Chapter 99: City of Ghosts
Ghosts could arguably be called one of Lavender Town's most famous defining features.
During the feudal dynasty era a millennium ago, this place was historically renowned as the ancient capital for ten dynasties. The surrounding area was dotted with imperial tombs and noble mausoleums, as well as several famous ancient battlefields. Later, these locations all became fertile ground for the breeding of Ghost-type Pokémon.
Ghost-type Pokémon also differ greatly from ordinary Pokémon in their methods of reproduction.
Most Ghost-types possess distinct genders and can normally reproduce through mating like typical Pokémon. However, their reproduction rate is very low, even lower than that of many long-lived Dragon-type Pokémon.
But beyond this, they also possess a very special characteristic: they can be naturally born through incubation in places of extreme yin energy.
This method is equivalent to being naturally born and raised, without father or mother, truly deserving the title 'children of nature.'
Besides Ghosts, only a small number of mineral-based Rock-type Pokémon in this world possess such a trait.
This kind of natural incubation only occurs in specific locations rich in the required energy.
Within the territory of the Kubfu Alliance, the most concentrated areas rich in Ghost-type energy are all located near Lavender Town.
The title "City of Ghosts" originated in this manner.
This unique label has accompanied the city for over a thousand years.
Many Ghost-type Pokémon that are extremely rare in the human world can almost exclusively be found here.
Yet, even so, it's impossible to force every resident of this city to like Ghosts.
After all, it's impossible that every single person living in the city came here specifically because of the Ghosts.
After exiting the high-speed rail station, Arthur hit a wall twice while asking for directions on the street. Finally, he found a young woman who looked bold and refreshing to guide him.
This young woman introduced herself as Monica. She was a student at a nearby university.
Because she happened to be heading to the Ghost Tower in the outskirts to buy something, after Arthur paid the rental fee for a shared Dodrio for her, she very enthusiastically offered to guide him the entire way.
The Ghost Tower was precisely a free-range center in Lavender Town that specialized in selling Ghost-type Pokémon, and it was very famous locally.
Of course, this fame was a mix of good and bad.
Along the way, when Arthur recounted his earlier experiences of being repeatedly rejected by people on the roadside, it caused Monica to laugh heartily, "Haha, that's totally normal~ Even in Lavender Town, many people are afraid of ghosts and spirits."
"You don't know, but residents in the communities near the Ghost Tower complain every single year. They say that raising too many Ghosts there makes the vicinity's death energy too heavy, and they blame the Ghosts for all sorts of their random ailments. Some even claim their decade-long rheumatism and 'old cold legs' are all the Ghosts' fault."
In a certain sense, this bore a striking resemblance to residents in a parallel world complaining about cell towers built near their communities.
Essentially, both were merely psychological effects.
But alas, such is human nature.
Arthur, riding on the Dodrio's back, turned his head to look at her and asked, "You seem not to be afraid of Ghosts at all?"
Monica nodded openly, "Yeah. Essentially, they're just Pokémon right? Even if they have the talent to absorb life energy, they can control whether they use it themselves, can't they? Those ferocious beast-type Pokémon also have the ability to harm people, yet quite many people still like raising them, don't they?"
It was evident that Monica was clearly the type with a big heart (unafraid/bold). She talked of ghosts and beasts without fear; instead, her words seemed to faintly carry a trace of excitement.
A formidable young woman indeed.
Then, she smirked and asked back, "But it really is rare to see someone your age liking Ghosts. Little brother, do you have a girlfriend yet? Aren't you afraid that having too much life energy absorbed will make you too weak to find a partner later?"
"..."
Arthur didn't answer for a moment.
This was perhaps a sad story for him.
Because even without a Ghost-type Pokémon, there was still a loli-voiced Mythical Pokémon (Celebi) currently residing in the backpack behind him, constantly eyeing his life energy, perpetually thinking about draining him until not a single drop remained...
After a moment, he could only change the subject, "You also said that Pokémon can control this ability themselves. As long as one can subdue them, there shouldn't be a problem."
"Eh? So confident? Arthur, little brother, you seem very brave, eh~"
"..."
Arthur again didn't answer.
But Monica's enthusiasm for conversation didn't decrease.
"Speaking of which, where are your parents? They actually feel comfortable letting you go to the Ghost Tower alone? They're not accompanying you?"
"Also, have you thought about what kind of Ghost-type Pokémon you want to choose? My suggestion here for a newcomer would be to consider Drifloon. They're gentle, have good personalities, and their appearance is quite pretty."
"Of course, if your budget allows, you could also aim for a Mimikyu. That's a highly popular Pokémon; if you're unlucky, you might not even be able to place an order for one."
"It's best not to consider Gastly, Misdreavus, and the like. Most of them love playing pranks on people. They might pop out unexpectedly and take a bite out of your energy. Ordinary people fundamentally can't subdue them."
Monica likely regarded him as a typical ghost enthusiast; the advice she gave was quite pertinent and sensible.
Arthur himself had raised a Gastly two hundred years ago, which eventually evolved all the way into a Gengar. He naturally had a deep understanding of this type of Pokémon's mischievous and difficult personality.
Truly a case of 'spare the rod, spoil the child'!
Drifloon and Mimikyu are relatively human-friendly and good-tempered Pokémon, indeed suitable for general ghost fans.
Unfortunately, this time Arthur wasn't here to satisfy some strange personal hobby. He was here to supplement his strength, so he was destined not to prioritize a gentle personality as the primary consideration.
"I understand. Thanks for your advice."
He simply agreed perfunctorily, not directly answering Monica's questions.
Subsequently, they rode the Dodrio onto the expressway in the outskirts, and their riding speed was immediately able to ramp up.
Approximately twenty-odd minutes later, they arrived side-by-side before a huge building that stood over a dozen stories high.
Although called the Ghost Tower, it didn't actually possess many tower-like elements in its appearance. It looked more like an ordinary large building. Its only special feature was probably its size—it occupied an extremely large area, looking almost like a fortress.
Upon entering the building, Arthur had intended to part ways with Monica.
She had only come to buy some Pokémon supplies; he heard it was professional tools for trimming nails and training muscles for her Combusken.
However, unexpectedly, this young woman turned out to be quite warm-hearted.
"I'm not in a hurry to buy my things. Let me accompany you to look at the Pokémon first. You came all alone; what if you encounter a Ghost you can't handle? I can still help out a bit. Being drained of life energy by Ghost-type Pokémon is no joke. Especially when they aren't familiar with you yet, it's really not something to play around with. I'm truly amazed your family is so bold as to dare let you come here alone."
Arthur found it inconvenient to refuse her kind intentions.
He also knew that his current appearance and age were indeed quite deceptive; there was nothing he could do about it.
Following that, the two of them went together to find a staff member here and were led towards the Pokémon area.
Along the way, Arthur finally stated the type of Pokémon he had come here hoping to acquire.
The result was that the moment he said it, even the staff member was stunned.
Monica, moreover, screamed in shock the very first moment.
"You-you-you... you want a Honedge?! No way? Do you have a death wish?!!"
(End of Chapter)
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