In recent days, many new movies had been released in the Pokémon League's film industry, but among them, the one that audiences anticipated the most was none other than Director Edward's latest work—The Grudge.
"Honestly, it's strange… why do so many people like watching horror films?" At this very moment, the streamer known as "Kai Gnat" was sitting in a cinema, broadcasting live. He glanced at a barrage of scrolling comments on his phone and wore a puzzled expression. Meanwhile, the chat messages in his livestream kept rolling by in rapid succession.
[The Grudge is premiering at midnight tonight. Honestly, anyone daring enough to watch it at this hour can only be described as warriors. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't dare go.]
[Director Edward's horror films are absolutely terrifying. Aside from Tom and Jerry, almost all of his works carry a heavy dose of horror elements.
[What I'm really curious about is how quickly The Grudge will hit the trending charts.]
Looking at the bullet comments flying across the screen, Kai also glanced around. It was nearly midnight already. He had purchased tickets well in advance, even for the very first screening of the film.
"Actually, the audience in the livestream are right. The reason why so many people enjoy horror movies is probably because of the strange pleasure that follows after being frightened." Kai said with a sly smile.
[Here we go again! Kai's twisted rambling!
[I've heard about that theory. Apparently, when humans experience fright and fear, once they realize they're actually safe, their brains release dopamine, which brings pleasure.]
[So, it's kind of like eating chili peppers?]
[Bah, it's just a cheap thrill at the end of the day.]
Kai didn't find their remarks odd. Instead, he laughed along cheerfully, chatting with fans in the livestream, discussing Edward's new movie and everyone's expectations for it.
"Personally, I really like Director Edward's works. After all, he completely reshaped the horror genre, making it far more appealing to mainstream audiences, while also cranking the scare factor up to the maximum." He waved his movie ticket proudly.
Sharp-eyed viewers immediately noticed something peculiar about the ticket.
Ordinary tickets usually just listed the film name, theater, and seat number. Unless carefully preserved, they would fade into blank scraps over time.
But the ticket in his hand was strikingly different. It was saturated with color—blue skies, white clouds, grassy meadows, and flowers. In the center of the ticket was a beautiful-looking house, with two faint silhouettes playing in the courtyard.
[Whoa! Kai, you managed to grab a collector's edition ticket stub?]
[Wait a sec, is this really for a horror film? It looks so warm and cozy.]
The audience quickly recognized what he was holding. Kai smugly flaunted it, showing off the ID number printed on the bottom corner: Ticket No. 01324.
"This one took me ages to snatch! Only ten thousand were printed across the entire League!" He gazed at it with pride. Just being a limited edition already made it valuable, and the fact that his was within the first two thousand made it even more special.
[I just checked—someone's selling their stub. Ticket No. 10. They've listed it for eighty-eight thousand pokedollars!]
[Damn scalpers, too greedy!]
[Wait, wasn't the original ticket price only around four hundred pokedollars? Are the scalpers insane, or am I the crazy one?]
The chat erupted in heated debate. Many couldn't understand why anyone would pay so much for a ticket stub. Could it really sell at that price?
After chatting for a while, Kai finally grabbed his drink and popcorn, carrying them excitedly as he joined the line.
The theater itself was massive, but what caught his eye most was the warning sign posted outside the door:
[Attention: Guests with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or other health concerns should not watch this film. Adults only.]
Beside the doors stood several Nurse Joys, on standby.
"This feels a lot like the setup back when Alien premiered." Kai muttered as he entered, finding his seat. Soon the room was filled, people whispering nervously, some voices already trembling.
Kai lifted his chin smugly.
His fear threshold was quite high—he prided himself on being braver than most. Ordinary horror films rarely fazed him. When he watched Alien, he had felt more disgusted than scared. By the end, he was even imagining himself beating the alien to a pulp. After all, monsters with physical forms at least had health bars.
So, this time, he was full of confidence. He planned to write a review afterward—but of course, without spoilers. Spoiling the film might please some, but many others would never forgive it.
"I just wonder how bloody it's going to get." Kai mused as he popped some popcorn into his mouth. Right then, the movie began.
As The Grudge flickered onto the screen, the entire cinema was swallowed into silence. When the first real scare appeared, everyone who had seen the trailer felt deceived. The preview hinted that the ghost was outside—but instead, it appeared lurking in the overhead cabinet.
When the lighter flared and Kayako's ghastly face appeared, the theater exploded with screams.
Hearts raced out of control.
Kai tried desperately to suppress his fear. This time, Director Edward wasn't playing with blood and gore like in Alien. Instead, he was wielding psychological terror.
But soon, Kai realized that Edward's methods of frightening the audience were escalating to unprecedented heights.
The girl who died feeding rabbits.
The girl who died answering the phone.
The girl without a jaw.
The relentless horror, paired with a bizarre narrative style, filled the hall with sobs, muffled cries, and shrill screams.
By the time Kayako herself crawled down the staircase, Kai felt his own heart nearly stop. He even noticed a man beside him faint dead away, collapsing into his seat unconscious.
The Nurse Joys rushed in, quickly carrying the man out—and taking several more fainted audience members with them.
