Haunted!

Hu Yang had a terrifying nightmare.

In the dream, he was sucked into a dark, damp place and chased by a group of rotten headless corpses and long-haired female ghosts like Sadako.

He did not sleep very well that night. When he woke up in the morning, his head was spinning, and his back was drenched in cold sweat.

"Strange... Why does it feel so much colder..." The moment he climbed out of bed, Hu Yang sensed that something was off.

He glanced out the window. It had been autumn when he first arrived in this world, and now a month had passed. Calculating carefully, winter seemed just around the corner.

A sudden drop in temperature during this season was normal, so Hu Yang did not think much of it. After getting dressed, he took his two Pokémon to the cafeteria for breakfast.

As he passed the field, he saw Nishida Gang teaching a class.

Unlike Hu Yang, Nishida Gang taught Pokémon type classes. Aside from explaining basic knowledge in the classroom, he occasionally came to the field for practical demonstrations.

Nishida Gang said, "What I want to say is that the claim that type advantages guarantee victory in battle is not absolute. Through a Trainer's commands and training, it is still possible to defeat an opponent even when they have the type advantage."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Hu Yang, who was passing by. "Teacher Little Yang, could you come over for a moment?"

Hu Yang did not know what he wanted, but he still walked over and said speechlessly, "Didn't we agree you couldn't call me that?"

People in the Pokémon world liked adding "Little" before someone's name, like Little Ash, Little Brock, and Little Misty.

After becoming familiar with him, the school's teachers had tacitly changed how they addressed him, changing "Hu Yang" to "Little Yang."

Nishida Gang grinned and said, "It sounds friendlier that way!"

Hu Yang said, "...Why did you call me over?"

Nishida Gang nodded. "Here's the thing. I'm explaining type advantage battles to them, and Erika said you just caught a Grass-type Pokémon. Would you be willing to have a Pokémon battle with me?"

As he spoke, he took out a Poké Ball. With a flash of white light, a Corphish appeared beside him.

Hu Yang reminded him expressionlessly, "You've already been a Trainer for seven or eight years. I'm still a newbie."

Wasn't this just bullying?

Nishida Gang scratched his head awkwardly. "Ah, I almost forgot about that. But don't worry, I only just caught this Corphish, and it hasn't fought many battles yet."

"That works." Hu Yang was interested. It was a good chance to test Budew's move power.

The two stood at opposite ends of the practice field, while the students excitedly gathered around it.

May shouted eagerly, "Go, Teacher Little Yang!"

Led by her, the other students also began cheering loudly, but they were all cheering for Hu Yang.

Seeing this, Nishida Gang's face darkened as he said sadly, "Why is no one cheering for me?!"

"Teacher, you have years of battling experience, while Teacher Little Yang only just became a Trainer. That isn't fair!" May said, wagging her finger.

Nishida Gang had no rebuttal.

Hu Yang nearly laughed out loud. Holding back his laughter, he asked, "Can we start now?"

"Bude!" Budew's little face was full of fighting spirit. Yesterday's delicious meal had filled her whole body with energy.

"The battle will be one-on-one. Each side may only use one Pokémon, and the battle ends when one side's Pokémon loses the ability to battle!" May acted as the referee with impressive formality.

The battle officially began. Nishida Gang decided to strike first and shouted, "Corphish, use Bubble!"

"Cor!" Corphish raised its two large claws, and a huge mass of transparent bubbles flew out.

"Budew, dodge to the left!" Although it was his first official Pokémon battle, Hu Yang was not overly nervous. Instead, an unprecedented excitement surged through his body as he calmly gave the order.

Bubble was a simplified version of Bubble Beam. Whether in density or speed through the air, it could not compare to Bubble Beam.

Before they reached her, Budew had more than enough time to move out of the way.

Nishida Gang saw through his intention and continued the assault. "Corphish, charge in and use Vice Grip!"

Hu Yang said, "Use Stun Spore forward!"

"Cor!"

"Bude!"

