Chapter 247: Was I Abandoned?
"Yui, do you feel sick? Or do you hear another voice in your head?" Will asked anxiously.
"Mmm-mm~"
Yui shook her head, blinking her big eyes at Will.
"You should be very strong now. Try using your new power."
"...Huh?"
Yui tilted her head. Besides her viewpoint being higher, she didn't feel much different.
She casually waved her hand toward the east.
BOOM!
The eastern wall of the castle collapsed into dust.
Gengar, Cofagrigus, and Dusknoir instantly teleported two hundred meters away.
Only Will, held tight in Yui's arms, was left trembling.
"Will~ Don't leave me," Yui hugged him tighter, seeing everyone else run.
"I know, I know. Just calm down. Don't squeeze. You can't control your strength yet," Will nodded frantically. In his current tiny body, he really might get accidentally crushed by Yui.
"Will, I've become so strange."
"You're not strange, you've become strong. Now you have the power to protect yourself." Will shook his head, his mind working fast. "Remember when the Chandelure broke into your house to find me?"
"Mhm!" Yui nodded.
"Back then, you couldn't fight back. If I had been a little slower, we might have been killed. But now, you can use this power to protect me."
"Oh~"
Yui let out a sound of amazement. Put that way, she could accept the change. She even felt happy about it.
"From now on, you can protect everyone you want to protect. But you need to get used to this power first."
"Mhm!" Yui nodded vigorously, then looked around. "Where's Sister?"
"Inside you."
"Huh?!"
Yui looked down at herself and finally realized something was wrong. She remembered her body not looking like this. Her legs weren't this long, and her chest wasn't this... broad.
"Did I eat Sister?"
"No, um... you were originally the same person. Now you've just merged back together. Don't think about it too much. Just know that she won't appear again, and the Chandelure won't bully you anymore."
Will had a headache. He didn't know how to explain it.
Yui had lived for a long time, maybe tens of thousands of years. But she had experienced so little. Her memories were mostly gray fog, mindless spirits, a scary sister, and bullying Chandelure... none of which helped her mental age grow. It only made her close her heart more.
So now... even though Yui was the Lord of the Spirit World, she knew nothing.
"Then... what should I do from now on?"
"Erm, Dusknoir will teach you. Don't be afraid of him. From now on, Pokémon like him will listen to whatever you say."
Will scratched his round head. He didn't know what the Lord of the Spirit World did all day. But the Vortex of Reincarnation and Dusknoir would handle that; he didn't need to worry.
"What about you, Will?"
"I'm leaving the Spirit World, of course," Will replied matter-of-factly.
He hadn't eaten in a whole day. Ghost-type Pokémon could survive by absorbing spiritual energy, which the Spirit World had in abundance. But he was a Water-type Pokémon; he couldn't do that.
If he stayed a few more days, he might starve or die of thirst. Besides, Lorelei must be frantic by now; she probably called the police.
"...Can you stay?"
Yui grabbed Will's arm.
"No, I have to go back." Will shook his head and firmly pulled his arm free.
Yui was pitiable, true. But he had more important people in the living world. He had many things he needed to do out there.
"Okay. I'll help you."
Yui pressed her lips together and nodded gently.
Just then, Dusknoir and the others, seeing nothing terrible had happened, came back.
"So, can you open the door now?" Gengar looked at Yui impatiently.
"My Lord, this guy is no good. Letting him into the living world will only cause suffering," Dusknoir stepped forward and warned Yui.
"Bullshit! You big-browed, big-eyed fatso! You look honest, but you're a backstabber! I've killed maybe five living things in ten thousand years! No one knows that better than you!"
Gengar instantly flew into a rage. This was a massive slander against his character.
"Huh?" Will looked at Cofagrigus. He didn't believe Gengar. Gengar looked violent and bloodthirsty; he'd just tried to kill Little Yui.
"He's telling the truth. At least in the hundred years I've been here, he only helped me kill one Chandelure, and that was because they had a grudge."
Cofagrigus vouched for Gengar. Although Gengar wasn't a "good" Pokémon, letting him out wouldn't cause a catastrophe. He wouldn't kill randomly unless provoked; he just liked excitement.
In fact, Cofagrigus was much more bloodthirsty than Gengar. But Cofagrigus also didn't kill randomly; he only killed those who provoked him or pissed him off.
"But earlier, to leave the Spirit World, you wanted to kill Yui and Dusknoir," Will frowned.
