章 11: When there's something strange in your
Jared leaned in and spoke in a hushed tone, "Your... club?"
"We aren't an official club yet because it just consists of me and my sister so far, but us ghost trainers need to stick together, right?" she said, looking around as if it were a secret.
"Sure... so about the books," Jared said, trying to steer the conversation back to the reason he was there.
Mali shoved the book she was holding into Jared's hands. "I'm done with this one. Actually, I've already read it eight times so far, so please go ahead. But if you discover anything important, please let me know! Also, here's the club card."
Jared took the card, which had nothing more than a phone number, a name, a time, and a date. He assumed the name 'Mali' was the woman's name.
"So... Mali, what do I do with this?" Jared asked, pointing to the card.
Mali slapped her forehead. "Oh, I completely forgot to explain. This phone number is mine. You can call me when you discover something, and the date and time are when the club meets in this library to share information and plan our next moves."
"Okay... I'm going to begin reading now."
She nodded furiously with a serious expression. "Please do!"
Looking at the cover of the book, Jared had a bad premonition as he read the title, "Alola Ghost Sightings and Other Spooky Phenomena." He had a feeling that this book might not be very authentic, but he had to start somewhere. From this table, he could see there were only about ten books loosely based on 'ghost pokemon,' so he might as well read them all, starting with this one.
Reading the first page, he discovered that this book was simply a collection of newspaper articles about various freak disappearances or 'supposed' haunted houses in Tapu Village and where to find them. Halfway through the book, he discovered something very interesting: an abandoned house with the house number 4521 Feraligator Alley. His own house number was 4520, so wasn't this pointing to the house right next to him? Jared then recalled the thin three-year-old he saw in one of the broken windows. Then he recalled something he had put to the back of his mind. He thought at the time the stress was just making him see things, but what if that dark shape in the window was something more than just his imagination?
The article said that the previous residents had once died of mysterious causes, and sometimes at night strange sounds and weird shapes could be seen from the window. However, Jared also noted that this was basically the same situation for every other article he had read in this book.
Jared finished the rest of the book, but by then the library was about to close for the day.
"Don't forget, Jared, our next club meeting is tomorrow!" Mali reminded him.
"Okay, I'll show up..." Jared replied.
Walking out, Jared shook his head wryly, thinking, 'What choice do I have? My ability to read those books likely hinges on appeasing this person as long as she keeps bringing all the books to her table. That is unless I get here first.'
Jared's stomach rumbled as he made his way towards the cafeteria, but discovered it was closed for the day. He resigned himself to heading home instead, taking in the sights of the well-lit streets which were now less crowded than earlier.
As he passed by the park and his eyes were drawn to the wide pond that lay within it. The sun was setting and the pond was bathed in the orange and pink hues of the waning light, giving it an eerie sense of peace. He briefly wondered what kind of fish or pokemon might reside in it, but didn't care enough to continue that line of thought.
He couldn't help but notice that there were fewer bird Pokemon around than he had seen earlier. The only ones he could spot were a few Spearow clustered together on a street lamp. He pondered to himself, wondering if the Spearow had outcompeted other birds for food or if they had driven them out of the skies with their fierce nature.
As he continued his walk, he found that the streets were now filled with more Meowths than before. They seemed more comfortable in the emptied alleys, now that the human traffic had died down for the day. Jared also caught sight of some creepy Spinaraks peeking down from nearby rooftops, their multiple eyes glinting in the light of the street lamps. He wondered what thoughts and goals drove these strange creatures, as they seemed to be in a world of their own up there.
Arriving at his home, Jared turned to look at the townhouse next door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the familiar shadow in the window. However, his hope dwindled as he found nothing there but an empty space.
After realizing that he had skipped lunch due to his long day at the library, Jared decided to make himself dinner. While cooking, he pondered how Mali could have so much free time, questioning to himself, "Shouldn't she have to attend classes or study?"
Despite having the same nightmare as always that night, Jared awoke feeling refreshed and ready to take on the new day.
Making his way to the library earlier than usual, Jared noticed a cluster of Spearows in the alley surrounding something. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that one of their own had died the previous night, and he realized that they were likely mourning their loss.
Knowing that most Pokémon had the intelligence of a three-year-old human, Jared empathized with them and understood that they must be in great pain. However, he was no longer the same as before, and he wouldn't cry over every dead rodent he saw on the side of the road anymore. He had vowed to discard anything that would slow him down or get in the way of his purpose.
Taking a detour around the mourners, Jared eventually arrived at the library where the familiar librarian stopped to chat with him.
"Ah, you're here early today," he remarked.
"Yes, I suppose I am. Good to see you again, but if you'll excuse me, I have some reading to do," Jared replied.
"Of course, enjoy," the librarian said with a wry smile, but he was laughing inwardly, "He'll get tired and see reality after a few days."
After spending a few hours reading in the library, Jared was distracted by a woman clearing her throat next to him.
Sighing inwardly, Jared recognized Mali and greeted her politely. "Hello, Mali. Good to see you. Who's this nice lady next to you?"
"Good afternoon, fellow ghost trainer. Let me introduce you to my twin sister, Malia."
Malia sat down, looking unimpressed. "Hi, you must be Jared. Mali won't stop talking about you," she coughed, "I meant to say, she told me all about you."
With a smile on her face, Mali took a seat between them and announced, "I officially declare that our ghost trainer club meeting has begun!"
Jared noticed that Malia seemed less enthusiastic than her twin sister, letting out a long sigh.
"I think today we should explore some haunted houses," Mali suggested eagerly. "Only by getting out there will we have a chance at getting our future ghost pokemon."
Malia shook her head, dampening Mali's excitement. "But that's illegal. We can't break the law, can we?"
Mali considered this for a moment before suggesting, "Well, then let's explore other haunted places like the mines. Nobody will care if we go there, right?"
"Actually, Mali, I have class today, and I also need to study, so..." Malia trailed off, feeling a tinge of guilt for turning down Mali's invitation.
"Oh... okay." Mali's disappointment was palpable. Then, turning to Jared with a glimmer of hope, she asked, "How about you, our new club member? Will you come with me?"
"Well, I wouldn't mind taking a look once." Jared shrugged. "I've never explored any 'haunted' places before. I'll probably do it eventually, so why not now?"
Mali's eyes lit up. "Great, I just need to go to the bathroom. How about we meet at the statue?"
"Okay." Jared nodded, watching as Mali rushed out of the library.
As he made his way to the exit, Malia grabbed his arm and looked at him with a serious expression. "Look, I don't know what your deal is, or if you're just interested in Mali, but don't feed her delusions of grandeur anymore, or there's going to be trouble."
Seeing that the woman was just concerned about her sister, Jared sighed and decided to reveal the truth. "Actually, I have no talent as a trainer whatsoever, so I am hoping I might have some affinity with ghost Pokémon."
Letting go of his arm, Malia seemed a little embarrassed, but she still insisted, "Still, you must realize how hopeless this goal of becoming a ghost trainer is, right? I mean, seriously."
Jared nodded. "I do, but I still have to try, no matter what."
"...You're just as hopeless as she is," Malia let out a long sigh, feeling defeated. "Just make sure Mali doesn't get herself hurt. She can go a little overboard sometimes... actually, all the time."
"Well, I'll try," Jared replied half-heartedly. He wasn't interested in being Mali's babysitter, but he also realized that through Mali's help, his chances of finding a ghost Pokémon might increase.
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