"Grabe, Ed Sheeran is officially my favorite singer now," I heard Raffy say ecstatically while listening to the radio.
I was standing in the hallway just outside the kitchen while watching my phone charge for today's excursion and didn't want to go to in there without it.
"Really now? Sige nga, how would you pronounce his first album, then?" I heard Fred say. It was clear he downed a mug of hot cocoa afterwards.
"Like the letter X, of course," Raffy replied confidently. "Come on, Fred, what am I, a fake fan for not knowing?"
I, myself, did a double take at this. I'm not really that much of a fan of Ed Sheeran's, but I'd be lying if I say that I'm not curious on how to pronounce that album of his. For all I know, it's definitely not pronounced as the letter X, but I can't be entirely sure if it's either pronounced as Cross or as in the Roman numeral Ten. Still, I'd expected that Raffy would know how it's really pronounced, but judging by the fact that she pronounced it as the letter X, all I can say is that she's a fake fan. Now sue me.
Deciding that my phone is still not charged enough, I grabbed today's newspaper, reluctantly left my phone charging, and took with me my mug of coffee before finally entering the dining room.
"What's up, Baby Aerodactyls?" I greeted Fred and Raffy, then took a sip of my coffee.
"What's with the newspaper?" Raffy asked me, turning down the volume of the radio, confusion evident in her voice. "And lemme guess, that's what you call your YouTube subscribers?"
I didn't want to tell them that my phone is still charging in the hallway, not that's it's a heck of an issue, so I just answered, "Firstly, it's refreshing to be able to read some news without blue light radiation messing up your sleeping patterns for once. And second, AerodactylScreams isn't my YouTube handle for nothing, you know."
Without waiting for a response, I opened up the newspaper and immediately saw several spelling and grammatical errors on the headlines throughout the page.
A couple of seconds later, I just heard Raffy say, "Well, gotta go, gonna be late for my Zumba class. Bye daddy, bye gramps!"
"Take care, unica hija," I nonchalantly replied, waving at Raffy as she left the dining room.
I was about to get back to the newspaper when I heard Fred speak. "So, I see that you are planning to stay home playing video games again for an entire day. What else is new?"
"Ohoho, no, unico hijo, it's a Pokémon GO kind of day for me today," I answered gleefully, remembering what day it is today. "Today's the first day of the second Ultra Bonus Week, and I'm rearing to hatch some shiny regionals and raid some Deoxys. This is the first time Deoxys is gonna be available outside of EX raids," I then leaned towards him, made a wide grin, and spoke through gritted teeth, "and I'm excited."
"Well then," Fred muttered with a mouthful of bacon, "I do hope you manage to film your YouTube content without a hitch. I shall be going now."
"Unico hijo, I don't manage," I corrected him. "I simply do, and there's a big difference."
"Same difference," Fred condescendingly replied, standing up, and giving me a pat on the shoulder. "I will be getting home early tonight, as it is going to be a full moon."
I could only nod at him, not because I was hurt by his condescending tone or anything of that sort (I'm used to it by now), but because I just had to get back to reading the newspaper. And for good reason, too.
I can't even fathom as to how so many grammatical and spelling errors could escape any proofreader, let alone errors on the headlines. I looked for the staff list in the newspaper and saw that the editor is a certain Brandy Zamora Sr., which did not ring any bells at all.
This sounds like a mundane concern, but I eventually decided that it might be worth checking out one of these days. Mysteries like this often get my blood pumping and the cogs of my brain go into overdrive. For now, I have some other important business to attend to.
After finishing my coffee and folding the newspaper to set aside, I went back to the hallway to see my phone charged up to a decent amount. Judging that it will take a few more minutes to charge fully, I went back to my room to get changed into my black sleeveless hoodie and running shorts, and took my vlogging camera. I've decided to film my intro inside my room while I wait until my phone's battery is full. I do have my external battery packs, but I'd rather have my phone as it is rather than have it hooked up somewhere.
I pointed the camera to my face, turned it on, and greeted, "What's up, Baby Aerodactyls! It's AerodactylScreams here, and... you guys! The second Ultra Bonus Week begins today, and as we know, we will be able to hatch regional Pokémon that aren't normally found in your respective regions, so grab your running shoes and incubators since we'll be doing a heckload of walking, running, and hatching eggs for a chance to get your regional Pokémon shiny."
I stared at nothing for a couple of seconds, then said, "Oh right, my phone is charging in the hallwayyyyy," and proceeded to jog from my room to the hallway, all the while recording myself, sometimes pointing the camera on my white socks.
When I reached the table where my phone is currently at 98% battery, I immediately opened the app and talked to the camera, "My phone is still charging, everybody calm down."
As soon as the app opened, I immediately started screen recording on my phone. Showing them my egg box, which I prepared the night before, I then said, " As you can see, I went ahead and put all nine of my 7km eggs in incubators. If you can't buy extra incubators for one reason or another, that's totally fine. You can just use the sock method that I tried in a previous video... please go watch it, I'll link that down below. You can also use DeFit if you're really in a hurry, but for those who have been to my channel for a while now, you know that we always do things in more difficult ways than necessary, so we'll be doing the old school walk around outdoors way of hatching eggs. Yes, I'm coming for your brand, Troom Troom!"
