The walk back to town was quiet.
Too quiet.
The forest no longer felt calming. Every shadow between the trees seemed deeper now, every distant sound sharper. Even the wind brushing against the leaves felt wrong after what they had experienced inside the abandoned house.
Alex walked ahead, but slower this time.
Why?.
Because he was thinking.
Again.
Beside him, Violet remained unusually silent.
No small talk no something to break the ice.
Nothing.
That alone told Alex how badly the nightmares had affected her.
Behind them, their Pokémon stayed close, instinctively protective after what had happened with the Gengar.
Finally, Violet spoke.
"...Did yours feel real too?"
Alex glanced at her briefly.
"...Yeah."
She looked down at the ground.
"I knew it wasn't real," she muttered quietly. "But it still hurt."
Alex didn't answer immediately.
Because he understood perfectly.
The worst part of fear wasn't logic.
It was emotion.
You could know something was fake and still break under it.
After several seconds, Alex finally spoke.
"...Ghost-types attack the mind directly. Fear, memories, instincts."
Violet forced a weak smirk.
"Thanks professor. Very comforting."
"...Sorry."
That actually surprised her.
She looked at him for a second before sighing.
"...You really don't know how to talk to people."
"well I think that's something we have in common there"
That got a small laugh out of her.
Good.
At least she was recovering a little.
By the time they reached town, the sun was already beginning to set.
Orange light stretched across the streets while merchants slowly packed away supplies and trainers returned from the outer routes.
But something felt different now.
Tense.
People whispered more quietly than before.
Several League officers stood near the center of town speaking with armed trainers.
And near the request board.
New posters.
Alex stopped immediately.
Violet noticed.
"...What now?"
Alex stared at the paper silently.
MISSING TRAINERS — UPDATED REPORT
Four additional disappearances confirmed near western forest sectors.
Possible connection to:
Team Eclipse activity unidentified Ghost-type phenomena abandoned structures outside mapped routes
Avoid exploration without League authorization.
Violet slowly crossed her arms.
"...Okay that's bad."
Alex kept reading.
A second paper had been placed underneath.
Temporary bounty authorization approved for information regarding Team Eclipse cells.
Description:
Black robes.
Silver masks.
Use of Ghost and Dark-type Pokémon common.
Suspected ideology:
"The old League must disappear completely."
Alex's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Extremists."
"Another evil team," Violet muttered. "Great. The world definitely needed more of those."
But Alex wasn't fully listening anymore.
His mind had already started connecting things.
Ghost-types.
Disappearances.
Unmapped routes.
Abandoned house.
"...You think they're connected?" Violet asked quietly.
"...Maybe."
And that was the problem.
Maybe.
Alex hated uncertainty.
The two eventually returned to the hotel.
The owner barely glanced at them before handing over the room key again.
People in towns like this had learned not to ask questions anymore.
Inside the room, the atmosphere immediately relaxed slightly.
Safe.
Or at least safer.
Violet dropped herself onto the bed dramatically.
"I'm dead."
"Not really"
"Emotionally then."
Alex sat near the table, removing his bag carefully.
The moment he opened it, Gible immediately moved closer.
Its eyes locked onto the Dragon Fang.
Alex noticed instantly.
"...You can feel it too?"
Gible growled softly, staring at the object with unusual focus.
The draconic energy radiating from the fang was faint, but noticeable.
Even Riolu looked toward it curiously.
Alex picked it up carefully.
For a moment, he remained silent.
Then:
"...We should test it tomorrow."
Violet raised an eyebrow from the bed.
"You're seriously still thinking about training after today?"
"...Yes."
She stared at him.
"...You're actually insane."
"Probably."
She threw a pillow at his head.
Alex barely caught it.
"...Rude."
"You deserve it."
For the first time since leaving the house, the tension eased slightly.
Small.
But real.
Night slowly fell outside the window.
The town became quieter.
But not peaceful.
Never peaceful anymore.
Alex eventually stood and moved toward the window again.
His eyes scanned the streets below carefully.
And then—
He froze slightly.
Across the street, near the alley between buildings—
Someone stood there.
Watching the hotel.
Black clothing.
Silver mask.
The figure didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Just stared upward.
Directly at Alex.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Alex's hand moved toward a Poké Ball.
The figure tilted its head slightly.
Then disappeared into the darkness of the alley.
Gone.
Fast.
Too fast for a normal civilian.
Behind him, Violet immediately noticed the shift in his posture.
"...Alex?"
He kept staring outside for several seconds before finally speaking.
"...We're being watched."
Silence filled the room instantly.
Violet sat up immediately.
"What did you see?"
"...Masked figure."
Her expression darkened.
"Team Eclipse?"
"...Maybe."
Again.
That word.
Maybe.
Alex hated it more every day.
Outside, distant thunder echoed softly across the night sky.
A storm was coming.
And somehow—
Alex felt like the world itself was warning them.