Chapter 19: The Vengeful Gengar

Hu Yang was uncertain whether the world of Pokémon had ghosts, but he knew for certain that Pokémon with the “Ghost” type existed here. This lineage of Pokémon was notorious for appearing and vanishing without a trace, haunting the shadows of cities and the ruins of ancient mansions.

Their presence often brought a chilling drop in temperature, and coupled with their power to incite fear in human hearts or even transform into the likeness of departed souls, they frequently stirred panic wherever they appeared.

Moreover, both anime and games had established the concept of a “spirit realm”—a domain said to be the land of the dead, the true habitat of Ghost-type Pokémon. The gatekeeper of this realm, Dusknoir, was said to traverse between the living and the departed, guiding wandering souls into the afterlife.

Was the culprit behind his nightmares these past two days a Pokémon?

Ornith, his Rowlet, had gone out for a stroll before Hu Yang awoke, leaving only Hu Yang and Bud, his shy Budew, in the room. Together, with grave faces, they stared at the reappeared spirit orb.

A spirit capable of inducing nightmares and lowering the temperature… Could it be Darkrai, the lord of nightmares? Or perhaps Litwick, the candle Pokémon that siphons human life energy? If it were the latter, would he fall asleep and never wake again?

“This is reality. Litwick might not be as harmless as it’s portrayed in the anime…” Hu Yang thought calmly. With that, he quickly got out of bed. He only had one class today, so after breakfast, he headed to the library to consult relevant books.

The books stated that most Ghost-type Pokémon had sinister, cunning personalities; some were even outright vicious, occasionally attacking humans. Injuries or even deaths caused by them were not uncommon.

Leaving the library, Hu Yang borrowed a camera from Lika, a friend who loved photographing wild Pokémon, and placed it at his bedside.

Because of the spirit orb, both Hu Yang and Bud were uneasy. They wandered outside until nightfall, and before bed, together tossed the orb into the river behind the school.

After washing up, Hu Yang fell into a deep sleep.

It was another restless night. Early the next morning, as he had expected, the spirit orb had returned.

He wasn’t particularly surprised. Picking up the camera, he went to the living room, and together with Bud, nervously reviewed the footage from the previous night.

“Coo?” Ornith, the Rowlet, watched curiously, then mimicked their actions and leaned in his head as well.

The recording began.

First, a faint crackle of static buzzed through, the camera shook slightly before stabilizing, and the image became clear.

It was footage of Hu Yang adjusting the camera. To hasten his investigation, he sped up the playback.

Outside, the full moon climbed to its zenith, its pale, cold light streaming through the window onto the desk. Dim illumination divided a stark boundary of shadow and light over the bedside and wooden floor.

One hour, two hours, three hours… Suddenly, a round, dark shadow appeared on screen.

“Coo?” Rowlet sounded.

“Bud!” Budew exclaimed.

The moonlight fell gently on the shadow, revealing its face to Hu Yang.

It was a deep purple creature with a round body, spiky protrusions on its back, and blood-red eyes brimming with eerie intensity.

Perhaps noticing something unfamiliar in the room, it turned and stared directly at the camera.

Then a more terrifying sight unfolded.

The creature’s mouth curved upward in a sinister, chilling smile.

Budew couldn’t bear to watch any longer, squeezing its eyes shut.

Rowlet remained with its usual dopey expression.

Hu Yang… Well, he finally knew who was plaguing him with nightmares.

Gengar—the final evolution of Gastly. Crafty, sly, fond of pranks and tormenting others.

Just then, Hu Yang felt an icy chill sweep across his neck.

He froze, turned, and saw a face as pale as death.

More disturbingly, it wasn’t someone else—it was his own face!

Though he knew Gengar was to blame, the sudden shock sent him tumbling to the floor, his heart pounding wildly.

“Boo!” Gengar pulled at its own eyelids, making a grotesque face for all to see.

Hu Yang was speechless.

Gengar paused, then suddenly spoke in a human voice, “You’re not afraid of me?”

It could talk? Hu Yang was startled. No, wait—it must be telepathy.

With a pop, Gengar snapped back to its original form, its round body vanishing into thin air and reappearing right before Hu Yang, almost nose to nose, making another ghoulish face: “Boo~”

This time, Hu Yang had steeled himself and wasn’t frightened.

“I’ll eat you!” Gengar threatened when it saw Hu Yang unafraid.

Hu Yang found himself at a loss—his impression of Gengar had always been terrifying, but the real thing was actually not scary at all. Its round, rotund body was oddly cute, even a bit goofy.

With a flat tone, Hu Yang said, “Oh, I’m so scared. Please, don’t hurt me.”

Gengar finally looked satisfied. “That’s right, you should be scared. However, if you help me with three tasks, I won’t eat you. Afterwards, I’ll even tell you the location of a hidden treasure.”

Meanwhile, information about this Gengar flashed through Hu Yang’s mind:

[Species: Vengeful Gengar ♂]
Type: Ghost, Poison
Ability: Cursed Body
Base Stats: 520 (HP: 60, Attack: 65, Defense: 60, Special Attack: 150, Special Defense: 75, Speed: 110)
Known Moves: Hypnosis, Grudge, Mean Look, Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Dark Pulse, Hex, Nightmare
Current Mood: ???
Body Condition: Spiritual Form (A special state after dying with lingering resentment. Unlike typical Ghost-types, it cannot touch the real world nor be touched.)
Friendship: 5 (It likes your attitude toward Pokémon.)

Hu Yang suddenly realized something was off.

This Gengar’s Special Attack stat was unusually high! Ordinary Gengars only had 130, but this one reached 150!

Recalling his prior suspicions, Hu Yang wondered—had this Gengar, like the colossal Dragonite at Zhenghui Lighthouse, the ancient Jigglypuff at the ruins, and Ash’s Greninja, transcended its own limits due to some unique circumstance?

Seeing the human before it staring blankly, Gengar scowled and glared, “Are you even listening to me?”

“Ah? I’m listening, go ahead—what are those three tasks?” Hu Yang replied.

It felt just like Aladdin’s magic lamp.

With that thought, Hu Yang glanced at the spirit orb, and suddenly noticed that as Gengar departed, the information on the orb had changed.

[Sealed Spirit Orb: A mysterious artifact passed down since ancient times, capable of sealing spiritual entities.]