Ghost-types, as the quintessential spooky element, have undeniable strength in battle.
Even with a base stat total of just 300, they can still dominate the competitive scene thanks to their ridiculous, borderline-cheating moves.
Caleb couldn't even imagine how strong his gym would be if he had Pokémon like these.
Staring at the group of dumbfounded Ghost-types in front of him, Caleb suddenly had a thought.
Why isn't my girl here?
The absolute top-tier pick in Scarlet and Violet, the invincible Flutter Mane—how is she not part of this crowd?
"If this is my dream, then I should be able to control it, right…"
Caleb began combing through his memory.
At the same time—
In the cramped classroom, a new form was slowly taking shape.
It looked like a fusion between an Aerodactyl and a Misdreavus, with four wing-like arms, three sharp red spikes on its head, and a string of red beads hanging around its neck...
"Kou-kyeh?"
A trembling Gastly behind Dusknoir glanced at the nearby Misdreavus.
"Your cousin?"
"Mu-uuu~"
"No idea~"
Aren't I supposed to evolve into Mismagius? No one ever told me there was another branch!
Even though most of the Ghost-type Pokémon had no idea who or what this Misdreavus-like creature was, its aura alone made it clear—this thing was absurdly strong.
And it didn't stop there.
Caleb's mind conjured yet another figure.
A ghostly horse, completely black with a blue mane and a pale blue tail, its legs trailing wisps of soul-like mist.
Seated on its back was a deer-like Pokémon, bearing a massive crown-shaped dark green bloom on its head, with purple patterns on top...
A wave of overwhelming royal presence radiated out, making all the Ghost-type Pokémon instinctively bow their heads.
"Kou... kou-kyeh..."
You've got to be kidding me.
Gastly noticed Caleb still had his eyes closed, clearly still deep in concentration.
And then, yet another Pokémon took form—a bat-like creature with golden crescent moons lining its wings.
Its head was small, framed by a vampiric high-collar cape.
Atop its head was a deep blue zone displaying constantly shifting star patterns.
As it spread its wings, a gentle, moonlit glow bathed its body...
Lunala, the Moon Goddess.
Dusknoir, who had at least a little knowledge of legends, immediately recognized the deity, and its legs started trembling uncontrollably.
It looked at Caleb with pure terror, as if it had seen a ghost—well, another one.
But then, it froze completely.
Its gaze drifted out the window—
A colossal being towered above the clouds.
It had the body of a dragon, grayish-white in color, with a golden ring and red-black stripes encircling its neck...
Giratina.
The true ruler of the Reverse World.
We are so dead...
Caleb slowly opened his eyes. When he saw the divine lineup he had summoned, a pleased smile crept across his face.
"They actually showed up... That's wild."
Though, they didn't look too happy.
Every Ghost-type around was now either bowing reverently or shaking with fear—not a trace of their earlier goofiness left.
"Roooaar——!"
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from above.
From the window, a pair of blood-red, terrifying eyes stared down at them.
"Kou... kyeh... kyeh..."
Gastly shuddered violently.
And then—
The previously stable classroom began to shake violently.
The dream world, unable to bear the pressure, shattered completely.
...
Dusknoir looked visibly confused.
The dream had broken, and the Pokémon hidden within it were forcibly ejected.
None of them looked okay.
Some had fainted, lying motionless on the ground. Others were foaming at the mouth, as if they'd endured extreme torture. Even the ones in better shape were trembling uncontrollably...
What the hell happened? They were just eating dinner, weren't they?
Not like they were going to war.
Even if they were—this many Ghost-types still couldn't beat a single unarmed human?
Dusknoir couldn't figure it out. None of it made sense.
"Ugh..."
On the ground, Caleb slowly stirred awake, rubbing his temples with a groan—his head was pounding.
Turns out, a Pachirisu had been napping on top of his head, gripping his hair tightly.
He gently pried the little guy off and set it aside, just in time to see Cynthia slowly open her eyes as well.
"Kou-kyeh!!"
A few seconds later, Gastly also snapped back to consciousness.
The moment it saw Caleb, it freaked out like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and bolted behind Dusknoir, trembling.
"Caleb, what happened?"
Cynthia didn't hesitate—she immediately summoned her invincible Garchomp.
