Chapter 183: The Haunted Castle
Parfum Palace Town.
A small town in the central part of the Kalos region, in the southwestern corner. It was a town with an old-world charm, having been preserved from a long, long time ago. Centuries, or even millennia ago, this sizable town was actually just a noble's estate. To the far north of the town, there still stood a luxurious but dilapidated and magnificent castle, called Shabboneau Castle.
In the future, this town would be developed into a famous tourist destination in the Kalos region. But for now...
"Hey, did you hear those noises from the castle last night?"
"I did! It sounded like glass breaking! It was so scary! I'm thinking of leaving this place."
"Do you think it's a Ghost-type Pokémon?"
"Who knows? No one dares to go up there at night, and during the day, there's nothing."
"It's definitely a ghost! I saw it! Last night, there was a figure standing in the broken window on the third floor!"
It seemed that rumors of a haunting had been circulating in the town for a long time, especially those centered around Shabboneau Castle. These rumors had made the residents so paranoid that they had become quite neurotic. So much so that when they saw two Pokémon from other regions like Will and Meowscarada, they barely reacted.
Listening to the chatter of the passersby, Will didn't have any particular thoughts. He just found it interesting that the language of the people in the Kalos region sounded, to his Pokémon ears, about the same as the language of the people in the northern hemisphere.
But Meowscarada, after hearing them, had all her fur stand on end. "Meow..." she cried, quickly hugging Will, her eyes a mixture of terror and curiosity as she looked towards the castle in the north.
"Meow?" she asked cautiously. She thought that with his vast knowledge, Will would surely know what was in that castle.
"...I've never been there. How would I know?" Will sighed helplessly, then glanced at the castle himself.
To be honest, he really couldn't be sure if the thing living in there was a "ghost." There was a high probability that it was just a mischievous Ghost-type Pokémon. But it wasn't impossible that it was a real ghost. The Pokémon world did have them. Or, more accurately, "souls" or "spirits" that lingered in the world.
Most spirits should reside in the Spirit World. A very small number might end up in the Reverse World. But it wasn't impossible for a spirit to escape from there, or to have never made it there in the first place. And if it was the former... that was a big problem. A spirit that would proactively escape from the Spirit World usually had two characteristics: one, it was strong, stronger than the Pokémon that guard the gate to the Spirit World. And two, it had unfinished business in the human world.
"Meow-meow," Meowscarada tugged on Will, not wanting to go any further north.
"Don't be scared. Even if there is a ghost, it just stays in that castle. Look, after all this time, these people are all fine."
"...Meow," she paused, then nodded. That did seem to be the case.
"Come on, let's wander around and see if there's anything fun in this town," Will said, taking her hand and leading her away. It was rare to be in a town and not be bothered by humans; he had to take the opportunity to explore.
"Meow," Meowscarada agreed, though her little eyes kept darting back to the castle. She was scared to death, but also so, so curious.
In this era, Parfum Palace Town was just an ordinary town. Aside from the castle, it had no special features. But even so, for Will and Meowscarada, who had been at sea for so long and hadn't seen a human building in months, just wandering the streets was a long-missed experience.
Walking down the street, suddenly, a sharp cry came from Meowscarada. "MEOW!"
"What is it?!" Will was startled and immediately looked towards the castle, thinking she had seen the rumored "figure in the window." But he then realized they were on the outskirts of town, at least a few kilometers from the castle. Even with her good eyesight, she couldn't possibly see inside a window from this distance.
Then what?
"Meow..." a tender and somewhat familiar voice entered his ears.
He turned. In Meowscarada's arms, at some point, a Sprigatito had appeared.
"AHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Will let out a sharp cry. He snatched the Sprigatito with one hand and grabbed Meowscarada's ear with the other.
"MEOW!" she yelped in pain.
"Where did you steal this Sprigatito from?! Give it back right now!" Will yelled, looking down at the kitten in his arms.
"Meow~" The innocent, bewildered Sprigatito stared up at him with big, pink eyes, as if radiating an endless stream of little hearts. Will didn't even dare to look at it.
"Meow-meow!" Meowscarada started batting at him with her paws, then pointed behind him.
Will turned, and then froze. Standing behind him was a middle-aged man with a camera. Click. Click. The man's camera was flashing nonstop, clearly documenting the interesting scene.
"Hmm~ very nice. The father beats the mother in front of their daughter. How does that title sound?" the man said.
Will was speechless. This teacher from the Orange Academy is just like some unscrupulous clickbait journalist.
He recognized the man. He was one of the many teachers who had been on the destroyer. Even if he hadn't, the Orange Academy emblem on his suit would have given him away.
He let go of Meowscarada's ear and tossed the Sprigatito into her arms.
"Long time no see, Sceptile, Meowscarada. I wasn't sure it was you at first, but your combination is just too rare. I took a second look, and it was only when I saw the bag on your back that I was sure," the teacher said, his camera still clicking away.
An ordinary person wouldn't understand his excitement. Five years ago, these two Pokémon were just a Grovyle and a baby Sprigatito. Now, not only had they not been separated for any number of reasons, but they had grown up together, healthy and strong. And they were wild Pokémon. So, the emotion in the teacher's heart was far more intense than he was letting on.
"Meow~" Meowscarada didn't care who this person was; she just cuddled with the little Sprigatito in her arms. In her eyes, all the people from the destroyer were bad guys who had wanted to separate her from Will.
"Meow~" The little Sprigatito looked at the big sister in front of it, her eyes full of curiosity. She didn't know she would grow up to look like this. She just felt that the aura from this older cat was very comforting.
"It has been a long time," Will said, nodding at the man. But that was all. With the language barrier, there was no need for further conversation.
"My name is Seigo. I'm a teacher at the Orange Academy's Procurement Department. I'm usually in charge of purchasing unique items from other regions," the man said, giving a simple self-introduction that explained both his identity and his reason for being in Kalos. He then pointed to the kitten in Meowscarada's arms. "This little one is my partner. Don't let her first-stage appearance fool you; she's already two years old."
"What?" Will's eyes widened. He really couldn't tell that this Sprigatito was two years old.
"My Sprigatito doesn't like to battle, so I've almost never had her in a Pokémon battle," Seigo explained, as if sensing his confusion.
"I see," Will nodded, understanding.
In this peaceful, law-abiding era, you could raise a Pokémon without ever considering its strength. As long as you stayed at home or in a town, you would never encounter any danger. But Will and Meowscarada were, in essence, still wild Pokémon. Being stronger was a necessity.
"You two look very strong. Are you interested in accepting a request from me?" Seigo asked, a mysterious smile on his face.
"Let's hear it," Will raised an eyebrow. He glanced at the carefree Meowscarada and Sprigatito. He knew this request was specifically for him.
"No rush. The coffee in Parfum Palace Town is a hot commodity in the Kalos region. Let me treat you to a cup. We can talk slowly."
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