I caught a Pokémon

As she spoke, Xia You reached out and took the painting down. However, seeing that there was only a solid wooden wall behind it and the painting no longer had that eerie feeling, she knew that the ghostly power contained in the painting was still too weak, so she hung it back up.

His movements were very smooth and natural, but Xiaoyao and Yami were greatly shocked by Xia You's act of daring to touch the painting with both hands and even hold it in his hands.

In their eyes, Xia You was incredibly fierce at that moment!

Finding nothing, the group explored the entire second floor after leaving the room.

However, they did not find any trace of the two human ghosts or Gengar, nor did they find any clues about the mansion or the ghosts, so they went downstairs together again.

Once downstairs, they first wandered around the lobby a few times before finally arriving at a three-story library covered in cobwebs.

A staircase spirals upwards, all the way to the third floor.

Compared to other parts of the mansion, this place, though still full of mold and looking quite dilapidated, is relatively well preserved. This can be seen from the large number of books displayed on the library shelves. Moreover, this is the only place in the entire mansion that still has lights on!

Even in the center of the room, there is a brightly colored striped sofa that stands out starkly against the surrounding dilapidated state!

This also made Xiaoyao and Yami realize at a glance that this was definitely the core area of ​​the entire mansion!

“This place…” Walking across the red carpet strewn with shredded paper and broken glass, Xiaoyao looked around. “It looks completely different from other places. Could it be… that this place is important to those ghosts?”

“That should be the case.” Xia You nodded. “Perhaps the answer we’re looking for is here. Alright, everyone, let’s split up and search to see if we can find any clues.”

Perhaps it was the lights here that made them feel at ease, which eased Xiaoyao and Yami's anxiety a little.

Hearing Xia You's words, they nervously glanced around to make sure no ghosts suddenly emerged from the corners before walking to their respective bookshelves and slowly searching through them.

Xia You walked to one of the bookshelves, picked up a book at random, and opened it.

This is a fairy tale book. Because most of the pages are moldy, blurry, and damaged, Xia You cannot make out what the book is about. She can only judge from a few words that it should be a children's book about the 'God of the Lake and the Girl'.

There are actually many such books in the world, and most people like to combine those legendary Pokémon with children's stories and spread them in this way. It's just that each region has different versions.

After putting the book back in its place, Xia You flipped through the other books, which were mostly the same.

Considering the ghost girl from earlier, it's not hard to guess that these were probably books she read when she was 'human'.

Shifting her attention away from the books, Xia You's gaze wandered across the bookshelf, and soon spotted a photograph in a corner of a certain shelf.

Holding the yellowed photograph in my hand, I looked down at it under the light and saw that it was a family photo. There were five people in the photo. The family of three sitting on the striped sofa were the male homeowner from the huge painting on the stairs, the ghost girl I had just seen, and a woman whose face was no longer visible.

Behind the sofa stood a man and a woman. The man was the same old butler they had just met, and the woman was the middle-aged maid with moving eyes they had seen in that room!

I see……

After silently gazing at the photo for a while, Xia You sighed softly and then tucked it into her bosom.

Just then, Xiaoyao seemed to have made a discovery and shouted from the other side.

"Xia You-ge! Come quick, come quick!!"

Hearing her voice, Xia You quickly walked over. When she got to her side and looked down, she saw that she was holding a piece of paper that looked like it had been torn from a notebook. There were some words written on the paper, but they were also blurry and illegible.

As Xia You took the paper and was about to examine it closely, a figure flashed beside him. Ya Mi appeared next to him and brought her head close, blocking Xia You's view so that he could only see the back of a head covered in green hair.

With a helpless sigh, he could only move his hand to the side.

But in order to see the words clearly, Yami unexpectedly started shaking along with it.

When Xia You's hand moves to the left, her head moves to the left as well; when Xia You moves to the right, her head moves to the right as well.

Xiao Yao found it hilarious watching from the side, and only came to her senses when Xia You raised her hand too high, so high that Ya Mi couldn't reach it.

"I'm a coward, but I didn't expect you to be so curious."

After making a complaint, Xia You put her hands back on her chest and finally saw what was written on the paper.

The note, written in very messy handwriting, read: "The horse... was actually... taken away by... that thing of unknown origin..."

Because the mold was so severe, only a few words could be made out on the paper. The limited words made it impossible for them to decipher what was written. They could only tell from the few remaining words that something had been taken away, but they couldn't tell what it was or who took it.

what is it?

Holding the paper, Xia You pondered deeply, flipping through her memories.

He had indeed visited this Forest Mansion when he played this generation of the game before.

He skipped most of the text and plot in the game and didn't pay attention to what was written. He only remembered the plot points that left a deep impression on him. So now, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure it out.

I should have watched the plot more carefully back then...

Just as Xia You was feeling sentimental, purple mist rose up again from all directions, sweeping towards Xia You and the others!