He still felt Gengar was dangerous. It was normal for Pokémon to act on selfish desires because they often didn't consider the consequences. Especially Ghost-types. If the consequences didn't affect them, they didn't care.
But if the act was murder, then that Ghost-type was too dangerous.
If they released Gengar, would he torture humans for fun? Will didn't want to release a Champion-class evil god just because he wanted to leave.
So, he had to be cautious. Ask more questions.
"This little girl and that woman are the same person! She and Dusknoir locked me up for ten thousand years! I have a blood feud! If I have a chance for revenge, shouldn't I take it?! Would you take it?! Besides, are they dead now?"
Will was speechless. The logic held up.
Big Yui and Dusknoir were just following the rules, but from Gengar's perspective, he hadn't done anything wrong. He was just a kid who played too much and got trapped for ten thousand years.
Dusknoir: "My Lord, don't release him!"
Cofagrigus: "Release him. We agreed."
Yui: "Will, I'll listen to you."
"Release him."
Will didn't hesitate this time. Cofagrigus had proven Gengar wasn't a mindless killer. He trusted Cofagrigus.
And without Gengar's help, Yui wouldn't be the new Lord, and Will wouldn't be leaving. He didn't want to backstab Gengar now.
Besides, if they kept Gengar here, he'd just spend every day plotting revenge against Yui. Better to let him go.
"Haha! Finally, someone with sense! Will, was it? You're my bro from now on!"
Hearing he could leave, Gengar was overjoyed. The blood-red color in his eyes suddenly faded, returning to the normal pink of a regular Gengar.
"Wait a sec, I have a bunch of little brothers. I'll go ask if they want to come. Don't worry, they're all good kids who haven't killed anyone."
Gengar left that sentence and flew off.
"Cofagrigus, are you leaving?" Will turned to him.
"Me?" Cofagrigus paused, looked at Will, then shook his head. "Forget it. There's no one left in the outside world I care about. This place is quiet enough. It's a good place to end my days."
"Then do me a favor."
Will grinned and pointed at Yui behind him.
After he left, Yui would have no one. Cofagrigus would have no one. But they could get to know each other and become Spirit World buddies.
Yui was kind and polite, a bit like Nico. Cofagrigus was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, loyal and righteous. In Will's eyes, they were highly compatible and could become great friends.
Moreover, Yui was too innocent; she knew nothing and had too much unnecessary kindness. The ruthless, knowledgeable Cofagrigus could compensate for that perfectly, becoming the "Prime Minister" who helped the new Lord stabilize her rule.
"...Fine." Cofagrigus frowned, agreeing reluctantly.
"Thanks." Will couldn't help but smile. Although Cofagrigus looked reluctant now, like he despised Yui, Will believed that in a few years, Cofagrigus would be taking care of her like a father.
"Yui, you have to get along with Cofagrigus. You can trust him completely." Will looked at Yui and patted her forehead.
"Mhm." Yui nodded obediently.
"Then, Dusknoir, please open the Spirit Gate."
"Oh."
Dusknoir nodded. This time, he didn't say, "You have no right to ask." Even a fool could see this human was special to his new master.
He placed his hands on the yellow line of his belly and pulled it open. Dusknoir's belly opened like a giant mouth, revealing a dark purple vortex inside.
This was the Gate to the Spirit World, leading to the living world!
"I'll go first then. When Gengar gets back, open it for them."
Will nodded and hopped in Yui's arms.
He didn't hop out.
He turned to look at Yui.
"...Why do you have to leave here and go somewhere else?" Yui pressed her lips together.
"There's important family waiting for me to find them out there." Will's gaze was firm. He hopped again.
This time he hopped out, heading for the Spirit Gate.
Clap.
Halfway there, Yui walked up behind him, squatted down, and grabbed his tail.
"You can stay here. I won't let anyone hurt you."
Yui pulled on Will, trying to drag him back into her arms.
"...Yui, thank you for helping me. We will always be friends."
Will sighed, shook his tail free of her hand, and dove headfirst into Dusknoir's belly.
Yui squatted there silently.
Watching Will leave.
Another image appeared in her eyes:
[She drank the medicine and lay in the dilapidated straw hut, feeling colder and colder. In a daze, she opened her eyes and saw her father holding her mother's hand, walking out the door.]
"...Was I abandoned?"
Yui's eyes went dim.
"This isn't abandonment. It's just a normal parting between friends. You'll see him again."
Cofagrigus extended a shadowy hand and placed it on her shoulder.
"Next time you meet, let Will see a better version of you."
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