Thanks to Qiao Cheng's status as a police officer, Chen Mo and the others were finally able to enter Lavender Primary School under the pretext of assisting with the investigation.
Knowing what might happen next, Chen Mo had Yi-ge turn the livestream back on.
Almost instantly, viewers who received the system notification flooded into the stream.
[Live! Live!]
[Mo-bao, are you finally investigating that mysterious Ghost-type Pokémon today?]
[Where is this place? Why do these buildings make me feel both nostalgic and uncomfortable at the same time…]
[Honestly, I still think this is too dangerous. That Pokémon actively injures people. Mo-bao, you should really reconsider.]
Standing in the small garden beside the teaching building, Chen Mo looked at the rapidly scrolling comments and gave an apologetic smile.
"Good morning, everyone. This is Lavender Primary School. First of all, I need to apologize to you all. Because of an accidental discovery by Pichu, the investigation we mentioned earlier has already made major progress—we've now located the Ghost-type Pokémon responsible for the incidents."
The livestream comments seemed to freeze for a split second, then the screen was flooded with question marks.
That was because after deciding to rest at the inn the night before, Chen Mo had Yi-ge end the stream. The audience's understanding was still stuck at the previous stage.
After briefly explaining how they found the Pokémon, and promising that next time anything happened he would start the stream immediately—even with just a phone if necessary—he finally managed to calm the audience down.
"…In short, all the children who were attacked by the ghost are students of Lavender Primary School. Since this town only has one primary school, Qiao didn't pay much attention to this detail at first. But once we realized that the ghost had been staying by Xiao You's side all along, that became a key point."
"A while ago, Xiao You fell ill and didn't attend school. During that entire period, there were zero incidents of ghost attacks on children."
"Combined with the ghost's extremely abnormal attitude toward Xiao You, and Xiao You's strong resistance to going to school, I believe the injuries may not be as simple as they seem."
As soon as he said this, the livestream erupted into discussion.
[What do you mean by 'not simple'? I don't quite get it.]
[Idiot, Mo-bao means that Ghost-type Pokémon probably wasn't actively trying to hurt other kids.]
[That actually makes sense. If it's been with Xiao You for over a month and never hurt her, but hurt other children instead, something's clearly off.]
[I get the logic, but the real question is—what Pokémon is it exactly!?]
Chen Mo glanced at the comments and smiled slightly.
"Let's keep the suspense for now. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to see its true form today."
The moment his words fell—
A sharp scream suddenly rang out nearby.
It came from inside the teaching building.
Chen Mo and the others exchanged a glance and immediately sprinted toward it.
At the same time, a huge winged silhouette swept overhead. Amid the rushing wind, a small yellow figure leapt up and landed neatly on Chen Mo's shoulder.
"Pichu!"
"You're saying you sensed an abnormal presence? Got it."
Chen Mo's heart sank.
So it's starting already?
Based on his earlier deductions, given that doll's intense protective instinct, this was bound to happen—if not today, then tomorrow.
Still, he hadn't expected it to come so fast.
The scream didn't just draw Chen Mo's group. Many students playing on the first floor heard it too.
They gathered in the corridor, but due to recent warnings from teachers and parents, none of them dared approach the girls' restroom at the far end where the scream came from.
A teacher arrived just in time and was about to head inside when a voice stopped him from behind.
"Teacher, I'm a police officer. Please leave the rest to us. I'll trouble you to escort the students back to their classrooms and keep them from gathering here."
The teacher turned around and saw four people standing there. The young man in front even produced a police ID.
In truth, the ID wasn't really necessary—Qiao Cheng had investigated Lavender Primary School many times before, and most of the staff recognized him, this teacher included.
"Alright, Officer Qiao. I'll leave it to you."
As he organized the students to disperse, the teacher glanced back at the four heading toward the restroom.
He remembered that Officer Qiao usually came alone. Today, though, he'd brought three others.
A young man with an approachable face, a burly man carrying a camera, and one more—
…Wait, what was that on his shoulder?
In his line of sight, that thing actually moved, pointing toward the restroom and even making a sound.
"Pichu."
"Is it still inside?"
"Pichu."
As he walked, Chen Mo fully expanded his aura perception.
In that instant, his vision shifted into stark black and white.
Passing through walls and doors, he immediately spotted a purple-black figure floating in midair.
"So it really is still—hm?"
Chen Mo suddenly stopped, his expression turning strange.
The other three noticed and halted as well.
"What is it, Mo-bro?" Qiao Cheng asked, puzzled.
"Qiao…" Chen Mo said slowly.
"Last time you encountered the midnight piano music—and even had a colleague lifted into the air—was that incident here at this school?"
"Uh… yeah, it was Lavender Primary School," Qiao Cheng replied. "But it happened in a different building, not this one. Is there a problem?"
"Have there been any similar incidents since then? Especially in the past month."
Qiao Cheng thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"No. At least, I don't recall receiving any reports like that. Why? Did you notice something?"
Chen Mo let out a soft sigh.
"We may have made a mistake. Not all of the 'hauntings' were caused by the same Pokémon. In Lavender Town… there's another Ghost-type Pokémon."
Footsteps echoed again from inside the girls' restroom.
Perhaps sensing the movement, the purple-black figure floating in the air turned its head, revealing a pair of triangular white eyes. Its dark pupils carried a trace of curiosity and confusion.
Then—
The footsteps drew closer.
The purple-black figure hesitated, then slowly sank downward. Half its body slipped straight into the ground, clearly preparing to disappear.
But at that moment—
A voice rang out.
"Stop hiding, Haunter. I've already found you."
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