Disappearance

Reggie bid farewell to YoYo Day Care after spending three days there with Paul, and starting his journey in Hoenn region.

Meanwhile, Yuga began preparing to hand over Taillow and Swellow to Reggie's grandfather.

In addition to the five Taillow obtained through an exchange with the League Breeding Facility, Yuga's Ecopark would need to find five more Taillow or Swellow, which was a bit challenging.

However, Yuga had no intention of disturbing the ecosystem within his park. He couldn't uproot old Pokémon just to introduce new ones.

So, Yuga shifted his focus to the wilderness.

Taillow and Swellow were common Pokémon found in the wild, and Yuga believed that with some effort, he could manage to find five of them.

Thus, Yuga began riding on his Great Flygon, exploring the forests surrounding Verdanturf Town each day.

In truth, Yuga had never explored the area around Verdanturf Town carefully. Some places felt entirely unfamiliar to him.

Of course, Yuga didn't spend his entire day outside; he usually ventured out in the late afternoon, returning home promptly after dark.

This routine continued for a week, during which Yuga gradually captured one Swellow and two Taillow. At this pace, completing the task seemed feasible.

Though it was somewhat troublesome, Yuga didn't mind. Daily outings served as a way to relax and unwind.

One evening, as Yuga leisurely navigated the forest on his Great Flygon, using his Insight ability to search for Taillow or Swellow with green potential, he noticed a figure lying not far away. He quickly flew over.

Dismounting from his Great Flygon, Yuga approached the body and nearly gagged at the sight and smell.

Muya?

Yuga quickly recognized the corpse as Muya, the Pokémon that had been staying at YoYo Day Care not too long ago.

However, Yuga hadn't seen her since he returned from Mauville City. Muya had a tendency to disappear, so her absence didn't concern him much. But now, seeing her dead was a shock.

"Oh, she's dead," Yuga sighed softly.

"I'm not dead yet!" a voice suddenly came from behind Yuga, startling him.

Turning around, he saw a Dusknoir standing silently behind him.

"Muya?" Yuga cautiously inquired.

"It's me," replied the Dusknoir, sounding just like before.

This Dusknoir's eyes were no longer lifeless; it seemed Muya's soul had returned.

"You've become even more annoying!" Muya said with clear disdain.

Yuga knew what she meant but chose not to react. Instead, he asked, "How did you end up like this? Weren't you supposed to last a long time in your human form?"

Muya sighed in frustration. "I was tricked, and my human body was killed!"

Killed!

Yuga was shocked. Muya possessed extraordinary abilities, akin to a ghost, and was difficult to capture. It was astonishing that someone had managed to kill her, especially with her pseudo-Elite Gengar with her.

However, Yuga refrained from probing further. He sensed that delving into this matter might bring trouble.

Observing Yuga's silence, Muya said, "Aren't you going to ask who killed me?"

"Why should I?" Yuga rolled his eyes, expressing his disinterest.

Though curiosity urged him to uncover the truth, his aversion to trouble prevailed.

"But I want to tell you!" Muya spoke earnestly.

"But I don't want to hear!" Yuga's tone remained resolute.

"Then let's make a deal," Muya continued.

"What kind of deal?" Yuga asked.

Deals with benefits were worth considering, depending on the price.

Muya elaborated, "You help me kill someone, and I'll give you my Gengar and Mismagius, both of which are pseudo-Elite level Pokémon."

Two pseudo-Elite level Pokémon!

Yuga's interest was piqued.

"And who do you want dead? I'm not as strong as you; I can't be of much help," Yuga pointed out.

"I want to kill Cecilia's father. He's the one who tricked me. If you don't help, I might dissipate unnoticed, and you're my only chance now. I have to take a gamble."

Upon hearing Muya's desperate plea, Yuga realized that her situation was indeed dire. The golden patterns on her abdomen were dissipating, and her crimson single eye was slowly dimming.

"You're dying?" Yuga asked, astonished.

"Yes, Cecilia's father is a skilled trainer who specializes in Ghost-type Pokémon and has a deep understanding of the Ghost Realm. He used secret techniques to steal my essence," Muya explained, but before she could finish, her body began to further disintegrate. She hurriedly continued, "Will you agree or not? I can't hold on much longer!"

Muya's voice sounded urgent and desperate.

"I'm sorry, but I can't agree. I don't know the full story, so I can't casually agree to assist in taking a life," Yuga firmly declined Muya's offer.

Upon hearing Yuga's refusal, Muya seemed to grow angry. Her entire body began to emit a black mist.

Nervous, Yuga signaled his Great Flygon to prepare for battle. However, the mist dissipated after a while, slowly retreating into Muya's form.

"Forget it," Muya sighed.

She then extracted a small, finger-sized black gem from her body and said to Yuga, "Although he took my essence, he doesn't know that my true power comes from this Ghost Realm Source Stone stolen from the consciousness of the Ghost Realm itself. But now, it's yours."

While Yuga was still trying to make sense of Muya's cryptic words, her Dusknoir suddenly crumbled into a cloud of black mist, which swiftly merged into the gem. The gem then transformed into a streak of light and entered Yuga's head, leaving him no time to react.

"Gengar and Mismagius are now in your care. They will tell you Cecilia's story. If, after hearing it, you still refuse to kill her father, so be it," Muya's voice echoed in Yuga's mind before gradually fading away.

Yuga quickly covered his head, but he felt no physical sensations. Instead, his mind became remarkably clear, as if someone had illuminated it.

What was that gem? A Ghost Realm Source Stone? Yuga was filled with questions.

In the place where Muya's body had disintegrated, Yuga noticed two Poké Balls. They were most likely Gengar and Mismagius.

Picking up the two Poké Balls, Yuga released Gengar and Mismagius. Initially wary, he was surprised to see that both Pokémon were looking at him with great reverence.

What was going on? Yuga couldn't comprehend.

However, he soon found his answer.

...

[ Host: Shimizu Yuga ]

[ Age: Seventeen ]

[ Gender: Male ]

[ Pokémon: Florges, Absol, Chimecho, Vivillon, Dragonair, Charmander, Bellossom, Ivysaur, Shroomish ]

[ Special Abilities: Celebi's Blessing, King of Ghosts ]

[ Skills: Pokéblock Crafting (Intermediate), Pokémon Training (Intermediate) ]

[ Occupation: YoYo Day Care Owner, Grass-type Master's Disciple ]

...

In the Special Abilities section of his identity panel, a new entry had appeared: King of Ghosts.

Gengar and Mismagius likely regarded him with such reverence due to this new ability. Muya's ability to control Ghost-type Pokémon was probably linked to this as well.