Chapter 84: The Eerie Ghost-Type! The Dark Side of the Pokémon World!

"Uhh… why does that Pokémon look so weird…"

"Is that really a Pokémon?"

Wang Tao couldn't help but mutter as he stared at the strange creature engaged in a silent standoff with Pei Jingguo.

"That thing doesn't even look like a living being anymore!"

Surprisingly, Liu Yunlan and the others nodded in agreement.

Wang Tao had a point.

Most of the Pokémon they'd encountered up to now—whether cute or cool—had clear signs of being living creatures.

But the one floating in front of Pei Jingguo?

It looked like… a sword.

A real, steel sword.

At this moment, the blade floated silently in the air.

Its long body was encased in a brown scabbard, and embedded in the sheath was a cold, ghostly blue eye that stared unblinkingly at the human before it.

From the hilt, a tattered ribbon drifted eerily in the air.

The entire sword exuded a heavy, chilling aura of death and lethality.

Even though everyone here was an awakened one with power of their own, they could all sense the unnatural pressure radiating from this Pokémon.

After all, this was the first time they'd encountered a Pokémon so deeply unsettling.

All the others they had seen up to now were brimming with energy—lively, adorable, full of warmth.

This one… felt like it came from the other side.

Liu Yunlan involuntarily rubbed her arms, goosebumps rising.

"Su Bai… what is that thing? Even from here, I can feel the chill. It's like it's sucking the life right out of the air…"

"But it's not the same as the wild brutality of the Death Beasts."

"No—it's more like… the kind of thing that could slice a man in two without warning."

Su Bai stroked his chin, expression slightly tense.

This was indeed their first encounter with a Ghost-type Pokémon, so their reactions were understandable.

But what truly concerned him wasn't just their fear…

It was the strange legend surrounding this very Pokémon.

If the rumors were true…

Then Pei Jingguo might be in for more than he bargained for.

Fortunately, inside the Pokémon House, all customers were protected under special rules.

That included invulnerability-like safeguards similar to Su Bai's own.

Only with that assurance did Su Bai calm his nerves and begin to explain:

"This is probably your first time seeing this kind of Pokémon."

"A rare opportunity, so let me give you a little background."

"This one is called Honedge."

"It's a dual-type Steel and Ghost Pokémon. As you can see… it's literally a sword."

"It's no surprise Pei Jingguo is drawn to it."

After all, Pei Jingguo was practically obsessed with swords. If he hadn't been interested in Honedge, that would've been the real shock.

"Do you see that eye?" Su Bai pointed to the glowing blue orb embedded in the sheath.

"That's its true body."

"And Liu Yunlan wasn't wrong either—Honedge is indeed a very strange Pokémon."

"In the Pokémon world, Ghost-types are generally acknowledged as the species most threatening to humans."

"They're not like other Pokémon, who are naturally inclined to bond with humans…"

"Ghost-types tend to resist human contact."

Of course, there were friendly and hostile Pokémon of every type.

But Ghost-types were a special case.

They often came with urban legends and haunting myths, stories that sent shivers down the spine.

Even in the games, casual trainers rarely chose Ghost-types.

And those that did… usually had a very specific, often dark reason.

For good reason, too.

Take Misdreavus, for example. It delights in scaring people, watching their expressions twist in terror.

It often appears late at night, wailing like a banshee and tugging at hair or whispering in the dark—just to make people scream.

And that's considered one of the more "playful" Ghost-types.

Gengar, who in the anime may seem silly and loyal to its trainer, is an entirely different story in the wild.

Wild Gengar hide in shadows, waiting patiently for their moment…

And when their target lowers their guard, they strike—draining the victim's body heat in an instant.

Everyone knows what happens when a person loses their body heat.

And Gengar isn't the worst.

There's Cofagrigus, a Ghost Pokémon so close to being an actual malevolent spirit that it's unsettling.

It lures in grave robbers by disguising itself as an ornate sarcophagus—only to trap them inside and mummify them alive.

No matter how you look at it, Ghost-types in the Pokémon world represent the dark undercurrent beneath its otherwise vibrant, energetic surface.

But then again…

Every world has its light—and its darkness.

If we welcome the beauty of other types, then we must also accept the eeriness that comes with Ghost-types.

Because they are just as much a part of the Pokémon world as any other.

Still…

Su Bai gave Pei Jingguo a concerned glance.

"Are you sure you want to choose this Pokémon?"

"You may find the cost… much higher than you expected."

Pei Jingguo, standing motionless, had long sensed the approach of the others.

But his eyes never left the cold blue stare of Honedge.

With solemn focus, he spoke:

"This Pokémon… I can feel a deep sword aura of silence and annihilation coming from it."

"But what's strange is…"

"It feels like it's waiting."

"Waiting for… a moment."

"A moment that will be both a test, and an opportunity…"

"A chance to truly form a bond with it."

His voice was serious but tinged with puzzlement.

He had been staring at Honedge for a long while now.

He could tell Honedge sensed his love for the sword.

He could even feel the Pokémon preparing to test him.

And yet, strangely… there was also a faint sense of dissatisfaction radiating from Honedge.

"Waiting for a moment?" Su Bai blinked, confused.

He didn't quite understand what Pei Jingguo meant.

After all, the Pokémon here in the shop were different from wild ones.

They waited for a trainer to resonate with—someone they could truly connect with.

In terms of quality, Pokémon in the House were usually superior to their wild counterparts.

Like the Machop that Xiao Zhang had just caught—Su Bai had checked its rating on the Pokédex: Grade A.

There was no doubt that this Honedge, too, was one of the best of its kind.

So what was this "moment" it was waiting for?

But just then, perhaps disturbed by the presence of the crowd, Honedge's cold blue eye slowly shifted…

The ribbon on its hilt fluttered—and it turned as if about to leave.

Pei Jingguo, usually so calm and unreadable, suddenly lit up.

"I get it!"

He called out quickly, his tone urgent:

"Boss Su! I need to ask you something—!"