"Brother Chen Shi, what's the outside world like?"
"It's pretty much the same as here, except there's a sun during the day and a moon at night."
"Oh! Brother Chen Shi, what does the sun look like? What does the moon look like?"
"You'll find out when you go out and see them yourself."
"Then, Brother Chen Shi, is it really as dangerous outside as Grandpa and Grandma say?"
"Yeah. It's a world that eats people alive."
"Huh?" Pheobe paled in shock. "The outside world actually eats people?"
"Why doesn't it eat food?"
The corner of Chen Shi's mouth twitched. His head was starting to hurt.
Ever since they had left the elderly couple, this little girl hadn't stopped chattering.
What else could he do?
He could only answer her endless questions as they traveled.
"Brother Chen Shi, is everyone outside as strong as you?"
"Also, what was that green-and-yellow Pokémon you had earlier?
"I felt like it was a Ghost-type Pokémon, but I've never seen one before."
Chen Shi answered absentmindedly, "Everyone outside is stronger than me, so you'd better be careful."
"That Pokémon is called Drakloak. It's a Dragon- and Ghost-type."
"Wow!" Stars instantly sparkled in Pheobe's eyes.
"A Dragon- and Ghost-type Pokémon! That's amazing!"
"I've decided! Once I go outside, I'm going to catch a Drakloak too."
Pheobe clenched her little fist and punched the air.
Dusknoir had already told her that Pokémon was powerful. She hadn't expected it to be a Dragon- and Ghost-type as well.
For Pheobe, who had loved all kinds of Ghost Pokémon since childhood, that made it utterly irresistible.
Then she took Chen Shi's hand and shook it.
"Brother Chen Shi, could you let me see Drakloak again?"
Chen Shi pressed a hand to his forehead and said helplessly, "Pheobe, how about we get home first?"
"You can look all you want once we're home, okay?"
In just this short time, he had already begun to regret his decision a little.
He could only hope to get home quickly and hand this little girl over to his grandparents, letting them deal with the headache.
"No, no! I want to see it now!" Pheobe refused to give in, swinging his hand wildly.
Chen Shi thought for a moment, then an unreadable smile appeared on his face.
"Pheobe, I'm going to teach you something today."
"Never trust someone casually when you're out in the world, or you'll pay dearly for it."
"Like this!"
"Gengar!"
"Hehehehehe!"
"Gengar!"
Gengar suddenly emerged from Chen Shi's shadow and hit Pheobe with Hypnosis right before her incredulous eyes.
Gengar had been with him for over ten years. Although Gengar was his grandmother's Pokémon, they had developed enough of an understanding that Gengar naturally knew what he meant.
Besides, Gengar was getting a little annoyed with this girl too. She had been chattering nonstop the whole way.
Even a ghost was getting a headache from the noise.
Pheobe's Dusknoir appeared and caught her before she could fall, then gave Chen Shi a puzzled look.
He explained, "Don't worry. I'm just letting her quiet down for a bit."
"Carry her and follow me."
Dusknoir hesitated, but then reasoned that someone the elderly couple trusted should be all right.
After that, Dusknoir carried Pheobe and followed Chen Shi down the mountain.
That evening, Chen Shi returned home with a Dusknoir following behind him, carrying Pheobe.
Yes, she still hadn't woken up. Who knew how much power Gengar had put into that move?
Even after spending so long flying at high speed on Salamence's back, she was still asleep.
Still, that was fine. At least it was quiet.
But once he stepped inside, Grandpa Chen pointed at Pheobe and asked in confusion.
"Isn't this my old friend's granddaughter?"
"What's going on? Why did you bring her back in someone's arms?"
"Did something happen on the way?"
Chen Shi felt a little embarrassed, then said with a perfectly straight face, "She said she was sleepy on the way here, so I let her fall asleep."
"I didn't expect her to still be asleep now."
"She sure can sleep, huh?"
Dusknoir stared at Chen Shi in disbelief.
Weren't you the one who told Gengar to use Hypnosis on her?
How did it suddenly become her wanting to fall asleep?
As innocent as Pheobe, Dusknoir had never encountered anyone so shameless.
For a moment, Dusknoir froze on the spot.
The corner of Grandpa Chen's eye twitched at his grandson's explanation. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" he snapped.
"Hurry up and put her down. What kind of behavior is this?"
Chen Shi quickly beckoned Dusknoir over to lay Pheobe on the sofa, and even thoughtfully covered her with a small blanket.
Then he sat sheepishly in front of his grandparents.
"Well? Did you see my old friend?"
"Is he in good health?"
Chen Shi immediately answered, "He looked fine to me. Both of those elders were doing well."
"But there's a problem with this little girl." Chen Shi pointed at Pheobe on the sofa.
"She's never been outside before. She's spent her whole life in that little world, so she's a bit too innocent."
"The two elders wanted her to stay with us for a while."
"Then you two can teach her a few things before letting her go out, see the world, and learn a few lessons the hard way."
Grandpa Chen slowly nodded. "I understand."
"We'll get a room ready upstairs in a bit and let her stay here."
Grandma Chen sighed. "Looks like those two old folks have learned their lesson too."
"Now they can even say they want their granddaughter to suffer a few setbacks."
Chen Shi didn't understand, but he didn't ask.
Judging by what Pheobe's grandfather had left unfinished earlier, something had clearly happened to their son.
There was no need to pry into something like that. Knowing was enough.
Grandpa Chen smiled bitterly. "We're hardly in a position to laugh at them."
"We're all the same."
Grandma Chen's eyes dimmed. The loss of her son and daughter-in-law was a pain she would carry for the rest of her life.
Chen Shi immediately fell silent.
He had never asked about his parents.
He knew it hurt his grandparents too, so he had always been considerate enough not to bring it up.
Then Chen Shi changed the subject. "Grandpa, Grandma, why is there such a strange world inside Mt. Pyre?"
"What exactly is that place?"
Grandpa Chen emerged from his memories and answered his grandson's question. "That's a small Mystery Realm."
"You've been inside, so you should have noticed how much it resembles the real world."
"That place is a small Mystery Realm."
"As for how these Mystery Realms form, nobody knows. We only know they've existed since ancient times."
"New Mystery Realms are still being discovered today, and most are under the League's control."
At this point, Grandpa Chen paused, then continued.
"Most Mystery Realms are rich in resources and dense with energy. All sorts of rare Pokémon might live inside them too."
"My old friend calls the one you visited the Ghost Mystery Realm."
"As the name suggests, the Ghost-type energy inside is extremely dense. It's a paradise for Ghost-type Pokémon."
"The Stone family also controls a Steel Mystery Realm. It contains all kinds of mineral veins, as well as colonies of Metagross and Aggron."
After hearing his grandfather's explanation, Chen Shi finally understood what was going on.
So such wondrous places existed in this world, and he had never even known about them.
It seemed he couldn't view this world entirely through the memories of his previous life.
Sylveon
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