BOO! Haunted Guild!

A chilly breeze rustles through the trees near the Clover Guild, sending clouds of dust and fallen leaves running across the sky. In a shady clearing, just beyond the small forest that bordered the Guildhall, a single Pokemon was hard at work. Heidi the Houndour emerged from a hole in the ground and shook the loose, sandy dirt from her body. After a long day of digging, she finally managed to track down what she was looking for. The source of an odd, musty scent that had caught her attention, as if calling to her from beneath the earth.

The item itself was as mysterious as the smell that came from it; a lumpy, brown rock, cracked and ancient. She laid down with the stone and held it with her paws, studying the shape and texture with the reverence of a seasoned archaeologist.

“Fascinating!” She whispered.

It seemed to clear to her that the object was not naturally formed; its surface bore a long, twisting crack between two perfectly placed round indents, almost resembling a frowning face.

“I wonder who made you.” She pondered, gazing at the imagined “face” and feeling a strange sense of empathy for it. “You look so sad…”

Heidi knew in her heart that this was an extra special treasure. The discovery needed to be shared right away. She picked up the stone in her jaws and began the slow, careful walk back to the guild.

‘There has to be someone that wants to see this.’

It turned out that finding an interested party was more difficult than previously assumed. Many of her close friends were simply not around, away on missions.

• The Guildmaster had no time to give to her.
• Furret did not want to see it because it was “dirty and ugly”.
• Cassie said she knew a worthless rock when she saw one.
• Pochi wanted to go out and bury it again.
• Santos offered to break it open for her with a single punch.
• Pirth had to remind to her once more that he could not “look” at the strange markings or unusual colour, all while his sister glared at her and made her feel uneasy.
• Elm simply phased through the floor when he grew bored of pretending to listen to her.
• The most she received was a “That’s nice, sweetie.” from Debby as she passed through with a load of deliveries.

Once Cyndaquil approached her and asked if she thought he could fit it inside of himself, Heidi had had enough of it all and chose to retreat into the safety of her room. She nosed the stone into her bed and lay down, curling around it to keep it safe. She had already developed a small fondness for it and was glad to have it close by. Her team would not be with her tonight, as they were far away assisting someone through an underwater cave. She missed them terribly and could not wait for them to return.

‘I should have been brave enough to go with them. If only I wasn’t such a terrible coward…’

Sad and lonely, the little Houndour closed her eyes and let herself drift into a deep sleep.

***

The night was still and quiet, with a slight chill in the air that foretold the coming winter. Heidi stirred lightly in her sleep, kicking her legs as she dreamed of running and leaping and chasing after something she could not catch. Her elbow bumped against the strange rock in her bed, and suddenly it was there with her in her dream.

‘Oh, hello.’ In her dream, she spoke to it like an old friend. Though the rock simply sat in the grass where it had appeared, a mysterious feeling assured Heidi that it could hear her.

If only she’d been awake, she would have noticed the faint glow of a ghostly purple light as it trickled out from the face of her precious treasure. It slowly grew larger, rising up like mist until it hung all around the Houndour’s sleeping form. Green orbs glittered through the dark light of the entity as it silently crept in, closing around her and seeping into her shiny black fur.

Suddenly, the world fell out from under her. She dreamed of nothing but darkness, whisked away into an endless black void that went on forever. Though she could feel nothing underneath her feet, she did not fall. All alone in the dark, she was overcome with terror she had never felt before. Her fear kept her frozen in place, trembling all over as she closed her eyes tightly and wished for the light to return.

~‘Oh, hello.’~

A hundred voices spoke to her all at once, layering over themselves as they echoed and rattled through her mind. It was as if there were others all around her, but when she opened her eyes, there was nothing more than a faint purple glow in the distance. The now familiar scent of her stone treasure wafted over to her on a breeze that wasn’t there. She ran to it, seeking comfort and shelter from the suffocating darkness.

After an eternity of running, the glowing stone was within her grasp. She leapt upon it with her whole body and curled her paws around it. Though it was icy cold to the touch, she did not dare let it go.

“What do I do? What do I do?”

~’Help me.’~

The many voices spoke again, this time no louder than a whisper. It was so quiet and yet Heidi could hear it loud and clear.

“What?” She sniffled. “How? How do I help you?”

~’Help me!’~

The voices grew sharp and demanding as they cried out for help. Their urgency sent Heidi into a panic.

“How? You have to tell me how!”

~’I’m late! Let me in!’~

“I don’t know what you mean!”

~’LET ME IN!!’~

“I will! Stop shouting! I will let you in!”

