Bonus
~~~
Kairos spun around on instinct. His Pokémon reacted just as fast. Chandelure's flames surged higher. Gengar burst from the shadows and positioned itself protectively in front of Kairos, fangs bared, growling at the darkness behind them.
When he saw who it was, Kairos relaxed slightly. His guard did not fully drop, though.
A man in a gray trench coat stood not far away.
He appeared to be in his thirties, with messy hair and a tired face from too many sleepless nights. Yet his eyes held unusual brightness, deep and penetrating, as if seeing straight through to your soul.
No trace of energy came from this person. He seemed like an ordinary human.
But Kairos knew better. Anyone who could appear silently behind him in the depths of the Ghost World, as casually as taking a stroll, was no ordinary person.
"Relax," the man said, eyeing Kairos's battle-ready stance. A faint smile crossed his face. "If I wanted to attack you, you would already be on the ground by the time you turned around."
Kairos frowned but said nothing. He watched and waited.
The other party would speak first.
"I'm Will," the man said, unbothered by Kairos's silence. "The guardian of this place. Or perhaps you outsiders prefer to call me the Realm Master."
Realm Master Will?
Kairos's heart stirred.
He had heard of this title. In a chaotic place like the Ghost World, a Realm Master stood at the absolute pinnacle. The Ghost World was not technically under League jurisdiction, but it had its own internal order. Several Realm Masters maintained that order.
"I'm Kairos," he replied evenly. "I'm trying to reach the core area. I mean no harm."
He did not hide his intentions. Lying to someone this powerful would be pointless and would only risk making an enemy.
Besides, this person controlled this place. He must know everything about the core area. Perhaps Kairos could get some useful information from him.
"The core area?" Will raised an eyebrow, surprise flashing in his eyes. "Quite a few people have wanted to go there recently. But kid, I'd advise you to turn back. That place is not somewhere you want to be right now."
"I know it's dangerous," Kairos nodded. "But I really do need to go there."
Will studied Kairos for a few seconds, weighing his words. Then he suddenly laughed.
"Interesting. Stubborn one, aren't you?"
Will shook his head, hands in his pockets, gazing at the deep passage ahead. "Honestly, I'd like to see what's happening in the core area too. The Ghost World hasn't been peaceful lately, and the disturbances from the core are getting bigger and bigger. I'm worried myself. But unfortunately..."
He sighed and pointed ahead. "This path is no longer passable."
No longer passable?
Kairos froze. The passage was clearly right there. It did not look collapsed or blocked. How could it not be passable?
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean there's someone, or rather something, blocking the way ahead," Will shrugged. "And it's not blocked with stones or dirt. It's blocked in a way where you simply cannot get through."
Will ignored Kairos's reaction and strode forward, passing him and heading deeper into the passage.
"Follow me. I'll show you."
Kairos hesitated briefly, then followed.
If the man was willing to show him, that meant no hostile intent, for now at least. Besides, Kairos was curious about what could stop even a Realm Master.
They walked one after another through the passage for several dozen meters until they reached a corner. Will stopped there without turning, beckoning to Kairos.
"Watch closely."
As his words fell, Will's aura suddenly changed.
The previously lazy, casual air vanished instantly. It was replaced by pressure as heavy as a mountain.
The pressure was not directed at Kairos, but even the tiny bit that leaked out made him feel as though a boulder pressed on his chest. Breathing became difficult.
The sensation disappeared instantly thanks to Kairos's experience, but it had been there for a moment.
Kairos made his judgment immediately.
Champion-level Trainer!
Only a Champion-level Trainer could possess such an aura.
As Will's aura exploded, a purple-black figure appeared beside him without warning.
It was also a Gengar.
But this Gengar was completely different from Kairos's.
Its body was much larger. The purple-black glow surrounding it looked like concentrated ink. Its eyes no longer gleamed with mischief but with heart-chilling coldness.
The moment it appeared, the temperature plummeted several degrees. The air seemed filled with cold laughter.
Top Champion level.
Kairos instinctively glanced at his own Gengar cowering behind him, trembling. They were not even in the same league.
Just the mental pressure from Will's Gengar standing there was enough to paralyze ordinary Elite Four-level Pokémon. This was probably a top Champion-level existence.
"Go."
Will issued a calm command.
The Champion Gengar made no movement, only fixing its red eyes on a patch of shadow at the corner. The next moment, it vanished in a flash.
Boom.
A wave of energy erupted from the corner.
Purple-black Shadow Balls poured out like rain, crashing forward. Black tendrils erupted from the shadows, tearing wildly at everything in their path.
But a surprising scene unfolded.
The shadow at the corner did not budge at all.
It was not an ordinary shadow but more like a black wall. No matter how fierce the Champion Gengar's attacks were, striking that shadow was like throwing stones into the sea, and not even a ripple appeared.
The shadow stood there quietly, like a black hole, devouring everything.
Will's brow furrowed.
"Shadow Ball? Dark Pulse?"
He muttered the names of several moves, clearly testing the limits of the defense.
But no matter what move he used, the result was the same.
The Champion-level Gengar seemed to grow anxious. It let out a sharp roar as its entire body transformed into a purple streak of light, ramming directly into the shadow.
This was its strongest strike. However...
Thud.
A dull sound echoed.
The Champion Gengar was violently repelled, sliding several meters across the ground before stabilizing. The shadow still showed no change whatsoever.