"Whew…" The film ended, but Kai sat frozen, unable to shake it off. He stared blankly at the darkness outside. Since this was a midnight showing, the mall was closed, leaving only the cinema lit. Outside was pitch black.
The worst part was the crowd waiting at the elevators. The only other option was the stairwell, since the escalators were locked behind gates.
But just imagining walking down those stairs, Kai pictured Kayako silently waiting at the top, her bubbling croaks echoing as she chased them downward.
"Hey, bro… heading out? Let's stick together?" A man approached him, asking softly. Kai nodded at once. He quickly pulled out his phone, intending to stream again. With his audience watching, maybe the fear wouldn't be as suffocating.
[Kai, you done watching? How was it?
[Do you even need to ask? Just look at him—of course it was terrifying!]
[Exactly. He never streams right after movies. If he's live now, you know it's intense.]
Seeing the barrage of messages, Kai felt a little calmer.
"I can only say this—it was terrifying. Seriously. Several people fainted." He sighed, joining the small group moving together.
Apparently, many had the same idea: leave as a group.
[What is this, some kind of group field trip?]
[LOL, reminds me of when I saw One Missed Call. I was so scared I refused to walk alone with my best friend—we just clung to random strangers until we got home.
[Looks like this really was scary!]
Being in a crowd made it more bearable. Kai felt his anxiety loosen somewhat.
But when they reached the elevators, the place was packed wall-to-wall with people waiting. No one was taking the stairwell, even though the cinema was only on the fifth floor.
"So… should we just wait?" Kai asked.
"Of course we're waiting for the elevator!" the group answered in unison, then paused and laughed together. The nervous laughter brought a sense of camaraderie.
But emboldened by the laughter, a few people finally stepped toward the stairwell, and others followed.
Kai hesitated. He really didn't want to, but the elevator line was too crowded. In the end, he followed the group into the stairwell. With so many people, surely it would be fine… right?
The dim stairwell lights flickered on, easing the tension a little. Kai exhaled, shoulders loosening.
But then, as they reached the third floor, a strange noise echoed from the darkened floors above.
A bubbling sound.
The crowd fell silent for a beat—then everyone bolted, running down the stairs as fast as they could. Within moments, the stairwell was empty, the sound gone.
A girl clutching her drink let out a hiccup. She glanced at the shadowed stairwell, then wisely turned back to wait for the elevator instead.
[Really? Was it that scary? You all bolted just because of one weird noise?]
[LOL, watching them scatter was hilarious.]
[Easy for you to say! If you've got guts, go check your own stairwell right now. Damn it, I don't even dare go home anymore!]
[You're the coward! It's just a movie! Imagine being this scared. Pathetic!]
The chat erupted into arguments. Sitting in the taxi, Kai tried calming everyone down before finally going quiet.
"Honestly… this time, The Grudge is on another level. Even for me, I have to say—movies like One Missed Call, A Wicked Ghost, or Dead Silence aren't even fit to hold a candle to it." Kai declared with certainty.
"Of course, part of it comes down to the tech. The Grudge used immersive new equipment that really pulls you in." He added quickly, giving himself some cover.
Still, there was no denying it: watching a horror film is one thing, but feeling like you're actually inside one is completely different. Even now, if Kai closed his eyes, he swore he could feel Kayako's icy hand on his shoulder, her terrifying face hovering right in front of him.
The chat was in chaos again, but countless people swore they'd see it the next day, just to test how terrifying it truly was if Kai—who prided himself on bravery—was this shaken.
Kai merely warned them that those with health issues should avoid it. Then he ended the stream—he had arrived home.
But then—
"…You've got to be kidding me." Kai swallowed hard as he looked at his house.
As a moderately well-known content creator, he had earned quite a bit, and with his parents' help, he had managed to buy his own home: a standard detached house, with two floors and a yard. For most people in the Pokémon League, this was the dream residence.
He had felt the same when he moved in, even making a video called Finally Moving Into My Dream Home.
But now…
Staring at the warm-looking house, all he felt was overwhelming dread. His home looked nearly identical to the house in The Grudge. Only a few small details differed, and the interior layout was almost exactly the same.
His parents didn't live with him—they preferred their rural home. So, he lived alone. And before leaving earlier, he had turned off all the lights. The house was pitch black inside.
"Movies are movies… real life is real life…" He repeated to himself, breathing deeply, then unlocked the door. He flicked the lights on as quickly as possible.
The bright living room eased his nerves—until the upstairs lights flickered, sputtered, and went out.
The second floor was plunged into darkness.
Kai froze. His bedroom was upstairs. Worse, his bedroom just so happened to have a closet.
"Nope. Lights are out. I'm done!" He panicked, bolted out of his house, and booked a hotel for the night instead.
That very night, hotel staff across the Pokémon League noticed something strange—an unusual surge of guests checking in after midnight. Many left their room lights on all night, too afraid to sleep.
The next morning, the lobbies were filled with people sporting dark circles under their eyes.
The hotel workers couldn't help but gossip, wondering: what on earth had kept all these people awake?
Meanwhile, online games reported record-breaking numbers of late-night players, leading some to believe that overnight gaming might be on the verge of a new golden era.
(End of Chapter)