"Nurse Joy, how are Gengar and the others doing?"
Nurse Joy had just stepped out of the emergency room together with Chansey when she heard the question. She paused, then slowly shook her head.
"Pidgeot and Beedrill still have a chance to recover if they rest and recuperate properly. But Gengar… it does not have much time left."
Would Ghost type Pokémon die?
Yes, they would.
There had even been recorded cases, such as the Totem Trevenant in Episode 125 of the Sun and Moon series, proving that Ghost type Pokémon could indeed die.
No matter how mysterious they might seem, Ghost type Pokémon were still Pokémon. They were simply creatures with extremely long lifespans, so long that people gradually came to believe Ghost Pokémon possessed something like immortality.
"But… there is no other way?" someone asked unwillingly.
"The chaotic Mega Evolution energy damaged Gengar's body from the inside," Nurse Joy explained with a tired expression. "With the League's current technology, there is no way to repair that kind of internal destruction."
After explaining the situation clearly to the three of them, Nurse Joy hurried away to continue treating the other injured Pokémon.
Through the observation window, they could see Gengar lying on the hospital bed.
Its body had become partially transparent.
It had grown so weak that it could not even maintain the gaseous aura that normally surrounded it. The energy that formed its body was slowly dispersing into the air.
"Geng!"
The shiny Gengar blinked playfully at them. Then it stuck out its long tongue and pressed it against the glass, licking the window as if it were teasing them.
The three of them could do nothing.
Even though Silas possessed his mysterious cheat ability, injuries like this were incredibly difficult to solve.
With no other choice, they allowed Gengar to rest alone and temporarily left the room to handle several matters that required their decisions.
"Cin?"
Cinccino, sitting on Silas's shoulder, gently patted him as if comforting him not to feel too sad.
"I am fine," Silas said, gently holding Cinccino's small paw. "I just feel sorry for Gengar. Since the day it was born, it has never truly belonged to itself."
Soon after, Silas and the others left the Pokémon Center to deal with the aftermath of the incident in the Kingdom of Azoth.
Not long after they departed, a small figure silently slipped into the hospital room.
It was Zygarde in its ten percent forme.
The tiny Zygarde moved quietly beside Gengar's bed. Then it began to activate its authority as the guardian of the ecosystem.
Within a radius of ten kilometers, countless Zygarde Cells began to gather.
They streamed through the air like invisible currents, converging from all directions before flowing into Gengar's body.
One after another, the cells merged into its form, repairing the damage that had been inflicted by the distorted Mega Evolution energy.
Bit by bit, Gengar's shattered body was restored.
So when Silas and the others finished handling the aftermath of the crisis and returned to meet again at the Pokémon Center…
"Nurse Joy, what you said is true? Gengar and the others have all recovered?!"
Seeing was believing.
Silas immediately headed toward Gengar's hospital room.
He was just about to lean in and look through the window when something strange happened.
The shadow beneath his feet suddenly moved on its own.
A ghostly claw shot out from the darkness and grabbed his ankle.
The icy cold sensation made Silas shiver violently, while Cinccino on his shoulder let out a startled scream.
Its fluffy tail immediately hardened, and it began striking repeatedly in rapid succession, trying to save Silas.
Unfortunately, its attacks had no effect on a Ghost type Pokémon.
"Gegegege~ Geng!"
Gengar burst out laughing mischievously as it emerged from Silas's shadow.
It clutched its stomach while cackling, then made a series of ridiculous faces at Cinccino.
That was exactly the kind of prank Gengar loved to pull.
Cinccino was furious.
And when Cinccino became angry, the consequences were serious.
"Cin!!" (▼皿▼#)
Since it could not hit that annoying Gengar itself, Cinccino decided to call for reinforcements.
It began opening the Poké Balls hanging from Silas's waist one after another.
In an instant, Jigglypuff, Popplio, Litten, Diancie, Phione, Morpeko, and even the little baby Kangaskhan all jumped out.
Before long, Gengar found itself completely surrounded by Pokémon.
Popplio, Litten, Phione, and Morpeko tried chasing it around, but Gengar easily slipped away again and again.
In the end, it was the little baby Kangaskhan who stepped forward like a true king.
