The Overlord · Gengar

The Ghost-type Pokémon that had not been caught in Precipice Blade's range couldn't help backing away several steps at the sight.

Hu Yang was stunned too. That power was way too terrifying, wasn't it?!

If it were used in a city, he couldn't even imagine the consequences!

Looking at the huge cracks left behind by Precipice Blade's explosion, he felt something strange.

Did Cramorant only act when he sacrificed himself in battle?

"Are you alright?" Gengar's anxious voice came from beside him.

Seeing that it was still there, Hu Yang immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Where did you go just now?"

Gengar looked at the Ghost-type Pokémon in the distance and said angrily, "I was by your side the whole time. They blocked my power, so you couldn't see me."

Hu Yang recalled Roserade into its Poké Ball. "You've worked hard."

After putting away the Poké Ball, he looked toward the Pokémon around them.

Clearly, this was not over yet.

Even after what had just happened, the Ghost-type Pokémon still refused to leave. They floated in midair, watching from afar.

But at that moment, something changed. The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped sharply, and an icy, terrifying presence spread through the area.

The Litwick became visibly restless the moment they sensed that presence.

They wanted to flee, but before they could move, a powerful force pinned them in place.

Then, a huge figure emerged from the darkness, its cold gaze fixed on the controlled Litwick.

Meanwhile, they stood where they were, completely unharmed.

Hu Yang froze at the sight.

That Pokémon was...

He couldn't help using Appraisal on it.

[Species: Totem Gengar ♂]

Type: Ghost, Poison

Ability: Cursed Body

Base Stats: 500 (HP: 60, Attack: 65, Defense: 60, Special Attack: 130, Special Defense: 75, Speed: 110)

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

Special Ability: Totem Aura (Within the aura, it has a certain suppressive effect on Pokémon of the same type)

Current Mood: Angry

Physical Condition: Perfect

Friendship: 0

Totem Pokémon... weren't those a special phenomenon found only in Alola?

Totem Pokémon were powerful Pokémon that appeared at the end of the Island Challenge trials.

Compared to ordinary Pokémon of the same species, they were much larger and covered in a special aura.

When battling them, they would call upon their partners for support.

For example, Totem Lurantis could call Castform to use Sunny Day, coordinating with moves like Synthesis or abilities such as Leaf Guard.

But in the games, aside from their larger bodies, Pokémon of this type were no different from ordinary Pokémon of the same species.

They also did not gain increased base stats, change types, or alter their abilities like Mega Evolution did.

However...

Judging from this Gengar, Totem Aura seemed to have a certain suppressive effect on Pokémon of the same type?

Hu Yang had no idea what Totem Gengar had done, nor had he seen it do anything.

With only a glance and a burst of pressure, the Litwick vanished into the air.

Totem Gengar turned around, its gaze passing over Hu Yang and Cramorant one by one. When it saw Gengar, it paused.

Just as Hu Yang thought it was about to attack, Totem Gengar suddenly spoke.

"I'm sorry. The humans who were captured are already safe."

Hu Yang and Gengar stood frozen in place.

Cramorant paid it no mind, using its beak to preen the feathers on its wings. After using Precipice Blade, it had returned to its usual dazed state.

"I think we need an explanation," Hu Yang said calmly.

Totem Gengar sighed and closed its eyes. When it opened them again, Hu Yang and Cramorant were standing before a Mansion filled with a dangerous aura.

The Mansion doors stood wide open. From outside, Hu Yang could see sinister and terrifying Ghost-type Pokémon floating inside, glaring at him with hatred.

Totem Gengar glanced in that direction, and the doors immediately slammed shut, trapping those Pokémon inside.

"As you can see, I have suppressed them here," it explained. "Yesterday, they worked together to put me to sleep with their moves, then secretly escaped."

After saying that, Totem Gengar looked up at the sky and fell silent for a moment. "This place is dangerous. It is not somewhere humans should be. You should leave."

Hu Yang said nothing. Totem Gengar glanced at him and sent him away.

When Hu Yang opened his eyes again, he found himself back where he had vanished earlier.

Officer Jenny, the schoolteachers, and the three missing children were all there.

"Is everyone alright?" Officer Jenny rose from the ground while clutching her head, diligently checking the situation.

