Chapter 421: Ancient Script

The fact that Room 1608 serves as an entrance to the Spirit World has been confirmed.

Then the problem arises again.

How does one find Room 1608?

According to the manager, ever since the Violet Mountain Hotel was merged into Lizejin, that strange room has never appeared again — as if, with the bustling foot traffic the mall brought in and the presence of electronic ghosts like Rotom, the ghost room had been scared off.

But the clues proved that Room 1608 had not vanished.

How to track it down became the hard part.

The group walked out of the manager's office. Boni thanked Officer Jenny, who had accompanied them to listen in, and the latter's smile was somewhat forced.

"So it's the ghost room of the Violet Mountain Hotel. I remember my senior once told me about this — I didn't expect that was what you were looking for. But as for the Spirit World, I'm afraid I can't go with you…"

"That's already more than enough."

Boni replied softly, and Officer Jenny, who had other matters to attend to, took her leave.

All Baimu reopened the clues on his simulator and finally understood why no time had been marked on them — so the timing of Room 1608's appearance was never certain?

And an entrance to the Spirit World sounded terrifying on its own.

He couldn't help but think of the episode during the journey where Ash mistakenly boarded the Ghost Train. Though the content was fairly ordinary, the fact that Pang Yan Guai's soul could enter Ash's body and control him was proof enough of how dangerous Ghost-type Pokémon truly were.

But the clues had already been given; giving up now was absolutely out of the question.

That was a fated Pokémon!

After much thought, All Baimu decided to cling tightly to Furong's coattails. Since she was a legendary spirit medium who had grown up on Shenshan and sounded so familiar with the Spirit World, she surely had her own ways of dealing with Ghost-type Pokémon and even true ghosts.

Besides, finding Room 1608 would require her help too.

"What do we do next?" he promptly tossed this troublesome question her way.

Furong thoughtfully rubbed her chin. "Looks like we'll have to use that method…"

"What method?"

"Gather a large number of Ghost-type Pokémon or ghosts to form a special magnetic field and actively lure Room 1608 out!" she said seriously.

"Lure it out… will that actually work?"

"Of course! All Baimu-dear, don't underestimate me! You and Boni-dear just stay put here at the hotel!"

Furong tossed him a wink, then hurried out of the hotel, her tall Dusknoir following close behind.

All Baimu hadn't even had time to ask exactly how this would work — and besides, cramming that many Ghost-type Pokémon into the hotel all of a sudden, did the hotel still want to stay in business?

Just now, a single wild Misdreavus had scared the front desk young lady into switching shifts and leaving early.

If that were super-doubled, how many guests would faint from fright?

Boni had the same thought, so she tossed out a "Doduo Messia is in your hands," and chased after the direction Furong had left.

"Eh? Eh eh?? Wait! At least leave me a phone number—"

All Baimu's eyes went wide. He chased to the stairwell only to find that Boni, in her purple dress, had long vanished. He ran all the way down to the first floor of Lizejin and even outside, but couldn't catch another glimpse of them.

Just how did they move so fast?

He speechlessly tilted his head up to look at Doduo Messia, who was fast asleep on top of his head.

One of the main characters of this getting-lost incident had been ruthlessly "abandoned" by Furong!

And the key point was that Doduo Messia, who had fallen asleep since noon, showed no signs of waking at all!

How on earth can you sleep this much!

Wait — is this how all Ghost-type Pokémon are?

All Baimu only felt a twinge of annoyance. He exchanged a glance with Mawile, who was idly yawning beside him. "So… what do we do now?"

"Chido~"

Mawile indicated that either they go look for where the two had gone and chase after them, or they go back to the room for an afternoon nap or to play on their phones.

"—Fine."

After thinking it over, he chose the latter.

Mainly because forcing his way along wouldn't help much. Those two were Champion-level combatants — weren't they way stronger than him? The most he could do tagging along was stand on the sidelines and watch Furong and Boni search for Ghost Pokémon and true ghosts everywhere.

Rather than being a bystander, he might as well go back and properly prepare for the upcoming Spirit World trip.

For example, making some special bombs.

All Baimu hadn't forgotten the bomb-making talent the schoolgirl had given him. He'd go down later to buy some raw materials and make all the bombs he needed. If the schoolgirl could take out a bunch of wild Pokémon with these things, then he certainly could too.

——

Little did he expect that this wait would last…

Roughly seven hours.

Nine o'clock sharp in the evening.

Outside, night had already fallen. The bright streetlights and the sounds of bustling traffic filtered in from outside, noisy and lively.

All Baimu sat on the sofa in the room, looking at the time on his phone, then glanced at Doduo Messia on the bed, still showing no signs of waking. For a moment, he felt a bit troubled.

Although he had gone through a lot of trouble to successfully obtain Queen Boni's contact information, she simply wasn't answering calls or replying to messages.

Having a phone but being unable to reach someone was the most headache-inducing thing.

"Just how many Ghost Pokémon do they need to collect…"

He muttered softly, thinking maybe he should wander the hotel corridors again. Even though he'd already walked through four or five times, and had specifically lingered during the neon-lit twilight hour of the supernatural with no results, perhaps late at night would have some miraculous effect?