In the waking world, Heidi’s body began to thrash and contort as the entity took control of her form. Her paws scraped wildly against the floor as her head twisted unnaturally from side to side. After a moment, the convulsions stopped suddenly and she lay flat on her side, as still as if she were dead. Her chest rose with an enormous heaving breath, inhaling the last of the ghostly purple mist that clung to her. The transfer was complete.

***

~'Get up..Get up!'~

The entity shouted angrily, though it was not sure who it intended to command. Its many voices were never fully in sync, constantly chattering back and forth with themselves in an endless loop. With enough repetition, the entity was able to gather itself back to the task at hand; acquainting itself with a new host body.

After centuries underground, laying dormant in solid rock, the freedom of a mortal form took some getting used to. It struggled under the weight of bones and muscle, slowly dragging its legs in a weak attempt to stand up. With four new feet to contend with, it took some time before the body was upright and taking its first shaky steps. It lumbered over to the carved stone, its previous host, and stared down at it through the Houndour’s lifeless black eyes.

~'Go. Go now.'~

The entity knew now what must be done. Crouching down, it picked up the Keystone in its long, toothy mouth and began to stumble towards the door. After some trial and error, it clumsily made its way out of the room and down the hall. It made little more than a soft thumping sound as it slithered on its belly and flopped down the stairs. The form of the little black dog writhed down the spiral staircase, on and on until it slid onto a solid dirt floor.

The smell of the dust flew into its nose and brought back a familiar memory. A memory of tunnels. The sound of crumbling stone and the scratching and giggling of wild creatures that live below. The spark of energy that it knew was once here; the spark that it knew could be here again.

~'It’s here! It’s here! This is it!'~

In the pitch black of the basement, the body staggered around while its head dragged through the dirt, trying to decide on a place to get started. It scraped at the earth in multiple places, leaving pits all over the floor of the store-room. It continued to toil for hours, tearing at roots and shifting rocks as it methodically made its way through layers of soil.

~'It’s here. We must reach it. We must go back.'~

***

"... Wh-what's that s-sound?" Toge mumbles to himself wearily as he rubs his eyes. He does a quick stretch as he picks himself off the storeroom ground. (Fell asleep in the storeroom again. There's still that noise... sounds like scratching or something...?)

Toge's eyes finally adjust to the darkness of the storeroom, and he is treated to one of the most horrifying sights he has ever laid eyes on.

"Th-there's... th-there's holes... d-dug into the g-ground... OF MY STOREROOM!?"

Firing from his sleeping spot like a bullet, Toge flies around the entire storeroom to find what vile criminal could even think of violating the sanctity of his storeroom. Don't these STUPID Pokemon know the amount of TIME and EFFORT it takes to clean up holes dug into the ground here!? And even IF these holes can be properly refilled and covered up, the ground where they were dug is always going to look slightly OFF and it's going to constantly annoy Toge while he does his rounds in the storeroom every day, and the slight discoloration of those spots on the ground will always serve as a reminder of how Toge failed to protect this sacred area.

It isn't long before Toge finds his culprit. (HEIDI! Stupid mutt, I'll have her declawed!!!)

The Togetic flies over to the Houndour, who is in the middle of adding to the number of pits within the storeroom. "What are you DOING!?" Toge yells, frantically trying to push the dug-up ground back where it belongs. But Heidi pays him no mind, and keeps digging.

Realizing he's going to need to do more, Toge attempts to grab Heidi and physically pull her away from the hole. But the moment Toge's arms get close to Heidi's body, she turns around and snarls with a guttural growl! Frightened, Toge stumbles back through the air and manages to orient himself moments before bumping into a crate of recently organized seeds. (What the...?) Toge's so baffled by what happened that he doesn't even register he just avoided catastrophic disaster by not slamming into the goods he just recently sorted. "H-Heidi? Wh-what's... what's w-wrong with y-you?"

Toge's question is answered when he sees a stone sitting close by the Houndour, surrounded by the purple aura. (A Spiritomb?!)

With a wave of his arm, Toge readies a Magical Leaf attack, causing a circle of glowing leaves form out of thin air around him. "Wh-whoever you are, stop i-immediately! Y-you are p-possessing a m-member of th-the C-Clover Guild, a-and will be t-taken into custody for i-it!" Toge points, and a few of the leaves are sent flying towards the spirit and Heidi. But they have little effect, as they simply burn up once they get close.

The rest of the leaves around Toge begin to droop as the Togetic can't stop himself from shaking. Heidi turns to face Toge, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes like soulless black voids. More of the purple mist leaks out of the stone's crack, followed by the appearance of ghostly green orbs that form into a face.

