Mai's Gengar was in serious trouble. Facing it was another Gengar, one noticeably larger and more imposing.
There are many ways to judge a Pokémon's strength, and Mai's Gengar went with the most direct and aggressive method: Attack firstand ask questions later.
The clash of two 'Shadow Balls' erupted in a powerful explosion, and both Gengars pulled back, sizing each other up with wary eyes.
After returning to the hotel, Luther had called Mai, asking if she still had both Gengar and Dusknoir on hand. Mai gave him good news: they were safe at her home.
Although Luther insisted he wasn't scared, he remained cautious. The Forest Mansion's eerie reputation was enough to keep him on edge, especially after all the strange reports he and Gardenia had dug up online.
The stories were unsettling. For over a decade, Trainers who had dared to spend the night in Eterna Forest often spoke of eerie butler-like figures appearing inside the Forest Mansion. Despite having no electricity or running water, the building would suddenly glow with light, and a girl could be seen watching silently from the second-floor windows.
If these had been just isolated sightings, they might've been dismissed as tricks played by mischievous Ghost-types. But the details across different accounts were all too consistent.
Curious Trainers had even teamed up to explore the mansion by night, hoping to catch the truth, but always came back empty-handed. Over time, the tale became one of Hearthome City's more famous urban legends, passed around as a spooky story native to Sinnoh.
Still, solo Trainers continued to report strange phenomena, and some even took photos. But when those images were checked later, they only showed a dark, empty mansion, no lights, no people, no ghosts.
Luther's caution wasn't just because of the stories. He had his own experiences, memories that told him the spirit world was more than just folklore. And that thought alone made his skin crawl.
So it was better to be safe than sorry.
He had Gengar slip into his shadow, staying alert for any sudden changes in the surroundings. Each time he glanced down at his own shadow, he was checking, just in case he'd fallen into an illusion or been targeted by Hypnosis.
And when he realized Gengar had stopped responding... he knew something in the mansion had silently taken hold of them.
Mai's Gengar, watching her trainer walk deeper into the mansion, grew tense. It fired another 'Shadow Ball', trying to block the path once again.
"What do you want?" It called out mentally to the opposing Gengar. "There's something wrong with this house. The aura is... off."
As a fellow Ghost-type, the wild Gengar could hear it, and answered.
"I know. That's why I'm stopping them from going upstairs."
The wild Gengar turned to look at Luther and Mai. Under its influence, Mai's Gengar could suddenly see through the walls, to a girl floating on the second floor.
Beside her was a sleeping woman and a Chansey. Gardenia, meanwhile, was pacing around, clearly dazed and confused.
"I control the first floor. It's safe down here, at least for now," The wild Gengar continued. "Your trainer will be okay as long as she stays here. But the second floor... that's her domain. I can't do much more than this. If that short-haired woman doesn't step into that room, she won't be harmed."
"Is there a rift to the spirit world inside this house?"
"There are two. But my abilities can only suppress so much."
"I'll help," Mai's Gengar offered without hesitation.
"If you go in, the girl upstairs may vanish forever," The wild Gengar warned. "I can keep one rift under control, but she's still trying to take that orange-haired human with her. That's why she hasn't crossed over yet."
Mai's Gengar hesitated, pulling back slightly.
Most Pokémon who lived alongside humans developed compassion. And this... this situation was more than just a haunting, it was a moral struggle.
"She can sense changes in the house. She's highly attuned to Ghost-type energy. But you won't be enough. I need another."
"Who?"
"Dusknoir. He can move between worlds freely. He's immune to most spiritual interference. He can bring back the lingering souls that slipped through, or we can confront her together. With him, we'll have a chance to seal both rifts."
Mai's Gengar's expression twisted into something unreadable.
"No time to waste. Let's move."
A round, solid shape floated down from above. Dusknoir had arrived.
The wild Gengar paused, clearly surprised. He hadn't realized Dusknoir had been nearby all along, but he quickly composed himself and took command.
"Big guy, the girl upstairs is your responsibility. You need to get her out. Little one, the rift on the first floor is in the dining room. Go there and keep it sealed."