At last, my phone has been charged to 100%, so I unplugged it, pocketed the wire so I can connect my phone to a power bank if needed, literally hopped on my shoes, and went out of the mansion to walk to San Carlos' plaza.
For an early time, the sun seems to be rising earlier than usual, and its rays seems to be more intense than comfortable. I looked at my phone and saw it was still seven forty-five in the morning. I get that it's almost eight and it's to be expected to be this hot already, but global warming is real, people!
I turned on my vlogging camera without screen recording my phone since the road I'm taking didn't really have any Pokéstops and spawn areas, and spoke, "Okay you guys, it's currently seven forty-five in the morning, and it's already blazing hot. Considering that I have a pretty fair complexion, it goes without saying that my skin will be more sensitive to UV rays, so that's good."
I let my sarcasm fizzle out before speaking to the camera again. "On a more serious note, if you plan on adventuring in daytime, please don't forget to wear your sunscreen or your protective clothing. Don't be like ya boi who decided to wear a sleeveless hoodie, which I absolutely knew I need something with sleeves. Basically, just do the opposite of everything I do and you'll be good. Likewise, if you plan on adventuring at night, which I do not recommend in a hundred trillion years, please be extra vigilant. Never go alone, and make sure that the Pokéstops with lures installed on them are in a relatively public place. While I believe that there's always good in the world, we can never believe in one and deny the existence of the other. I may sound like a broken record at this point, but please please please, have extra safety measures at the ready, because at the end of the day, Pokémon GO is just a mobile game. Nothing the game can offer would equal your safety, and I want you guys to remember that."
I then realized I was already nearing the plaza after talking for a few minutes, so I turned on my phone again, started screen recording, and said, "With that being said, let's get into today's attempt in hatching shiny regional Pokémon and maybe run into a Deoxys raid. And... speak of the devil, there is one that's about to hatch in that statue in five minutes. Let's go there and see who we can meet."
By the time I reached the gazebo nearest Rizal's statue in the plaza, four people are already sitting in there: a guy in his mid-twenties wearing a phone salesman's uniform, a woman in her early thirties that looked like she just came from a zumba class, and a middle-aged woman with her son that looks like he hasn't even graduated elementary school.
At the sight of me trudging to the gazebo, the woman in her early thirties and the child chorused, "AerodactylScreams!" The child's mother smiled at her son's enthusiasm while the guy looked thoroughly confused.
I waved at them and said, "Hello, Baby Aerodactyls! It's good to see you guys here kahit hindi pa kasagsagan ng mga raids."
The guy then spoke, "Ah, dati ko nang nakikita sa raids yung IGN niyo, pero hindi ko alam na sikat ka pala. Veteran ka din po ba tulad ni NoodlesYummy04?"
"Ah, hindi ako veteran, at lalo namang hindi ko mararating ang level ni NoodlesYummy04," I laughed. "Pwede na siguro natin siyang gawing representative kung magkaroon man ng national competition. Anyway, vlogger kasi ako sa YouTube kaya marami na rin ang nakakakilala sa akin."
"Oo nga eh," the middle-aged woman inserted. "Laging sinusubaybayan ni Junie ang mga videos mo sa YouTube. I assume na gumagawa ka ng video ngayon?"
Looking at my vlogging camera, I replied, "Ah, opo, sakto para sa event ngayon. Um, as tempting as it is na yayain kayong sumama sa vlog ko, I think I'd rather avoid filming you guys na lang to respect your privacy."
"True, pero ok pa rin naman sigurong marinig yung boses namin as long as hindi kami on-screen, 'diba?" the zumba girl asked.
"Hmm, yes, that could work," I agreed, then looked at my phone to see that the egg has finally hatched, revealing a Defense Forme Deoxys. "Anyway, papasukin niyo ba ito?"
"Oo sana, kaso kulang pa kami kanina, since tatlo lang kaming players dito, let alone, wala pang masyadong malalakas na Pokémon si Junie," the guy remarked. "Buti na lang dumating kayo kaya kaya na siguro ng apat ito."
"I kinda doubt it, since Defense Forme siya," I replied with uncertainty. "Dadalawa pa lang ang Tyranitar ko, so hopefully kakayanin natin ito kahit aapat lang tayo."
"O sige, pasok na tayo kung ganon," the zumba girl urged us.
I then started filming, making sure that none of my companions were on screen. "Okay you guys, I've just entered this Defense Forme Deoxys raid, and me and my two Tyranitars are shaking right now. There are only four of us players here, so -"
"Wait, sino po si SexyDarkrai999?" I heard Junie pipe up.
Sure enough, five of us are already in the lobby, and one of them is a female player with the IGN SexyDarkrai999.
"Teka, 'diba flyer siya?" the zumba girl questioned.
"Oo, siya ang nambuburaot ng mga gyms dito sa San Carlos tuwing Sabado," the guy replied.
"Ha? Eh, paano kayo makakaipon ng coins niyan?" Junie's mother asked.
"For now, let's just be thankful na may air support tayo," I remarked. "Beggars can't be choosers, 'ika nga.
