost of the shadows, a malevolent entity that preyed on the town's most vulnerable inhabitants: its children.
At first, the disappearances were brushed off as mere accidents, the result of children wandering too far from home or getting lost in the woods. But as the bodies of missing children began turning up in front of their own houses, their lifeless forms arranged in gruesome display, it became clear that something much darker was at work.
The children's faces were frozen in expressions of horror and pain, their small bodies twisted and mangled. The word "torture" didn't even begin to describe the depth of their suffering, and the people of Spectra were left reeling with grief and fear.
For weeks, the Lords and vassals of Spectra turned a blind eye to the horrors unfolding in their midst, until the unthinkable happened: a child from one of the noble families of Ransei was kidnapped.
This time, they could no longer ignore the growing threat. The Lord of Spectra himself took charge of the investigation, assembling a team of the bravest and most skilled warriors to scour the surrounding countryside for any sign of the missing child.
Days turned into weeks, and the search party had all but given up hope when they stumbled upon a hidden entrance to an underground cavern. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and the walls were slick with moisture and mold.
As they ventured deeper into the cavern, the search party was met with horrors beyond their imagining. The bodies of missing children hung from the walls, their skin peeled back in a grotesque display of violence.
No one knew what happened that fateful night, when the search party finally caught up with the madman who had been responsible for all the untold misery of Spectra's people. Some say he went quietly, while others claim he put up a fierce fight, his screams echoing through the cavern.
But one thing was certain: the man responsible for the heinous crimes that had terrorized Spectra was finally in custody. Kunihiko Yuyama, known to many as "The Unspeakable Evil," was sentenced to death by burial, a punishment reserved only for the most heinous of criminals.
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[ Kunihiko Yuyama's POV ]
I open my eyes to pitch-black darkness. It's cold, terribly cold. So cold I can't feel my fingers, can't feel any part of my body. I can't feel any emotions, just cold, cold, cold. Freezing. It's so dark, it's almost as if I never opened my eyes. Like I've been dropped in a pool of black ink and I'm drowning in it. The darkness, as suffocating as space, like I've been thrown out to the mysterious, lonely, void, where no man has before traveled.
Why haven't you answered me?
I questioned as I gazed upon the rune Volo had given me.
I move to sit up but am met with the tightness of cloth wrapped around me. It's covering my entirety, face to feet. Not leaving one limb free of its unforgiving grasp. I move around as much as I can to loosen the fabric, but this only makes it harder to breathe. I lay still, out of breath.
Before I ponder too much...
SLAM!
The deep sound of a heavy door bangs all around me, followed by a deafening silence. Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
I hear the sounds of footsteps creeping toward me... Shuffling sounds and a CRASH make their way to my ears, and more silence fills the room before I'm blinded by a bright light.
The cloth is lifted from my head, and I'm face to face with a strange man.
Looks like my executioner is here.
He looked like he must be a doctor, but why would this doctor be tending to me? I notice I'm lying on a table.
The strange 'doctor' man holds up a long rope. He took the rope and used it to secure my arms to my sides.
He ignored me as if I never said anything and am merely a corpse that cannot speak. He barely glanced at me and continued wrapping my legs with the rope.
Looks like my calm before death even surprised this strange doctor.
Then again if he knew the world I had seen.
The majesty of the lord of void I had gazed upon then even I wouldn't fear something like death.
At this moment, he turned away, and I noticed a box behind him. A box by itself may not be very weird, but other than this box, the table, the man, and I, there is nothing else in the room. It's an interesting-looking box, quite long, and rather flat on the top and sides. Almost like... a coffin...
The 'doctor' turned around with a smile, he seems to have seen what I'd found but my stoic face left him speechless.
As if I was a man that knew no fear.
He told me to be quiet, he doesn't want anyone to hear me. The man held me down and pulled out a rusty needle. The 'doctor' threads a string through the needle and held it up to my mouth.
The man stabs the needle through my lips and pulls the string through.
Only a grunt escaped my mouth as I smiled.
Something is awakening inside my heart.
When will I meet the lord, Volo ?!
I questioned and before I knew it, I breathed a breath I didn't know I was holding as he finished the sewing of my mouth and stood up. The doctor brought the now bloody red needle to my left eye. He doesn't hesitate before plunging the metal into my eyeball. I can't even scream anymore. The pain is so excruciating, and yet I can do nothing about it yet even after all of that my mind was focused on one thing.
When will the lord of void summon me?
I could hear squelching and the squishing of what used to be my eye being destroyed. But it doesn't stop there as the doctor proceeded to start sewing my eyelid shut too. And when he's done with that one, moves on the right eye.
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As Kunihiko Yuyama lay in the darkness, the only sound was the faint beating of his heart. The cold abyss surrounded him, the air thick with a sense of foreboding. He could feel the weight of his own body as he struggled to lift himself up, his tongueless mouth unable to form words. He looked around, his eyes struggling to adjust to the darkness.
The ground beneath him was slick with moisture, and the walls were rough and jagged, as if carved from stone. The only light came from a small flickering flame that danced in the distance, casting eerie shadows on the walls.
As he struggled to move, he heard the sound of something slithering in the darkness. The noise was low and guttural, like the growl of an animal. He tried to turn towards the sound, but his body refused to respond.
Suddenly, the darkness parted, revealing a creature with a serpentine look. Its legs were reduced to golden-tipped spikes, and four additional golden spikes appeared near the edge of its tail. Six gold half-rings gripped its body. The back points of each half-ring had a black ghostly tendril with a red spike at its tip. The horns on its head were now facing the back. The sides of the golden "crown" covered its mouth and separated vertically like an insect's mandible. When it opened its mouth, a black vertical stripe was broken into pieces and ran down its body.