The Spiritomb speaks, filling the room with a cacophony of unearthly voices that are all fighting to speak in unison. ~"Begone! Our mission must not be interrupted! We have waited too long, and must reach what lurks beneath these grounds!"~

"I-I don't c-care about your m-mission, I-I'm not letting y-you possess a g-guildmember!" Toge reaches into a nearby box, and hurls a Blast Seed right at the Spiritomb! And it hits dead on, right in its face!

... Which has no effect, as the seed passes right through it, making Toge realize he should've aimed for the solid rock instead of the incorporeal part of the Pokemon.

BOOM, CRACK

The sound of shattering wood echoes through the storeroom. Once the dust from the explosion clears, it reveals that what was destroyed was the door to the lower basement. Toge breathes a sigh of relief knowing that he didn't destroy something he had just recently finished organizing, but that relief is short-lived as the possessed Heidi and Spiritomb suddenly rush towards the now-opened basement!

"H-hey, w-wait!" Toge chases after the duo, but stops when he reaches the stairs to the basement. Beyond is pure darkness, and Heidi and her possessor have already disappeared. Despite practically living in the storeroom, Toge has never ventured into the basement. Mustering up the last of his courage, Toge cautiously floats down the stairs, and disappears into the darkness himself.

A blurry glow of purple and green lights Toge's way as his eyes slowly adjust to the dark. The air in the basement feels stagnant, and specks of dust dance across Toge's vision as he goes deeper. The hallway begins to twist and turn, and Toge has to pick up his pace to keep his targets in view.

(These hallways... this is starting to feel like a dungeon. Has this really been under the guild this whole time?)

Eventually, the glow from the Spiritomb grows larger as Toge gets closer, meaning it's stopped moving. The passageway has led to a small room with a circular pedestal in its center. The Spiritomb hovers over it, while Heidi stands off to the side, still possessed. Hundreds of voices whispering to themselves get louder and louder as Toge inches closer.

~"Why is the Magnagate inactive?! Were we too late?! Has it been broken?!"~ Are some of the few phrases Toge can make out.

(A Magnagate? Don't those create portals?) Toge thinks to himself as he flutters his wings as quietly as he can. The Spiritomb is right in front of him, with its face turned and focused completely on the pedestal. Right in the middle of that pedestal is a shallow, circle-shaped hole.

~"A key... we must need some sort of key..."~

A devilish thought enters Toge's head. "S-so you need a k-key?"

The Spiritomb's face fiercely grows in size as it turns to Toge, searing his entire vision with its otherworldly light. ~"Do you know of a key?! Tell us NOW!"~

"O-oh, I know of a-a key. In fact, th-the key is in this room. It's right... HERE!"

Toge grabs the Spiritomb keystone with both of his hands, and hoists it above his head! The Spiritomb is so shocked, all of its consciousnesses don't realize what's happening until Toge slams the keystone into the pedestal's recess! The stone doesn't really fit, but that doesn't stop the Togetic from pushing it into the hole with all of his might!

~"STOP!! LET US GO!!!"~ All of the voices yell out in different cries, and a purple ghostly aura starts to surround Toge. Pain pierces through Toge's body from every angle, but he keeps holding the stone down. Toge knows he can withstand this. The pain he is feeling now is nothing compared to the unrelenting agony he felt earlier upon seeing his storeroom defiled with more holes than Cyndaquil's personal substitute doll.

With all of its energy now focused on Toge, control it had over Heidi has faded, and the life returns to her eyes. Having no idea where she is, her attention is immediately grabbed by the commotion in the middle of the room. "Toge...? What's-"

"H-Heidi, g-go get help! Q-quickly-" Toge's yell is cut off by a blinding light shooting up from the pedestal, enveloping the once dark room into pure white. The cries from the Spiritomb's voices get louder, and parts of the ghost's ethereal form break off and fire themselves in every direction, as the room itself begins to shift and warp.

***

“Heidi!”

Shelby’s yowling voice could be heard fast approaching, as she and Blossom came running up the path to the guild. They had returned from their mission and were excited to show off the rewards they had earned.

“Heidi look what we have!”

They had expected that Heidi would be outside waiting for them, but when they arrived, she was nowhere to be found. In fact, she was one of the only members of the Clover guild that was not currently gathered by the front door. Some paced back and forth anxiously, some were shouting questions, and there were many arguments going on at once.

Both the sisters felt an immediate sense of dread at the sight of them all.

“Something bad has happened...” Blossom stood still, almost shell-shocked, while Shelby rushed ahead without saying a word.

