Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

"Just to be on the safe side, let's go and get it checked out!"

Xiaoxia thought for a moment and then said.

Judging from this uncle's description, Ash and Sabrina's fighting abilities are probably about the same.

However, Ash, who is a Fighting-type, does have a type disadvantage against Sabrina, who is a Psychic-type.

"So, what do you think, Pikachu?"

"Pickup!"

"Oh, I see. Let's go take a look then."

"Unfortunately, I can't go; I have to go to work..."

Miss Joey, who had come over, looked a little disappointed, twirling a strand of hair that fell beside her ear with her fingers.

The three people and the mouse immediately turned their heads in unison, looking at Joey, who had silently approached them without them noticing: "?"

"it is good!"

Xiao Zhi turned around.

"We've decided to go check out Ziyuan Town!"

"That's good!"

The uncle breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling a little more at ease.

He was genuinely afraid that these people wouldn't play by the rules and would insist on a head-on confrontation.

After all, his so-called Plan B... was actually quite rudimentary.

If Ash and his friends fail their challenge and are turned into dolls, he will try to sneak into Sabrina's room, use his skills again to steal the dolls from them, and then restore them.

When he told others about this plan, even he himself thought it was a bit far-fetched.

......

We rested for a night at the Pokémon Center in Saffron City.

Ash and his friends set off for Lavender Town full of energy.

The elderly father of Nazi, who claimed to be very busy, has long since disappeared.

According to what he said when he hurriedly said goodbye yesterday.

His day is usually filled with three things.

He seized the opportunity to sneak into his daughter's room to retrieve the dolls, traveled to various places to apologize to the people and things his daughter had sorted out, and tried every means to work to earn money to pay for the aforementioned apology fund.

"This uncle... has a really tough life."

As she set off, Xiaoxia couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

“Pikachu…”

Pikachu nodded in agreement.

I walked for most of the day following the signs.

Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of Goldenrod City, the road to Lavender Town gradually becomes tranquil—

Or rather, enveloped in silence.

At first, it was just a thin mist drifting among the trees along the roadside.

But the further we went, the more persistently the fog condensed, and its color gradually changed from transparent gray-white to a somber leaden gray.

"Isn't this fog... a bit too thick?"

Xiaoxia couldn't help but speak, her voice sounding muffled in the thick fog.

She subconsciously moved closer to Xiaozhi, who was walking in the middle.

Visibility has already dropped very low.

The scenery two meters away was blurry and distorted, as if viewed through a thick layer of frosted glass.

Even the trees along the roadside were reduced to dark shadows.

“The direction should be right,” Xiao Gang squinted, trying hard to make out the direction, and then checked the map in the encyclopedia. “According to the map and the previous road signs, Lavender Town is in this direction, but... the weather is indeed a bit abnormal.”

"The town...is shrouded in thick fog..."

Ash seemed completely unconcerned about the unusual environment. Instead, as if a memory had been triggered, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He was jolted awake.

"I suddenly remembered a story that's incredibly relevant to our current situation! It's exactly the same as what we're going through right now!"

"I think it was called... 'The Secret of Mute Village'? Or maybe 'Mute Village Shrouded in Fog'? I can't remember exactly, but it was really exciting!"

"Hey, don't tell weird stories at a time like this!"

Xiaoxia immediately protested.

Her intuition told her this was definitely not an easy or pleasant story!

But Xiao Zhi was already immersed in his own narrative rhythm and continued talking on his own.

"I've heard that the village of the mute is shrouded in fog even thicker than this all year round, making it impossible to distinguish between humans and ghosts from five steps away... but that's not the scariest thing."

He paused, glancing at his companion who was listening intently.

"The scariest thing is that something is lurking in that thick fog... No one can describe what it looks like, because those who have seen it either can no longer speak, or no one believes what they say..."

Xiao Zhi unconsciously lowered his voice.

"It is said that before those 'things' appear, the surroundings will become deathly silent, even the wind will stop... and then, a rustling sound will be heard."

As if to confirm his words, in the silent mountain forest shrouded in thick fog.

A faint, yet clearly discernible, "shh...shh..." sound could indeed be heard.

Xiao Gang: "!"

Xiaoxia: "!"

Pikachu: "!"

"No, no!" Xiao Zhi frowned. "It's not the rustling of leaves in the wind, it's the hissing sound of an old-fashioned radio that you can't tune to no station no matter what you do!"

The eerie sound suddenly stopped.

Then, from deep within the fog, a short rustling sound actually came tentatively, just as Xiaozhi had requested.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Ash nodded in satisfaction. "That's exactly the sound!"

The next second, the noisy, crackling sound, like that of an old-fashioned radio tuning, rang out clearly.

The sound was intermittent, sometimes near, sometimes far, which made one's heart tremble.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

Xiaoxia's scream and Xiaogang's suppressed gasp rang out at the same time!

Because at the very moment the rustling sound suddenly became louder, an indescribable silhouette pierced through the thick fog!

It lacks distinct facial features and is more like a constantly writhing, blurry, dark gray shadow.

But in the center, there was an irregular crack, like a mouth.

Most terrifyingly, the rustling noise seemed to be coming from inside its body.

As it drew closer, the sound grew louder and more intense, almost drilling into the brain!

The ghost face pierced through the thick fog and suddenly appeared in front of the three of them!

The eerie ghost face pierced through the thick fog and suddenly drew closer, its distorted face almost touching Xiaoxia's nose!

"Waaaaah—!"

Xiaoxia was so frightened that she couldn't even scream.

Xiao Gang felt a chill run down his spine, a cold sensation shooting from his feet to the top of his head.

Almost instinctively, the two of them squeezed towards Xiaozhi in the middle from the left and right.

"Pickup!"

Pikachu bristled, and crackling sparks flew from its electric sac.

But the "ghost face" seemed quite pleased with their reaction, emitting a tooth-grinding, hollow laugh as it drifted left and right in the mist.

Sometimes it stretches, sometimes it twists, and sometimes it transforms into even more terrifying shapes, constantly getting closer and scaring them, having a great time.

Xiaoxia closed her eyes tightly and held Xiaozhi's arm tightly with both hands.

Xiao Gang's face also turned pale, and he entered a simplified mode of life, with all his muscles tense.

Looking at the funny face, Ash comforted Pikachu.

Then he looked at the "monster" who was still making faces with curiosity.

Under the almost terrified gazes of the other two, Ash didn't back down. Instead, he stretched out his finger towards the terrifying ghost face so close to his face—

I poked it.

"puff--"

It sounded like a balloon being popped, or like a cloud of smoke being blown away.

The terrifying ghost face vanished like a phantom the moment Ash's finger touched it.

Xiao Zhi rubbed his fingers together, feeling the lingering, slightly cool and thin sensation, and suddenly realized.

"So this is what Ghost-type Pokémon feel like..."

The fog dissipated slightly, revealing a purplish-black, spherical Pokémon.

It was floating in mid-air with a pair of big white eyes on its head, looking completely bewildered.

The wicked grin that hadn't been taken back lingered on his lips, a mischievous smirk that seemed to have been pulled away in time.

It's Gastly, the Ghost/Poison type Pokémon!

"That's strange," Ash said curiously, reaching out to pinch Gastly's ethereal body. "It feels like pinching a cool, moving wisp of air?"