"Is it really planning to submit itself?"
Aven rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Originally, he had already been preparing to have a proper talk with Mismagius. Yet now, Mismagius had not even given him the chance to speak, forcing him to swallow down the words that had already reached the tip of his tongue.
"Lass~?"
Froslass floated slowly in front of Mismagius and asked, Do you truly intend to follow me?
Upon hearing this, Mismagius did not hesitate in the slightest. It immediately nodded, and even lowered its head even deeper to show its sincerity.
Well, regardless of how sudden it was, this was a good thing. Aven cast a brief glance at Kirlia. Since Mismagius had already been successfully subdued, things would become much simpler. Still, he needed to have a proper conversation with it.
"Stand up, Mismagius." Aven's voice was calm, carrying a trace of authority.
"Right now, there are some matters I need to ask you about."
Hearing Aven's words, Mismagius lifted its head a little, but its eyes instinctively darted toward Froslass.
"Lass!"
Catching this, Froslass immediately glared sharply at Mismagius. Planting both hands firmly on her waist, she said without the slightest politeness, "Whatever Lord Aven means is the same as what I mean!"
"Maa~, maaa~..."
Only then did Mismagius slowly drift up from the ground, turning its gaze toward Aven.
"Mismagius, why did you appear here of all places?"
This question clearly stunned Mismagius. Its expression froze for a moment before it appeared to fall into thought, eventually giving a faint shake of its head.
"You don't even know yourself how you ended up here?" Aven was somewhat astonished.
He then turned to Kirlia, who nodded slightly before stepping forward to initiate communication with Mismagius.
After a while, Mismagius looked once again at Froslass, silently nodded, and then closed its eyes.
"Kir~lia~"
Kirlia turned its gaze toward Aven.
"I'll be counting on you now." Aven also closed his eyes in response.
At that instant, a gentle blue glow radiated from Kirlia's body. Its telepathic ability activated, bridging the consciousness of Aven and Mismagius together.
The very next moment, a vivid image appeared within Aven's mind—
He saw Mismagius drifting aimlessly in an endless void of darkness. Around it, countless other Ghost-type Pokémon were also floating like wandering souls, suspended in a world devoid of a single trace of light, without any sense of destination.
Suddenly, the space in front of Mismagius split open. A tremendous suction force erupted forth, sweeping toward the surrounding ghosts like a powerful vortex.
At the sight of this, the ghosts immediately scattered in a frantic panic. Only Mismagius was caught and dragged into the rift of space, its figure devoured by the crack as it vanished completely from that dark world.
When Mismagius awoke again, it found itself already in this world. In order to survive, it had no choice but to rely on its own powers, weaving elaborate illusions to drive away the surrounding creatures.
Crack—crack—
At that point, the image inside Aven's mind shattered like glass.
Opening his eyes slowly, his expression grew heavy. This matter seemed far beyond what he had originally anticipated.
If his guess was correct, then this Mismagius that had suddenly appeared here was very likely a Pokémon that originally came from the Ghost World.
The so-called Ghost World was the dwelling place of ghosts and Ghost-type Pokémon. It was even believed to be the world that the souls of living beings journeyed to after death.
Back in the era of Aven's previous life, the existence of the Ghost World was already no longer considered a secret. There were even scholars who had devoted themselves to the study of the Ghost World and discovered that within it lay an abundance of unique resources.
Very clearly, Mismagius had originally lived in the Ghost World. Yet for reasons unknown, a rift had appeared in the section of the Ghost World where it resided, a rift that connected directly to the real world. Mismagius had been swept up by it and dragged into this reality.
In fact, that Skuntank that had suddenly vanished earlier might very well have also been pulled into the Ghost World by such a rift!
"The appearance of a Ghost World rift means the Ghost World and the real world have overlapped. Could it be that somewhere near this Black Forest, there exists a passageway to the Ghost World?"
Aven's thoughts quickly connected all the dots. Within his memory, Ghost World passages were natural channels linking the two realms. Many of the Ghost-type Pokémon found in the real world were believed to have originally crossed over through such passages.
However, once a Ghost World passage appeared, the space near the intersection of the two worlds would inevitably become extremely unstable, making it much easier for rifts to form.
As this realization sank in, Aven felt a chill in his heart. If there truly was a Ghost World passage hidden within the Black Forest, then this matter was far more troublesome than he had expected.
At that time, hordes of Ghosts and Ghost-type Pokémon might flood into the real world through the passage. And to them, the souls of living beings were the most exquisite delicacies imaginable.
"It looks like the situation is even more serious than I thought." Aven let out a slow, steady breath.
The most important task now was to locate the possible entrance to the Ghost World and seal it away.
As long as the passage remained closed, the Ghosts from the Ghost World could not enter reality. With the passage sealed, the instability would eventually fade, and the danger would naturally be resolved.
"Maa~, maaa..."
Mismagius opened its eyes and looked toward Aven.
That was exactly how the situation stood—it too felt utterly helpless now, unsure of what it could possibly do.
"If you truly wish to return, then we must first find the Ghost World passage," Aven said calmly.
"For that reason, in the coming days, I'll need your assistance. You are no stranger to the aura of the Ghost World, are you?"
Aven studied Mismagius seriously. Whether his guess was completely right or not, he would have to thoroughly investigate the Black Forest.
Aside from the possible existence of the Ghost World passage, there was also the potential threat of other Ghosts that might have already slipped through rifts. They too were dangerous and could not be ignored.
After all, human souls were far too tempting to them. These Ghost-types could very easily attempt to invade human settlements.
"Maa~, maaa?"
Hearing Aven's words, Mismagius nodded. Then, as if seeking reassurance, its gaze turned again toward Froslass.
At this point, the only one that could ease its mind was Froslass, especially the power that radiated so strongly from her.
"Lass..."
Even now, Froslass still looked somewhat doubtful.
But since Mismagius had chosen to follow her, she gave a slight nod in acceptance, signaling that it could stay safely under her wing for now.
In fact, Mismagius's illusion abilities were quite outstanding. It would make for a surprisingly capable helper.
Moreover, if she could one day grasp this ability herself, it would be worth learning from.
"Let's return for now," Aven finally said, standing up. "This matter needs to be carefully planned out before a solution can be implemented."
Aside from the looming threat from Marina City, there was now also the danger of a Ghost World passage. The burden on his shoulders was only growing heavier.
Fortunately, judging from the current circumstances, the appearance of Mismagius did not seem to have any direct connection to the sorcerers or to the Abyssal Cavern. That, at least, was a rare piece of good news.
A new day has begun…
And with it, Aven knew the challenges ahead would only continue to mount.
(End of Chapter)