“Hey, Junior.” “I recognize you.” “You’re the one who summoned that unknown Pokémon this year, aren’t you?” Sitting beside Lucas in the back of the armored transport, a graceful girl with her hair tied in a bun suddenly spoke.
Lucas turned to look at her.
He remembered that she was a senior, about two grades above them.
Her name was…
“I really like getting to know juniors with Aptitude.” “My name is Tan Xiaoling.” Tan Xiaoling?
Lucas unconsciously glanced at the senior’s figure…
She didn’t look little at all.
“Xiaoling, you’ve scared our junior speechless.” “Look, he doesn’t even know what to say.” The elegant young woman sitting beside Tan Xiaoling laughed as she teased her friend after noticing Lucas ‘s silence.
“When did I do that?” “Come on, Junior.” “Introduce yourself.” Lucas smiled faintly.
“My name is Lucas .” The graceful girl also introduced herself.
“My name is Tian Yue.” “So…” “What exactly was the Pokémon you summoned?” “Can you tell your senior?” “I’m curious too.” Tian Yue’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“As an exchange, we’ll tell you about our Pokémon.” “I named it myself.” “It’s called Palkia.” “Palkia?” “What does that name mean?” Just as the conversation was becoming lively…
“Ahem…” An untimely cough suddenly came from the back of the vehicle.
Surprisingly…
It was Emily .
Even she didn’t know why she had interrupted them.
She simply felt strangely uncomfortable watching Lucas chatting so happily with the two girls.
Only after coughing did she realize what she had done.
Wasn’t I being nosy…?
The conversation instantly fell silent.
The two senior girls smiled knowingly at Lucas before shifting their gazes toward Emily .
They immediately seemed to understand something.
“Oh my.” “It seems our Junior already has someone keeping an eye on him.” Tian Yue lowered her voice and joked, “Indeed.” “I didn’t expect Junior Lucas to be so popular.” “But don’t worry, Junior Sister.” “We’re honestly just curious.” Emily felt her cheeks burning.
Yet for reasons even she couldn’t understand…
She didn’t deny it.
As for Lucas …
He simply maintained a blank expression because he genuinely had no idea what expression he should make.
However…
To the other five senior boys—and Michael—that scene was anything but pleasant.
A first-year brat…
He’s already flirting with three out of the four beauties on the vehicle?
How are we supposed to compete with that?
One of the seniors immediately mocked him.
“A freshman who dares participate in an exchange tournament like this certainly has courage.” “But…” “Junior.” “You don’t actually think this is some kind of sightseeing trip, do you?” “I once saw another freshman.” “He relied on having a somewhat unusual Pokémon and strutted around before the tournament acting superior.” “But once the competition started…” “He was eliminated almost immediately.” “That wasn’t even the worst part.” “No one knows what he provoked afterward.” “When the staff finally found him…” “Every drop of blood had been drained from his body.” “His Pokémon had vanished as well.” “Junior Lin…” “As a newcomer like you, it’s very easy to attract unwanted attention.” “You’d better be careful.” “Don’t end up like him.” The story itself was true.
However…
Coming from the senior’s mouth, it was obviously meant as ridicule.
“Nangong isn’t lying.” “Junior Lin, you’d better cling tightly to the thighs of the two senior sisters beside you.” “Have them protect you the whole way.” “Wouldn’t that just make him a kept man?” “Hahaha!” The five seniors laughed among themselves, thoroughly enjoying their own mockery.
Tan Xiaoling and Tian Yue frowned.
They were just about to defend Lucas .
Unexpectedly…
Lucas spoke first.
“Actually…” “I know the ending to that story.” The five seniors froze.
“…?” One of them couldn’t help asking, “Oh?” “Then tell us.” A faint smile appeared on Lucas ‘s lips.
Quietly…
He patted the Pokémon Bag Michael had given him.
The bag’s internal space was enormous—nearly ten cubic meters.
More than enough to hold both Gastly and Rhyhorn.
The Pokémon Lucas released…
Was Gastly.
Inside the armored transport, only the areas near the barred windows were illuminated.
The rest of the cabin was rather dim.
Gastly silently merged with the surrounding shadows.
No one noticed its existence.
“The freshman whose blood was drained…” “Because he died with overwhelming resentment…” “He swore to find the one responsible for killing him.” “So…” “Whenever the exchange tournament begins…” “His resentment transforms into a ghost…” “And throughout the night…” “It haunts every senior student with suspicious motives.” The moment Lucas mentioned being haunted…
All five seniors suddenly shivered simultaneously.
One of the larger boys jumped to his feet and shouted, “Kid!” “Don’t go accusing people!” “We didn’t even know that guy!” “Why would his ghost come after us?” Lucas blinked innocently.
“Senior…” “It’s a ghost.” “Do ghosts really need a reason?” “Besides…” “I only heard this story from someone else.” “If you don’t like hearing it…” “I’ll stop.” “But…” “I’ve heard that people haunted by resentful spirits suddenly feel their bodies becoming icy cold.” “I wonder if that’s true…” The burly senior was just about to retort…
When his leg suddenly trembled violently.
The next moment…
His entire body went weak, and he collapsed back into his seat.
The others experienced the exact same thing.
Their bodies became weak…
Cold…
And strangely powerless.
Could…
Could the story actually be real?
The same thought flashed through all of their minds.
One of them turned pale.
“You…” “You weren’t serious…” “Were you?” Lucas looked genuinely surprised.
“Senior…” “What do you mean?” “I’m timid.” “Don’t scare me.” “W-We…” “I think we’ve really been haunted…” One of them stammered through chattering teeth.
“Come on.” “Stop joking.” Tan Xiaoling initially assumed they were playing another prank.
But after seeing their expressions…
She hesitated.
If they were acting…
Then their performance was frighteningly convincing.
“We wish we were joking…” One of them replied miserably.
Hearing that, Ryan cautiously stepped forward and touched one of the seniors.
The instant he did…
He stumbled backward in shock.
Their bodies weren’t completely freezing…
But their temperature was obviously abnormal.
Touching them felt like touching a corpse that had lost all body heat.
All five were exactly the same.
“W-What do we do?” “Should we call Teacher Henry?” “You know the story…” “Do you know how to drive the ghost away?” “We’re innocent!” “We’re really innocent!” The five arrogant seniors who had been acting so smug moments ago had now huddled together like frostbitten eggplants.
Gastly’s evolved form, Haunter, possessed the terrifying ability to lurk within darkness and drain the life force of living beings.
Although Gastly wasn’t yet that powerful…
By combining Spite with Hypnosis, making people experience fear and an icy chill throughout their bodies was child’s play.
“There is…” “A solution.” Lucas rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“What…” “What is it?” The five looked at him with desperate hope.
“I heard…” “That resentful spirits are actually quite reasonable.” “As long as you’re not the real culprit…” “Even if you’re cursed…” “Nothing serious will happen.” “You’ll recover after resting for a week.” “During that time, your body will feel freezing cold.” “But your life won’t be in danger.” “Once the spirit realizes you’re innocent…” “It’ll naturally leave you alone.” “What?!” “A whole week?” They had come here to compete.
If they were sent home before the tournament even began because of a ghost…
It would be unbearably humiliating.
“I-Is there…” “Another way?” As their bodies grew colder and colder, desperation clouded their judgment.
They found themselves believing Lucas more and more.
“There is one more method…” “I’m just not sure whether you seniors would be willing.” The five immediately looked at him eagerly.
“Just tell us.” Lucas smiled.
“Kneel.” “And apologize.” “…???”