I then turned to the camera and said, "SexyDarkrai999, if you're watching this, thanks so much for the air support, but next time, can you please take it easy with invading gyms here in San Carlos? We all want coins, but we can only get 50 in a day. Let the others get their coins, too."
As soon as the countdown finished, we all immediately started tapping furiously on our phones to deal as much damage as we can on the Defense Forme Deoxys. I could see the others bring out two Gengars and a Pinsir. Of course, my Tyranitar almost caught everyone's attention. I said almost because the fifth one definitely stole the show.
"Meron nang Giratina si SexyDarkrai999!?" I heard the guy exclaim.
"Oo, dati nang released si Altered Forme Giratina, pero that was a little bit long ago," the zumba girl replied. "What impresses me is that they managed to power up that Giratina to full level."
"Actually, you can't do that simply by walking," I told them. "Though we can't be mad at flyers since one of them is helping us right now."
And sure enough, by the time my Tyranitar and SexyDarkrai999's Giratina have fainted, Deoxys' health have gone down to a quarter, something you wouldn't expect if only my Tyranitar did all the work. The zumba girl and phone salesman's Gengars are also helping a bit, but they are definitely not enough to even scratch a Deoxys in its Defense Forme. I'd have to give props to Junie, though. He already used up three sets of Pokémon and he still gives what his weak Pokémon can do to help. I'd be sure to advise him to stock up on Revives and Potions later.
We only had to let a few more seconds pass before we finally depleted Deoxys' health and went to the bonus round to catch Deoxys.
"Sa wakas! May Deoxys na rin ako!" The phone salesman cheered, punching the air to celebrate his victory.
"Nice! One down, four more Formes to go," the girl chuckled in glee.
I, meanwhile, spoke to my camera, "Well you guys, I have gone and caught my first Deoxys, and again, thanks to our air support, we managed to defeat this raid boss, even in its Defense Forme. So we'll just revel in our victory for now and I'll catch up on you guys later."
After turning off my camera, Junie's mom said, "So saan ang susunod na raid? Absent kasi yung teacher ni Junie ngayong araw, so pwede pa siguro kaming mag-stay dito kung may susunod pa."
I looked at the other gyms, but there were no upcoming raids whatsoever.
"As of now, wala pang mga susunod na raids, pero if Junie wants to get more into them, tuwing Wednesday at 6-7 PM po ang raid hour, so pwede po siyang sumali kung masasamahan niyo siya," I informed her.
"Masyado na po siyang gabi," Junie told his mother. "Isa pa, masaya na po ako na nakasama ako sa ganito kahit ngayon lang."
I didn't really listen much to their conversation anymore because my mind has been grinding on who this SexyDarkrai999 person is. We only ever see that player's in-game name during Saturdays when they defeat almost all gyms in San Carlos and take them for themselves, but it was an understatement to say that we are surprised to see them on a weekday, just to help us on a raid. Do they know everytime several other players gather, or is their mind really that fickle to play on a weekday?
I decided to set the matter aside for now and went to check my eggs.
The phone salesman had to leave as soon as the raid ended because he wanted to avoid running late for work, so the remainder of us, along with some other players passing by, waited out another raid that spawned across the street. After that raid, Junie and his mother decided to go home as well. I've also lost track of the zumba girl because even more players who are also trying to hatch eggs showed up and asked me if they could be in the vlog, and who am I to refuse?
All in all, I was able to hatch all of the regional Pokémon to complete my Kanto Pokédex, though only two Tauros ended up being shiny. It was already five in the afternoon when I was wrapping up my vlog while walking home through a different route.
"And that is it for this Pokémon GO session, so if you enjoyed this video, make sure to give me a thumbs up, subscribe to my channel, and turn on my post notifications so you will get notified once I post my next video. Stay safe, I'll miss you, but I'll see you on -"
Quite suddenly, I felt a sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach as I passed by an old house. It was so strong that I was almost petrified on the spot. It felt as is there was nothing else in the surroundings except for me and that old house. That alone told me that something is wrong.
I mustered all my calmness and did a second take for my outro. "Stay safe, I'll miss you, but I'll see you on a future video. Bye~!"
After turning off my camera, I turned to look at the house properly and found out that I wasn't alone in the vicinity. What looks like a foreign family has been unloading furniture from a moving truck and are lifting them towards the inside of the old house.
I know it's none of my business when it comes to families who just moved into the neighborhood, but it becomes my business when evil spirits become involved. I did NOT, I repeat, did NOT establish the Senza Mortangel Coven for nothing, you know.
"Hello," I greeted the guy and the girl who were lifting a couch from the truck. Looking closer, it seems that they are a family of Indian descent. "It looks like you guys are new here. Welcome to the neighborhood. I'm Gus, and I live a few blocks from here."
"Ah, namaste," the girl greeted back. "It's nice to meet you, Gus. I'm Chandra, and this is my brother, Salim."
"It's nice to meet you, Gus," the guy called Salim greeted, as well.
Before any of us could speak further, what sounded like a middle-aged man's scream came from inside the house.
"BABA!" Chandra and Salim both screamed as they rushed insode the house.
