Pokémon, but cultural invasion

Gastly is the true culinary tycoon of the horror food world!

"The scent of fear emanating from this little stone is fading more and more..."

Gastly exhaled a breath of fear with dissatisfaction; it was always picky about the freshness of its ingredients.

"Fine, let me help you."

Gastly activates "Dream Eater" to enter a human's dream and then use illusions to scare them.

Because humans can express their emotions more directly and thoroughly in their dreams, this trick always works, especially the moment when you sit up in the middle of the night after waking up in a fright – it's an incredibly satisfying experience.

At the same time, Gastly was also very curious about what had happened in the dream that could frighten Little Stone like this.

It grinned maliciously and burrowed into the little meteorite's dream.

A short while later, Gastly scrambled out, covered in sweat.

"I'm going to die!"

Gastly howled mournfully as it reached out and groped its body, trying to close the horrible wound.

After a while, it was discovered that it had no hands and no wounds.

"Phew, I'm so angry! That kid Quanshu is playing dirty tricks!"

Gastly felt a chill run down its spine; anything connected to this kid was no simple matter.

Chapter 170 Life Is Not Worth Living

During the two weeks that the torrential rains subsided, Izumi began shuttling between the welfare home and Golden City.

Even though the filming of Ultraman Tiga, which began in early summer, was delayed for a while due to bad weather, it is now nearing its end.

All that remained was to upload the finished product to local television stations, and the Tingxiang production team gradually shifted their focus to "Hachiko: A Dog's Tale".

After the movie title was announced, the crew members spontaneously named the character "Hachiko" after the real-life inspiration for the film – the elderly Gyro Dog.

After a day's work, Guangtai suddenly said to Quanshu, "Ache has been quite impatient lately during filming."

"Oh, him..."

Quanshu recalled Ache's behavior after the crew resumed work. His temper was indeed worse than before the rainstorm, and he would occasionally get so angry that he would jump around on the chair.

"That's because of Hei Kui. Several times we had to reshoot scenes because of her, and she even talked back to A-Che when he asked for help. I'll talk to her about it when we get back."

Even when it transforms into human form, Gastly's true nature is hard to change.

Mischievousness and pranks are Gastly's nature; expecting it to obediently follow orders is simply a pipe dream.

"That's one aspect, but there are actually deeper reasons."

Guangtai sighed: "Didn't the crew move the Arcanine to the orphanage before the rainstorm?"

"Ache took it to the Pokémon Center for a check-up, and Nurse Joy said that Arcanine probably wouldn't survive the winter."

"I think A-Che hopes to release the movie before winter ends."

Quanshu paused for a moment, then said, "Growlithe died of old age?"

"I guess so, after all, it's too old."

Guangtai was a little sad: "Years of exposure to the wind and sun, coupled with malnutrition, and his refusal to comply with Miss Joey's treatment, led him to escape through the window on the second night of his hospitalization and return to the flower bed at the station."

"Death is probably a relief for it."

Quanshu muttered, "No wonder A-Che has been keeping a straight face and rarely smiles these days. It turns out he's holding back some anger."

After spending so much time joking around with him, Quanshu almost forgot that he was originally a very kind person.

They were moved by the elderly couple disguised as Team Rocket members and went against their principles to photograph Ash's Pikachu.

Upon realizing he had been scammed, he immediately turned against the Rockets.

"Since A-Che is determined to make a good movie, we have to work even harder."

Guangtai nodded in agreement: "I'll go talk to those actors who often fail to meet the standards tomorrow. Ah Che's requirements are too high, and they might be resentful."

"sorry to bother you."

Quanshu wasn't too worried about that.

Firstly, the recruitment process in Tingxiang already included a round of screening, and those with weak stress resistance or dark personalities were eliminated long ago.

Secondly, everyone has a heart, and Quanshu had told the insiders about the real-life story before filming.

Anyone who has ever been to see an elderly Growlithe who is dedicated to his trainer would find it hard not to be moved.

The decision to move the speed dog before the rainstorm was also a suggestion made spontaneously by some employees.

However, to prevent anyone from disturbing the peace of Gyrocopter after the movie's release, Izumi also restricted his employees from revealing the story's prototype.

It is too old to be disturbed.

...

"Where are you taking me, kid? Aren't you just taking me back to the orphanage?"

Gastly kicked at a pebble by the roadside and said, "I admit that the filming these past few days has been subpar, but I also have to blame that kid for being too demanding."

"Who can understand the melancholy in his eyes? I've never been melancholy in my life..."

Izumi brought Gastly to the maglev train station in the South District and said, "Aren't you curious about the movie's inspiration?"

"cut!"

Gastly sneered, "Most Pokémon have lifespans as short as humans, and Ghost-type Pokémon are no exception. I'm a complete anomaly."

"I'm not interested in stories about Pokémon that only live for a little over a hundred years."

It said that, but when Gastly saw Arcanine on the flower bed, it fell silent.

