novelGlobal Chapter 564 - 564: 562
Chapter 564 - 564: 562
The Arc Phone, also known as the Hisui wage-slave simulator.It had all kinds of functions: gathering information, recording locations, teleportation, weather tracking, even turning into a sacred relic that could open special places. It was the item Arceus had given Akari when she was transported into Hisui.
Though in side works that certain llama seemed to have run plenty of isekai business, Akari was the only one ever handed such a high-tech product. Probably because everyone else had been irregular transfers, usually coming through Celebi or Mew channels instead, so it was awkward to hand out rewards openly.
"You two curious about this?"
Flutter Mane and Victini drifted over. Hikaru handed them the phone, and the two Pokémon poked at the dark screen for a while, but they had absolutely no idea how to use it.
After all, neither of them came from an era that had anything like this.
So they got bored with it pretty quickly.
And more importantly, Flutter Mane had sensed it - inside this filthy, dust-covered house, there was something else.
Something that had only appeared just now.
As both a ghost and a hunter, her instincts kicked in the moment her useless Trainer picked up the phone. That strange feeling had appeared right then. Was it connected to what he'd just been muttering about, like how "no one actually died" and all that?
Flutter Mane could vaguely understand some of Hikaru's mumbling just now, things about his father maybe not being dead and the like... but to an ancient hunter like her, life and death were ordinary things. If it turned out no one had died, then that was for the best.
Come to think of it, maybe he'd ended up like you and gotten sent back to some distant ancient age, or somewhere else entirely.
But for now, the important thing was finding the source of that abnormal presence in the house.
Something was watching from the shadows.
Come out!
"Happa-pah-pah!"
Fairy light flared around Flutter Mane's body.
Dazzling Gleam, light up this dark house!
It had been so long since they came back that the place was, how did he put it again...
"The power's been cut."
Hikaru picked up where Flutter Mane had left off with a grin. The floating ghost with feathered wings puffed herself up proudly and nodded.
Good. The Trainer was learning. He could even answer questions now.
So then...
What are you?
Fairy light flooded the room, but it still failed to expose the stowaway who had moved in without permission. That strange sensation still lingered all around them, yet the "uninvited guest" only kept watching quietly, making no further move.
Flutter Mane froze for a moment, then pressed her lips together hard.
What the hell?!
The fairy light hadn't revealed the thing's true form. It hadn't even located where it was.
And it dared make her lose face in front of her Trainer!
What kind of ghost was this? How was it even more arrogant than an ancient hunter like her?!
"Happa-pah-pah!"
Flutter Mane turned to Victini and hurriedly urged the little V Pokémon to join the search instead of standing there watching.
Victini rubbed its chin and fell into thought. Then the V-shaped crest on its forehead burst with fierce flames and psychic power.
Heave-ho!
Future Sight!
The flames were just for visual effect, of course. It looked cooler that way.
Actually using a Fire-type move in here would set the house on fire, so that was out of the question.
Hikaru stared.
"Victini, you already learned a move that impressive?"
"Tini~"
After sending its psychic power into the future, Victini turned to Hikaru and flashed him an excited V sign.
Yay yay yay!
That's right. Even though I don't take part in your official battles, I still get the experience every time, so I learned a new move! Though I think Iron Valiant can use the same move too, right?
But my psychic powers are strong! I'm a Psychic-type, after all!
So under my Future Sight, no enemy can stay hidden!
Victini focused on its surroundings.
Focused...
Focused...
"Huh?" Flutter Mane looked confused. She glanced around. The dark corners were still dark. Some of the dust in the room had been swept away, but that was from her wing feathers cleaning the place, not anything Victini had done.
So what exactly did you foresee?
"T-Tini?!"
Victini was baffled too, sweat beading on its face.
Huh? That shouldn't happen!
Future Sight had seen absolutely nothing. There was no reaction, no change, not even the delayed attack itself.
"Even if it's a ghost, this shouldn't be happening. And I can sense a soul there - not a very strong one, though... Sorry. I used to live here. If you're just staying here temporarily, that's fine, but could you come out so we can meet?"
Seeing that Future Sight had done nothing, Hikaru took the initiative and addressed a certain presence somewhere inside the house.
He got no response at all.
Flutter Mane angrily beat her wings.
If they couldn't locate it, they couldn't even attack it!
"If it's a Pokémon, what about luring it out with food?"
That was Hikaru's thought.
So after having Victini light the place up, he had Rotom cook some cookies in the microwave oven.
But by the time Flutter Mane and Victini had finished eating all the cookies, that eerie sensation hiding in the darkness still hadn't disappeared.
"Tini."
Back at the Old Chateau, Victini had thought the whole thing was pretty fun. It had stayed invisible and watched the whole incident from start to finish, and when the ghost girl got knocked out cold by the Heavy Ball, it had nearly laughed itself over in midair.
But now...
It felt like some other invisible Pokémon was staring at it while it couldn't find the other one at all.
So this was what it felt like to be watched by a ghost?
Okay, this was getting a little scary.