I ran to enter the house with them, but before I could, I felt another presence coming up from up a tamarind tree on the yard. Looking up, I could plainly see the figure of a large balding woman perched on one of its branches. It was certainly a good thing that I always keep my gloves in my person at all times, so I wore them on my hands and climbed the tree at top speed.
When I was finally faced the balding woman, I hissed, "Are you or are you not the cause of the commotion inside, old woman?"
The woman cackled, "Oh please, do you think a batibat like me would let anyone scream that loudly?"
"Yeah, that's true," I replied on a resigned sort of way.
"Can you see it, though?" the batibat kept on speaking. "I can't exactly see it, nor I know the nature of it, but there's a malevolent spirit inside that house, particularly somewhere on the upper floors."
"Yeah, I've felt it back when I was still outside the property," I replied, narrowing my eyes towards the house. "I still can't see it myself, but I'll be able to pinpoint where it is when I enter the house."
"Good luck, then," the batibat bid me farewell. "If you need any help, I'll squash anyone with this body of mine."
"That'll be appreciated, thanks," I thanked her before I fully descended the tamarind tree and rushed inside the house.
I was able to enter the house with no problems. As a house built during the American era, the atmosphere did feel, if I were to use the word, legitimate. But the more I ascend through the staircase, the deeper this sinking feeling became. It was when I reached the top floor when I saw a man sprawled in the hallway surrounded by his family.
"Gus! You're still here?" Chandra exclaimed at me.
"Yeah, I tripped on my way up here," I lied. "Sorry about that. What happened to him?"
"We don't know," a woman who looks like their mother quaked. "We just heard him scream when we were downstairs and when we saw him, he was already unconscious."
I took one look at the unconscious man and concluded that he will live, since there is no curse cast on him. What shocked me is the culprit of this.
A door was opened right across the unconscious man's body, and I could plainly see a freaking Dybbuk box from inside.
"What's important is that we bring him to a hospital," Salim spoke with urgency. "Chandra, tell Ketan to drive you, Baba, and Mama to the hospital. Gus and I will just need to put some things in order before we follow you guys."
At first, I was confused as to what Salim meant by what he said, until I properly looked at him and saw something only I can see: a yellow flame only visible to angels and demons' eyes is flickering on Salim's forehead, which is a dead giveaway of him being an Exceed.
As soon as everyone else is out of earshot, Salim turned to me and begged, "Gus, I know we've only just met, and this will be a crazy request even before I say it, but for some reason, I feel that you can communicate with ghosts. So please, can you help us find out what's in this house and what did this to Baba? I promise, I'll be of help, and if I'm not, I'll stay out of your way."
Something tells me that this person still doesn't know that he is an Exceed, and neither does his family. This is why I thought it would be unsafe for me to tell Salim everything. However, it would also be dangerous for him and everyone around him if I kept him ignorant.
"Salim, even if I can communicate with ghosts, it'll be useless, because we are dealing with a demon," I replied coolly. "Also, no offense, but my method of exterminating this demon would require you to stay out of my way."
"Y-yes, please do what you can," Salim pleaded once again, stepping away from the door and into the hallway.
I nodded at him and without missing a beat, I walked towards the cabinet where the Dybbuk box is placed and grabbed it to smash it on the floor. I then placed my right hand inches over the splinters as green streaks of light came out of my eyes. As a result, parts of the walls have cracked, a sign that the demon is fighting back.
I then closed my hand into a fist and shouted, "HATAEN!"
Wisps of black smoke then came out from my fist, then turned into white, and finally faded into nothingness. I was then finally able to breathe easily.
"There we go," I said with relish. "I've fixed your demon problem, Salim. You can now follow your dad to the hospital. Fortunately, he wasn't cursed by the demon, so all he would need is a few days of rest."
"Just like that?" Salim replied, his eyes looking like they're going to pop out of their sockets. "And... wasn't that Hindi?"
I gave him a wide smile. "I could have cast him away in any language I want, but my family and I didn't stay in Delhi for a few years without learning Hindi. I may as well speak it when I have the chance."
I straightened myself as went out of the room and said, "Go follow your dad in the hospital. I only live near here. We will meet again."
Salim could only nod at me as I exited the room. The trip out of the house was pretty uneventful.
"There he is," I heard the batibat call to me when I passed by her tamarind tree. "No more malevolent spirit inside that house?"
"Nope, all cleared," I answered her. "By the way, these people seem nice. You're not going to choke them in your sleep, are you?"
"No, of course I can't do that," the batibat replied. "I only choke people who cut down my tree without permission. They seem like religious people, so I think they'll ask the tree's permission before cutting it down. If you ask for permission, everything's good."
"That's good to know," I said with an air of finality as I gave the batibat a wave and finally removed my gloves.
It only took me a few minutes to walk back to our mansion, but I must have stayed in the haunted house for quite a long time because it was already dark out, with the full moon illuminating the surroundings.
Feeling hella proud of myself because of finishing a vlog and exterminating a demon within a day, I sported a wild expression of satisfaction on my face as I opened the gate with my gloves held on one hand. As soon as I entered, though, I immediately saw Raffy emerging from the backyard covered in sweat and Fred coming out from the garage in his werewolf form, stark naked.
