"No way, absolutely not."
Gengar shook his head without hesitation. "Teaching one is already exhausting. Teaching two? That'll kill me. No thanks."
Upon hearing that, Nathan's eyes shifted and he casually sat down, smiling. "Gengar, have you never thought about something?"
"What is it?" Gengar asked curiously.
"Think about it," Nathan said with a smirk. "If you knew tons of horror stories, then the next time you go around scaring people, you could not only let out creepy laughter but also tell those scary stories in a terrifying voice—just like the ghosts in horror movies."
"You know, when people are scared, their minds tend to wander. And if, in that moment, they suddenly hear a scary voice telling a horror story, they'll instinctively picture what's being described. At that point, not only will you scare them, but they'll end up scaring themselves too."
As he spoke, Nathan sighed like he was reminiscing. "I once heard someone say that the highest achievement in scaring people isn't scaring others yourself, but making them scare themselves."
"Make people scare themselves?"
Gengar's eyes flickered as he fell into deep thought.
Then he suddenly clapped his hands and agreed enthusiastically, "I like that idea. I agree completely!"
"You think it makes sense too, right?" Nathan grinned. "Now think—how can you make people scare themselves?"
"Right, how to do that… that's something I really need to think about."
"I know how. If you want to know, I'll tell you."
"Really? You know?"
"Of course! Scaring people is an art—you have to consider all kinds of factors. First is the environment, then the sound, and of course, their psychology."
"Their psychology too?"
"Exactly! That's why I said it's a technical skill."
"Can't argue with that."
Nathan sat on the ground, seriously teaching Gengar the 'art' of scaring people, while Gengar listened intently, occasionally nodding and showing signs of agreement.
"So, how do I fully understand someone's psychology?" Gengar asked.
"It's easy," Nathan grinned. "Read horror novels. You'll find out how people think in all sorts of creepy scenarios. The more you read, the more you'll understand."
Hearing that, Gengar looked at Nathan suspiciously. "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Nathan shrugged. "I'm telling you, those horror novels are written by masters of fear. They analyze how people think when faced with fear. Just read a bunch, and you'll get the hang of it."
"Hehe..."
Nathan chuckled. "If you teach just one more student, I'll give you 100 horror novels. How's that?"
Gengar looked conflicted but didn't immediately agree.
Nathan pretended to be heartbroken and raised two fingers. "I'll throw in 100 horror movies too."
"Deal!"
"..."
"Great. Next time I come, I'll bring everything you asked for," Nathan said with a grin, eyes glinting with excitement.
Leaving aside everything else, the ability "Multitask" was truly powerful—and extremely practical.
It seemed useful for almost any type of Pokémon.
In fact, Nathan was already thinking: once Volcarona and Mimikyu mastered it, he could form a Sunny Day team and teach every member to multitask.
Just imagine that scene...
Tch. Unimaginable.
Also, "Multitask" could even be passed down like a mystic technique.
It's already hard enough for humans to multitask—let alone have Pokémon do it while using moves.
"You can leave, but you have to leave that little Ghost-type with me," Gengar said, rolling his eyes. "What if you don't come back? I'll be stuck waiting forever."
Even though this human didn't seem like that kind of person, Gengar figured better safe than sorry. Otherwise, he'd be the laughingstock of his fellow ghosts.
"Sure."
Nathan waved it off and smiled, agreeing easily.
This Gengar didn't have any malicious intent, so he wasn't worried about Mimikyu's safety.
As for the promised horror stories and movies, they were just ordinary items and not hard to get. The only concern was...
What if his phone ran out of battery?
Maybe he should remind Gengar to catch an Electric-type Pokémon to serve as a portable charger?
Shaking his head, Nathan returned to the forest with Gengar, packed up, then looked at Gengar and said, "I'll be exploring this mystic realm for a few more days. Why don't you come with me?"
"Go with you?" Gengar looked at Nathan suspiciously. "You're not trying to catch me, are you? Don't even think about it."
"I'd like to," Nathan laughed. "But only if you're willing."
A Pokémon as strong as Gengar would be a huge asset if it agreed to be caught. But Nathan knew very well—powerful Pokémon like Gengar, especially ones who had lived freely for who knows how long, weren't likely to become anyone's Pokémon.
"Heh, good you know that."