This sudden turn of events startled Xiaoyao and Yami. Almost instinctively, they hid behind Xia You and grabbed his clothes. Without Xia You saying anything, Gardevoir, whose eyes flashed blue, also raised its arms at that moment.

"I'm going to eat you!!!"

The ghostly girl who had just disappeared and escaped reappeared. She floated in the air, surrounded by a thick purple fog, and pounced on Xia You with wild and unrestrained movements.

However, just like before, Gardevoir used its ability to create a psychic barrier in front of Xia You. Although this power was very different from Gengar's, it still managed to withstand the ghost girl's attack.

Just as she was about to bypass the barrier and continue her attack, Gengar emerged from the wall on the other side amidst a series of eerie 'hehehe' laughs.

Gengar was amazed by what it saw.

"So that butler was desperately trying to stop me, even risking being caught, just so you could walk right into my trap! I really don't understand, when you were already in a situation where you had to hide, why did you dare to show your face in front of my trainer?"

It's easy to tell from Gengar's words that after it chased after them, it must have gotten into a fight with the two human ghosts. With their strength, they were clearly no match for Gengar, so the ghost butler had to sacrifice himself to save the ghost girl and let her escape.

But to their surprise, the ghost girl reappeared in front of them.

Xia You waved her hand to stop Gengar from getting closer, then raised the piece of paper in her finger and said to the ghost girl, "Although we don't know what you've been through, why not talk to us? Maybe... we can help you."

Chapter 942 The Tragedy of the Mansion

Unfortunately, the ghost girl in her white-haired form was clearly unable to communicate normally. She kept repeating things like "I'm going to eat you" and "I'm going to absorb you," and kept charging towards Xia You. Even when Gardevoir blocked her, she kept attacking Gardevoir's invisible barrier.

Seeing that she didn't dodge or flinch, but instead relentlessly tried to attack Xia You, as if she had a great obsession, Xiao Yao couldn't help but feel very strange.

"Xia You, why does this ghost girl seem to want to...eat you? Did you do something strange to her while we were resting just now?"

Xia You slapped Xiao Yao on the head and glared at her!

"What nonsense are you talking about? Haven't I been with you the whole time since we entered the mansion?"

Xiaoyao covered her head and stuck out her tongue.

"Okay, I was just joking with you..."

Seeing the two of them still able to bicker like this amidst such a tense atmosphere, Yami was both surprised and amused. However, she had no interest in joining in and asked nervously, "Mr. Xia You, are all ghosts... like this?"

Even Yami herself probably didn't realize that after knowing Xia You for only a few hours, she had already made him her pillar of support.

This is understandable, given that in such a strange and dangerous environment, having a powerful and calm "captain" by your side makes it hard for someone like Yami to instinctively choose to trust him.

“Of course not.” Hearing Yami’s words, Xia You thought of the female ghost in the Kanto Girl’s Gorge and shook her head. “Not all ghosts are bad. Some are strong and some are weak. The specific situation depends on the reasons and conditions under which they are formed. The ghost girl in front of us has obviously been stimulated before, which is why she has become so aggressive.”

"So what do we do now?"

Xia You's gaze returned to the ghost girl: "It seems the only option is to help her regain her senses first."

After saying that, he snapped his fingers, and in the next second, Gardevoir and Gengar exerted their power at the same time. The ghost girl who was trying to approach him was as if controlled by two energies and was directly bound in mid-air!

In fact, given the nature of ghosts, they can usually dissipate into the air. However, it is clear that both Gardevoir and Gengar have considered this point, thus directly restricting her ability and preventing her from moving even a single finger. Even though the ghost girl struggles desperately, she can only let her hair fly wildly, displaying impotent rage.

Seeing that these two Pokémon possessed such great power, Yami was also quite surprised.

She had never heard of Xia You before, nor did she know who he was, so she had no idea about his glorious deeds. She simply regarded him and Xiao Yao as ordinary traveling trainers, just like herself. But now, as she got to know him better, she slowly realized that this man was extraordinary.

She had never seen such a calm man with such strong Pokémon skills!

This overwhelming sense of security was something she had never experienced before!

Seeing that the ghost girl had been subdued, Xia You looked at her Gengar.

How long will she remain in this state?

"It's hard to say." Gengar shook his head. "Unless she actively removes this state herself, we can only wait for her ability to weaken and be passively canceled. Of course, I can also forcibly remove her state, but that will inevitably cause irreparable damage to her overall condition."

"Then let's leave it for now." Xia You didn't seem to mind. Instead, she said, "Didn't you also catch that ghost butler? I think his thinking is still quite normal. Try to see if you can communicate with him."

"We'll talk about that later," Gengar chuckled. "I'll take you to an interesting place first!"

"An interesting place?"

