"Mr. Gengar, have there been any strange people in Petalburg Woods recently?" Edward asked as he walked, speaking to the little Gengar perched on his shoulder. The Pokémon had shrunk itself down to the size of a figurine, a size-shifting ability that turned out to be rather convenient.
"Plenty," Gengar replied nonchalantly, gripping Edward's collar with his tiny hands and swinging his short legs as he spoke. In Edward's arms, Q yawned and snuggled further into his embrace.
Q was quite familiar with Gengar and didn't mind him sitting on Edward. If it had been any other Pokémon, Q might've already thrown a fit.
Meanwhile, Fortune followed closely at Edward's side, eyes wide with curiosity as he took in the surroundings of Petalburg Woods. Everything here felt fresh and exciting to him. Having spent most of his time sealed away inside a treasure chest, Fortune had never seen so many fascinating sights before.
"Plenty?" Edward echoed in surprise. Could it be that the members of Team Aqua and Team Magma had grown bold enough to act openly? One had to understand—Petalburg Woods was Gengar's territory. As a Apex Pokémon, Gengar commanded immense power. Even someone as formidable as Team Aqua's leader, Archie, wouldn't be able to withstand Gengar's fury if he drew its attention.
"Yeah, I honestly think you humans are kind of weird," Gengar said, casually swinging his legs. "Just the other day, I saw someone catching a Caterpie. After he caught it, he… actually liked to place it on his **."
Edward froze mid-step, utterly stunned. Beside him, Zoroark's expression went completely blank as he stared at Gengar in disbelief.
"What?" Edward looked incredulously at Gengar, then glanced at a Caterpie crawling on a nearby tree trunk.
Caterpie was one of the most common Bug-type Pokémon. In the Pokémon world, it wasn't exactly rare or exotic. In fact, many ordinary families chose it as a beginner's Pokémon for new trainers. That said, Weedle was the more popular choice, largely due to its superior combat potential.
But using a Caterpie for that kind of thing? Edward's expression contorted in discomfort.
"That's nothing," Gengar continued as if it were the most normal conversation in the world. "I once saw someone using a Magikarp as a ***."
Edward felt his scalp go numb, the skin on his arms tightening. No wonder the Pokémon League had implemented a slew of protective policies. There really were far too many perverts out there these days.
"Let's… talk about something else," Edward finally said, his expression strained. If they kept discussing things like this, he'd start looking at other people with suspicion. He hadn't expected that even in the world of Pokémon, there would be such twisted individuals. It really made one sigh at the unpredictability of life.
Like the saying goes—when the forest is big enough, you'll find all kinds of birds in it.
Fortunately, with Gengar around, their journey was very safe. The normally aggressive Beedrill scattered the moment they laid eyes on Gengar, flying off at astonishing speeds. Even Edward was impressed by their retreat. It just went to show the instinctive respect wild Pokémon had for powerful beings.
But as they continued deeper into the woods, something unusual caught Edward's eye.
There, on the trunk of a tree, rested a golden Weedle. Edward blinked and looked again—yes, it was definitely a Weedle, but its coloration was completely different from others of its kind.
"A shiny Pokémon, huh?" Edward murmured, somewhat amazed. Shiny—or alternate-colored—Pokémon were rare in the wild. Even in the real-world Pokémon setting, where random encounters were largely absent and encounters were more overt, running into a shiny Pokémon wasn't easy.
He stared at the golden Weedle. Though he had no intention of catching it, he knew very well that such a shiny Pokémon would fetch an astronomical price on the black market. Edward had even heard stories about wealthy families that bred and collected shiny Pokémon exclusively.
Weedle itself was relatively weak, but its final evolution, Beedrill, was immensely popular—especially in the Kanto region. For some reason, Giovanni, who hadn't yet been exposed as the villain behind the scenes, was revered as the strongest gym leader. He had once publicly demonstrated the power of his Beedrill, which caused the Pokémon's popularity to skyrocket throughout the region.
Edward didn't dwell too much on it. Though he wouldn't be capturing the shiny Weedle himself, perhaps some lucky trainer would stumble across it and make it their own.
When they arrived at the puppet theater, the drop in traffic was immediately noticeable. The staff at the ticket booth looked bored and sleepy, one of them even yawning deeply. But upon spotting Edward, the employee quickly stood up and greeted him respectfully.
"How many guests came in today?" Edward asked casually.
"Fifty," the staff member replied, offering up the awkward number.
Fifty wasn't terrible, per se, but compared to the crowds they used to pull, it was definitely underwhelming.
Edward was now faced with a dilemma—should he tear down the puppet theater and convert it directly into the hospital featured in One Missed Call, or should he simply build a new structure next to it? Who knew, maybe he could eventually expand it into a full-fledged horror-themed amusement park, a tourist destination for thrill-seekers.
"Where's Mismagius?" Edward decided to ask for Mismagius and the others' opinions. After all, they were the current residents and staff members of the venue. Their thoughts might offer some useful perspectives.
"Boss, Mismagius and the others are still working inside. A couple just went in a moment ago," the ticketing employee replied respectfully.
Edward nodded and headed straight in through the employee entrance, making his way backstage.
Around him, the Ghost-type Pokémon enthusiastically greeted him. They all knew they worked under Edward's management, and he had always paid their salaries on time. While these little guys didn't have many expenses, they still diligently worked and saved their earnings.
"I wouldn't have guessed you were so popular with these little ones," Gengar commented with interest, observing the excited Pokémon. Among them were many Gastly and Haunter.
Here and there, a few Gengar were also visible, though none of them were as large or imposing as the Apex Gengar himself. Puffing out his chest with pride, Gengar strutted a little more confidently.
"When it comes to wild Pokémon, if you treat them with sincerity, they'll respond in kind. With a few exceptions, of course," Edward shrugged. Most wild Pokémon, given enough time and trust, could be very friendly. However, there were always exceptions—some species simply couldn't be dealt with amicably.
The Pokémon League had even published lists of particularly dangerous wild Pokémon, warning trainers to avoid them at all costs. If avoidance wasn't possible, one would need to either defeat them or seek help from nearby trainers or Officer Jennys.
"I totally agree," Gengar chimed in seriously. "Except for those brainless Alakazam. Other than them, this rule works for just about all Pokémon."
Edward gave him a side glance. This guy really had a bone to pick with Alakazam.
(End of Chapter)