"Then unbind my trainer's illusion," Mai's Gengar insisted. "They can help too."
The wild Gengar narrowed its eyes and replied with a hint of disdain in its tone. "This is ghost business. We don't need humans meddling. This world belongs to us too. Any Ghost-type with even a little awareness should take responsibility for the space we live in. Why let just any wandering Trainer waltz in and make a mess?"
"This mansion is mine. I've been keeping her at bay for nearly ten years. Big guy, leave this one to me. I want to see her vanish with my own eyes."
"As you wish."
Mai's Dusknoir was stoic as ever. After speaking, he silently positioned himself in the doorway, sensing the eerie aura radiating from the second floor.
The wild Gengar dashed into the mansion, slipping through the shadows with practiced ease. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the entry hall and reappeared in a room upstairs.
To Ghost-type Pokémon, the rift shimmering before him, a swirling, purple-gray distortion, was unmistakable. It flickered faintly, like a reflection of the spirit world bleeding into reality. Grinning, the wild Gengar lunged forward, pressing down on the rift, forcing the chaotic energy to quiet.
Downstairs, Mai's Gengar had located the rift in the dining room and was mirroring the effort, its own spectral pressure sealing off the portal with disciplined force.
The sudden shift in energy startled the ghostly girl floating on the second floor. She raised a hand, beckoning toward the Chansey and the slumped woman nearby. Like marionettes with tangled strings, they slowly rose and staggered to the doorway, moving with an eerie stiffness. The door creaked open under their grasp.
A sound like shattering glass rang out in the surroundings.
Moonlight fractured through the broken second-story window, bouncing off the glass shards as they fell like scattered gemstones. Then, a hulking shadow loomed, Dusknoir. His broad form squeezed through the broken window, blotting out the moonlight behind him like a curtain of stone.
In the pitch-dark room, his single red eye flared to life. The yellow antenna on his head glowed dimly, and the yellow-lined pattern on his chest unfurled like a sealed gate opening. Within, a swirling void sparkled with specks of ghostly light, like stars trapped in a silent galaxy.
The ghost girl recoiled, her mouth stretching wide in a silent scream. But even as the pull of Dusknoir's vortex intensified, she somehow slipped past it, fleeing the room in desperation.
There was no time to check on the Chansey or the unconscious girl. Nor could anyone stop Gardenia, now screaming frantically as she saw the distorted TV screen upstairs, who rushed straight into the room where the upstairs rift was located.
The wild Gengar let go of the spiritual seal for a moment and turned, just in time to see her. The girl's hair hung loosely over half her face, shadowing her hollow eyes. Her mouth opened unnaturally wide, as if ready to swallow someone whole.
"Good evening, ma'am."
With a mocking grin, the wild Gengar fired a 'Dark Pulse'. The blast struck her spectral form directly, knocking her back from the rift.
That moment of impact was all Dusknoir needed. In a flash of unexpected speed, the towering Ghost-type was already at the threshold, slamming both massive hands into the doorway to block any escape. Nothing could get past.
"Little one, stay hidden."
The wild Gengar dove into the shadows, vanishing into a dark corner of the room.
Then came the real pull, an overwhelming surge of suction that flooded the chamber like a tidal wave. The ghost girl didn't make a sound, but the room echoed with noises: shattering glass, ripping fabric, cracking wood, all combining into a dissonant, haunting symphony of destruction.
From the shadows, the wild Gengar peeked out, just in time to witness it.
The intruder, the ghost that had shared his mansion, haunted his territory, and fought for his dominance for ten years, was finally being drawn in. Her wailing form unraveled into curling wisps of white smoke, which spiraled into Dusknoir's open chest.
"Big bro's still got it…"
The wild Gengar muttered with genuine admiration, a rare softness in his tone. In that moment, he felt like hugging Dusknoir with all his ghostly might.
Finally, the mansion was his.
Finally, he could haunt in peace.
'This segment of the spirit world storyline serves as a supplement to the vague setting in the TV show.'
(End of Chapter)
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