Chapter 84: The Tedious Contest of the Ghost Kings and Granny Chrysanthemum

Chen Ou continued forward for quite some distance, and at last, he succeeded in witnessing the scene of the Ghost King's contest. Unfortunately, what he saw was not a battle, but rather the aftermath—or perhaps, a banquet.

From afar, Chen Ou watched as a Dark Spirit devoured the life and soul of a Gengar. He could sense the frenzied excitement emanating from the Dark Spirit... that outwardly ravenous urge to consume the entire world was unmistakably pathological and mad.

The Gengar was not a wild Pokémon.

Chen Ou noticed the trainer lying on the ground. It seemed he had either wandered in by accident or sought to have his Gengar crowned as Ghost King to increase his strength. It was certainly effective, but much like poison-eating, it was a path of darkness.

Regardless, Chen Ou decided to check on the trainer. If he was alive, Chen Ou would rescue him; if dead... he would collect the remains.

With that resolve, Chen Ou transformed into flames and charged directly toward the scene. Now that his abilities had advanced, he could use them to fly. The life gem bestowed upon him by Arceus—a diluted, weakened version—continued to alter his very essence, but it still had no practical effect on his powers. Apparently, Arceus was far less capable than that renowned gaming company; not even the "cheat" could be improved.

He rated it poorly.

As Chen Ou made a dramatic entrance, the Dark Spirit was immediately alerted. Here was a human accompanied by many Pokémon. Immersed in the euphoria of soul devouring, the Dark Spirit paid no mind to the newcomer’s strength, letting out a hoarse screech before lunging toward Chen Ou.

Chen Ou faced the approaching Dark Spirit without so much as a flicker of emotion, quietly gathering a fireball in his palm. Thanks to the flames of his Charmander, Chen Ou had begun to grasp the secrets of white fire.

He launched a fist-sized white fireball, then halted his flight and landed, observing both the fireball and the Dark Spirit, who seemed intent on resisting it head-on. Chen Ou shook his head gently.

What followed was a resounding explosion and a wave of intense heat.

His clothes whipped violently in the blast. He pressed down his fringe, expressionless, watching as the Dark Spirit plummeted from the sky.

Softly, he said, "I know my limits; I won’t kill you..."

With those words, he continued toward the trainer.

It was not far. Soon, Chen Ou arrived.

He gazed silently at the man—a middle-aged, sturdy fellow with stubble, not tall, but robust, his clothing still fairly tidy.

He was dead.

Chen Ou retrieved an empty jar from his backpack, and Rotom emerged, snapping several photos of the man’s corpse as evidence. Then, Chen Ou conjured flames and gently touched the man’s forehead.

The body ignited from within.

Chen Ou turned away, taking a deep breath. It was his first time performing such a task. To say he was unbothered would be a lie.

Yet this was a customary practice among trainers. In the wild, if a trainer or anyone else was found dead, those with fire-type Pokémon would bring back the ashes and a photo. If lacking fire-types, they would transport the body if possible; otherwise, they buried it on-site, taking a photo to the police, who would then contact family. If there were none, it became a solitary grave.

There was little reward for this service, but every trainer did it. No one could guarantee they wouldn’t be the next to lie forgotten somewhere. Trainers, so glamorous in outsiders’ eyes, mostly lived with their heads always at risk.

This was the final kindness trainers could offer one another.

When the flames died down, only a small pile of ashes remained. Fortunately, the realm of spirits was clean. Chen Ou used a small shovel to gather the ashes into the jar.

Thus, the simple cremation was done. The heat of Chen Ou’s fire left no large bones, sparing him the trouble of crushing them.

As Chen Ou looked up again, he noticed a mass of dark clouds swiftly approaching in the sky—not clouds, but ghost-type Pokémon sensing the weakened Dark Spirit and rushing to claim their share. It seemed the contest for the Ghost King was far from over.

Chen Ou shrugged, stowed the jar in his backpack, and headed back the way he had come.

After some time, Chen Ou returned to the grand entrance.

There stood an old woman with pale golden hair, clad in a purple gown and leaning on a cane, her expression somewhere between a smile and a smirk as she regarded Chen Ou.

It was Granny Kikuko.

"Granny, you got here so quickly!" Chen Ou forced himself to smile, weary but polite.

"So, kid, did you see what the Ghost King contest really is?" Granny Kikuko’s smile seemed stern, yet if one looked closely, her eyes betrayed concern and a hint of satisfaction.

"It was dull, Granny. Just a banquet, nothing more..."

Chen Ou’s smile remained weak.

Granny Kikuko nodded, acknowledging his words. The contest for the Ghost King was, at its core, a banquet. The victor consumed all others, feasting on them, sitting in dominion until death or the arrival of a new king.

The law of survival in the spirit realm remained primitive and steeped in blood.

"Don’t be so listless! Get a hold of yourself. Whatever happened, tell Granny once we’re out." With that, she took Chen Ou’s hand and led him away.

Chen Ou pursed his lips, dazed, and followed Granny Kikuko.

The two passed through the gate, returning to the Pokémon Tower of the living. From Granny Kikuko’s shadow emerged a Gengar, who first made a playful face at Chen Ou, then floated to the entrance, its hands glowing with dark purple light. The small hands clasped together, and the black gate to the spirit realm closed as the hands met, vanishing completely.

Gengar quickly slipped back into Granny Kikuko’s shadow, half its body visible, casting a worried glance at the dispirited Chen Ou.

Chen Ou offered Gengar a weak smile, assuring him he was fine.

Gengar rolled his eyes dramatically, then exited Granny Kikuko’s shadow and burrowed into Chen Ou’s.

"Granny, I brought someone back," Chen Ou suddenly said.

Granny Kikuko’s figure paused almost imperceptibly, then she chided gently, "No need to be so timid! If you brought someone, so be it. You’ve a long journey ahead, and you’ll face this again."

"I know, Granny... I’m just a bit tired," Chen Ou replied feebly.

Confronting death, and tending to the departed—it was all new to Chen Ou. The impact was as great as his meeting with Arceus.

He was only twenty; on Earth, he’d still be a college student.

"If you’re tired, sleep for a while..." Granny Kikuko’s voice was unusually tender, but Chen Ou barely heard it. It seemed real, and yet like a dream.

He fell asleep.

Behind him, Gengar’s eyes returned to their original hue. He cast Hypnosis.

He caught Chen Ou as he slumped, carrying him gently.

Granny Kikuko turned, stroking Chen Ou’s hair, her expression so tender that any witness would be astonished. "Silly child, if you’re tired, just sleep. Sleep, and all will be well."

Then she turned away, murmuring, "Cursed Doll."

A Banette materialized, cackling eerily.

"Clean out this area of the spirit realm. Leave not a single trace..."

Banette glanced at Gengar carrying Chen Ou, laughed again, and vanished into thin air.