Chapter 709: Ghostly Companion

At eleven years old, upon hearing that peers his age had already set out on journeys, he felt an unprecedented sense of loss.

A bubble above the girl's head displayed a text emoticon of melancholy.

Starting in a sanatorium…

Baimu preliminarily judged the simulated subject's environment through posters, dolls, and other decorations in the room.

This reminded him of a certain green-haired boy who, likewise frail and ill, had been sent to the healthier Green Meadow Town for recovery—but later regained his health after embarking on his journey.

Thus, the frailty buff was clearly better than the clumsy talent.

【You longed to become a Trainer, but your chronically weak body made it an impossible dream; you often lamented why you weren't born with a healthy physique.】

The girl gazed straight ahead, and a poster was enlarged and displayed.

It showed a graceful blonde woman standing on a stage under the spotlight, her loyal Charizard confronting an opponent.

【As you stared at Champion Cynthia's poster, you unconsciously immersed yourself, imagining yourself dominating the League Conference—until your eyes slowly closed.】

A series of Z-shaped patterns floated above the girl's head, symbolizing sleep.

Champion Cynthia?

Standard black coat with black hair accessories—unless mistaken, the story likely took place in recent years.

Baimu had thoroughly researched this one of the two most popular female Champions in PM; he knew that when Cynthia first became Regional Champion, she wore no hair accessories and a blue coat.

In other words, the simulated subject was likely younger than him in reality.

As Baimu pondered, a Gastly flew in through the window.

It dashed straight toward the girl on the hospital bed, opened its black, gaping mouth, and bit down on her head, then pulled backward.

A phantom figure was dragged out from within the girl's body.

Soul out of body!

Baimu stared in shock—Pokémon extracting human souls? That wasn't—

Huh!

In the original series, Ash and Pikachu had also experienced soul separation.

He suddenly recalled how Ash and his friends, during their adventure at the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town, had been knocked unconscious by a falling lamp fixture, allowing the mischievous Haunter to pull out their souls and play with them.

Baimu looked again at the simulation—sure enough, the girl showed no surprise at her situation; instead, she cheerfully greeted the Gastly.

【You have a secret: every night at midnight, a Gastly comes to play with you. At first you thought it was a dream, but later realized it was your soul leaving your body.】

The girl in the hospital gown transformed into a black long dress, her messy long hair reminding Baimu of a certain NPC from the game—

Ghost Freak!

Then again.

If a soul drifts outside the body for long hours every night, won't it harm the body?

Under Baimu's curious gaze, the Ghost Freak's soul flew away with the Gastly, leaving the sanatorium; the two spectral forms soared freely across the sky, overlooking the neon-lit night city below.

【You always looked forward to nightfall, for only then could you finally escape your twenty-square-meter ward and embrace freedom.】

The Gastly carried the Ghost Freak into a plaza resembling an amusement park, where countless nocturnal Pokémon played and frolicked; upon seeing them, they enthusiastically invited the two to join in.

The Ghost Freak was delighted to see them—clearly not her first night of "haunting."

But.

It truly matched her talent: Ghostly Constitution—the Pokémon she interacted with were overwhelmingly Ghost-type.

"Interactive Plaza? Could this be Hearthome City…?"

Baimu spotted several iconic structures of Hearthome City's Interactive Plaza: the central fountain, the stone castle, and others.

Inside the screen.

The Ghost Freak girl played joyfully with pixelated Pokémon, sometimes dodging security guards' flashlights before mischievously startling them, sometimes activating amusement rides on her own.

Even initiating Pokémon battles—Gastly responded to her shouts with various actions.

Though mostly chased away by furious security guards, the Ghost Freak remained utterly joyful, and the Gastly beside her always wore a smiling face above its head.

The silent scene held only jumping text.

Yet Baimu could almost hear the girl's joyful laughter, feel her overflowing happiness, and seeing the Gastly's huge smiling face, he couldn't help calling over a Shiny Haunter and hugging it tightly.

"Geh?"

Haunter looked bewildered, but, sensing its Trainer's warm embrace, it grinned and licked him with its tongue, "Hehehehe!"

A tingling sensation traveled from his face to his brain.

Baimu swatted it, saying, "Where did you pick up this bad habit? Go play somewhere else!"

