Blake of the Ghost-Taming Clan

Outside the window, the moon hung lonely in the sky. Shrouded by dark clouds, the faint light it gave off seemed barely able to endure. The boy stood in the hallway as wind blew through the broken windows, making the neglected window frames creak like the mournful cries of crows. The torn white curtains fluttered in the wind, and together with the creaking frames, they looked like agonized hands reaching into the distance.

The boy walked forward, his light footsteps completely at odds with the scene, as though he were on a cheerful outing.

"Aaaaaaah!!!"

Suddenly, accompanied by a pained sound that was impossible to tell whether it was a scream or a cry, a white ghostly figure rushed out from the end of the hallway and charged straight at the boy. Yet the boy... neither dodged nor avoided it.

"Aaaaaaah!!!"

In an instant, the white ghostly figure reached the boy. Its body was gaunt yet tall, and its arms were thin but abnormally long, with one more joint than a human's. It looked utterly bizarre. Its left arm was visibly broken, the fractured bone piercing through its pale skin. Its stomach bulged and swelled like that of a drowning victim. Its face was ugly and pallid, and miserable howls poured from its torn-open mouth.

It was not particularly fast, but its sense of oppression was overwhelming. No one would doubt that the sharp nails on those large hands could tear through human flesh.

"Aaaaaaah!!!"

The ghostly figure rushed before the boy, raising its hands as though it would tear him to pieces the next moment. Yet the boy remained perfectly still, as if he had been frightened senseless, merely staring quietly at the ghost.

"Aaaaaaah!!!" The ghost continued shrieking.

Stare... The boy continued staring at the ghost.

"Ah... ah..." The ghost kept screaming, but its voice had clearly begun to weaken considerably.

Stare... The boy was still observing it.

"Ah ah—cough, cough!"

The ghost still wanted to scream, but apparently it had shouted too hard just now. Its throat seemed to have gone hoarse, and it suddenly began coughing. This made the boy smile.

"Ha! Not bad. This character was even scarier."

The boy suddenly began evaluating the ghost.

"Ke ke, hehehehe! (￣▽￣)~*"

This time, the ghost spoke as well, though what came out was not a human voice, but another kind of cry.

"All right, what time is it now?"

Looking at the ghost's positively loathsome grin, the boy reminded it helplessly.

"Ke ke."

With a wave of its hand, the ghost summoned a clock. Its hands pointed to six fifty.

"Is it already this late? Time to wake up."

The boy smiled and snapped his fingers. The next moment, everything around him—the ghost, the hallway, the moonlight—all vanished. The boy sat up from his bed.

"Another new day!"

The boy stretched, got up, pulled open the curtains, and smiled at the view outside.

"Ke ke! Ke ke ke! ヾ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ"

A voice identical to the ghost from the dream rang out. A black sphere wrapped in purple mist floated over, its large eyes smiling. It opened its huge mouth, and its pink tongue gave the boy's face a direct lick.

"Hahaha, morning, Gastly. You've improved a lot this time. Compared to all those strange and bizarre monsters before, this kind of ghost that's very human-like but obviously different is much scarier. If I hadn't known it was you, I probably would have been scared too."

The boy wiped his face, ignoring the saliva on it, and smilingly patted Gastly's... head.

"Hehehehe! (๑´ㅂ`๑)"

Gastly clearly enjoyed the praise and flew around giggling.

"All right, all right, don't get too excited. Get ready. After breakfast, we're going to the shop. The scenic area officially opens tomorrow, and our shop needs to start operating too. We'll go tidy things up one last time today."

The boy said with a smile.

"Ke ke! ￣﹃￣"

Gastly immediately stopped flying around and floated before the boy. It gave a strange salute with its tongue, then began drooling. It was clearly already desperate to eat.

"All right, let me wash up first."

As he spoke, the boy took off his pajamas and walked into the bathroom, casually turning on the radio along the way.

"Good morning! Good morning! This is Hulbury Radio Station! I'll be serving you again today! Your neighbor, your friend, me! Yuan Hai! What a refreshing morning. The sea breeze is gentle, the skies are clear for miles, and it's perfect weather to head out to sea. I'm sure everyone in town already knows—yes, yes! Tomorrow is the grand opening of Hulbury's seaside scenic area! Let us thank Chairman Rose. His far-sighted vision has brought new life to Hulbury. But for now, let's listen to a song suited to a day like this! This morning's first tune begins right here..."

The voice from the radio belonged to a new program in Hulbury. In the past, Hulbury Radio only reported on the fishing boats at the docks. Yet that voice and manner of speaking always gave the boy a strange sense of familiarity, making him feel as though he had arrived in a town where everyone was a Stand user. Should he introduce himself like that too?

"My name is Blake. I am fourteen years old and live alone in the southern district of Hulbury, in the Galar Region. I am currently single. I do not smoke or drink. Every night, I go to bed promptly at eleven and get a full eight hours of sleep. Before bed, I always drink a glass of Moomoo Milk and spend twenty minutes telling horror stories with Gastly. Once I get into bed, I immediately fall asleep, like a baby, without carrying any fatigue or stress into the next day. Even the doctors say that I am healthy."

Thinking of that, Blake, who was taking a shower, could not help laughing. He did indeed enjoy a peaceful and pleasant life, but he was not a murderer, nor did he have a Stand. He only had a Gastly, and he certainly did not have a hand fetish. If he had to say, he preferred legs.

That was right. Blake was a transmigrator, the kind who had worked overtime until he dropped dead in his previous life. Yet unexpectedly, he had been reborn in the world of Pokémon. That was not bad, was it? In his previous life, he had not even known where his parents were. He had depended on his grandfather since childhood. After finally graduating from university and finding a job, he had wanted to support his grandfather, but the old man had not lasted long enough for that day. Blake had struggled alone without anyone to rely on, only to die suddenly after working overtime for an entire month. Then he had transmigrated to this world that nearly everyone who knew of it longed for—a world that might be dangerous, but could warm people's hearts.

After turning off the shower, drying himself, and changing into casual clothes, he entered the kitchen. He poured oil into a frying pan and cooked four sunny-side-up eggs and two sausages. Several slices of soft toast sat in the toaster. Gastly carried in the Moomoo Milk delivered by the milkman at the door. With a ding, the toast popped up. Blake spread it with his favorite Pecha Jam, while Gastly got its favorite Cheri Jam, and a delicious breakfast was ready. Still, Blake could not understand whether it was really okay to eat something so spicy so early in the morning. But perhaps that was not a problem for Pokémon.

"Ke ke! (｡•؎•｡)"

Seeing the breakfast on the table and catching the spicy scent of the Cheri Jam, Gastly cried out excitedly. Still, it insisted on waiting until Blake picked up his breakfast before opening its mouth wide and devouring the food.

"Eat slowly. No one's going to steal it from you."

Seeing Gastly's face covered in grease, Blake helplessly shook his head and began eating his own breakfast as well. Before long, breakfast was over. As Blake washed the dishes, he heard an urgent ring at the door.

"Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong!"

"Coming!" Blake smiled. He knew exactly who would be looking for him at this time.