"What on earth is this?!"
Tong Hua closed his eyes and only saw the scene before him clearly once the bright light had faded.
The Old Schoolhouse was still the same Old Schoolhouse, but now, eerily, its lights had come on.
The many Auras were still there too. It seemed this Old Schoolhouse was not deserted.
"Hattreeem-"
Hattrem stood motionless in front of Tong Hua, apparently also sensing the many Pokémon nearby.
"They took Mu Mu away. Were they trying to play a prank? Or hurt him outright?
Or did they arrange this with Lümei and Huangyao, just to add to the atmosphere of the Courage Test?"
Tong Hua could not tell what was going on. If it was the former, then Mu Mu and the two groups of students who had set off earlier might all be in danger now.
But if it was the latter, then he only needed to head to the rooftop and retrieve the designated item. That should count as completing the challenge and passing the Courage Test.
Tong Hua decided not to act yet. Pretending he had not noticed the Ghost Pokémon hidden in the corners, he continued toward the top floor.
To make his act convincing, he even specifically signaled Hattrem to stay alert, and the two carefully climbed the stairs.
"Heh heh heh-"
Unsettling laughter drifted through the stairwell from time to time. But as far as Tong Hua could sense with his Aura, the emotions carried by those sounds held no malice at all.
"Looks like it's probably the latter. Are they deliberately trying to mess with me and watch me embarrass myself?"
At that thought, Tong Hua suddenly smiled calmly. On the surface, he pretended to be frightened, deliberately slowing his steps and even having Hattrem hide behind him to