The moment the words left the old man's mouth, a heavy silence fell over the group. The walls seemed to close in around them, the carvings on the stones appearing to shift and move, their meanings more cryptic than ever.
"Old man, are you crazy? Why are you trying to scare everyone here?" the young man fumed, glaring at the old man before turning to the others.
"Let's still go on. Who's with me?" he asked.
The others looked at each other before, one by one, they grabbed their Pokéballs, ready to release their Pokémon at the first sign of danger.
"Of course, we're going on," another said, taking a bold step forward, followed by the others.
Soon, they left the old man behind, who continued to study the chamber with a deep sense of reverence, his eyes narrowing as he examined the arrangement of the stone chests. His intuition told him there was something more.
Everyone stood up and continued moving deeper into the tomb. The remainder of the journey was peaceful, and the team didn't encounter any further danger.
"Hey, do you think this is a true cemetery? Who died here before?"
"Shh, don't talk nonsense. This is just a regular tomb!"
A tomb is a specific burial site within a cemetery, usually a structure for an individual or family, such as a mausoleum, crypt, or burial chamber. A cemetery, on the other hand is a larger burial ground containing multiple graves, tombs, and other burial structures.
It's very unusual for a specific burial structure like a tomb to contain a cemetery within it, so what the old man says is just nonsense.
While the others pressed on deeper into the tomb, the old man remained focused on his inspection. He carefully pushed aside the heavy stone lids of the burial chests one by one, eager to uncover what lay hidden inside.
The chamber was vast, and a single shaft of light from above illuminated the center, casting a faint glow on the surroundings. The far corners were shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see anything beyond the dim light.
After thoroughly examining the chests in the middle of the chamber, the old man sighed in disappointment. It was just a typical burial site, with scattered remains and bones within the stone chests.
'This chest is the grave... probably from ancient times. This is truly a cemetery.'
After getting confirmation, he wiped the sweat from his brow and turned his attention to the stone chest in the corner. But just as he was about to approach, he froze.
"Something's wrong. Something's truly wrong!" he muttered, his voice filled with alarm.
Unlike the other stone chests, which had required a great deal of effort to push open, these were different. Every single one of the lids had already been opened.
The old man hurriedly glanced around, inspecting one, two, three, four... His heart sank as the realization settled in.
What he saw truly chilled him to the core. 'Where did the remains go? And where did all the bones go?'
"Um..." he muttered, his voice shaky as he double-checked.
He looked around, eyes scanning the everything. The only grave with remains were the ones still under the faint light. But the ones at the edges, in the darkness... they were clearly empty.
The lids of those stone chests were open, but there was no sign of what should have been inside. Whatever had once been here… was gone.
Someone—or something—had taken it, along with whatever else had been in the graves. "Something tells me no human did this." A chilling sensation enveloped him. 'A ghost Pokemon?'
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Out of nowhere, the silence felt oppressive—too quiet. An eerie atmosphere crept in, and a sudden chill ran up his spine, making him shiver.
Suddenly, he remembered a legend.
It was a case called "Black Fog," involving an ancient giant Haunter that terrorized the people of Saffron City, killing many by consuming their souls.
This Black Fog was described as a high-level Haunter that preyed on both humans and Pokémon, doing so for years. It killed its victims by stealing their souls with its Dream Eater before disappearing.
It was a true game-changer when the Pokémon Association decided to mobilize almost all their elite trainers, but that ancient Haunter never appeared again.
This marked the beginning of Ghost-type Pokémon being classified and becoming some of the most popular Pokémon at the time, even surpassing the popularity of regional starter Pokémon.
In the first year, Ghost-type Pokémon trainers gained immense popularity. However, by the second, third, fourth, and beyond, some of these trainers suddenly became unconscious or, in the worst cases, lost their lives under mysterious circumstances.
The Pokémon Inspection Agency (PIA) decided to dispatch their secret services to investigate the cases. The results, however, left everyone dumbfounded.
Most Ghost-type Pokémon lived in a unique and eerie manner. Many Ghost-type trainers found themselves unconscious because their Pokémon drained their life energy. Others thrived off fear, needing to startle and unsettle others in order to survive. Over time, this necessity for fear became ingrained in their personalities, often turning simple pranks into habitual actions.
Some Ghost-types fed in a less direct way, simply hanging around criminal dens and consuming the negative feelings present. Soon, other unusual Pokémon were revealed, such as those that fed on dreams.
This revelation shook the community to its core, as it was the first time Pokémon were shown to form a symbiotic relationship with their trainers.
As more and more alarming findings emerged, many professors and breeders began their own research to find food that could not only satisfy Pokémon's hunger but also replenish their energy.
This research eventually sparked competition among researchers, chefs, and Pokémon nutritionists, leading to the creation of specialized Ghost-type Pokéblocks and other foods made from berries and herbs.
The case was closed, and everyone was supposed to be content, but...
"What about the Black Fog itself?"
People seemed to forget the real issue when the Pokémon Association announced the new Pokéblock, bringing joy to everyone, especially Ghost-type trainers. It was as though the danger of Ghost-type Pokémon had suddenly disappeared.
The Association likely wanted people to forget about the incident, and as a result, the Black Fog faded into nothing more than a legend and a forgotten tale.
"But if something dangerous, like that giant Haunter, were lurking in here..."
Without warning, a chilling sensation crept up his spine. The old man slapped his forehead. "Stupid," he cursed under his breath before pulling out his Pokéball. But before he could release his Pokémon—
BADUMP! His heart raced uncontrollably, his breath hitched. Before he could do anything, his vision blurred, and a sharp dizziness took hold.
THUD! His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the cold stone floor, completely unaware of the silent forces at play as he lost consciousness.
From the shadowed corner of the chamber, a pale, ghostly mist began to swirl, creeping along the floor like grasping fingers. The temperature plummeted, and unnatural chill filled the air as the fog thickened, its eerie glow flickering like dying embers in the abyss.
Slowly, the form of a Pokémon began to take shape within the spectral haze. Its wispy, white fur drifted unnaturally, as if moved by an unseen force, while streaks of crimson slashed through its flowing mane like ghostly flames.
Wisps of disheveled white fur billowed unnaturally, as though moved by an eerie wind that did not exist. Crimson streaks bled through its flowing mane, glowing like embers caught in an eternal tempest.
The creature's presence was both haunting and mesmerizing, an embodiment of something long-forgotten—something filled with grief and wrath.
Then, its eyes opened. Hollow yet burning, red with a piercing yellow sclera, they radiated unrelenting malice.
They locked onto the old man, boring into him as if unearthing secrets buried deep within his soul. The air grew heavier, the room suffocating under an unseen pressure, as the phantom fox bared its fangs in silent fury.
The air grew colder, the atmosphere thick with an unnatural presence. The creature's gaze lingered on him for a moment before it turned toward the depths of the chamber, where the others had gone.