1. Ash's Story (Part 7: Kalos)

Chapter 17: Mansion Echoes

As we continue toward Route 6 and Parfum Palace, the sky turns gray faster than any of us expect. One moment the road is damp with a light drizzle, and the next a cold rain is pouring across the trees so hard that even Fennekin presses close to Serena to avoid the splash.

"What a storm," Elline says, shielding her eyes with one hand.

"It came up so suddenly," Clemont says, already trying to protect the equipment in his bag.

Bonnie grips Clemont's sleeve when thunder rolls overhead. "I hate thunder."

A bright flash cracks across the sky, and Bonnie jumps backward with a startled cry. Her shoulder bumps an old door behind her, and the door swings open with a long, creaking sound. The mansion beyond it is dark, dusty, and exactly the kind of place I never want to enter during a storm.

"Oh great," I mutter. "Just how many times has this happened to me?"

Serena turns toward me with concern. "Ash, what's wrong? You look really worried."

"Right, you were not there," I say, keeping one hand near Pikachu. "This happened to me and Alice before, except that mansion had Litwick trying to drain our life energy and guide us toward the spirit world."

Bonnie's eyes widen, and she moves closer to Clemont again.

"Seriously?" Serena asks, staring at the open doorway.

"Seriously," I answer. "But the rain is getting worse, so let us ask if anyone is here before we decide anything."

Bonnie turns toward the doorway and calls inside. "Guys, the door is open!"

Clemont immediately steps forward. "Bonnie, you cannot just go inside a strange mansion."

"Anybody home?" Bonnie asks anyway. "Can we stay here until it stops raining?"

"Excuse us," Shauna calls carefully from behind her.

"Is anybody here?" Serena asks.

No one answers. The rain beats against the roof, and the hallway smells like old wood, dust, and cold air. I step inside slowly, Pikachu on my shoulder and Froakie close by, while the others follow with nervous expressions.

"Sorry to bother you," Elline says, looking around the entry hall. "It seems like this place is completely deserted."

"The exterior is in bad shape," David says. "Maybe nobody has lived here for years."

The mansion does not look abandoned in a simple way. It looks as if someone once loved it, then the years kept arriving after the people stopped doing so. A faded rug stretches across the hall, picture frames hang crookedly on the walls, and small footprints in the dust vanish near the stairs before they reach any door.

"Then why don't we just stay for a while?" Bonnie asks.

"I guess that is better than getting soaked," Clemont says, though his voice lacks confidence.

Serena folds her arms. "Maybe, but this place gives me the creeps."

"Same," I admit. "I just hope it is not another Litwick mansion."

Froakie's meaning reaches me as he scans the hall from my side. "Something is wrong, but it does not feel like hungry malice. It feels lonely and watchful." Pikachu's ears twitch, and his meaning follows with wary agreement. "The house noticed us."

Fennekin keeps close to Serena's leg, not frightened enough to hide but alert enough that her tail stays low. Pancham adjusts his red sunglasses as if trying to look brave, though his body leans closer to Chespin whenever thunder rolls again.