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Austin gazed upon the battlefield built from tombstones that his opponent had mushed together for them to battle.

The distorted voice of Butch said," Arise !"

Chills went down Austin's spine as he saw that corpses all around him seemed to be possessed with some kind of aura before the energy tore off chunks and amalgamated them into a skeletal appendage that looked like a rotting white hand as its bony fingers curled into a half-fist with rotting strips of flesh dangling from the bones. Dangling tendons indicate the hand was severed by another creature.

( ~ Brr ~ )

Austin couldn't take in the sight of this rotting white hand as he threw up on the floor.

Pikachu patted Austin's back while everyone else looked at the entity and the white hand with their guards up ready to defend their trainer with their lives on the line.

" I sent my first pokemon, u send urs."

Austin rubbed his burning throat as he looked at the white hand floating in the center of the ghostly battlefield.

Austin didn't say a word as he telepathically communicated with his pokemon via Muna.

" Rwrr !"

With a loud screech, Shedninja appeared on the battlefield against the white hand.

{ Shedninja, use shadow Sneak to dodge that thing's attack }

In response to his trainer's telepathic command via Munna, Shedninja screeched loudly before phasing into the ground becoming a shadow.

" Punch !" The entity called out as the white hand crashed into the ground shaking the entire floor as cracks spread out causing Austin to gulp.

Good thing Shedninja was his opponent.

Austin thought as he tried to think of a plan to escape he was pretty sure this thing that was possessing Butch's corpse would kill him and his pokemon regardless if they win the battle or not.

It was just playing with them.

Austin telepathically asked Pikachu something via Munna as Pikachu jumped into his backpack and switched on the Pokedex before switching towards the transfer system.

Looking a Krabby's PokeBall, Pikachu took a deep breath.

{ .... }

{ It works. }

Munna's message gave Austin a sigh of relief. At least he found a way to help his pokemon escape. If it ever comes down to it at least he could save them but knowing them, they would stick by his stick till the very end.

{ Is there a way out? }

{ I don't know }

𝗛..𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽...𝗺𝗲

{ What if you set up a large enough Trick Room? }

{ We could escape but Pikachu and Scizor wouldn't be able to escape this monster }

( ~ Boom ~ )

𝗛..𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽...𝗺𝗲

The white hand tore the entire battlefield apart but Shedninja easily managed to evade everything.

{ But there might be a way }

{ How ?! }

{ I can telepathically sense that the giant haunter is somehow being controlled.}

{ Are you suggesting that Black F...I mean the giant haunter is our way out? }

{ Yes, currently haunter is the most informed pokemon that would know what that thing is and what its weaknesses are. }

𝗛..𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽...𝗺𝗲

{ Munna, are you sure about this? }

{ .... }

{ MUNNA, ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS? }

{ I don't know }

{ WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW ?! }

{ I JUST DON'T, HAUNTER IS BEGGING FOR HELP AND I FIGURED THAT IT WILL RETURN THE FAVOUR! }

{ Munna, are you saying that your plan is based on a hunch that the haunter might help us if we help it }

{ .... }

{ MUNNA, ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO HAVE US GET POTENTIALLY KILLED JUST FOR A HUNCH ! }

{ .... I am sorry }

{ ( ~ Sigh ~ ) I am also sorry for shouting, I don't think I could live with myself if anyone of you ended up like Raticate }

{ Then what should we do? }

{ Let me think about it }

{ Munna, can you locate the device that team rocket used to hide their presence from the ghost-type Pokemon }

{ I can but why? }

{ We are going to use that to escape. }

{ Would that work? }

{ It could but we'll need help... some insider help }

" Screech ! "

Orbs of ominous flames covered the white hand as Shedninja used Will-o'-wisp on the Frankenstein-like creature.

The entity's smile eerily got bigger as it felt that the resentment of the dead with the walls between this plane of reality and the realm of ghosts " The Afterlife" was slowly breaking.

The plane between the Afterlife and the Physical world was loosening.

" Why are you smiling ?"

Hearing Austin's question, the head on Butch's body did a 360° turn causing Austin to take a step back.

" Are u scared for me like those people who buried me alive ?"

What ?!

The entity's words caused Austin's heart to almost stop as he remembered a weird creepypasta floating around on the internet back on Earth about the lost boss of Lavender Tower who was a zombie trainer.

Austin paused for a second as he didn't know if this entity was " The Buried Alive " or maybe was just looking into the similarities between this entity and Buried Alive.

" Y..you were buried alive."

" Kekeke, of course, I was."

The surrounding ghostly energy began to oscillate at an alarming rate.

Scizor and Charmeleon stepped up in front of Austin while Fearow and Pidgeot stood at the back.

" U know why I was buried alive because I wanted to find a way to bring her back. My precious Eevee. And what did I get in return, a nameless grave where I suffered until my screaming voice could no longer come out of my mouth."

Austin closed his eyes and ears as the hollow wail of buried alive echoed throughout the Lavender Tower.

" U know u are quite similar to me."

" W...what ?"

" U lost your precious Raticate at the hands of these people. I can see from the memories of this guy, a woman with red hair bragging about how she had used an extremely deadly and incurable poison on your Raticate which would cause excruciating pain until death. I wonder how much pain your Raticate must have been in during the last moments of its life."

Buried Alive's words caused Austin to look down as his hat overshadowed his eyes which glowed red.

Buried Alive raised an eyebrow before outstretching his hand.

" I would like to extend an offer."

" What is it ?"

" Join me."

" What ?!"

" Join me and I'll help you in getting your revenge against these people."

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