He let go of Haunter, but it refused to leave, sticking to his side and grinning, again extending its tongue as if to lick him but holding back.

After fully understanding Baimu's nature, its innate mischievous genes had awakened, constantly pulling pranks to provoke him; even when beaten, it only laughed harder.

Baimu ignored it and continued watching the simulation.

Compared to the previous two simulations—where the magician and ninja drove themselves forward through ability and found their dreams during travel—the Ghost Freak possessed dreams but lacked the "ability" to support them.

She laughs now, but by day she's probably utterly despondent.

And the more unstable her mindset, the more her body will suffer, creating a vicious cycle.

As the first ray of sunlight pierced the scene, the Ghost Freak reluctantly bid farewell to the wild Pokémon and returned to the hospital with the Gastly.

As her soul reentered her body, a tear slipped from the Ghost Freak's eye.

【You desire more than ever to embark on a journey, but you don't know how to convince your parents, who care only about your health.】

The Gastly seemed to see her tear; a look of sorrow appeared above its head—but it was only a tiny Pokémon; what could it do?

The narration described the Gastly's helplessness in another tone.

Baimu pressed down on the sneaky Haunter, pinning its head with his chin and upper body, and continued watching the simulation.

Fortunately.

The situation finally took a turn.

The screen darkened, then brightened again; the Spirit Enthusiast shifted from a sleeping posture to lying on a hospital bed, intently watching a video on her phone.

Suddenly, laughter echoed outside the ward door.

【You heard that Mei Mei Lisha, the owner of the Homebond Dojo, had come specially to the hospital to visit the children and was preparing a dazzling performance—excited, you immediately asked a nurse to join in.】

The narration ended.

The nurse entered the ward and accompanied the Spirit Enthusiast into the hallway, where they gazed from afar at Mei Mei Lisha, dressed in a long purple gown with an odd hairstyle.

She was interacting with some of the more energetic children.

Suddenly.

A question mark appeared above her head, and she moved closer to the Spirit Enthusiast.

【You watched nervously as Mei Mei Lisha approached, unsure how to speak to her; in your haste, you decided to introduce yourself first.】

Before the Spirit Enthusiast could speak, a wisp of black mist shot out from behind Mei Mei Lisha.

It was Gastly.

【You were astonished that Gastly appeared during the day—yet even more startling was that Mei Mei Lisha seemed to know you spent every night playing with Gastly.】

【You felt panicked, but Mei Mei Lisha did not tell your parents; she whispered something to you beside your ear.】

A question mark suddenly appeared above the Spirit Enthusiast's head, followed by an expression of excitement.

Then.

Mei Mei Lisha left with Gastly, reluctant, glancing back repeatedly at the Spirit Enthusiast.

"Was Mei Mei Lisha called by Gastly?"

Baimu realized this, and couldn't help but feel moved—Pokémon always strive for the humans they care about, and when humans likewise strive for Pokémon, an unbreakable bond is born.

The scene shifted to night.

Lying in bed, the Spirit Enthusiast stared out the window as usual, but this time, Gastly was not alone—Mei Mei Lisha arrived atop a Wind Ball.

It was hard to imagine a dojo owner sneaking out in the dead of night to visit a little girl.

Yet she had done exactly that.

【You hurried out of bed to open the window for Mei Mei Lisha, but even this small effort left you drenched in sweat, face flushed and breathless—you felt sorrow for your poor health.】

From the narration, it was clear the Spirit Enthusiast's mental health was equally bleak.

But when Gastly leapt toward her, she instantly brightened, laughing and rolling around with it on the bed, unbothered even when knocked over.

Mei Mei Lisha did not disturb them; she simply watched silently from the side.

As Baimu had thought.

The Homebond Dojo owner had been moved by Gastly's persistent pleading and had come specially to help the Spirit Enthusiast.

【You learned that not everyone's soul can leave the body as easily as yours—normally, it requires a near-death state to succeed.】

【You heard Mei Mei Lisha say you might possess a special constitution—such as attracting Ghost-type Pokémon and making the soul detach easily—and your chronic illness was very likely caused by it.】

A low pressure hung around the Spirit Enthusiast.

The simulator's effect was a large shadow, making the scene feel eerie.