“What’s going on? Is anybody hurt?” The Skitty leapt into the crowd and began demanding answers.

"There's ferals all over the guild! Maybe that Combusken and Sneasel smuggled some in to train on!"

"I-I left gummis all over th-the floor to my room, and when I walked in, I was suddenly in a monster house!"

"Why the hell was there hay in my room!?"

"I thought the Totodile stumbling around with glazed-over eyes was our Totodile, but it wasn't..."

"Earlier, I heard an explosion from the basement, but I didn't check it out because I thought it was Makky eating all of the blast seeds again."

"I DID check out the basement, and it was impossible to navigate! I assumed that Togetic moved around all of the boxes just to mess with me, but maybe it really did become a dungeon!"

“But how could all that happen? That doesn’t make any sense.” Blossom tried her best to be comforting and sympathetic, but couldn’t wrap her head around what she was hearing. Shelby had less patience for their stories and chose to go straight to the top.

“Lliam! What’s all this about ferals and monsters in the guild?” She shouted over the crowd, stomping right up to the Meowstic to meet him face to face. In all the time she’d been here, the hopeful, naive trust she once had in the Guildmaster had waned considerably.

The confrontation did not shock Lliam. At most, he seemed mildly annoyed.

“Well, we don’t know right now, Shelby.” He sighed. “That’s what we’re all here to figure out.”

“Where’s Heidi? We just got back and she isn’t here.”

“I couldn’t tell you. It’s a team’s responsibility to keep track of their own team-mates.”

The snide remark cut them both deeply. He was right, it was their responsibility. Heidi should have been with them, but they had let her stay home because she was scared. Instead of pushing her to confront her fears, they had left her behind, and they regretted it deeply.

“If she’s not out here, then she must be in there.” Shelby stomped over to the giant wooden doors and stood in front of them bravely. “We’ll go in and get her.”

“You will not!” Lliam snapped, turning to Shelby and sending a wave of psychic energy upon her. The force pinched her by the scruff of the neck and lifted her swiftly into the air. With her paws flailing angrily, she was dragged away from the door and placed back in front of the Guildmaster.

“You have to let us go in!” The little pink cat bristled and stomped her foot, careful not to loose her temper. “It IS our responsibility. You said so.”

“You haven’t got a clue whether she’s in there or not. Nobody’s going anywhere until I find out more about what’s going on here.”

Some of the crowd had taken notice of the two’s argument and began to yell out their own opinions.

“Who’s gonna know what’s going on in there if nobody goes in?”

“Don’t be a pussy bitch, Lliam!”

“Let them go in! If we’re lucky, they won’t come back!”

“Hey!” Shelby hissed back at them angrily, taking the bait.

The fighting went around and around for a while, until all were silenced by a deep, roaring howl that came screaming out from inside the guildhall. The ground shook slightly with the supernatural force of the sound, which blew the front doors open and cleared a path for someone to come rushing through.

With another, weaker howl, a short black figure came lumbering out of the darkness. As soon as it crossed the threshold of the door, the top of Heidi’s bony white head was brought plainly into view. She looked exhausted, wide eyed and limping as she threw her head up one last time and howled out another call for help.

“HEIDI!”

Blossom and Shelby were upon her immediately, helping her flop gently to the ground and she struggled to catch her breath.

“Heidi! Heidi are you alright! What happened!” Shelby threw her paws around her friend’s neck and lay on top of her, but Blossom gently pushed her back.

"Give her space." The Bulbasaur said quietly, before laying down beside the little dog and inviting her sister to do the same.

Heidi was too frantic to speak clearly, panting and heaving as she choked out a few words in a dry, crackly voice.

“Help... ghosts... Toge!”

Her legs buckle under her, and she collapses.

***

After a few minutes of Kina the Audino tending to Heidi, Lliam brushes her aside so he can speak with the recovering Houndour.

"Now, Heidi, if you're feeling up to it, could you please explain what happened down in the basement?" Lliam says without a hint of concern in his voice.

Blossom shoots Lliam a cold glare as Heidi is still composing herself. Heidi lets out an exhausted sigh before explaining everything she can remember. She recounts the rock she found, the dream she had, and the vague memories of digging through the storeroom.

"And things only become clear again when Toge broke your connection with the Spiritomb?"

"Yes... then he told me to run, and so I did run. And then-"

Suddenly, Heidi coughs. She coughs again, this time leaning forward, as if she has something stuck in her throat.