Garchomp locked eyes with the terrified Ghost-types and began charging up a Draco Meteor.
Caleb quickly stopped her. If Garchomp actually launched that, the ghosts wouldn't die, but they'd be in bad shape.
And that would make it impossible to negotiate—er, peacefully communicate with them.
Besides, Caleb could sense that Dusknoir and the others didn't actually mean any harm.
He decided to try talking it out with Dusknoir.
Surprisingly, the Ghost-type leader was quite cooperative. Whatever Caleb said, Dusknoir just kept nodding like a bobblehead.
If Caleb pulled out a Poké Ball right now, Dusknoir might even jump in willingly.
"Let's wake the others first."
Elite Four Flint once said in an interview that being trapped in dreams for too long could blur the line between dream and reality.
If Professor Elm ended up with dream-induced dementia, Caleb was gonna feel real bad about it.
He glanced over at Green and Flint.
They were muttering something about "poison" and "no more" in their sleep.
Now he was really curious what kind of dreams they were having.
At Dusknoir 's command, a Mismagius and a plump duo of Drifblim floated out of Green and Flint's dreams.
...
"This is outrageous!"
After waking up and learning the whole story, Professor Elm immediately scolded them in front of everyone.
The Ghost-type Pokémon lowered their heads in unison, clearly used to being reprimanded.
Pulling people into dreams without consent was illegal.
Once might be forgivable, but these guys were repeat offenders.
Through Professor Rowan, Caleb finally got the full picture.
These Ghost-type Pokémon had been brought in from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Unova, and Galar.
At first, they were pretty well-behaved—didn't stir up much trouble.
Then one day, Then one day, Then one day, Dusknoir just showed up and flipped the whole situation on its head.
It quickly bonded with the other Ghost-types and became their leader.
Since then, the ghosts had been constantly clashing with the Naclstack and Nacli colonies, turning the area into pure chaos.
Caleb analyzed the situation again.
The Nacli and Naclstack were getting increasingly agitated due to the bland meals provided by the research lab.
Ghost-types, who feed on negative emotions, caught the scent and started messing with them nonstop.
Back and forth it went, until things completely spiraled out of control.
The Naclstack grew more aggressive, and the Ghost-types became increasingly lawless...
All that... over dinner.
Caleb silently noted to never let something like this happen in his own backyard.
Interrupting Elm's rant, Caleb offered to handle it himself.
He randomly picked one of the Ghost-types to make an example of.
Gastly seemed like a perfect choice.
He stood over it, looking down.
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
Gastly instinctively shook its head.
Then quickly realized and nodded frantically.
Yes, it understood. It would never do it again.
But its expression said otherwise—probably forget everything in two days.
Caleb suddenly had a thought, and a sly grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He leaned down and whispered in Gastly's ear:
"Did you know… pulling others into dreams without consent can get you up to three years in prison?"
"Kou-kyeh Σ(ﾟДﾟ;)!!"
Tears burst from Gastly's eyes, like beads from a broken string.
Boohoohoo... I don't wanna go to jail...
It sniffled and stared pitifully at Caleb.
The fact that a gas-based Pokémon could even cry real tears left Caleb momentarily stunned.
Yet again, he marveled at how miraculous Pokémon were as a species.
He continued, "Buuut… if you convince your friends to move over to my place, I might consider not pressing charges."
"Well? Think about it. What sounds worse—three years in prison, or just moving houses?"
Caleb leaned in close, voice low and smooth, like a devil whispering temptation.
"Kou-kyeh!"
Gastly latched onto the idea like it was a lifeline, nodding frantically.
Then it turned to Dusknoir and pleaded with big watery eyes.
Boss, I'm still young—I don't wanna go to jail!
Gastly cried and begged, nose running and everything.
The other more timid Ghost-types were now fully terrified, their faces twisted with panic.
They clustered around Dusknoir, bawling their eyes out.
The scene reminded Caleb of little kids clutching their parents' legs outside a kindergarten, crying because they didn't want to go in.
Absolutely hilarious.
Cynthia, watching from the side, saw the chaos erupt right after Caleb whispered something to Gastly and asked suspiciously:
"What did you say to it?"
"I don't know, but it definitely wasn't anything good," Green replied, clearly familiar with Caleb's ways.