Gengar let out a raspy chuckle. Then, after thinking for a moment, it suddenly leaned close to Nathan's ear and whispered something.
Nathan's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you serious?"
"Hmph. Why would I lie?" Gengar huffed. "But don't get your hopes up. That one's not going to fancy you anytime soon. If you want a chance, you'd better raise your Volcarona's power to the next level. Otherwise, even with that mark on you, it'll just smack you away with its tail."
Nathan nodded thoughtfully, smiling. "Yeah, I figured that kind of Pokémon would have ridiculously high standards. Still, that's a useful tip. Thanks, Gengar."
"Hehe, just make sure to bring me more fun stuff next time. It's boring as hell here."
"No problem."
Nathan looked in a certain direction, amazed that such a mystic surprise existed in this realm.
Too bad…
He wouldn't be able to get it anytime soon.
…
"Oh right, are you sure no one else knows about it?"
Nathan suddenly asked.
Gengar grinned widely. "Hehe, not even those so-called Pokémon League guys who first came here know about it."
"That guy... is all the way at the very end."
Gengar pointed in a direction.
Nathan looked up and murmured, "That place… is it the sea?"
"Yeah, it's out there. No one knows about its existence—except me. I saw it once. It doesn't like dealing with you humans, so you're good."
Nathan nodded. "That makes sense. No wonder. This is a pretty good tip. I'll act on it soon."
"You better act soon," Gengar warned. "If this realm merges with the real world, who knows where that guy will go."
"I know."
Nathan nodded.
No doubt about it—what Gengar told him was a real surprise.
But it was a surprise he couldn't get his hands on right now.
That Pokémon's descendant apparently required proof of strength to be acknowledged.
And at minimum, champion-level strength.
Right now, his Volcarona was still short of that level.
Thinking it over, Nathan smiled at Gengar. "If I leave the mystic realm soon, make sure you help me guard this place. Don't let other trainers find it."
"Hehe, no problem. Just make sure you bring me fun stuff every time."
"Sure thing."
"Hehe, good."
A human trainer making deals with a Ghost-type Pokémon—if other trainers saw this, they'd be shocked speechless.
Nathan shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and said, "Alright, until I leave the mystic realm, you're coming with me. You can help guide Mimikyu and Volcarona. I also need Metang and my other Pokémon to train through battles. We can't just sit in one spot."
Gengar considered for a moment, then nodded. "Fine."
After all, it was bored anyway. Tagging along with this human sounded fun—and it could watch movies too.
…
Before they knew it, three days had passed.
Inside the mystic realm.
Still within the forested region.
In a clearing, Nathan was currently directing a battle with Metang.
The opponent was a Noctowl—Normal and Flying type.
Noctowl soared in the air, its wings slicing forward with a powerful move—Air Slash, a strong Flying-type attack.
"Metang, dodge!"
Nathan gave the command calmly. "Then use Psychic!"
Metang shifted quickly, evading the Air Slash. Its eyes then glowed with a mysterious light. A surge of psychic energy swept through the air, Tackleing into Noctowl with force and sending it flying.
This was one of the moves Metang had just learned yesterday using a TM—Psychic, a strong Psychic-type move.
Seeing Noctowl sent flying, Nathan gave another command. "Agility, then finish it with Volt Tackle!"
Volt Tackle—one of Metang's newly learned Electric-type moves—worked similarly to Flame Charge. The user becomes enveloped in electricity and rams the opponent. It also has a chance to paralyze.
Bzzt!
Metang's body flashed with lightning as it entered Agility mode, then shot forward like a blue streak of light and slammed into Noctowl in mid-air.
The power, plus the type advantage, made Noctowl cry out in pain.
Yet it still managed to flap its wings and remain airborne—it hadn't lost its fighting power yet.
Seeing that, Nathan was slightly surprised. "Still standing, huh?"
"But even so, the outcome is already set."
He called out, "Finish it—Thunderbolt!"
Electricity surged again from Metang's body and struck Noctowl head-on.
Already injured, Noctowl had no chance to dodge and fell from the sky, knocked out.
[Your Pokémon "Metang" has won the battle. Gained 142 EXP. Level up! Now Level 41!]
With the system's voice in his ear, Nathan let out a breath and smiled. "Finally hit the mark."