Where resentment gathers, resentful shadows often linger.
It no longer remembered when it had arrived in this town. It only remembered that from the moment it came here, there had been an endless supply of resentment for it to devour.
"This week's income is even less than before. At this rate, when will things ever turn around?"
"It's all those monsters' fault. If it weren't for those damned monsters, no one would've stopped coming to Ziyuan Town."
"Fewer and fewer tourists…"
This place was perfect for its growth. It loved it here.
But—
The people here didn't seem to love it.
Even though it helped them devour the resentment in their hearts, they still disliked it.
More and more resentment accumulated inside its body, until one day, it evolved.
However, the hastily completed evolution produced a power of curses mixed with excessively intense resentment, pushing it to the brink of losing control and going berserk.
And then—she appeared.
"Were you hated too…?"
She brought it back to what she called "home."
Aside from her, there was another human who lived in that inn long-term, someone with a rather strange personality. According to the girl, that was her father. She liked him very much.
Gradually, it gained a new name—"Xiao Ji"—and also a new home where it no longer had to hide.
Strangely enough, before evolving, it had been obsessed with the resentment and hatred in human hearts. But after evolving, what it craved even more was the feeling of being valued and cared for by humans.
Looking back now, that period of time might have been the most beautiful time in its entire life. If it could have gone on forever, it would have been willing to be treated as nothing more than a doll.
If only it could have stayed like that—just living together, simply.
But…
Why?!
As tears fell and soaked into the doll's body, black, unknown substances continuously seeped out from those spots.
That was resentment—and also a curse.
"So what if we just threw away your stupid doll? Why are you crying? Seriously… huh? Why did it suddenly get so cold…?"
The resentment surged wildly.
Clutched in Xiao You's arms, it noticed it—
The black energy pouring endlessly from its body.
"Xiao Ji…"
She must be so sad. I've been deceiving her all along.
But—
The doll broke free from Xiao You's embrace. It stopped suppressing the power inside its body. Its form grew larger and larger, quickly returning to its normal height of over a meter, floating in midair. Its crimson eyes locked firmly onto the two boys in front of it.
I can't endure this any longer.
I will never forgive you!
Never!
Seeing the terrifying doll floating in the air, some of the more timid students in the classroom had already let out piercing screams. The two boys targeted by the doll staggered back in terror, their legs giving way as they collapsed onto the floor.
"G-Ghost… a ghost!"
The violent energy fluctuations shattered the classroom windows, then swept up every desk and chair, flinging them aside. Aside from Xiao You, the two boys closest to the doll were struck directly by the black energy. Even just the residual shockwave sent them flying several meters, until they slammed into the wall and fell unconscious.
But it wasn't over yet.
The resentment that had been suppressed for so long, once released, refused to stop.
A black energy sphere—enough to kill any human—continued to gather in the doll's hands, its target unmistakably the two unconscious boys.
Finally—
Xiao You reacted.
"Xiao Ji, stop!"
It was already too late.
The Shadow Ball shot forward at high speed the instant Xiao You cried out.
At that critical moment—
A voice suddenly rang out from beneath the floor.
"Koujie!"
Accompanied by strange, eerie laughter, a black figure burst out from the ground, positioning itself directly in the Shadow Ball's path.
With a deafening boom, the Shadow Ball exploded in midair at the center of the classroom.
The shockwave whipped up a gale so powerful no one could open their eyes. The floor beneath them cracked with terrifying fissures under the impact of the violent energy.
"X-Xiao Ji…"
Xiao You stared at that black figure, disbelief filling her eyes.
At the same time, a voice came from outside the classroom door.
"Stop, Banette. I understand your desire to take revenge for Xiao You. Those children do deserve a special kind of lesson, but—"
Before the sentence could finish, it was cut off by a furious roar.
Banette turned around, glaring at the young people standing at the doorway. Its crimson eyes overflowed with hatred, the meaning unmistakable.
You want to stop me too?
On the verge of going berserk, Banette ignored Chen Mo's call and raised its hands again, gathering cursed energy once more.
"Y-You… are you Xiao Ji…?"
A trembling, childish voice sounded from the side. In that instant, the energy gathering in Banette's hands collapsed and dissipated completely.
"..."
It didn't dare meet that gaze.
With a sudden turn, before anyone could react, Banette's entire body vanished into the darkness.
This was precisely what made Ghost-type Pokémon so troublesome—and what Chen Mo least wanted to see.
"Xiao Ji!"
At that moment, Xiao You suddenly cried out, her eyes fixed on a window outside the classroom.
Chen Mo immediately looked over, just in time to see a black shadow flash past the window.
"Haunter, don't forget what you promised. I'll go after Banette. Ah Hui, Xiao Qiao—you two stay here and look after the injured students."
After giving quick instructions, Chen Mo hurried to the window, where Pidgeotto was already waiting.
Clearly, although Banette could temporarily hide itself using moves like Phantom Force, it couldn't remain hidden forever.
If things went smoothly, it wasn't impossible to catch up to it.
Climbing onto the shattered windowsill, Chen Mo was just about to jump onto Pidgeotto's back when Xiao You's voice rang out again.
"Um… may I come with you?"
This time, her voice was no longer hesitant or weak—it was firm.
"Pidgeotto?"
"Bi-bi!"
While scanning sharply for any sign of the black shadow, Pidgeotto let out a cry, indicating it could handle it just fine.
"Then let's go together!"
Chen Mo scooped Xiao You up and mounted Pidgeotto.
At the same time, the black shadow reappeared not far below. Xiao You spoke first:
"There!"
"Bi-bi!"
Without waiting for Chen Mo's command, Pidgeotto beat its wings hard, diving at high speed toward the figure below.
"So fast…"
Ah Hui and Qiao Cheng watched Chen Mo and Xiao You disappear into the distance, then turned back toward the devastated classroom, sighing softly.
Only Haunter remained, wearing a mischievous, prankish grin as it floated straight toward the two unconscious boys on the floor.
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