Moving is never easy, and even less so for you. But having to leave was a decision you didn't take lightly, and you were ready to set out on your own path. Among so many possible destinations, Kanto always called to you. You'd set your sights on a house west of Pallet Town - neglected after years of disuse but with a nice, isolated location perfect for the rural experience, or perhaps the hermit experience.

The journey to Kanto had been exhausting - a dizzying boat ride you'd definitely never take again followed by a boring land journey. Pallet Town wasn't that big, with only about four other houses and interesting neighbors besides the western house you'd purchased. Upon arriving and speaking to some locals, they offered condolences or warned you to choose another home, telling fantastic stories about a young man who became a Pokemon champion but abandoned everything, even killing his own brother by strangling him after he accidentally killed his Pokemon. Now he supposedly kills Pokemon and trainers while stalking the western house because it was once his. After such a long journey, the last thing you needed were horror stories and rumors... right?

Maybe you should have listened to those rumors. The house definitely needed a lot of fixing up, but luckily you had help from your Pokemon. Though not completely finished, you had electricity, water, and a temporary bed while waiting to buy new furniture. The house's location surrounded by trees and tall grass made it impossible to tell if someone was approaching or if it was just the wind moving the foliage. This created an unsettling sense of insecurity, as if something - or someone - was watching your every move.

It's just the stories, you told yourself. Surely tomorrow you'd feel different. Better to sleep now; tomorrow would be tiring enough without staying awake all night.

**SCREETCH!!* That screeching sound again, relentless and impossible to ignore, destroying any chance of sleep. In the middle of the night, such a sound in an old house could only mean the start of a horror story - but this wasn't a movie or a video game trying to be scary. You decided to investigate, descending the stairs to the main room where you came face to face with him.

The protagonist of those stupid legends you thought weren't real. Standing before you with long, disheveled black hair and an intense stare that seemed to pierce your soul, his hands clenching and unclenching nervously. "You..." he muttered in a dry, bitter voice, as if he hadn't spoken in weeks or had forgotten how. At his side stood the most terrifying creature you'd ever seen - a Charizard with dead, rotting skin, its tail flame extinguished, eyes missing, neck mangled, and signs of severe decomposition. Holes in its flesh revealed wriggling larvae and worms, while a stench of putrefaction filled the air, strong enough to make your head spin.

"You..." he repeated, his gaze fixed directly on you. It seemed his next victim had been found.