Something's definitely not right about this manor.

Chapter 59 Something's definitely not right about this manor.

As night deepened, the fruit trees in the dimly lit orchard seemed to have drifted off to sleep, and the fruity fragrance that permeated the orchard faded considerably after nightfall.

There's no need to worry about the mutated crops rotting on the tree or in the ground. As long as they aren't picked or destroyed to prevent them from turning back into cards, they can remain mature as long as nutrients are provided.

Meanwhile, in the orchard, three figures wearing ghost masks were rapidly moving...

"Found it! There are several apple trees with fruit hanging over them!"

"Keep your voice down, don't disturb the wild Pokémon here. What if you wake that guy up?"

"Just knock them out again."

The group stood in front of the owl fruit tree. Although it would be a few days before the fruit ripened, the tree was already full of unripe fruit. Although they were edible, they had no special effects and were very sour.

These people wearing demon masks are members of the Kitakami Demon Mask Group. Although it sounds scary, it is not an evil organization, but a small group of challenge activities of the Masked Festival.

The Oni Masks are composed of the strongest trainers in Kitakami Township. Each member is codenamed after a famous sword and is proficient in a single type of Pokémon...

At this moment, the three people in front of the tree began to discuss. The woman with a hot figure standing at the front, codenamed Raiche, reached out and picked an unripe owl fruit from the tree and began to study it.

"These apples look so strange, they're shaped a bit like cat heads, they probably aren't ripe yet... They're so sour, they're definitely not ripe. Should we take them home? They're authentic."

After taking a bite, she casually tossed the fruit on the ground and then looked at a man behind her.

The man referred to as "Masamune" looked up and replied, "Take some of everything. This is Muramasa-nii's order. After all, some people want to know what's going on with those fruit-based techniques."

Is it really that amazing?

"Who knows? Anyway, this is a mission given by Brother Muramasa. There's no business in the Oni-Masked Group's challenge area, so he can only take on missions to earn extra money."

Seeing that the two men had started chatting, the last slightly overweight man took out a snakeskin bag and said, "Alright, let's get to work. I still need to go back and play Pokémon Unite with them."

"Stop staying home playing games, Zongjin. Look how fat you've gotten! You're almost as big as a Snorlax. You might not be able to run one day."

"You guys talk too much..."

The group immediately set to work. Munechika took out a Poké Ball and released a Talonflame, while Raikiri and Masamune split up and ran off to the sides, trying to pick as many special fruits and vegetables as possible.

Just as the Twin-Tailed Hand climbed the tree and was about to pluck the Owl Fruit and toss it to Munechika below, a pair of sharp eyes suddenly lit up from hidden among the leaves...

Although the lights were off at the villa, the main gate was wide open. Mingyou didn't close either the front or back doors, so that the Pokémon in the manor could come in to play or rest if they felt cold.

Raiche arrived at the location and noticed the peach and plum trees by the entrance. Looking at the ripe fruit above, she released a Raichu from its Poké Ball and then turned to look at the villa.

"Heh~ You're really carefree, not even locking the door. Don't think that just because Beishang Township is a rural area you can sleep with your door open at night, little brother. Ghosts can come into your house and cause trouble anytime..."

A slight smile played on her lips beneath the mask. She then handed the snakeskin bag to Raichu to pick fruit, while she quietly made her way inside to take a look.

Confident in her skills, she planned to sneak in and look for seeds of these strange crops, which would be more useful than the fruit.

Then she stepped onto the stairs and entered the dimly lit living room without making a sound, completely unaware that the bearded deer, who had been resting by the door, was slowly opening its eyes...

Meanwhile, in the vegetable garden in the backyard of the villa, Masamune came here alone. He was being extra cautious and sent out a Butterfly Fly to scout the surroundings, as he had a feeling that there might be some kind of guard.

But after discovering that only a few wild boars and pangolins were sleeping in the vegetable garden, they were completely relieved and made their way to the area by the pond, ready to pick the vegetables they had planted.