If this reunion wasn't weird enough, all three of us then chorused, "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!"
I was standing in the hallway just outside the kitchen while watching my phone charge for today's excursion and didn't want to go to in there without it.
"Really now? Sige nga, how would you pronounce his first album, then?" I heard Fred say. It was clear he downed a mug of hot cocoa afterwards.
"Like the letter X, of course," Raffy replied confidently. "Come on, Fred, what am I, a fake fan for not knowing?"
I, myself, did a double take at this. I'm not really that much of a fan of Ed Sheeran's, but I'd be lying if I say that I'm not curious on how to pronounce that album of his. For all I know, it's definitely not pronounced as the letter X, but I can't be entirely sure if it's either pronounced as Cross or as in the Roman numeral Ten. Still, I'd expected that Raffy would know how it's really pronounced, but judging by the fact that she pronounced it as the letter X, all I can say is that she's a fake fan. Now sue me.
Deciding that my phone is still not charged enough, I grabbed today's newspaper, reluctantly left my phone charging, and took with me my mug of coffee before finally entering the dining room.
"What's up, Baby Aerodactyls?" I greeted Fred and Raffy, then took a sip of my coffee.
"What's with the newspaper?" Raffy asked me, turning down the volume of the radio, confusion evident in her voice. "And lemme guess, that's what you call your YouTube subscribers?"
I didn't want to tell them that my phone is still charging in the hallway, not that's it's a heck of an issue, so I just answered, "Firstly, it's refreshing to be able to read some news without blue light radiation messing up your sleeping patterns for once. And second, AerodactylScreams isn't my YouTube handle for nothing, you know."
Without waiting for a response, I opened up the newspaper and immediately saw several spelling and grammatical errors on the headlines throughout the page.
A couple of seconds later, I just heard Raffy say, "Well, gotta go, gonna be late for my Zumba class. Bye daddy, bye gramps!"
"Take care, unica hija," I nonchalantly replied, waving at Raffy as she left the dining room.
I was about to get back to the newspaper when I heard Fred speak. "So, I see that you are planning to stay home playing video games again for an entire day. What else is new?"
"Ohoho, no, unico hijo, it's a Pokémon GO kind of day for me today," I answered gleefully, remembering what day it is today. "Today's the first day of the second Ultra Bonus Week, and I'm rearing to hatch some shiny regionals and raid some Deoxys. This is the first time Deoxys is gonna be available outside of EX raids," I then leaned towards him, made a wide grin, and spoke through gritted teeth, "and I'm excited."
"Well then," Fred muttered with a mouthful of bacon, "I do hope you manage to film your YouTube content without a hitch. I shall be going now."
"Unico hijo, I don't manage," I corrected him. "I simply do, and there's a big difference."
"Same difference," Fred condescendingly replied, standing up, and giving me a pat on the shoulder. "I will be getting home early tonight, as it is going to be a full moon."
I could only nod at him, not because I was hurt by his condescending tone or anything of that sort (I'm used to it by now), but because I just had to get back to reading the newspaper. And for good reason, too.
I can't even fathom as to how so many grammatical and spelling errors could escape any proofreader, let alone errors on the headlines. I looked for the staff list in the newspaper and saw that the editor is a certain Brandy Zamora Sr., which did not ring any bells at all.
This sounds like a mundane concern, but I eventually decided that it might be worth checking out one of these days. Mysteries like this often get my blood pumping and the cogs of my brain go into overdrive. For now, I have some other important business to attend to.
After finishing my coffee and folding the newspaper to set aside, I went back to the hallway to see my phone charged up to a decent amount. Judging that it will take a few more minutes to charge fully, I went back to my room to get changed into my black sleeveless hoodie and running shorts, and took my vlogging camera. I've decided to film my intro inside my room while I wait until my phone's battery is full. I do have my external battery packs, but I'd rather have my phone as it is rather than have it hooked up somewhere.
I pointed the camera to my face, turned it on, and greeted, "What's up, Baby Aerodactyls! It's AerodactylScreams here, and... you guys! The second Ultra Bonus Week begins today, and as we know, we will be able to hatch regional Pokémon that aren't normally found in your respective regions, so grab your running shoes and incubators since we'll be doing a heckload of walking, running, and hatching eggs for a chance to get your regional Pokémon shiny."
I stared at nothing for a couple of seconds, then said, "Oh right, my phone is charging in the hallwayyyyy," and proceeded to jog from my room to the hallway, all the while recording myself, sometimes pointing the camera on my white socks.
When I reached the table where my phone is currently at 98% battery, I immediately opened the app and talked to the camera, "My phone is still charging, everybody calm down."
As soon as the app opened, I immediately started screen recording on my phone. Showing them my egg box, which I prepared the night before, I then said, " As you can see, I went ahead and put all nine of my 7km eggs in incubators. If you can't buy extra incubators for one reason or another, that's totally fine. You can just use the sock method that I tried in a previous video... please go watch it, I'll link that down below. You can also use DeFit if you're really in a hurry, but for those who have been to my channel for a while now, you know that we always do things in more difficult ways than necessary, so we'll be doing the old school walk around outdoors way of hatching eggs. Yes, I'm coming for your brand, Troom Troom!"