Just as Gengar was about to dive back into a shadow to escape, baby Kangaskhan grabbed its tail and yanked it out halfway through.
With nowhere left to run, Gengar was immediately beaten up by the furious group of Pokémon.
Only after everyone had vented their frustration did Silas finally intervene and tell them to stop.
The moment the beating ended, Gengar slipped back into the shadows with incredible speed.
Silas tapped the floor.
Gengar cautiously poked its head out of the shadow.
"Gengar, how did you suddenly recover? Can you explain what happened?"
Upon hearing the question, Gengar opened its mouth as wide as possible.
Then it reached deep inside its enormous belly and rummaged around for a while.
Finally, it pulled out a scroll.
With a miserable expression, it handed the scroll to Silas.
Curious, Silas unrolled it.
Although the characters written on it were unfamiliar, the meaning somehow automatically transformed into words he could understand.
[Signer: Gengar. Voluntarily agrees to work for Zygarde's Red Core for 500 years.]
"Geng! Geng!"
Shiny Gengar waved its arms and legs dramatically as dark ghostly energy swirled around it.
"Oh, so Zygarde saved you," Silas said with realization.
Zygarde existed everywhere throughout the Kalos region, so it was not particularly surprising that it had intervened.
Healing a Pokémon was not especially difficult for Zygarde. Compared with that, Ho-Oh's Sacred Ash was truly miraculous.
"Work hard," Silas said while tossing the contract back to Gengar. "You are still young. Living for a thousand years will be easy for you. The good days are still ahead."
Unfortunately, that kind of comfort did not help much.
However, when shiny Gengar learned that the other fourteen Pokémon affected by the Mega Wave had also signed similar contracts, ranging from five years to five hundred years, its mood improved immediately.
A group of unfortunate comrades gathered together and began crying loudly while hugging each other.
Silas, Diantha, and Siebold stood nearby with the Joys.
They exchanged helpless glances, yet all of them had smiles in their eyes.
Despite the danger caused by the Mega Wave Evolution, not a single Pokémon had died.
This was truly a perfect ending.
…
Outside the Kingdom of Azoth.
Silas waved goodbye to Siebold and the other inspectors. Behind him stood fifteen Pokémon that had fully recovered their health.
"Silas, I will leave the arrangements for these Pokémon to you. I have to return and report to the League," Siebold said.
"No problem. Travel safely."
After watching them leave, Silas turned toward Diantha beside him.
"Should I walk you off?"
"There is no need to go through so much trouble. My company already arranged a convoy to pick me up."
Diantha tightened her grip on his hand.
Their time alone together had come to an end. They would soon return to their separate lives.
Shiny Gengar floated nearby, watching them while clutching its stomach as if it had overeaten from witnessing so much affection.
Then it shamelessly turned toward the other Pokémon and began making teasing noises.
"Geng~"
Neither of them paid any attention to it.
Soon, a convoy appeared on the road.
Diantha finally released Silas's hand.
She leaned close to his ear and whispered something softly. Before leaving, she shot him a sharp glare with her eyes.
Silas rubbed his nose thoughtfully.
It seemed he really did owe Diantha a proper confession.
If he was going to confess, it should happen on a special day.
After thinking carefully for a moment, Silas made up his mind.
He would do it during the Coumarine Festival in Coumarine City, following tradition and confessing beneath the Pledging Tree.
It seemed he would need to ask John how he had prepared for his own confession back then. Silas wanted to plan everything properly.
Returning to his senses, Silas pushed away Gengar's enormous face.
Then he clapped his hands and gestured for the Pokémon to gather around.
After counting them carefully, he confirmed that all fifteen Pokémon were present, including Gengar.
"Everyone, come with me. We are heading to Pokémon Town now."
After saying that, Silas waved to the medical Pokémon Chansey and the police Pokémon Growlithe waiting nearby, inviting them to come along as well.
With Cyclizar and Giant Dragonite leading the way, the group quickly arrived at the Pokémon Town located on the Nebel Plateau.
Silas extended his arm and gestured proudly.
"Look. This is Pokémon Town, a town built by Pokémon themselves."
(End of Chapter)