Pokémon: Check-In System

"A geographical... check-in?"

Nero pondered for a moment before realizing what was happening.

The check-in mechanism was divided into two types: time-based and location-based. The first type was a daily check-in, something Nero routinely did. The second type, however, required special locations or unique environments to trigger.

Since obtaining these special glasses, Nero had only ever performed time-based check-ins. He had never once activated a location-based check-in, and over time, he had forgotten about its existence.

But now, standing in this abandoned and eerie kindergarten, he had finally triggered one.

Did that mean the stranger the location, the more likely it was to be a check-in site?

Curious about this newly triggered function, Nero stared at the prompt on his screen. Without hesitation, he selected "Yes."

Immediately, new text appeared:

Unlocking and analyzing map, please wait...

Ten seconds later, a sectional analysis map appeared before him, accompanied by additional information:

Location: Abandoned Haunted Kindergarten

Map Model: Urban Environment Location #4

Background Information:

Fifteen years ago, this place was known as Starlight Kindergarten, a once-thriving school filled with lively children and warmhearted young teachers.

Among them was Clefable, the gentle caretaker of the kindergarten. Every afternoon, Clefable would sing soothing melodies to lull the children to sleep, even the most mischievous ones. If a child got hurt, Clefable was the first to rush over, tending to their wounds with care.

Clefable was beloved by all.

However, everything changed when a Haunter appeared in the kindergarten.

At first, Haunter's ghostly form and eerie aura frightened the children. But over time, its playful and mischievous nature won them over. Soon, the children came to adore Haunter, welcoming it as part of their daily lives.

Clefable, the nurturing guardian, and Haunter, the mischievous trickster—together, they made the kindergarten a place of joy and laughter.

But one day, tragedy struck.

Clefable vanished without a trace. The teachers and children searched everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found.

And then, that very same day—Haunter evolved into Gengar.

Despite its transformation, Gengar's personality remained as cheerful and lively as before. It continued playing with the children, using Hypnosis to help them sleep in Clefable's absence.

Slowly, the sorrow of losing Clefable began to fade, replaced by the presence of Gengar.

But things were not as they seemed.

One fateful day, while measuring the children's height and weight, a teacher noticed something strange. Gengar, always eager to join in, stepped onto the scale.

The weight reading? 40.5 kg.

At first, this detail seemed trivial. But then one of the teachers recalled something unsettling—

She had previously recorded Clefable's weight. Digging up the old records, she found that Clefable had weighed exactly 40 kg.

A cold realization swept over them.

Haunter, before evolving, had only weighed 0.1 to 0.5 kg.

Yet upon evolution, Gengar's weight had skyrocketed to 40.5 kg.

And it had evolved the very same day Clefable disappeared.

The teachers held a heated discussion, and one horrifying conclusion emerged—

Gengar had consumed Clefable.

Faced with this terrifying possibility, the teachers turned against Gengar. Whenever it tried to play with the children, they scolded it, forbade it from coming near.

The children, confused and heartbroken, didn't understand why they were being kept away from their friend.

The teachers refused to explain. Determined to protect the children, they drove Gengar out of the kindergarten.

As Gengar disappeared into the distance, alone and rejected, the children cried.

The teachers, however, felt no guilt. To them, Gengar was a Ghost-type Pokémon—an entity of darkness, inherently dangerous. If left unchecked, it might someday steal the children's souls.

Life in the kindergarten went on. But it was no longer filled with joy and laughter. Many children missed Gengar.

Time passed.

Then, on the day the senior class graduated, something unthinkable happened—

Clefable returned.

Without any warning, it simply appeared before the children.

However, with Clefable's return, the kindergarten changed completely. It was as if a terrible curse had fallen upon it.

From that day on, every child who napped there was plagued by endless nightmares.

Strange and terrifying events began to unfold. Car accidents occurred near the kindergarten. Fires broke out in nearby homes. Each night, eerie voices echoed through the empty hallways…

Parents, fearing for their children's safety, withdrew them from Starlight Kindergarten.

With no students left and no tuition income, the school was forced to close down.

Rumors of the hauntings spread, and no one dared to rent the property.

Thus, the kindergarten was abandoned.

Years later, a Persian and its band of Meowths took up residence there.

To this day, no further supernatural occurrences have been reported.

...

Nero shuddered.

"Damn... that was terrifying."

A chill ran down his spine. Whether it was the immersive storytelling or just the eerie atmosphere of the place, he actually felt goosebumps rising on his arms.

Good thing Combusken was right beside him.

A gust of wind blew through the abandoned kindergarten, and without thinking, Nero plucked a feather from Combusken and tucked it against his stomach for warmth.

"This urban legend is seriously creepy," he muttered. "Clefable did come back in the end, which means Haunter didn't consume it to evolve... right?"

"But then why did Gengar's weight increase so drastically? Something's off here... but I don't even know where to begin investigating."

He exhaled sharply. There were too many unanswered questions, but he wasn't keen on digging too deep.

Just then, a mechanical chime echoed in the silence—

Ding!

[Congratulations to the host for discovering Urban Environment Location #4 and successfully checking in. A special reward will now be granted.]

[Rewards are not fixed; different special locations will yield different rewards.]

[Current location: [Abandoned Haunted Kindergarten]. Reward granted—]

-----

Want to read ahead of schedule? 

Join here for advance chapters: patreon.com / madbot635