"What happened?" Someone slowly regained consciousness. Aside from looking somewhat pale, they seemed unharmed.

"I think... I saw blue candlelight..." Others tried to recall what had happened.

After counting everyone, Officer Jenny let out a slight sigh of relief. She frowned toward the depths of the forest. "Everyone, let's head back first!"

Naturally, no one objected. But on the way back, someone discovered a massive crack in the ground stretching over a hundred meters and exclaimed, "What... caused this?"

"It's still giving off heat. It seems to have formed not long ago." Officer Jenny cautiously stepped forward to inspect it and found some molten energy still inside, not yet solidified.

"So what happened just now?!" Everyone was completely baffled.

To them, they had merely gotten lost, then encountered a group of frightening Ghost-type Pokémon. Before long, they had returned here, and those Ghost-type Pokémon had vanished right in front of them.

Hearing that, Hu Yang rubbed his nose while standing among the crowd.

He had already recalled Cramorant into its Poké Ball, leaving only Gengar outside.

Gengar had heard that person too. It had also seen Cramorant use Precipice Blade, and it asked in horror, "What was up with that stupid bird?!"

It had always thought that thing was just an idiot obsessed with catching fish all day!

Hu Yang said, "..."

He didn't know how to answer either, but aside from Gengar, no one else had seen that scene.

"I raised it. Pretty impressive, right?" Hu Yang bragged.

Gengar now felt incredibly fortunate that it had lost the ability to use moves back then. Otherwise, it would have been the one lying on the ground, wouldn't it?

Thinking of that, Gengar felt a lingering sense of fear. But driven by its instinctive longing for power, it couldn't help looking at Hu Yang.

Was this the ability of a human Trainer who could make Pokémon stronger?

It was so terrifying that even a Ghost could hardly stop itself from gasping!

This disappearance incident came to an end. Although no one knew who had saved them, one thing was certain: that crack was the battle scar left behind by the person who had rescued them!

After returning to the police station, Officer Jenny and the others immediately wrote up the incident as an emergency report and submitted it to the Pokémon League.

Hu Yang also received thanks from Officer Jenny and the students' parents.

After returning to school, he immediately buried himself in the library, researching the history of Petalburg Woods.

Although the situation had been resolved, it had left behind several major questions.

For example, who had built the Mansion, and why had Totem Gengar imprisoned those Pokémon there?

There were no related records of any of this in the games.

More importantly, those Ghost-type Pokémon had broken through Gengar's defenses this time and nearly caused such great harm to humans. What about next time?

If Cramorant had not been there this time, how many people would have gone missing? He truly couldn't imagine it.

Thinking of this, Hu Yang turned his gaze toward Cramorant, which was dozing beside him.

After these two incidents, he had roughly figured out how to make Cramorant act—by putting himself in danger.

Hu Yang's feelings were complicated.

Earlier, he had asked Gengar to try communicating with Cramorant through Telepathy.

But according to Gengar, aside from a muddled mess, the only thoughts it sensed in Cramorant's mind were, "Bring food to Hu Yang," and, "Protect Hu Yang well."

To be honest, he had never particularly liked obscure Pokémon like Cramorant. He had modified it in the first place only because shiny Cramorant's colors looked a little like Ho-Oh.

Hu Yang had never imagined that, as a grown man, someone else could protect him.

But now, he had no choice but to admit that he was truly moved.

Even after becoming an idiot and forgetting everything, it still had not forgotten to protect its Trainer.

Was this what Pokémon were like?

"You've protected me very well." Hu Yang pulled Cramorant into his arms and gently scratched beneath its chin.

"Caw?" The dozing Cramorant was woken up and looked around its surroundings blankly.

The Hoenn League placed great importance on major incidents caused by wild Pokémon in various regions.

Therefore, on the very day it received the report from the Petalburg City police station, it immediately dispatched people to investigate the mysterious incident.

"Ghost-type Pokémon that suddenly appeared in the forest?"

On the passenger ship heading to Petalburg City, Ghost-type Elite Four member Pheobe narrowed her eyes at the words "disappearance," "mysterious crack in the earth," "fierce battle," and "may happen again" in the report.

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