Will sighed and waved his hand to call Gengar back.
"See?" He turned to look at Kairos. "I've been trying for almost ten minutes. No matter what, there's no way to get through. This shadow is incredibly tough. Strange."
Kairos swallowed, staring at the shadow in disbelief.
What kind of existence could make a top Champion-level Gengar suffer like this?
"And here's the thing... this is alive," Will said, his expression turning odd. "I can feel it. It's not some mechanism or trap, but a living Pokémon. Its strength is probably above mine."
Kairos understood. If even Will found it troublesome, this was a legendary-level existence, maybe even a mythical beast.
He casually opened his map interface, wanting to see if he could discover anything.
Sure enough, just ahead of that corner, a conspicuous red dot appeared on the map.
The dot flickered, glowing eerily.
Kairos stared at it, his mind racing.
If a Champion-level Pokémon could not get through, the opponent's strength was at least peak Champion level, or a Legendary Pokémon at that tier.
He considered the shadow's characteristics, able to manipulate shadows freely, body seemingly ghostly, difficult to damage with physical or energy attacks.
Shadow-related Pokémon.
Several names flashed through Kairos's mind.
Suddenly, one name surfaced in his thoughts.
It made sense. If it was that one...
Whether it was or not, he would try first.
Kairos took a deep breath and made his decision.
"Um, could I try?"
He looked at Will.
Will looked at him with surprise, as if wondering if he had gone mad.
"You? Your two would face the same result."
"I don't necessarily need to fight," Kairos shook his head. "Since it's alive, communication should be possible. I'd like to try."
Will fell silent for a moment, then nodded and stepped aside. "All right, give it a shot. We're out of other options anyway. But be careful. This thing seems to have a bad temper."
Kairos nodded, straightened his clothes, and strode toward the shadow.
As he approached, the shadow seemed to react. Its previously calm surface began to ripple slightly, as if sizing up this approaching intruder.
Kairos could feel an icy gaze lock onto him. He did not retreat. He continued until he was only a few meters from the shadow before stopping.
"Um... hello?" Kairos tentatively greeted it.
The shadow froze.
Clearly, it had not expected this human to communicate this way. It rippled more violently, then suddenly stood up from the ground.
That was right, it stood up.
The mass of shadow rapidly condensed, transforming into a humanoid creature. It wore a green hat on its head and a red scarf around its body. Something like a tail extended behind it. Its body remained black-purple, but that ghostly, intangible feeling had diminished considerably. It now carried a hint of playfulness and liveliness.
Marshadow.
It really was it.
Kairos's heart raced with excitement. His guess was correct.
The Mythical Pokémon Marshadow. This Pokémon naturally lived in shadows. It could slip into anyone's shadow and possessed the ability to manipulate them.
Moreover, its strength was formidable, even capable of confronting ordinary Legendary Pokémon. Among Mythical Pokémon, it was one of the less mascot-like existences.
Most importantly, its appearance looked just like a shadow. It perfectly matched the characteristics of what he had seen.
And if it really was Marshadow, everything made sense.
No wonder Will's Gengar could not damage it, because Marshadow could freely move through shadows and even blend into them. Ordinary attacks simply could not hit its actual form.
Will, beside him, was clearly shocked by this scene too. His eyes widened as he stared at this strange Pokémon that had suddenly appeared.
"What is this thing? I've never seen this kind of Pokémon before..."
Marshadow paid no attention to Will. Its focus was entirely on Kairos.
It circled around Kairos several times, nose constantly sniffing, as if searching for something.
"Strange... so strange..."
A childish yet somewhat weathered voice sounded directly in Kairos's mind.
Marshadow had not spoken aloud but conveyed its meaning telepathically.
"You... why do you carry that lord's aura?"
"That lord?"
Kairos froze.
Who was the lord Marshadow mentioned?
The next moment, he realized.
Ho-Oh.
Marshadow had some connection with Ho-Oh. To put it in lofty terms, it regarded Ho-Oh as a kind of faith or mentor.
To put it bluntly, it was Ho-Oh's little fan.
Kairos's heart stirred. He immediately pulled from his backpack the feather he had used once before but had not taken out since, the feather radiating a faint rainbow glow.
The Rainbow Wing.
The moment this feather appeared, Marshadow's reaction became intense.
It abruptly stopped circling and stared fixedly at the feather. Its previously playful eyes instantly filled with extreme excitement and reverence. Its body trembled slightly, like a believer encountering their deity.
"This... this is..."
Marshadow's voice trembled. "That lord's feather?"
It wanted to reach out and take it but did not dare. It only drew very close, carefully sensing the sacred aura from the feather.
"You... do you know that lord?" Marshadow suddenly looked up, staring intently into Kairos's eyes. "Where is he? Why would he give you this feather? Have you met him? How is he now?"
It fired off a barrage of questions, anxiety written all over its face.
Kairos shook his head.
"I don't know Ho-Oh," he said truthfully. "This feather was something I obtained by chance. I don't know Ho-Oh's current situation either, nor where he is. Sorry about that."
"Obtained by chance?" Marshadow froze. The light in its eyes instantly dimmed. It looked utterly disappointed. "How could this be... I thought..."
It drooped there listlessly, like a deflated balloon.
However, it soon looked up again, gazing at Kairos with a complex expression.
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