Magus
patreon
Chapter 87: Gengar: Don't You Have Any Self-Awareness?!
🕑 Added 2025-08-26 20:08:38 +0000 UTCIt took Kairos quite a while to piece together the full story from Litwick's—or rather, what should now be called Chandelure's—explanation.
"So that's what happened..."
He couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Here he'd been in actual danger, his soul nearly devoured by someone else, but thinking about Litwick eating a Rare Candy, evolving into Chandelure, and then decking Gengar with a single punch—that image still made Kairos want to laugh despite everything.
However, as his gaze fell upon the Gengar, his expression grew more serious, a frown creasing his brow.
This guy must be another Pokémon that slipped out from the Ghost World, right? He hadn't expected that after encountering Litwick in Viridian City, moving to Cerulean City would bring him face-to-face with yet another Ghost World escapee.
It seemed the Ghost World really was as chaotic as the news reports suggested lately.
And honestly, Gym Leader-level strength was seriously dangerous and terrifying in a city like this. If left unchecked, there was no telling what kind of havoc it might wreak.
In that case, maybe he should contact the League and have them take it back?
Having made up his mind, Kairos quietly took a step back and reached for his phone to call the League. But when Gengar saw his movement, it panicked, frantically shaking its head up and down while making pleading sounds:
"Keke! Keke keke!!"
"Keke!"
[No way, I don't want to go back! Big bro, I really messed up, but I genuinely didn't mean to hurt anyone!]
[Sure, I was hungry, but I really only wanted just a tiny bite—I wouldn't have harmed you! I swear!]
[Otherwise, with my strength, I would've just grabbed you and taken my time eating you back then! (>_<)]
Gengar's voice carried deep grievance, and honestly, what it said was true. From beginning to end, it had never intended to harm Kairos.
Even if it had absorbed that small portion of his soul, at most, Kairos would've felt a bit uncomfortable when he woke up in the morning, and he would've recovered quickly.
As for Litwick, Gengar hadn't given it much thought either—it had simply seen another Pokémon that had also snuck out from the Ghost World like itself.
When the little guy started stealing its food right in front of it, Gengar had just gotten irritated and shooed it away.
Who could've predicted things would turn out like this? Not only had it gotten beaten up by a Chandelure, but now this human looked like he was going to call people to drag it away!
Having lived in the Ghost World for a long time, Gengar had heard stories about the outside world from other Ghost-type Pokémon. They always said the outside world was wonderful in every way, except you absolutely couldn't let humans discover you...
Otherwise, people would capture you and lock you up, stuffing you into some pitch-black space where nobody knew when—or if—you'd ever get out again...
These were hard-learned lessons shared by the veteran Ghost-types who'd once adventured outside, and Gengar had always kept them close to heart.
So before making his move on Kairos, Gengar had even observed for several days, only acting after confirming there were no other people around this human.
But who the hell knew things would turn out like this?!
Hearing Gengar's explanation, Kairos was momentarily stunned.
Right—if this Gengar really had Gym Leader-level strength and wanted to harm him, both Litwick and himself would probably have been goners last night...
But even so, the fact remained that this guy had snuck in trying to snack on his soul...
If Chandelure hadn't intervened, he'd probably have spent today feeling awful.
So when it came to his attitude toward this Gengar, Kairos was definitely still pretty ticked off.
It's just that this guy seemed like maybe it wasn't bad enough to warrant having the League drag it away.
After all, those Ghost-type Pokémon taken by the League faced strict containment, and there was no guarantee they'd ever be rereleased. That was pretty harsh.
While Kairos was mulling this over, Gengar seemed to pick up on the shift in his emotions with sharp eyes.
Wait—this human could actually understand what it was saying?
Did that mean it might have a chance of not getting captured?
It immediately rushed forward, speaking frantically:
"Keke! Keke keke!!"
[How about this! Starting today, I'll be your loyal underling, big bro! Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do! Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it! Consider it my way of apologizing!]
[Please, please don't let them take me away!! I've got family to support—they'll be in real trouble if they can't find me!!]
Gengar looked like it was about to burst into tears from desperation.
And right then, Kairos suddenly realized a new problem—why did this Gengar's way of speaking feel less like a wild Ghost-type Pokémon and more like... a human?
Even throwing around phrases like "I've got family to support"... that vocabulary seemed a bit questionable, didn't it?
Becoming aware of this issue, Kairos gave the Gengar a more scrutinizing look up and down. Only then did he notice some details he'd initially missed due to being overwhelmed by the scene.
For instance, this Gengar wore a black necklace around its neck—very modern and finely crafted, clearly human-made.
Not only that, but it also had a golden pocket watch hanging from its chest, obviously another human world artifact.
But hadn't this guy been living in the Ghost World the whole time?
—Where did these two items come from?
Kairos couldn't help frowning slightly as he met Gengar's gaze again.
"Listen up—I can let you stay here, but you have to answer a few questions for me."
Hearing it wouldn't be captured, Gengar's eyes immediately lit up as it nodded vigorously.
"Kehe!"
[Ask away!]
Kairos held up a hand, waving it in front of Gengar.
"First—since you've never been to the human world before, where did you get these things you're wearing?"
"Second—where did you learn all those phrases you were just using?"
Gengar was taken aback. It had been expected that Kairos would ask about Ghost World matters, but instead, he was asking these kinds of questions.
After a moment's hesitation, though, it took on a reminiscent expression and began speaking honestly:
"Kehe... kehe..."
[Back then... I was just a newborn Gastly...]
[And one day, I suddenly encountered a... a human...]
[He said his name was something... what was it again...]
Hearing this, Kairos immediately felt puzzled. A human? In the Ghost World?