Even Victini, the crack-shot sharpshooter of the team, was feeling uneasy now, and it promptly stuffed another cookie into its mouth.
"Fairy, Psychic, food... none of it worked. But it also doesn't seem openly hostile."
Hikaru smiled helplessly at the two Pokémon and spread his hands.
Then again, the workshop he used to live in had also been a haunted house.
Apparently he just had some inexplicable connection with ghost houses.
"In that case... Lucari-"
"Da!"
Hikaru had just been about to send out Lucario to use Foresight, but Kubfu jumped out first.
Oh, so this faint evil aura that had left even the ancient fairy hunter and the Victory Pokémon stumped wasn't the same kind of presence as the Old Chateau at all!
Kubfu gave Hikaru a thumbs-up.
An opponent like this was perfect training for purging evil energy. There was no need for Senior Brother Lucario to step in!
There were four Pokémon on the team who knew Foresight-style moves.
Let the weakest one handle this problem!
Teacher, just watch!
Kubfu's nose twitched as a scent no one else could detect drifted into it.
Odor Sleuth!
Once used, moves that normally fail against Ghost-type Pokémon and attacks against evasive foes could now hit.
"There are things eyes can't see, but smell doesn't have that problem. Every living thing has its own scent, and a bear's nose is extremely sharp."
Hikaru praised Kubfu, and the little bear nodded.
Teacher, I'll drive that trespasser hiding in your house right out!
The one secretly watching is behind that old refrigerator!
And even now, it's still watching!
No matter what kind of dark illusion it creates to hide its true position, I can still track its real location through its scent!
Kubfu threw a punch toward the back of the refrigerator.
"Da!"
Though he had no idea why, there was no question about it - the scent belonged to some kind of mineral!
Kubfu's fist slammed into something hard. A faint puff of white smoke rose, and Kubfu's expression changed from confident victory to utter disbelief.
That punch... did nothing?!
How could that be?!
Even real ghosts could be hit by his heavy blows after their scent was exposed. And once identified, the type interaction should become neutral!
Because real souls were Ghost-types too. Everything in this world had a corresponding type.
"Da?"
Kubfu started throwing punch after punch at the darting black shadow.
Under the influence of his No Guard Ability, Kubfu's punches could not miss.
But no matter how many times he hit it, there was no effect.
That finally scared the little gray bear. It backed up several steps in a rush, staring warily at the black shadow as it zipped and fluttered from room to room.
So... there really are evil spirits you can't hit.
"Dada!"
A powerful aura began gathering around Kubfu's body.
You evil incarnation, this Dynamic Punch is going to send you straight to he-
"Tini! Tini!"
Victini hurriedly grabbed Kubfu.
Don't! Don't, Bear-bro, let it go!
This was the Captain's house. What if you smashed the refrigerator to pieces with one punch?!
You can't use high-powered moves in here!
"Hm? Wait, that's..."
While the three Pokémon were still shocked and trying to figure out what exactly had shown up, Hikaru found a clue in the black shadow's flight path.
Though it moved without making a sound, as a spiritualist, he could still sense soul energy.
"The other side's soul is extremely weak. Even for a Ghost-type Pokémon, it's too weak. Because the soul is so faint, you can't sense its spiritual power at all. But one thing is certain: this thing doesn't seem to be an evil spirit!"
"And if I'm not mistaken, the reason your attack had no effect just now wasn't because it used some trick to nullify it."
"It was because..."
"Kubfu, use Odor Sleuth again. Once you've pinned down its position, hit it with Aerial Ace!"
Looking at Kubfu, who was sweating cold bullets now, Hikaru smiled and teased him.
"If you're going to become a divine messenger that purges all evil from this world, a little fright shouldn't stop you, right? Think back. When you ran into Marshadow before, you weren't this scared, were you?"
Kubfu whimpered twice.
T-That's different!
Marshadow may be a ghost, but it's the shadow of the god of martial arts. It's someone to be revered! So I'm not scared of it at all!
But this thing is different from the ghosts we've met before! That's why I'm scared!
Still, since Teacher told me to do it again...
Kubfu took a deep breath, used Odor Sleuth again, and locked onto the exact source of that strange smell.
Mineral!
That's right, it was the indescribable scent of mineral, like standing in front of a stone from the mountains!
Then...
Violent air currents gathered around Kubfu's fist.
Aerial Ace!
Aerial Ace was already a sure-hit move, and Hikaru's Kubfu also had the illegal No Guard Ability, so there was no way the move could possibly miss.
The weird black shadow flying all over the place seemed to sense the danger of that strike. A burst of eerie light erupted from its body, and the two attacks landed on each other at the same time.
Thud thud thud thud!
The black shadow was smashed flying, rolled across the room, and finally hit the corner of the living room with a thump, where it lay motionless.
Kubfu went stiff all over. He had assumed that flash of light was some horrifying move, but after patting himself down, he found that nothing had happened to him at all.
"Da?"
Kubfu was completely lost.
W-What just happened?!