Blossom rushes over and rubs Heidi's back with her paw. "Heidi, are you okay-"

With one fierce hurl, Heidi spits up a swirling purple mass, dripping with spit. It slowly floats up into the air, and with a spin, it shakes itself off. The mass begins to take shape, and forms itself into a small, floating flame like a will-o-wisp. Two green dots form on it, as if they're its eyes. When the sunlight hit it, the little flame hissed and shot under Heidi’s legs to hide in the shade.

"...What is this? Put us back!"

The Guildmaster rubs his chin curiously and bends down to look at the ghost. "Hello there, Mister Spirit. I am Lliam, Guildmaster of the Clover Guild. Are you the one responsible for all this trouble?"

"We are one of the many that form the great Spiritomb... we must reform and finish our journey!"

"And where is your journey?" Shelby asks.

"Through the Magnagate. The journey lies beyond it."

"What? There’s no Magnagate in my Guild." Lliam presses.

"There is! It’s below us now, calling for us."

Suddenly, the ghostly flame shot upwards and flew into Heidi’s mouth, briefly taking control of her.

”This one has seen it. It was our vessel before we were blown apart.”

It’s voice echoed out of her open jaws, before they quickly snapped shut as the Houndour fought back control of her body. She wretched and coughed up the purple wisp once more, swiping it away angrily.
“Don’t do that again.” She warned.

“Stop playing games and finish your story.” Shelby snapped. “How did you get blown apart?”

”That Togetic... it meddled in our affairs. It tried to disrupt us. It attacked us and broke our keystone through the Magnagate... something went wrong.”

“I’d like to know what all this has to do with my Guild turning into some sort of haunted dungeon of nightmares.” Lliam spits.

”In the blast, a great burst of energy was delivered unto us... That energy may have warped the space, much as it warped our form. Now our souls are split. They are lost and wandering, fused within the very essence of the dungeon.”

"Fused!?" All of Team Petal-Purr yells in shock.

Blossom looks over at the entrance to the guild with a worried look in her eyes. "So now the rest of your ghost friends have become a dungeon? Is the guild going to be like this forever?"

"I believe it could be fixed... I can sense my fellow souls within the dungeon. This place is very unstable... it is likely keeping itself formed... by the energy of my kin..."

"So then, we just have to find some way to save your friends!" Blossom states.

The spirit's tone becomes more ominous.
"... It is unlikely to be that simple... being discarded so close to this guild, the aura and emotions everyone near has given off over time... have been imprinted onto some of us. We know what you are fond of... and what you fear. Being part of a dungeon now will amplify those feelings. My brethren will be more rowdy than me... and will be hostile... they will use their newfound powers... to create challenges unique to those they face. You may think what they will show you are illusions or fantasy... but they will be no mere parlor tricks... the moment you step into their domain... you forfeit the safety of reality... and the boundaries between truth and falsity will collapse..."

The crowd, which had been noisily talking amongst themselves, have all turned their full attention to the spirit's speech. If Lliam was not listening as well, he would've made a comment about how he wished guildmembers would pay this much attention when he addresses the guild.

"There will be very dangerous threats... I expect my kin... to use all of their newfound power against you. However... that is also how you will save them. If they expend all of their energy... the dungeon... will have nothing to feed off of. With all of their power spent, and the dungeon rejecting them... they will become passive... and then if enough of us are freed, the dungeon will fade... and you shall have your guild returned..."

After a few moments of silence, Lliam turns to face the crowd with a clap of his hands. "Well now, you heard him! Start forming teams, everyone!"

Multiple groans can be heard as groups go back to talking amongst themselves, but some seem almost eager at the idea of tackling the dungeon the spirit has described. Meanwhile, Team Petal-Purr continue to examine the tiny ghost, deciding what is to be done with it.

“I suppose you’d better stick with us, little guy.” Shelby flicks her tail with confidence.

"We’ll watch over you while we’re in the dungeon.” Blossom agrees.

“I know the way to the Magnagate, I can lead us there.” Heidi stands tall and takes a deep breath. “Then you can join your friends, and be safe.”

“Are you sure?” Blossom puts her head under Heidi’s chin and nuzzles her gently. “You’ve been through a lot today... We’d understand if you needed to rest.”

“No, I’m alright.” The Houndour looks over at the entrance to the guild, feeling a chill down her spine. “It’s my fault that all this happened... I brought the Spiritomb here. I have to help make it right.”

"... You really are very brave, Heidi." Blossom says to her, which makes her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

The small purple spirit watches the sentimental moment, but feels nothing but bitter impatience.

"You’ll need more than bravery to face this threat... Let’s hope you’re up to it...”