Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

"Mengmeng" tugged at Xiaozhi's sleeve and whispered, "The 'real' activities only begin after the temple fair ends."

"Although the leader is playful, he is also very trustworthy and likes young people with potential."

"Having been taught by the leader... if we are willing to make contact with trainers, we can also go out with humans to see the world."

"Because there is a leader in charge to keep things in check."

"As far as humans are concerned, there is absolutely no need to worry about being pranked too far or encountering danger!"

"We don't need to worry about being hit because of a bad reputation."

"This is considered an annual tradition here!"

Mengmeng was a little excited after she finished speaking.

Ash, Misty, and Brock exchanged glances, all seeing the interest and eagerness in each other's eyes.

The opportunity to interact with wild Ghost-type Pokémon in a safe environment and even gain their approval is undoubtedly extremely attractive to trainers.

The three of them no longer hesitated.

Follow "Mengmeng" towards the shrine that appears even more secluded and mysterious in the night.

Chapter 84 The True Forms of the Ghostly Girls

Once all the invited trainers had gathered in the open space behind the ancient shrine, an indescribable change quietly occurred.

It was as if an invisible membrane had been punctured.

The surrounding buildings, appearing brand new and bustling under the temple fair lights:

Those stalls adorned with colorful flags, food stalls wafting with fragrant aromas, lanterns glowing with warm light... are beginning to "age" at a visible rate.

It's not true decay, but rather like a faded painting, where the bright colors quickly dim and peel away, revealing the mottled wood and real moss on the stone steps that have accumulated over the years.

The clamor of voices vanished abruptly, like a cassette tape being cut, leaving only the mournful sound of the night wind blowing through the ancient eaves and the somber echo of the distant waves crashing on the shore.

In reality, this temple fair, which was so lively it was almost unreasonable, had many extras created by Gastly's Spectrum.

Unfortunately, this isn't a large, densely populated city.

The journey here was quite troublesome.

When Ash and his friends came here, they took a cruise ship.

The Pokémon world itself is relatively vast and sparsely populated.

But that's not the most eye-catching thing.

What's even more unsettling are the "young girls" who used to surround them, smiling and pointing.

Their figures, like reflections in water tossed with pebbles, began to twist and sway violently, becoming blurry and unstable.

Colors dissolved, forms collapsed, and finally, amidst a subtle, sigh-like energy fluctuation, the true form was revealed—

A huge horde of all sorts of Ghost-type Pokémon, each with its own unique appearance!!!

The most numerous were clusters of Gastly, floating aimlessly with wicked smiles.

They made snickering noises, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing in the air.

Many of the Night Patrol Spirits, resembling figures wearing white clown hats, silently observed the crowd with their single eye, creating an invisible pressure.

There are also round, adorable-looking floating balls that drift slowly like balloons.

Among them were also some even rarer figures:

Wearing a terracotta mask, the crying mask appears melancholic and mysterious.

It's like a little wood spirit that came out of an ancient forest.

And pumpkin spirits with wide, goosebump-like mouths and expressions that are either comical or eerie.

There were even a few shadow dolls that looked like black cloths, and a few dream monsters that could make crisp laughter and whose hair danced like living things.

Ash's keen eyes spotted a Lidgment lurking in the corner.

A ghostly blue flame flickered above his head, a flame that seemed to draw in one's soul, carrying an aura of both innocence and danger.

...This must be the most dangerous of all the Ghost-type Pokémon present.

Whether it's a Shadow Doll or a Dream Demon, they mainly rely on absorbing negative emotions such as fear and jealousy from humans to increase their power.

Pumpkin spirit, floating ball, night patrol spirit, and crying mask are all harmless... Besides liking to wander around, they prefer to be aloof.

The more troublesome one is the little wood spirit, which lives in forests that humans don't approach and wanders in the forest looking for companions. It cries out in a strange sound, similar to the mournful cry of a human child, leading adults into the depths of the forest, where they lose their way and become its companions.

As for Gastly?

In fact, most Gastly are of very low harm.

Gastly typically feeds on poison gas, poison fumes, and so on, and doesn't even require negative human emotions.

But Candlelight is different.

Lidlight truly lives by absorbing the life force of people and Pokémon.

The candlelight burning above his head kept his body slightly warm.

Its flames are usually extinguished, but they will shine brightly when it absorbs the life force of a person or Pokémon.

The younger the soul absorbed, the brighter and more eerie the candlelight above one's head will burn.

It will take the hands of lost children and lead them to the spirit world.

...Besides the misdeeds of Misdreavus, Spectraldo, Gastly, and other prank-related Pokémon, Ghost-type Pokémon also have a bad reputation.

There are also candle spirits and crystal chandelier spirits... these are genuine evil spirits.

It's worth noting that these Ghost-type Pokémon seem to be mostly in their unevolved forms.

We did not see the final evolutions of powerful Gengar, Chandelure, or Dusknoir.

This sudden revelation made the trainers, who had been expecting something, instinctively tense up.