"W..who did it ?" Pulling all his strength
Kunihiko Yuyama tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat. The creature's eyes gleamed in the darkness as it spoke in a low, menacing voice.
"Clarence Ainsworth," the creature said, its voice echoing in the darkness.
Giratina smiled as it sensed the human's emotions.
Hate.
Anger.
Revenge.
" M...y Lor...d ..."
Kunihiko Yuyama didn't even finish his words as Giratina's eyes glowed a crimson red.
The abyss around him began to churn and twist, as if the very fabric of reality was unraveling.
Suddenly, the darkness began to take shape, forming into a hand made of shadows that reached out to Kunihiko Yuyama. He screamed as the hand ripped through his body, amplifying his hatred to such a degree that it warped causality itself.
The surrounding abyss turned into hands made of darkness that ripped through Kunihiko Yuyama's being.
Giratina smiled at its creation before he faded back into the reverse world.
" Fulfill your desire until I come back for my toll."
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The misty terrain of Lavender Tower was shrouded in an eerie darkness, as if it was covered by a thick blanket of shadows that stretched endlessly into the horizon. The air was thick with the scent of decay and rotting flesh, as if the very ground itself was teeming with the undead. The elderly trio of Agatha Ainsworth, Brady, and Grady, stood at the foot of the tower, their expressions grim and determined.
Agatha, held a staff, made from a gnarled branch of an ancient tree, adorned with a glowing gemstone that emitted a soft orange light.
As the three trainers stood together, the ground beneath them suddenly erupted, and the undead began to crawl out of the earth, held together by strands of causality and malice. The army of corpses charged towards the trio, but before they could reach them, Agatha let out a furious scream, her dentures gritted so hard that blood burst out of her lips and gums.
"William, Mega evolve!" she shouted, raising her staff and crashing it into the ground. The gemstone immediately burst into an orange light, at the same time as the Gengarite on William's body burst into a light blue light, considerably brightening the dark terrain.
The stones launched bolts of colorful energy toward one another, which connected and changed into a dark purple energy that recoiled into Gengar, who popped out of Agatha's shadow and engulfed him. William started changing shape right before his trainer's eyes, his back spikes growing far larger and sharper, and showing up around his arms and legs, which also grew. Gengar wailed out in agony from the overflow of energy surging through his body.
The dark energy exploded after about a minute, fully revealing Gengar's new form. Aside from the new, enlarged spikes, his face had changed into a darker shade of purple, which gradually changed into a red hue as it went down the ghost's body. His legs were still stubby, but his arms had grown considerably, in an almost comical way. As soon as Agatha observed that, however, Gengar's limbs sunk into the ground, leaving the body halfway visible.
The shadows twisted and turned into a cross that emerged in the middle of the battlefield. A terrain of darkness converged into the cross as Mega Gengar's shadow tag ability took hold of the battlefield.
"Shadow Ball!" William raised his hand into the air, and the surrounding ghostly energy swirled into thousands of shadow balls, all attacking the barrier surrounding Lavender Tower. The attack tore apart the zombies like a hot knife through butter, and the sound of their bones cracking and flesh tearing filled the air.
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[ Lavender Tower ]
( ~ Boom ~ )
Austin couldn't help but gulp.
Haunter had tanked all of his Pokemon's most powerful attacks as if it was protecting something.
" Du u want to battle ?"
A horrifyingly distorted voice called out in a sing-along voice.
Austin's mind went blank as Austin suddenly found himself transported to a vast, open meadow. The grass was tall and golden, swaying gently in the breeze. But what caught his attention were the row of headless monks kneeling in front of him.
Each monk wore prayer beads that were connected to their decapitated heads. Some had their eyes stitched shut, while others had their ears sewn together. Still, others had their mouths sealed with thick, black thread.
At the end of the row, a figure stood shrouded in darkness. Austin couldn't make out its features, but he could feel its presence looming over him like a dark cloud.
He blinked, and suddenly, he was back in the lavender tower. The graveyard outside was silent, save for the soft rustling of the fog.
But then, the Haunter moved aside, revealing the corpse of Butch. Austin felt a surge of fear and revulsion as the disfigured body stood up, its eyes gleaming with a manic glee.
"Du u want to battle?" Butch's voice was distorted, and Austin could see madness glittering in his eyes.
"If I win, will you let me go?" Austin asked, his voice trembling with fear.
Butch's grin faltered for a moment, and then he let out a bone-chilling shriek. "U want to leave me, why?! Why don't u stay?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't stay," Austin said, his heart pounding. "I have friends waiting for me."
Butch chuckled, and his eyes narrowed. "Sure, I'll let you go if u beat me."
"No homo," Austin joked, trying to ease the tension while his mind was trying to figure out what the hell was happening?
" Pika." Pikachu's voice snapped Austin out of his trance.
The entity took a step back, and the graveyard began to shift and contort around them. Tombstones rose and shattered, reforming into an ominous battlefield. The ground quivered and groaned beneath Austin's feet, as the smell of decay and rot overwhelmed his senses.
He looked to his side, seeing the fear in Pikachu's eyes as they both realized the full extent of the danger they were facing. This was not a time for jokes or games. One misstep, and they could end up like the lifeless corpses that surrounded them.
As the entity spoke, Austin felt a chill run down his spine. The voice sounded distorted, as if it were coming from the depths of some unholy abyss. He could feel its power, its malevolence. This was no ordinary opponent.
"What kind of battle should this be?" Austin asked, trying to hide his fear.
The entity seemed to read his mind, searching through Butch's memories before responding. "Let's have a 6 on 6."
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