The three divided the tasks and everything seemed to be going very smoothly, while several cuckoos flapped their wings in the night sky and flew off to various parts of the orchard...

In the living room, Raicher was looking through the drawers with a small, dimly lit flashlight in hand.

"Why are so many drawers empty? Where did all those seeds go? That can't be right..."

She was very quiet, but suddenly she heard something being knocked over coming from the kitchen, which startled her. She quickly turned off her flashlight and crouched down.

Hearing footsteps approaching, she thought it was Mingyou waking up, so she clenched her fists, ready to ambush her and use physical hypnosis the moment she got closer!

She waited a moment, and the footsteps gradually faded away, not heading this way. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and slowly stand up. But a pair of dull eyes suddenly lit up beside her!

"!!!"

Rachel nearly had a cardiac arrest, but thankfully reacted quickly, throwing a punch. However, it seemed to hit something furry and sticky. In a daze, she saw her hands covered in blood.

"Blood?!"

Her pupils contracted, and she was so tense that she ignored the smell of tomato sauce in the air. She then scrambled outside.

The Snorlax and Gible, who were standing still, looked completely bewildered, thinking they had accidentally killed someone.

"Gambit?"

"shark?"

They waited until Mingyou fell asleep before going to the kitchen to rummage through the refrigerator for the fries they had fried that night.

But when Gible was getting the ketchup, it accidentally spilled it all over Snorlax, and the ketchup smelled everywhere.

I just had a feeling that someone was hiding here, and I thought it was Mingyou who came down, so I wanted to come and make an excuse, but I didn't expect that the person would just run away...

Raiche ran out of the door in a panic, about to call Raichu who was picking fruit to run away together, but when he looked around, there was no Raichu anywhere.

That huge electric mouse just disappeared?

The snakeskin bag she left behind was also left on the spot, and it seemed that not a single fruit on the tree was missing, as if Raichu had disappeared after she entered the villa.

"What exactly is going on...?"

"ah!!!"

"Souchika?"

The sudden scream brought Rachel back to her senses. She had never heard such a pitiful scream before, so what had happened?

On the other side, the Twin-Tailed Hand and Munechika were entangled in threads and hung upside down from the tree. They were also covered in sticky honey, making it impossible for them to break free and forcing them to exert any strength.

"Well……"

Then their mouths were also gagged, so they couldn't even make a sound, like mummies, with syrup sliding down their bodies, a truly gruesome scene.

The screams from the orchard seemed to awaken the entire manor from its slumber, and even Masamune, who was in the vegetable garden in the backyard, was shocked by the cries.

"Munechika's voice? Something's happened?"

He hurriedly ran towards the orchard. The Ghost Face Group members were all friends he had known since childhood. Whether they were studying in other places or traveling as trainers, they were almost always together.

But as soon as he took a step, the solid soil suddenly slipped, and he fell straight down, half of his body buried in the soil, and he was even sinking deeper into the mud!

"Oh no, I can't get any strength in me..."

What was originally thought to be a simple part-time job has now turned into a crisis for both of them. Raicher, who was standing in front of the villa, looked serious, with cold sweat beading on his forehead under his mask.

She looked up at the silent, deep orchard ahead, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice, "There's something about this manor that feels off..."

Meanwhile, in the bedroom on the second floor of the villa.

Ponpo was also awakened by the screams. It sat up from its Magikarp plushie and, seeing that Mingyou on the bed was still asleep, went to the window to check on the situation.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the curtains were drawn back, a cuckoo was standing there. Upon learning that thieves had broken into the manor and were stealing fruit, a hint of anger flashed across its face, and it took out a thorny vine stick, intending to drive the thieves away.

But as soon as it turned around, it saw Mingyou resting and hesitated for a moment before putting down the thorny vine stick. Mingyou was so tired every day, and Ponpo didn't want to wake her up.

Then it stepped forward and covered Mingyou's ears. There was no need for them to go over, because it knew that they were not the only ones in this manor!

"Mmm~"

……

(End of this chapter)