But the gloomy atmosphere lasted only an instant—Gastly, ever attentive to the Spirit Enthusiast, licked her twice with its tongue; unable to bear the tickle and numbness, she burst into laughter.

【You glared angrily at Gastly, then suddenly realized that without this constitution, you might never have met it, never played with it, never created so many beautiful memories.】

【Your mood gradually calmed; you sincerely asked Mei Mei Lisha how to resolve this.】

Good attitude, girl!

Baimu hadn't expected her to reconcile so easily—Gastly's companionship had clearly played a huge role.

This reminded Baimu of a famous phrase from his past life—

【Her world was broken and frayed, but Gastly was there to stitch it back together.】

Mei Mei Lisha clearly appreciated the Spirit Enthusiast's shift in mindset.

【You heard Mei Mei Lisha say that for the next two months, you must not let your soul leave your body, and must temporarily separate from Gastly; you must take medicine regularly and exercise to regain the strength to walk unaided.】

Two months.

In the scene, the Spirit Enthusiast's head displayed ellipses—she, who saw midnight playtime as the only light in her life, would have to go two full months without seeing Gastly, without visiting the Interaction Plaza.

【You felt you couldn't accept it—but when you looked at Gastly, you saw its reluctant yet encouraging gaze; you knew it didn't want to part with you either, but it wanted you to be healthy more than anything.】

【You agreed.】

Mei Mei Lisha left with Gastly.

The Spirit Enthusiast became "alone" from then on, facing only nurses and doctors each day; only her parents' visits brought her any warmth.

In the long, sleepless nights, the Spirit Enthusiast curled up in bed, crying, longing to see Gastly again.

Baimu sighed involuntarily; though there was no background music, the scenes alone conveyed the full weight of emotion.

Even as pixel art, they still stirred resonance.

Inside the screen.

Exhausted from crying, the Spirit Enthusiast began recalling her happy moments with Gastly.

【Your mind echoed with laughter shared with Gastly; gradually, you understood—separation was for a better reunion. You began exercising, which delighted your attending physician and nurses.】

Pokémon were truly the first driving force to lift one's spirits.

The scenes flashed rapidly.

Each one a testament to the Spirit Enthusiast's effort.

From her being able to walk out of bed during the day, to later managing a few steps of jogging—it was clear that frequent soul detachment had damaged her physical body, and her mindset had affected her flesh.

Finally.

Two months had passed.

【The speed of your recovery astonished the doctor, who approved your application to go home to recuperate with occasional check-ups, and your parents were overjoyed.】

Lingyi Mi couldn't wait to leave the hospital, begging her parents to take her to the Family Origin Gym.

Her parents couldn't win against her and could only agree.

【You ran excitedly toward the gym, two months of longing making you want to see Gastly right away, but when you found Mei Mei Lisha and asked where Gastly was, what appeared before you was a nervous and timid Haunter.】

Lingyi Mi stood frozen on the spot.

Gastly had evolved.

【You learned from Mei Mei Lisha that while you were training your body, Gastly was likewise striving for your reunion, secretly driving away many Ghost-type Pokémon attracted by your constitution, often watching over you from far away.】

Nothing touches the heart more than two people running toward each other.

As Lingyi Mi tearfully hugged Haunter, All Baimu unconsciously gave Gengar's ear a squeeze.

【You learned that you have an excessively powerful soul, one that is incompatible with your body, causing your body to gradually weaken, so you must train your will, letting your body grow and your will grow with it, until body and soul are a perfect match.】

【Your two months of effort will become the stepping stone to the next step, and Mei Mei Lisha has also taken the initiative to invite you to become a Gym Trainer, training at the gym until you can set out traveling.】

Gym Leader...

Gym Leader!

All Baimu couldn't help but sigh that the Gym Leaders of the mainstream regions all had a heart like Jin Ziban — whether from the various simulations, the story content he knew, or his own experience, it could be said that most Gym Leaders were extremely selfless and generous.

The Orei region should have such a leading Trainer too!

On screen.

Under her parents' approval, Lingyi Mi, now a Gym Trainer, officially set foot on the path of being a Trainer.

Her first Pokémon—

【You obtained Haunter, your first Ghost partner.】

Although her journey had yet to begin, the opening of this story had already made All Baimu very happy watching it.