Driven by curiosity, Xia You left Gardevoir there to watch over the ghost girl, and then, led by Gengar, the three of them left the library and went to the master bedroom of the mansion.

It's quite noticeable that the first floor of the mansion is in better condition than the second floor. Although it's still dilapidated, at least some books, carpets, crystal chandeliers, and other items are well-preserved. This suggests that the two ghosts are maintaining it.

This allowed them to clearly see what the room looked like before it was abandoned once they entered the master bedroom. Of course, because so many trainers had come before, the place had long been ransacked, but everything was scattered all over the place, and there were also many traces of battle, making it look equally appalling.

But there's nothing we can do about it.

Ignoring the mess around them, Gengar led the three to a wall and then pressed a switch.

The next second, with a series of 'click-clack' gears turning, the wall slowly opened, revealing a secret passage leading deep underground!

Gengar grinned smugly: "I found this while I was chasing that ghost girl. If I hadn't gone underground first and discovered the secret room there, I would never have been able to find this mechanism!"

Ghost-type Pokémon do indeed have this advantage.

When others search for a secret room, they usually have to rack their brains to find the mechanism first, and only after finding and unlocking the mechanism can they enter the next secret room. However, Ghost-type Pokémon discover the secret room first by passing through walls and going underground, and then easily unlock the mechanism through the connection between the secret room and the hidden door.

It's incredibly convenient.

It's practically the perfect Pokémon for haunted house adventures!

The cave entrance was deep and dark, continuing downwards, so dark that it was impossible to see what was inside.

Without any hesitation, Xia You raised her flashlight and went downstairs first.

As for Xiaoyao and Yami, although both ghosts had been captured, they still couldn't help but feel a little scared looking at the secret passage that resembled a gaping abyss.

However, seeing that Xia You had already taken the lead and entered the secret passage, and since their leader had already made up her mind, they did not hesitate any longer and immediately chose to follow.

Xia You descended the steps slowly and steadily.

Gengar is right, no trainer has ever set foot here.

This can be seen from the smooth floor and walls.

As the core area on the first floor, similar to the library, those trainers who once strayed into this place probably hadn't even discovered its secrets before being attacked by the ghost girl and the ghost butler.

This secret passage wasn't very long, only four or five meters long, but because it was deep underground and the surrounding soil and stone walls were filled with the dark energy of ghosts, it absorbed some light. When a flashlight was shone on it, it could only reflect a small, faint circle of light.

Because of poor visibility, Xia You simply released his Blaziken. Once it condensed a ball of flame in his palm, the surroundings immediately became much brighter.

This makes one appreciate once again just how convenient Pokémon is.

After passing through the secret passage, they found themselves in a small stone chamber. Xia You glanced around and immediately recognized it as a research lab.

Inside, there were all sorts of instruments of unknown purpose. Bookshelves and desks were littered with open books and scattered papers, just like outside. These things were scattered all over the place, as if the place had been ransacked.

Seeing this, Xiaoyao was greatly puzzled.

"Didn't they say this place had never been discovered by trainers? How come it's so chaotic?"

Walking to a desk, Xia You wiped the thick layer of dust off it with her fingers, looked through some research materials, and finally glanced around before shaking her head.

“No, these weren’t caused by the trainers who broke into the mansion.” He frowned. “The handwriting in these notebooks is clearly different, as if they had two owners. Some are neatly arranged, while others have been roughly handled. So I guess… if this secret room belonged to the owner of this mansion, then someone must have occupied it later and studied the things here as well.”

A thought flashed through Xiaoyao's mind, and she instantly realized a possibility.

"You mean..."

Their eyes met, and the tacit understanding brought about by their long journey made Xia You nod involuntarily.

"That's right, it should be just as we thought."

Listening to their conversation, Yami was completely bewildered and asked, "What are you two talking about? I don't understand."

After combining what she had learned from playing the game with the information revealed in the anime, Xia You boldly made some deductions, even though she didn't have direct evidence.

"Actually, this is easy to understand. We all know that not all humans become ghosts after they die, let alone two ghosts and a ghost in a painting appearing in the same house at the same time. Therefore, we can conclude that something must have happened here."

This statement was unanimously agreed upon by Xiaoyao and Yami.

Xia You continued, "The dust on the table shows that this place was used at least a year or six months ago. Considering that it has only been in the last year that people have started to see the haunted house in this forest and been attacked by ghosts, we can conclude that something happened six months ago that caused this mansion to become what it is today."

Xiaoyao and Yami nodded in unison again, having no objection to Xia You's analysis, and at the same time, they admired Xia You even more.

You should know that the three of them entered this mansion together and saw the same things.

But under such conditions, he was able to guess so much from just these few clues, which is truly amazing!

Turning her head, she saw the slowly growing admiration in Yami's eyes, and Xiaoyao couldn't help but feel a little smug.