Something as eerie as Room 1608 should naturally prefer to show up late at night, right!

Thinking this, All Baimu picked Doduo Messia up from the bed and placed him on his head, then called Mawile, who was watching a TV drama. "Let's go! One more lap!"

"Chido…"

Mawile reluctantly turned off her phone video and followed her trainer's footsteps.

The hotel corridor was decorated in an extremely ordinary fashion — standard warm-toned lighting and thick, soft carpeting underfoot set the main tone. The only unusual thing was the strange ornaments placed along both sides of the corridor, while the walls were covered with historical photographs of the hotel.

The so-called "hotel culture"?

Speaking of which.

Why would there be an entrance to the Spirit World inside the New Zi Jin Mountain Hotel? Isn't this sort of thing usually found in some kind of ruin?

And according to the manager, Room 1608 only appeared after the New Zi Jin Holdings Company went bankrupt and shut down — could it be that some employee hanged themselves in a hotel room?

No, that's not right.

In the normal world, that possibility does exist.

But this is the Pokémon anime world — every piece of logic has to be connected to Pokémon, and then you find the answer that sounds the most far-fetched.

He wandered aimlessly down the corridor, his gaze sweeping over the various photographs of the old New Zi Jin Mountain Hotel on the wall, while his mind was occupied with why an entrance to the Spirit World would suddenly appear.

Perhaps he should ask Furong, who understands the Spirit World better?

All Baimu's gaze swept over a photograph of several old men with their arms around each other's shoulders, their smiles on their faces rather forced, and he continued walking forward.

Suddenly.

He stopped, and under Mawile's puzzled gaze, he stepped back to the photograph and began examining it closely.

"Kii?"

Mawile had no idea why her trainer was staring so intently at someone else's photograph.

"Hold on, let me think."

All Baimu didn't explain. He pulled out his phone and photographed the strange painting behind the old men in the picture, then enlarged it and studied it carefully, discovering that it was made up of many characters resembling Unown, which translated as:

"I, wish, spirit, soul…… from…… place?"

A few characters in the middle were blocked by the old men in the photo, and the next line was too — it looked like there were two or three lines of content in total.

Ancient script?!

Way back in Iron Town, the first calligrapher who brought him a championship had rewarded him with the ability to decipher ancient script. He had learned it, but had never had a chance to use it.

He never expected to see, in a photograph at the New Zi Jin Mountain Hotel, a special language composed of countless Unown-like symbols—

It looked like English, but the meaning of the arrangement was completely different from English.

Unown in the anime recorded the past, and were also a group of strange beings that could live in the cracks of space. To suddenly see them in a photograph, and be able to decipher content about souls—

All Baimu didn't think this was any coincidence.

"I think we've found a lead!"

He said excitedly to Mawile, and showed her the strange characters he'd photographed. Mawile clearly didn't understand the meaning of these scribbles, but was also glad that things were finally getting tense.

"Kii!"

Immediately after.

All Baimu photographed the entire picture, and searched every corner of the hotel for this strange painting. Based on the photo, he judged that the thing seemed to be a decoration placed in the lobby.

Unfortunately, after wandering around everywhere, he still couldn't find where the painting was.

He asked the front desk clerk who had come on shift, and got the same answer — they didn't recognize it.

He thought for a moment, then decided to ask the manager. The man's seniority was deep enough that he might know where this thing actually was. He just hoped it hadn't been casually thrown away when the old New Zi Jin Mountain Hotel was demolished.

"—Why is it always you!"

The manager in the office saw him and his eyes went wide. He specifically checked whether Queen Boni and Furong were behind him. "I've already told you everything I know! What more do you want!"

"Sorry, I just have one question — could you tell me where this painting ended up…"

All Baimu stepped forward quickly and showed the manager the photo on his phone. "The painting behind these old men."

The manager glanced at it casually. "That kind of decoration? When the hotel was torn down it was tossed somewhere or other. How would I know something so specific?"

"Really don't remember? Take another careful look!"

"I already said—"

"Look more carefully. You've already talked about Room 1608, what's one more little thing? Resolving this sooner benefits you too, doesn't it?"

A pair of soul-piercing eyes stared straight into the manager's.

The latter looked at this young man, who might be about the same age as his own child, and was so intimidated by his presence that he couldn't help but swallow hard, taking the phone and saying: "Th-then I'll take another look…"

A few seconds later.

"Hiss! I actually do have some impression of this thing!"

The manager scratched his head, recalled for a moment, and said: "I remember it was a congratulatory gift from a senior executive of New Zi Jin Holdings for the New Zi Jin Mountain Hotel's thirtieth anniversary — said it could bring in fortune or something like that.

"But not long after, New Zi Jin Holdings itself couldn't hold on anymore. See! This is the photo taken at the thirtieth anniversary! Looking at it now, New Zi Jin Holdings' situation was already not looking good back then — everyone's smiles were forced."

"Since it was a congratulatory gift, they definitely wouldn't just toss it around, right? Where is it now?"

All Baimu pressed urgently.

"…I really can't remember. I'm getting old, these tiny little things are hard to recall. I'll ask the logistics department people tomorrow!" the manager said.

