The Abandoned Thrifty Megamart lay near Route 14 in the Alola region, not far from the ruins of Tapu Village.
Once a thriving supermarket, it had been caught in the devastation caused by Tapu Bulu's attack on the village, forcing the store to relocate elsewhere.
Now, all that remained was a crumbling ruin—
A place long abandoned and forgotten.
Under the cover of night, the desolate megamart looked like something straight out of a horror movie.
According to Nanu, the site had even become a hotspot for thrill-seekers and ghost hunters…
At least, until one day—
Everything changed.
Standing just outside the pitch-black ruins, Kai gazed at the gaping entrance—
A dark void, as if it could swallow everything whole.
He pondered aloud:
"Ghost sightings… almost thirty reported incidents to the police…"
"It's a little unsettling, sure, but most likely, it's just Ghost-type Pokémon acting up because of the environment."
Adjusting the cheap baseball cap he'd picked up from a Poké Mart bargain bin, Kai struck a confident pose.
Beside him, Mimikyu played along, holding a paper-rolled 'pipe' in its tiny maw, posing dramatically on Kai's shoulder.
"Kukui, you stay outside."
Kai lifted his chin, speaking with mock seriousness.
"This is now a case for—Detective Kai!"
"You're shivering. Are you cold?"
Kai turned his head to see Kukui, who had curled into himself, visibly shaking from the chill of the night air.
Despite the teasing, there was genuine concern in his tone.
Kukui sniffled, trying to act tough.
"I-It's fine… I'll just f-find a way to make a fire…"
Then, after a pause, he asked:
"Are you sure you don't need my help?"
Kai grinned, waving him off.
"Come on, I'm with Mimikyu."
"You've battled it before. You know what it's capable of."
"We'll wrap this up tonight, and then we'll still have five days to reach Tapu Bulu."
With that, Kai released his Growlithe, a Pokémon known for its keen sense of smell.
Then, with Mimikyu perched on his shoulder, he stepped into the ruins of the old megamart.
Kukui let out another short, sharp sneeze, before zipping up his white lab coat all the way to his neck.
His gaze lingered on the megamart's entrance, his brows furrowing in concern.
"Weird… It shouldn't be this cold at night during this season…"
"It's giving me chills—like something's watching me."
His unease deepened.
"Kai will be fine… right?"
But there was something else that puzzled him—
"…And is it just me, or has he been a lot more proactive than usual?"
The night swallowed his words, offering no response.
The ruins of the Thrifty Megamart loomed before him—
A gaping maw of darkness, waiting to consume anything that dared step inside.
Inside the Ruins
As they ventured further, Growlithe sniffed at the ground, alert for any suspicious scents.
Meanwhile, the sound of Kai's footsteps echoed through the deathly silent supermarket.
"Yeah… This place is definitely falling apart."
He carefully avoided loose debris, mindful of any rusty nails or shattered glass that could be dangerous underfoot.
The last thing he needed was to step on a stray metal spike and get a nasty injury.
Kai gave Mimikyu a light tap ◑﹏◐, signaling for an update.
"Anything?"
From beneath its disguise, Mimikyu's shadowy limb emerged, forming the number five.
Kai nodded.
"Fifty percent of the energy here is Ghost-type?"
"Then it's safe to assume wild Ghost Pokémon are lurking around."
Wandering aimlessly wouldn't get them anywhere, so Kai switched gears.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he reached out mentally.
"Any hidden treasures nearby?"
A voice whispered back in his mind.
[Search the warehouse in the back.]
Kai's eyes snapped open.
"The warehouse?"
That actually made sense.
"…If there's something important here, that's where it would be."
---
Kai scanned his surroundings and quickly spotted the warehouse's location on a faded overhead sign.
Wasting no time, he called for Growlithe and headed straight for it.
He was aware that his emotions had been running high lately, yet he didn't find himself entirely opposed to the feeling.
While it wasn't quite the grand journey the system had always hoped for, Kai did feel more proactive in his approach to things—
Like right now.
In the past, he would have waited for danger to come to him.
But now?
He was hunting down whatever was haunting this abandoned supermarket!
Two minutes later, Kai stood before the warehouse's closed doors, one hand on his hip, an intrigued expression on his face.
"So, this is the warehouse, huh?"
"I wonder if I'll get jumped by a bunch of Gastly or Misdreavus the moment I open this thing."
The warehouse was deep within the supermarket, surrounded by walls on all sides.
A single, battered door stood alone—a silent barrier between Kai and whatever lay beyond.
Just as he reached for the rusty doorknob, something caught his attention.
In the corner of his eye, a faint flicker of ghostly light glowed near a row of empty shelves.
The corner of his lips quirked up.
With a sharp motion, he pointed directly at the shelves.
"Over there—Shadow Sneak!"
Growlithe had sensed it too.
With a deep, warning bark, it turned toward the shelves.
At the same time, Mimikyu sprang into action—
Leaping off Kai's shoulder with a soft thud, its shadowy tendrils extended unnaturally from beneath its disguise.
The inky-black appendages slithered forward in an instant, grabbing hold of the hidden figures lurking near the shelves.
A moment later, the intruders were dragged into the open—
A group of startled Gastly, Haunter, and Misdreavus squirmed under Mimikyu's grip, their expressions filled with panic.
To them, Mimikyu wasn't just any Ghost-type—
It was an overwhelming presence, a terrifyingly strong entity far beyond their level.
After a moment of hesitation, the wild Ghost Pokémon exchanged worried glances—
Then, one by one, they fled.
If that human was under the protection of such a powerful Advanced, he would probably be fine… right?
From Kai's perspective, the mysterious 'ghosts' that had been terrorizing tourists and thrill-seekers had just scattered like frightened children.
He stood in place for a good ten minutes, waiting to see if they would return.
When they didn't, he scratched his head in surprise.
"Huh. That was… easier than I expected."
Honestly, he thought he'd at least have to battle them.
It would've been a good chance to give Growlithe some battle experience.
But now that it was over so quickly, he felt a little…
Underwhelmed.
Kai turned his gaze back to the warehouse door, pondering.
"Well, since I'm already here…"
Even though the chances of finding anything useful were slim, it wouldn't hurt to take a quick look before leaving.
With that thought, he reached for the handle—
A loud creak echoed through the silent ruins as the old wooden door swung open.
Kai froze.
"…Huh?"
From the outside, the solid stretch of wall had made the warehouse seem fairly large.
But now that he was inside—
This… tiny space was barely bigger than a bathroom.
The walls were even more worn-down than the rest of the supermarket, covered in cracks and peeling paint.
There were no shelves, no storage units—nothing that remotely resembled a warehouse.
Just a few nameless picture frames hung crookedly on the walls, their contents long gone, leaving behind an eerie emptiness.
The sight sent an unsettling chill down Kai's spine.
"…This doesn't look like a warehouse at all."
Growlithe sniffed the air with closed eyes, but found nothing of interest.
After a few moments, it simply sat at Kai's feet, silent.
Then—
Kai's gaze fell upon a familiar figure in the corner of the room.
A Pikachu doll.
Kai's brows furrowed.
His eyes flicked to his shoulder, where Mimikyu still sat.
He could feel the weight of it.
It was right there.
So then—
"…What's with the Mimikyu in the corner?"
Just as confusion set in—
The corner Mimikyu moved.
Slowly—
It crawled toward him.
Kai could feel it staring at him.
Somehow, he understood what it was trying to say.
The same way he had understood Moltres back then.
Its request was clear—
"Can you take a look under my disguise?"
---
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