At two in the morning, the night wind in Ecruteak City was bitterly cold. Lin Hao slept soundly, bundled up in his blanket with only half his face showing.
Pikachu curled up beside his pillow, tail draped over its nose, sleeping even more deeply than he was.
May leaned against the headboard with her knees drawn up, reading the information about the Bell Tower that Morty had sent to her phone.
"Wooo!" A low, muffled sob drifted in through the window. May jolted, nearly dropping her phone. "What was that?" She pricked up her ears.
Outside, everything went quiet again except for the wooden window creaking in the wind. May had just breathed a sigh of relief when another cry came. "Wooo, wooo~"
This time, it was closer. Someone seemed to be sobbing just outside the windowsill. May sprang up from the bed and shoved Lin Hao's shoulder. "Lin Hao! Wake up! There's something outside!"
Lin Hao rolled over and mumbled, "Don't wake me for anything worth less than five bucks."
"There's a ghost crying outside!"
"Ghosts don't buy anything. What's it got to do with me?"
"Wooooooo!" The crying suddenly rose in pitch, as though a dozen people were wailing at once.
The entire wooden structure of the inn began shaking violently. Terrified screams rang out from the hallway. "Help!"
"What is that thing? There's a ghost!"
"Run!" Pounding footsteps, shoving, and panicked cries blended into a chaotic din.
Lin Hao opened his eyes. "So damn loud." He sat up, his expression dark. "Normal people get pissed when you wake them up at two in the morning."
The cries outside grew more frequent, countless mouths sobbing at once. Purple mist seeped through the cracks around the window and spread across the floor.
May took out a Poké Ball, her