At last, my phone has been charged to 100%, so I unplugged it, pocketed the wire so I can connect my phone to a power bank if needed, literally hopped on my shoes, and went out of the mansion to walk to San Carlos' plaza.
For an early time, the sun seems to be rising earlier than usual, and its rays seems to be more intense than comfortable. I looked at my phone and saw it was still seven forty-five in the morning. I get that it's almost eight and it's to be expected to be this hot already, but global warming is real, people!
I turned on my vlogging camera without screen recording my phone since the road I'm taking didn't really have any Pokéstops and spawn areas, and spoke, "Okay you guys, it's currently seven forty-five in the morning, and it's already blazing hot. Considering that I have a pretty fair complexion, it goes without saying that my skin will be more sensitive to UV rays, so that's good."
I let my sarcasm fizzle out before speaking to the camera again. "On a more serious note, if you plan on adventuring in daytime, please don't forget to wear your sunscreen or your protective clothing. Don't be like ya boi who decided to wear a sleeveless hoodie, which I absolutely knew I need something with sleeves. Basically, just do the opposite of everything I do and you'll be good. Likewise, if you plan on adventuring at night, which I do not recommend in a hundred trillion years, please be extra vigilant. Never go alone, and make sure that the Pokéstops with lures installed on them are in a relatively public place. While I believe that there's always good in the world, we can never believe in one and deny the existence of the other. I may sound like a broken record at this point, but please please please, have extra safety measures at the ready, because at the end of the day, Pokémon GO is just a mobile game. Nothing the game can offer would equal your safety, and I want you guys to remember that."
I then realized I was already nearing the plaza after talking for a few minutes, so I turned on my phone again, started screen recording, and said, "With that being said, let's get into today's attempt in hatching shiny regional Pokémon and maybe run into a Deoxys raid. And... speak of the devil, there is one that's about to hatch in that statue in five minutes. Let's go there and see who we can meet."
By the time I reached the gazebo nearest Rizal's statue in the plaza, four people are already sitting in there: a guy in his mid-twenties wearing a phone salesman's uniform, a woman in her early thirties that looked like she just came from a zumba class, and a middle-aged woman with her son that looks like he hasn't even graduated elementary school.
At the sight of me trudging to the gazebo, the woman in her early thirties and the child chorused, "AerodactylScreams!" The child's mother smiled at her son's enthusiasm while the guy looked thoroughly confused.
I waved at them and said, "Hello, Baby Aerodactyls! It's good to see you guys here kahit hindi pa kasagsagan ng mga raids."
The guy then spoke, "Ah, dati ko nang nakikita sa raids yung IGN niyo, pero hindi ko alam na sikat ka pala. Veteran ka din po ba tulad ni NoodlesYummy04?"
"Ah, hindi ako veteran, at lalo namang hindi ko mararating ang level ni NoodlesYummy04," I laughed. "Pwede na siguro natin siyang gawing representative kung magkaroon man ng national competition. Anyway, vlogger kasi ako sa YouTube kaya marami na rin ang nakakakilala sa akin."
"Oo nga eh," the middle-aged woman inserted. "Laging sinusubaybayan ni Junie ang mga videos mo sa YouTube. I assume na gumagawa ka ng video ngayon?"
Looking at my vlogging camera, I replied, "Ah, opo, sakto para sa event ngayon. Um, as tempting as it is na yayain kayong sumama sa vlog ko, I think I'd rather avoid filming you guys na lang to respect your privacy."
"True, pero ok pa rin naman sigurong marinig yung boses namin as long as hindi kami on-screen, 'diba?" the zumba girl asked.
"Hmm, yes, that could work," I agreed, then looked at my phone to see that the egg has finally hatched, revealing a Defense Forme Deoxys. "Anyway, papasukin niyo ba ito?"
"Oo sana, kaso kulang pa kami kanina, since tatlo lang kaming players dito, let alone, wala pang masyadong malalakas na Pokémon si Junie," the guy remarked. "Buti na lang dumating kayo kaya kaya na siguro ng apat ito."
"I kinda doubt it, since Defense Forme siya," I replied with uncertainty. "Dadalawa pa lang ang Tyranitar ko, so hopefully kakayanin natin ito kahit aapat lang tayo."
"O sige, pasok na tayo kung ganon," the zumba girl urged us.
I then started filming, making sure that none of my companions were on screen. "Okay you guys, I've just entered this Defense Forme Deoxys raid, and me and my two Tyranitars are shaking right now. There are only four of us players here, so -"
"Wait, sino po si SexyDarkrai999?" I heard Junie pipe up.
Sure enough, five of us are already in the lobby, and one of them is a female player with the IGN SexyDarkrai999.
"Teka, 'diba flyer siya?" the zumba girl questioned.
"Oo, siya ang nambuburaot ng mga gyms dito sa San Carlos tuwing Sabado," the guy replied.
"Ha? Eh, paano kayo makakaipon ng coins niyan?" Junie's mother asked.
"For now, let's just be thankful na may air support tayo," I remarked. "Beggars can't be choosers, 'ika nga.