Ghost-type Pokémon have no concept of aging; they cannot imagine that a Pokémon could decay to this extent.

Dry fur, cloudy eyes...

Izumi placed a large jug of easily digestible, nutritious milk in front of Arcanine, which sniffed before lowering its head to lick it.

The five senses are deteriorating, and the limbs are not functioning properly.

Gastly shuddered, a chill running down its spine: "I absolutely do not want to become this kind of monster. I'd rather go back to the spirit world."

"Come on, dying of old age is the best ending for any living being."

The spring tree interrupted its rude remarks.

If you lived for two thousand years like Gastly, with your partner, family, friends, and acquaintances all leaving you one by one, leaving you all alone in the end, that would be truly tragic.

Aging is inevitable.

Looking at the rotting Arcanine, even the most professional Nurse Joy couldn't do anything about it. Perhaps only Xerneas, who controls life, could bring it back to life.

Ho-Oh seems to be able to do that too; it revived three unknown Pokémon that had died. It's unclear whether this counts as overstepping its bounds.

"Strange, this guy doesn't seem to have any fear of death."

Gastly paced back and forth, observing Arcanine, who was drowsy after drinking its milk. Arcanine's gaze remained fixed on the station exit.

Instead of fear, the surrounding atmosphere was filled with a strong sense of hope.

Gastly, completely disregarding the lesson learned from Little Meteor, was once again driven by curiosity. After Arcanine became sleepy, it darted into the dream to spy on the past.

"Hey!"

Quanshu felt a headache coming on, and he was about to walk over.

Before long, Gastly emerged from the dream with a droopy face.

"Anything gained?"

It shook its head and said, "Life is not worth living."

Quanshu seemed to see deep sorrow and resentment on a dark purple face.

On the train back to the orphanage, Gastly looked worried and hesitated for a long time, but Izumi didn't ask it a question.

It couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Is it worth sacrificing the rest of my life for ten years of companionship?"

"You seem to have some insight into this."

Gastly sighed, "Those who can't wait will never wait, whether it's Pokémon or humans."

Its trainer from two thousand years ago never saw his lover return, and Arcanine has yet to see its original trainer again.

Waiting is a foolish thing.

Gastly shook its head and said, "Human life and Pokémon life are meaningless. They are destined to die from the moment they are born. Even if they form deep bonds, they will eventually part ways."

"Existences like me who can remember for thousands of years are extremely rare."

At this point, it looked at Quanshu and asked, "Aren't you afraid, kid?"

"What are you afraid of?"

Gastly replied matter-of-factly, "Aren't death and separation what you humans fear most?"

"I'm not afraid, because I came here to meet all kinds of people and all kinds of Pokémon."

Quanshu smiled and said, "Meeting and colliding to create brilliance is the main theme of life. As for parting and death, let them wait until later."

"Encounter..."

Gastly seemed to be deep in thought.

Izumi Tree was also unsure of its views on Arcanine and death.

All that is known is that after that day, Hei Kui was no longer scolded by A Che for her carefree attitude on set.

Chapter 171 Filming Techniques That Will Go Down in History

At the South Maglev Station, pedestrians couldn't help but turn their heads.

A large group of Pokémon of Grass, Electric, Fire, Water, Ice, and Flying types stood in six square formations.

The extras, dressed in costumes for all four seasons, are ready to go.

"One take, action!"

At A-Che's command, the camera started.

The second actor from Officer Jenny's family—a young Growlithe—lay on the flowerbed, surrounded by multiple cameras, yet showed no fear, his expression completely natural.

"spring!"

Grass-type Pokémon's "Petal Dance" floated quietly past the camera, while "Magic Leaf" perfectly mimicked the tender buds on the tree branches.

Pedestrians wearing hoodies and cotton vests strolled by leisurely, with couples leading their half-human-sized children.

"summer!"

A group of Fire-type Pokémon unleashed "Sunny Day," as if lifting up a blazing sun to illuminate the streets.

Passersby dressed in light clothing wore straw hats and sunglasses, while children ran by holding ice cream.

The next moment, the "rainmaking" was activated.

A torrential downpour ensued, and office workers hurried past, briefcases held high above their heads.

A mischievous child in a raincoat splashed through the puddles, but was startled by a sudden clap of thunder and lightning and ran away.

"Autumn!"

Several lush trees along the street turned fiery red in an instant, and the wind whipped up by the Flying-type Pokémon caused the acorns that had been prepared in advance to fall to the ground.

The streets were covered with fallen leaves, and pedestrians in long sleeves were enjoying themselves. Vendors pushed mobile carts to sell all kinds of pastries.

"winter!"

The "snow scene" brings the harshness of winter, with heavy snow covering fallen leaves, the "magic leaves" are put away, and the trees are left with only bare trunks.

People wrapped in cotton-padded coats and trench coats walked with their heads hunched and their hands in their pockets, their steps unsteady.

The cold, white streets were deathly silent.