Corphish scampered forward, while Budew let out a strained cry. Pale yellow powder spread from the bud atop her head, filling the air and surrounding Corphish.

"Cor?!"

Corphish's body stiffened, and it could no longer move.

"Seed Bomb!" Hu Yang immediately pressed the attack.

"Bude!"

A massive green seed formed atop Budew's bud. Under her control, it flew straight toward the paralyzed Corphish.

As expected, it struck with perfect accuracy.

Just like the name of the move, it exploded the instant it hit.

A critical hit!

"Cor!"

Corphish cried out in pain. Perhaps because its resistance was insufficient, it did not recover from its paralysis.

Nishida Gang suddenly felt as though he could not breathe.

Hu Yang immediately followed up. "Another Seed Bomb!"

Just as expected, the Seed Bomb, doubly effective against Water-type Pokémon, directly knocked Corphish out of the battle.

"Bude!"

Budew happily threw herself into Hu Yang's arms. She had defeated an enemy!

All this time in the wild, she had always been the one defeated. Not only was this Hu Yang's first victory, it was hers as well!

The joy of victory truly did make one happy.

"You did great! Let's keep working hard together!" Hu Yang praised her generously.

"Teacher, isn't it impossible to win a battle when the opponent has the type advantage?" one student asked.

Nishida Gang recalled Corphish, thanked it for its hard work, then smiled awkwardly.

"It's because your Teacher Little Yang is too amazing. But as I said before, it is still possible to win even in a disadvantageous type matchup."

Hu Yang added, "Your teacher is right. Type advantages are not absolute. Once you set out on your journeys, you will definitely encounter battles like this."

"However, as long as you understand and trust your partners well enough, carefully observe your opponent's movements during battle, and make proper predictions, you will still have a chance to win."

Hu Yang analyzed the difference between Corphish's Bubble and Bubble Beam.

If Corphish had used Bubble Beam just now, Budew definitely would not have been able to dodge it. After it hit, Nishida Gang would certainly have followed up at once and had Corphish close in. If that had happened, the outcome might have been different.

"Is that so?" May murmured thoughtfully. A moment later, admiration appeared in her eyes. "We'll remember that!"

Nishida Gang nudged Hu Yang with his elbow and whispered, "Why do I feel like you're more suited to teaching their battle class than I am... Should I suggest it to the principal later?"

Hu Yang said, "...I think being the ecology teacher suits me better." There were fewer classes, leaving him plenty of personal time.

"All right, then," Nishida Gang said.

Hu Yang said, "I'm leaving. I have another class soon, so I'll leave this place to you."

Time to slip away. He was going to take Budew to do radio calisthenics.

After teaching for the whole day, Hu Yang returned to his dorm with Cramorant and Budew.

The moment he entered, he could not help but shiver. He asked Budew, "Do you feel like it's much colder inside than outside?"

He had not noticed it before leaving that morning, but comparing the two now, something was clearly wrong.

Budew frowned and nodded. "Bude..."

What was going on?

Hu Yang stood in the living room and looked around. Was there anything different in the house?

If there was one difference, it was that there was one extra item.

Thinking of that, his gaze settled on the dark purple orb sitting on his desk.

Hu Yang walked over and picked it up.

The moment he touched it, he felt a distinct chill.

It seemed the problem really did lie here.

This orb was called the "Cursed Orb."

He could not help connecting it with last night's nightmare and that adventurer's strange behavior.

Was it related to this thing too?

Hu Yang narrowed his eyes. If there was a problem, that adventurer had surely already run off. Finding him was impossible now.

To verify whether this thing was what had caused his nightmares, before going to sleep, he took it outside, found an empty spot, dug a hole, and buried it.

He had thought this night would pass peacefully, but when he opened his eyes the next day, he saw that strange orb sitting on his desk again.

"So it really is a curse..." Recalling the nightmares he had suffered through all night, Hu Yang finally understood why this thing was called that.

Fuck, the place was haunted!