"Calm down, Miss Cynthia."
Rei Akagi gently pressed a hand against her wrist, his voice steady.
It seemed Cynthia hadn't been the Sinnoh Champion for very long.
Her experience was still… lacking.
Looking at the Gastly ahead—laughing so hard its entire body trembled as if it might pass out—Rei Akagi sighed helplessly.
He completely ignored the powerful Ghost-type Pokémon surrounding them, each radiating an ominous thousand-year aura.
Walking straight through the terrifying encirclement, he approached Gastly.
He stopped.
Then, under Cynthia's incredulous gaze, he grabbed Gastly's soft, bouncy cheeks without ceremony and scolded it harshly:
"Had enough fun yet? Apologize to Miss Cynthia right now! Even pranks should have limits!"
"Gaaas! Gaaas! (Boss knows his mistake! Let go!)"
The mischievous grin instantly collapsed from Gastly's face, replaced with a pitiful, aggrieved expression. Its big eyes glared accusingly at Rei Akagi.
The moment Rei Akagi loosened his grip—
Gastly suddenly whipped its head forward.
A huge wet tongue went splat across Rei Akagi's face.
Mission accomplished!
╭(･ㅂ･)و
Rei Akagi wiped the sticky saliva off his face expressionlessly, a faint vein twitching at his temple.
Meanwhile, Gastly floated smugly over to the still-dazed Cynthia.
Under Garchomp's wary and confused gaze, Gastly widened its watery eyes and bowed politely toward her.
"Gaaas~ (Sorry~)"
"…It's alright."
Cynthia finally snapped out of the dramatic turn of events. Seeing Gastly's earnest attempt to act cute, she couldn't help but smile.
She reached out and gently rubbed the gaseous Pokémon's head.
With that touch, the terrifying Ghost-type Pokémon surrounding them gradually faded away until they disappeared entirely.
The massive ghost face.
The overwhelming encirclement.
All of it had been nothing more than a realistic illusion created by this mischievous Gastly.
Her curiosity only grew.
Turning toward Rei Akagi—who had just finished wiping his face—Cynthia stared at him with shining eyes.
"How… did you see through it?"
"That's just Gastly's usual prank—"
Before Rei Akagi could finish speaking, the freshly apologetic Gastly suddenly leapt into his arms and began licking his handsome face like crazy.
"Stop! Stop! It's all saliva! That's disgusting!"
Rei Akagi flailed helplessly while trying to push Gastly away.
"You were the one who led us in here, weren't you? Hurry up and send us back out!"
"Gaaas! Gaaas~ (Boss knows! I was just bored~)"
Cynthia ended up pushed aside by the chaotic interaction between the man and the ghost.
So it was just a prank…
But wait—
Why did you know it was a prank?
Why could you see through an illusion that even Garchomp instinctively treated as dangerous?
Why can you communicate with this Gastly so naturally?
At least explain it to me!
She had long suspected Rei Akagi had secrets.
But this was way too many secrets.
Ugh, I want to know so badly!
Cynthia puffed her cheeks slightly in frustration.
Still, watching Rei Akagi struggle miserably under Gastly's overly enthusiastic licking attack—barely managing to escape from the slobbery tongue—was simply too funny.
She finally burst out laughing.
Having licked to its heart's content, Gastly was now tucked under Rei Akagi's arm like a briefcase.
Not only was it not angry, it even looked arrogantly magnanimous, waving its tongue as if issuing a royal decree.
"Gaaas! (Boss pardons your disrespect! I shall now send you two away!)"
By the time they emerged from the Mausoleum of the First Emperor, the night had grown deep.
Cynthia needed to return to submit her report and data.
She lightly jumped onto Garchomp's broad back. Her golden hair fluttered slightly in the night wind as she waved goodbye.
"Then, Mr. Rei Akagi—until we meet again."
"Mm. See you."
Rei Akagi nodded, watching the shooting star fade into the distance.
At that moment, a system notification appeared.
"Assistant A Reminder: The mission 'Help a New Trainer Overcome Their Difficulty' has been completed!"
Rewards:
• 100 Battle Points
• Moon Ball ×1 (sent to Storage Space)
With a thought from Rei Akagi, a Moon Ball appeared in his palm.
Soft silver light shimmered across its surface under the moonlight, adding to its mysterious aura.
He stared at it for a moment.
Then the corners of his mouth curled into a meaningful smile.
Suddenly, he spoke toward the empty street corner illuminated only by dim yellow streetlights.
"So… how long are you planning to keep hiding?"
As soon as the words fell, a chill crept up his spine.
The lamplight twisted strangely, stretching unnaturally.
A massive semi-transparent purple ghost head seeped out from the shadows.
Its enormous mouth spread open, revealing sharp fangs as it roared:
"Gaaa—ss! (I—am destiny itself!)"
(＞д＜)
Looking at the ghost trying so hard to appear terrifying yet failing to hide its playful nature, Rei Akagi laughed.
He reached out and curiously rubbed the big gaseous head.
Cold… slightly elastic…
Unexpectedly nice to the touch.
"You and those Ghost-type Pokémon in the distortion world… you're probably the guardians of the Ancient King's Tomb, right?"
Rei Akagi spoke gently, guiding the conversation.
"Are you sure it's okay for you to sneak out and follow me?"
"Gaaas? (Guardians?)"
Gastly tilted its big head, looking confused.
Then it shook its head vigorously.
"Gaaas~ (I don't know~)"
"What about that jade coffin then?"
Rei Akagi deliberately put on a stern expression, as if he had already seen through everything.
"You opened it, didn't you?"
"G-Gaaas~ (N-No I didn't~)"
Gastly's eyes shifted guiltily to the side.
"Gaaas! (It really wasn't me!)"
The smile in Rei Akagi's eyes deepened.
Of course Gastly hadn't opened the coffin.
To open that jade coffin was far beyond what this Gastly could currently do.
He had already realized that this Gastly had only recently been born.
Compared to the thousand-year-old ghosts inside the distortion world, it was still far too young—and far too weak.
But that very immaturity…
Combined with its inexplicable confidence and rather unique "character"…
Made it incredibly interesting.
Such a confident—and oddly cultured—Gastly.
And so cute, too.
Perfect.
Rei Akagi held up the Moon Ball toward it.
"So what do you think? Interested in becoming part of my family?"
"Food and lodging included."
"Gaaas? (Family?)"
Gastly froze, apparently processing the concept.
Moments later, its eyes curved into crescents as its huge mouth stretched into an exaggerated grin.
It began floating excitedly in circles through the air.
"Gaaas? Gaaas! Gaaas! (You wish to become My Boss? Very well! I appoint you as My Boss!)"
"Then from now on," Rei Akagi said with a laugh, "we're family."
Suddenly, his expression turned serious.
His arm swung forward, hurling the Moon Ball straight at Gastly.
"By divine decree—evil spirit, surrender at once!"
Caught off guard by the sudden shout, Gastly froze.
The Moon Ball struck it instantly, transforming the Pokémon into a streak of light that vanished into the ball.
The Moon Ball shook once in midair.
Ding!
A few stars sparkled as it fell back into Rei Akagi's hand.
Critical capture!
"Gastly—Get☆Daze!"
Rei Akagi shouted the classic line instinctively.
Then he noticed the strange looks from a few nearby pedestrians.
He immediately stopped talking, clipped the Moon Ball to his belt, and hurried away from the scene of the crime.