The Ghost-type Pokémon that hadn't been vaporized by Precipice Blades saw the aftermath and flinched back.
Zane was stunned, too. Holy crap, that power is just broken. If that move went off in a city... he couldn't even begin to imagine the body count. He stared at the massive, glowing fissures left behind by the attack, a strange thought solidifying in his mind.
So, what, the only way to get this bird to fight is to use myself as bait? Like some kind of self-destruct trigger?
"Are you okay?" Gengar's anxious voice cut through his thoughts.
Seeing the ghost was still there, Zane let out a breath of relief. "Where the hell did you go?"
Gengar glared at the remaining Ghost-types in the distance. "I was right beside you the whole time," it said angrily. "But they were suppressing my power, so you couldn't see me."
Zane recalled Roselia. "You worked hard." After putting the Poké Ball away, he looked around at the remaining Pokémon. It was obvious this wasn't over. Even after that apocalyptic display, the Ghost-types weren't leaving. They just floated in the air, watching from a distance.
But then, the situation changed again. The temperature suddenly plummeted, and a cold, terrifying aura filled the air. The remaining Litwick sensed the presence and immediately began to stir restlessly. They wanted to flee, but before they could move, a powerful force locked them in place.
A massive figure emerged from the darkness, its icy gaze fixed on the trapped Litwick. The aura seemed to bypass Zane and his Pokémon completely, leaving them unharmed.
Seeing the newcomer, Zane froze. That Pokémon was...
He instinctively used his Identify skill.
[Species: Gengar · Totem ♂]
Type: Ghost / Poison
Ability: Cursed Body
Base Stats: 500 (HP: 60, Atk: 65, Def: 60, SpA: 130, SpD: 75, Spe: 110)
Moves: Hypnosis, Curse, Spite, Mean Look, Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Dark Pulse, Hex, Nightmare, Trick Room
Special Ability: Totem Aura (Has a suppressive effect on Pokémon of the same type within its aura)
Current Mood: Angry
Status: Perfect
Friendship: 0
A Totem Pokémon... what the hell is something from Alola doing here?
Totem Pokémon were the powerful final bosses of the island trials. They were exceptionally large for their species and were constantly shrouded in a special aura. In battle, they would call for allies to support them, like how the Totem Lurantis would summon a Castform to set up Sunny Day for its Photosynthesis or Leaf Guard. But in the games, besides being huge, they weren't fundamentally different from their normal counterparts. They didn't get stat boosts, or type or ability changes like with Mega Evolution.
But... Zane looked at the scan again. It seems this one's Totem Aura has a suppressive effect on its own type.
He didn't know what the Totem Gengar did; he didn't even see it move. With nothing more than a look and a wave of pressure, the Litwick and their evolutions simply... dissipated into the air.
The Totem Gengar turned. Its gaze swept over Zane and Cramorant, pausing for a moment when it saw Zane's Gengar. Just as Zane braced himself for an attack, the Totem Gengar spoke.
"I apologize," it said, its voice a low rumble. "The humans who were captured are now safe."
Zane and his Gengar were stunned into silence. Cramorant, completely unfazed, began preening its feathers. After unleashing Precipice Blades, it had reverted to its usual dopey, vacant state.
"I think we deserve an explanation," Zane said, his voice calm.
The Totem Gengar sighed. It closed its eyes, and when it opened them again, Zane and his Pokémon were standing in front of a large, imposing mansion that radiated a dangerous aura. The front doors were wide open, and through them, Zane could see dozens of sinister, terrifying Ghost-type Pokémon, all glaring out at him with pure hatred.
The Totem Gengar glanced in their direction. The doors slammed shut, trapping the spirits inside.
"As you can see, I am keeping them suppressed here," it explained. "Yesterday, they worked together to put me to sleep with their moves, and then they snuck out." It looked up at the sky. "This place is dangerous. It is not a place for humans. You should leave."
Zane didn't say anything. The Totem Gengar gave him one last look and, with another blink, sent him away.
When Zane opened his eyes again, he was back at the spot where he had first disappeared. Officer Jenny, the other teachers, and the three missing kids were all there, slowly coming to.
