Grudge Gengar

Hu Yang did not know whether ghosts truly existed in the Pokémon world, but he did know that Pokémon with the "Ghost" type existed in this world.

Pokémon of this type usually came and went without a trace, living in the shadows of cities and within abandoned old houses and villas.

Because the temperature around places where they appeared would drop, and because they possessed the ability to inspire fear in people's hearts and transform into the likeness of deceased humans—

Their appearance often caused panic among humans.

Besides that, both the anime and games had the concept of the "Spirit World."

Legend had it that it was the kingdom of the dead and also the habitat of Ghost-type Pokémon. Dusknoir, the gatekeeper of the Spirit World, traveled between this life and the next, guiding wandering souls lingering in the human world inside.

Then could the culprit behind his nightmares these past two days be a Pokémon?

Cramorant had gone out for a stroll before he woke up, leaving only Hu Yang and Budew in the room.

They looked solemnly at the Orb that had appeared once more.

A Pokémon that could give people nightmares and lower the temperature...

Could it be Darkrai, the Nightmare Pokémon?

Or perhaps Litwick, which could absorb human life energy?

If it was the latter, would he fall asleep and never wake up again?!

"This is reality. Litwick might not be as harmless as it was portrayed in the anime..." Hu Yang thought calmly.

With that in mind, he quickly got out of bed. He only had one class today, so after breakfast, Hu Yang went to the library to look up relevant books.

The books said that most Ghost-type Pokémon were sinister and cunning, and some particularly vicious ones would even actively attack humans.

Cases of humans being injured or even losing their lives because of them were not uncommon.

After leaving the library, Hu Yang borrowed a camera from Erika, who liked taking photos of wild Pokémon, and placed it by his bedside.

Because of the Orb, both Hu Yang and Budew felt uneasy. They wandered around outside until evening, then before bed, they threw the Orb into the river behind the school together.

After taking a shower, Hu Yang fell into a deep sleep.

It was another restless night. Early the next morning, the Orb appeared again, just as he had expected.

Hu Yang was not too surprised. He took the camera to the living room and nervously checked the footage from last night with Budew.

"Caw?"

Cramorant stared foolishly at the scene, then copied the two of them and leaned its head over.

The recording began.

First came a faint crackle of electricity. The camera shook slightly, but it soon stabilized, and the image became clear.

It showed Hu Yang adjusting the camera. To find the culprit faster, he sped up the recording.

During that time, the full moon outside rose to the highest point in the night sky, its bright, pale moonlight streaming through the window and falling over the desk.

The hazy light drew a distinct dim boundary across the bedside and wooden floor.

One hour, two hours, three hours...

Then, a round, black shadow suddenly appeared on the screen.

Cramorant: "Caw?"

Budew: "Bude!"

The faint moonlight fell upon the shadow, finally allowing Hu Yang to see its face clearly.

It was a dark purple creature with a round body. Spike-like protrusions grew from its back, and its blood-red eyes were filled with something eerie.

Perhaps noticing the extra object in the room, it turned around and looked toward the camera.

Then an even more terrifying sight appeared.

The creature's mouth curled upward, revealing a sinister and frightening smile.

"Bude!" Budew no longer dared to look and hurriedly squeezed its eyes shut.

"Caw?" Cramorant still wore that blank, foolish expression.

Hu Yang: "..."

All right. He knew who had been giving him nightmares.

Gengar... Gastly's final evolution, a sinister and cunning Pokémon that loved pranks and teasing people.

But just then, he suddenly felt an icy breath brush across his neck.

Hu Yang's body stiffened. He turned his head and saw a pale face.

More importantly, that face belonged to none other than himself!

Although he already knew Gengar was behind it, the sudden scare still startled him. He fell onto the floor, his heart pounding wildly.

"Hehe!" Gengar let out a triumphant laugh.

After the stress response passed, Hu Yang's face was expressionless. "..."

Seeing that Hu Yang had not wet himself in fear like those people before, Gengar froze for a moment, then suddenly spoke in a human voice. "Aren't you afraid of me?"

It could talk? Hu Yang was somewhat surprised. No, that was not it. It was probably telepathy.

With a pop, Gengar returned to its original form, its round body floating in the air.

For a moment, Hu Yang did not know what to say. In his impression, Gengar was terrifying, but he had not expected a real Gengar to be not scary at all.

Its round body even looked a little cute and adorably silly.

After thinking it over, he decided to play along with this Gengar. "I'm so scared. Please don't hurt me."

Gengar finally looked satisfied. "Good. You should be afraid. But as long as you help me do three things, I won't eat you. I'll even tell you where a treasure is hidden."

At the same time, information about this Gengar appeared in Hu Yang's mind.

[Species: Grudge Gengar ♂]

Type: Ghost, Poison

Ability: Cursed Body

Base Stats: 520 (HP: 60, Attack: 65, Defense: 60, Special Attack: 150, Special Defense: 75, Speed: 110)

Known Moves: Hypnosis, Grudge, Mean Look, Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Dark Pulse, Hex, Nightmare

Current Mood: ???

Physical Condition: Spirit Form (A special state after dying with lingering obsession. Unlike ordinary Ghost-types, it cannot touch the real world, nor can it be touched.)

Friendship: 5 (It likes the way you treat Pokémon)]

Hu Yang suddenly realized something was off.

This Gengar's Special Attack was incredibly high!

Ordinary Gengar only had 130, but this one had reached 150!

Hu Yang recalled his earlier speculation. Could this Gengar, like the Giant Dragonite at Bill's Lighthouse, the Jigglypuff in the Ancient Ruins, and Ash's Greninja, have broken through the limits of its species for some special reason?

Seeing the human before it staring blankly at it, Gengar's face showed displeasure. It glared and asked, "Are you even listening to me?"

Hu Yang said, "Huh? I was listening. Go on—which three things?"

Why did this feel like Aladdin's magic lamp?

Thinking of that, Hu Yang looked at the Orb, only to suddenly discover that the information on it had changed along with Gengar's departure.

[Sealed Orb: An Orb passed down from ancient times, a mysterious object capable of sealing spirit bodies.]