1. Ash's Story (Part 0: Prologue)

Chapter 17: The Seven Haunted Mysteries

Quest Town lived beneath a roof of mist.

The mountains around it rose like black walls, their peaks vanishing into gray clouds even during the afternoon. Long shadows stretched across the crooked streets, and lanterns burned earlier than they did in other towns because the light never seemed eager to stay.

Ash looked up at the mansion on the hill and tried not to smile too obviously.

The building looked exactly like something Gina would call normal. It had tall windows, pointed roofs, iron gates, and stone statues that seemed to watch visitors from the corners of their eyes. A Gym symbol hung beside the entrance, but the carved Ghost-type designs made it look more like a warning.

Alice folded her arms beside him. "Your sister has very strange taste."

Ash nodded without denying it. "Gina would call this cozy."

The gates creaked open before either of them touched them.

A cold breeze rolled out from the path, carrying the smell of old wood, candle wax, and rain-soaked stone. Somewhere beyond the courtyard, a bell chimed once, though Ash could not see any tower.

Alice looked at the open gate. "That is supposed to scare us."

"It almost worked," Ash admitted.

Gina appeared at the mansion doors in a dark violet dress, smiling as if she had been waiting for that exact reaction. Her silver hair moved faintly in the wind, and her eyes gleamed with playful mischief.

"Welcome to the Quest Town Gym," Gina said. "Home of the Haunted Mansion and the Seven Mysteries."

Ash narrowed his eyes at her. "Why did you bring us here?"

"Because you are my favorite little brother," Gina answered sweetly.

Alice immediately looked suspicious. "That means something bad is waiting."

"Not bad," Gina said. "Educational, entertaining, carefully controlled, and only a little terrifying."

Ash glanced at Alice. "That sounds like bad with more words."

Gina laughed and stepped aside, revealing the dim foyer behind her. "Today, you two will explore the Seven Mysteries of my Gym. If you solve them, you receive a prize."

Alice lifted an eyebrow. "Did you build these mysteries just to scare challengers?"

"Partly," Gina admitted, showing no shame at all. "But a Ghost-type Gym should test more than battle strength. It should test whether someone can listen, notice, remember, adapt, and still keep moving when the room refuses to make sense."

Ash looked into the mansion. "So this is training."

"It is training wearing a scary costume," Gina said.

Alice sighed, but Ash could see the curiosity in her eyes. "Fine. We will solve your mysteries."

Gina's smile widened with obvious satisfaction. "Excellent."

She snapped her fingers, and the doors opened wider. Candle flames lit themselves along the walls, one by one, leading into a long corridor. The mansion seemed to breathe around them.

Gina gestured grandly toward the entrance. "In you go."

Ash stepped inside first, with Alice right beside him.

The doors shut behind them with a deep, echoing thud.

The foyer became silent too quickly.

Ash turned back, but the front doors no longer had handles on the inside. The wood looked smooth, dark, and perfectly innocent.