Victini lit up a flame, and under the glow they finally saw the thing's true form.
"So it really is this kind of Pokémon. Is it because Eterna Forest is so close by, and because there are so many insects near the Old Chateau too, that it wandered into this house?"
"Fairy, Psychic, Fighting - even Foresight-style moves had no effect... because this Pokémon's Ability is Wonder Guard!"
"A Pokémon with this Ability won't take damage from anything except super-effective moves! The moves that can hurt it are under very strict limitations."
The little thing lying on the ground was a cicada-like Pokémon that looked like an empty shell.
Even when defeated, its eyes would not turn into spirals, making it hard to tell whether it had actually collapsed or was still battle-capable. It was one of the rare Pokémon whose condition was difficult to judge.
"Shedinja!"
Its head, back, and wings were a brownish yellow, while its abdomen was gray-brown, and a white "halo" rose above its head.
"Its body is hollow, with absolutely nothing inside. They say a soul took up residence in the shell Nincada shed when it evolved, and that's how this Pokémon was born. It can slip into a Poké Ball without anyone noticing."
"Its body is hard, and it can float around without flapping its wings. It's a mysterious Pokémon that doesn't breathe."
"People believe that if you peer into the hollow opening on its back, your soul will be stolen away. The reason Kubfu smelled minerals is because it belongs to the Mineral Egg Group."
"A Poké Ball?"
Hikaru suddenly remembered Shedinja's unique mechanic and quickly checked his bag.
There were empty Poké Balls inside.
And sure enough...
One of them had been used.
"Huh?!"
"Tini?!"
Flutter Mane and Victini both looked utterly stunned.
They had been with Hikaru the whole time, but neither of them had noticed when a Poké Ball in the bag had been used!
So how exactly had this thing slipped into the team?!
Which meant...
It had actually already been caught?!
"There are lots of Nincada in Eterna Forest, but 150 years ago, this Pokémon didn't exist in Sinnoh at all. When Nincada evolves, two Pokémon appear. One is Ninjask, and the other is Shedinja."
"So that's what happened. Did this little guy sneak into the Poké Ball while we were picking up the Insect Plate?"
In the games, there were no wild Shedinja in the ecosystem.
But when you thought about it carefully, that made no sense. Since shell-shedding evolution was naturally part of Nincada's ecology, wild Shedinja obviously had to exist in nature too.
They were probably just rare.
If you started up a sandstorm in Eterna Forest, you could probably blow away several Shedinja at once.
"Since it's basically just a cicada shell, it doesn't need to eat, drink, or even breathe. It's an extremely, extremely cheap Pokémon to raise."
"And the move it used on Kubfu just now... honestly, that's hilarious. Wasn't that Final Gambit?"
Because Shedinja inherited moves from both its pre-evolution and its counterpart evolution, Ninjask.
As a result, its moveset always contained some bizarre, nonsensical things.
For example, Nincada in Sinnoh sometimes showed up with Final Gambit, so once it evolved into an empty shell...
A 1 HP Final Gambit!
No wonder nothing had happened.
"Shedinja is a Pokémon with only 1 HP. Its life force is so weak that its presence is hard to detect at all."
Because it was Bug/Ghost, it was also called the "ghost cicada." Under the protection of Wonder Guard, only five types could damage it.
"...Hm? It's already recovered?"
While Hikaru was still observing it, Shedinja slowly floated back up.
Then it simply hovered there, doing absolutely nothing.
Even though it had just been attacked, it looked like it wasn't thinking about anything at all.
It didn't even understand why it was here in the first place.
It had just drifted out for a little stroll, only to get violently attacked as some bizarre life-form.
"Huh?!"
Flutter Mane immediately demanded to know why the ghost cicada had been running around scaring people and darting all over the place.
Shedinja simply floated there quietly.
Why was it darting around?
The ghost cicada seemed to think for a simple moment, then gave the most natural answer possible.
Because you attacked me, so I ran away.
Mm-hm. What was I doing?
I was just secretly watching.
That was its answer, and then it continued floating there, staring at the sweating Pokémon.
At that, Hikaru could only laugh helplessly.
So it wasn't that a ghost had entered his house.
It was that he had brought the ghost home with him.
Still, Shedinja was an extremely powerful Pokémon. A single sandstorm could wipe out a whole batch of them, sure, but this one was unexpectedly well-suited to both the Terastal system and the held-item system.
And even with only 1 HP, Shedinja could still use a Focus Sash plus Endure style of battle, letting it fight on at 1 HP for more than two straight turns even against moves that should be super-effective!
"Meeting you really was unexpected. You may be an uninvited Pokémon... but you've actually got a pretty interesting personality."
Shedinja...
Hikaru found himself smiling.
It really was a Pokémon a lot like himself.
No, more accurately, it was a lot like anyone who had died and come back to life.
Hikaru was smiling.
The ghost cicada said nothing.
It was just secretly watching.
You ask what move "secretly watching" is?
That's not a move.
It's just staring at you.
(End of Chapter)
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