Zane didn't know if actual ghosts existed in the world of Pokémon, but he knew for a fact that "Ghost" was a type, and that those Pokémon definitely existed.
They were a family of Pokémon known for coming and going without a trace, living in the dark corners of cities and in abandoned manors and villas. Because the temperature would drop whenever they appeared, and because they had the ability to instill fear in people's hearts and even take on the form of the deceased, their very presence often caused mass panic.
On top of that, both the anime and the games had the concept of a "Spirit World." Legend said it was the land of the dead, a place where Ghost-type Pokémon lived. Its gatekeeper, Dusknoir, was said to travel between this life and the next, guiding wandering souls to their final resting place.
So, was the culprit behind his nightmares a Pokémon?
Cramorant had already gone out for its morning stroll. Right now, it was just Zane and Budew in the room. They stared grimly at the orb, which had once again reappeared on his desk.
A Pokémon that could cause nightmares and had a built-in cooling system...
Don't tell me it's Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokémon?
Or maybe a Litwick, which feeds on the life energy of humans?
If it was the latter, was he going to just... not wake up one of these days?!
This is reality, Zane thought, forcing himself to stay calm. A Litwick here might not be as relatively harmless as it was in the anime...
With that thought, he quickly got out of bed. He only had one class today, so after a quick breakfast, he went straight to the library to look up books on Ghost-types.
According to his research, most Ghost-type Pokémon were insidious and cunning by nature. The more vicious ones would even attack humans without provocation. Cases of people being injured or even killed by them were not unheard of.
After leaving the library, Zane went to find Rika, who loved taking pictures of wild Pokémon, and borrowed a camera from her. He set it up on his bedside table, aimed at the desk.
Because of the orb, both he and Budew were on edge all day. They stayed out as late as they could. Before going to sleep, they took the orb to the river behind the school and threw it in.
After a shower, Zane fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.
It was another restless night. The next morning, just as he'd expected, the orb was back.
Zane wasn't even surprised anymore. He took the camera into the living room, and he and Budew nervously began to review the footage from the night before.
"GAH?"
Cramorant watched them with a dumb look on its face, then copied them and stuck its head forward to get a better look at the screen.
The recording started.
First, there was a crackle of static and a bit of shaky footage, but it quickly stabilized into a clear picture. It was from when Zane had been setting up the camera. To find the culprit faster, he started fast-forwarding the video.
On the screen, the round moon outside the window rose to its highest point in the night sky. Pale, silvery moonlight streamed through the window, casting a sharp line between light and shadow on the wooden floor.
One hour, two hours, three hours...
Just then, a round, dark silhouette suddenly appeared in the frame.
Cramorant: "Gah?"
Budew: "Nini!"
The faint moonlight fell upon the dark figure, and Zane could finally see its face. It was a deep purple, vaguely circular creature. Its back was covered in spikes, and its blood-red eyes glowed with an eerie light. It seemed to notice that something new was in the room. It turned and looked directly into the camera's lens.
And then, an even more terrifying scene unfolded.
The creature's mouth stretched impossibly wide, curling up into a sinister, horrifying grin.
"NINI!" Budew couldn't watch anymore, squeezing its eyes shut.
"Gah?" Cramorant's expression remained as dopey as ever.
Zane just stared. "..."
Alright. I know who's been giving me the nightmares.
A Gengar. The final evolution of Gastly. Known for being insidious, cunning, and loving malicious pranks.
But just as he had that thought, he felt a cold, damp breath on the back of his neck.
Zane's body went rigid. He slowly turned his head and saw a pale face staring back at him.
Even worse, it was his own face.
Even though he knew it was the Gengar's doing, the sudden jump scare still got him. He fell out of his chair and landed hard on the floor, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"Gek!" The Gengar let out a triumphant cackle.
After the initial shock wore off, Zane's expression went completely blank. "..."
The Gengar, seeing that he hadn't wet his pants in terror like its previous victims, seemed surprised. A human voice suddenly echoed in his head. "You aren't afraid of me?"
It can talk? Zane thought, startled. No, wait, that must be telepathy.
POP. The Gengar reverted to its original form, its round body floating in the air.
For a moment, Zane was at a loss for words. In his mind, Gengar had always been a terrifying creature. But seeing one in real life, it wasn't scary at all. Its round, chubby body was actually kind of... cute. Goofy, even.
He decided to play along. "I'm so scared," he said, his voice flat. "Please don't hurt me."
The Gengar finally looked satisfied. "That's right, you should be scared. However, if you do three things for me, I won't eat you. In fact, I'll even tell you the location of a hidden treasure."
At the same time, a new panel of information appeared in Zane's mind.
Species: Grudge Gengar ♂
Type: Ghost / Poison
Ability: Cursed Body
Base Stats: 520 (HP: 60, Atk: 65, Def: 60, SpA: 150, SpD: 75, Spe: 110)
Moves: Hypnosis, Spite, Mean Look, Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Dark Pulse, Hex, Nightmare
Current Mood: ???
Status: Incorporeal (A special state after dying with a lingering grudge. Unlike normal Ghost-types, it cannot touch or be touched by the physical world.)
Friendship: 5 (It likes your attitude towards Pokémon)
Zane immediately noticed something was wrong.
This Gengar's Special Attack is crazy high!
A normal Gengar's Special Attack was 130. This one's was 150. Zane recalled his earlier theory. Was this Gengar like the giant Dragonite from the lighthouse, the ancient giants from the ruins, or Ash-Greninja? A special individual that had, for some reason, broken through the limits of its species?
Seeing the human staring blankly at it, the Gengar's expression turned to one of annoyance. "Are you even listening to me?" it demanded.
Zane snapped out of it. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm listening. You were saying? Three things?"
Why do I feel like I'm in the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp?
Thinking that, Zane glanced over at the purple orb. He suddenly noticed that, with the Gengar no longer inside it, its information had changed.
[Sealing Orb]: An orb passed down from ancient times. A mysterious object capable of sealing incorporeal spirits.
<><><><><><>
Read 10+ advance chapters at patreon.com/MightyJahseh
Support this fanfic w/ your stones & reviews.