I then turned to the camera and said, "SexyDarkrai999, if you're watching this, thanks so much for the air support, but next time, can you please take it easy with invading gyms here in San Carlos? We all want coins, but we can only get 50 in a day. Let the others get their coins, too."
As soon as the countdown finished, we all immediately started tapping furiously on our phones to deal as much damage as we can on the Defense Forme Deoxys. I could see the others bring out two Gengars and a Pinsir. Of course, my Tyranitar almost caught everyone's attention. I said almost because the fifth one definitely stole the show.
"Meron nang Giratina si SexyDarkrai999!?" I heard the guy exclaim.
"Oo, dati nang released si Altered Forme Giratina, pero that was a little bit long ago," the zumba girl replied. "What impresses me is that they managed to power up that Giratina to full level."
"Actually, you can't do that simply by walking," I told them. "Though we can't be mad at flyers since one of them is helping us right now."
And sure enough, by the time my Tyranitar and SexyDarkrai999's Giratina have fainted, Deoxys' health have gone down to a quarter, something you wouldn't expect if only my Tyranitar did all the work. The zumba girl and phone salesman's Gengars are also helping a bit, but they are definitely not enough to even scratch a Deoxys in its Defense Forme. I'd have to give props to Junie, though. He already used up three sets of Pokémon and he still gives what his weak Pokémon can do to help. I'd be sure to advise him to stock up on Revives and Potions later.
We only had to let a few more seconds pass before we finally depleted Deoxys' health and went to the bonus round to catch Deoxys.
"Sa wakas! May Deoxys na rin ako!" The phone salesman cheered, punching the air to celebrate his victory.
"Nice! One down, four more Formes to go," the girl chuckled in glee.
I, meanwhile, spoke to my camera, "Well you guys, I have gone and caught my first Deoxys, and again, thanks to our air support, we managed to defeat this raid boss, even in its Defense Forme. So we'll just revel in our victory for now and I'll catch up on you guys later."
After turning off my camera, Junie's mom said, "So saan ang susunod na raid? Absent kasi yung teacher ni Junie ngayong araw, so pwede pa siguro kaming mag-stay dito kung may susunod pa."
I looked at the other gyms, but there were no upcoming raids whatsoever.
"As of now, wala pang mga susunod na raids, pero if Junie wants to get more into them, tuwing Wednesday at 6-7 PM po ang raid hour, so pwede po siyang sumali kung masasamahan niyo siya," I informed her.
"Masyado na po siyang gabi," Junie told his mother. "Isa pa, masaya na po ako na nakasama ako sa ganito kahit ngayon lang."
I didn't really listen much to their conversation anymore because my mind has been grinding on who this SexyDarkrai999 person is. We only ever see that player's in-game name during Saturdays when they defeat almost all gyms in San Carlos and take them for themselves, but it was an understatement to say that we are surprised to see them on a weekday, just to help us on a raid. Do they know everytime several other players gather, or is their mind really that fickle to play on a weekday?
I decided to set the matter aside for now and went to check my eggs.
The phone salesman had to leave as soon as the raid ended because he wanted to avoid running late for work, so the remainder of us, along with some other players passing by, waited out another raid that spawned across the street. After that raid, Junie and his mother decided to go home as well. I've also lost track of the zumba girl because even more players who are also trying to hatch eggs showed up and asked me if they could be in the vlog, and who am I to refuse?
All in all, I was able to hatch all of the regional Pokémon to complete my Kanto Pokédex, though only two Tauros ended up being shiny. It was already five in the afternoon when I was wrapping up my vlog while walking home through a different route.
"And that is it for this Pokémon GO session, so if you enjoyed this video, make sure to give me a thumbs up, subscribe to my channel, and turn on my post notifications so you will get notified once I post my next video. Stay safe, I'll miss you, but I'll see you on -"
Quite suddenly, I felt a sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach as I passed by an old house. It was so strong that I was almost petrified on the spot. It felt as is there was nothing else in the surroundings except for me and that old house. That alone told me that something is wrong.
I mustered all my calmness and did a second take for my outro. "Stay safe, I'll miss you, but I'll see you on a future video. Bye~!"
After turning off my camera, I turned to look at the house properly and found out that I wasn't alone in the vicinity. What looks like a foreign family has been unloading furniture from a moving truck and are lifting them towards the inside of the old house.
I know it's none of my business when it comes to families who just moved into the neighborhood, but it becomes my business when evil spirits become involved. I did NOT, I repeat, did NOT establish the Senza Mortangel Coven for nothing, you know.
"Hello," I greeted the guy and the girl who were lifting a couch from the truck. Looking closer, it seems that they are a family of Indian descent. "It looks like you guys are new here. Welcome to the neighborhood. I'm Gus, and I live a few blocks from here."
"Ah, namaste," the girl greeted back. "It's nice to meet you, Gus. I'm Chandra, and this is my brother, Salim."
"It's nice to meet you, Gus," the guy called Salim greeted, as well.
Before any of us could speak further, what sounded like a middle-aged man's scream came from inside the house.
"BABA!" Chandra and Salim both screamed as they rushed insode the house.
