Chapter 132: The Ghostly Girl
Gulp...
Green stared at the ominous, fog-shrouded staircase ahead. She swallowed nervously and asked, "Are we really going up there?"
No matter how she looked at it, going forward seemed like a terrible idea.
Even the Eevee in Asahi's arms nodded in agreement with her.
"We're not walking up, that's for sure."
Asahi could sense the foreboding energy coiling around the staircase.
If they tried to ascend normally, he wouldn't be surprised if they simply fell to their deaths.
So… he turned to Gardevoir.
With a flicker of blue light in Gardevoir's eyes, Asahi, Green, and her Wartortle floated into the air.
Who needs stairs?
They simply levitated straight toward the seventh floor.
Just before leaving the sixth floor, Asahi suddenly turned back and glanced at a particular gravestone.
Once they had completely disappeared from sight, the shadow cast by that gravestone twisted and pulsed.
A Gastly emerged from the darkness.
It exhaled in relief, then carefully checked the staircase to confirm Asahi was gone before cautiously creeping toward it.
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Seventh Floor
Unlike the chaotic mess of the previous floors, the seventh floor was structured differently.
Since funerals were sometimes held here, two neat rows of gravestones lined the walls, with a clear central aisle leading to the altar at the back.
It was a solemn, orderly space.
But now, what lay before them was ruins.
Scattered across the floor were broken machines and equipment, some intact, others shattered.
Most of the gravestones had been destroyed, and faint traces of battle lingered in the air.
And at the altar—
A glowing violet portal to the Ghost World pulsed ominously.
But that wasn't the most shocking sight.
"The hell… Is that a Dusknoir?" Green gasped.
Suspended above the portal, a massive Dusknoir—easily over two meters tall—was chained to the wall.
The portal was actively draining energy from it to sustain itself.
Dusknoir's single eye flickered weakly.
Asahi instantly understood why the portal hadn't closed.
The Guardian of the Ghost World had been captured and was being used as a power source.
But…
"Who could capture a Dusknoir and use it to fuel a portal?" Green asked, bewildered.
Asahi was equally curious.
He figured the fastest way to get answers was to ask Dusknoir directly.
But just as he stepped forward, both his Aura and Gardevoir warned him at the same time.
Whoosh—
Gardevoir immediately raised a Light Screen to shield them.
A split second later—
Boom!
A blast of Ghost energy struck the barrier, causing it to tremble.
Asahi's expression darkened.
That attack was strong.
Just as that realization hit him, a soft, eerie voice echoed through the air.
"You were so close, big brother... but your timing is really unlucky."
A little girl materialized out of thin air, gazing at Asahi with a sorrowful expression—
As if she had been wronged.
His Aura swept over her, sensing her presence.
She wasn't human.
She was a ghost. A real ghost.
Green realized it too.
Her hands trembled as she... activated her scanning goggles.
A real ghost?!
If she could record data on an actual ghost, she could sell it for a fortune!
Although she had a lot of money from being an international police. Still no one could say no to having more money!
"Big brother, do you want to play games with me?" The girl asked as she stretched her hand, in inviting him.
Asahi fail into a trance for a moment, but his Aura help him out next moment, making him more alert.
However, Asahi remained calm and expressionless, pretending to be confused as he took two steps forward. At the same time, he asked, "You said 'just a little bit'... Just a little bit of what?"
"Of course, it's the spi—"
The little girl instinctively began to answer but suddenly snapped back to her senses. Her words cut off abruptly, and she looked wary.
Someone under the influence of confusion wouldn't ask questions!
She realized that Asahi had not been mesmerized at all and was merely trying to extract information from her.
"You despicable guy!" The little girl was furious. As she screamed, a Mismagius materialized behind her and launched an attack at Asahi.
The eerie aura surrounding Mismagius pulsed as it chanted an incantation, forming a Shadow Ball in front of it.
Asahi was slightly disappointed that he couldn't get more information out of the ghostly girl, but he didn't hold back his sarcasm.
"Aren't you, a ghost that confuses people, the one who has no right to call me despicable?"
Still, Asahi became more serious in the face of Mismagius' attack.
After all, unlike Gengar and its evolutionary line, Mismagius, as a pure Ghost-type, had a natural advantage over Gardevoir.
So...
"Gardevoir, use Psychic Shock!"
So what if it had a type advantage? Ghost-types didn't resist Psychic-type moves anyway! As long as Gardevoir avoided the Shadow Ball, it would be fine!
A tangible wave of psychic energy collided with the airborne Shadow Ball, triggering a violent explosion in midair.
In that moment, Asahi grabbed the Eevee in his arms and tossed it forward. "Eevee, it's your time to shine! Overcome your fear and use Bite!"
As Eevee was flung into the fray, it was completely dumbfounded.
Why was it being thrown into battle all of a sudden?
Even though it was scared, its deep-rooted trust in Asahi kicked in, and it instinctively used Bite—
Sinking its teeth into the ghostly girl's arm.
The Dark-type energy surged through her body, making her cry out in pain.
She tried to shake Eevee off, but it held on tightly.
Mismagius wanted to turn back and help the ghostly girl, but Gardevoir intercepted it.
Gardevoir didn't try to finish it off in one hit. Instead, it kept Mismagius engaged, stalling for time as the girl's pained cries continuously distracted it.
A villainous smirk crept onto Asahi's lips.
And just then, a dark figure peeked out from the stairwell.
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