When faced with the unknown and non-human forms, an instinctive sense of vigilance quietly arises in humans, and a silence mixed with excitement and unease permeates the air.

These Ghost-type Pokémon don't care what humans think.

They began circling around the group of trainers, making all sorts of strange noises and shrieks.

Gastly's quacking laugh.

The dream demon's clear, bell-like laughter.

The float ball hissed as if it were leaking air.

And there were also the low sobs of the crying mask...

The various wailing and howling sounds intertwined to form a bizarre "nocturne".

Even knowing that these Ghost-type Pokémon are harmless, it still feels extremely terrifying.

To become a Ghost-type Pokémon trainer, you definitely need strong mental fortitude.

"Relax," Xiao Gang's deep and calm voice sounded from the side.

He had somehow appeared beside Ash and Misty, arms crossed, calmly observing his surroundings. "During this process, the Gastly usually doesn't step in to preside."

Xiao Gang explained, "It all depends on the kids' own interests and what they find appealing."

"They will observe and select on their own, or simply play out of curiosity."

"Sometimes, a particular trainer will be very interested in a certain trainer and be willing to leave with him to see the outside world."

"But more often than not, they might wander around for a long time without making a decision."

"This is all normal. There's no need to force it, and you can't force it anyway."

"Anyway, we mainly came here to participate in the temple fair; this was just a pleasant surprise," Xiao Gang said to the crowd.

Ghost-type and Psychic-type Pokémon are the most troublesome types.

They are all too autonomous.

It is said that some Pokémon trainers, even if they are not strong enough, still insist on catching Ghost-type and Psychic-type Pokémon.

...These trainers, lacking self-awareness, are instead manipulated by Pokémon.

The most typical example is the King Squid.

Squid King is a Pokémon with a Psychic/Dark type combination.

According to research data from the Pokémon League, many major historical events are related to Squid King.

Is it like an evil villain from the Pokémon faction?

In short, this is one way to understand it.

Xiao Gang's words were like a reassuring pill, allowing the trainers around him, who were clearly tense, to relax a little.

Xiaoxia took a deep breath, trying to suppress the creepy feeling in her heart, and curiously looked at the dream monster that floated in front of her, tilting its "head" as if observing her.

Honestly, among these Ghost-type Pokémon, Misdreavus has the highest appearance value; it looks quite cute.

Ash felt a Gastly fly almost past his cheek, leaving behind a chilling aura and a mischievous quacking laugh.

The Pikachu on his shoulder gave a wary "Pika!" and its cheeks flashed with electricity—a subconscious reaction.

The act of choosing and being chosen quietly began at this shrine, shrouded in a light mist.

Chapter 85 Suddenly Discovering Ghosts Without Rock Attributes

The night is getting darker.

No results were achieved.

That's normal, after all, it's only the first day.

To be able to click on the very first day, that's an incredible compatibility.

The sea breeze dispersed the last wisp of mist in front of the shrine, and also extinguished the secret anticipation in the trainers' hearts.

Looks like there's no hope today.

After some curiosity, scrutiny, or simply playful frolicking, the various Ghost-type Pokémon that floated and swam around among the trainers did not find one that particularly appealed to them.

Unlike the conventional approach where trainers defeat Pokémon, capture them, and then cultivate a bond between the trainer and the Pokémon, this method involves trainers defeating Pokémon to capture them and then developing a synergy between the trainer and the Pokémon.

The Ghost-type Pokémon here really have powerful backers, so don't even think about defeating them and capturing them.

Instead of thinking about using force, you should think about how to use your eloquence like Xiaogang.

Who knows, you might just find yourself talking to someone along the way?

A dream demon circled Xiaoxia one last time, emitting a clear, ethereal laugh like the tinkling of bells, before suddenly rising and disappearing into the deep night.

Several Gastlys collided with each other, emitting eerie "quack-quack" laughs, and silently disappeared behind the shadow of the ancient torii gate of the shrine, like the receding tide.

The eerie blue flame atop the Candle Spirit's head flickered slightly, as if giving the crowd one last look, before vanishing silently into the corner like a candle extinguished by the wind.

soon.

The once somewhat "lively" open space was now filled only with trainers looking at each other in bewilderment.

The lingering chill and subtle energy fluctuations in the air are the only proof that they once existed.

An atmosphere mixed with a faint sense of loss and understanding permeated the air.

Everyone came with some hope, but they also understood that the connection with Ghost-type Pokémon cannot be forced.

Why did we come here?

Because we can confirm that the Ghost-type Pokémon here are friendly towards humans!

At least in the early stages, they were close to humans.

As for whether trainers can maintain their personality after being with Ghost-type Pokémon, instead of letting their nature take over... that depends on their individual abilities.

This is a good start.

It's much better than catching a Ghost-type Pokémon randomly in the wild... taming one is not easy.

Ghost-type Pokémon are inherently uncontrollable.

The reason why the Ghost-type Pokémon here are controllable is because they were taught by Gastly.

Don't look down on this old devil just because of his past performance.