Had the League sent someone in?
However, while he was pondering this, Gengar's next words made his eyes go wide.
[He said his name was something like... Gira... Gira-something... Oh, right, I remember now! He said his name was Giratina!]
Kairos: ?
Wait, you just said that person was called what??
Giratina??
Are you talking about the same Giratina I'm thinking of???
Kairos couldn't help but double-check with Gengar about this.
After confirming that the human he had once met was indeed named "Giratina," his expression grew rather complicated.
Of course, he knew Giratina—this guy was one of the strongest legendary trio from the Sinnoh region, master of the Distortion World, and known as the Renegade Dragon! Even among all legendary Pokémon, its status and power level were pretty high up there.
And now this Gengar was suddenly telling him that some person called Giratina had gone to the Ghost World, found it, and given it this pocket watch and necklace.
So... this was probably just a coincidence, right?
But honestly, that didn't quite add up either...
How could there just happen to be someone with the exact same name as the Renegade Dragon?
Plus, this Ghost World place sounded somewhat similar to the Distortion World—maybe there was some connection?
While Kairos's mind was in chaos, Gengar didn't notice his expression change and excitedly continued the story. Apparently, that memory was quite precious to it—
[That was the first time in my life I'd seen a human. When he saw me, he told me I had pretty good talent and would definitely become a very powerful Pokémon someday, then gave me these two things!]
[He also said the Ghost World was actually quite a small place, and if I ever got the chance, I should definitely get stronger and go see the outside world!]
[So I spent two months preparing. During those two months, I secretly watched the humans living in the Ghost World to learn about their lives and habits.]
[All those things I just said to you—I learned them from the voices coming out of those weird square glass things they had.]
Hearing this, Kairos was stunned again. Humans? Television sets?
There were these things in the Ghost World, too?
"You mean there are other people in the Ghost World?"
He couldn't help pressing Gengar for more details.
Gengar turned to look at him with some surprise.
"Keke keke—"
[Yeah, you're human—don't you know about this?]
[Those humans seem to have been in the Ghost World for quite some time now. They've built lots of tall towers and drive away any Ghost-type Pokémon from getting close. I don't know what they're planning, but those humans are really strong, so we just have to avoid them.]
[Actually, when I was spying on them, I almost got caught several times—really scary...]
Hearing this, Kairos gradually came to his senses, as if a light had dawned in his mind.
Right—he seemed to recall from his predecessor's memories hearing about a special group of trainers in the Ghost World.
They were called Ghost World Guardians, bearing the heavy responsibility of exploring the Ghost World and protecting the connection between the Ghost World and the real world.
Until a few years ago, very few Ghost-type Pokémon had ever made it to the real world through the Ghost World, and that was actually thanks to their efforts.
It's just that places like the Ghost World were too ethereal and remote for his predecessor to really grasp, so after hearing about it, he'd just put it out of mind. That's why Kairos hadn't thought of it immediately.
This would explain all the strange characteristics this Gengar possessed.
Only one utterly ridiculous point remained.
—Was that "human" named Giratina just a coincidental name collision, or was it really the Renegade Dragon in disguise?
If it were the latter possibility, Kairos would be in deep trouble.
Because that would mean he'd basically detained the Renegade Dragon's underling!
With this thought, Kairos shook his head repeatedly. Come on, it was probably just a coincidence—no need to psych himself out.
In this world, even third-tier legendaries like Moltres had vanished without a trace. A big shot like Giratina had probably disappeared long ago, too, and definitely wouldn't show up in a small place like Cerulean City.
Besides, while these two worlds sounded somewhat similar, they were fundamentally different.
The Distortion World was far more dangerous than the Ghost World—it might even rival Ultra Space!
After all, in the Distortion World, Giratina was the absolute master with complete dominion over that realm. Nothing could escape its sight or power...
While Kairos was lost in thought, Gengar saw he hadn't spoken for a while and began explaining what it had done afterward—
To leave the Ghost World, it had spent months preparing and successfully evolved into a Gengar.
When it felt the timing was right, it took advantage of one of those strange portals appearing to leave the Ghost World, emerging in Cerulean City and encountering Kairos's villa...
Originally, Gengar had planned to leave immediately and head toward the city center.
However, it discovered that passing through that portal had somehow drained much of its strength, leaving its body incredibly weak and in desperate need of recovery.
But this was the outside world, not the Ghost World—there wasn't that kind of dark energy to replenish its power.
Left with no choice, Gengar had to rely on its primitive instincts and target the soul-bearing Kairos, hoping to grab a "quick snack" here before continuing its journey...
As for what happened after that... there was no need for Gengar to elaborate—Kairos already knew.
Listening to the explanation, Kairos quickly seized on the most crucial point.
So this guy had grown from a newborn Gastly to a Gym Leader-level Gengar in just a few months?
Gym Leader-level Pokémon naturally corresponded to Gym Leader-level trainers, and as far as Kairos knew, even in this world where trainers weren't uncommon, people who could reach this level were already among the elite.
As for wild Gym Leader-level Pokémon—they were even rarer...
Ordinary citizens of Cerulean City might never see a wild Gym Leader-level Pokémon in their entire lives.
As for trainer-owned ones, while there might be opportunities, they definitely weren't common!
This clearly showed that this Gengar's talent was probably genuinely insane!
But what Kairos didn't know was that if Gengar could hear his thoughts, it would probably fall silent on the spot.
Me, insane?
Dude, your Litwick is way more ridiculous! I only grew to Gym Leader level over a few months—your little guy jumped straight to Elite Four level in the blink of an eye!!
Who's more insane here—don't you have any self-awareness?!