He pressed his palms together. "Can't do it today? Please! You want this resolved sooner too, don't you? Furong the Champion and the others have gone to catch a real Ghost-type — if the guests find out, it'll have a big impact on the hotel's reputation, right?"

"Huh? A real Ghost-type?"

The manager's face went blank, and a few seconds later his expression turned to terror. "No no no, that really won't do! A real Ghost-type!"

"So hurry up! I suspect the appearance of Room 1608 is connected to this thing!" All Baimu told the man his guess directly.

The manager, who was in absolute panic over a real Ghost-type, immediately developed a sense of initiative and began contacting the logistics department.

The logistics department knew these trivial decorative items in the hotel best.

But for a matter so far in the past, only one person was on duty at the logistics department, and they really couldn't dig anything up in a short while — no matter how much you wanted to hurry, you couldn't.

The manager was helpless too.

"W-wait, once I figure out where it went, I'll contact you. Leave me a phone number."

"…It can only be that way."

All Baimu nodded helplessly. Back then computer systems weren't developed, and a lot of things were recorded on paper, so it really did take time to find. Otherwise he could have just had Porygon2 throw its weight around a little.

He returned to his room.

After all his calculations, he never expected the breakthrough in solving the mystery would get stuck on the final sequence; if he could, he'd filter out this stretch of blank time.

He composed his findings into a message and sent it to Queen Boni, silently waiting for her reply.

Unfortunately, he still didn't get one.

It's already past twelve, almost one!

All Baimu closed his room door; he had just confirmed at the front desk that neither Queen Boni nor Furong had returned yet.

Don't they sleep? Do they finish it all in one go, or do they specifically wait for this time slot to catch more Ghost-type Pokémon? That's way too dedicated!

Unable to wait for either of the two Champions back, nor for a message from the supervisor, he sighed.

Fortunately, heaven rewards the diligent.

He hadn't waited for anything else, but the Dreepy Meciah that had slept for nearly most of the day had finally woken up.

"Hiiya?"

The small triangular-headed creature looked around in confusion; not seeing Furong and Dusknoir made it a little flustered, but upon spotting All Baimu in the sofa it abruptly relaxed again.

It wasn't quite sure why, but being near this human just made it feel at ease, so all the fatigue accumulated from worry over these past days was released all at once, which was why it slept for such a long stretch.

"Awake?"

All Baimu also noticed Dreepy Meciah waking up. "Hungry? Let me make you something to eat."

Even though he couldn't confirm it yet, he had a vague premonition—

This little fellow had a certain probability of becoming his Pokémon in the future.

Since it was one of his own, he certainly couldn't let it go hungry.

So All Baimu quickly prepared a bowl of Pokémon food combining Dragon-type and Ghost-type, and generously placed it in front of Dreepy Meciah.

"Hiiya…"

Dreepy Meciah drooled all over the floor from craving, yet stubbornly didn't start eating, and instead looked up at All Baimu.

"Don't worry, we'll definitely find your little brother, but you have to eat properly too, to build up your strength to welcome him back."

He said softly, and poked Dreepy Meciah's head with his index finger—

Cool and smooth.

Dreepy Meciah, upon hearing his words, glanced down at the food again, and ultimately couldn't resist the deliciousness right before its eyes, diving in headfirst, burying its head completely inside and eating heartily.

"That's right, hunger is the best sauce!"

All Baimu couldn't help but smile at the sight of Dreepy Meciah like this.

Suddenly.

His phone buzzed once.

He took it out and saw it was a message from the supervisor, with a picture attached.

Supervisor: Didn't find the thing, but the earliest recorded photo is here, take a look.

The photo was a small stone slab, carved with ancient inscriptions composed of unknown totems:

May my soul find its own resting place, no need to wander far from home, no need to hang my head in hesitation

Three sentences.

"Is this some kind of poem?"

All Baimu looked at the many blurry and broken ancient inscriptions on it, took out his sketchbook and copied them into his notebook, planning to carefully compare them to see if anything was missing.

However.

When the final stroke was completed.

The copied ancient inscriptions suddenly emanated a strange glow.

"Wait! What's going on? Ancient inscriptions can't be casually transcribed?" All Baimu stared dumbfounded at the notebook in his hands, recalling the knowledge from the Calligrapher Society—nothing like this was mentioned there at all!

Besides, the calligrapher had written so many ancient inscription copybooks and was perfectly fine; why did it happen to him!

Dreepy Meciah seemed to sense something and quietly raised its head. "Hiiya?"

At the same time.

Not far from New Zi Jin, in a deep, secluded park.

Furong, who had successfully gathered a large number of Ghost-type Pokémon, looked up with a beaming smile toward New Zi Jin. "The Spirit World entrance is about to appear! As expected, the special magnetic field formed by this range can reach here too!"

Queen Boni beside her said, "If I hadn't said anything, were you going to drive them into the mall?"

"Impossible! I'm not that crazy!"

Furong shook her head rapidly.

"Hopefully so…"

Queen Boni took her phone out of her pocket, and suddenly frowned. "When did it auto power off?"