I ran to enter the house with them, but before I could, I felt another presence coming up from up a tamarind tree on the yard. Looking up, I could plainly see the figure of a large balding woman perched on one of its branches. It was certainly a good thing that I always keep my gloves in my person at all times, so I wore them on my hands and climbed the tree at top speed.
When I was finally faced the balding woman, I hissed, "Are you or are you not the cause of the commotion inside, old woman?"
The woman cackled, "Oh please, do you think a batibat like me would let anyone scream that loudly?"
"Yeah, that's true," I replied on a resigned sort of way.
"Can you see it, though?" the batibat kept on speaking. "I can't exactly see it, nor I know the nature of it, but there's a malevolent spirit inside that house, particularly somewhere on the upper floors."
"Yeah, I've felt it back when I was still outside the property," I replied, narrowing my eyes towards the house. "I still can't see it myself, but I'll be able to pinpoint where it is when I enter the house."
"Good luck, then," the batibat bid me farewell. "If you need any help, I'll squash anyone with this body of mine."
"That'll be appreciated, thanks," I thanked her before I fully descended the tamarind tree and rushed inside the house.
I was able to enter the house with no problems. As a house built during the American era, the atmosphere did feel, if I were to use the word, legitimate. But the more I ascend through the staircase, the deeper this sinking feeling became. It was when I reached the top floor when I saw a man sprawled in the hallway surrounded by his family.
"Gus! You're still here?" Chandra exclaimed at me.
"Yeah, I tripped on my way up here," I lied. "Sorry about that. What happened to him?"
"We don't know," a woman who looks like their mother quaked. "We just heard him scream when we were downstairs and when we saw him, he was already unconscious."
I took one look at the unconscious man and concluded that he will live, since there is no curse cast on him. What shocked me is the culprit of this.
A door was opened right across the unconscious man's body, and I could plainly see a freaking Dybbuk box from inside.
"What's important is that we bring him to a hospital," Salim spoke with urgency. "Chandra, tell Ketan to drive you, Baba, and Mama to the hospital. Gus and I will just need to put some things in order before we follow you guys."
At first, I was confused as to what Salim meant by what he said, until I properly looked at him and saw something only I can see: a yellow flame only visible to angels and demons' eyes is flickering on Salim's forehead, which is a dead giveaway of him being an Exceed.
As soon as everyone else is out of earshot, Salim turned to me and begged, "Gus, I know we've only just met, and this will be a crazy request even before I say it, but for some reason, I feel that you can communicate with ghosts. So please, can you help us find out what's in this house and what did this to Baba? I promise, I'll be of help, and if I'm not, I'll stay out of your way."
Something tells me that this person still doesn't know that he is an Exceed, and neither does his family. This is why I thought it would be unsafe for me to tell Salim everything. However, it would also be dangerous for him and everyone around him if I kept him ignorant.
"Salim, even if I can communicate with ghosts, it'll be useless, because we are dealing with a demon," I replied coolly. "Also, no offense, but my method of exterminating this demon would require you to stay out of my way."
"Y-yes, please do what you can," Salim pleaded once again, stepping away from the door and into the hallway.
I nodded at him and without missing a beat, I walked towards the cabinet where the Dybbuk box is placed and grabbed it to smash it on the floor. I then placed my right hand inches over the splinters as green streaks of light came out of my eyes. As a result, parts of the walls have cracked, a sign that the demon is fighting back.
I then closed my hand into a fist and shouted, "HATAEN!"
Wisps of black smoke then came out from my fist, then turned into white, and finally faded into nothingness. I was then finally able to breathe easily.
"There we go," I said with relish. "I've fixed your demon problem, Salim. You can now follow your dad to the hospital. Fortunately, he wasn't cursed by the demon, so all he would need is a few days of rest."
"Just like that?" Salim replied, his eyes looking like they're going to pop out of their sockets. "And... wasn't that Hindi?"
I gave him a wide smile. "I could have cast him away in any language I want, but my family and I didn't stay in Delhi for a few years without learning Hindi. I may as well speak it when I have the chance."
I straightened myself as went out of the room and said, "Go follow your dad in the hospital. I only live near here. We will meet again."
Salim could only nod at me as I exited the room. The trip out of the house was pretty uneventful.
"There he is," I heard the batibat call to me when I passed by her tamarind tree. "No more malevolent spirit inside that house?"
"Nope, all cleared," I answered her. "By the way, these people seem nice. You're not going to choke them in your sleep, are you?"
"No, of course I can't do that," the batibat replied. "I only choke people who cut down my tree without permission. They seem like religious people, so I think they'll ask the tree's permission before cutting it down. If you ask for permission, everything's good."
"That's good to know," I said with an air of finality as I gave the batibat a wave and finally removed my gloves.
It only took me a few minutes to walk back to our mansion, but I must have stayed in the haunted house for quite a long time because it was already dark out, with the full moon illuminating the surroundings.
Feeling hella proud of myself because of finishing a vlog and exterminating a demon within a day, I sported a wild expression of satisfaction on my face as I opened the gate with my gloves held on one hand. As soon as I entered, though, I immediately saw Raffy emerging from the backyard covered in sweat and Fred coming out from the garage in his werewolf form, stark naked.
If this reunion wasn't weird enough, all three of us then chorused, "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!"
BattlePyramid Creator