"Is everyone alright?" Officer Jenny asked, holding her head as she stood up, dutifully checking on the situation.
"What happened?" someone else murmured, looking pale but otherwise unharmed.
"I think... I saw blue candle flames..." another person recalled hazily.
Officer Jenny did a head count, breathed a small sigh of relief, then frowned and looked towards the deep forest. "Let's get everyone back," she ordered.
No one objected. But on the way back, someone spotted the hundred-meter-long fissures in the earth. "What... what in the world could have caused this?" they gasped.
"It's still warm," an officer noted cautiously, kneeling to inspect a crack. "It must have just happened." She pointed to some residual, still-unsolidified magma deep within the fissure.
"So, what happened back there?!" The group was completely bewildered. For them, they had simply gotten lost, run into some scary ghosts, and then just as suddenly, they were back where they started, the ghosts having vanished before their eyes.
Hearing this, Zane, hidden in the crowd, touched his nose. He had already recalled Cramorant, leaving only Gengar floating outside.
The Gengar had heard the chatter, too. It had also seen Cramorant use Precipice Blades. "That dumb bird," it whispered to Zane, its voice tinged with horror, "what the hell is the deal with it?!" It had always thought the thing was just an idiot obsessed with fishing.
Zane shrugged. "..." He didn't know how to answer that, either. Luckily, besides Gengar, no one else had witnessed the attack.
"I trained it myself," Zane bluffed. "Pretty impressive, right?"
The Gengar was now incredibly grateful that it had lost its ability to use moves. Otherwise, that might have been it lying in pieces at the bottom of one of those cracks. The thought sent a shiver down its spectral spine. But at the same time, driven by a natural awe for great power, it couldn't help but look at Zane with newfound respect.
So this is the power of a human trainer who can make Pokémon stronger? It's so terrifying it makes a ghost gasp!
...
The missing persons case was officially closed. Although no one knew who had saved them, they were certain that the fissure in the earth was the battle scar left behind by their mysterious savior. Upon returning to the station, the Officer Jennys immediately filed an emergency report to the League.
Zane, for his part, received a flood of thanks from both the police and the students' parents. The moment he got back to the school, he made a beeline for the library and began researching the history of Petalburg Woods. Although the situation was resolved, a few deep, unsettling questions remained. Who had built the mansion? And why was that Totem Gengar suppressing all those other spirits there? None of that was in the games.
More importantly, the Ghost-types had broken through the Gengar's defenses once. They had almost caused a major disaster. What about next time? If Cramorant hadn't been there, Zane couldn't even imagine how many people would have disappeared.
He looked over at Cramorant, who was dozing nearby. After these last two fiascos, he was starting to figure out the user manual for his hacked Pokémon: Step one, put yourself in mortal danger.
His feelings were complicated. He'd even had Gengar try to communicate with Cramorant telepathically before. But according to the ghost, all it had found in the bird's mind was a mess of mush, and two clear, unwavering thoughts: "Must bring food to Zane," and "Must protect Zane."
Honestly, he'd never been a huge fan of Cramorant. He'd only modded it in the first place because its shiny color scheme looked a bit like Ho-Oh. Zane was a grown man; he'd never imagined he'd need someone else to protect him. But now, he had to admit, he was truly, deeply moved.
Even after its brain had been turned to mush, even after it had forgotten everything else, it still hadn't forgotten to protect its trainer.
Is this what a Pokémon is?
"You're doing a good job protecting me," Zane murmured, pulling the bird into his arms and gently scratching its chin.
"Gah?" The dozing Cramorant woke up, looking around with its usual dumb, confused expression.
...
The Hoenn League took any major incidents involving wild Pokémon very seriously. The same day they received the report from the Petalburg police, they immediately dispatched an investigator.
"A sudden appearance of Ghost-type Pokémon in the forest?"
On the ferry to Petalburg City, Phoebe, the Ghost-type Elite Four member, narrowed her eyes as she read the report, her gaze lingering on the words "missing persons," "mysterious fissure in the earth," "fierce battle," and "likely to happen again."
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T/N: Shit. Was meaning to update 11 minutes ago, but I missed my time. Hope this book gets a good ranking somewhere.