Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [131]

The second floor felt noticeably different from the first.

The overhead lights had gone dark, leaving only the dim emergency lights to provide any visibility.

Even with those weak lights, the range of vision was no more than four or five meters.

Beyond that?

Only darkness.

Only rows upon rows of tombstones.

The eerie atmosphere made Blue instinctively reach for a Poké Ball, releasing her Chansey to protect her.

Except…

Before Chansey could do anything to protect her, it took one look at the surroundings, froze, and clung onto Blue’s clothes—trembling and refusing to move.

Blue: “…”

For the first time, she truly understood August’s frustration.

Chansey, you’re a Normal-type! Why are you afraid of ghosts?!

After a few failed attempts to pry Chansey off, Blue gave up and returned it to its Poké Ball, opting to send out Wartortle instead.

Unlike Chansey, Wartortle was significantly braver.

Standing protectively in front of Blue, it cautiously scanned its surroundings for threats.

“No need,” August said. “There’s nothing on this floor.”

Neither his [Aura] nor Gardevoir’s psychic scans had detected any hostile presence on the second floor.

Did those Gengars and Haunters from earlier lie to him?

Where’s that so-called ‘powerful enemy’?

Blue hesitated before putting on her scanner goggles to confirm.

Sure enough—

Nothing.

But…

“The Ghost-type energy here is way stronger than it was on the first floor,” she said, analyzing the data on her goggles.

There wasn’t a single Ghost Pokémon in sight, yet the ambient spectral energy was more active than before.

That was very strange.

“Maybe we’re just getting closer to the Ghost World gateway,” August mused.

“Come on, let’s head up.”

They followed the narrow path between the gravestones, making their way toward the staircase.

Just as August was about to step forward—

A chilling wave of malice surged through his [Aura] senses.

On instinct, he grabbed Blue’s arm and yanked her behind Gardevoir.

A split second later—

A shadowy claw made entirely of ghostly energy swiped through the air just ahead of them, leaving three deep gashes in the stone floor.

Blue’s heart pounded.

If August hadn’t pulled her back just now…

She didn’t even want to think about it.

With narrowed eyes, she flicked on her flashlight and aimed it toward the staircase—

And their attacker was revealed.

“…Trevenant?”

She blinked in surprise, taking a second to recognize the Pokémon.

Trevenant was common in the Kalos region, but rarely seen in Kanto.

And weren’t Trevenant typically found in forests?

Can the Ghost World gateway pull in Pokémon from other regions?

As Blue pondered, Gardevoir was already moving.

A pulse of immense psychic power crashed down on Trevenant, distorting the air around it.

Trevenant let out a furious screech, its claws gleaming as it slashed forward again—

[Shadow Claw] versus [Psychic].

Normally, [Shadow Claw] would have type advantage over [Psychic]—

But Gardevoir’s sheer psychic strength was ridiculous.

It overpowered the Ghost attack and smashed Trevenant into the wall.

Crack!

Pinned in place, Trevenant writhed and shrieked, its single red eye burning with fury.

But no matter how much it struggled, it couldn’t move.

Gardevoir barely acknowledged its anger.

It simply raised a hand—

And Trevenant’s body slammed harder against the stone wall, like a specimen being mounted for display.

With Trevenant subdued, August stepped closer, attempting to communicate with it.

…But Trevenant refused.

It didn’t listen. It didn’t hesitate.

It only wanted to attack.

Even when August tried using his [Viridian Power] to calm it, there was no effect.

That was unusual.

Even the Unown back in the Cave had responded to [Viridian Power]’s influence.

“…Is this because of the Ghost World? Or because of whatever Team Rocket did to open the gateway?”

Frowning slightly, he gave Gardevoir a silent signal.

With a final psychic burst, Gardevoir ended the fight.

August turned toward Blue.

“Let’s keep moving.”

...

Third Floor

“Gardevoir, [Psychic]!”

A piercing shriek rang through the air as a Cofagrigus was hurled across the room, crashing into the already shattered stone slabs beneath it.

A group of Yamask—terrified by the sight of Cofagrigus being taken down—tried to flee.

Gardevoir picked them off, one by one.

...

Fourth Floor

This time, the enemies were Pumpkaboo—led by an oversized Gourgeist.

When they first arrived, the ghostly pumpkins had been singing an eerie tune.

Then, as if inviting August closer, they attempted to lure him in—

Too bad for them, he saw right through the trick.

With a single command, Salamence was released.

A blast of [Dragon Rage] sent the Pumpkaboo scattering in panic.

After Gardevoir took down Gourgeist, the rest of the Pumpkaboo followed.

---

Fifth Floor

This time, it was a swarm of Litwick, led by a Chandelure.

The ghostly flames attempted to surround August and Blue, eager to drain their life force—

Only to be shredded apart by Gardevoir’s psychic power.

After clearing four floors worth of enemies, even Gardevoir was starting to show signs of fatigue.

August stood amidst the unconscious Ghost Pokémon littering the sixth floor.

As he channeled his [Viridian Power] to help restore Gardevoir’s strength, he surveyed the area.

Then, he turned to Blue.

“Did you notice something?”

Blue looked up. “What?”

“Normally, wild Pokémon observe first before attacking.”

“But all of these ones? They immediately attacked us the moment they saw us—like they hated us.”

Not only that—

None of them had been willing to communicate.

When he had tried reaching out to them with his [Aura], every single one had rejected it.

Blue frowned, thinking back. “Yeah… now that you mention it.”

“Maybe it’s because they’re from the Ghost World?” she guessed.

“Maybe.” August wasn’t convinced.

He had a feeling there was something more to this.

But ultimately, there was only one way to find out.

Pokémon Tower had seven floors.

According to Agatha, Team Rocket had triggered something on the top floor—the seventh floor—causing the Ghost World to bleed into the real world.

If there were any answers to be found—

They would be up there.

---

This is a fan translation of 人在实教，一之濑你会后悔的 by 作者：白良. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!